Meet Bene: Founder of UsPlus

As an educator myself, I am so thrilled to bring you an interview with Bene Webster, Founder of UsPlus, a non-profit making Social Emotional Learning accessible to all students even if it isn’t in a school’s budget! We have a long way to go with educational equity, but I’m thankful for Bene and her co-founder Sarah who are changing this!

1. Can you share a little of your journey with us and who you are?

I started my career as a 3rd grade teacher in New Orleans, LA. While my students and I were considered 'successful' across the standard metrics (interim assessments, state test scores, behavior, grades), I constantly felt like I was letting my students down. Rarely were they given the chance to learn about how to work in groups, how to listen deeply, and how to disagree respectfully. Rather than giving them the opportunities they deserved, and needed, to be successful humans in the world, I was hyper focused on their academic success. In graduate school I collaborated with my co-founder Sarah, to launch UsPlus. We provide elementary school teachers with free classroom resources designed to develop students' communication and collaboration skills. 

2. Tell us about the mission of your brand- how does it empower women?

Our mission is to support elementary school educators as they guide their students to become empowered communicators and collaborators. Communication is a skill that all students, regardless of background, deserve to practice and develop in a safe space like the classroom. This is particularly important for our young girls, who are often told to be calm, polite and restrained in their communication styles. We want to make it clear to young children that all people can and should be empowered advocates, arguers and orators. Additionally, ~75% of the teaching workforce identifies as female. It's imperative that we support educators in reaching their goals for their students. 

3. What is the biggest challenge you’ve had to press through as a female entrepreneur? What are the steps you had to take to overcome it?

I take things personally sometimes. As if the reason a deal didn't work out is because of something I did or said. The reality is, I don't need to change - who I am is awesome! But, it can definitely feel intimidating sometimes, especially working in male dominated spaces like entrepreneurship and tech. I remind myself to take note of the wins, as well as the losses, and learn from each of them before I move on.

4. What sets your brand apart from others?

Unlike the leading social and emotional learning curriculum on the market, our resources come at no cost to teachers, require no professional development and no designated block of time during the academic day to implement. We're operating solely from a teacher-centric lens because we believe that teachers deserve curriculum materials that are easy to use and flexible to their needs. It's not fair that certain kids get access to social and emotional learning because their school has a larger budget, while others don't. We're evening the playing field. 

5. How do you collaborate with others working towards a better world?

Collaboration is so important, and it's a key tenant of all the resources we design for teachers and students. We currently partner with schools across the U.S., education non-profits and research organization to share our resources with a broader audience. The goal isn't to for Sarah and I to be successful. It's for our students. To have an impact that is far-reaching, it's crucial to collaborate and learn from those in the ed space. 

6. What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs in the beginning stages of launching their brand or business?

Find a network! Inevitably at multiple stages of the launch process things will get tough. Stick with it and reach out to others doing the work. You got this!