Why These Sylvan Learning Franchisees Traded the Corporate World for Business Ownership

Owners with Sylvan Learning — the leading provider of personal learning for students in grades K-12 with more than 750 points of presence worldwide — who have chosen to leave the demands of a nine-to-five corporate job have found a higher level of career satisfaction and a stronger work/life balance in pursuing a shift to franchising in the education industry.

For Sylvan franchisees Jong and Young Kim, with previous careers in IT and the day care industry, business ownership was a goal years in the making.

“Jong had planned on running his own business for more than seven years, but we didn’t find a good business that we felt would be a fit for us both,” Young said. “We talked about it for a long time and realized education is a really good business right now. Jong saw the progress our children made just from me tutoring them, and now they’re both in the gifted program. So we both recognize the value of the supplemental education Sylvan can provide.”

Franchisee success stories

The Kims’ Sylvan Learning location opened in Lake Way, Texas last fall.

“Sylvan has a philosophy that learning should be personal, and that’s exactly how I feel,” Young said. “We have a physical center in Lake Way, and we’re actively looking for and interviewing teachers. My husband is the center director, and I support operations for the center. Lake Way has a lot of young families with children, and the parents are very busy, so I think Sylvan will be a good solution for our local families.”

In his previous career, Jong was in a high-stress environment as part of the JPMorgan Chase IT department, and now he has found a way to bring that experience on his journey with Sylvan.

“While cybersecurity is really important, it was too overwhelming as a career,” Young said. “But Jong’s time in IT has led him to think more about giving back to parents with knowledge and information on how they can take care of their children’s cybersecurity. We’re building something for ourselves with Sylvan, but we also want to be able to give back wherever we can.”

Sylvan Learning has perfected its business model over the course of four decades, offering next-level support to its owners to set them up for long-term success and help them achieve their individual growth goals. The corporate team of industry executives, long-time Sylvan employees and former owners have created streamlined systems and processes and a robust pool of resources to help owners run their businesses, from technology to operations to marketing.

“Sylvan Learning ownership provides tremendous flexibility for our owners,” said Sylvan Learning CEO John McAuliffe. “Franchisees from a wide range of industries, including the corporate world, have ultimately made the decision to switch to education and open a Sylvan Learning of their own without looking back.”

Russell Crowe, a Sylvan owner from Vancouver Island, was a “crazy busy” district manager for a music company before he made the jump to franchising with Sylvan Learning.

“After the shutdown [due to COVID-19], I felt like my previous company’s plan was lacking with some of the protocols they tried to put in place, so I didn’t go back,” Crowe said. “My sons were learning with Sylvan at the time, and my wife and I decided to buy in. Our location is going to be really advantageous for this area, where there’s plenty of demand but not a lot of options.”

Crowe’s wife had earned her teaching certificate, but she opted not to teach with the district and instead will run the education side of their Sylvan location, while Crowe takes care of the business end.

“COVID-related learning loss is real; we can even see it in our son, who has autism and progressed significantly with Sylvan,” Crowe said. “He didn’t make as much progress online as he did in-person, so while virtual learning has its benefits during the pandemic, we’re really looking forward to being able to welcome families into our physical location.”

The Crowes’ Vancouver Island location opened in the fall of 2021.

Covid learning loss impact

As more students return to school amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become increasingly clear that the disruption has left gaps in learning. A recent study estimated that COVID-related learning loss has put students behind anywhere from four to 12 months, depending on demographics. While public school teachers are required to teach the curriculum designed for their specific grade, Sylvan is uniquely suited to offer an individualized method that can meet students exactly where they’re at in their learning journey, no matter the gap left by pandemic disruptions.

Independent research shows the Sylvan Method™ — developed through academic research, teaching experience and technology — builds confidence, boosts skills and delivers better grades and results in up to three times more academic growth compared to students who don’t utilize Sylvan. The brands’ proprietary software, SylvanSync™, allows Sylvan teachers to engage and motivate students with adaptive lessons and a personal learning plan for each child.

These tools and a strong system of support from an organization with more than 40 years in operation makes the decision to leave corporate America behind an easy one.

“It can be very scary to start your own business and earn a regular, stable income,” Young said. “But Sylvan’s proven model makes it a no-brainer. Of course, you’ll have to have money saved up with about a year’s worth of expenses set aside. You’ll always put a lot of your money and work into a business, but the flexibility and satisfaction we get from owning a Sylvan is worth the effort.”

With approximately 10,000 teachers across the U.S. ready to help students, Sylvan Learning ensures students are on track to achieve their goals year after year.