This month, we introduce you to Tutor Doctor franchisee, Steve Sigit-Sidharta, whose territory is in Buford, Flowery Branch, and Sugar Hill, Georgia. He now has a tutoring business, but his career didn’t start out in education. Steve’s degree is in information systems, but he spent much of his career in sales operations. “I’ve worked in sales, basically a corporate life for multiple years,” says Steve.

Steve’s family is from Indonesia, but he was born in Colorado while his father was studying his PHD and masters. At seven-years-old, his family moved back to Indonesia. “My dad was an educator and my mom worked at Arby’s. When Arby’s opened a franchise in Indonesia, she got a job as a general manager, so I saw two separate paths.”

As a young man, Steve’s goal was to go back to the States and get his MBA. “I met my wife and went to Melbourne, Australia, and got my undergraduate degree in Melbourne. Once I got my bachelor’s, my parents bought me a one-way ticket to the states. They gave me an address of a family friend and said I could go live with them. That was in 2000, the beginning of the journey.”

Climbing the Corporate Ladder

When Steve came to the United States, he moved in with the family friend in Colorado. His degree was in information systems, but that was in 2000 around the time of the dotcom bubble and subsequent crash. “Every day, I’d borrow a computer at the library applying for jobs. They’d say, ‘We don’t have a position for you because we just fired our entire IT department.’”

One day, Steve walked by a Radio Shack and it had a sign that said it was hiring. So, he started working at Radio Shack until he was promoted to store manager of his own store. Then, he moved to one of the largest telecommunications companies in the United States, which is where he acquired a wealth of experience in sales operations. While he at built a respectable career in Corporate America, Steve knew things could be better.

“When you work in corporate, you can put in your blood, sweat and tears, and what do you get in the end? Nothing. If you get a bonus, 80% of what you have to do to get that bonus is out of your control,” says Steve. “We’re working for someone else, and no matter how hard we work, the benefits are not that great.” That’s when Steve and his wife, Nathalia, looked into a business of their own.

A Franchise Broker Introduces Tutor Doctor

Steve was approached by a franchise broker on LinkedIn. The franchise broker presented Steve and his wife with a few businesses, including a barber shop for kids, but then the broker mentioned Tutor Doctor. “I liked the mission, and that’s when I looked into it [Tutor Doctor] further. I signed the contract on my birthday in June, and we officially started in mid-October 2018,” he says.

When we asked Steve about the benefits of owning a Tutor Doctor, he talked about hearing from the parents during his check-in calls and from the surveys they fill out. He loves hearing how happy the parents are with the results – they talk about academic improvements, better study habits, and better confidence in their children.

“A lot of the families say the tutor is a new member of the family. They like the match so much and everything is gelling. Sure, it’s a business, but you’re also impacting the people in your community,” he says.

Like many of our franchisees, Steve’s corporate experience comes in handy. “In my corporate life, I did the hiring.” He says that’s one of the things he learned when he went to Toronto for the training class is you should always be hiring. “Would you rather have tutors waiting for a customer or customers waiting for a tutor?” he says.

What Advice Do You Have for Franchisees?

Steve’s advice to fellow franchisees is to have to have a positive growth mindset. “You only get out what you put in,” he says. “You drive your rep car, you wear your Tutor Doctor gear, and you’re always ready because that’s how you get your leads.”

Lastly, he says to ask Tutor Doctor if you can spend a day with a successful franchisee who you can shadow for a day. Follow the franchisee in your area so you can see the amount of effort you have to put in, he advises.

Steve and his wife have two children, ages 5 and 8. “What’s cool is when I do events like the Harvest Moon Festival or the Mall of Georgia Tree Lighting event, if the kids are available, we make it a family outing. They’re actually great at talking to other kids, so we make it a family event.”