Dion Lim – Founder and CEO of NextLesson

What I find most interesting about Dion is how seemingly different his other businesses are. Shopping.com, Quote.com, and Evite.com (which I love!) don't have a whole lot in common in terms of target market, product or service. Dion's expertise isn't in a particular industry, per say, but in creating online marketplaces. He is not caught up in the 'what' but focuses on the how, and particularly on how to use web platforms to reach a wide array of consumers with common interests and then how to monetize it. As an aside, if anyone knows a good app to create those draw-your-video-with-a-marker videos, like the one above, I would really appreciate knowing about it.

Hi Katie, and thanks for an enjoyable, well-written, and concise post! Dion seems to check all the boxes of a successful entrepreneur, and I have no problem recommending him as a strong role model for would-be entrepreneurs. It's impossible not to feel his motivation to create change, as shown through by his track record of keeping up-to-date with technology applications in education. He leverages his past experiences, and the accompanying wisdom gained, to create original products of significant social value (like the companies you mentioned above). By browsing the websites of the companies he has founded and seeing their "About Us" sections, it's clear that Dion has founded companies with very "human" values, and employees as well as customers are well-respected. Dion's ventures also tend to focus strongly on developing and nurturing communities, providing tools to users with which they can discuss with and learn from one another, or share their work for the benefit of all. The social value of each of Dion's ventures is clear by a simple visit to any of his company's websites. I think anyone, not just entrepreneurs, could benefit by studying Dion's approach to business ventures.

Hey Katie, I enjoyed reading your post. Next Lesson is really helpful for teachers and students. I follow it myself to understand different concepts for my self-directed learning. I totally agree on the fact that Dion belives is- education and technology is ever-changing and that is why we need to keep updating our knowlwledge and skills. Dion has identified the need of the present counsumer very well as he come from that background.

Thanks for sharing Katie. What was nice to see about NextLesson was the way that the lessons are designed to engage kids in real life problems. Dion clearly latched on to this concept that educators often struggle with consistently. We as educators are always looking to have kids in engaged in issues or lessons that they will face as individuals. It is interesting that Dion has such a diverse portfolio which allows him to see the educational field in a different lens. Dion and NextLesson is a tool that can especially help new teachers shape their lessons and give them the confidence to see who adding real world problems to their lessons will further engage their students.

Hello Katie, Thank you for sharing your post on Dion and his company, NextLesson. From reading various posts on entrepreneurs and doing my own research, I have noticed that many of the successful entrepreneurs come with vibrant past experiences that help them create a business like this one. As the leader and the founder, it seems like a necessity to learn and experience the business side of the world and make connections with people that might be your team of experts in the future. I also like how Dion has noticed the importance of real-world teaching and utilized it with technology to start up his venture.