41-year-old teacher used her last $99 to start a living room side hustle—now her business makes $1.9 million a yearin 2011, she went to OfficeMax and bought five binders with the last $99 in her checking account, she says.
It's all a surprise to Collum, she says: When a school principal first asked to buy a writing curriculum from her, she laughed and responded,"There's not an ounce of business in me. I can't write this down and sell it." In her first semester, 95% of her students passed the state test, up from 38% the previous year, she says. Each of the next two years, every fourth grader at her school was deemed proficient at writing, says Collum.Two of Collum's four children, shown helping pack Top Score Writing binders into shipping boxes during the 2014-2015 school year.
Top Score Writing's curricula and teaching plans now cost between $125 and $625 apiece, depending on grade level and services offered.Initially, Collum built Top Score Writing primarily for Title I schools, which receive extra federal funding to help students from low-income families.