From A to Franchisee: The Podcast for Smarter Franchise Buying

Industry Spotlight: Education Franchises

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In this episode of "From A to Franchisee," Michelle Rowan interviews Carli Sonntag, a franchise owner in the tutoring space, specifically with Mathnasium. Carli shares her journey from working in media and teaching to owning a franchise, highlighting the blend of business acumen and mission-driven goals that led her to this path. She discusses the challenges and rewards of running a tutoring franchise, emphasizing the importance of community involvement, marketing, and the need for a strong work ethic. Carli also offers insights into the operational aspects of her business, including staffing, marketing strategies, and the significance of maintaining a balance between personal involvement and business growth. The conversation provides valuable lessons for potential franchise owners, underscoring the need for passion, commitment, and adaptability in the education franchise industry.

*This episode is not sponsored by Mathnasium But we do encourage you to check out their data as they have their franchisee satisfaction report available on our site. 

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Michelle Rowan (00:04)
Welcome back to our podcast from A to Franchisee. And today we're talking about one of the most popular and probably misunderstood segments in franchising. We're focusing on tutoring and education franchises. If you've ever thought, hey, I really care about education, but I'm not a teacher, or I want a business that makes an impact, not just money, we have this episode created just for you. We are joined today by Carly Sontag, a franchise owner in the tutoring space.

to hear what it's honestly like to start and run one of these businesses and what the day-to-day is like. So Carly, thank you so much for joining us today. And you just told us before we started recording that you just came up on your 10 year anniversary with Mathnasium. So congratulations, that's amazing.

So Carly, let's start at the beginning. What were you doing professionally before you became a franchise owner within Mathnasium?

Carli (01:00)
That is a great question. So before I did this, I actually worked for Hearst Media. I was a national account rep, but I had done that and then I had taken six years off from Hearst and stayed home and taught with my son. So I became a sixth grade math teacher for six years for public school. And I did that until he was too cool to hang out with me, as all parents know. And so when he had that seventh, eighth grade,

level, was like, okay, I'm going to go back to Hearst. They took me back. I started working with teams like the Astros. I was doing their marketing and sales for Hearst Media. And then I realized when I left the classroom, I was like, you know, I really miss the intrinsic value, but I also enjoy making money. And I'd like a little bit of both. And I walked into a math museum one day, I just saw one in a strip center and I walked in and I was like, what do you guys do?

and the owner that was there and she was like, this is what we do, this is how it works. And I quit my job two weeks later and bought my first one.

Michelle Rowan (02:03)
That's amazing. So, cause I've heard before like we were a customer of it or what, but you just walked by and saw the brand name and said, I got to check this out. ⁓ So would you say, cause your story kind of has both sides of it. Would you say, I know you realize you want to do something different, but do you feel like it was more of a business decision or a mission driven decision on why you chose to go into this space of what your product or your services that you're offering?

Carli (02:13)
Yeah.

That's a great question. think that honestly, it's probably a 50-50 split. When I was a teacher, I loved teaching, but I already knew the math. So I felt like I wasn't getting any smarter. And while students, you you always are gonna have challenges in the classroom and you're always gonna have challenges with how to teach in different ways to make it interesting. I already knew the material. When I bought my Mathnasium, it gave me the opportunity to...

really influenced kids to really meet them where they're at, which was the biggest thing I saw in the classroom, was no matter where a student comes in, if I get you today and you're a sixth grade math student, but you didn't learn how to multiply in third grade, which means you can't divide, which means you can't reduce fractions, which means everything keeps building, right? And so if you get to me in sixth grade and you have three or four years of skill gaps,

I can't do anything for you. I can try really hard. I can come before school. I can come after school. I can give you all of the extra care in the world. But filling in three years of math material is almost impossible when you're a teacher. And so this gave me the opportunity. I felt like I was fixing a problem in education. I felt like, OK, I get a kid. They come to me. Yes, they're in sixth grade at school. But I can really pinpoint, OK, we've got to teach you to multiply so that you can divide, so that you can do these things.

So I felt like I was solving a problem, but I also got to bring in the sales and the marketing and the community. And so I get a little bit of everything and I get to coach a team. so I have, my North Carolina center, I have so many instructors that are either go to Duke or go to NC State. And so I get to really have an impact on them on like, hey, let's think about how we present material, but let's also think about how we work as a team and how we work with kids.

and how we give positive reinforcement as opposed to negative. And I tell them the worst thing you can do as a teacher is be boring. And so, and everybody can relate to that, right? Everybody has had that teacher where the teacher's like, you know, my job is to teach, your job is to learn. If you don't get it, that's on you. And you just sit there for that 45 minutes or hour every day and you're like, please let this end. And...

Michelle Rowan (04:22)
Yeah.

Carli (04:40)
I'm like, that is the worst thing you can do to a student. So if a student isn't engaged with learning, they will not remember.

Michelle Rowan (04:47)
So, well, and I think that I love that this blends kind of all of your skill set, but I think it even translates to leaders of organizations that you can't be boring, you have to be engaging to get your team to perform and be motivated. So that's fantastic. So I'm gonna ask you a question, but you made your decision in two weeks, which is probably the fastest I've ever heard. Did you have any concerns or hesitations about getting into the business before you pulled trigger?

Carli (05:13)
So I researched, was like, you know what, this is gonna be my next step. I'm going to own a franchise. So I did look into all of them. I looked into Sullivan, looked into Huntington, Kuma, I looked into everything, and I just looked for the best fit for me. And I was like, this is where my skillset really aligns. This is going to be where I can really make a difference.

Michelle Rowan (05:33)
So I want to talk about what people don't realize about tutoring franchises and education franchises. You specifically have a background in education. Do you feel like that is a necessity to be the business owner, the franchise owner in one of these models?

Carli (05:50)
Absolutely not. I don't think you have to be a former teacher. I've actually sold some of my franchises to people that have worked for me that have come in, that have had, one was a marine biologist, one had a degree in social work and they came in and they became my center directors and we worked closely together. And then they realized like, this is something that I really enjoy. This is really, I really love this. And I think that as long as you have a strong commitment to get out there, this is not a job.

I don't think any tutoring center is a situation where you can sit back and you're like, people are going to come to me. You still have to get out there. People are trusting you with their kid. If you want people to trust you with their kids, you've got to be a part of the community. You have to be out. They have to see your name. They have to know that when they come in, you're going to hear, like this is half a therapy job, honestly. A parent's coming in, they're crying. They're like, oh my gosh, we're failing this class. I don't know what's wrong. And you have to be ready to.

actively listen and then also be so solution oriented. You need to figure out how to solve the problem.

Michelle Rowan (06:53)
Yeah, I think that's great. Any other things that you would say when people hear, own a tutoring franchise, what do they usually get wrong? What do they assume it is or what do they not know about it?

Carli (07:07)
So people think I work from three to eight p.m. And so many people are like, oh, what do you do in the mornings? Like, do you have a job outside of this? And I'm just always like, what? So in the mornings, we're building curriculum, we're reaching out to teachers, we're doing marketing, we're taking gifts to teachers, are volunteering. We're doing so much stuff. have, at my North Carolina Center, I have two full-time employees that get here with me at 11 a.m.

And from 11 to three, when we open, all we're doing is building curriculum, reaching out to teachers, doing scheduling. And then we don't leave until 9 p.m. This is a real full-time job. And I would say my first three years, I worked at least 60 hours a week because you're building your reputation in the community. And I don't think, this isn't something where you can just be like, we're gonna hang out the shingle and we're good to go. You have to get out there and let people know who you are and that.

they can trust you with their kid.

Michelle Rowan (08:05)
love that. So, and we were such a big proponents here of making sure people understand, especially in the beginning, it's a lot of work and that you're signing up to create this new business in your community. So it does take that time. So I appreciate you sharing that 60 hours a week. ⁓ I wanna talk a little bit more about your day to day. So how many centers do you now own and operate?

Carli (08:26)
Right now I have two, but one's in Texas and one's in North Carolina. Yeah.

Michelle Rowan (08:27)
Okay. Okay. So, and

you mentioned two full-time employees at one. Is that a realistic number that you're looking at right from the start when you started a Mathnasium or do you scale this? What does this look like as far as when you started to where you are now?

Carli (08:44)
So my first one, when I first started 10 years ago, I ran it full time, but I did hire an assistant center director who came in and she worked about 30 hours a week with me. I am, and I want to be very clear to people, I am a strong workaholic and I think you have to be to be really successful in this job. So when I first started, probably that first year, I worked minimum 60, more realistically, I was there from about 6 a.m. till about 10 p.m.

six days a week because I would take donuts to the teachers before school. would do all of that. So I think that when I brought her on, my assistant center director and she had 30 hours a year in, I brought her on full time. And then after that, we got another assistant for her, but we didn't do that till we had 150 students.

Michelle Rowan (09:30)
Okay, that's great to share that kind of ratio of what you're looking at for bandwidth. ⁓ So I'm wondering, can you tell us, I think you painted a good picture of what your day-to-day looks like, but can you tell us a little bit more, so it sounds like you have students from when their school gets out until eight or nine, ⁓ and then ⁓ what were some of the ways that you were building your influence and your awareness in your market when you first started, if you can go back to 10 years and think about that.

Carli (09:57)
Oh,

absolutely. I love marketing. So I threw everything at the wall because I had a background in marketing. So we did. I mean, I took I had a blanket and a pillow at my first center and I would get up and I would go take donuts to all the teachers along with mugs filled with pencils and material. And I would drop them off for every math teacher in our school district and the school, you know, high school starts at seven thirty. So I'm dropping those off at six thirty a.m.

Michelle Rowan (09:59)
haha

Carli (10:25)
Then I'm going to the elementary schools before 8 a.m. for the donuts for the teachers and the balloons and everything else. And then I'm going to the middle school, which doesn't start till 8 40. So I had a pillow in my office to nap. And then after that, I volunteered at like, you if they have a book fair, I'm going to volunteer and be at the book fairs at the school. doesn't matter. I'm not there to sell myself. I wear a Mathnasium shirt and I'm just there to help. I'm just there to get back to the community. But we also did yard signs. We sponsored.

The football team, we sponsored the cheerleaders, we sponsored the chess team, we sponsored the robotics team. If somebody asked me for money, I gave it. So my first year for marketing, which you don't see this everywhere, but I do think it's a good idea for budgeting. My first year of marketing, I think I spent $40,000. that's not, obviously what's required is closer to like the 20, 25 mark.

but I spent 40 and I continuously spend between 40 and $50,000 every year on marketing. We also have.

Michelle Rowan (11:26)
So I was

gonna say, I think you have a little bit of ⁓ an advantage because you came out of Hearst Media, but this is like a great lesson for new business owners is it is scariest to spend the money on marketing because you can't always tie it directly to a sale. It's so crucial. And I think a lot of franchise owners think I'm signing up to be part of this franchise. They're going to make this happen for me. They're going to get the customer in the door. And no matter what programs they offer or minimums they tell you to spend.

Carli (11:32)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Yes.

Mm-hmm.

Michelle Rowan (11:56)
you should be looking at doing more and you should be involved in the community. So this is like such a great masterclass for new franchise owners. And it goes to also to when times get hard and things slow down, sometimes a business owner's first inclination is to cut marketing and it is the worst thing that you can do. So this is like, really hope people pay attention to this. This is so great. And I think your experience at Hearst really enforced that for you. ⁓ Just that it's obviously paid off. You're here 10 years later.

Carli (12:26)
Yes.

And you're so brilliant in saying that because that is the thing people don't understand. And I see it all the time in our market when we try and do community marketing where all the mathnasiums get together. They're like, well, I didn't see any leads come in from that event. And you're like, this is branding. You have to do a mix of branding. And then, yes, you can do some stuff where you're like, hey, do this QR code. If you sign up with this, you get whatever. But generally, you know, and I used to I'm from Houston originally. So I would be like, OK, start furniture is in Houston and this and they

They market nonstop and they don't market nonstop because they think you're going to come tomorrow. They market nonstop so that when you have the need, that's top of mind, that's who you think about. So you can never quit marketing. You can never quit branding. You always have to be out there so that when that parent is like, ⁓ tonight's homework is awful. Everybody at my house is crying. Then it's like, you know what? I've heard of Math Museum. I know they help with homework. I'm going to give them a call. That's what branding and marketing is. And I think people

Michelle Rowan (13:21)
Yeah.

Carli (13:25)
directly correlate like, I've got to have 10 leads for this to make money or to make sense for me to spend this money. And that's just not how it works.

Michelle Rowan (13:33)
Yeah, that's great. And also too, you're building that referral network. So again, it might not be the person that sees you or meets you and gets to know you that uses your service, but again, they are talking to someone that needs that help and you're the first one that they'll recommend. So this is such a good lesson for all business owners. It's great. ⁓ Let's talk about were there any surprises or any expectations that you had before you opened the doors.

versus your reality once you started running the business that you can think back on.

Carli (14:08)
No, I think I really went into it blindly. I was just so confident. I was like, I'm going to make this. It's going to be awesome. I'm going to make a difference. This is going to work. And I'm going to make money. It's going to be great. And then I remember the day I opened the doors and I'd hired all these employees. I've got all these instructors. And I had one moment where I was like, ⁓ crap, what if I don't get any students? And ⁓ that was just motivating because I was like, well, I have to pay all these people so I better get some students.

Michelle Rowan (14:37)
Yeah.

Carli (14:37)
So I

would say make sure you have enough money to comfortably work for at least two years to where you're not thinking about the money, you're just thinking about this is what I need to get done and this is how I'm gonna spend my time. And please don't think you're gonna buy a franchise and that you're gonna have a manager. A big learning curve for me was I expected the managers I hired, I was like, they're gonna come in, I'm gonna teach them exactly how to do it. They're gonna do it 100 % the way I said.

And to quote Taylor Swift, I'm the problem, it's me. I eventually learned and it took a minute, but eventually I was like, oh, 70 % and giving them the flexibility to do things their way as well. These are smart people or I wouldn't have hired them. know, do it 70 % my way, 30 % your way, as long as we're getting great results and you're comfortable and you're happy, nobody's gonna do it 100 % your way. So you've gotta let that go.

Michelle Rowan (15:34)
Yeah, well, and I also think, ⁓ so you're talking about instructors. What is the age range of the people that are instructing these children? What does your workforce look like?

Carli (15:45)
Generally, I try and stick with college students or former teachers or current teachers, but we will hire some high schoolers, very few, but ones that have just taken pre-cal and calculus because they do have the best knowledge of what's going on in the classroom. They just did it. And so if you have really, really high achievers that are incredibly responsible and really, really want this job, I will work with them, but they never get to work.

just them, it's always going to be them and a college student. ⁓

Michelle Rowan (16:16)
Yeah.

So the one thing that we hear from a lot of business owners in general, but franchising is that is the hardest part of scaling a business is finding the help that you need, the workers that you need, the employees to build your team. Has that been ⁓ one of your top challenges as well? Or because you have this ⁓ college and high school, mostly college workforce, has that been easier for you to fill those roles? It's hard. Yeah.

Carli (16:29)
Yes.

No, it's hard. There was one

year, yeah. There was one year in Houston where I hired and fired 10 center directors in one year. Because people are exceptional interviewers and then the reality when they get in there, you're like, this isn't going to work for our team. You if you can't connect with the students because you're running a tutoring center, if this person can't connect with the students and can't listen to the parents, it's never going to work. So it was a really painful year.

Michelle Rowan (16:49)
Yeah.

Carli (17:09)
And now I have an incredible center director, but something that has also changed for me is I think that people have this idea also of like, I only have to pay this. And if you want the best, that also isn't going to work. So make sure that whatever you budget for whoever's going to be running your center, budget higher, plan for hire. And also know that like I have right now currently two people, one of them I hired from, she was a social worker. She came in, she told me on the phone interview,

If you're not paying me at least, I kind of remember what it was, but it was like a significant amount of money. I don't even want to interview for this. And I was like, okay, fair enough. Whereas my North Carolina center, it was somebody that worked with me for three years. He left, he got his masters in statistics came. And then I was like, hey, do you want to come back and do this while you're hunting for a job? Do you want to come back and just work with me? And now he's going to buy into part of my business because he loves it. And this is what he wants to do.

Michelle Rowan (18:06)
I love that. Yeah. Well, what an opportunity for him as well. So that's awesome. So you mentioned and it's always great advice to have more money plan for more money than, than you really need to. You mentioned being, being comfortable for two years, just putting your money back into the business, running the business about, do you remember about how long it took you to break even on your first center?

Carli (18:07)
So that works out for both of us, yeah.

Yeah.

Right.

I do, I think this is a very unrealistic expectation unless people are going to live and breathe there and just like forego all relationships in their life. But I just wanna put that disclaimer like your spouse will not be happy with you and your children are gonna have an absent parent for a minute. But we reached 80 students, which was my break even at the time. We reached that in three months. Yes, yes.

Michelle Rowan (18:40)
Yeah.

my goodness, that's amazing. I love that.

Well, so that's great. And I think it's great for anyone that's researching and looking at franchises to talk to, we tell all of them, talk to as many franchise owners as you can so that you can get a picture of this. But when they talk to franchise owners, it's great to think that you're going to be in that top tier, but you want to talk to some of those lower performers or the bottom quartile to understand what's the high end of that range too.

aim for three months, but goodness, that's amazing. That's fantastic. ⁓ So in three months, you're break even. That's fantastic. But besides that, how long did it take for you to feel like your business was feeling more predictable or manageable where you're not just kind of like in it and trying to figure it out where you really settled into that rhythm?

Carli (19:25)
Yeah.

Yeah, for me, I would say probably the 18 month mark is where I've started to feel really comfortable and where I would take a vacation and be like, they're going to be fine. Now I think I've been doing it for so long and everybody is such a part of that rhythm that when I come in, they're like, please leave, we've got this. And so we've definitely flipped the switch where I'm like, no, no, no, you need me. And they're like, we don't, we're good. ⁓

But I definitely think, but we do have also growing pains and I think people also, you think, okay, we hit break even, now we know what we're doing. Well, 80 students is a completely different ball game than 150 students. So when we had 150 students, every system we had in place suddenly didn't work anymore. And we had to, yeah, we had to change the whole system. But when we hit, so we were like, okay, these systems don't work. We need more staff, we need better systems, we need to change our scheduling. So you have to know that

Michelle Rowan (20:24)
⁓

Carli (20:35)
just because you hit a great spot, if you keep growing, you're gonna have to learn new systems at some point. And then at my North Carolina Center, when we hit 250 kids, we completely had to change everything. And so as you grow, you're gonna figure out what you don't know, but know that anytime you get a period of time where you're like, oh my gosh, I have six months, everything's going great, enjoy that moment, because that moment is going to end, and you are going to have to get back in there.

Michelle Rowan (21:03)
Yeah, well, and a strong franchisee is someone that is thinking about how they continually keep growing, that you don't get complacent or comfortable with that dollar that's coming in that you're trying to stretch that way. I would like to ask, how much do you feel like the corporate team supported you in those markers of where you needed to change the systems and processes? And or so you can answer this separately or with it, but also fellow franchisees, were they helping?

anyone helping you understand what those markers were or what those changes needed to be to help you kind of figure that out along your

Carli (21:39)
Yeah, so I was really lucky and that when I first started I asked my FBC, my franchise business consultant, I said, who is the very best in the system? That is who I want to go train with. I don't care where they are. I don't care where I have to go, but that's where I want to go. And at the time he was like, this guy's in Colorado. He's the best. And so I reached out to this guy and he was like, I don't want to do this. And I was like, no, no, no, we're going to do it.

I flew to Fort Collins and I spent a week there and now the gentleman's one of my very best friends, but I just sat and watched everything he did. I took notes on everything. I took video of everything. I mean, I was a sponge. was like, how do I be the best at this? What are the best people doing? And then they were like, hey, another person that's been really successful that opened, you know, six months ago is in Dallas. So I reached out to her and she let me come stay at her house for two nights and watch everything they were doing.

Michelle Rowan (22:31)
amazing.

Carli (22:33)
And so between those two people who I forced to be my friends after that, I was like, we're talking every day. I had this great support system. And then beyond that, Mathnasium is constantly trying to do everything they can to evolve. When COVID hit, we were so fortunate in that they had already had a plan for online learning that they were putting in practice. So when it hit, they were able to be like, oh, we already have something we had coming out. We're going to move it up. Let's go.

And we were really, really lucky that that happened that way. So I would say the biggest asset you're gonna have is people that are successful in this business and that are very positive. You don't want your energy to get pulled down.

Michelle Rowan (23:15)
Yeah, and so I'm going to ask, how did you talk that first franchise owner into talking with you when they didn't want to give up their valuable precious time to help you? How did you sway them? Because I think this is a great lesson for people too.

Carli (23:30)
Yeah, so I sent gifts. Yeah, I sent him so I've sent him a bunch of stuff I knew he liked puzzles. So I sent some puzzles and some cards and I was like, will you please help me? I you know, I won't take up very much of your time. I just want to observe. I will take you to nice dinners or I'll pay for you to go to nice dinners without me. I know you're not dying to spend time with someone you don't know. And he was he finally was like, OK. And then I remember the last day when I was leaving Fort Collins.

Michelle Rowan (23:32)
⁓ yeah.

Yeah.

Carli (23:59)
I was like, okay, I'll call you tomorrow. And he was like, no. And I was like, yeah, we're gonna talk every day. And we did become such good friends that we do talk every day and we have for 10 years. I've been there, I've been through his daughter graduating and his son graduating high school and talked through all of these things and he's amazing, but he is brilliant. And so is my friend in Dallas, she's brilliant. And she always wins awards at convention and she always has the best customer service.

And if you have a problem, because this is isolating, I want people to know that too. When you're owning a business, when you're running something, it's just like being a CEO. You're alone in that position. And so anybody that works with you, they have a different relationship with you than having a peer at like Hearst. It's very different. So you've got to have fellow franchisees that you can call and be like,

what the crap do I do about this? Or that'll celebrate you, right? Like, my gosh, I hit 300 kids that will be truly excited for you. You've gotta find your tribe that is the right vibe for you and that can really lift you up when you're lonely.

Michelle Rowan (24:51)
Yeah.

Yeah,

that's great. So I was going to ask you 10 years in if you feel like owning the franchise has impacted your work-life balance, but it sounds like you also make the choice to be still heavily involved in the business. So I don't know if that's a fair question, but you can answer it if you'd like.

Carli (25:06)
it

I am, yes, I am heavily

involved, but last year I went to Europe for two months during the summer. I was gone for June and July and my center did not miss me. Like I would call every day and be like, how's it going? And they're like, we're great. And if they really needed me, they would text me or they would call me, but that was few and far between. And generally speaking, when I came back, they're like, you're welcome to head back to Europe if you would like, we got this. So yeah.

Michelle Rowan (25:40)
Wow.

That's so amazing. Yeah, so whether

you choose to be in the business or not, having your business not need your full attention for 80 hours a week is a great goal. And then being able to take those breaks as you choose is fantastic. So I think that's a great story for people to think about. OK, so I want to get some thoughts from you, your perspective of what type of person do you think

tends to thrive in owning a tutoring franchise? What are the skillsets or mindset that you feel like really would help them think about, is this right for me?

Carli (26:16)
Okay, I would say you've got to have grit. Know that just because you're buying a franchise, which I'm sure you know, just because you're buying a franchise does not mean you're buying a successful business. You have to go do the work. I could not do what I do without Math Museum's curriculum and they make the center very cute and having that brand recognition gives you credibility. But guys, that's just % of it. Everything else is you've got to get out there and you've got to hustle.

So I think you've got to hustle. have to know that you are going to be doing so much work. Do not think you're going to hire a center director and that it's just going to be great. That's not a realistic expectation for anything that involves kids, I don't think. You've got to really be involved in it. So I would say have the money, have the time, and have the energy to get out there and know that you're going to be uncomfortable. Like, do I always want to get up at 6 a.m. and take donuts to teachers that are like cool things? You can leave it right here.

I don't want to do it every day, but I will to grow my business. So I think you have to have those three things. You've got to have energy, time and money and just really also be very open to learning. I would always recommend constantly learning. And I listened to ⁓ how to win friends and influence people like three times a year. And anytime I have to, or anytime I have the opportunity to talk to a parent that might be,

Michelle Rowan (27:14)
Yeah.

Carli (27:37)
a little bit more challenging. I'll listen to a chapter there and I'll be like, okay, how do I word this or how do I listen in a way that's going to make them feel heard and also get us what we both need? Because I want my clients to be super fans of this business. I want them to love what we do and feel like their kids getting exactly what they need. And I also think you have to know that you're not gonna be for everybody and that's totally okay. We have fired a few kids because maybe they have really bad ADD and they can't retain everything.

I'll talk to the parent and I'll be like, I don't want to take your money if they can't remember what they're learning. Like I think that maybe you need to look at other options to get help there before you come to us. Because right now, if they can't remember what we taught them the day before, you're just wasting your money. And I think being, you can't build on it. So being honest is really important too. And I think that builds really great relationships and you've got to have that integrity.

Michelle Rowan (28:20)
Yeah, you can't build on it. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, that's great. Have you seen any traits that from your fellow franchisees that might show more of them struggling in the business? Any either lack of skills or ⁓ personal traits or mindset that really just doesn't work for them in this business?

Carli (28:49)
Yes, I see a lot of, ⁓ and I have engineers that work for me and they're amazing and lovely and I'm not calling out engineers, but I do see a lot of engineers go, well, you have to have math. So I'm going to run a math-asian and people are going to come to me because everybody needs math help, but they don't want to go out and do the marketing and they don't want to go out and do the community events. And then they're stuck because they're like, well, everybody needs math help. And I'm like, but you're not the only option. So you've got to be the best option. ⁓ And I think that introverts, this is not a great job for an introvert.

Michelle Rowan (29:19)
Yeah, those are great. OK, so we've done this on a couple of our episodes. This is a rapid fire round if you're up for it. the idea is we're just going to cover a lot of different things. And you don't have to be fast in ⁓ answering the question, as in the length of your response. But just we want to kind of get your top of mind response to some of these. OK, ready? What is the most stressful part of running this business?

Carli (29:26)
Okay. Yeah.

Okay, okay, yes.

managing people.

Michelle Rowan (29:45)
What is the most rewarding part of running a tutor business?

Carli (29:51)
seeing kids be excited and laugh at your word problems, because they're That's my favorite.

Michelle Rowan (29:55)
Yeah. What

are what's an early mistake that you'd warn other new franchise owners about?

Carli (30:04)
You need to overtrain. I didn't train enough. You need to overtrain your employees. And don't think that because you tell something to somebody once that they've got it, that's not fair to people.

Michelle Rowan (30:14)
That's a great one. Best advice you've ever gotten from another franchisee.

Carli (30:19)
Whatever the best version of yourself would do, do that.

Michelle Rowan (30:24)
I love that. What surprised you most about having parents as your customers?

Carli (30:31)
how emotional they are and how much they're willing to sit in your office and cry and tell you all of their stuff because they need help.

Michelle Rowan (30:39)
So you're part therapist as well in your role. Okay.

Carli (30:40)
You are a hunter. I've been through so

many divorces at the center. Yes. People focused, but it's close.

Michelle Rowan (30:46)
Do you feel like your business is more people focused or number focused?

And then one more, if you had to describe your role in the business today in one word, what would it be?

Carli (31:01)
mentor.

Michelle Rowan (31:02)
Awesome, you nailed it. We haven't done that with a lot of people, but I knew that you'd be up for that one. We do have a little bit of data that we can share from our overall industry data as well, which is 87 % of franchise owners that are in the education space say that they enjoy operating the business. And 80 % of them rank the operational procedures and systems from their franchisor as excellent, very good or good. So they are getting the support. I think it is important to have the curriculum and that process from the franchise side.

Carli (31:19)
Mm.

Michelle Rowan (31:31)
versus you don't see lot of mom and pops doing this and growing in the way that you've talked about your business. ⁓ This was such a delightful conversation. Do you have any parting words for someone that is considering buying a franchise?

Carli (31:37)
Yeah.

If you think that you would find joy and that you could help your community and you want to be a part of the community, I recommend it 100%. It is so much fun and I love it. If you just want it to be like a sit and make money, this is not the job.

Michelle Rowan (32:02)
I think that's great. And I'm gonna also tell you advice that we hear from a lot of other franchise owners when we're talking to them is I'll ask them kind of something that they would say and they always say, I wish I'd done it sooner. And I think your story of you found this business, did your research and made the decision in two weeks really embodies what they are trying to tell other people is that if your gut is saying this is the right fit and you do your homework, I think you are the perfect story for all those people that said.

They wish they'd done it sooner.

Carli (32:33)
Yeah,

it's so fun. You will love it. You will have moments where you definitely cry, but it is so rewarding.

Michelle Rowan (32:40)
Yeah, that's so great.

Thank you so much for joining us today, Carly. This has been amazing. ⁓ I would love anyone that is considering buying a franchise to listen to all of our other podcasts, but also go to our website, franchisebusinessreview.com, and you can see some of the amazing franchise brands that have asked their franchisees for feedback in the educational space to see what they have to say as well, and get that insight from people that are in this business day to day and doing what you're thinking about doing.

Carli (33:07)
Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It's been great.

Michelle Rowan (33:08)
So appreciate your time and thanks so much for today.