Cover story: Making the grade
Published: 01 May 2018
How one young entrepreneur was able to achieve his dreams of business ownership in the education sector with a Tutor Doctor franchise
A lot can happen over the course of a year. Any decisions a person makes during that time can completely alter the path of their life. For Joseph Folwell, this proved true when he followed his passion for education into the franchise industry by joining the Tutor Doctor system. Through this new venture, he was able to make his dreams of becoming a business owner a reality at a young age.
Joseph did not initially intend to set out on a career in the franchise industry. His studies first brought him to London, and a biology degree at Imperial College. Upon graduation, he took on a role at a healthcare company but soon found that the position was not the right fit for him.
Determined to seek a new path, Joseph spent the next five years teaching and concluded that education was the right direction for his career. He began to seek a role outside of traditional teaching, however, and embarked on a quest that led him to local conferences in search of inspiration and new opportunities.
Subsequently, Joseph connected with Tim Morris, UK company manager for Tutor Doctor, the leading in-home tutoring franchise. As they discussed the franchise opportunity, Joseph was intrigued. His own history of tutoring made the business venture a natural fit from the start, plus the timing was right to join the system.
“The demand for private tuition was growing rapidly across the globe,” Joseph recalls. He saw that Tutor Doctor was answering that demand and providing solutions for young students seeking additional help reaching their learning goals. The brand’s momentum impressed him and he felt it was the perfect time to become part of their franchise system.
The decision quickly paid off, as only a year later he found himself responsible for three territories across Greater London. Joseph credits the brand with fostering his entrepreneurial spirit from the very beginning. The company went as far as providing him with an initial scholarship – Tutor Doctor’s Young Entrepreneurs Programme, known as YES – so he could achieve his dream of business ownership.
The programme is offered to potential franchisees between 21 and 28 years old. Candidates complete an assessment, including a personality analysis, and their attributes are compared with those of the system’s top-performing franchisees. Joseph passed the test and secured his place in the programme.
He says: “If you display certain entrepreneurial attitudes in the test, the company may even go as far as to fund your territory for you.” While franchisees that receive aid are expected to pay Tutor Doctor back later on, this extra financial help at the beginning makes the entire process more affordable and therefore more accessible to candidates.
Joseph credits Tutor Doctor with fostering his entrepreneurial spirit from the beginning
As someone who always dreamed of becoming his own boss, this financial assistance was invaluable. The scholarship, combined with the savings Joseph had put away from previous tutoring ventures, gave him the means to reach this goal.
He soon found that franchising gave him a unique degree of flexibility – he was now able to set his own business hours and work from home. Though the line between professional and home life may be blurred, Joseph has no complaints. Far from being a sacrifice, he has found that this means life has changed for the better, particularly as he was able to take on a significant amount of responsibility at a young age.
While many are still finding their way in the business world at age 27, Joseph took an accelerated path by joining the Tutor Doctor franchising system. He says that he feels “proud to be the youngest one in the area, and so far I’ve had a fair amount of success. It shows that young people can survive and be successful in business.”
One of the reasons Joseph has been so successful is down to his determination to become ingrained in his local community. Tutor Doctor has found that the majority of its leads come from community marketing, and Joseph has dedicated himself to becoming fully immersed in that aspect of the business.
He says: “The more visible I am in the community, the more people I have an opportunity to speak with. Through this networking process, I can increase the number of customers I am able to serve and therefore take steps towards building out my long-term success.”
Joseph believes that each unique interaction within the local community is a valuable exchange, noting that, often in life, our day-to-day conversations can have unforeseen ripple effects. An act as simple as bumping into someone can turn into something bigger if you happen to cross paths with that person again.
He recommends all Tutor Doctor franchisees delve deep into their local community by participating in as many events as possible. By putting yourself out there and actively mingling with a larger audience, it may become easier to approach new clients and form lasting ties with a large and diverse network of individuals. The more a franchisee is willing to practise this method, the more that individual’s network of clients and leads can grow and evolve.
Through his experience with Tutor Doctor, Joseph has been able to hone his business skills with the aid of a strong support system behind him. With the level of experience that he has reached over the course of the last year, he is now looking to gradually expand his reach into new territories. While building the business will be an ongoing venture, he is confident that it will also be a highly successful one.
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