Episode 243 | Brett Ethridge | Dominate Test Prep | The Knowledge Entrepreneurs Show
Learn More About Brett Ethridge
Explore Brett's expertise through the following links:
- LinkedIn: Connect with Brett Ethridge and his test preparation expertise
- Dominate Test Prep: Discover his comprehensive GMAT, GRE, LSAT, and Executive Assessment preparation services
- Dominate Test Prep YouTube: Access his extensive library of test prep strategies and educational content
Key Takeaways
Episode Description
In this episode, Brett Ethridge shares his journey of founding Dominate Test Prep, starting with GMAT preparation and expanding into other standardized tests. He discusses the challenges faced during the pandemic, the impact of education policies on test prep demand, and his marketing strategies that emphasize value over price. Test prep entrepreneur Brett Ethridge reveals how a midnight drive across Nevada and one simple question launched his online education empire, exposes why the Executive Assessment became 50% of his revenue despite serving a tiny market, and shares the counterintuitive pricing strategy that proved charging more actually attracts better students—plus his honest assessment of why pandemic test-optional policies devastated the industry.
Key Topics Covered
- The Nevada Epiphany: How a random personal development CD question during a cross-country drive sparked the realization that led to building a multi-test preparation business empire
- The Executive Assessment Gold Mine: Why focusing on a niche exam with minimal competition generated 50% of revenue despite serving only a fraction of GMAT test-takers
- The Branding Evolution Crisis: How starting with "Dominate the GMAT" created a cumbersome web of separate sites and YouTube channels, forcing a complete rebrand to accommodate business growth
- The Premium Pricing Revolution: Why competing on price is a losing strategy, and how raising tutoring rates from $100 to $250 per hour actually increased demand by improving perceived value
- The Pandemic Revenue Collapse: How overnight test-optional policies destroyed demand across the industry, and why graduate schools haven't recovered to pre-2020 testing levels unlike undergraduate admissions
Conclusion
This conversation exposes the hidden realities of building an online education business while revealing strategic insights about niche market domination. Brett's journey from accidental entrepreneur to multi-test expert demonstrates how early market entry and value-first content creation can build sustainable competitive advantages.
What specific question triggered the business idea during that Nevada drive? How do niche markets like Executive Assessment generate outsized revenue? Why does charging premium prices actually attract more clients than competing on cost?
Listen to the complete episode to discover Brett's exact content marketing strategies, his detailed approach to pricing psychology, and his predictions about the testing industry's recovery from pandemic disruption. The full conversation reveals entrepreneurial insights that most education business owners never learn.
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