How Franchisees Receiving “Emotional ROI” is Helping Sylvan Learning Open a New Location Every Other Week in 2022

Sylvan Learning, the leading provider of personalized education for students in grades K–12 with more than 750 points of presence worldwide, is providing franchisees not only with a financial return on their investments but also what the brand refers to as “emotional ROI.” And that less tangible benefit is proving critical to Sylvan’s goal of opening a new location every other week throughout 2022.

Emotional ROI, while not providing a monetary return, provides a feeling of having done something incredibly good. Sylvan Learning franchisees, in addition to making a financial return, also benefit from knowing that they are doing good in their communities and making a difference in the lives of students. By creating an impact on students, teachers and parents — and constantly hearing the success stories – the brand creates meaningful experiences for both its franchisees and its customers.

For more than 40 years, Sylvan has recognized the need for education never ends and is always changing. The leading supplemental and enrichment education brand continues to reach students by hiring certified teachers who not only instruct but inspire, using interactive technology and developing Personalized Tutoring programs via its Sylvan Method™.

Franchise growth strategy

With its strong presence in communities nationwide and systems developed to change with the times, Susan Valverde, chief franchise operations officer at Sylvan Learning, says the brand continues to impact communities by being a genuine partner to the families it works with.

“Mom and dad really want a trusted brand or school,” said Valverde. “They want a trusted partner that can help them ensure their child's success. Schools also want a trusted partner that can help them ensure a student’s success. If we have happy customers, which is reflected in the net promoter score, we have great academic results, which, at the end of the day, is probably the most important thing to continue for the brand to thrive. Our franchisees are great operators, and they're happy with their financial and emotional returns provided by this model that has been around for 43 years.”

Jennifer Bellestri is one of the many Sylvan franchisees who have proven that the brand’s benefits for owners are far more than just financial. She continues to impact her Sylvan community through her three centers in Lone Tree, Littleton and Broomfield, Colorado.

Franchisee success stories

Bellestri started with the franchise in 1994, when she began tutoring part time. Fully immersing herself into her love of teaching, within three months Bellestri became the director of education at her center. Her path of growth with Sylvan continued when she and her husband Mark bought their first center in October of 2018, then their second in June of 2019 and their third in January of 2020.

“I wouldn't be doing this for so many years if I didn't believe deeply in the value it provides students and families,” she said. “When we decided to purchase our centers, my husband and I really made it our mission to make families happy by seeing their students succeed. So we created a mission statement: to foster a safe and joyful environment where students feel competent, and the ability to achieve their full potential.”

Bellestri says Sylvan’s involvement goes beyond helping students who come into the center; she also makes an effort to immerse her centers into the community and give back whenever possible.

“We donate a portion of our assessment fee to non-profit organizations, and we're working on partnerships with school districts to help support them and their COVID learning loss,” Bellestri said. “We're also in partnership with a charity called Hide In Plain Sight that provides education and resources to homeless students. We're also involved in a charity called Food for Thought, which helps underprivileged kids combat hunger.”

Bellestri also pointed to the strong inner workings and culture of her Sylvan centers and how everyone, when meeting with the directors of the three centers, will start the monthly meeting off with their “Sunshine Moment.’ This is a special moment that happened in the last month — or a family — that impacted them.

“It's pretty powerful,” she said. “We are able to reflect on what families have said worked for them and how Sylvan helped improve their child’s learning or even confidence. We receive text messages or pictures of outstanding report cards that they've never seen before. I have seen students really change their whole attitude.”

Valverde has been with Sylvan for 20 years. For the first 15 of those years, she was a franchisee in Texas. Having experience as both a franchisee and now being a member of the corporate leadership team, she is able to advocate for the brand’s financial return.

“I really got into small business ownership because I love the concept of the American Dream,” she said. “You get to be the master of your fate. You get to create jobs.

You get to generate economic impact for your community. And then on top of that, with Sylvan, the big bonus is you’re helping kids. We had some pretty challenging situations dealt to us, and because of COVID-19, kids are very behind academically and need more help than ever.

And we are able to be part of an economic and academic recovery in our various communities and help kids and families get peace of mind that they can get caught up and that everything's going to be okay.”

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.