The Reimagined Classroom
Starting and growing a successful small business takes vision, resourcefulness, determination and so much more. Even with a partner, the journey can be daunting. Finding smart people and useful resources to assist you is always a challenge but one that pays off in multiple ways. When Michael Heyman and Brett Meyers, co-founders of The Reimagined Classroom, a one-stop shop for custom educational content, were looking for help with government contracting, they came to the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida’s (FSBDC at UCF) government contracting affiliate, the Florida APEX Accelerator at UCF, for help. They quickly found even more value and assistance than they initially anticipated in the form of the FSBDC’s award-winning Advisory Board Council (ABC) program.
The Reimagined Classroom has built a very successful business serving the corporate community. “We can take a concept from ideation and brainstorming and bring it all the way to print and web ready content,” Heyman explains. The team at The Reimagined Classroom subcontracts and works with large companies by producing and bringing to life engaging textbooks and educational resources for K-thru-12 students. Interestingly, before starting the company, Heyman and Meyers were third grade teachers and this background informs their corporate strategy, with every one of their content creators being or having been an educator. “We are a people-first organization creating things with a teacher’s mindset considering all learners and all educators,” Heyman highlights proudly.
“We first reached out to the APEX Accelerator and the FSBDC because we were interested in government contracting,” Heyman recalls. “Our journey with APEX has been incredible. At the same time, my co-founder Brett and I are just head-over-heels with our Advisory Board.” Led by program manager Jill Kaufman, the ABC is a customized, no-cost board of experts providing advice to help businesses grow. The FSBDC acts as a matchmaker between established local businesses like The Reimagined Classroom and area professionals who volunteer their expertise and are purposefully selected to address the specific needs of the FSBDC client.
Working with their Advisory Board has really paid off for the company; their revenues were nearly doubling annually through 2023 and continue to grow rapidly since starting with their ABC. “The advisors and FSBDC consultants that comprise our Board are so knowledgeable, and every facet of business is covered, from legal to government contracting to marketing to operations to finance,” shares Heyman. “We’ve been matched up with experts in every field and the Board has helped us in so many ways. It helped us modify legal documents. It helped us win government contracts. It helped us in hiring decisions. It helped us in business structure decisions. We’re just extremely grateful for the advice. Everybody provides such incredible insights, from technology to legal to finance.”
At the suggestion of its Advisory Board, The Reimagined Classroom also had the FSBDC conduct a business valuation of the company which opened new directions for Heyman and Meyers. “With the valuation in hand and from our work with Jill and the Board, we’ve continued to think about how we can not only continue to increase the value of our business but also what other places we can shore up from an operational standpoint,” Heyman reveals. “So if another private equity company – we’ve talked to one already – were to look at the company, we’ve at least addressed or thought about any of the concerns they may have.”
For The Reimagined Classroom, what started as an investigation into government contracting opportunities evolved into much more, with the company now better positioned for future growth across multiple functional areas thanks to the experts and resources at the FSBDC at UCF and its Advisory Board Council program.
