At just 24 years old, Atlanta-based Victoria Lamar has built a flourishing business helping students secure scholarships for a debt-free education—a journey she herself completed after winning $3 million in scholarships by the time she graduated high school.
Growing up in a single-parent household in a financially strained neighborhood, Lamar was encouraged by her mother and grandmother to pursue college, though she had no idea how to pay for it. Thanks to her mother’s efforts to involve her in a wide range of extracurricular activities, Lamar not only thrived but also began attracting scholarship opportunities. By her senior year, her total reached a staggering $3 million.
According to Lamar, her scholarship success was the result of not only academic and extracurricular achievement, but her ability to tell her story in scholarship applications. However, her success didn’t come easy; she faced 30 rejections before securing her first scholarship. She realized that to successfully gain a scholarship, it’s really about being able to match yourself to the most aligned opportunities.
After graduating from Georgia State University debt-free, she launched a career as a Scholarship Coach to help others do the same. Today, she’s the founder of Securing Degrees, a business dedicated to guiding students through the scholarship process. Since moving from in-person training to online in 2020, she’s brought in over six-figures. The wildest part? Her business is 98% referral-based—and she hardly relies on online marketing.
Here’s how Lamar transformed her own experience into a flourishing business that people talk about:
1. She lets Thinkific do the heavy-lifting
Interested in how she was able to obtain a debt-free education, Lamar was continually asked to support others in getting scholarships. In 2018, she began hosting live, in-person talks at her local library where she charged people $5 each. “I maxed it out at 50 people and every attendee left with a list of 100 scholarships and a complete guide on how to secure them for themselves,” explains Lamar.
As demand grew, she expanded her workshops. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Lamar’s in-person events were canceled. She pivoted her business online with the help of Thinkific. This allows her to scale her services, offering recorded content, onboarding guides, and automated orientations—freeing up time to focus on her role as CEO.
Since then, Securing Degrees has served over 4,500 families and brought in six figures in revenue.
2. She built her business upon referrals and community
Despite the power of social media, Lamar’s growth has been largely fueled by word-of-mouth; Her digital marketing hasn’t been the key to conversion—her community has. “98% of our clients come from referrals,” she explains.
“Everything has grown from our community. We have a plethora of video testimonials from students, parents, staff, and administrators who are continuing to spread our word.”
Lamar emphasizes the importance of maintaining a personal touch with clients, even as the business grows. “Our students feel like they’re our only client, not just one of hundreds. It’s about building that relationship and being honest with them about the process,” she shares.
She feels that honesty is key.
“I think part of our success is that we’re honest about the scholarship process. We talk candidly about what it takes to even be deemed a scholar— and what it takes for someone to give you scholarship money.”
Her team of five, all young and debt-free themselves, help to foster a connection with their clients. “I’m only 24, so I’m able to relate to our clients in a different way—especially as CEO,” she says. “My team is also made up of young debt-free students who have the type of energy to encourage our clients.”
For Lamar, community is at the center of everything her business does. “Community is such a contagious feeling for me,” she continues. “I ask myself, how can we show up in our community more? How can we be more of a trusted leader in certain communities?”
For online creators who want to build community, she has some advice. “In order to grow your community, you have to also be in your community,” she suggests.
Being vulnerable—and putting yourself out there to be seen—is a crucial part of the process. However, many creators are too afraid to do so, which Lamar says is something they have to get over.
“People want to grow their audience, but they’re not talking to their audience. They’re not willing to make a video and introduce themselves and get their audience to know about them.”
3. She nurtured a unique niche
Securing Degrees’ success also came from identifying and addressing a gap in the market. “Securing Degrees was able to organically grow simply because it’s such a niche space,” she shares.
“On average, there’s one college counselor for every 500 students. We’re filling in that gap, providing personalized support through the scholarship process that schools often can’t offer. There’s not a lot of resources—especially in underprivileged, under-resourced communities—to really help students secure scholarships,” Lamar reiterates.
But Securing Degrees focuses on more than just scholarships—it provides students with accountability, helps them meet deadlines, and supports them in telling their unique stories. For many, applying for scholarships is their first experience with self-reflection. In this way, the team helps students learn not just how to apply, but how to become strong applicants.
For creators who want to hone in on their niche, Lamar says that there are two ways to go about it.
“Your niche can either be something unique you’ve experienced and mastered. Or a need you’ve identified in the market that you capitalize on.”
4. She developed a scalable subscription model
Lamar’s business reaches folks aged 14-24, as well as minority, under-resourced and underrepresented students who are interested in obtaining debt-free education. However, she says that their resources and platform is able to be used for all ethnicities, backgrounds, and nationalities.
Lamar’s business operates on a subscription model, offering four tiers of service—three targeting individual students (B2C) and one aimed at businesses (B2B).
In the B2C category, there is the Scholarship Tracking & Accountability Plan ($155/month), 1:1 Scholarship Coaching Program ($375/month), and the 1:1 College And Scholarship Coaching Plan ($485/month). In each of these tiers, students are able to have access to scholarship experts, application support, essay support, access to Securing Degrees scholarship database, and more. On the B2B side, they have the Scholar Pro program, which is targeted for companies.
Offering a subscription-based structure allows Lamar to support students through the sometimes long, ongoing scholarship application process. “Securing scholarships isn’t a one-time event,” she says. “It requires consistent work and support.”
“We don’t offer many one-off services because I don’t believe in just giving a student a list of scholarships,” she shares. “I know from my own journey that it’s an ongoing process of helping students understand the fundamental skills to even be able to be a successful applicant.”
The business’s online courses and resources, hosted via Thinkific, are designed to guide students through every step, from storytelling to essay writing. Weekly live Q&As and 1:1 virtual meetings offer even more personalized guidance. For Lamar, packaging her courses was a strategic move.
“It freed up a lot of time for me. I now don’t have 20 meetings in my calendar where I’m saying the same thing.”
To determine her pricing, she got help from different business coaches. She started out with one tier at $150/month, and she soon decided to develop more tiers, differentiating them and adding different price points.
5. She believed in her purpose
Looking ahead, Lamar aims to expand her B2B partnerships and continue fostering a strong community around Securing Degrees. Her mission is to make sure no student misses out on opportunities due to a lack of resources.
For other entrepreneurs looking to build successful businesses, Lamar’s advice is simple.
Don’t let fear hold you back. Even if you only have one person sign up, it’s a start. You have to understand what your purpose is and just continue with your mission. Continue to be brave in the process and know that you’re not alone. Focus on how you can borrow from other communities; what are some communities that align with you? How can you leverage these?
Lamar’s story is one of resilience, community, and unwavering dedication to a mission: helping others achieve a debt-free education. With Securing Degrees, she’s doing just that—one scholarship at a time.
For those who have a clear purpose and want to help others with their mission, launch your own online course today. Start your free trial with Thinkific.