Meet Rusty | Founder of ESPEN Learning

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rusty and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rusty, how does your business help the community?
ESPEN Learning is an online teaching business that currently plays 3 roles.

First is general tutoring for grades K-12 and university level. We help students who are struggling with coursework or exam preparations. We also help students who are not being challenged enough in their current school curricula.

The second role of ESPEN Learning is to help students with standardized test prep. This includes SSAT, SAT, ACT, GRE, MCAT, and much more.

And third is professional bilingual training. We help professionals of all kinds become proficient in both English and Spanish to make them more competitive in the job market. In big cities or places with a larger number of Spanish-speakers, this is a must.

ESPEN Learning will always offer programs at drastically reduced rates for low-income or otherwise disadvantaged students. Everyone deserves access to quality education, period.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
ESPEN Learning is different from most other online learning services because nearly everything is customized for the student. While we do have several base curricula, they are always modified and built upon to meet the needs of the student. Additionally, one of our main goals is to foster a genuinely friendly environment. We know what’s going on in our students lives, what their goals are, what makes them laugh. This bond helps the students feel more comfortable and improves performance in our sessions.

Was the journey easy? Absolutely not! In the words of a dear friend, “Life is anything but a straight line.” I have 4 university degrees, I’ve lived and taught in multiple countries, and dropped out of medical school after realizing it was not the right fit for me. Then moving across the country, where I didn’t know a single person, and starting an online teaching business from scratch was anything but simple. I overcame these challenges by having a fierce determination to not give up. It’s okay to change the things that aren’t working. Don’t surrender, evolve. Do I still think about giving up every single day and going back to the world of medicine? Sure. Am I going to do that? Heck no! I’m too stubborn and I truly love what I do.

While ESPEN Learning continues to grow and adapt, one thing will always stay the same. We will always provide high quality lessons to our students while fostering a kind, open-minded, and respectful learning environment.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Okay, so I have done this many times, so this is easy.

My top outdoor places to visit include: “Kate Session’s Park” in PB. It’s gorgeous. Bring a little blanket to sit on, go there 2 hours before sunset, and enjoy the views. Next is “Mission Bay Park”. The trail goes along the waterfront for a couple miles. It’s beautiful, there are spacious areas to lay down and enjoy the sites, and there are plenty of bathrooms and water fountains! The last place I recommend anyone go visit would be “Sunset Cliffs” (the portion right above the beach in the west). Again, grab a blanket to sit on, go to the part that is just above the beach area, and enjoy the views. The water and big sheets of slate are beautiful and you can watch surfers doing their thing. Just be careful and don’t fall off the cliffs. There are no guardrails!

If we’re talking about food, I recommend “J and T Thai Street Food” in Linda Vista. Great prices and tasty food. Just a few storefronts down hill is Rose Donuts. I’m obsessed with them and I absolutely love the main lady who works there. I’ve tried a dozen (no pun intended) different donuts places and this place is my fav. And the last food spot I recommend would be “Happy Lemon” on Convoy Street. If you like boba/bubble tea, this is the place to go. Again, I’ve tried countless places here and Happy Lemon is where it’s at. You walk in and get smacked in the face with the most wonderful waffle smell you could imagine. And then there are so many drink options. My personal favorites are the mango matcha smoothie with boba or the passionfruit tea with lychee jelly (Make sure to get 70% sweetness and 50% ice on this one).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have many people to thank for the growth I’ve seen in myself and my business. It would take far too long to list all of them here, so I’ll provide my top 3.

First is my brother, a fellow entrepreneur. When I first started, he was one of the very few people who unwaveringly supported my decision to start a business. When I would complain about something and say, “I’m trying to run a business here!” he would correct me, saying, “You’re not trying… you ARE running a business.” This validation and support means far more than he knows.

Second is my significant other, also a fellow entrepreneur. He is supportive of every aspect of my business, listens to me complain, listens to me get excited when a new opportunity presents itself. He helps me brainstorm and rework ideas when things need adjusted. He’s a total sweetheart and I feel very fortunate.

And last would be the book, “The Tipping Point”, by Malcolm Gladwell. Many entrepreneurs know this author/book combo. It provides such a clear message that can apply to countless situations. It pointed out a number of ways I might improve the recognition and expansion of my business.

Website: Www.Espenlearning.com