Your Guide to Franchising with Mathnasium Learning Centers: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Mathnasium, a leading name in math tutoring with over 1,100 learning centers globally, gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to break into a crucial and high-demand industry, while becoming a community staple and securing a strong return on investment. 

But before making the decision, potential franchisees may naturally have a few questions and concerns. To address any issues that a potential candidate might have, here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions about franchising with Mathnasium. 

Do I need a background in math or education to be a franchisee?

Individuals interested in becoming Mathnasium franchisees might wonder if they need a background in math — or education in general — to do so. The answer is no. In fact, Mathnasium franchise owners come from a wide variety of backgrounds and career paths. 

“We certainly have folks who are in education or have been in education in our system, but we have a large number of folks in our system who come from business backgrounds, corporate backgrounds, entrepreneurship, franchising in general — or don’t have any experience with any of these areas,” said Kevin Shen, chief development officer at Mathnasium. “The beauty of our system is we have a very robust training system which will prepare you for anything on the education side, on the business management side — the whole nine to make sure that you’re able to find success.”

The one thing that all Mathnasium franchisees do have in common? A desire to make a difference in children’s lives.

Do I need to know how to run a business?

With the training provided by Mathnasium, franchisees do not need to have previous business experience. In fact, there are successful franchisees in the system with varying levels of previous business experience. The development and training programs will bring franchisees quickly up to speed, while a dedicated startup specialist can answer any specific questions.

“If you think about our system, we have many former educators — including high school, middle school, and elementary school teachers — some of whom taught math and some who did not,” said Shen. “Probably half, if not more, of the top ten franchisees didn't have business experience before joining us. Our training system teaches you everything you need to know as an owner. We provide a variety of resources, including vendors and a comprehensive suite of tools, to help franchisees understand the business side of things.”

Is it possible to have a good work-life balance as a franchisee?

Franchising requires time and effort, but that doesn’t mean giving up a good work-life balance. Most Mathnasium learning centers are open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., which allows for flexibility and more opportunity for work-life balance than many corporate roles.

“Especially for folks who came from corporate or teaching before this, they love the value proposition of not only working less, but having a greater impact on individual students,” said Shen. “They can see and feel that they are building confidence within them and helping them out with their skill set, while still having time to do all the other things they want to do with their day.”

Franchisees also get all of the systems, training and support they will need to manage the demands on their time.

Are franchisees required to be owner-operators?

Although it is not required to be an owner-operator, Mathnasium highly recommends franchisees operate their first learning center to have a true understanding of the brand. Because the system is built for growth, being an owner-operator gives franchisees a complete understanding of the business, making expansion easier. 

However, there are plenty of franchisees who hire a center director to act as the general manager of each individual center. “We certainly prefer folks to be more involved in the beginning as they’re kind of ramping up their center and figuring out how to put their own imprint on their own Mathnasium,” said Shen. “But by no means are you required to be the owner-operator.” 

How many employees do franchisees need to run a Mathnasium learning center?

The number of employees required will vary from center to center. However, in general, each learning center at full capacity requires around six to eight instructors and one center director. 

“We maintain a four-to-one student-teacher ratio,” said Shen. “While students generally come in twice a week for about an hour each time, you won’t have all of them in the center simultaneously. At peak times, you might have 20 to 25 students, requiring about six or seven instructors. Initially, you should start with four instructors and increase staff as enrollment grows to maintain the balance.”

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit 1851franchise.com/mathnasium/info.