NICOLE McLaren is a woman on a mission — to help Jamaican students access and excel in overseas colleges while moulding for herself a reputation as the go-to person for higher education services locally.

To realise her objective, she has opened AIM Educational Services Limited, offering one-on-one college and advice programmes, Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) preparation, and college tours.

“I guess you could call it a strong inner-prompting,” the 25-year-old told Career & Education of her decision to start the business. “I was helping family and friends with college applications informally for a couple of years and I loved it. I love teaching, and college was such a special time for me, so AIM was a natural step.”

McLaren explained the choice of services.

“We take a student-centred approach, focusing on the interests and values of the student in positioning them for success in the college admissions process, starting as early as grade nine. We provide one-on-one guidance at each stage of the application process beginning with an evaluation of the student,” she noted.

“The programme includes everything from researching and developing the college list, to brainstorming essay topics and editing support, to identifying ‘red flags’ and final application review. For AIM’s early students (those in grade nine), the programme consists of the development of a strategic long-term plan which includes strategic curricular and extra-curricular direction/planning support and recommendations for summer programmes based on students’ passions and interests and ongoing mentoring and coaching support,” McLaren added.

As for the SAT programme, she said it is “results-driven and coaches students to their highest score using proven techniques that focus on intelligent analysis instead of memorisation”.

College tours are arranged for students and their families to facilitate a taste of what life on campus will be like.

“We work with families on an individual basis to customise the college visit experience and take care of all details so that parents can focus on what is most important — the student,” McLaren noted.

When she began operating AIM last November, McLaren joined the ranks of A-QuEST and Versan Educational Services, run by veteran educators Dr Dennis Minott and Sandra Bramwell-Riley respectively. But the Princeton University graduate appears up for the challenge of staying in the game.

“Being bold and banishing fear, that is how I operate,” she said. “I am confident in what I have to offer and I know it will help a lot of students and families. So I wasn’t daunted entering this market because there are other players in it. I view myself as offering a different type of service in terms of the high level of personalisation (offered). I really am very passionate about what I am doing and am very focused on the success of my students.

“As a young person myself, that is another way I feel I am different from other players in the market. I have gone through the process personally (having attended Princeton) so I am very close to the process. I know what it entails. Princeton, for example, is a very rigorous school. But having just gone through that process recently, I am closer to the students in age and I can allay their fears. So I bring a unique skill set to the table and a different type of offering than is out there,” she added.

And McLaren is not averse to making sacrifices; she has made several already.

“Sleep! That’s the number one sacrifice I have made to get going and stay going,” said the young woman who holds a first degree in economics and a master’s degree in globalisation and development. “I give each client 100 per cent. This is an important time in their lives and I want to give them the best chance possible. Of course, I have also had to ensure that I stay on top of all the paperwork and answer all the e-mails, etc, which leaves little time for family and recreation. I have a very understating family.”

She has also had to leave behind a job she loves in the interest of the business.

“I was a senior policy analyst (at the Ministry of Education) — a job I enjoyed — and I had to sacrifice that in order to focus on AIM. My position at the ministry was very demanding and did not give me the flexibility to do much else,” she explained.

It costs just about $500,000 to get the business going, she said.

“The cost of establishing any business in this day and age is always a challenge, but we have tried to be innovative and creative in managing expenses and we continue to do so,” she said.

To help keep costs down, McLaren has, up to now, been teaching out of the MRC Learning Centre operated by Russell Bell, who she described as “a great Math teacher”.

“I oftentimes go to my clients’ homes for one-on-one consultations,” she explained. “Occasionally, I have meetings in Cannonball Café in Loshusan because I can’t get enough of their coffee.”

That all changes this month when she begins to operate out of CariMed Ltd’s building at 20 Lady Musgrave Road.

McLaren is enthused by the move, which will see her holding her first SAT class on January 30.

“The move is an exciting one! The facility is fully air-conditioned, has 24-hour security, and is outfitted for use of multimedia. It’s a great learning environment and I know my students will be comfortable,” she told Career & Education, adding that the name of the company is indicative of the kind of service students can expect.

“AIM is an acronym for Aspiration, Inspiration, Motivation. And this captures what I seek to do — motivate and inspire my students to aspire to greatness,” she noted.

In the past two months, 11 students have benefitted from McLaren’s services, despite the company not being fully operational before January 2.

“It was just in response to the demands. I had some students who were really in a bind,” she said, noting that she had offered three students college advice and one-on-one tutoring to another eight.

“It was really rewarding to see (those students make progress),” McLaren said, recalling the intensity of the sessions as she prepared the trio for college applications and the others for exams.

She credits the success of her efforts to date to familial support.

“Support and faith — these have given me the courage to follow my inner-prompting,” McLaren said. “One of the first things I did before launching AIM was to form an advisory board of family members who have experience in different areas. They have been invaluable in terms of providing guidance and support. I have great mentors who have been generous with their time and advice. And faith. For me, at the end of the day, it is about saying ‘Lord, what would you have me do?’ And trying to live the answer.”

McLaren’s tips for prospective entrepreneurs

* Banish fear. Be bold. Take risks. One of my mentors, Glen Christian, said something last week that really stuck with me — ‘I am not afraid of taking risks. I figure the law of averages will take care of me.’

* Share your idea and put yourself out there. Don’t be afraid to talk to people about what you’re doing. If you believe in what you are doing, put yourself out there and share it with as many people as you can.

* Learn from smart, successful people. Try to set up appointments with as many smart, successful people as possible. Invite them to lunch or coffee if possible. Ask for 10 or 15 minutes of their time and sit down and talk to them about your idea, or about how the business is going, and ask for their feedback. This has been super key for me.

* Be creative and take action. Don’t dwell on problems; find solutions. Ask for help when you need it, and take action on your ideas.

* Create a network of support. I can’t say how important this has been for me.