E-learning idea earns top marks

WHEN BEN Croker told people that he was quitting his job to set up his own business, their reaction was that he was too young. Fortunately, he decided to ignore the doubters and, at the age of 26, took a leap into the unknown to set up www.nybble.ie, an e-learning site for Leaving Cert students. Two years on it's going strong.

"People were doubting my ability just because I was a little bit younger," he recalls, "but I just ignored it. I just thought it really doesn't matter." From Ben's perspective, his age was an advantage because he felt he was more willing to take risks than someone with responsibilities such as a family to support.

In the back of his mind, Ben had always wanted to set up his own business and, after a few years in a full-time job, he decided to go for it.

But there was one hitch - he needed an idea. He had always thought that if he started his own venture, it wouldn't just be a money-making scheme, that if possible it would help people in some way.

"So I start looking at education and thinking about the Leaving Cert and how really stressful that was," he says. With a B.Sc in computer science and having worked in web and software development, it seemed a logical progression for Ben to develop an online application to help students revise for the Leaving Cert.

The first big step in turning his idea into a reality came when he approached Dublin City Enterprise Board (DCEB) and received a feasibility study grant.

"The feasibility study was very important because it allowed me to do research and it allowed me to develop a prototype," he says. "Once I did the feasibility study, I felt that it was a worthwhile project to do."

It was at this point that he quit his job and dedicated himself full-time to developing the business. Until then, he had been squeezing the project in on weekends and evenings, and had been saving up money in anticipation of going out on his own.

Although Ben had some experience of working for himself, having done some freelancing in web development, this was his very first venture as a fully fledged entrepreneur. Fortunately he was assigned a business mentor by the DCEB whose expertise and wisdom he tapped into at regular meetings.

To have the support of someone who had been through it all before was invaluable. "He was really excellent and very helpful," he notes. The mentor pointed out issues and asked questions about things that Ben hadn't even considered. "He was fantastic."

The next few months were spent developing Pointsbuilder, an online revision tool for Leaving Cert maths (ordinary level) students, made available online on the Nybble website. Once the development stage was finished, St Columba's College in Rathfarnham, Dublin, agreed to pilot the application. All of their sixth-year students got free Pointsbuilder accounts and were able to use it to prepare for the Leaving Cert.

"The feedback we got was good," Ben says. "It helped us improve the program."

He stresses that Pointsbuilder isn't a replacement for studying from textbooks, or going to school; it is simply an additional revision aid for students. The main advantage of the program, he says, is that it helps students to figure out what they already know and what their weak points are.

Ben has had several educational professionals working part-time for Nybble, developing the content for Pointsbuilder. Until now he has been concentrating on perfecting the ordinary-level maths resource, but the business is now into its second year and he is considering expanding into other subjects.

None of this would have happened if he had listened to the naysayers who thought he was too young. What advice does Ben have for other young business-minded people dreaming of some day going out on their own?

"The main thing you need is self-belief," he says. "It's not something you can really learn; you either believe in yourself or you don't. And if you do, you usually don't have the fear that stops most people."

Most people are afraid of quitting their jobs, afraid they'll lose money and that people won't respect them if the business fails, he explains. "But if you really believe in yourself, I think that's the only thing you really need."

" Self-belief is not something you can learn; you either believe in yourself or you don't. And if you do, you usually don't have the fear that stops most people. But if you really believe in yourself, I think that's the only thing you really need