Case Study: Starting Onward Learning Solutions
Onward Learning Solutions is positioned as an agency of creative learning designers who are considered the top 10% of learning design talent. We currently offer retainer agreements to help firms navigate labour shortages.
Onward Learning Solutions
Problem Statement
To put it diplomatically, the time I spent at my last employer was suboptimal. I vowed never to be treated like that again. During some activities in my last role, I noted some labour market trends. First, during my time at my last employer, HR asked me to perform compensation research about my expectations for my team, which was never hired. I used self-serve compensation services to perform my research and submitted my findings to HR. According to HR, my average salary was "40% more than our corporate salary band would permit." COVID then struck, and the conversation became mute anyway.
Fast forward 18 months. After I left my past employer, I performed similar compensation research and found that during the COVID pandemic, the average salary for a learning designer had risen 25% over two years - most likely due to the surge in demand for online learning during the pandemic. While some front-line learning designer salary bands had increased, many organizations simply weren't willing to pay the required salary to even get to the bottom 25% of the market, never mind the average.
I leveraged my network and noted two insights. First, there simply was, as there is in many industries, a dearth of high-quality talent, but this shortage was quite acute relative to others. Of 35 new learning designer positions I had been following, over 25 had been reposted months later. While this could indicate numerous things, the most likely explanation was that quality of hire was low or didn't align the job description or expectations.
Second, I noted that many learning designers in my professional network have moved employers more than once in the last year. Of the 22 I examined on LinkedIn, 50% had moved jobs more than once in the last year. While this could be correlated to the issue previously identified, the more likely explanation is that these folks were salary chasing - moving from one role to the next in search of the next raise.
Both of these trends supported the decision to launch Onward Learning Solutions. Couple that with the fact that I had the opportunity to work with a fellow entrepreneur as my first client and the moment seemed almost perfect to start my own business.
Solution Implemented
I built a business plan focused on some basic strategic tenets. The first is obvious from the problem statement - there is an arbitrage point in the marketplace, but this doesn't provide the groundwork for long-term strategy development.
Second, the appetite for using freelancing and temporary workers for critical business processes have increased significantly. Organizations like Upwork and Fiverr have become mainstream brands hosting tens of thousands of freelancers and organizations.
Third, learning design is a process-first science and should be an artistry-first trade. This is a bit of a complicated idea, but it comes from the idea of conflation. From the technological revolution of the 1970s to today, we have become almost obsessed with the idea of predictability. Everything we do is based on trying to predict in one shape, way or form - AI, FinTech, Crypto, Blockchain, Social Media, Search Engines, yada yada. All of these technologies require algorithms to function, and algorithms do not like uncertainty - although with NLP/NLG, they are getting better. Learning design is no different. We need artistry, soul and beauty in our work for it to be maximally effective.
Fourth, companies borne out of the pandemic will be remote only and will never change. Their competitive advantage will be built on this philosophy. Network organizations will dominate in the long run.
Fifth, companies that Gen Z will want to work for - will know how to work for them. The "Zoomers," as they are affectionately called, don't tolerate any BS, and they chase their dreams early. While they also make mistakes like all generations do, they get a lot of things right about the new age we live in. In order for a Zoomer to come to work for an organization and be loyal, we must be truly authentic and honest with them.
Results Achieved
I signed my first client very shortly after getting started but was given a difficult choice early on—plan for full-time employment with a Silicon Valley start-up or focus on building my own business. I selected the former, which has sadly set me back a year and a half. While my client is still progressing with his business, he recently had a baby, so priorities have rightfully shifted.
During the back half of 2023, I've been working on laying the necessary infrastructure to support growth. The first half of 2024 will be focused on bringing in new clients to generate the capital needed to expand.
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