When people ask how IDOL® became what it is today—IDOL courses, IDOL Academy, IDOL Talent—I always start with one thing: the mission and the vision.

Not the kind that sits in a dusty business plan or gets printed on a poster no one reads. I mean the kind that pulls you forward when things feel impossible, and becomes a magnet for people who care about more than just a paycheck.

How It All Started

There was a point early in my journey when I couldn’t focus. I felt pulled in a hundred directions. But instead of powering through with grit and hustle, I did something that changed everything: I stopped. I took a day of meditation—not to brainstorm or plan, but to listen. 

And what came to me that day was the true focus of the business. The mission and the vision. And they’ve never changed:

Mission: IDOL courses is the trade school that serves clients while developing the next generation of learning designers.

Vision: To create an IDOL world for all learners.

Why It Actually Matters

Too many people think “mission and vision” are corporate fluff—words you say in a meeting but forget by Monday. But when you’re bootstrapping—building something without investors, working with a lean team, allocating every dollar with intention—mission and vision aren’t fluff. They’re fuel.

And that’s exactly what’s happened at IDOL®. That mission has transformed lives—not just for our students, but for our faculty, alumni, clients, and staff. It’s attracted people who are so deeply aligned with what we do that they come back—offering time, energy, and expertise freely or at reduced rates.

They don’t do it for money. They do it because they believe in the mission. Because they were the next generation of learning designers—and now they want to help develop the next.

Built by IDOLs, For IDOLs

That’s our mantra, and it’s not just a slogan. Our faculty could make more elsewhere. Our mentors could charge more. But they don’t. They stay, they give, they lead—because this mission has become their mission, too.

We’re not just a school. We’re not just an agency. We are an ecosystem—a community that trains, uplifts, and places talent while delivering incredible results for clients.

We’ve built something beautiful:

• Coaching + Community
• Real-World Experience
• Paid Contracts
• Portfolio Development
• Referrals and Relationships
•  A true trade school with soul

And yes—one day we’ll pay our people more (especially after accreditation). But for now, we steward what we have, because we’re building something bigger than profit.

To the Solopreneurs & Freelancers Reading This

If you’re out here trying to build your instructional design business, don’t skip your mission and vision. It’s not just a “nice to have.” It’s your compass. It keeps you from chasing every shiny object. It helps you say no to things that don’t align. And it brings the right people to your side.

Because people don’t join movements that are unclear. They join missions that are magnetic.

The Legacy Continues

We’re still growing into our vision: a world where all learners experience instruction designed with intention, empathy, and creativity. And we’re doing that by serving clients and developing talent at the same time.

To every IDOL® who’s ever mentored, coached, enrolled, contracted, hired, or helped move this mission forward—thank you. Your belief is the heartbeat of this business.

Let’s keep building an IDOL world—together.

With love & purpose, 

Dr. Robin Sargent

Founder & CEO, IDOL courses | IDOL Academy | IDOL Talent