Neily Boyd has more than a decade of experience as a math educator, working with students and teachers from kindergarten through high school. Most recently, she served as Director of Math, serving six elementary and middle schools. During her tenure, she implemented a hands-on mathematics curriculum designed to engage students in academic discussion and conceptual thinking. As a result, the schools showed some of the highest growth in Tennessee, according to several assessments.  

Seeing a need to help children start kindergarten with better numeracy skills, Boyd launched Counting With Kids in 2019. Since then, her Instagram account has grown to more than 30,000 followers and she has published two e-books on early elementary mathematics. Boyd has also hosted numerous workshops for parents seeking to build their children’s numeracy skills.

Boyd’s vision has since expanded to supporting parents and educators from preschool through elementary ages by providing easy-to-use resources aligned with rigorous best practices. She also continues to host regular online sessions where parents from around the globe seek her advice.  

1.     Can you tell our readers about your background?

I am a former secondary math teacher, and most recently was the Director of Math for six elementary and middle schools. In that role, I implemented a hands-on mathematics curriculum designed to engage students in academic discussion and conceptual thinking. As a result, the schools showed some of the highest growth in Tennessee, according to several assessments. But, for me, the most exciting part was watching students’ excitement around math grow as it began to feel both relevant and interesting.

In 2019, I started Counting With Kids with a purpose of providing parents of young children with high-quality, research-based information for incorporating math at home. I’ve found that the most practical way to do this is through comprehensive, yet simple activities that fit into families’ everyday routines.

I have a B.A. from Vanderbilt University and an M.Ed from Lipscomb University, and I am mom to two kids—a preschooler and first grader. My husband is also a teacher, and with over 25 years of combined experience working in schools, there’s a lot of talk about teaching and learning in our house.

2.     What inspired you to start your business?

Throughout my more than a decade working in math education, I became increasingly aware of a root cause as to why children were struggling with math: it wasn’t being connected to their real lives. The math learned in the classroom wasn’t translating into their lived experiences. Research shows this gap starts as early as the toddler years.

Seeing a need to help children start kindergarten with stronger foundational math skills, I started Counting With Kids in 2019. My goal was to provide parents with easily-accessible, research-based ways to connect math to real life. Since then, the Counting With Kids Instagram page has grown to more than 30,000 followers and I have published two e-books on early elementary mathematics. I also host numerous workshops for parents all over the world seeking to build their children’s numeracy skills. In August, I will launch two membership communities to support parents of preschoolers and kindergarteners as they build their children’s early math foundation.

3.     Where is your business based? 

I am based in Nashville, TN, but my business is predominantly online. Through the Counting With Kids website, Instagram and Facebook, I work with thousands of parents from all over the world.

4.     How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took? 

My first steps were to launch my website and social media accounts, specifically Instagram and Facebook. Through these channels, I was able to connect with people who shared my interest in early math and reach parents who wanted more support in building math skills at home. For the first year, I focused solely on growing the blog and social media accounts. This allowed for time to fully understand the needs parents had around early math and ultimately create resources that would help solve the frustrations they were feeling. 

5.     What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business? 

Instagram has been the most effective tool for raising awareness of Counting With Kids. Through connecting with people on the Instagram platform, I have the privilege of talking with my clients and hearing about their experiences with math. Building these relationships has been invaluable to growing Counting With Kids for two reasons:

(1)   Through my conversations with my clients, I am better able to understand what is working with math in the early years and what isn’t. This allows me to continually adapt my products and services to best meet the daily needs of my clients.

(2)   The relationships I’ve built through Instagram allow me to add a personal element to my online business. Online businesses can often feel so impersonal, but my clients know me. They watch videos of math in my home with my children. They share stories and pictures of what their children are working on at home. This connection is why so many of them refer their friends and family to my page. It’s truly a community of parents supporting each other as they bring more math into their homes.

6.     What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them? 

My biggest challenge has been working by myself. I love to collaborate and bounce ideas around with colleagues. While I still miss the dynamic of working in an office with a team, I’ve found that there are lots of other people out there who share my interests and are doing similar work. I’ve developed friendships with a few other people who are doing early math work, and we now bounce ideas off each other and offer support in the way a traditional colleague normally would.

7.     How do you stay focused?

I use a method called block scheduling. When you run your own business, it can get very easy to get distracted by the 42 different hats you wear on a daily basis. So, I block out time on my calendar each week to handle the logistical things I know will come up—time for accounting, time to respond to client emails, time to update the website. This allows me to focus on the creative projects that need large chunks of deep focus. I don’t get distracted by things that pop up because I know I have time blocked out later to attend to those issues.

8.     How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

I think the personal touch I’m able to add through my Instagram page makes a big difference. People know me, and I get to know them. They understand why this work matters to me so much, and, by seeing math come to life in my home, they’re able to visualize the process in their homes.

9.     What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Instagram, without a doubt. It allows me to personalize my work in a way that simply isn’t possible through a website alone.

10.  What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Have a clear understanding of both the problem you’re trying to solve and how you are uniquely suited to solve that problem.

11.  What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why? 

Favorite app: SparkPost. It’s a great tool for adding fun and personal touches to my photos.

Favorite blog: Emily P. Freeman’s blog focuses on decision-making and learning to decipher our “next right thing.” It’s really helped me learn to define my priorities and set boundaries when things aren’t a priority.

Favorite book: Dare to Lead by Brené Brown has taught me how to show up in my work and in my leadership as my true self. 

12.  What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Honestly, Google. There is a never-ending list of new things for entrepreneurs to learn, and most of the time Google is the tool that points me to the specific tool I need for a specific problem I’m having. There’s no shame in not knowing everything. Google can help.

13.  Who is your business role model? Why? 

Brené Brown. She recognized a need in our society—to help people build comfort around the topics of shame and vulnerability—and, by understanding how her skill set could be used to help, she has completely changed the global conservation about the connection between vulnerability and courage. She balances research with creativity, and honesty with understanding. Additionally, her work on leadership, specifically her book Dare to Lead and the corresponding podcast, has deeply influenced my beliefs about how to inspire change.

14.  How do you balance work and life? 

The key is setting boundaries. The challenge is knowing which boundaries to set. I once heard advice that every “yes” we say is a “no” to something else. Every time an ask comes my way, I take time to think about the “no” I’m saying if I give that ask a “yes.” Along with this, I’ve also taken time to get very clear on my work priorities and my personal life priorities. If an ask is made of me that would result in a corresponding “no” to one of my priorities, then I set a boundary and say no to the ask. Setting boundaries in work is challenging for me, but it gets a lot easier when I have clarity around what I’m sacrificing in my personal life if I don’t set that boundary.

15.  What’s your favorite way to decompress?

I reset by going on walks and listening to music.

16.  What do you have planned for the next six months. 

In August of this year, I’m launching Math Companions, which are online communities for parents with preschool and kindergarten-age students. These communities function as a hub for parents seeking resources and expertise explaining the math children should be learning at each developmental step, why it’s important and how they can support it at home. Math Companions will add another grade level of content each school year.

 How can our readers connect with you?

My Instagram and Facebook are @countingwithkids, and you can also find me on my website, www.countingwithkids.com.