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My First Million

My First Million

The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.

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Summer Melt Prevention Framework

Reusability

A systematic approach to preventing prospective students from withdrawing their college enrollment commitment at the last minute, typically during summer before freshman year.

How It Works

Creates social connections and excitement through peer networks before students arrive on campus, reducing uncertainty and increasing commitment.

Components

1

Identify students in enrollment funnel who haven't made final commitment

2

Create peer connection platform for incoming students

3

Build social media integration to extend engagement beyond platform

4

Provide data insights to admissions teams about at-risk students

5

Measure conversion improvements and revenue impact

When to Use

When educational institutions face high dropout rates between acceptance and enrollment, particularly smaller colleges struggling with enrollment.

When Not to Use

For highly selective institutions with waitlists, or when the issue is initial applications rather than enrollment conversion.

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Focusing only on technology without addressing underlying social needsCreating isolated platforms that don't integrate with existing student social media habitsIgnoring the human touch in favor of pure automation

Example

Christ College had 33% of accepted students withdraw before enrollment. After implementing peer connection platform, summer melt reduced by 61%, adding $1.7M to revenue.