Brands Winning at Franchise Marketing: Tutor Doctor

With the international private tutoring market expected to reach $227 billion in 2022, supplemental education has become a crowded segment in franchising. So, how does a brand stand out? For Tutor Doctor, it’s by focusing on a specific niche. The global leader in one-to-one, in-home tutoring with 550 territories and more than 300,000 students, Tutor Doctor focuses on creating individualized education programs for each student — in their homes. The business accolades speak for themselves, but for Tutor Doctor franchisees, the emotional return is what keeps them engaged and growing with the brand.

This emphasis on emotional rewards resonates throughout the system. As Tutor Doctor president Frank Milner says, “You can’t put a price tag on a strong education.” And that commitment to providing a rewarding experience extends from the franchisees to every single student as well.

According to Scott Thompson, Vice President of Global Franchise Development, “emotional returns are par for the course” at Tutor Doctor. He added, “The current school system is deficient, with large classrooms and a focus on one learning style that may not work for all kids. Tutor Doctor values every child’s right to learn in their own way. We help with organization and time management, and leverage technology to help our students learn. Our mission is not just to help them learn, but to change the trajectory of our students’ lives.”

Tutor Doctor creates a custom plan for each student, taking into account the curriculum of the school and where the student is having challenges, essentially becoming an extension of the school.

“We give the school transparency on the progress of each student, which they like because it helps them improve their classrooms,” said Thompson. “In fact, we attract a lot of former teachers as franchisees because they know they can make a difference through Tutor Doctor in a way that they can’t through the traditional educational system.”

When former teacher and mother of two Tejal Mali was looking for a business opportunity in the education space, she was determined to find something that would allow her to feel good about the work she was doing and still be a hands-on mother.

“During my entire maternity leave, I was looking for other opportunities so that I didn’t have to go back to teaching in a school. I thought, ‘can I start a business myself?’” said Mali. “I knew I didn’t want to sell Tupperware or timeshares, so I kept looking and finally found Tutor Doctor. The start-up costs were low, I could work from home to be with my children and still use my background in education.”

Mali became a franchisee in 2011 with the Sherwood Park location and has since added the St. Albert and Fort Saskatchewan territories.

“Seven years have passed since my first students—who I tutored while my daughters napped— and I now have three territories and 250 students,” said Mali. “I wouldn’t change the experience I have had with Tutor Doctor for anything.”