I was speaking to a tutor who has been building his business over the past few years and is now considering taking voluntary redundancy to grow it full-time.
He mentioned that many of the families he works with have started asking if he offers support in other subjects. As a result, he’s begun exploring the idea of bringing in additional tutors — including some based overseas — to help meet that demand.
On the surface, it sounds like a sensible next step.
More subjects.
More tutors.
More opportunities.
But it immediately took me back to something I experienced early on.
A lesson I learned the hard way
Years ago, I recommended a tutor to support my son with A-level Economics.
This was someone I had suggested to other families — someone I trusted.
When he arrived, he came with a pen… and nothing else.
He sat down and asked, “What would you like to cover?”
My son explained that he had missed that particular lesson at school and didn’t understand the topic.
The tutor responded, “You must know something.”
And for almost the entire hour, they went round in circles.
As a parent, I was frustrated.
I had paid for support, and my son was no further forward.
But as someone building a tutoring business, I felt something else entirely.
Horror.
Because I had recommended him.
Your reputation is built through others
That experience stayed with me.
It made me realise that when you bring someone into your business — whether directly or by recommendation — they represent you.
Your values.
Your standards.
Your ethos.
And the further removed you are from that person, the harder it becomes to ensure those standards are upheld.
When you’re not in the room… you don’t always know what’s happening.
It also highlighted another mistake I made early on.
Trying to support everything.
Every subject.
Every need.
Every request.
At the time, it felt like the right thing to do — to help as many people as possible.
But in reality, it diluted what I was known for.
When you specialise, people understand:
When you don’t, it becomes much harder to build a clear, trusted reputation.
You risk becoming a “Jack of all trades” — and that makes it harder for families to feel confident in choosing you.
What parents are really looking for
Parents aren’t looking for what’s easiest for the tutor.
They are looking for what is best for their child.
They want:
And most importantly — they want consistency.
Why this matters now
This is one of the reasons I place so much importance on:
It’s also one of the key reasons I am taking my time in developing the Clara James franchise.
Growth is important.
But not at the expense of quality.
The goal isn’t to grow quickly.
The goal is to grow well.
To build something where:
A final thought
If you are growing your tutoring business, it’s worth asking yourself:
What do you want to be known for?
Because your reputation isn’t just built on what you do.
It’s built on everything connected to your name.
And that is something worth protecting.
Have a great week
