Last moth we shared Robin Rapaport’s Top 5 lessons learned from a lifetime of owning a franchise. Robin is now the Franchise Development Director with Tutor Doctor after a long career of being a leading franchisee in the Top 5% of the system. Today she is slicing up the Tutor Doctor opportunity and sharing the key features of the brand that set it apart from the competition.
Explain the Tutor Doctor Concept 
Tutor Doctor was first established in 2000, and after seeing how successful the model was, they decided to franchise in 2003. The concept is a proven in-home tutoring business model that has over 450 units in 15 countries. Their focus lies in  meeting with students in their homes, on their schedule, with a price that most anyone can afford.
Tutor Doctor is definitely continuing to grow. In the first eight months of 2015, they sold 66 new units to 50 new franchisees.
Franchisees within the system don’t conduct the tutoring themselves. Instead, the franchisees interview and hire tutors and go out into the field to conduct free consultations. During these consultations they evaluate the possible tutor/student relationship to determine the best tutor for that student. They also build a personalized map for the student’s success, and to help educate the parents on how Tutor Doctor works.
According to Tutor Doctor their franchisees do very well and, thanks to not having a brick and mortar establishment, they save a considerable amount on their overhead. The 2015 Tutor Doctor FDD’s Item 19 demonstrates how this approach is so powerful – 7 out of 10 consultations close with an average enrollment value of $2,346 and a 59% profit margin.
Robin tells us, “Tutor Doctor truly is a recession-proof business. As a franchisee myself, and with the hundreds of families I’ve spoken with over my career, there is so much disappointment parents have with the education system. More and more parents are seeing that they need to give kids an extra boost and stay ahead of the game! Parents are eager to have their children prepared for University admission in face of la ow percentage of admissions vs applicants in their freshman year.
They also need a solution that takes their busy lives into account and can provide their children one-on-one tutoring contoured around a student’s specific learning style and needs. It’s a big reality. That’s why you see so many tutor concepts sprinting up…there is a need.”
Who’s a good fit for the Tutor Doctor franchise?
A good fit for the Tutor Doctor franchise is a person who cares about people, wants to make a difference in their community, and wants to make money. They must have good people skills, enjoy working with children, and fit in the investment range of at least $60k for a single territory and $100k for multi-unit packages.
Robin explains, “Tutor Doctor is a lifestyle business model which appeals to those who desire flexibility in their schedule. I ran the business as a single mother and was able to break even in the first year. If you’re looking for earnings potential, then Tutor Doctor is your concept.  There are so many franchisees that are knocking it out of the park. There is one in Canada that is earning over $1.5 million. People aren’t even aware that a concept like this is out there.”
How does Tutor Doctor compare to your competition and learning centers?
“There is nobody out there who has professionalized tutoring as Tutor Doctor has. Our concept comes with so many amenities that you won’t find with anyone else. We’re very personalized and in tune with the need that is out there. Our culture is also one where we constantly innovate and share with other franchisees within the system. Theirs a very active mentoring community within Tutor Doctor.”
I asked her how she would compare Tutor Doctor to a learning center, or brick-and-mortar tutoring concept.
“That’s like comparing apples and oranges. With learning centers the students have to coordinate their schedules around the business hours and drive there. With Tutor Doctor we have the convenience of scheduling the sessions around their schedules and bring the tutor to them. We match them with tutors who are a fit in all ways. This could be anytime – days, nights, weekdays, weekends – whenever works best for their situation. You can even adapt the sessions as needs arise for the student or be applied to a sibling or family member.”
“Our students also have continuity of their tutor and customized curriculum. They can continue to use the same person for all their sessions. With a learning center that’s not always possible and they’re not always tutoring one-to-one. It could be one tutor for two students or even ten students! In regards to the materials used Tutor Doctor uses a live and current curriculum instead of worksheets and fixed curriculum that many learning centers utilize. We feel our model creates a better chance to learn.”
“This is proved by the surveys we conduct on our clients. These surveys say that 96% of our clients would recommend us to their friends.”
FBA Members can learn more about Tutor Doctor on their profile and check out their latest webinars.
Have you reached out to Robin yet? She’s a wonderful person to speak with and is very knowledgeable about Tutor Doctor.