William Silva: Living the American Dream Through Sylvan Learning

William Silva just moved to Florida from Brazil on Saturday, December 23, 2017. Silva was a successful franchise owner of several language centers in Brazil called Escolas Fisk, at one point overseeing 15 locations. However, when Silva decided he was ready to live out the American dream in the United States, he began looking into the best options for success in the education sector.

“I’ve always had the dream of living in the United States and building a life for myself in America,” said Silva. “When I made the decision to move to the country, I was determined to invest in a business that was still in the education industry as I developed a passion for the industry and have a background in teaching.”

Silva has worked in the education industry for 22 years, beginning as a student at a Fisk center in Brazil. Upon graduating high school, Silva opened his first location for the brand at just 18 years old. He partnered with his brother to open up several other locations over the years. However, Silva sold most of his Fisk centers when he decided to move to The States, with only six locations to his name left in Brazil that his brother and sister-in-law are overseeing.

Silva found Sylvan Learning to be very similar to Fisk, since they both offer similar programs and services as long-standing, leading education brands in the countries they serve. Silva is able to grow with Sylvan just has he did with Fisk in Brazil, with interest in expanding with Sylvan in nearby territories of Windermere, Orlando, Winter Park or Winter Gardens in the future. His first location will open in Ocoee on January 20, 2018.

“When I visited the United States, I was always drawn to Florida and wanted to live somewhere in the state,” said Silva, “I used to take my students at Fisk to Disney World every year, and I noticed what an opportunity there was in the state to find success through business ownership in the education industry.”

According to Silva, it was love at first sight when he initially visited Sylvan Learning to inquire about franchise ownership. He knew the brand would provide him with similar success that he saw at Fisk, and decided to invest in a franchise location and move to the U.S.

Sylvan expanded its brand immensely throughout Florida in 2017. The brand focused on adding locations throughout major cities like Tampa and began to saturate the Panhandle of Florida as well, with franchise locations in cities like Pensacola.

With Silva’s new location and his plans to further grow with the brand throughout the state, Sylvan will continue to dominate the education sector in Florida. The brand is targeting untapped markets in the state as it heads into 2018, including cities like Naples and Largo.