--- title: "Meet the Sylvan Learning Franchisee Families Building a Legacy Through the Brand" url: https://burnaze.com/article/2d8d0a60-ed10-4a96-b6a6-85f408e90376 source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/meet-the-sylvan-learning-franchisee-families-building-a-legacy-through-the-brand-2719190 category: "Tutoring" industry: "Education & Childcare" segment: "Tutoring" published: 2022-07-22T20:15:00.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T02:11:24.766Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/e83e1298e02bb21250f6fe521257b4a87572.jpg --- # Meet the Sylvan Learning Franchisee Families Building a Legacy Through the Brand **TL;DR:** Sylvan Learning franchisee families, such as the Sterons and Sullivans, build a legacy through the brand by combining strengths and interests to provide educational services to the community. The families have devoted their time to serving students and have passed down their passion for education to the next generation. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2022-07-22. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/meet-the-sylvan-learning-franchisee-families-building-a-legacy-through-the-brand-2719190).* ## Key facts - Sylvan Learning franchisees build a legacy through the brand - Families combine strengths and interests to build a business - The Sullivans' son Matthew joined the business after 22 years ## Story For many Sylvan Learning franchisees, business ownership stems from a deep passion for service, community and learning. When that passion runs through generations, families can unify around the mission, combining strengths and interests to build a business that will span decades. “Sylvan has been our whole lives, really, for the past 25 years. It’s all we know; it’s all my children even know,” explained Susan Steron, a Sylvan franchisee. “Education has become a huge priority in our family and our extended family. So our kids believe in that wholeheartedly. They know how hard we work — they know how much we respect teachers, and they do, too.” Susan joined her mother, Carol Steron, in business over two decades ago. Carol says that she had always dreamed of owning her own school. “Then, Sylvan poked its head up, and we looked at it very carefully for over a year. And I knew, from that moment, that I could really be in control of my future.” ## Family business dynamics As the years have gone by, Susan and Carol have devoted their time to serving their students. Their commitment to their business, students and quality education has bled into other parts of their lives. For families in business together, business conversations are had outside the standard 9–5 hours — at kitchen tables and family gatherings. Brothers, mothers, and uncles get involved, and children begin noticing their parents' passion for the business. This is how legacies are built. “Everybody’s good at something. Find out what you’re best at, and build it together,” Susan added. “You have a relationship as a family that’s different than anybody else that would work for you or with you.” ## Another franchisee family Another franchisee family, the Sullivans, has a similar experience. Mike and Cindy Sullivan originally took on their Sylvan franchise as a career pivot. Though they had experience franchising, they were looking for something that would have a more significant impact than their previous ventures. “It was not that we needed Sylvan to be able to eat as much as we were just looking for something in the next career that was meaningful — helpful,” Mike explained. “Through a series of events, we ran into Sylvan and purchased it. It was a very small center when we started.” This was over 22 years ago. Now, the Sullivans’ son, Matthew, has joined the business and is carrying on the legacy. Matthew did not originally intend to join the family business. After graduating from college, he secured a job with a technology company. Though he did valuable work, something was missing. “I remember telling my dad one day… I said, ‘I don’t care if my boss comes in and hands me a $100,000 check. I still would not want to stay and do this job,’” he explained. “So while doing that job, I started talking to my dad about things I might be interested in.” At the time, Matthew devoted time in the evenings and on the weekends to volunteering with a little league baseball team where he realized how much he loved impacting a young man’s life. “His name was Justin, and I met with Justin every single Wednesday night. We’d go practice together, I’d go to his games, and I realized I enjoyed doing that far more than I enjoyed my current job,” he said. After some consideration, Matthew found his way back to Sylvan. And now, after years of working together, Mike and Cindy are looking toward another transition, slowly selling their portion of the business to Matthew. ## Passing the torch “Our dream is that perhaps someday another son that we have might join us. But today, it’s the three of us, and the game plan is pretty simple for Cindy and me,” Mike explained. “We want to reduce our day-to-day involvement. We want to travel; we want to do things we have passion and desire to do that do not involve growing the business or, frankly, even making more money.” As Matthew takes the lead, he is looking to continue growing, leaning on the experience and leadership his parents have gained and provided him in earlier years and carrying on the family legacy of service. ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - Education & Childcare (sector) - Sylvan Learning (company) - education services (topic) - business succession (topic) - legacy building (topic) - franchisee families (topic) - family business dynamics (topic) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/meet-the-sylvan-learning-franchisee-families-building-a-legacy-through-the-brand-2719190). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/2d8d0a60-ed10-4a96-b6a6-85f408e90376).