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It takes a certain type of person to run a private tutoring business. First of all, you'll need to have good subject and industry knowledge and then you'll need to be able to handle the logistics that go with recruiting staff and handling cash flow. At TutorCruncher, we're in contact with tutoring business owners every day and we've identified personal five qualities that we think makes a successful owner.
A Passion for Education
Above all else, to run a tutoring business you need to be passionate about education. Most tutoring agency directors start out as private tutors themselves and enjoy helping students realise their goals. When you first start your tutoring company, you'll probably need to get involved in teaching at some level too, whether it's training tutors, or covering for other staff members. Having had the experience of teaching or tutoring yourself will really help you to understand your services, your staff and your students better.
A Good Head for Numbers
As with any business, being good with analysing numbers certainly helps. If you're able to plan your company's initial startup costs, spending and overheads and make accurate projections for growth, then you'll greatly improve the chances of your business being successful. As your tutoring business grows, you'll likely want to hire someone to take care of the financial side of things, but until then, if you're able to create and stick to a financial plan, you'll give your business the best chance of succeeding.
Good People Skills
As the owner of a tutoring business, you're responsible for making sure that your staff are happy and that students and parents are receiving a good standard of service. Given that tutoring is all about communication, it's important that a tutoring business owner is good with people. Part of your daily tasks will involve meeting with students and parents and telling them about your services. In essence, your job will incorporate customer service, sales and business development all at the same time, at least in the early stages.
Patience and Determination
It can take time to build a student base when your business is first starting out but as your company becomes better known in your local area, the number of students on your books will increase. Of course, even the best laid plans don't always work out as hoped and there will be times when business is slow. Every business experiences setbacks but the ones that succeed in the long term are those that don't give up and adjust their strategies accordingly.
Leadership
Regardless of the size of your tutoring company, every business needs a leader. What we've learned from being in contact with tutoring businesses is that a good business owner is able to delegate tasks to others and make good decisions when it counts. It's important that you're able to take the initiative, identify industry trends and steer your business in the right direction when it matters most. What qualities do you feel are the most important for running a tutoring business? Have we missed any? We'd love to hear your thoughts.
