First Friday Success Stories: Annapolis College Consulting

November 4, 2016

Welcome to the first installment of First Friday Success Stories. On the first Friday of every month, we will feature a successful area business that has worked with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) counselor housed at the AAEDC office in Annapolis. The SBDC counselor is on hand to assist local entrepreneurs and small to mid-size businesses.

First Friday Success Story: November
Client Name/Owner: Cori Dykman
Name of Business: Annapolis College Consulting
Type of Business: College Consulting
Years in Business: 8
Website: www.annapoliscollegeconsulting.com

Cori Dykman has always had a passion for assisting students, especially in continuing education. She opened her own business, Annapolis College Consulting, in September 2008. Her goal is finding the right fit colleges for the student where they can fulfill their potential, succeed, and graduate. Ms. Dykman assists with the whole college process, helps build strong resumes, strategically brainstorms essay topics, teaches interviewing skills, and helps students receive merit aid scholarships. Most importantly her assistance and experience helps to improve the college outcome and manage the stress that this process can produce. Each student is unique, and she tailors her assistance to their personal needs.

Cori Dykman first came to the Small Business Development Center located in the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation in February of 2014. She wanted to market her business more effectively to attract new clients. Ms. Dykman knew this was a service that not only students, but parents would want to invest in to improve their child’s chances of being accepted into their top choice school. It also increased their chances of graduation by identifying schools that fit their child’s goals and dreams.

SBDC business consultant, Hollis Minor assisted Cori Dykman in reviewing her SEO optimization strategy to make sure clients could easily find her on the web. Hollis Minor helped outline a marketing strategy to include speaking engagements, articles, networking, and reaching out to test-prep consultants. In September 2014, Ms. Dykman began to meet with SBDC consultant Candace Pruett. Candace assisted with strengthening her social media marketing tools and continuing implementation of her marketing strategy. Since working with the SBDC, Ms. Dykman has reached her goal of clients, and is continuing to grow her business. Her impressive success rate is much higher than the national average. 85% of students are accepted into their first choice college, 90% of her students stay at the college they started at, and 90% of those students have graduated on-time, with some even graduating early.

Cori Dykman states, “Working with SBDC has been extremely beneficial from numerous vantage points. Firstly, preparing for the meetings inspires me to look at my business more globally. What areas should I be focusing on that I am not, what could I improve and how, and what do I need feedback on? The discussions and ideas have increased my sales and visibility in the college consulting marketplace. Hollis Minor told me that I should have people lining up to work with me, since on average I save them $50,000 on the cost of college through merit aid scholarships. With their help, I now have a thriving practice. I consider the advisors at SBDC to be excellent and worthwhile!”
Cori Dykman continues to assist students in Anne Arundel County to reach for their goals and aspirations by finding colleges where they will flourish. For more information please see Annapolis College Consulting’s website at: www.annapoliscollegeconsulting.com or call (410) 991-4245. Free consultation appointments are available.

FARM BUSINESS PROFILE: Billy Ford of Triple G Farm »