Meet Tutor Doctor franchisees Mark and Joanna Butler! This dynamic duo began their franchise journey six years ago and has since built a booming business in Reading, England. Mark and Joanna won franchisee of the year at Tutor Doctor in 2017 and have been finalists for two awards with the bfa and HSBC, recognizing their outstanding education franchise. Learn how Mark and Joanna went from new business owners to award-winning franchisees.

Tutor Doctor: What originally drew you to the Tutor Doctor brand?

Mark & Joanna: We felt it was a service that was in demand and there was no other established, local tutoring service.

TD: Since starting your tutoring business, have you seen any unexpected benefits?

M&J: We enjoy helping students who are from disadvantaged backgrounds, which we are able to do from our connections with local schools. It’s a very rewarding business and we have become an important part of the local education community.

TD: What has been your biggest challenge in owning a franchise?

M&J: Like any small business, it takes time to build a reputation and become established. In the early days, we were working long hours seven days a week. It’s tough, but it’s worth it as the company becomes established.

TD: What is the most rewarding aspect of owning a tutoring business?

M&J: The ability to change a young person’s life. It’s very frustrating to struggle in a subject and seeing a student succeed in areas they had always found difficult is very rewarding.

TD: Have you noticed any significant lifestyle changes since starting an education franchise?

M&J: We enjoy the freedom that running our own business gives to us. We now have a team of 7, so we have the opportunity to delegate many of the daily tasks to enable us to concentrate on strategy and development.

TD: That’s great! So now that you have an established team, what is an average day like for you two?

MB: Our whole team now works from home, so we speak regularly by phone or on Zoom calls to discuss all the ongoing work. It’s a very busy job and requires a lot of detail. Jo interviews our tutors online, and I still do some of our consultations to keep up with what our clients are looking for. The business is based around school terms, which means it’s seasonal and we spend time developing strategies to ensure everything is in place for the next term. Lockdown has kept us working from our home office, whereas we are often at meetings in the territories during more normal times.

TD: It seems like technology has become a big part of your franchise. How has tech-based and online learning impacted your tutoring business?

M&J: We use a dedicated system called Bramble, which allows both students and tutors to interact on the same online whiteboard and also records the sessions. The industry is definitely changing, although it will always be about the quality of the tutors who have to blend subject knowledge with the personality to engage with students.

TD: It’s clear that your strategy is working since you have been finalists for the bfa HSBC British Franchise Award on two ooccasions! How did you feel when you found out?

M&J: It was the second bfa award we’d been nominated for in two years so, we’re delighted. The award is for Local Focus and that’s an area of the business we are very proud of so it’s satisfying to have that recognized.

TD: As a British Franchise Award two-time finalist, what has set you apart from other franchisees and contributed to your success?

M&J: I am sure the judges will be the best people to tell you that. All we can say is that we try our best to run a business where our clients feel they are using a service they can trust and are well looked-after. And that our employees and tutors feel respected and enjoy working for us.

TD: Here at Tutor Doctor, we emphasize our values. How do you embody the Tutor Doctor spirit?

M&J: We focus on the motto of “changing the trajectory of young peoples’ lives.” Our belief is that if we provide the best service, business success will follow.

TD: In your opinion, what skills do you think are vital to franchisee success?

M&J: You need to be able to understand all aspects of a business including, sales, marketing, finance and recruitment.

TD: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a new Tutor Doctor franchisee?

M&J: Be prepared to work hard and focus on the quality of service you provide.

Ready to become the next Tutor Doctor franchisee? Reach out to learn how you can start a tutoring business in your market.