Illinois entrepreneur gets a boost from Verizon to grow her business
Karla Yatckoske always thought she’d become a classroom teacher because of her passion for education. But while following her dream, she encountered a problem. While teaching, she noticed that students in a classroom of 25 were at wildly different academic levels. Karla said “some couldn’t read at all and others were bored with the curriculum and needed to be challenged more.”
Karla began tutoring students and adults in various subjects so she could help them learn faster. She later determined that running her own educational company would allow her to serve clients by being more responsive to their educational needs.
This realization led Karla to begin tutoring as a sole proprietor in 2007. In 2021, she took the next step by establishing her virtual education company, Uplifting Melodies Tutoring, LLC. Her business offers private tutoring in reading, math and Spanish. But Karla didn’t stop there: she also launched her signature program, El Loro Club, a subscription-based online community to help professionals improve their conversational Spanish. Through entrepreneurship, Karla has “an opportunity to solve problems in a way no one else has and be a relationship builder who connects with other people to receive and give support.”
However, while entrepreneurship is rewarding, it isn’t easy. Like many entrepreneurs, Karla has struggled to access the capital needed to grow her business. She had received two microgrants from Sunshine Enterprises, but was otherwise self-funded. This limited her ability to grow her business. Karla said that “although it is a special honor to be a business owner, it can be very challenging.”
Things changed for Karla, however, when she learned about a grant from the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready program. Fortunately, the application process was easy and only took her an hour. Karla received the grant and began planning how to grow her businesses. Thanks to Verizon, Karla received a grant that provided her with the financial breathing space to reassess her business model. She realized the need for a scalable approach because exclusively taking on private clients wasn’t sustainable, so she developed a subscription model for her businesses. The funds also helped her obtain business insurance, cover digital subscriptions and join local chambers of commerce. These changes enabled her to expand her reach by doing workshops at her local chamber, and many attendees later joined El Loro Club.
“Keep going!” Karla advises other small business owners. “You will have many ups and downs as an entrepreneur, sometimes in the course of one day. Allow yourself to feel your feelings, then get up and keep going. Surround yourself with people who will support and encourage you, as well as give you a gentle nudge when you’re headed in the wrong direction.”