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Delaware Valley Tutoring & Test Preparation

Delaware Valley Tutoring & Test Prep, LLC, is an all ages and all subjects in-home tutoring and test preparation company.

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Upstart name:
Delaware Valley Tutoring & Test Preparation

Upstart URL:
http://www.learningispersonal.com

Date of launch:
November 1, 2008

Tell us about your upstart business:
Since I was a child, I always wanted to be self-employed. Tutoring is work that I’d done myself, and also watched my father do growing up (He’s a prep school math teacher.). So, I worked for a few tutoring companies while researching the industry, and found that, for me personally, it was an ideal first venture.

My firm, Delaware Valley Tutoring & Test Prep, LLC, is an all ages and all subjects in-home tutoring and test preparation company. While working for another tutoring firm during my research phase, I tutored an ex-convict in his late 20’s. He was trying to turn his life around, and needed to pass a union entrance exam in order to get a steady, well-paying job working with his father every day. The test was all math, and, having dropped out of school at 14, he was unable to complete any of the problems on it. After working with him for 2 months, he not only passed, but scored almost 90%! Inspiring to say the least, this experience also cued me into an untapped niche in the tutoring industry: adult students. Tutoring people for Praxis tests, union entrance exams, GREs, etc., is not something that other tutoring companies do. With my company catering to students of all ages in all subjects, my tutors can fill ‘traditional’ tutoring roles (i.e. tutoring reading, writing, math, SAT prep, etc.), while still allowing the company to tap into this unique niche.

How are you funding your Upstart?:
Personal Savings

Upstart launch budget?:
$10000

What do you feel is your biggest challenge?:
My biggest challenge is probably shared with most businesses- differentiating my company from competitors

What do you see in the future for your upstart?:
Bigger and Better

How has the current economy affected your upstart?:
Since I JUST launched, no effect yet… Tutoring is a fairly recession-proof business, especially when catering to upper-income clients, as it’s generally seen as a ‘need’ rather than a ‘want.’

Your Upstart Services:
Personal, One-on-One, Tutoring & Test Preparation Services in the comfort of the student’s home or location of choice.

Recommended Services / Advice:
If you’re thinking of starting your own business, my advice would be to research EVERYTHING. There will still be surprises, of course, and many of them, but by careful research, you can keep these usually costly incidents to a minimum. You can count on things costing more and taking longer than you think they will. If you have the choice, try to make the last things you do before launch (or as late as practical) those that require regular fees or subscriptions (i.e. don’t sign up for merchant services until you’re totally ready to set it up and use it or you’ll waste lots of money in monthly fees). Don’t wait to set up your accounting program(s)!!! Start from your first transaction. If your company has anything at all to do with the internet or email, get a BlackBerry- the ability to know about and respond quickly to email is critical, even in the setup phase. Pay professionals to do what they do. You’ll save time, money, and headaches galore…

The following companies (listed below in alphabetical order) were, and continue to be, tremendously helpful to myself and my company, and I can recommend them without reservation:
http://www.aboandcompany.com/
http://www.capehart.com/
http://www.virtualadagency.com/

Contact email address:
cjeffers@dvtutoring.com

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