Ruth Mosley came to own her business after a successful career working in tech finance at Pearson—the leading educational company in the world. By the end of her time at Pearson, she’d reached the highest level she felt she could go and was ready for a new challenge. When she thought about what she wanted to do next, she knew she wanted to stick with education.
“If you stay in an educational company for longer than three years, you never leave the industry,” Ruth said, reflecting on what led her to invest in an educational franchise of her own. That was when she decided she wanted to invest in a tutoring franchise.
Huntington Learning Center Franchise’s Stellar Support
Huntington Learning Center wasn’t the only tutoring franchise she researched. Still, as she went through the due diligence process, she found that the only comments anyone had to say about Huntington Learning Center were about how helpful they found the franchisee support.
“When I got the FDD, I called all franchisees that failed, and none of them had anything bad to say about Huntington Learning Center,” she said.
When it was time for Ruth to open her own franchise, she knew she’d have Huntington’s support to run her business in a way that best suited her strengths. While it was rewarding to strategize from a high level and work closely with her tutors, she knew she’d benefit from outsourcing sales. This self-reflection has helped her focus on her strengths as a business owner.
Finding Success with Fellow Huntington Learning Center Franchisees
One of the critical ingredients to Ruth’s recipe for success has been her interest in how her peers at Huntington Learning Center have found their success. Over the past year, she visited four other successful tutoring centers and met with their franchisees.
“The one thing in common was focus on the kids,” she said. “Other than that, my takeaway was really that you don’t have to copy what someone else does; you find out what works for you, your center and your community and run with that.”
This research has also helped her see the value in utilizing the organizational systems Huntington Learning Center franchise offers partners. She saw that if she took advantage of the tools already vetted by numerous franchisees before her, she’d be on the path to success.
“I’m trying to focus my efforts on building the business by leveraging the tools and technology Huntington has.”
Flexibility and Mutual Respect are Key
Ruth has also found that paying close attention to her community’s needs is what’s best served her—just as she observed with her fellow Huntington Learning Center franchisees. She follows local news, especially regarding schools and parents in her area, including SAT dates, school activities and extracurriculars, even during the summer. She’s even found marketing tactics, such as a well-placed lawn sign, have brought her noticeable results.
She turned that interest and empathy toward the internal aspects of her business as well. Her motivation for getting into education in the first place was due to her own kids’ struggles with getting through school with learning disabilities. Ruth’s uniquely personal perspective on her business and marketing strategy has helped guide her through recruiting and managing her staff of instructors.
“I try to take their thoughts and feelings into consideration when I make decisions,” she explained. “At the same time, I try to communicate clearly, and explain why I’m making the decisions I need to make.”
This management method has helped foster mutual respect between herself and her employees. When her instructors have ideas or suggestions, they feel comfortable coming to her with their feedback, and in return, they listen to her and trust her judgment. In a world where the advent of widespread remote work has forever changed employment, she’s also found it crucial to be flexible about scheduling so that she and her instructors work together to build out appointments rather than against each other.
The Value of Education
Ruth grew up outside of the United States, in a country where she describes education as relatively inaccessible. Her grandmothers on both sides valued education. Her mother worked overseas to provide for her family and give Ruth the opportunity to attend private school. Reflecting on her experience as a student, Ruth explains that this ultimately motivated her to pursue education in the first place.
“I needed a tutor 90% of the time, and my confidence as a student didn’t really click until 9th grade. I think that connection is what gives me my purpose.”