The Winning Franchisee | Former Business Consultant Inspired by Educator Wife Takes Over Five Local Sylvan Learning Centers

Peter Anderberg, a multi-unit owner of Sylvan Learning* Centers in Topeka, Shawnee, Lawrence, Manhattan, and Overland Park, has now acquired five additional centers across three territories in Kansas. Anderberg looks forward to expanding further to help Kansas students get the attention and resources they may be lacking in their education. 

Now, with over a 300% revenue increase across the centers, Anderberg has added a satellite program to reach even more students across the state.

1851 Franchise: Tell me your story – what did you do before franchising?

Anderberg: I graduated college in 2007 from the University of Central Missouri with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business. I was a consultant for three years at Cerner, an electronic health record vendor. My wife, Laura, is an educator at a middle school in Kansas, Pleasant Ridge. I am now fully focused on our Sylvan centers, and it’s great because she has a lot of experience in education and helps us with ideas for our own locations.

1851: How did you initially find out about franchising? 

Anderberg: I heard about the opportunity through my father, who previously owned a business himself. I was seeking a career change while I was still with Cerner. I wanted to get away from the consulting business.

1851: Why did you pick franchising over starting your own business?

Anderberg: I was looking for opportunities to acquire other businesses, and my friend, a business broker, brought this deal to me. We started researching what the best fit for us was, and this happened to be the right one for us to acquire.

1851: What types of brands did you look at?

Anderberg: Only Sylvan.

1851: Why did you pick Sylvan? What excited you most about the potential?

Anderberg: With what’s going on with the pandemic, kids are behind on education on a national level.  Many school systems have launched their own programs to help catch students up. Standardized tests show kids are behind, and we are looking to help grow these centers to help more and more kids. Working with Sylvan and impacting local children has helped my heart feel full.

1851: What trends are you seeing in your local community?

Anderberg: It’s being seen across the country, but kids are very behind — from five months to over a year behind. There’s a clear lack of resources throughout school districts. 

1851: What kind of growth has your business seen since you took over ownership?

Anderberg: We had our biggest sales of the year right away and saw a revenue increase of 300%. So far, we’re good with our number of enrollments. We’re definitely net positive now.

1851: What are your dreams with the business? What does the future look like?

Anderberg: We’ve already received Sylvan’s approval for a satellite program, so we’re looking forward to expanding our services into new areas. We’re excited about a prospective location in the Topeka territory, and we are planning to partner with the military base there.

1851: What value do you see your business providing to the community?

Anderberg: We have certified teachers and keep our ratio of three students to one teacher. We don’t do worksheets, and we try to promote the best quality services to keep kids engaged and get them back to grade level.

1851: What advice would you have for others looking at buying a franchise?

Anderberg: Lean on your corporate team —  they’ll be with you every step of the way. Make sure to do your due diligence and find something that you’re passionate about.

1851: What do you do in your personal time (hobbies, family, sports, etc.)

Anderberg: I’m the captain of a recreational hockey team. I also love to be out in the wilderness — hunting, water sports, and fishing. I spend a lot of my time with my wife and doing family game nights.