Teaching Beyond the Classroom

How one Nevada educator turned a personal journey into a movement that is reshaping the future of homeschooling.

The first thing you notice about Dr. Blake Willard is the conviction in his voice. It carries the calm authority of a man who has spent years in classrooms guiding students, yet also the warmth of a father who now holds a deeper, more personal stake in education. Sitting in his modest office in Nevada, with the joyful noise of two young daughters never far in the background, Blake reflects on the unlikely path that brought him here.

“I wanted to be ideologically consistent with my goals for our own children,” he says. “If I believed parents could be equipped to lead, then I needed to step out and live that myself.”

That leap of faith became Homeschool Mastery Group, a fast-growing community and educational consulting business that is changing the way families approach homeschooling. For Blake, it is more than just work. It is a calling born out of years of experience, personal struggle, and a mission to help parents succeed where traditional models often fall short.

From Principal to Parent-Teacher

Before he was an entrepreneur, Blake was a seasoned school principal. For more than 13 years, he worked in education across private institutions, counseling parents and guiding students. By all accounts, he was successful. Yet a quiet longing followed him home each day.

Blake and his wife had spent seven years grappling with infertility. He devoted his life to serving other people’s children, even as he wondered if he would ever have children of his own. In 2021, the couple moved to Nevada to start fresh. His wife had just finished law school and was preparing for the Nevada Bar. Then, in the very same week that she learned she passed the exam, the couple received life-changing news: she was pregnant.

“It was this complete whirlwind,” Blake recalls with a smile. “We were celebrating her career milestone and suddenly preparing for a baby. Everything shifted overnight.”

The birth of their daughters prompted a reckoning. If he truly believed in the power of parents to shape a child’s future, Blake realized he needed to align his professional philosophy with his personal life.

Choosing a Scary but Honest Path

The decision was not easy. Leaving the stability of school administration to start a business from scratch felt daunting.

“I did something that for me felt really scary, which was starting a new business,” Blake says. “I had to tell people, ‘trust me,’ even though I didn’t fit the traditional mold of a homeschool consultant. I hadn’t done it yet with my own kids, but I knew the principles worked.”

That vulnerability became part of his story. Parents were not meeting a distant consultant; they were meeting a father willing to walk the same path, to learn alongside them, and to share both expertise and honesty.

Lessons in Business, Not Just Teaching

Blake admits he underestimated one crucial part of entrepreneurship: visibility.

“My mindset was so focused on product and service, just having a really good thing,” he explains. “But it doesn’t matter if nobody knows who you are. I had to humble myself, stand in front of a camera, and start marketing. Honestly, that was the hardest part.”

Today, much of Homeschool Mastery Group’s momentum comes from its growing presence on social media. Blake’s candid videos and insights reach thousands of parents, and many of them send him messages like: “We saw what you were doing and decided to leave school and start homeschooling.”

Those words keep him going. “It’s good to be affirmed every once in a while,” he says.

Building Education Around Families, Not the Other Way Around

What sets Homeschool Mastery Group apart is its refusal to push a one-size-fits-all solution. In a world where many homeschooling companies sell pre-packaged curricula and printables, Blake’s approach is refreshingly different.

“There is no one book, no one resource, no one school that works perfectly for everybody,” he says firmly. “Anyone who tells you that is selling snake oil. Your kids are different, your family is different, your values are different.”

Instead, his process starts with the parents. Families work with him to clarify their values, mission, and long-term goals. Only then does he help them design the curriculum, the schedule, and the structure that align with their vision.

“I want to help people think through what they didn’t even know was most important,” Blake says. “Once we identify that, everything else can fall into place.”

Helping Parents Find Freedom

One of Blake’s favorite moments is watching the lightbulb go off for parents. He recalls sitting across from countless moms and dads who carried the weight of comparison—trying to replicate traditional schooling at home, complete with grade levels, tests, and rigid structures.

“Almost everybody has gone through a traditional school system, usually public,” Blake explains. “And so they come into homeschooling thinking they have to copy it. But when they realize, I don’t have to stress about grades, I don’t have to follow a factory model… It’s liberating.”

What he wants most is for parents to shift from fear to purpose. “It’s not just about what you’re running from,” he tells families. “It’s about what you’re running toward.”

Growing a Movement, Not Just a Business

For now, most new families find Homeschool Mastery Group through social media. But Blake envisions a future where word of mouth drives growth, just as it did when he once helped open a private school.

“When a parent trusts their most valuable resource—their child—to what you’re doing, that’s when you know it matters,” he says. “That kind of reputation spreads.”

Already, Blake hosts a free online community of nearly 400 parents through Skool.com. There, he offers starter resources, including a course titled “How Do I Start Homeschooling?” Parents connect, share stories, and gain confidence as they step into unfamiliar territory.

Why Families Keep Coming Back

The love for Homeschool Mastery Group goes beyond practical resources. It is rooted in Blake’s vision for children who grow not only in academics, but also in character and relationships.

“Anyone can homeschool,” he insists. “You don’t have to sacrifice everything to do it. If you think of it less as a cost and more as an investment, it changes everything.”

That investment, he says, pays off far beyond test scores. “People want their kids to succeed academically, but at the end of the day, what really matters is the relationships. When parents are at the end of their lives, they don’t say, ‘I’m glad my kid aced algebra.’ They talk about love, family, and the connections that carried them through.”

Looking Ahead

In the next year, Blake hopes to expand his reach with additional consultants who share his philosophy, while building stronger referral networks from families who have already seen results.

But no matter how the business grows, his core mission remains the same: helping parents believe they are capable.

“It’s encouraging to watch people shed years of conditioning and finally say, ‘I can do this,’” Blake reflects. “That’s when real transformation happens.”

For families who feel overwhelmed by traditional schooling or curious about homeschooling, Homeschool Mastery Group offers not just tools but a hand to hold. As Blake’s own journey shows, sometimes the bravest step is not leaving something behind, but running toward what truly matters.

Readers can connect with Homeschool Mastery Group at starthomeschooling.io, join the free community at skool.com/homeschooling, and follow along on TikTok at @homeschoolmasterygroup, Instagram at @homeschoolmasterygroup, and YouTube at @Homeschoolmasterygroup.

This feature is part of The Business View Journal’s Local Spotlight Series — your trusted source for discovering the best small businesses in your community.