With Just $99 Left, A 41-Year-Old Teacher Started A Living Room Side Hustle–Today, She Rakes In $1.9 Million Annually

In 2011, Lisa Collum, a fourth-grade teacher in Florida, had just $99 left in her bank account. Instead of feeling defeated, she saw an opportunity. Collum spent her last dollars at OfficeMax, buying five binders and filling them with copies of a writing curriculum she had developed. 

She labeled each one "Top Score Writing by Lisa Collum" and sold them to local schools. Those five binders soon turned into 10, then twenty and eventually, orders flooded in by the hundreds, all packaged in her living room with her children's help.

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Today, Collum, now 41, leads Top Score Writing as its CEO. Based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, the company provides K-12 writing curricula and consulting services across the U.S., serving thousands of schools and teachers. 

The company's success reflects Collum's early work with fourth-grade students, many of whom are English language learners struggling with structured writing. 

She found that a clear, step-by-step method for crafting essays helped students gain confidence and dramatically boosted test scores. Within a few years, her side hustle was generating more income than her $40,000 teaching salary and in 2015, Collum decided to make Top Score Writing her full-time focus.

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Starting Top Score Writing wasn't part of Collum's original plan. When a school principal asked if she'd sell her curriculum, Collum joked that she "didn't have an ounce of business sense." But the demand was undeniable.

According to CNBC reports, within just a few years, she had hired six full-time employees and 10 part-time staff and Top Score Writing was raking in nearly $1.9 million annually.

Her journey from classroom teacher to CEO wasn't without challenges. Collum's curriculum quickly caught the attention of the Florida Department of Education after her students' test scores skyrocketed, leading to two separate investigations at her school. 

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But the results spoke for themselves: Collum's writing methods consistently led to impressive improvements and she eventually became a writing specialist for her district before leaving to focus on her side business.

The expansion of Top Score Writing was largely fueled by word-of-mouth. In 2016, Collum took her materials online, increasing accessibility for schools nationwide. Today, her curricula range from $125 to $625 depending on grade level and added services. 

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Initially aimed at Title I schools – those serving students from low-income families – the curriculum has since gained traction in other types of schools.

Still, Collum's structured approach to writing has its critics. Some educators and parents feel the format limits creativity and focuses too heavily on test preparation. At least one major contract was lost due to such concerns, but Collum defends her approach, saying that every student needs to understand the basics before they can dive into creative expression.

Through her journey, Collum has learned when to trust her instincts, acknowledging that confidence doesn't come easily. "The first five years were tough," she admits. "But now, I know how to roll with the punches and stick to what I know works for students."

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