Meet the Founders

Read the story behind Booost Education, as Laura & Tim share how a desire to empower neurodivergent students shaped their mission to help learners to succeed.

Way back to the beginning. Why did you decide to work with students? How did you get into it?

Laura: My background is in working with the elderly, and it was during that time I came across an opportunity to support students at Oxford University’s disability services. Although the type of help they needed was different, there were parallels—both groups needed their voices to be heard. I felt that if I could contribute to that, even in a small way, it would be meaningful. Many students came in doubting themselves, but seeing their confidence grow as we worked together to secure the support they needed was incredibly rewarding. Meeting each student and being part of their journey was truly special, and it reaffirmed that this was the path I wanted to pursue.

Tim: I was working for a charity and came across someone who’s job was a Disability Adviser at a university. Hmmm, I thought, working for a university sounds a bit like being student again. I’m interested. Fast forward a little while and I decided to make the switch and applied for a Disability Adviser job at Brunel University. Fortunately for me, they were keen to bring in a bit more assistive technology expertise, which I had a little bit of, and I got the job. And really enjoyed it. No job is perfect but I really liked being part of a university and really, really liked working with students.

When and where did you first meet?

Laura: For starters, this makes us sound like we’re married, which we’re most definitely not! I first met Tim when interviewing for the position at Oxford University and discovered he was going to be my manager.

Tim: I think it was a blind date wasn’t it? No, strictly professional - I worked at Oxford University and we were hiring an administrator for the assessment centre I had been tasked with setting up. And one candidate was streets ahead of all the others….

First impressions?

Tim: My first impression of Laura was that it was very obvious that we’d make a great team, and that she was very clearly getting that vibe too. Also, what came across was that she was a really good judge of character and would know instantly that I’d be great to work with, would be an excellent manager and that we would work well together for a very long time.

Laura: I think my exact words when I called my husband to tell him about the new role were, ‘If that guy is going to be my boss, then I’m not taking the job.’ However, within the first hour of working together, we just clicked, and the rest, as they say, is history!

What makes you a good team/partnership?

Tim: We have very different strengths and weaknesses, and think about things very differently which means we complement each other well. On the flip side, we both want to do something that has value, both are pretty self-motivated and happy to take on responsibility, which means we work well together. Most importantly though, both of us are happy that we don’t have to do the stuff that the other does.

Laura: Having worked together well at Oxford, we both moved on to new opportunities but stayed in touch. After many conversations we decided with our very different skills we should take the plunge and set up an assessment centre. Why do we work well together? Well, I guess much like a marriage, we know better than to give opinions when they’re not wanted!

Laura, your competitive nature is legendary. Where are we on the Tim v Laura team-building score chart now?!

Laura: Correct me if I’m wrong here, but I don’t think Tim’s won any yet, so I’m winning by a mile - not that I’m counting, of course. Oh, except for the last away day when my team lost the egg drop challenge. Don’t worry, though, I’ll regain my crown at the next team event!

Tim: I don’t think we need to include this, it’s really of no interest to anyone

Back to work. What is your vision for Booost Education, what do you hope to achieve?

Laura: I hope we can give students the ability to grow - both academically and personally. Even if we only make a small contribution in helping a student achieve that goal, then that's all I could ever hope for.

Tim: To make stuff that genuinely helps students with some of the barriers they face. If we can help lots of students, and that means we have to continue to expand the team and grow the business to do so, then that’s all good, but we want to build on that foundation.

Finally, if you had one piece of advice for any aspiring entrepreneurs out there thinking about starting a business, what would it be?

Tim: Get a good business partner. A lot of the rest of what has happened has seemed to be as much about luck than judgement, but that was definitely one thing I seem to have got right 🤮 Outside of that, be lucky, hire well, don’t be too cautious, be prepared to be wrong about stuff (a lot), know that everyone thinks they’re an imposter, and, most importantly, ignore questions that ask for just one piece of advice and go all out instead.

Laura: First, if you truly believe in your vision, go for it. Second, don’t go it alone—work with someone you trust completely. Watching a small idea transform into a successful startup with a team of like-minded individuals is truly incredible. While building a fully-fledged business was never the initial plan, I am incredibly proud and grateful for how far we’ve come.