Meet Tim Wolf | Ed Tech Business Owner, Advisor & Investor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tim Wolf and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tim, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Often, you will hear people say that you have to take risks to get rewards, and while that’s true in many cases, just doing risky things hoping for a bigger payout is a recipe for disaster and becoming broke. Believe me, I took a lot of risks. For example, I left a job and decided I was never going to work for anyone but myself ever again even though I had no savings at the time. And while I don’t regret my decisions, my path could have been much faster has I followed what I know today. Although it’s hard to say if I would have even learned it without taking the risk. Perhaps that was the real reward.

Today though, I think the real trick with risk is learning to manage it so that you get the upside as much as possible. Note that this is VERY different than getting as much as possible of the upside. Proper risk management on investments or projects really requires two things:

1. Self-understanding and control.

Know yourself, the people you work with, and where each of you has natural gifts. You can’t freak out when things don’t perfectly go your way. Sometimes you just need to wait for them to turn around. Other times you need to tweak what you are doing slightly and test it again. These both require number 2: Time.

2. Use time to make winning inevitable.

Make bets that you know that if you wait long enough, you win. This means long-term thinking. This also means you don’t risk so much that you are stuck in one lane or have to bail on your bet before it pays off. The more options you have and the fewer moves you make, the more likely you are to have the results outweigh the risks. Just make sure you are protected with income in the short to medium term so you can wait long enough to get the big long-term win.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My current business is Academy Incubator. We believe in a world where learning is customized to the individual student so they can get what they need to learn, when they need it, and in the style that they learn best. We are on a mission to change the way that people are educated.

As far back as I can remember, I’ve loved the art of making businesses. From lemonade stands and mowing lawns as a child to launching myself into technology after high school and college, it has always been a passion of mine. I started building websites in the early 2000s, and quickly realized that people didn’t just need a website, they needed marketing. They needed to drive real results. After spending over a decade in internet marketing, I saw the online education craze hit, especially for adults in the digital coaching and consulting space. But there was a big problem… everything was about making a quick buck or sales… once again not about driving real results.

This is when I realized something profound. We have been stuck in the dark ages when it comes to online education simply because we’ve been trying to emulate classroom instruction on the web. Most education online is a series of videos and lectures, even in courses that cost thousands of dollars. Now there is nothing wrong with lectures, but the real learning happens when the student is engaged… when the content and process of learning are interesting and results-driven. From gamification, using AI, building learning communities, and creating learning tools that guide students to real results. We have an opportunity to transform how we learn and the technology is already here to facilitate it, if we can get past our own biased views of how education should work, I believe we can create a generation of self-motivated and inspired individuals (both adults and K-12) who work and learn through the things that empower and inspire them. This is what will create a generation that can change the world.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The best thing about Colorado is the views and vistas. One of my favorite drives is to take the triangle drive from Boulder to Nederland to Estes Park and back to Boulder. I’ve done this route with a few visitors and its always a hit. Other not-to-miss spots that should be included in a week-long trip to Colorado include:

– Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs (go on a weekday if you can),
– hitting one or a few of our many craft breweries (Sanitas Brewing Co. in Boulder is my favorite esp with the McDevitts Taco Supply food truck right outside)
– taking a haunted tour of Downtown Denver,
– and exploring Meow Wolf.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The summer after my freshman year of college, I met a man who became a mentor of mine, Steven Earp. He was both a business owner and a pastor, which was a fascinating combination. But he helped launch me into the world of personal development and business and focused my life on making an impact in the world through entrepreneurship. I would not be where I am today were it not for him.

He also recommended I read Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki that summer which opened up a whole new world for me then. I will say though, that the book I recommend most often today is Interview with the Devil by Napoleon Hill. If you truly understand the concepts in that book, you can’t help but be successful.

Website: https://www.timwolf.com

Instagram: @theamazingwolf

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arootw04