Tutor Doctor Builds on Strong Awareness, Momentum and Demand in Latin America

For some franchise brands, international expansion comes with challenges, including bridging the cultural gap and ensuring that demand for a product or service exists beyond its original borders. However, there’s one segment of the industry where demand is consistently universal: supplemental education. Moreover, when it comes to the concepts that are changing the game within that segment, Tutor Doctor stands out .

While the one-to-one tutoring franchise got its start in Canada, Tutor Doctor sees success in communities across the globe . With more than 550 territories across 16 countries currently in operation, Tutor Doctor has solidified its position as for a global leader in its space. Moreover, that international success isn’t by accident – the brand actively works with passionate and dedicated master franchisees and regional developers all over the world to position its local owners for success.

One of those international leaders is Miguel Angel Corada, Tutor Doctor’s regional developer for Latin America. While working with another franchise company in Chile, Corada discovered Tutor Doctor at a business fair organized by the U.S. Embassy back in 2012. After starting a conversation with Tutor Doctor, Corada recognized the brand’s potential in his home country, Chile. So, he decided to become one of the brand’s franchisees.

Corada started with three territories in Santiago as a Tutor Doctor franchisee. He spent the first year working with his sister – who helped out in the academic area – and saw strong results. However, it was in his second year of business that Corada recognized the full potential that Tutor Doctor offered. That year, he decided to put more money into marketing for both local and digital campaigns, and he saw his business grow by close to 100 percent.

“After working with Tutor Doctor for almost two years, I started to figure out that the brand’s business model and values perfectly applied to the educational environment here in Chile. We offer what people are looking for when it comes to education. So, I decided to apply to get the Master Franchisee license for Chile. That was back in 2015, and now, we have seven franchises up and running in the country,” said Corada.

The firm values that stood out to Corada are what make Tutor Doctor’s franchise system so unique. Tutor Doctor’s business model is fueled by a mission to become a go-to resource for families looking for one-to-one education. Rather than offering tutoring services in a classroom setting with a fixed curriculum, tutors can tailor their services to each student’s needs, ultimately creating a more beneficial learning environment, and making the business model viable in a wide variety of countries.

Corada said, “All over the world, students need help in a lot of different subjects, from math to languages. Especially in Latin America, there’s an informal market for tutoring that isn’t as comprehensive as it could be. That’s what stood out to me the most about becoming a Tutor Doctor franchisee – I saw Tutor Doctor as a strong international brand that offered the best services, and I knew that it would apply perfectly in Chile as well as other countries.”

It’s clear that Corada’s prediction paid off – Tutor Doctor continues to grow across Latin America. Right now, the brand has 17 franchises operating across Chile, Perú, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Mexico. Moreover, those locations are thriving. Corada is continuing to see his business improve, especially now that he’s the franchisee behind Chile’s seven Tutor Doctor locations. In fact, business has been so active in Chile that Corada was named to Tutor Doctor’s President’s Circle in 2017, which recognizes the top performers across the brand’s entire system .

“It’s incredibly exciting to be included in the President’s Circle, and now that I’ve made it into that group, I’m planning to maintain that level of success. To do that, I’m going to continue working alongside the team that I’ve put together in Chile. The main reasons that I’ve been able to have success stems from our strong teamwork,” Corada said.

This year, Corada’s focus remains on growing the Tutor Doctor brand across Latin America. His goal is to finish the year with at least five new locations open for business, which is why he’s actively looking for local owners to take on territories of their own and help change the trajectory of students’ lives. Prospective franchisees can expect startup costs to range from $68,500 to $101,700. However, beyond that investment, Corada says a franchisee’s success comes down to how thoroughly they buy into the Tutor Doctor brand.

“When you buy into a franchise system – especially in an international market – you have to follow the rules and model that are established. Of course, you have to adapt the model to the country that you’re operating in to align it with the culture, but the system is there for a reason,” said Corada. “My other top pieces of advice are to build a strong team, be aggressive with your marketing resources and actively take steps to make the brand better known in the country in which you’re operating.

When those things come together with a proven concept like Tutor Doctor’s, it’s possible to be successful.”

Cassie has over five years of digital and traditional media experience. She joined NLA after working as a television news producer in both Milwaukee and Chicago, and now specializes in aligning strategies across the board for her clients, ultimately building buzz and telling compelling stories through content marketing, social media, digital campaigns and traditional PR. Cassie has a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast and Electronic Communications from Marquette University.

In her spare time, Cassie enjoys traveling and exploring what new cities have to offer in addition to spending time with her friends and family.