Young Tutor Doctor Owner Quickly Expands to 11 Territories in Less Than a Decade

In his mid-twenties, Jon-Anthony Lui became the youngest franchise owner in the entire Tutor Doctor system. After working inside the brand in franchise sales, Lui realized that franchising with Tutor Doctor checked all of the boxes he was looking for in terms of his entrepreneurial goals. At 25, he was given the opportunity to start a new territory from scratch as a general manager, and within six months, he achieved the two-year benchmarks that were set out for him. He quickly took over the territory before opening up his own in 2009, which is now called Tutor Doctor North Toronto.

Before Tutor Doctor, Lui was working as the director of learning solutions at an e-learning consulting firm. That’s when he first understood the growing need for a learning approach that fits each person’s individual needs versus a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Making a difference in C-level executives’ lives and teaching them how to bring their training and internal education online was enjoyable for Lui, but what the job was lacking was a way for him to impact today’s youth.

“At Tutor Doctor, we can help students at their own pace, on their own terms and in the comfort of their own home. What I love about the brand is that we are making a large impact on families and students’ lives so they can be able to achieve their brightest future possible,” said Lui.

Having a father who worked in franchise sales for the majority of his career, he was familiar with the benefits of franchising and when he saw the model Tutor Doctor had established, he was ready to sign on and build something of his own. Tutor Doctor requires low overhead and has very high earning potential, which have both contributed to the fact that Lui and his wife have been able to build the largest Tutor Doctor office in the world.

“Franchising provides you with the business idea, the values and the system to operate your own business. I have always seen franchising as a faster and more secure way to success,” said Lui.

The couple currently operates 11 territories in the Greater Toronto area with 17 employees and over 300 tutors. Lui enjoys being able to work with his wife, who he says compliments his working style, and they both enjoy being able to decide who they get to work with each day as they hire and build their team. They are proud to be serving around 1,000 families per year and attribute their business’ quick growth to the team at Tutor Doctor.

“Part of our success has been the training we have received, the model that we have to follow and the ongoing support from the home office has been great,” said Lui.

For those looking to sign on with the brand, Lui has some sound advice. “If you’re looking at Tutor Doctor as a potential franchise opportunity, I would ask yourself why. Do Tutor Doctor values align with your values? Do you want to build something that is significant? Do you want to grow and give others opportunity? That will help determine if you’re the right fit,” said Lui.

Lui won’t settle for operating the largest Tutor Doctor office in the world--he continues to think of ways to expand and grow his business. He explains, “We’re always looking to expand where it makes sense. We have continued to chase territory after territory every few years since we started. We’re always expanding and looking to optimize, improve and develop our people.”