Episode 306 | Ellie & Jacob Smedley | Confidence Academics | The Knowledge Entrepreneurs Show

Episode Description

In this episode, Ellie Smedley, founder of Confidence Academics and former math curriculum writer for eight years, reveals how her confidence-first approach shapes her nine-session SAT prep program. Drawing from her curriculum development background, Ellie explains her "show what you know" philosophy that encourages students to display all their work and build from existing knowledge rather than focusing on pass-fail outcomes. She discusses her unique benchmark session where students rank SAT math domains by confidence level—not scores—opening conversations about their mathematical beliefs and anxieties. Ellie shares her curriculum creation insights about crafting wrong answer choices that target common misconceptions without confusing students, emphasizing that questions should be crystal clear even if answers seem viable. With marketing partner Jacob handling business development, she explains their realistic pricing strategy based on national averages and intro session discounts to remove commitment barriers for families unsure about personality fit.