How do mistakes become truths? 

Usually by accident, and usually because nobody bothers to check. Sometimes they’re small mistakes, like me confidently walking into a room and forgetting why I’m there (which happens more often than I’d like to admit).

Other times they are bigger mistakes, like most of the United States confusing Mexican Independence Day with Cinco de Mayo. Both are embarrassing. At least when I forget why I walked into a room, I don’t have an entire country backing me up in being wrong.

This week was September 16, Mexican Independence Day. This is the real deal, the official birthday of a nation. Back in 1810, Miguel Hidalgo rang a church bell in the town of Dolores and gave what is now called El Grito de Dolores, a fiery call to arms that sparked the fight against Spain. It wasn’t a weekend barbecue, it wasn’t a catchy ad campaign, and it definitely wasn’t an excuse to sell beer on discount. It was the start of an eleven-year war for independence. 

Now, if you ask your average American on the street, they’ll look at you with a confident smile and say “Of course, Mexican Independence Day is Cinco de Mayo.” Wrong. Cinco de Mayo is about a single battle in 1862 where Mexico defeated the French at Puebla. A proud moment, sure, but it’s like confusing the Battle of Midway with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Close enough for marketing departments, but not for history teachers.

So how did this mix-up become the truth in the United States? 

Because it was easy. Cinco de Mayo landed in May, just in time for summer promotions. Beer companies jumped in with both feet, plastering the date on every commercial, turning it into a drinking holiday, and repeating it enough that people started to believe it was the day. September 16 didn’t get the same treatment. And here’s the kicker: repetition works. Say a mistake loud enough and long enough, and it takes on a life of its own.

This is the same danger you run into when building an online school. In Productized Education businesses, small mistakes can harden into permanent truths if you aren’t careful. A rushed explanation in the curriculum, a teacher leaning on a story that isn’t fully accurate, or a marketing message that oversimplifies the promise can become the Cinco de Mayo of your school. 

Students repeat it. 

Teachers reinforce it. 

Before long, everyone is celebrating the wrong holiday in your classroom.

That’s why the three pillars of a Productized Education framework matter so much: Clarity, Connection, and Accountability.

Clarity is about making sure your students know where they’re really going and how to get there. If you tell them the outcome is just around the corner when in fact it takes months of practice, you’re setting them up for disappointment. That’s like promising them fireworks on May 5, when the real celebration is later. They need to know the destination and the path clearly, even if the path is long.

Connection is what keeps your students engaged enough to challenge mistakes. They need connection with their teachers so they trust the guidance, connection with the outcome so they feel it matters, and connection with their fellow students so they compare notes and share what’s working. Without connection, everyone studies in isolation, and the myths spread unchecked. With connection, they can call out when something doesn’t add up, the way a well-informed friend can correct you at a party when you mix up Independence Day with Cinco de Mayo.

Accountability is what keeps the learning on track. If nobody holds students to the path, they will drift, take shortcuts, and end up repeating half-truths. In Productized Education, accountability can be weekly check-ins, milestones, or coaching sessions. It’s the system that makes sure progress happens step by step. Without accountability, the wrong lessons stick. With accountability, mistakes get caught before they become truths.

Now, how does this tie into running a school as a business? This is where the three areas of Productized Education—Growth, Fulfillment, and Operations—come into play.

Growth is where most people fall into the Cinco de Mayo trap. It’s tempting to market the easy version of your program because it sells faster. But if you promise freedom in five days when the truth is five months, your students will figure it out eventually. That’s how myths damage trust. Good marketing should still be honest, drawing students in with excitement while staying faithful to the real transformation.

Fulfillment is where clarity, connection, and accountability are delivered. Teachers are the Miguel Hidalgos of your school. They ring the bell, inspire the students, and lead the charge. If they repeat mistakes or take shortcuts, myths will spread. Customer support steps in as the friend at the party, helping students stay on track when confusion sets in. And the curriculum itself has to be built carefully, so what gets taught is accurate, not just easy to remember.

Operations is where you keep the machinery clean. Tech tools should reinforce clarity, not complicate it. Financial systems should support long-term growth, not just quick wins. HR should ensure you have teachers and staff who believe in accuracy and consistency. If your operations aren’t strong, you’ll accidentally scale mistakes right alongside success.

The real lesson here is simple. Mistakes don’t become truths because people set out to lie. They become truths because nobody checks them, because shortcuts feel easier, and because repetition is powerful. In history, that gave us a country celebrating the wrong Mexican holiday. In Productized Education, it can give you students chasing shortcuts that don’t exist.

So every September 16, when fireworks light the skies of Mexico and people celebrate the true Independence Day, take a moment to check for the Cinco de Mayo myths in your own school. Build clarity so your students know the real path. Strengthen connection so they test ideas together. Enforce accountability so progress is steady and truthful. Do this, and you won’t just avoid mistakes… you’ll build an education business where the truths actually transform lives.