Winner of the 2018 Global Franchise Awards Best Lifestyle Franchise is Tutor Doctor. Scott Thompson, Senior Vice President of Global Franchise Development, reveals the secrets of their success
How would you describe Tutor Doctor and the services it provides?
We provide customized one-to-one private tutoring to students through e-tutoring or in the home using proprietary technology and learning techniques. Our competitors are a typical small group and not one-to-one. Our value proposition is to “Be Present” with the child and meet them where they are in their education journey. Our mission: to change the trajectory of a child’s educational journey.
How did Tutor Doctor come into being?
Tutor Doctor began with the simple idea that the classroom setting was insufficient for unlocking the learning potential of each student. But to an industry that relied on conformity, the idea of building a tutoring model that acknowledged the unique learning style of the individual was revolutionary. Immediately successful among students and families who formally struggled with the rigid education system, Tutor Doctor wanted to share this innovative method with students around the world. In 2003, we started offering franchises that fulfilled our commitment to building a team of passionate business leaders who could work together to support personalized education.
With the majority of our growth occurring in the last decade, our company is naturally equipped to prepare students for a future that past generations could not even imagine. A commitment to innovation combined with a strong work ethic has ensured that our techniques are customized for students wishing to be the future leaders of our global society. While each year Tutor Doctor has continued to grow and revolutionize at unprecedented rates, it is our belief that each of our students is unique that remains the source of our success.
How did you develop the business?
This is a home-based franchise, with no brick and mortar, no inventory, no major construction or build out. The franchisee will have four key drivers of the business: 1) education consultations with families 2) tutor recruitment & retention 3) marketing & events 4) quality assurance & accounting. The revenue streams for this business are private student/adult enrolment packages, monthly recurring session package, and small group test prep.
When did you begin franchising and how successful has this been?
We began franchising in 2007; we currently have over 550 franchised territories across 16 countries.
How would you account for this success – what did you get right?
Simple and highly efficient business model leads to high growth margins. Because of the one-to-one personalization, our tutoring drives higher conversions. People fall in love with the service and referrals are high and repeat business is high. They love the assessments we do on their children to see if there are any conceptual building block gaps in the learnings and then build a custom learning plan for their child. They also love that we work directly with the schools to support the child curriculum they are already learning.
We don’t teach fine arts. We use different learning styles for each child based on their assessment and where they are on the conceptual building blocks. We also use our proprietary X-Skills program to help children become better at time management and organizational skills.
What does winning Best Business Franchise mean to Tutor Doctor?
Winning Best Business Franchise validates the effort Tutor Doctor has made over the years to help our franchisees build a successful businesses while helping students in their area reach their educational goals. At Tutor Doctor, we believe that success isn’t just measured by profit – it’s also about making a difference.
