Molson Hart

4: Network Effects It’s not popular on twitter, but hiring is mostly a local thing. Especially for junior emps. Employers aren’t interested in paying relocation & running the risk they’ll move back away. There are other effects like alumni/mentors/speakers connects.

5: Specialization An established provider has tailored its curriculum to local needs. Employers in each city want different things. Just in Texas, the major cities all want different skills (Hou, Austin, DFW, SAT) Teaching one tech stack doesn’t work everywhere.

6: Brand Education is a big investment and people only do it once. A new entrant doesn’t have a trusted brand so they’re at a big disadvantage. The brand can’t be built overnight because it’s mostly built by successful graduates driving a flywheel of success for a bootcamp.

7: Counterpositioning University chains (Kaplan, state schools, etc) and their extensions are in the “education” business. All tried to be in the business. All failed/failing. Good bootcamps are in the "make lives better by getting people jobs biz." Different mission.

8: Cornered Resource Bootcamps are very people dependent on the student and delivery sides. There are also few people who know tech and can teach it, too. Especially in small markets, this is even tougher for new entrants to get great teachers.

Bootcamps are a decent business but hard. Nobody is becoming a billionaire if they’re doing this business the right way by putting students first. But, it helps both people and a community. So, a noble endeavor I'm proud to be a part of.

Have you studied Kumon or the famous teacher phenomenon in Korea? Seem like fertile areas for strategy.