During the past eight years, I have been in over 1,500 homes meeting kids and families and taking care of their tutoring needs. I contract with tutors who can work with special needs students; anything from severe autism to Attention Deficit Disorder, home schooled kids, public and private school kids and even college students and adults. If I don’t have a tutor on my roster for a specific subject and one of my clients needs one, I will place an ad and find one for them – usually within 48 hours.

I am home-based and am busy twelve months a year. Do I have competition? You bet I do, but what sets me apart is the high level of customer service I provide. Huge learning centers (think Sylvan and Huntington) don’t do what I do. Private tutors are limited in the number of clients they can personally handle. I have established myself in my community by fulfilling a much-needed niche. Supplemental education that is one-on-one exclusively in the parents’ home is difficult to find and in high demand. My rates are affordable and I don’t require a long-term contract. I am flexible and always try my best to satisfy my customers, without exception.

Do I have a huge staff? No. When a client calls they talk to me. I am the accounting department, complaint department and customer service department. I am the person that talks to the crying mother on the phone when their middle school child brings home a terrible report card. I listen to a parent lament about the fact that their first grader has to repeat first grade again next year. I commiserate with parents about how their learning challenged student isn’t getting the services they need and I help them to “work the system” and be an advocate for their kids. I have seen and heard it all – from parents who are so overbearing and enabling that they do the homework for their children to parents who don’t care to be involved in their kids’ education but will pay me to “fix it”. I have to make ethical and judgment calls every day given I am dealing with children. I have had a pen thrown at me by a belligerent teenager, a snake wrapped around my neck by a precocious second grader and witnessed a hyper kindergartener jump up and down on his mom’s marble table screaming “I don’t want a tutor!” while the mom just calmly sat there and did nothing. But I love my job and can’t imagine going back to my glamorous life as a hotel executive where I had the opportunity to shake hands with two Presidents and escort Hilary Clinton and the Secretary of State to functions at the famed Waldorf=Astoria, where I worked.

I attribute my success to the ability to market and sell myself and my services in a low-key, friendly manner. After many years hiring and firing employees, I am fairly perceptive about people and contract only the top-notch tutors in my area. They have to be able to not only tutor the subject manner effectively; they also have to represent me and my company name in the marketplace with a professional demeanor. I am organized, an expert at multi-tasking and have been blessed with a wonderful support system (my family).

Because I love what I do and make a good living doing it (targeted to do over $400,000 in sales this year, a 16% increase over last year), I decided to write a comprehensive manual, package it with a website, customized Accounting Software and other key marketing items and sell it to others who want to own a tutoring business. Home Tutoring Business, launched in the summer of 2005. Included with every package is consulting time with me via telephone or the internet. I decided to sell my business plan as an alternative to franchising. The cost of the packages are a fraction of the price of a franchise without monthly royalties or fees. The manual is packed with wonderful information and includes many of the secrets to my success as well as the mistakes I made along the way.

Working solo has many benefits. I work hard but I align myself with excellent professionals to whom I outsource some of my functions such as my web site design and development. I joined the Chamber of Commerce as soon as I began my business and found my attorney, accountant and graphic designer. I use them only on an “as needed” basis which saves me money and keeps my overhead low. Luckily, my computer programming, software and hardware needs are handled by my husband, who has been an entrepreneur for the past fourteen years and has his own consulting firm.

I have two daughters, ages 12 and 15, two dogs and three cats. We all live and work harmoniously under one roof.

Everyone gets stuck in a rut professionally at one time or another. Sometimes it’s just a temporary state of mind and it passes quickly. Soon you are back on track after a weekend off or a holiday break. But what happens when that feeling inside of you that you are definitely ready for a change does not pass? Many times this unease manifests itself emotionally as well as physically. You are tired more often, even though you didn’t do much at work all day. You get up in the morning dreading going to work and once you get there, you just can’t concentrate and become a clock-watcher.

Fantasizing about a new career on a regular basis and perhaps taking action by going on an interview or requesting information about a home business opportunity are usually good ways to gauge if this is a phase or something you should pursue.

Ten Signs You Need A Career Change:

1) You no longer feel excited about going to work.
2) You find yourself daydreaming during meetings.
3) You leave a bit early or sneak in a bit late.
4) You aren’t as thorough as you once were when it comes to completing projects or meeting deadlines.
5) You aren’t feeling challenged anymore – your workday is just a routine.
6) You call in sick more often.
7) You haven’t come up with a new idea or procedure in months.
You go through the motions at work and put in minimum effort..
9) You surf the internet looking at other opportunities when you should be working.
10) You make more personal calls on company time just to make the day go faster.

How did you score?

1) What are my goals?
– Decide how much money you need to make in the next six months, year, five years……
2) What is motivating me to pursue my own tutor referral business?
– Do you enjoy meeting parents and their kids; do you have a keen interest in helping them improve and be the best they can me in school?
3) Would I enjoy the work?
– Is it exciting for you to interface with schools, counselors, interview tutors, speak to prosepective clients and be a “tutor broker?” In other words, are you passionate and commited to making your new business work?
4) What is my budget?
– Do you have the money (without going into debt) to not only buy a business package, but have enough cash left to purchase office supplies, marketing materials, advertising?
5) Am I a self-starter?
– Working from home means you are the boss. Are you able to be disciplined about working and establishing a schedule for yourself? Are you a good time manager?
6) Are you willing to make sacrifices in the beginning to get established?
- If you are used to a 9-5 Monday through Friday, are you willing to shift your work hours to accommodate seeing your clients in the early evenings or even weekends?
7) Is your family (or friends) supportive?
- Receiving words of encouragement from your immediate family members and people close to you is important. Being surrounded by a bunch of nay-sayers is de-motivating and creates a negative environment for you as you begin your new venture.

I personally have been assisting home school families for ten years, so it’s easy for me to give direction to my HTB buyers. If you are considering an HTB, do some research in your area and find out if there are home school associations. They are usually very active in their communities and welcome outside resources.

Besides that, several calls this past week in response to our monthly ad in Home Business Magazine- lots of people weighing the pros and cons of starting a new business in this economy. Certainly a risk, but one worth taking, especially compared to the expensive franchises out there. The think I love about my business model is that I get to support and consult with all of my new buyers – kind of hold their hand and help them through the first steps of starting their new business.

A tutor referral service is very similar.  The tutor “broker” meets with the parents of a child in need of tutoring and determines the academic needs of that particular child.  The owner interviews and contracts with many independent tutors and makes the perfect “match” for the student, based on not only the student’s academic requirements, but also their learning style and personality.  The parent does not have to shop the competition, visit learning centers or hire a tutor from an ad in a local paper.  They place their trust in the HTB owner to have done all of the legwork for them.  It’s a win-win for the tutor looking for work and the family in need of a tutor.  The tutor broker makes money by (in most cases) splitting the rate they are charging the client with the tutor. The more hours the tutors are out tutoring during the week, the more lucrative the business!

In essence the HTB owner is referring tutors to clients and making a handsome profit!