The Naficy family: how Outschool helped a 13-year-old launch his own business

The Naficy family discovered Outschool when their kids' schools closed in March of 2020.

But what began as a way to supplement online learning provided by their traditional schools quickly grew. Soon, the Naficy kids were taking classes based on their diverse interests, as well as core classes taught at higher levels.

And as the Naficys embraced live online classes, it led to special opportunities and accomplishments that they never would have imagined.

Hi Susie! Can you tell us about your family?

We have three kids ages 14 (8th grade), 12 (6th grade), and 10 (5th grade).

What is your philosophy towards learning, school, and education?

I am an attorney, and my husband is a surgeon. We have always placed a very high value and emphasis on education. Even before the pandemic, our kids have always been enrolled in supplemental education classes outside of regular school (especially in math and science).

We emphasize reading a lot in our family, and I still read books aloud to all three of my kids daily (in addition to independent reading). Doing read-alouds allows us to read books that might be too advanced to read on their own.

How did you first discover Outschool?

I learned about Outschool in March when schools went remote. I was looking for classes to supplement the meager 3 hours of online class per day being offered by our school.

From upper-left, clockwise: Susie, her husband, and her son; Susie's son poses with his book "Kidpreneur," Susie's son poses with his catch on a recent fishing trip, Susie and her son explore nature.

One of the best parts of Outschool is all the non-traditional classes - my kids could finally take classes in subjects they were passionate about, such as business, videography, and coding.

My son is very involved in dramatic arts, and he even took classes in how to speak in an English and Southern accent for fun. The wide range of interesting classes offered is so unique.

We also use Outschool for core classes, too, and the nice thing is that you can take classes that are more advanced with older kids if you are at that level. We still use Outschool, even when school resumed in September.

My two younger kids are enrolled in traditional school. Still, my older son (whose story is below) is doing all of his school through independent online classes we put together ourselves, including many advanced high school level Outschool classes.

We heard an exciting story about your son starting a business! Can you share that with us?

My 13-year-old son Cyrus has always been really interested in business and entrepreneurship. Of course, this isn't part of the curriculum at your everyday middle school.

When the pandemic hit and schools closed last spring, we took advantage of the time at home to explore some Outschool classes. To my surprise and excitement, there was a vast array of business-related classes for kids.

Cyrus signed up for a 6-week Outschool entrepreneurship course with Natalie Hines called "Teenpreneur - Create, Launch, and Grow your Own Business," and he loved it! The teacher was so engaging and encouraging - and you could tell the kids in the class were genuinely interested and excited to learn.

Susie's son is taking a class from his at-home learning setup.

As part of the class, Cyrus came up with a business plan. The teacher provided excellent guidance on how to build and monetize a website. Eventually, Cyrus took this small idea from his Outschool class and turned it into a full-fledged online tutoring business for kids, which flourished during the pandemic.

He also wrote a book for kids about starting their own businesses, which is available on Amazon.

Cyrus took this small idea from his Outschool class and turned it into a full-fledged online tutoring business for kids. Recently, Cyrus was also featured on Fox News, where he talked about his pandemic business and his book.

I feel we have Outschool and his teacher to thank for encouraging his interests and helping him take the first steps to them becoming a reality. Learning about Outschool was definitely one of the best things that came out of the pandemic for our family!

Where can we learn more about Cryus's business?

There are a few places you can go, which are listed below:

• His book is available on Amazon

• Watch his interview on Q13 Fox News

• Listen to his podcast

Editor's note: this blog was originally published on 01/05/2021 and was updated in September 2022. 

Outschool Staff