Student Turns Classroom Idea Into $40,000 Business (Principal Reveals How) with Jeremy Quals

Quick take:

What happens when a leader ditches ego, prioritizes relationships, and treats students like real-world innovators? Jeremy Quals proves you can turn around struggling schools and create one of the most exciting entrepreneurial programs in the country.

🤝 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker

Dr. Jeremy Qualls is the Executive Director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (EIC) and College, Career, and Technical Education (CCTE) with Williamson County Schools. A former coach, principal, and district athletic director, he now leads some of the most innovative programs in Tennessee, blending entrepreneurship, career readiness, and creative learning opportunities that make school worth showing up for.

🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules

In this episode, Jeremy challenges traditional education paradigms:

🧠 Key Insight #1: Leadership isn’t about ego — it’s about relationships.

• What’s broken: Leaders who default to punishment and blame.
• The shift: Building trust first, simplifying discipline to “Be responsible, be respectful, be ready.”
• Impact: Transformed a school with 1,000+ discipline referrals into one with just 52 — and skyrocketed student growth.

🧠 Key Insight #2: Students need relevance, not busywork.

• What’s broken: 42 definitions on a worksheet and other meaningless tasks.
• The shift: Replace rote work with entrepreneurial problem-solving, empathy-driven projects, and micro-internships.
• Impact: Students who once checked out now show up excited, engaged, and prepared for life beyond school.

🧠 Key Insight #3: Create spaces worth showing up for.

• What’s broken: Schools that look the same as the 1950s— rows, lectures, and compliance.
• The shift: Entrepreneurial labs with open design, mentorship networks, and student-led startups.
• Impact: The Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center grew from 70 students to 280 with a 500+ waitlist — and is producing teen founders winning national competitions.

Quotable Ruckus

“Fail forward and fail often.” – Jeremy Quals

📌 Your Do School Different Challenge

Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:

• Tomorrow: Swap one rote assignment for a real-world problem or entrepreneurial- style task.
• This Month: Map student relationships — find the “safety valves” so every kid has a trusted adult.
• This Semester: Audit your schoolwork and culture. Cut the irrelevant busywork, build in creative challenges, and create spaces students want to be in.

🔗 Connect & Continue

🎯 Get the full episode transcript: [Link]

🔗 Follow Dr. Jeremy Qualls: https://wcssportsconference.com/

• Email: [e-mail]
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn
• Twitter: @wcsCCTE on X
• X: @wcsEIC on X

📣 Ruckus Makers Don’t Just Listen — They Act

If education ain’t a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning?

This show isn’t about “doing school better.”

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