The brand focuses on helping students achieve their educational goals and serving the community while providing a relatively low cost to entry, which makes the opportunity attractive to millennials.

One of those such millennials, Jeremiah Lim, was already considering business ownership when he decided to franchise with Huntington Learning Center.

Lim, 39, learned about the brand when he and his wife, Shirley, were looking for tutoring services for their daughter, Naomi.

“We were looking for a solution for our daughter, who was 10 years old at the time,” Lim said. “She struggled with math and school in general, so we enrolled her in a tutoring service but we were not getting good results. So, we looked at some other tutoring services and Huntington Learning Center was one of them.”

In December of 2017, Lim and his wife met with the center director for the brand’s Draper, Utah location, who showed them around and explained the program. At the time, Huntington Learning Center only had one location in Utah. Lim was intrigued by what he saw, and soon after he and his wife reached out to Huntington to inquire about their franchise opportunities.

“Education is our passion, so we thought, ‘Let’s franchise this and our daughter can be the first student,’” he said.

Lim and his wife opened their Huntington Learning Center franchise in South Jordan, Utah on June 9, 2018.

A Perfect Fit

Lim held a variety of finance roles with banks, tech companies and others before franchising with Huntington Learning Center.

“I love that I get to work with and meet so many wonderful people, especially my wife,” he said. “I also love my staff and teachers. They are so professional, proactive, and on top of things. And I love the families that come to our center.”

He is thrilled to now be in business with his wife.

“We are partners at home, partners in life, and now partners at work,” Lim said.   

For Lim and his wife, the values at Huntington align with theirs. They also appreciate the training the company provided, especially because they were starting with “zero experience” in opening a business.

“It’s a great fit,” he said. “The first thing that comes to mind is that Huntington Learning Center has been family-owned for 42 years. My wife and I hope to pass it on to our kids. The second thing is they have a lot of support for their franchisees and provide great training on how to work with parents as well as how to start their tutoring business.”

A Millennial’s Franchising Dream

Now, with over half a year of experience under his belt, Lim is sharing why he sees Huntington Learning Center as an excellent opportunity for millennial entrepreneurs who are considering franchising.

He recommends that prospective millennial franchisees speak with existing franchisees, as well as close friends and family, to get an idea of what the franchisee life will entail.

“Your life is going to change,” he said. “It’s not a 9-to-5 job. There’s freedom in running your own business but there are also a lot of restraints. You have to plan and execute the ideas on your own.”

A passionate leader

Lim noted the importance of being the type of franchisee who is not afraid to reach out to the community. Since their center is located on the border of two different cities - South Jordan and Herriman - Lim and his wife are also members of two local Chambers of Commerce.

“You need to be passionate about helping the community you are in, particularly the kids and parents,” he said. “If you’re in it just for the paycheck, it’ll show and it won’t be sustainable.”

When it comes to community outreach, Lim and his wife also follow the model that Huntington Learning Center provides. They attend basketball games at local Herriman High School and sponsor a variety of local activities.

“We’ve done sporting activities such as football games,” he said. “We also get face time with schools, teachers and counselors. It’s about not being afraid to pick up the phone, send an email or just drop in. We have to do a lot of cold approaches. Huntington Learning Center is an established brand, but it may not be established in the community you’re in.”

For Lim, the best moments include when students come in with low self-esteem and his center’s teachers are able to motivate them and help them build their skill set.

“We really are making a difference in their lives,” he said. “That, to me, is an intangible benefit. I love seeing a child’s eyes light up when they get the score they want or get into the university they want. We love it when teachers at schools we’ve visited email us saying they really see a difference in their students. I love that we really get to know students, families, teachers, and even counselors at the grassroots level. That’s what gets me up in the morning and how I feel that Huntington Learning Center is making a difference.”

The startup costs for a Huntington Learning Center range from $119,201 to $270,304. The franchise fee is $28,000. To learn more about franchising with Huntington Learning Center, visit https://www.huntingtonfranchise.com/.