Ann Arbor's WriteSteps goes national

Writing instruction always came easy for Suzanne Klein, a former elementary school teacher. Her methods were so popular among other teachers, they encouraged her to commercialize them before someone else did. That precipitated WriteSteps four years ago, an educational company that is gearing up to go national in 2011.

"The need is there for a writing program," says Klein, founder & CEO of WriteSteps. "Writing is the hardest thing for teachers to teach."

WriteSteps, which came out on top at the most recent Ann Arbor SPARK Entrepreneur Boot Camp, primarily sells its educational kits in Michigan these days, after getting its start in the Taylor School District. More than 1,000 teachers use the kits today and Klein plans to begin rolling them out to other school districts across North America in 2011.

This growth, a 200 percent increase in sales over the last year alone, has allowed WriteSteps to be cash-flow positive and hiring. It has added eight people to its staff, which now stands at 12, over the last year. Klein expects to add another 10-20 positions in 2011 as WriteSteps begins selling its kits across the U.S.

Source: Suzanne Klein, founder & CEO of WriteSteps
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

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Ann Arbor's WriteSteps goes national

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