This Side Hustle Q&A features Dr. Amareen Dhaliwal, founder and CEO CCRPS INC, a leading provider of accredited and revolutionary certification courses. The cost of the course ranges from $50 to $450. Responses have been edited and condensed for clarity.
Photo credit: Courtesy of CCRSP INC. Dr. Amareen Dhaliwal.
How did you grow to be introduced to EdTech and what inspired you to start a side hustle in this space?
When I had the opportunity to teach STEM classes in college, I quickly realized that teaching was my passion. I excelled on the newly formatted MCAT exam and decided I wanted to help students achieve higher scores (one of my students even scored in the 99th percentile!). A college friend suggested that I start a pre-medical club focused on revolutionary learning experiences, which sparked my interest in curriculum development and the use of learning management systems supported by professionals in the medical and scientific fields. The idea to create a website and offer tutoring services got here after I taught a successful MCAT seminar, and my involvement in college tutoring laid the foundation for my future endeavors.
My tutoring enterprise expanded into a holistic coaching experience that focused on the psychology of learning, anxiety management, and well-being, including the use of 24-hour planners, exercise, and nutrition. This comprehensive approach led me to undertake an internship in psychiatry. Even though I didn’t initially see myself as a business person, the need for innovation in MCAT exam preparation led me to entrepreneurship.
After collaborating with other clinical trial participants, we have launched online clinical research courses focused on excellence and continuous improvement. This enterprise was greater than just a business; it was about making a significant impact and meeting broader needs. CCRPS INC was founded to address the underemployment of foreign medical graduates and healthcare professionals in the US despite their impressive credentials. Together with our clinical research colleagues, we wanted to provide educational courses to help these individuals pursue entry-level positions that offered each competitive pay and a sense of purpose. We have built a strong online presence, developed expert-led courses, and focused on education and profession preparation. Our commitment to high-quality content has quickly earned us recognition and trust, positioning CCRPS as a leader in the field.
What were the first steps you took to launch CCRPS?
First, we identified our area of interest, recognizing a gap for non-clinical medical professionals in search of priceless profession paths. We’ve created a user-friendly website and partnered with vendors to build trust by in search of out video and audio reviews from alumni to help other students higher understand our comprehensive and in-depth educational approach. We have worked with experts to create high-quality training materials and have obtained the essential accreditations to establish credibility. We also offered comprehensive profession support and focused on high-quality education, which stimulated organic growth through recommendations and a strong online presence.
What were the biggest challenges you faced while creating the side game and how did you overcome them?
Building and developing a startup requires constant “thinking” about challenges. The biggest challenge was meeting and exceeding the needs of our customers so that they might proceed to grow. Moreover, delegating the right people requires trial and error; you’ll be able to’t expect to get it right from day one! The key to overcoming these challenges is learning to deal with the ups and downs, being supportive when changes don’t go as planned, and consistently delivering excellent service.
How long did it take for you to see consistent income from your EdTech work?
Our company has achieved net profitability since its inception, as evidenced by our attractive curriculum. Starting with one student whose enrollment funded our initial website and search engine optimization efforts, we adopted a strategy that allowed us to reinvest initial profits into growing our business. This approach was essential each in our early stages and as we scaled, especially for MCAT.
Despite promising early enrollments, our focus has all the time been on student success and quality education, not only revenue generation. This commitment has enabled us to lower prices over time, making education more accessible and consistent with our belief in the importance of an inexpensive education. Engaging students meaningfully requires commitment, as evidenced by our successful partnerships with contract research organizations and our lean but effective operating model.
How do you balance entrepreneurship with a demanding medical profession?
After a year-long break from starting CCRPS, I returned to residency. Today, outstanding clinical research professionals and a solid team manage the day-to-day operations and business facets, ensuring student success stays a priority at CCRPS while I fully immerse myself and focus on my residency.
What gives you the best pleasure in running your personal business?
I appreciate the enormous impact I can have on student success and profession development. Watching them grow, witnessing their achievements, and knowing that we play a key role in shaping their future is incredibly rewarding and confirms my passion for educational entrepreneurship every day. CCRPS’s reach and impact is evident with over 22,000 students from over 1,200 organizations, including six government agencies and 308 universities. LinkedIn’s 2024 Alumni Review highlighted remarkable results, with internships at over 1,600 firms and 23% of them achieving management positions or higher. Moreover, the initiative has contributed significantly to the development of clinical research staff for various contract research organizations. Driven by a team of remarkable clinical research educators, this progress highlights a collaborative effort and commitment to advancing clinical research and healthcare.
What is your advice to others who want to start a successful business?
Learning how to effectively leverage and delegate our strengths is extremely necessary. Sometimes guidance from those that have walked this path before us might be a game changer; in search of expert mentoring in areas we discover difficult can make a huge difference.
Start small and focus on what’s necessary: in a world filled with startups, it is important to do not forget that at the heart of every idea and enterprise are the people we wish to help. They are our priority, all the time. Let’s use our unique talents, let’s rely on science and all the time put people first.
This WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS® this text is a part of our ongoing series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of running a business as a woman.