Why Most Education Companies Burn Out Before They Scale—And the Fix That Actually Works
- Alvin Onyemere
- Apr 6
- 6 min read
Introduction
What if the reason your education business isn’t scaling… is love?
No, not fluffy, Valentine’s Day kind of love. But deep, strategic, value-driven partnerships—the kind that spark shared vision, mutual respect, and long-term alignment.
In this special live episode of Breaking the Grade, recorded at IFE 2025 in Monterrey, Mexico, I sat down with Sergio Abramovich, CEO of Scala Learning—and let’s just say—he flipped the B2B script. Most founders chase logos. Sergio? He chases love.
Why? Because scaling in education isn’t just about sales. It’s about systems. It’s about trust. And it’s about saying no to surface-level deals that look good on LinkedIn, but never make it to the finish line.
So, if you're an EdTech founder, marketer, or sales leader feeling like your partnerships are performative—or worse, not converting—this episode is your blueprint.
You’re not going to hear empty theory here. You’re going to hear what helped Scala serve over 2 million learners in Latin America… and how you can apply it to your next partnership, pitch, or pilot.
Ready to stop chasing logos—and start building credibility that compounds? Let’s dive in.
“Falling in Love” with Your Partners: What Education Founders Often Miss
Sergio didn’t mince words: “I try to fall in love with my partners.”
Sounds poetic. But in the education business world, this philosophy has teeth.
Most founders rush into partnerships with a “What can you do for me?” mindset. Sergio flips that. At Scala, they go deep on shared values, mission alignment, and whether the potential partner truly believes in the problem they’re solving.
Because in education, transactional deals rarely deliver long-term traction. Surface-level partnerships might get you a logo for your deck, but they won’t get you integration, execution, or results.
So what does “falling in love” look like in real terms?
It means asking better questions upfront. Not just “Can we collaborate?” but:
“Do you care about this problem as much as we do?”
“Will you be in the trenches when things get hard?”
“Can this relationship outlast the pilot?”
Sergio's team even looks for what he called “evangelists”—people within partner organizations who are so passionate, they’d vouch for Scala even if they left their current job.
That’s the kind of energy that scales.
And it’s a powerful reminder: In a crowded market, credibility isn’t built by chasing contracts. It’s built by building belief.
Want to hear how this mindset helped Scala break into massive school systems across Latin America?
Tune in to the full episode of Breaking the Grade.
The Focus Fallacy: Why Expanding Too Fast Will Burn You
Sergio’s message was crystal clear: If you're trying to serve everyone, you end up serving no one.
At one point in the conversation, he described what happens when education companies try to scale too fast—too many countries, too many client types, too many features.
And guess what? Most of them burn out.
It’s the classic focus fallacy. You think adding more markets or verticals means more opportunity. But in reality, it spreads your resources thin, dilutes your message, and tanks your ability to show results.
Sergio’s fix? Obsess over one ideal client and design systems that serve them deeply. At Scala, that meant honing in on government systems and institutions—not chasing every opportunity that came their way.
They chose depth over breadth.
So instead of launching in five countries with mediocre adoption, they went deep into just two… and made real impact. That impact, in turn, created credibility and case studies that unlocked new doors.
“We weren’t trying to be everything to everyone,” Sergio shared. “We focused on doing what we do best, where it mattered most.”
There’s a big lesson here for education founders and operators: True lead generation and sustainable growth comes from tight positioning—not broad ambition.
Network ROI: It’s Not About Connections. It’s About Care
In an age where it’s easy to rack up likes, follows, and connections, it’s tempting to measure your network by sheer numbers. But in this live episode of Breaking the Grade, Sergio Abramovich, CEO of Scala Learning, dropped a truth bomb that cuts through the noise:
“When you're building a network, it's not about quantity. It’s about the quality of the connections and how much you genuinely care about the people in your community. That’s what gets you into doors.”
This isn’t just a feel-good line—it’s a lead generation strategy in disguise. Most education companies treat networking like a numbers game. They collect contacts, pitch cold, and hope for conversion. But as Sergio points out, it’s care that drives conversion. The kind of care that shows up in tailored DMs, thoughtful follow-ups, and authentic interest in the challenges your buyers face.
Josh echoes this sentiment in nearly every EdSales coaching call: it’s not about building a massive audience, it’s about building real resonance. Credibility isn’t built on volume—it’s built on value.
Sergio’s approach? Think of your network like a garden. You don’t plant seeds and expect them to bloom overnight. You nurture them—with insight, with presence, with patience.
If you’re showing up on LinkedIn, showing up at conferences, or inside inboxes without that intentionality—you’re not just missing leads, you’re eroding trust.
Build with Systems. Not Just Hustle.
Every education entrepreneur has a season of hustle. Late nights, nonstop pitching, wearing every hat in the business. But hustle has a shelf life. And as Sergio Abramovich made clear in this live IFE '25 episode, it’s not hustle that scales your education business—it’s systems.
“We’re very deliberate about processes. We don’t want our growth to depend on heroic efforts. We want it to be scalable, sustainable.”
That single sentence? It’s a wake-up call.
Too many founders rely on what Josh calls founder magic: the ability to pull off big wins by sheer willpower. But here’s the truth: if your business needs you to personally chase every lead, close every deal, and fix every fire—you don’t have a business. You have a burnout plan.
Sergio built Scala Learning by focusing on the backend: process documentation, repeatable onboarding systems, and centralized data flows. Because while hustle might land your first few clients, systems are what keep the engine running when you’re scaling from 10 to 100.
This is exactly what we teach inside the EdSales Elevation Experience: without clear systems for lead generation, follow-up, and messaging—your sales pipeline will always stall.
And spoiler: the education buyers you’re trying to sell to? They can smell chaos. They want partners who are as systemized as the institutions they’re selling into.
Purpose + Process = Growth
Growth is every founder’s goal—but how you grow matters just as much as how fast you grow. And in this live IFE '25 episode, Sergio Abramovich, CEO of Scala Learning, laid down a blueprint that’s both refreshing and practical:
“We want to work with people that share the same purpose... It’s not just about scaling. It’s about staying aligned.”
Sergio’s take? Don’t chase growth at the expense of your mission. Because when your partners, clients, and internal team aren’t aligned with your core purpose, things break—fast.
Too often, education entrepreneurs bolt on partnerships, spin up new products, or chase shiny marketing strategies without asking: Does this align with our purpose?
But Sergio makes it clear—when your purpose is paired with the right process, growth isn’t just possible—it’s sustainable. That means:
Building with intention, not just ambition.
Saying no to opportunities that look good but don’t fit.
Creating infrastructure that reflects your values.
That kind of alignment doesn’t just attract the right clients—it repels the wrong ones, saving you time, money, and the pain of chasing bad-fit deals.
This principle shows up time and again in our EdSales work. Education companies that scale well don’t just execute—they execute with clarity.
And if you want to learn how Sergio balances bold vision with purposeful execution…
→ Don’t miss this episode of Breaking the Grade.
The Long Game: Scale Isn’t Built in a Quarter
Sergio dropped what might be the most sobering (and necessary) reminder for every education founder trying to grow fast:
“I think it’s all about the long-term. I’m not trying to build something for the next six months—I want to build something for the next 10 years.”
In a world obsessed with quarterly KPIs, viral growth, and flashy headlines, this mindset stands out. Real scale—the kind that survives market shifts, funding cycles, and leadership changes—is built with long-game thinking.
And for education companies, that long game matters even more. You’re not selling sneakers or snacks. You’re building tools, platforms, and systems that impact learners, educators, and institutions. That takes:
Patience
Process
Relentless clarity
Systems that scale without burning out your team
Sergio’s vision isn’t about a quick exit. It’s about enduring relevance—and for any founder in the education space, it’s a masterclass in grounded, high-impact leadership.
→ Want the blueprint for building systems that scale? Listen to this episode and hear how Sergio’s approach can reshape how you lead, grow, and stay aligned in your own education venture.
Ready to Build Smarter, Not Just Faster?
If you're an education founder, marketer, or sales leader trying to scale without losing your mission—or your mind—this episode is for you.
Sergio Abramovici, CEO of Scala Learning, brings the kind of clarity, conviction, and real-world systems thinking most education companies are missing. From hiring to product strategy to LinkedIn credibility, this live conversation at IFE ’25 in Monterrey is packed with the kind of insights that don’t just inspire—they move the needle.
Don’t just chase growth. Design it. → Tune into this episode of Breaking the Grade now.