How Demand-Side Strategy Sharpens the Job You’re Hired to Do

How do families really decide to hire your school?

This conversation with Tim Fish, Founder and President of two chairs studio, cuts through assumptions and offers a clear framework any school can use to understand parent motivation and sharpen strategic priorities.

Tim shares the origins of Jobs to Be Done research by the National Association of Independent Schools, explains the four core parent jobs, and shows how schools can apply a demand-side mindset to strategic planning.

Independent school leaders will walk away with practical ways to reduce enrollment friction, design meaningful experiences, and differentiate their value in crowded markets.

This episode offers both insight and immediate application for heads, enrollment leaders, and boards.

What You'll Learn from Tim Fish:

1. Parent decisions follow four Jobs to Be Done: Each reflects context, struggle, and desired progress, not personality.
2. Jobs shift as family context changes: Parents reconsider their job at every re-enrollment cycle.
3. Push, pull, anxiety, and habit shape every enrollment choice: Understanding these forces strengthens your strategy.
4. Differentiation comes from intentional design: Move beyond generic claims and clarify what makes your experience distinct.
5. Listening beats assuming: Deep interviews and AI-supported analysis reveal real motivations.

Recommended Next Steps

1. Conduct Jobs-style interviews: Record stories from newly enrolled families explaining why they chose your school.
2. Map push-pull forces: Identify the anxieties and habits that prevent families from enrolling.
3. Clarify your true performance attributes: Define what your school does exceptionally well.
4. Review re-enrollment experiences: Ask families what success and failure look like after the first year.
5. Use AI to analyze patterns: Feed interview transcripts into AI tools to identify recurring themes.