Former Educator, Assistant Principal and Sylvan Center Director Becomes Sylvan Franchisee

Sylvan Learning*, the supplemental and enrichment education franchise, is coming to Lexington, North Carolina, thanks to Michelle Varoutsos, a former educator, curriculum coordinator, assistant principal and, most recently, Sylvan center director. 

After seeing the impact that Sylvan Learning had on students’ success during the pandemic, Varoutsos knew she wanted to explore a deeper involvement with the brand. Now, she will soon open her first center at 128 Forest Hill Road to serve the students and families of the Lexington community.

1851 Franchise spoke with Varoutsos to learn more about her journey to franchising and plans for the future.

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Michelle Varoutsos: I've been an educator all my life. I taught in Connecticut for about 10 years, taught for more than a decade in North Carolina, became a curriculum coordinator and an assistant principal. I’ve never done something in education that I didn’t like.

When COVID came, I knew it was time to do something different. I started as a center director at a Sylvan center during COVID. When I saw what Sylvan was doing for the kids, I was amazed. After a giant career in education, I knew this was my chance to continue in a different way.

I wasn’t pursuing franchising specifically. I wanted to own a Sylvan center. If that hadn’t been an option, I would’ve continued to work as a center director.

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Varoutsos: I had a good understanding of what the franchise model looked like thanks to my time spent as a center director, but there were also a lot of things that I’m now learning I didn’t know before.

From what I did experience during my time as center director, I knew that Sylvan was very methodical — a great fit for my personality. The brand and approach with students isn’t necessarily cookie-cutter, because every student is different, but there is a reliable approach to creating a reliable, successful learning plan for each student.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Varoutsos: During COVID, I saw that we were able to keep kids on grade level through Sylvan programming. That was a huge feat for kids, teachers and parents during the pandemic, so I was impressed. That solidified the scale of the impact Sylvan can have and sparked my interest in becoming involved in another way.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Varoutsos: Professionally, I want to become a stronger business owner. I’m learning every day, and I want to keep learning and improving.

In terms of expansion, I could see myself pursuing a second center at some point.

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Varoutsos: We have raised two amazing children and, as a parent, there were a lot of things that I didn’t need to know to successfully raise my kids. As a teacher, it’s easy to assume that parents do know these things, and they don’t.

Working at Sylvan has opened my eyes to all the things parents don’t know, and that’s why they come to us. We’re able to bridge that gap. We’re there for the parents just as much as we are for the students, and there’s so much we can do to help.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Varoutsos: Get to know the business as much as humanly possible. Sylvan can tell you all about Sylvan, but they are not the contractors, permitters, landlords or fire marshalls. Make sure that you have someone that can answer those questions for you and guide you through those less obvious aspects of business ownership.

ABOUT SYLVAN LEARNING

With more than 45 years of experience and more than 710 points of presence, Sylvan Learning is the leading provider of personal learning for students in grades K-12. Sylvan is transforming how students learn, inspiring them to succeed in school and in life. Sylvan’s proven tutoring approach blends amazing teachers with SylvanSync™ technology on the iPad® for an engaging learning experience. Sylvan also leads the way with Sylvan EDGE — STEM and accelerated courses and Sylvan Prep — college and test prep courses. Sylvan supports families through every stage of the academic journey.  For more information, visit www.SylvanLearning.com.