Kathy Segmuller Looks Back at 29 Years with Huntington Learning Center

29 years ago, Kathy Segmuller joined Huntington Learning Center franchise, not as an owner, but as a director at a center in Alexandria, Virginia. Four years later, she partnered with her mother and they became franchisees. Segmuller has been with the supplemental-education brand ever since, at one time owning as many as four centers around Alexandria. Today, she has scaled back to just one center, but she remains a passionate and dedicated Huntington owner. In fact, in 2018 she took home the International Franchise Association’s Franchisee of the Year award, which honors outstanding franchisees from franchise brands around the world.

We talked to Segmuller to learn about her experience with Huntington Learning Center and why she’s stayed with the brand for nearly three decades.

How did you first learn about Huntington Learning Center?

Segmuller: I was working as an administrator in residence life at Loyola College. I knew I wanted a career in education, but I was also very interested in business, so I was looking around for opportunities and I came across Huntington. At the time, I just thought it would be a great place to work. I wanted to do something that mattered — something that would help people — but I liked that Huntington Learning Center franchise system was a high-functioning, sophisticated, yet simple business.  So, I became a director, and eventually, I realized the business was something I might be able to run myself.

When did you make the leap to franchisee?

Segmuller: While I was working as a director, my mom was researching business opportunities for herself. She had been working for a company and got to a place where she wanted to leave, but she wasn’t quite ready to retire. I told her to take a look at Huntington, and the more she learned about it, the more excited she got.

Even though I worked there, my mom did all of the research and validation, and everything kept coming back positive. She went to the discovery day, and she was so excited to see that the system really worked. Of course, she had heard that from me, but the confirmation was important. She also saw how passionate everyone was, both on the corporate team and franchisees, and she loved that.

So, we decided to buy in together. That was about 25 years ago. My mom passed away about six years ago, but we had a great time running the business together. It was always really fun, and it still is.

Did you ever take on more franchise locations?

Segmuller: Yeah, we took on more centers through the years. I only have one now, but we had as many as four at one point. In 2005, my mom was winding down and I had a five-year-old at home, so we decided to sell two of our locations. We made great money on those, so ultimately it was a fantastic return on our investment. In 2014, I sold another and went back down to one location. All of our locations did really well, I’m just at the point where I’m winding down a bit myself, and I want to focus on one location. But I loved owning multiple centers; it was fun.

Does focusing on one center allow you to focus more on the day-to-day operations?

Segmuller: A little bit. I do like to stay involved in the day-to-day, but the truth is just that owning a single center gives me a lot more free time, which is what I want right now.

What about Huntington’s business model has made it such a profitable venture for you over the years?

Segmuller: The education programs we offer are genuinely life-changing. We have kids come to us who are really far behind in reading and math, and we can work with them, their families and their schools and completely turn them around. When they start with us, their grades are poor and their confidence is down, but it often turns out that they can be really strong students. There is nothing like seeing that light bulb turn on when a kid realizes, “Hey, I can do this!” It can be a very emotional experience. On top of that, we help kids make huge improvements on their ACT and SAT scores, which is crucial for getting into their dream schools.

What I believe, and what Huntington believes, is that by focusing on the kids and making those programs the best available, the financial piece comes naturally. It can’t be the other way around. And that’s exactly what we’ve seen. We do right by the kids, and the money follows.

Tell us about the Franchisee of the Year award. Why do you think you were nominated?

Segmuller: That was a great experience. Huntington nominated me for it. I think they nominated me because, at my center, we really live out Huntington’s mission statement, which is to provide the best possible education for every student who walks through our doors. I was very humbled by that because I have some very strong peers. I was very grateful just for the nomination, let alone the award.

Has the business changed much since you first started?

Segmuller: Tremendously. Huntington is always working to enhance the programs and curriculum. At the same time, the mission statement and core values have always been the same. One of the things I really love about the business is that every change we make is designed to improve or complement those core values. Right now, for instance, we are bringing in a lot of new technology, but it’s all working to enhance the curriculum, not replace it.

The other thing is that there are all sorts of new programs and support structure for franchisees now. Huntington is always looking for what else they can do to support franchisees and set them up for growth.

What advice would you give to a new Huntington owner?

Segmuller: Absolutely follow the system; don’t reinvent the wheel. Huntington has been around for a long time, and they’ve developed an amazing business. If you buy into that and utilize every resource that’s available to you, you are going to do well. And enjoy it! I