Episode Transcription

16: The Difference Between a Struggling Tutoring Business and a 6-Figure Tutoring Business

Hello, lovely lady. Welcome to Classroom To Business, the podcast designed specifically for teachers working to become successful businesswomen and creating financial freedom and lifestyle flexibility. I'm Kirsty Gibbs business coach mentor for educators and teachers just like you who are ready to step away from the classroom and create something.

The Classroom to Business Podcast is committed to helping you grow your business, break down those barriers to success, and replace your teaching salary without having to work more hours. It is time for you to find freedom and start being your own boss so you can once again enjoy what you do and wake up each morning loving life.

Welcome to a brand new episode of Classroom to Business.

Today I am going to be talking to you about the differences between a struggling tutoring business and a six figure tutoring business. I'm going to share with you. The most common mistakes that I see struggling tutoring business owners make and the reasons why they can't crack that six figure mark.

And then I am going to share with you some tips and strategies for how you can avoid making these mistakes and what you can do instead. So I see it all the time, ladies who have started their own tutoring businesses with a goal to have a business that gives them more freedom and. The same, if not more income than they would've been getting in the classroom.

Now, I love this. This is, I'm all for this. This is exactly why I do what I do, but there is a very, very common theme that happens along the way. These ladies do an amazing job. Of the teaching side of their business, they're delivering these services that people love that are actually making a difference.

That means parents are spreading the word and they're getting these referrals, and students are continuing to stay on and get great results, but they're really struggling with the business side of their business, and often they find themselves becoming really frustrated because they just don't know how to get more students.

They are unsure of how to actually grow their business cuz they haven't done this before, right? They haven't been to business school, they haven't done anything like this before. So how would they know? But they're also really afraid to set boundaries. Which means that they're often overworking. They are taking phone calls at the dinner table.

They are returning text messages when they're supposed to be with their kids. They're even trying to do their work while they're on holidays with their families. This is not why they're left the classroom, I'm sure, but also they don't have boundaries with their families in a sense of their policies, so they don't even have any cancellation policies in place.

And now if this is you, It's okay. Like I said, these are common situations for a lot of ladies in the first zero to two, three years of the tutoring business. And you know what, if I'm being honest, I work with ladies who've been in business, in business for 10 years and still have these same concerns and frustrations and struggles.

So you are not alone. There are some key aspects to building a profitable and successful business. And then there are some specific principles to developing a successful and profitable tutoring business. And this is where I really love to talk. I am all about creating a business that is for you, that provides you.

With balance that provides you with the lifestyle that you're looking for. Um, let me just put in here as a disclaimer. When I use the word balance, I don't mean equally balanced. I mean well balanced. Balanced in a way that you are happy with. So if that means working 70% and play 30%, That's your well-balanced.

If it's a 50 50 split, if it's a 90 10 split, whatever it is, well-balanced is what we're looking for. So over the years, I have developed the tutoring success framework, and if you would like to know more about this, I'm just gonna add this here I am running a three day workshop, the ingredients to a six figure tutoring business on the 16th, 17th, and 18th of May.

So I'll pop a link to register in the show notes, but it is an event that is like nothing that I've done before. It's free. There will be recordings if you can't make it live. However, I will have q and a sessions at the end of each one of these trainings and I highly, highly encourage you if you are considering growing your business.

If you are serious about your business, then I would really love for you to register and come along. As well as the tutoring success framework. It's also important to know, like I mentioned before, the common mistakes that tutoring business owners make. These are mistakes that stop them from getting to that C six figure mark.

These are mis, these mistakes are so common that I think I come across them at least twice a week with ladies that I'm working with or ladies who are in touch with me. And like I said before, if you are making them or if you had made them, made them, don't freak out. You are not alone. You don't need to go throwing everything away and going back to the classroom.

You just need some guidance and direction, and I'm really hoping that that's what you can get out of today's episode. So let's get into the sixth biggest mistakes that I see. People making that hold them back from getting to six figures. The first one is being narrow-minded. Now, I'm really sorry, this does sound a little harsh, but the number of times I come across this is insane and the problem is this mindset keeps people small.

There is no way you are going to get to six figures if you are scared. If you are worried, if you are constantly freaking out, if you're thinking, I can't do this, and if you're just plain small. So instead, I want you to be open-minded. I want you to have a growth mindset. I want you to take feedback on with open ears, but know that you don't need to please everyone.

There is. Always going to be somebody out there who doesn't agree with you and who doesn't like you, and that's a really hard pill to swallow. I struggle with that myself, but you staying true to who you are and presenting your message means that you attract the right people. Connect with other people who do what you do, people who are going to bring you out of that narrow minded space that you are in, who show you what's truly possible.

Surround yourself with people who are going to challenge you to get uncomfortable. And always make sure you are in a place where you are supported. So if that's family support, business support, I like to recommend both. Um, but somewhere where you can talk about what you are doing and bounce ideas around and really be brave to be creative and bold.

Their second mistake that I see people make all the time. And I'm guilty of this still is being easily distracted, which means we don't always achieve our goals or maybe we achieve them, but not in the timeframe that we'd hoped for. In the business world, we call this shiny object syndrome, and I would love to be able to see your face right now to see if you were nodding going, oh yeah, that's me because.

It does seem to be a thing that most entre entrepreneurs, um, are, struggle, are, are challenged with. So if you don't have clarity, if you don't have clear goals and you don't have direction, you don't actually know what steps to take to move you towards your big vision. And often these business owners end up not taking any steps at all.

Because you know what it's like in business, there are so many things for us to do. And then there are all of these things that we could also be doing, and then there are all of these really amazing ideas that we think, oh, that would be cool to do as well. Put them all in there, and your brain explodes.

There is so much going on in your head. You get so overwhelmed and so confused, and you just don't know where to start. And often you just don't do anything at all. Or you do the things that. Feel like they're being busy because you think that being busy is going to, you know, make you successful, but they're not the things that are actually moving the needle in your business.

And I talk about this a lot inside the tutoring growth membership, and I am going to also be pulling that apart inside the three day training. So instead of being easily distracted, you want to have a clear vision. You wanna know exactly where you're going, and I've spoken about this before. It doesn't matter if your vision changes.

That is totally okay. But if you don't start with a vision, then how on earth are you going to even know where you're going? If you don't have a destination in mind, how do you know what directions to take? You want to know how to break your vision down into smaller actionable steps, and this is massive.

We do this inside the first principle of the tutoring growth success path, and I'm also going to show you how to do it in our three day training as well. But having a big vision, your big why, and then pulling that apart into goals and then action steps. Means that you're not gonna get distracted as much.

I mean, I'm not gonna lie, it will still happen. We are human right, and we are creatives. We are entrepreneurs. We love to think of new ideas, but having actionable steps and clear goals is going to help to keep you more focused, having accountability. If you have got somebody there with the whip cracking it to make sure you stay on track, you are very less likely to go astray.

And I say this with love, but every single month when we have our accountability calls inside of the tutoring growth membership, it is my job to support and hold people accountable. So we talk about what were your goals for this month? Did you achieve them? Yes or no? If you didn't, why not? Okay. If it was a time issue, let's look at your schedule.

How can we improve that if you didn't know how to do that particular goal? Well, let's have a look at the tasks that were involved. Which bit do you not know how to do? And let's fix that. Rather than just pushing it aside and saying, it's too hard. I don't know how to do it. I don't have time. I'm gonna do this fun, shiny thing over here instead actually being accountable.

Following through with what you said you would do. And the last one is plan forward. So instead of just making things up on the spot, have a plan. And like I said before, with your vision, your plans can change and that's totally okay, but you want to at least know what you're working towards. Okay? Mistake number three.

Trying to do everything yourself. This will lead to burnout. Plain and simple, you can't do it all. I will never forget the moms in business, um, like I guess a networking workshop thing that I went to years ago where a lady at this event was really, really excited and almost proud of herself to let everybody know.

That she was no longer paying somebody to do her packaging and shipping. She was doing it herself, and then she was letting us know how much money it saved. And in the scheme of things, it wasn't that much money, but I just remember thinking, wow. This mindset, this approach, this strategy that you are taking right now is actually keeping you small.

Because what we should be doing in business is looking at it in a way that thi, that says this is a job that somebody else could do. I don't need to do it. I'm going to pay somebody to do that, and I'm instead going to spend my time doing something that makes money. We have two things that we trade in.

We can trade with time or we can trade with money. The difference is you can't get time back. Okay? You can get your money back. You can make more of it. You can, you know, do things in your business to increase the amount of money you have. You cannot do anything in your business. We all have the same amount of time, unfortunately, cannot get any of that back, right?

So if you are trying to do everything in your business because you're trying to save money, I want you to just reflect and think, is this. Causing me to almost be a bottleneck in my business. Is this allowing me for growth? Should I potentially bring somebody else in to do these? Some of these tasks, if you try to do it all, basically you are creating a business that revolves around you, which means that you have put yourself under more pressure than you need to be.

And. You haven't created a business for yourself where you are the c e o or the boss. You have just made a job for yourself. You are just simply a self-employed employee. Okay? So again, this is really, really common, so don't feel bad or silly about it. If, if you are doing this, I want you to stop and reflect.

What can you do differently? What can you outsource? And I know that when we start in business, we do have to do a lot of it ourselves. We don't have a lot of money coming in. But when you get to that point where you can see, and I'm talking to those of you who have been in business for at least 12 months, you should now have tasks in your business that you are doing.

That are lower level in terms of the income you can make. So you can be outsourcing those tasks, which means you can then either do more tutoring, do more content creation if that's how you are getting students doing whatever it is to be making more revenue in your business. So instead of trying to do everything your yourself, Know what to delete, delegate, automate, and outsource implement systems and processes.

This is huge. I mean, I, if you've followed me for a while, you know I bang on about this all the time. Systems and automations are what helps you to create a business that is beyond just you. And if we are serious about creating something that's sustainable, As in it has the longevity. It can continue to grow without you needing to be there every day.

Then systems and automations are key and they are part of the fourth principle of my framework, and again, something that I'm going to go into more in our three day training. And the final one in there is set boundaries. And again, if you've been following me, you know that I love setting boundaries. So whether it's for your staff, for your families, for yourself, you need to have boundaries in place.

Mistake number four,

having unrealistic expectations. Which leads to giving up before you Really

mistake number four, having unrealistic expectations, which leads to giving up before you really have even given it a proper chance. And honestly, I, I see this. Way too often. And, and if this is you, please don't be offended. Take this opportunity to learn. So many ladies say to me things like, I just, I don't have any students.

I don't know how to get students. And when I ask them how long they've been going for, they say, uh, three weeks or three months. That's very fresh, guys. Okay. If your business has only been going for three weeks or three months and you only have you know, one student at the three month mark, that is not a reason to throw in the towel.

Have a think about business. It's not something that happens overnight. You cannot have unreal, unrealistic expectations and. Think that you are going to succeed and have a business that's creating the same amount of revenue that you are getting in the classroom in, you know, three to six months, it won't happen.

And I, I'm sorry, that's a really negative thing to say. There's probably the off chance that it will, that, you know, but that's not realistic. That's not what our, we would be working towards in our goals. Um, another common. Comment that I get is people say, um, I've been posting on my Facebook page, um, but I'm just not getting any new inquiries.

But their Facebook page only has, you know, a hundred people following them, and most of them are their friends and family guys. We can't expect just because you've done a handful of posts on your Facebook page, That you are going to get these new leads and start making money. Your marketing has to be strategic.

It has to. Oh, there's so much. I mean, this is a whole other podcast, and again, I go, I am going to go into this in the three day training, but you can't just expect that because you put it out there once or twice, all of a sudden people are going to come to you. The number of times that somebody needs to see you before they buy from you in services these days, it's, well, apparently it's close to 30.

It's like dating. Okay. You don't just, well, everyone's different, I guess. But the more you get to know someone, the more comfortable you feel with them, the more likely you're going to end up getting married to them. Right. These days, who knows? With all the sorts of reality shows, people do get married after one date, but.

The norm is that you get to know somebody, and that's what you are doing with your audience. They're getting to know you and they're building that trust with you. So for you in business for at least 90 to a hundred days of you starting your business, you're actually just building awareness and your focus should be on building your brand and building awareness in your community that you even exist.

And sharing your experience, sharing your background, sharing your expertise, establishing yourself as the authority in your industry, in your area. You have to be willing to do the work and be patient, and you have to know what things to focus on. Like I said, Just posting to your own personal Facebook page or even if you have a business Facebook page, just posting to that is not going to be effective advertising for you.

There is so much more to it that you need to learn about. So unrealistic expectations, we are got, there are a few things that you can do instead. Because I don't want you to give up on your business before you've even really had a chance for it to get off the ground. So remember, business is not always easy and this is normal.

Okay? Totally normal. If it was, everybody would do it. Understand that it takes time and consistency is key. I say be persistent and consistent. They are. So important in having a business that goes, you know, stands the test of time. And if you haven't listened to the previous episode, which would have been episode 15 with Jasinta, go and have a listen to that.

And she talks about when she first started her business, she was freaking out. Because she wasn't hitting the milestones and the goals that she had in her mind. Look at her business now and it's absolutely booming, and it's the story that I hear over and over again from my clients is that they had these unrealistic expectations and they nearly gave up.

But for those that hung in there, they're now reaping the rewards. The other thing is to focus on the right things. So the things that actually make a difference in your business. So for example, how to market effectively. It's not letterbox drops, flyer drops in letter boxes. You know what I'm trying to say?

It's not those things. It's not just posting on your Facebook page. There is so much more to it. You need to learn and understand these things. Also, learn from those people around you. Don't compare yourself to them. Learn from them. Choose carefully who you listen to. All right. People who jump online and talk about these overnight success stories, dig a little deeper.

That's all I'm saying. And find a supportive community who can help you to get through the challenging stages. And of course, I am going to talk about the tutoring growth membership here because I do believe that it is the best community for, uh, tutors and teachers in business. It is so full of support and encouragement and like I said before, accountability.

I don't think there's anything else quite like it, but by being in a group like that, You see where other people are. You can see where somebody is an, an average person is in the three months of their business, in the three years of their business, in the 10 years of their business. You can get a good understanding as to where you are going to.

You can learn from those people who have been there before you, and all of a sudden you've gone from unrealistic expectations to goals that are achievable, that you can actually work towards and then feel good about and celebrate. And then get ready to set your next lot of goals. Mistake number five, worrying about and trying to compete with others.

Run your own race. Okay? This can be really hard, especially if you aren't confident in your own abilities and you don't have a support team or mentor to cheer you on and celebrate your wins. So instead of. Worrying what others think, or looking at other people's Instagram pages and thinking, oh my gosh, they're so amazing.

Mine's not like that. And just giving up focus on what you are good at. Focus on what you are offering and know that there is enough space in this market for everyone. And I've done a podcast episode on this as well, so go and check that out. But, This space is huge. The tutoring industry is just growing and growing and growing, and I don't just mean that there are a lot of new tutors.

Yes, there are, but there are also a lot of parents who are realizing the benefits of tutoring. And there are a lot of parents who are realizing where their children are actually at in the classroom. And there are all of those families who are realizing that education, their, you know, classroom education the way it is, is not for them.

So there is always going to be enough space for you and the unique offer that you have. So get rid of that scarcity mindset. Don't try to do what the business down the road is doing. Stick to your thing, the thing that makes you unique and own it. Shout it from the rooftops. Okay? You're not just a primary school tutor.

Tell me more than that. Dig deeper. What is it exactly that makes you so special? Why do kids get results working with you? Don't worry about anyone else. Why do they get results working with you? Is it the way you teach? Is it certain programs you have? Is it your background, your style, resources that you use?

What is it? Maybe it's the way that you present your information or, or the actual services that you offer. End. Again, surround yourself with people who get it, people who can support you and cheer you on without making you feel like you are competing. And again, I am shamelessly plugging the tutoring growth membership right now because every single lady who is in there is amazing and there is such a big feel of.

Collaboration over competition, that it's just beautiful. It's absolutely beautiful. So find yourself whether, you know, obviously I would love to have you join us, but whether it is, whether it is in there or somewhere else, find a place where people get you and you can share ideas and you don't feel like you are being competed with.

Okay. Number six. The final mistake that is extremely common that I see a lot of ladies make is they do not fully understand their business and how it's going. That might sound a little odd, but as teachers, so many of us do not feel confident with business finances, and due to that, So many businesses actually fail because they spend so much time on the tutoring side of things where they feel really comfortable, but not enough time on the business side of things, and that is essential.

If you are not focusing on the business side of things, then you're not going to be making any money. You're not gonna have any idea how much money you are making. You're not going to know what's working and what's not working. You're not going to know what to do more of and what to do less of. But I see it so often business owners, and this is not just our newbies, so if you've been in business for a while, I'm talking to you as well, who have got tutoring businesses and they are literally winging it.

They couldn't tell me how much. Revenue they made for the last financial year and they couldn't tell me how much profit they made this past month. If that's you, these are big wake up alarm bells ringing for you right now. This is me giving you a friendly kick up the backside to say you need to get your head around the finances of your business.

So, Instead of not having any idea how your business is actually going, complete monthly reviews on your business. And I am gonna talk about all of this as well inside the three day training. Invest the time to learn how to use your accounting software. If you are using something like uh, zero, it's so easy.

There's only a few things that you actually need to know how to do and access, and I can show you how to do that inside of the tutoring growth membership, we've got a few trainings on that, but ladies who are in there now are blown away because now they can see where they're spending money or maybe wasting money.

All of those teaching resources that we continue to buy and those PDs that we continue to do. And where they're making money or where they thought they were making money. One of the other things that you can do is review your finances weekly or at least monthly, and keep things simple. So let's recap some of the biggest and most common mistakes that tutoring business owners make that are going to hold them back from the six figures.

Number one being narrow minded. Number two, being easily distracted. Number three, trying to do everything yourself. Number four, having mean unrealistic expectations. Number five, worrying about others and trying to compete with others. And number six, not understanding your business and your business financials.

Now, I mentioned this before, but I wanted to go into it a little bit more. You can take what I've shared with you in this episode today and go and implement it, or I would love to invite you to go deeper again and join me on the 16th, 17th, and 18th of May for a three day training. In this training, I'm going to be going in depth into the key ingredients for a six figure tutoring business.

So I'm going to show you the framework that I've developed. So it's a framework that I used in my tutoring businesses, and I'm now using it with my clients in their tutoring businesses so that you can also create a life that's well-balanced. Like I said, well-balanced, not perfectly balanced. Don't think there's such a thing of 50 50 unless that's what you're aiming for, but well-balanced and it provides you with more freedom and helps you to achieve your financial goals.

So if this is you, I am going to put the link to register in the show notes. If you have any questions, send me a dm. We're going to go through, like I said, those ingredients. That you need for your six figure tutoring business, and those things are going to help you to avoid continuing to make these mistakes and.

Like I touched on before, they're going to go deeper into things like the marketing, creating your vision, um, s setting up your systems and automations and all of those really amazing, yummy things that right now you're probably thinking Kirsty, they do not sound good at all, but I'm going to give them to you an approach.

An approach that is simple, hand clear and easy, and hopefully can take it on board, and within the next 12 months, you'll be kicking some amazing goals and have a six figure tutor in business as well.