Episode Transcription

54: From Teacher to Business Owner: Overcoming Challenges and Finding Success

 

0:00:04 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Hello, lovely lady. Welcome to Classroom to Business, the podcast designed specifically for teachers working to become successful business women and creating financial freedom and lifestyle flexibility. I'm Kirsty Gibbs, business coach and mentor for educators and teachers just like you who are ready to step away from the classroom and create something more. 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.

0:00:36 - (Kirsty Gibbs): It's 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. Let's get into it. Welcome to another episode of Classroom to Business. So today I am joined by a special guest. This is somebody who. It's one of those situations where you've met on Instagram, you've talked a few times, you kind of know who each other are, but we actually got to meet in person in real life last year at the Australian Tutoring association conference in Sydney, which was super exciting.

0:01:16 - (Kirsty Gibbs): It's always so much fun when that happens. So this is Lasni from Seeds of Knowledge. She runs a tutoring business. And I thought there's so much that we spoke about when we caught up in Sydney. There were so many things that she was talking about that I know a lot of my listeners and my clients go through. I just had to get her on the podcast. She's been through so much with her business. She is still going through so much with kids of her own. You know, she's juggling all of the things.

0:01:49 - (Kirsty Gibbs): So I wanted to bring her on, get her to share a bit of her story, her journey, and share some the ways that she's overcome some challenges that she's faced. So welcome. Lovely. It's so good to have you here.

0:02:00 - (Lasnie): Thank you. Can't wait to unpack all things tutoring, business life.

0:02:06 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Awesome. And I, I have to add in here too, that you were, were, and are my inspiration for running more retreats this year. So the retreats you're going to see coming up soon, sometime in very near future, thanks to this amazing, amazing lady with her dreams that have challenged me. But I like it. So, okay, first, let's jump in. Tell me or tell us a little bit more about your business and how you got to where you are. So what made you start a tutoring business?

0:02:43 - (Lasnie): Okay, let me tell you first a little about Seeds of Knowledge. Seeds of Knowledge was. It started as a passion project. I am a teacher. I was teaching for many, many years. And then like a lot of us, we Were, you know, you're like, oh, maybe I can make a little money doing a side hustle. So started tutoring as a side hustle. No kids at that point, lots of time. So started doing that and then in about my third year of tutoring, no third year of teaching, actually, I was given an extension class and from there I learned about growth mindset and was very passionate about it. And then I was tutoring at the same time.

0:03:38 - (Lasnie): So I thought, well, what if I could implement some of the growth mindset strategies that I was implementing into my own classroom and what impact would it have? And from there it had an absolute major impact on the students I was tutoring because it was one on one at that stage. And then I thought, look, what about if I can do that on a bigger scale? So I gave it a go. So Seeds of Knowledge is really about developing children's confidence to be the best they can be. And that's the first, and that's the priority of the business, to be honest.

0:04:22 - (Lasnie): And then from there of course we tutor in literacy and numeracy, but it's more about their mindset and their belief in themselves. Because the rest I believe will come. Yeah.

0:04:36 - (Kirsty Gibbs): And so, I mean it sounds like it's very similar to a lot of people's stories where they've, they've seen a way that they can make a difference in students lives. And it's really interesting because not a lot of businesses in general start that way. Like not a lot of people start their businesses thinking, oh, I can see a gap here in a way that I can actually help somebody. So I love that about our, you know, whether it's specifically tutoring or it's the mindset stuff like you're talking about, there's other sorts of emotional coaching. I mean there's so much now that, that we can offer.

0:05:12 - (Kirsty Gibbs): But I think it's really special that that's the underlying reason why so many of these businesses start is because you can actually see where you can make a difference.

0:05:21 - (Lasnie): So that, yeah, that is the first and foremost and that was the real branding behind it and the idea and the philosophy around the business. But then at the end of the day, like you touched on before, I also then had children and so I was working full time, then went on maternity leave and then was running like a side hustle that was slowly growing. And then like most of us after maternity leave, it felt like I was burnt out and wanted to be with the kids.

0:06:00 - (Lasnie): So then at that point I prioritized growing the business and I'M not going to lie. Raising little people, trying to grow a business that at those early stages you still also need money to come in. So also doing relief teaching was a loss and that was the journey for many years to get seeds of knowledge off the ground.

0:06:29 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Yeah. Okay. I was just going to ask you, how long did you do that juggle for? Because I know everyone's journey there is different. So, you know, for me, for example, I started my business before I had kids, so it didn't have that. I mean, they came very soon afterwards, which might have been a bit crazy, but I could jump straight into it. But I know other, other tutoring business owners, they will go slowly, they make that transition where they're slowly, you know, one foot in and one foot out. So how long did you actually do that for? And what, what happened for you to, to decide, okay, that's it. I'm, I'm not doing school stuff anymore.

0:07:14 - (Lasnie): Again, a lot of this came to my own mindset shifting. So I'm a big believer and shifting the mindset of little people. But the transition in that mindset set shift also needed to happen for me. And there was a long time, I would say, I would say years, that I did that juggle. One, because I felt like I couldn't do it. Two, I had very high expectations on myself. I had a lot of things that I felt like I needed aligned. I felt like, you know, I needed all the students, I needed the marketing, I needed, I needed the curriculum. So I wanted it all aligned before I could step away.

0:08:02 - (Lasnie): But it was maybe about four or five years that I did the juggle. But the juggle reduced and reduced. So it started maybe with three, three days of relief to one point where I went back into a part time role. But I was one day a week and then by the end that one day a week left and I trusted that I could rely on myself.

0:08:28 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Yeah, I, it's, I feel like I had this conversation with somebody the other day. A lot of us are lucky. We've got that teaching to fall back on. You know, it's that plan B that you've got in your back pocket if you ever need it. But I do wonder sometimes if that holds us back. Like it's a safety net like you said, you know, you did it for years and it was a mindset shift for you. I wonder, obviously we won't know, but if you were in a situation where you didn't have that to fall back. And I know that this, this is the case with some of My other ladies, they have to, you know, make it work. You know, when you're in that situation where you don't have school or something else to rely on, you need to make money, you start to take your business a lot more seriously. And you see it less as that side hustle and more as this is me. This is what I want to do. And I think it, like I said, it's the mind.

0:09:26 - (Kirsty Gibbs): It's a change in mindset, but it's not just believing in yourself that you can do it, but it's also believing that you have to now make this happen. This. This has to be your all.

0:09:39 - (Lasnie): I think you're exactly right there. Because even now there are eight employees within the business. There are two centers looking for the third center. And what has happened now is exactly that. It's not about me now making money to make sure it's. I can survive. It's about making money to make sure the business can now survive. So, for example, I can't just go back to relief if things are not working out and there's not enough students.

0:10:12 - (Lasnie): That's not an option anymore. And it is up leveled. Exactly what you said. And you, you don't have the opportunity to just go and make relief money. You have to go and get the client now. Yes.

0:10:25 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Yeah.

0:10:25 - (Lasnie): And. And that is different. But I think that process at the start learned me the skill.

0:10:33 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Yeah.

0:10:33 - (Lasnie): To. To where I'm at now. And so I needed it, and it's all a part of it.

0:10:38 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Yeah. And you just touched on something that I'd love to talk to you more about is, you know, you said you've got to go and get that client, and I'd love your thoughts on the hustle side of things. So hustle is one of those words that got used, overused a long time ago, and then it kind of got turned into a dirty word and no one used it, but I actually just used it again the other day because I. I had a client and she was talking about a class.

0:11:09 - (Kirsty Gibbs): She's just started a group, and it's her first group and she's only got one student in there. And to make it viable, she needs at least two. And I said, it's one of those situations where you are going to have to go into hustle mode. And what I mean by that is nothing else matters for, you know, you know, lost, lost words right now. But in the scheme of things, that has to be your number one thing.

0:11:38 - (Kirsty Gibbs): So you have everything in your power to make that happen. So, you know, what are Your thoughts on that. And when you're in that situation where you've lost students and you're like, oh, you know, I need more students, or I've got a new group and I need students, like, whatever that situation is. How do you get into hustle stage? And what does that look like for you?

0:12:02 - (Lasnie): When you have staff relying on you? The hustle becomes imperative and so important because it's not, like I said, it's not just about you. So you do then become a hustler. And so for any tutoring business. And like, if this is not the case for some tutoring businesses, let me know because I want your number and I want to talk to you. But turn one is quite, quite the struggle, like in the trajectory of a tutoring business.

0:12:39 - (Lasnie): Term one starts off slower. Term two, you come pick it up, you've got parent teacher interviews. Term three and four, you feel like you're wait listed and you're killing life. And then back to term one, you feel like, oh, gosh, nobody loves me anymore. That is literally how it feels. So come turn one. I am exactly that. I am a hustler. So I am calling partners. Any businesses that I know are doing the same thing as me. It's time to reconnect with them. How can we share each other's things? Things?

0:13:12 - (Lasnie): I am visiting daycare centers, I'm visiting schools and getting them to start helping me out. And in the case that you gave of one of your clients, where it is one student to start a group, and you're right, two is viable, then I won't actually start the group. And I put it on that parent, because that hustles the parent. Because they want your service. They really like you. And that tends to hustle them.

0:13:45 - (Lasnie): And I've got to say, word of mouth is just the best, best, best tool. So if you can get your parents talking for you, that's even better hustle. And that's often what I do because I have the same issue as your client where it's, I can't open a group till there's two or more students. And so I will ask the parent to help me. And in nearly every single case, they get me that second child.

0:14:14 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Boom, you go, it's so true. And I think, I mean, we did the same. We would actually say to the parents, we can start a brand new group or a brand new class at a time that works for you if you bring another student along, you know, and so they think, oh, you know, well, they. Because you're doing something for Them and being flexible for them, then they're happy to help out. Plus, like you said, they want that.

0:14:38 - (Lasnie): That session, they want it to start. They definitely have that. You know, there are plenty of fish in the sea and I say that all the time they're there, we just need to find them. And you're right that hustle, especially term one is required. And I have a huge skill I've learned is just to ask. Just ask.

0:15:03 - (Kirsty Gibbs): And the other time I feel like it's a very much a missed opportunity where just ask is previous or past students. So I think when, when we lose students, we often just forget about them. Sometimes they might stay on our email list and you know, they get the general emails but they might not have left because they didn't like us. You know, often they've left because all of a sudden their times were clashing or they were going away on holiday or, you know, mum just lost her job or cut back to part time so something had to go financially. So there's sometimes situations that are fluid that might not necessarily be the situation anymore, be the case anymore.

0:15:50 - (Kirsty Gibbs): And so I found really, really great results from hustling with. It is, I feel horrible saying the word hustle because it's been so nastily used, but I'm going to use it today but for hustling with those previous families because yeah, oh yeah, that's right. We used to go to Learning Box. We used to go to Seeds of Knowledge and yeah, my child loved it and yes, we did just get report cards or yes, they've just started grade five and they've got nap plan this year. Yeah, you know, we don't have soccer on Wednesdays anymore so we can come back and do those sessions again.

0:16:27 - (Kirsty Gibbs): So yeah, I think that's like you said, it's just asking. You're offering services. I think so often people are afraid to put themselves out there and, and talk about their services and, and contact people because they think that they're being sleazy and selling and I mean, this goes in line with something else that I want to talk to you about. Is that the whole imposter syndrome, you know, like, is that something that you in your business have struggled with? I know, I know I have at times and I know a lot of the people that I've worked with have. What about yourself?

0:17:05 - (Lasnie): Yeah, definitely. I mean even, even that, just that conversation on Just Ask has taken me years to just ask. And as, as, as the business has grown, just ask has become easier because I know that the product is Good. I know that the reputation is great. I know that, that people love it. However, yeah, definitely creeping through my mind is a constant, like who am I and what am I doing and am I good enough?

0:17:45 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Yeah.

0:17:47 - (Lasnie): And it creeps up quite a bit and I will often have to, you know, do exactly what I teach the kids to do and turn it around and think, well, I've come this far, but it's, it's really difficult. It's really difficult.

0:18:05 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Yeah. Are there certain times of year or, or situations where you think it gets worse for you or.

0:18:11 - (Lasnie): Oh, 100 term one. Term one. Like I said, I, as I have done this for maybe around 10 years now, like I said, as a passion project to start with to a side hustle to now a company. And all along the way there has been imposter syndrome term one for the whole 10 years is always such a drama in my head. And every year and even now with it being week two, I always think, oh, wow, I haven't retained and I put in so many procedures and implementation, lots of things to prevent children and families leaving however they leave and that, and that is the gain.

0:19:09 - (Lasnie): And every year I don't accept it. Every year I don't accept it. And then come week to like right now they're all coming back, but at that time when they are leaving, I'm always, I always think to myself, oh, they hate me. What did I do? And I just, I think it's me. And so that is a time where I know I am being silly and it's not true.

0:19:41 - (Kirsty Gibbs): And.

0:19:41 - (Lasnie): But I cannot help those thoughts. And other times when I'm implementing a new campaign or a new talk that I'm doing or running for the families, then I think, you know, who am I? What have I got to say? Why would they want to hear me? No one's going to come. And you know, we like we say to the kids, we need evidence and sometimes we just have to do it and get some evidence that that is not the case.

0:20:17 - (Lasnie): So it happens, and you're right, it happens in cycles. But how I have learned to overcome it is I've definitely look back. So I look back on past figures to check and know that, well, this was, this is normal. Another big thing is I have mentors and the mentors help me and help me understand that it's normal. And again that belief, like the kids need someone, a cheerleader, a coach, someone to tell you this is all normal, this is what can be done and it too shall pass.

0:21:06 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Yeah, exactly. And I think everything you said, then I'm just in total agreements with you can see the patterns occurring. You know, like you said, you've got 10 years to look back over and you can, this happens every, every year and, and you know that they come back. And so it is, it's a funny thing, our brain, the way that it sabotages us like that. But I think you're right that having the evidence, but then also taking that action, you know, like in preparation. So if you're, when you're in term four, and I mean you probably already do these things already, but knowing, for example, term one's going to be quiet, term one's gonna, you know, this is when I get down, what sorts of things you can put in place to minimize that. So obviously, you know, I'm not specifically saying you, but having been proactive term to term to ensure that those students are carrying over as much as possible, offering referral programs during that time, doing, you know, campaigns, but then also keeping in mind that, you know, putting yourself in those parents shoes and saying it's Christmas, it's New Year, it's school holidays.

0:22:29 - (Kirsty Gibbs): As a mum, even I don't know what's going on right now. I don't know.

0:22:33 - (Lasnie): That's right. That's right. And sometimes Juno and all mums are different. We are not made equal. And there are, you know, the parents or caregivers that are so organized and know what they're doing and then there are the ones that aren't and they leave it till the last minute. But I have also learned you're right through all of this and through this imposter syndrome, I have learned from so many mistakes, so many ways to operate differently that it gives you a bit more clarity on what to do and it helps you again, get that evidence of, yeah, I've got a strategy to mitigate term one.

0:23:22 - (Lasnie): And like you said, I'm putting in the action. I'm not just, I'm just not complaining and I'm not just staying stuck. Yes, that's the biggest thing.

0:23:32 - (Kirsty Gibbs): And I think even though you don't feel it in that moment, it, it would definitely be helping to minimize that imposter syndro because, you know, you're taking action. And whenever we're taking action, it's, you know, that physical telling our brain that, you know, mental that we're doing the right thing, you know, but back and you do nothing and you just talk about it and you just whinge about it. Then that imposter syndrome, you know, it feeds off of that because that's right.

0:24:02 - (Kirsty Gibbs): You do nothing. It's saying, look, I'm winning, you're not doing, you know.

0:24:05 - (Lasnie): Yeah. So I mean, I'm saying 100%. It comes 100%. I feel it. But then I do let it pass quickly because I am very action orientated. And so I will quickly go, all right, well, what was the learning? Because there is always learning and I learn from that, like I said, and I strategize and then from there I take action. For example, now in term one, where we've just gone through this, we went from like a 20% drop off to now nearly getting full classes again.

0:24:47 - (Lasnie): And that was faster.

0:24:48 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Yeah, right.

0:24:51 - (Lasnie): Because I've learned the lessons.

0:24:53 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Yeah.

0:24:53 - (Lasnie): But it's taken me 10 years, but that's okay. And they're still not learned. There are many more because next year we'll probably, I'll be talking to you about, you know, term one and being so sad. Like, like I'm dory and I've forgotten.

0:25:10 - (Kirsty Gibbs): I love it. I love it. But that's part of it, right? Like business is a roller coaster and saying, you know, if, if it was easy, everyone would do it. And that is the case. If this was straightforward and always easy and everyone was always loving life, then everyone would be doing it. But it's not, it's not for the faint hearted.

0:25:36 - (Lasnie): It is not for the faint hearted.

0:25:38 - (Kirsty Gibbs): But you can get through those lows with, you know, like you said, support. And it's mentor, it's community, it's knowledge and it's action. It's. It's all of those things combined, I think that gets you out of it will get you through those lows. But talking about lows, I don't want to, you know, sort of doom, doom and gloomy. But what other, what are the challenges? So, you know, even if you look at last year, what were some of the big challenges that you faced and that you overcame in your business last year?

0:26:12 - (Lasnie): Last year we opened a new center. So that was the second location and that was challenging in many, many ways. So I can, I can speak to many challenges on opening a second center. I mean, which one do you want? So there's the challenge of going from one to two, which is you are now split. There is the challenge of opening a new center and again, the understanding of how to launch a new center, that was massive growth and new learning.

0:26:54 - (Lasnie): There was then the challenge of staffing a new center. And that would probably have to have been one of the biggest of the challenges to now, I guess with the Idea of opening the third this year is, well, how do we go from two to three? And I think once you go from two to three, I think then every center might get easier because you now have systems, you now have the revenue coming in to afford someone else.

0:27:34 - (Lasnie): And a mentor of mine actually has explained to me that going from one to two is very challenging and two to three is almost a necessity so that you can get out of being the, the, the person that just holds it together and you can finally start affording some things. So that's where I'm looking forward to heading.

0:28:01 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love that. And I really, I think you're so right in that one to two. That is hard. That is such a challenge.

0:28:11 - (Lasnie): Yeah.

0:28:12 - (Kirsty Gibbs): And there are so many learning opportunities in there, so many mistakes to be made. But I mean, it sounds like you're on track for your, for your next center, and that's exciting. So what was some, I mean, obviously open. Opening that center last year was, was a win, was an achievement. What, what sort of things, other than potentially a third center this year have you got in the pipeline that you're working towards?

0:28:44 - (Lasnie): So what needs to happen for that third center? I guess to be operational in the whole business, in fact, to be operational and sustainable is again, the system. So every step of the way has required more and more systems to be implemented. So for example, in the first center, what was required for me, and I'm not saying this is required for everyone. I just knew that I wanted multiple centers. I knew that that was my goal and so I knew that a curriculum was required.

0:29:19 - (Lasnie): So I spent about. It took me three years to develop a curriculum that one, followed the curriculum here in Australia and of course two, supported the philosophy of Seeds of Knowledge. So that took a lot of time. So that was what was required for one. Then once I got to two, I, I had, I had what I was teaching the children. But then I needed all those business systems, so I needed to make sure that I had a really good onboarding system.

0:29:54 - (Lasnie): That my policies in terms of cancellation sessions and makeup sessions was really solid because now that was not something I wanted to chase up. Money.

0:30:07 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Can I pause and interrupt you for one second? So I don't normally.

0:30:10 - (Lasnie): Yeah.

0:30:11 - (Kirsty Gibbs): But I just want to have a little bit of a bang on about exactly those two things right now. And this, these are the. Probably the two things, the top things that I help people with because onboarding seems to take people so much time and they, they waste a lot of time. They double handle and there's Ways that you can stick to your boundaries. You don't have to be answering your phone at dinner time when you're with your children, and you don't have to be, you know, getting notifications of emails on your phone constantly. So if you're out there and your onboarding system is a mess or it's taking too long or double handling things, please, we need to chat. That's the first thing.

0:30:55 - (Kirsty Gibbs): And the second thing you mentioned then was the cancellation policies. If you don't have a cancellation policy in place, this is like your reminder to put one in place. Because we should not be chasing people for money and we should not have families that just think that they can just not come and not pay. That's not what you're doing with your business. So you're providing a service and they're providing a payment.

0:31:22 - (Kirsty Gibbs): It's a transaction. And if one person isn't keeping up their side of the deal, then that's not a fair transaction. You are well within your rights to ask for a payment for your service because you're bringing expertise, you're bringing experience, you're bringing the opportunity to transform this child's learning and knowledge and confidence and all of these things. And so there has to be a payment for that. And obviously we're not going to go into pricing today. But I just think so many people are scared to put a cancellation policy in place because they're worried that they'll lose people or they'll worry that they'll upset people.

0:32:01 - (Kirsty Gibbs): But if you look at any other, you know, activity for children, swimming lessons, sports, gymnastics, ballet, dancing, whatever, you can't just rock up here, there and everywhere. You commit to the term or you commit to a set period of time and you pay those fees. So sorry to interrupt, but if you're.

0:32:23 - (Lasnie): Listening, I have to add to that. Look, you can also have an amazing cancellation and makeup session policy, which actually I did. You know, I got a lawyer right from the start and had that all. But then the next step is actually implementing it.

0:32:41 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Exactly.

0:32:42 - (Lasnie): And that. And that to us humble teachers, is. Is very difficult. And again, that's a part of the transformation that you have to go through from teacher to business owner to. To even to this day, I have some parents. As good as your cancellation policy can be on paper to you, actually implementing it is another. Another whole discussion that we can 100 agree.

0:33:15 - (Kirsty Gibbs): You have to be confident and know your worth and then have boundaries and those things. I don't think we ever practice as a teacher. Our boundaries get stopped all over Constantly by people taking advantage of us. And I think that then when it comes to business, it's very hard for us to put those in place. And I also think that, you know, as a teacher, and this is very general comment, but a lot of people think they're overpaid and they get too many holidays. So that's what we're hearing as teachers. So that for some people, subconsciously that just brings you down and it does impact your self worth and you know how you feel. So when you've actually got to charge money and ask somebody for a payment because of what you're offering, there's so much ickiness for some people.

0:34:11 - (Lasnie): Yeah. And there really is. And at the end of the day, when I did create all these policies and procedures and things, from the start, it was at, it was with the thought of minimizing this. So how can I get the payment upfront? How can I get a system that just takes the money out of their account so that I don't have to follow that up? So when you're creating the business, you also have to think, well, what is my personality? Do I want to be going and asking the money?

0:34:44 - (Lasnie): Do I want to. And that was a no for me. So when I did implement all this, I made sure that it was right to, to me and how I could handle asking. So that they're all considerations you have to make. But that was a big thing for me. From going from one to two in terms of ensuring the policies were right and ensuring that I was okay to implement them.

0:35:16 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Yeah.

0:35:17 - (Lasnie): And then from 2, 2 to 3. Now I think that it's going to be a lot around staff again. It's been, it's been learning, learning about how to manage staff, learning how to make sure that they feel supported and well trained. Also learning the policies and procedures around that and how I'm going to structure their employment. I'm just going to move because there's a lot of noise. And finally learning how to ensure that they feel supported and trained and valued.

0:36:04 - (Lasnie): Because as much as we don't want to lose students, staff is just the same.

0:36:11 - (Kirsty Gibbs): 100%.

0:36:12 - (Lasnie): Yeah.

0:36:12 - (Kirsty Gibbs): How many staff do you have working for you at the moment?

0:36:16 - (Lasnie): We have eight staff, which include tutors, of course, and an admin, a full time admin staff now. So that has taken the pressure off me in regards to the admin side. And so I was joking to someone just the other day saying, I'm the cleaner, I'm the marketer, I am the tutor. And so like, as you grow These, this lessons. But this was my reality as well as mother and relief teacher at the time. Growing the business can be tricky, but it's so rewarding when you get to the other end.

0:37:00 - (Lasnie): And now where I'm now looking to open the third well with all those systems and all that hard work put into place early, it made it worth it. So I can't, I just can't say like it's stronger. Do it while you're small so that when you grow because sometimes again that imposter syndrome comes in where you're like, why am I like putting in this policy when I've got like I know 10 kids and it feels funny and it feels weird and you feel like again an imposter, that there's only 10 kids, but 10 to 100 to 200 kids, you need that policy and you need to have learned and experienced upholding it.

0:37:52 - (Lasnie): So it's great practice while you only got 10, 100.

0:37:56 - (Kirsty Gibbs): And I think like you just hit the nail on the head. You can't create and implement these things when you are working 40 to 70 hours a week. You know, I just got a phone call with a lady today and she's working 50 to 70 hours a week in her business. I mean there's so many things about that. For example, that's not necessarily why we've gone into business. We haven't gone into business to work more and be away from our kids more.

0:38:24 - (Kirsty Gibbs): But the fact is she doesn't know and doesn't have the ability to step back and implement or create first and implement systems to give her the time. And I've seen this so many, you know, in so many cases where people don't worry about all of this foundational stuff, you know, all of the stuff that we cover in the tutoring, growth, membership and with my, you know, one on one clients, all of that stuff to set your business up to that you're not having to do all of the things and be the this and that and that.

0:38:59 - (Lasnie): And you know, I hate to interrupt you but you know, you saying that I can actually remember the first few years when I was starting Seeds of Knowledge. I'd even written the job description for the tutor and in there I said, you know, you will be coming to termly professional development and all these things that I was like, oh my gosh, who's doing that and what, who's this person? But now that is literally how we run.

0:39:27 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Yeah.

0:39:28 - (Lasnie): And so it feels funny and you think again, who am I writing this? But that will become your Reality. So write it and dream it and it will be, it will come into fruition. Yeah.

0:39:44 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Yeah. I think you have given us some really great insights today as to, you know, what it's like to run a successful, profitable, growing tutoring business. You know, like you're, you're not just, you've got great dreams and aspirations of taking it further and I love that. That's, that's super exciting. So thank you. And obviously being open and vulnerable and talking about the, of the feelings that we feel as business owners.

0:40:14 - (Lasnie): Yeah.

0:40:15 - (Kirsty Gibbs): But to finish up, is there anything that you would say to somebody, any piece of advice that you'd give to somebody who's maybe got a tutoring business but just feels stuck? You know, they've often, they're, they're a one man show or a one lady show and they just don't know how to. Often I hear people say I don't know how to get more students, but actually that's often not the case because they've just got all of these students without any sort of strategy. So they're getting students but they don't know how to level up. What, what sort of advice, what's something that you would tell them?

0:40:58 - (Lasnie): I would actually normalize that lonely feeling. Again, we've all felt it and it is quite lonely and isolating. I mean, at a school you'd go talk to another teacher or a principal or a deputy, anyone, you know, whereas running your own business, you're, you're there by yourself in your office with your own thoughts. So let's normalize that feeling. First of all, I like to do that for people so that you don't feel like you're the only one.

0:41:31 - (Lasnie): And then the second thing I would really strongly suggest, and I know you are a business coach, but I suggest you do that because the first thing you need to do is find a community that is going through the same things and that you can discuss and brainstorm with. I found, you know, in the early days, I'm not, you know, it is, it's hard because you're like, well, I can't justify the cost because I don't have the money.

0:42:06 - (Lasnie): And so it's about, you know, again, you, you, you, you will get more clients when you have the help. And then the secondly is sometimes you think that you're in competition with people. But like I mentioned before, there are plenty of students in the sea, so reach out to other tutoring centers or owners that are doing the same thing and learn and talk to them and always talk to Someone who is ahead of the game of you.

0:42:42 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Yeah, I think. Great. Yeah.

0:42:44 - (Lasnie): That is got to be them. I mean, I've reached out to tutoring owners that are like billions of miles ahead of me, and I get their advice. Yeah, because you need to be. Again, it's that aspiration. Where are you going? What are you doing? Where are you heading? How do you get there? How do you get there? You get the advice of the person who's already been there.

0:43:10 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Exactly. Yeah. And I think you also just said something that I didn't have when I started my tutoring business. And I didn't have it for a very long time, but it was that community. So I had a business coach. So they'd, you know, been successful in business, but they didn't have a tutoring business. And so they didn't know how to deal with families even, you know, like, what we do is quite unique and specialized.

0:43:39 - (Kirsty Gibbs): And I didn't. I definitely didn't have a community. And that's what I love now is that we've been able to create people who. And it is so much about community. Community and collaboration over competition. You know, there is no feeling of. I don't want to say this because they might steal my idea or I don't want to do this because they might copy me. It's not it at all. It's. It's very much about helping each other out. And I think it is so different to the classroom in that sense. You know, when you're in the classroom, people are like, I've got an idea and I'm not going to share it with you.

0:44:14 - (Lasnie): Yeah. I mean, there's like, there is plenty. And so for even, like, I mean, I know, which was very nice of you to say, I inspired you to get a retreat going, but I truly do believe in that because at the end of the day, you know, your client who was doing 50 to 70 hours a week, that can be normal in the early times of a tutoring business or within growth periods of a tutoring business, that happens. And that, again, is. Is normal. You are growing a business.

0:44:49 - (Lasnie): There's going to be times of a lot of work. Even term one, when you're getting all the students back, there's a lot of work, so you need to prioritize some rest in there. And that I am saying, because I also need to hear it, but you are no good to anybody within your business if you have not giving yourself the time. And again, another great mentor of mine said to me, it also, you need time to think you can't always be in action, action, action. I gotta do, I gotta do, I gotta do.

0:45:26 - (Lasnie): Because, well, where are you gonna get the ideas from if you've not slowed down? And so I, I love the idea of a retreat for tutors because I feel like it ticks back every single box. One is that we need ideas and things that we can implement some action. Two, we want a community. And three, we just sometimes need a break. And that is again, something I'm learning and something I am going to implement myself where there is more balance because I have had years of no balance and that, you know, you gotta prioritize it because if you don't prioritize it, the work will keep on coming.

0:46:11 - (Kirsty Gibbs): And that's. I think we can very easily fall into the trap of I have to be busy to be successful. I have to be busy. Yeah, Always be doing things and we find it. I know that I, for a long time found it really difficult to be okay with not having to be doing things all the time. And I found that I was working really long hours initially. And when I looked back at it a couple of years later, I was like, why?

0:46:40 - (Kirsty Gibbs): What was I even doing? Like, I was just faffing about and doing things that I thought I needed to do or I was just making things up. And it was just, I mean, as part of what I was doing, I had good intentions, you know, trying to create policies and things like this, but there was no way of organizing things. And I didn't actually know what I was doing. I was really winging it. And so I just made.

0:47:08 - (Lasnie): I mean, and that comes down to that advice little piece as well. Yeah, you can spend hours of winging it or you can get someone to go, you know what a great strategy would be to do X, Y and Z. And then you do X, Y and Z instead of that faff that you've done and then maybe get a little bit of rest. And sometimes you got to spend money to make money.

0:47:29 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Well, and the thing is, and we'll finish on this because I take up a lot of your time already. I appreciate it, but I always say we spent so much money. For those of us who are classroom teachers, we invested, you know, three plus years of our lives to study to become teachers and tens of thousands of dollars to become teachers. Yet we go into business and we.

0:47:56 - (Lasnie): Want it free and we want.

0:47:58 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Exactly. We want it today and we want it. And this is. Yeah. Anyone who's listening. It doesn't work like that. It's not happen overnight. And it's not going to happen. If you don't invest that, obviously that's the time, but also financially to learn how to get that stage. Like you said, you ask other tutoring businesses and I definitely did that early days as well. But you, if you're serious about things, and like I even said to the ladies in my membership, if you are serious, turn up to this coaching call that we've got today because we're going to go through X, Y and Z, come to the expert session we've got next week where we're actually going to show you how to create a budget.

0:48:40 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Stop faffing about and, and take it seriously.

0:48:43 - (Lasnie): Yeah.

0:48:44 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Invest your time. And often you do have to invest financially to learn those skills, to upskill yourself.

0:48:53 - (Lasnie): Yeah. It's either you, you pay and you get it a bit faster or you take time and learn all the lessons, but either way, you're paying in one way or the other. So you decide.

0:49:04 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Yeah.

0:49:04 - (Lasnie): Yeah.

0:49:05 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Oh, thank you so much for coming on today. It's been really great to chat to.

0:49:09 - (Lasnie): And thanks for having me.

0:49:11 - (Kirsty Gibbs): We'll keep everybody updated on your third center.

0:49:15 - (Lasnie): Now. It's going to happen.

0:49:17 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Exactly. It's 100 going to happen because you told everybody that it's going out in the universe. But if people would like to, you know, follow along or follow you on socials, where can they find you at?

0:49:33 - (Lasnie): Yeah, On Facebook, on Seeds of Knowledge. Facebook, Instagram, hang out on Instagram quite a bit. And of course, the website ww.seeds of knowledge.com. you can check us out. And, you know, if you're a tutoring business owner and you want to connect with someone who's doing it, I'm also, you know, totally open to it. Like I said, it's all about community in this.

0:49:59 - (Kirsty Gibbs): Love it. Awesome. Thank you so much.

0:50:01 - (Lasnie): Thank you.

0:50:02 - (Kirsty Gibbs): And we'll talk again soon.

0:50:04 - (Lasnie): Thanks.

0:50:05 - (Kirsty Gibbs): If you enjoyed this episode today, I would absolutely love for you to leave a review. It only takes a minute and if you haven't yet subscribed, make sure you do to ensure that you never miss an episode. Finally, if you want to know more about what we do, head on over to the website Kirstygibs.com or check out the link in the show notes below. Thanks for listening. It's so great to have you here.