Jordan Budhu

Focus more in your earlier years, enjoy yourself as well, but prioritize.

 

Jordan Budhu of Los Angeles, California is an ambitious young man in pursuit of earning his Ph.D. He has been tutoring students since 2015 while continuing his undergraduate studies. He is also in the process of creating an online tutoring service to assist other students across the country. His tutoring service has provided help to students who require assistance with mathematics, science, and physics.

Jordan Budhu has created a program for his students to be able to engage with one another by using the latest digital technology. He also researched software which would stimulate his students with innovative computer animation software. The software that he uses focuses on conveying complex concepts to students by providing visual graphics and bringing an equation to life.

Jordan has been very successful tutoring other individuals. His tutoring has been a great solution for him to earn an extra income as he is completing his Ph.D. There are many platforms available to assist tutors to make online classes possible. Leading-edge software has made it easier to provide visuals while teaching. Jordan Budhu will start his business with a focus on making tutoring more affordable, diverse, and visually graphic. He also has an interest in writing his own textbooks for his students.

Where did the idea for your company come from?

I was looking for a way to make money while I am still in grad school. I was helping people anyway. I decided this might be a good way to be able to earn money while I am still in grad school.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I am in grad school, so I have a very busy life at school. My days are different all the time. I sometimes tutor in the morning before I go to school, I help some of the professors, or I am in a lab doing research most of the time. I do my tutoring when I go home at night, primarily online. There are several platforms online in order to tutor students all over the country. I utilize those platforms. It makes it easier to teach.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I bring ideas to life with demonstrations and with mathematics or analogies that students may understand. I try to make it clear. Physics is fun to teach because it is a familiar topic to everyone because they live in a physical world and they experience the phenomenon every day. It is common sense to them, I just have to find a way to explain what they know of the physical world in terms of mathematics.

What’s one trend that excites you?

One thing that excites me is the emerging computer animation. Before you had to have an imagination in order to try to show a student how something unfolds in a specific way. But now you can use computer animation to explain the story and they can see how it unfolds. You can use different computer software in order to bring the equation to life. The software describes the equation, the motion, or the phenomena. The software actually brings the equation to life. The student sees the world described as a mathematical equation as they are scribing.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

Attention to detail, determination, desire, and tenacity. I am determined to reach the goals that I set and to be successful. I am the first Ph.D. in my family, I am the only one in the Physical Sciences. I want to make sure that my entire family will go after their Ph.D. from here forward.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Focus more in your earlier years, enjoy yourself as well, but prioritize. Look towards the future but enjoy your life. Sometimes you are working so hard that you forget to do that.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

I believe that everyone should continue their education and go for their Ph.D.’s. Most people won’t get them unless it is a requirement of a job. I think it is important.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Plan, prioritize, set goals. Achieve small goals every day, things that you can achieve. You get the satisfaction of accomplishing those short-term goals. Look in the short-term to achieve in the long term.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

I would say to incorporate animation. Incorporate computer simulations and software. Incorporate a lot of visual aid tools. It is much more stimulating than a pencil and paper.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Just being afraid of not being able to answer right away. But I give myself a few minutes to formulate an answer now and it is not really a fear anymore. I will start with something more basic and work my way up to the clearer concept. That has resolved the fear.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I would say to invent a product to take care of menial tasks that have to be done. I guess you would have to be an engineer. But if you think of a solution to whatever it is that you can’t stand doing, then come up with a product to fix it. Then, crowd-source it!

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I buy a lot of books. It would be the purchase of a career-oriented book.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

I use a lot of sticky notes for my computer screen. I also have an idea software on my phone for when I come up with ideas.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

I read more text books and information books. But one book I liked was “The Professor Is In” by Karen Kelsky. It helps you to prepare for an academic career. It is a good graduate study book before you make your decision to go into teaching or not.

What is your favorite quote?

“If at first the idea is not absurd, then it is not worth pursuing at all” – Albert Einstein

Key learnings:

• Enjoys teaching
• Science, Mathematics
• Enjoys working with people and teaching

Connect:

www.twitter.com/jordanbudhu