Bridging the Gap: Why 808Today Needed to Exist

Dr. Tequila Kurth

I watched my team work through exhaustion and illness because they were so dedicated to our students. They were heroes, but as their leader, it was heartbreaking to have my hands tied by a lack of resources. I knew something had to change. Ironically, my own career began ‘by accident’ as a substitute teacher while finishing grad school—a job that changed my life. Remembering how vital that role was, I decided to bridge the gap. 808Today was created to ensure that no teacher has to work while sick and no student has to miss a high-quality lesson due to a staffing shortage.

When I first joined BizStarts, my biggest challenge was navigating the transition from nonprofit leadership to a broader business mindset. While I was successfully operating a charter school, I felt siloed. I lacked a clear understanding of how my organization compared to other businesses and, more importantly, I lacked the professional network to scale our impact.

This isolation made it difficult to find the specialized resources my students and staff truly needed. It felt like we were an island, trying to solve every problem on our own. This impacted our efficiency and limited the opportunities we could provide. I knew that to better serve my community, I needed to step outside the ‘nonprofit bubble’ and learn the language of entrepreneurship and local business.

The BizStarts Institute Class of 2023 was a powerhouse of passion, purpose, and clarity. Being surrounded by that group of ‘rock stars’ every week inspired me to think bigger and gave me the confidence to bridge the gap between education and entrepreneurship.

The impact was immediate and tangible. Through the connections I made in the program, I was able to bring in specialized partners who contributed exponentially to our educational programming. Most notably, we were able to secure high-quality lunches and provide unique courses for our students—resources we simply didn’t have access to before. BizStarts didn’t just teach me business skills; it provided the ecosystem I needed to better serve my students.

Since graduating from BizStarts, my confidence as a leader and my professional presence have reached a new level. I still regularly apply the lessons I learned in networking, strategic leadership, and business presence to my daily operations.

The guest speakers provided a ‘real-world’ perspective that was invaluable; they didn’t just teach theory, they gave actionable advice. That ‘keep it real’ philosophy has now become a cornerstone of how I work with my own clients. I’ve moved from just managing a school to intentionally building a business structure that is professional, connected, and resilient. BizStarts gave me the blueprint to lead with more clarity and purpose.

I am most proud of my ability to embrace the ‘pivot.’ I’ve learned that being able to change course—and truly appreciating that process—is a gift. We often discover our true purpose and our strength as leaders only when we are forced to adapt and adjust.

This matters to me because my entire journey has been defined by these moments. Moving from a substitute teacher to a licensed educator, curriculum generalist, assistant principal, principal, and eventually a school founder, I have had to lean into the unknown at every stage. Now, as I build a solution for the staffing crisis with 808Today, I have learned to be excited by change rather than fearful of it. I’m proud that I no longer just ‘manage’ transitions; I explore them with curiosity to see what can and will happen next.
The next chapter for 808Today is about systemic impact. We are currently pursuing state authorization to qualify our eight core courses as official substitute teacher training for those seeking their three-year permits. Beyond certification, we are expanding our reach to support substitute teachers both nationally and internationally.

My message to other entrepreneurs: “Get excited about the unknown. I’ve learned that we find our true purpose when we are forced to change course, so don’t be afraid to pivot. Lean into the curiosity of what can and will happen next—that’s where the magic is.”