Episode 86: Building a Sustainable Tutoring Business with Kathleen Brigham of Brigham Learning
Kathleen Brigham has been in the educational field for over 30 years. With a Bachelor's degree from Middlebury College and a Master's in Educational Administration from Columbia Teachers College, she started Brigham Learning, an education consulting and tutoring company. Her primary goal is to help students discover self-awareness and confidence through academic success. With three children and four stepchildren, she combines her personal experience with her educational background to work with children of all ages and learning abilities.
In this episode, Kathleen dives into her journey from educator to business owner, giving lots of great advice along the way. She also details how she scaled her business, giving such helpful tips you’ll want to take notes.
Check out Kathleen’s website.
Topics Discussed:
Starting small and building a tutoring business from the ground up
Learning to delegate work
Recognizing what you love about education
Resources mentioned:
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Read the transcript for this episode:
Welcome to Educator Forever, where we empower teachers to innovate education. Join us each week to hear stories of teachers expanding their impacts beyond the classroom and explore ways to reimagine teaching and learning.
Kathleen Brigham has been in the educational field for over 30 years with a bachelor's degree from Middlebury College and a master's in education administration from Columbia Teachers College, she started a Brigham Learning and Education consulting and tutoring company. She has since scaled her company and expanded her operations with a team of tutors. Welcome, Kathleen. So glad to have you here.
Kathleen Brigham
Thank you, Lily. So glad to be here.
Lily Jones
So in whatever direction you want to take this question, I would love to hear about your journey as an educator.
Kathleen Brigham
Okay, it's a good one. And it's not straight one. So yeah, I'm usually not. So I come from a family of educators, which made me not want to go into education. And I actually studied art history in college, and then about very soon out of college realized that wasn't what I wanted to do. So I moved into the education world. But that for me, it was very interesting because I really just want to experience what it was like at a school. And I did everything at this very small private school in New York City. And I spent time in the business office, I spent time in admissions, I spent time teaching grammar and art history. And it gave me a really nice glimpse of the education world. And so I stayed there. So I've always leaned on the administrative side, more than the teaching side, even though teaching has been part of what I've done. So I stuck with that. And I went through working with the school and did admissions work for a very, very long time. And after that, I was interested in went back to school. And right as that was happening, we were moving around, I was newly married, and I was sort of figuring out everything and how am I going to juggle moving and work and all these different things. And we actually moved to London. So I did a lot of tutoring over there. Because it was just a really great schedule. I didn't, I didn't have a teaching degree, so I couldn't teach over there. And so that's sort of how I got into more of the teaching. But I always stayed more on the one on one, even though in that when I worked in school, I did do some classroom work. So all of that led me into this world of education. And then I really decided that the special ed world was very interesting to me. So I went back and got a degree in England in learning differences.
Lily Jones
Wonderful. And I know then you started breaking learning. And can you tell us about that, and kind of how that came about?
Kathleen Brigham
Sure. Yeah. I decided that being in the tutoring works world for a long time. And also having a family of teachers and educators that really that relationship between the student and the teacher or tutor whomever it was, was so important, right, we could have someone who was brilliant are so skilled at what they did. But if they didn't find that connection, it didn't work. And I found that I really enjoyed that part of it. And that was really, that was my strength. But I also knew, quite honestly, that I could tutor hours and hours a week, and it wasn't going to be an income that was going to work for me. So either go into the full time classroom, or figure this out. So that's where Brigham learning came from, I knew that I wanted to do something that was scalable, so that I could have more tutors working under me and make it a more honestly a more viable business.
Lily Jones
Yeah, it's so interesting. And I work with a lot of teachers who have started their own tutoring businesses, and are probably at a similar spot that you were when you started Brigham learning, you know, really thinking about there's one of me, there's finite numbers of every day, and how do I make it to to an income goal, while also preserving my life? And so can you tell us kind of how did you do that? Was there a certain methodology that you kind of developed and then trained other people in or how did that work?
Kathleen Brigham
Now? That's a really good question. So I started really small. That was, that was the first thing. So first, it was just me going all around and tutoring. And I worked under this other tutoring company for a while. But I really wanted to give parents a choice. So I had this sort of model in my head of if I was the parent, and I was at the time and had use tutors, like, what would I want it to look like? And what would I want that relationship to be with a tutor or tutor and company? Because it's a, you know, not that this was, what 1213 years ago, but if I research back then there were very big companies where you get sort of an 800 number and here's your tutor, and then you would get what is typical of a lot of teachers around you know, call this person call this person so I thought if I could source them if I could really find quality tutors and pay them really, really well. Then I could have this group, and we could all have the same mission. And what I still do today when I interview any tutor is to talk much more about how they relate to students, how they relate to parents, how they understand what it's like not to understand, because that's why people most likely come to a tutor. Much more than you know what your math specialty or how you know, how much writing and expertise do you have, they all come with an inordinate amount of experience. So I kind of started with this law, this expectation. So number one, nobody was coming to me who just felt like tutoring who wanted to try it for a month or three months, nobody came to me who had not either had a teaching certificate, or at least five years of experience in the classroom or tutoring situation. And right away, that obviously makes my job easier, because they're, they're pretty great to work with, you know, they're really so good and skilled at what they do. So I'm not doing a lot of worrying and training around them. And then I have, I could go on forever. And you can ask me more specifics, they have a very, you know, pretty thorough onboarding, the that I do with them, so we're all meeting at the same place. So the same expectation. And I think what maybe differentiates my approach was that I have so much respect for who they are and what they do. I'm not schooling them, I'm not educated, they're helping me, I pay them more than, you know, a lot of tutoring companies pay a third or a scale or something like that, I pay them two thirds. So they, I want them to feel really respected. I want them to feel appreciated, and then they're really happy and they're really loyal. And 1213 years later, I have a crop of tutors are still with me.
Lily Jones
Wonderful. I love that. And I love thinking about the beginning really focused on relationships with students or you know, at the beginning of you sharing. And then also, it seems like the relationship with the teachers, too, and that both parts are so important. And really the quality of the teachers that you bring on, and the relationships that you build with them are same as with your students like what's going to set you up for success.
Kathleen Brigham
Yeah, it's so key because, look, they're most of them are in the classroom all day, it's a different dynamic one on one, it's for a lot of people, it's really sort of a nice shift. Because you know, managing a classroom is so daunting and exhausting, and often doesn't even involve the academics for much of the class. And then they come in, wow, I can, I can see this kind of change in one hour with the students. So they, they really enjoy it. But I'm also sort of like good cop, bad cop, right? Like I'm there, if a parent is continually late, or trying to what I call the 20 Minute driveway talk where they're, you know, talking and talking after the hour, like, I want to make sure that my tutor is getting paid for their time. So they communicate with me and will let me know, and then I will communicate with the with the parent, which is a great relief to them.
Lily Jones
I'm sure. So thinking about that, too. I'm curious kind of how your role shifted, when you went from being the one tutor, you know, working with all the families to stepping out of that and having a team you know, what then became your role?
Kathleen Brigham
Yes, it was it really was an interesting transition. Because in the beginning, it really was me I was jumping on the subway or jumping in my car and driving around to people's homes, then the next step was sort of a wow, maybe I should have an office where they can come to me and then I won't have to do this kind of commuting. And that cut down on everything. And then having the team the hardest thing was explaining to parents that it wasn't going to be me every time people get really attached we all do that special tutor or that special teacher. So really making sure that I had expert people carrying empathic people so that I felt comfortable getting you know, sending them off into somebody's home and things like that. But starting small I think was key even though I was eager to get it started and also in a financial situation where I really needed to get it started I had three kids I was newly divorced. So I this was this was important to to get going. But I think if I look at some of the mistakes I made, it was trying to get a little too much at once and just oh, I met that tutor, I'll just have them go instead of really doing my due diligence with them.
Lily Jones
Interesting, and then how has your role and your company grown over time?
Kathleen Brigham
So we started with me and then I grew it to maybe five the biggest difference that I'm struggling with quite honestly this year is that I'm doing less tutoring. It's really the first year where I'm not in the office every day and tutoring. And I still have relationships with a lot of students. I still do tutor, but some of them are like, oh gosh, I missed that. I missed that sort of thing right in front of them all the time. Time, but honestly, I don't have I don't have time now to manage 40 tutors, and three plus locations to be the tutor that I was. So that's, that's the biggest change.
Lily Jones
Yes, I relate to that we have a curriculum agency side of our business where I used to just do all the curriculum projects. And now I feel like daily, I have to remind myself not to start doing curriculum myself. It was like, oh, man, I want to Oh, but it'd be so fun. But it's like every time like, I just don't have time. So it's like growing pains. But, but interesting to hear. And then going back to I know, you said that you had so many relatives who are teachers. And I'm curious, when you decided to kind of go out of the traditional school building and start your own tutoring business, what were the reactions that they had or other people had in your life?
Kathleen Brigham
Yes, so I will say straight off the bat, because I was not the traditional classroom teacher, that there was a little judgment, they're like, wait a minute, you haven't been in the classroom long enough, you know, but you don't you haven't paid your dues long enough that that sort of thing. And that would come from, I mean, my family members are pretty supportive and wonderful. But it definitely would come from other teachers, and certainly tutors, there's sort of this like, so how long have you been in the classroom? And what's your background? And yeah, who and kind of play that game and I, first I was sort of nervous about it. And then I thought, It's okay, I have this background, I really did get a lot of education in education. I've worked with a lot of students and my superpower is connecting my superpower is really sitting down with a child and a family and helping them feel at ease, understanding who they are as a person as a learner. So I kind of had to continually have that conversation with myself, as others I felt a lot of judgment from, from others, you know, and maybe that was sort of my own insecurities. But a lot of questions about how long you've been doing this, and that, you know, that sort of thing. And a lot of questions rightly so about who the tutors are, how qualified they are, people like to dig in. And, and, you know, they're not trying to disrupt everything, but they want to know, and maybe I made people a little uncomfortable, because I took this on and the way that I took it on, so they were like, Wait, you can't do that. I didn't do that, you can't do that.
Lily Jones
Yes, it's hard for people to see other possibilities sometimes, or to see a different path. And I think it's also hard, starting something new and maybe, you know, feeling like you're still figuring it out, and then getting all these questions, it can feel really overwhelming and not to kind of internalize them or make too much out of them. But then I think when you start getting the same questions over and over again, it's just like, alright, this is my answer, like, this is what we do. And so it's almost one of those things that has to be part of the process that you just go through.
Kathleen Brigham
You do. And I think, you know, it's, it's so much of just getting comfortable with yourself what you're doing with your products, for lack of a better word, you know, what we're offering and just in the beginning, whatever you do you feel, you know, nervous and less confident. But as you know, as time goes on, and you make these relationships, and most importantly, see the success of the students are like, okay, something's working here, you know, and honestly, it's a different mindset. It's not for everybody. Teachers are very organized. People, they like their I find they like their structure. So this is different. This is more of a entrepreneurial role, right? You're bouncing all around, I'm learning about spreadsheets, and all kinds of things that have nothing to do with teaching. So it's a very different, it's a very different mindset. And I think one of the reasons the tutors like working with me, they don't want to mark it, they don't even want to collect the check. They don't like asking for money, you know, they just want to show up work with the student and leave. So then they're like, Oh, you're the one who gets the money. Oh, you're the one who, you know, gets my they're all independent contractors, you know, my 1099 later, and they're they're just relieved, quite honestly.
Lily Jones
Yeah, I mean, I think it's important to know kind of what you want to move into and like what those roles entail, and you know, what you don't want to do and what you do want to do, yeah, some of it too. I feel like when I started a business, I was like, all of this business stuff seems overwhelming. And then some of it I actually did enjoy figuring it out, even if it wasn't, you know, naturally something that I wanted to do. And I'm curious through your experience, you know, moving outside of the traditional school building and then starting your own business what have you really learned about yourself personally and or professionally.
Kathleen Brigham
So I have learned it's interesting because I think in a way I could apply this to another business right I think what I'm interested in without taking away the the idea that of course, I want children To succeed, and I care about them deeply, but not that they're just a commodity, but I really liked the sort of inventing of the business and the ideas. So starting just with the tutors is is one example. And then with that I sort of saw some gaps like, Oh, nobody really does this sort of assessment of them as a learner, right? Like they, you might have to do a full evaluation, but I'm not talking about that. And I'm talking about diagnosing I was like, I need to get to know the student a little bit better before we send them off to tutoring. So I start, I created this assessment that I do with students, and it's very casual, and we sit down for an hour and do different questions and things. And I loved doing that. So I would observe sort of gaps or places that I thought would be interesting and helpful in the business, and create things around that and that I really I enjoy so much more than I expected to I love love thinking of those ideas, and then running with it.
Lily Jones
Yeah, I relate to that. I mean, I think it's, it can be so creative and fulfilling to really invent something. And I love that frame of thinking of in entrepreneurship as inventing, you know, you're inventing something new, you're inventing solutions to problems and really ways of communicating and helping different people.
Kathleen Brigham
Yeah. And as I've done more of it, I've relaxed, gotten more confident. At first, I was very protective of everything, oh, this is just what we do. And I can't share. And now I just I talked to anyone and everyone I have in an organization where we're all tutor, some private, some larger companies, learning specialists, and we all share ideas I just felt and I'm like, this is fantastic. Honestly, in the beginning, I was so worried and protective or thin thinking, Oh, they're better, they're more experienced than I am. And now we all just support each other. And it's, that is nice, because I will be honest, in this kind of business. You sort of are in a silo and I'm alone by myself at the desk. So how do you people to sort of bounce ideas off of and share ideas has been really, really wonderful.
Lily Jones
Absolutely. So needed. And I think especially working virtually, and working kind of on your own? Yes, you have a team but like you, we need to create these communities for ourselves, to be able to really push ourselves forward and just have that like, personal satisfaction of being around other people. Exactly. Yeah. So looking back on your career in education, that what do you wish you would have known before entering the education field?
Kathleen Brigham
I think at the time, I didn't think big enough, right? I, I went into education. I'm very, very happy about it. Maybe because, you know, it did have family members that did it. I don't know that I thought of different ideas. So if I stayed in the education field, I didn't think about maybe I could go do this somewhere else, you know, I could go abroad or do different kinds of schools, I was fairly narrow and what I thought this should, should look like. And I don't think I thought, I feel like I lucked out a little bit and that I really love what I do. And I love this the, you know, where the course of study that I did end up doing. But I will admit that I don't think I've thought about it probably enough. And I would say to anyone, maybe don't go to grad school right away, take a couple of years. If you think you want to be a teacher, go try to you know, try to work within a school that will will have you and just make sure that's really what you want to do. I think jumping right into graduate school, I could have us maybe a couple more years just to really sort that out.
Lily Jones
Interesting. Yeah. And I definitely see a lot of teachers and I felt like this too, within schools, I think we're shown a very limited path, often that you can be an administrator, or maybe you can be an instructional coach. There are many more options pass in there. And so really seeing a broader view can be so illuminating. Of all the different ways that you can work in education, whether in a school or with individual students or beyond. There are so many options out there.
Kathleen Brigham
Yeah, I agree. I agree. And those are all things that I've encountered. As I've done this, there weren't things that I sort of knew and thought about when I was 24, or whatever.
Lily Jones
Yes, absolutely. And so for people who are thinking about maybe starting their own businesses, or maybe going into tutoring or working beyond the classroom in some way, what advice would you give them?
Kathleen Brigham
I think it's really good to sit down and think about what you enjoy about your job and what you don't enjoy, right? So if you are someone who is not enjoying flex, you know, being flexible, flexible and kind of jumping around if you like predictability, it can be a little tricky, I think so. I was actually just talking to someone about this because for the first time what I've done is it's always been me And then the tutors underneath. And I have this wonderful tutor who's worked with me for almost over six years. And she said, would you ever want to open a branch here that happens to be in Bergen, New Jersey, and I was like, wow, I don't know, I'm not near there. So for the first time, I have sort of a director, right, somebody in between. So I haven't been in this position, I haven't been sort of the boss in this way, or the mentor or whatever. So we talk about this, we talk about this a lot. And in the beginning, it was, what are your strengths? Right? What do you really enjoy? And, and what don't you enjoy is, is equally because it is a business, you know, if you are thinking of tutoring, even if you're just doing your own own group of students or whatever, you have to collect money, you know, there are things about kids and cancellation and parents who might be unhappy. So there's all of this area outside of that tutoring session that you have to be comfortable with, or at least know that you're going to have to manage.
Lily Jones
Absolutely. And so thinking about what about for marketing for people who are maybe starting their own tutoring businesses? What advice would you give them around marketing their services?
Kathleen Brigham
Just get comfortable with it. I think there's a sense of education that if we mark it, right, and if we sort of advertise myself ourselves in a flashy way, that that somehow is diminishing us as educators, right, that we aren't really earnest about what we're doing, because we're making money off of it. And you look at any other industry, this is what everybody does, right? So I think for a lot of people, I've spoken to that, that comes up a lot, like, oh, gosh, I feel badly, I feel badly charging that much, or, I don't know if I can really do that. And I would say, you know, realize that it is it is a business that you can do a very, you know, honest and quality job with but you do have to get comfortable with marketing. I would say that nobody, almost nobody these days will hear your name and number. without checking some sort of social media, okay, you don't have to get fancy, you don't have to spend 1000s of dollars on a website or anything like that. But a one page clean website is really great idea. People really want to see your face, they want to connect with the person. A simple Instagram, that is not your personal Instagram is probably a really good idea. You don't want to see you on vacation necessarily with all your friends, but they might want to just see you like in your class that day, or whatever you did. So just at a minimum, think about a very clean, simple social media presence that you can do that you can market yourself that way.
Lily Jones
Great advice. Yeah, it doesn't have to be fancy. But starting with something that can grow over time, and through the experience of doing it and seeing what people resonate with.
Kathleen Brigham
For sure. And don't see that as you know, as, as negative at all. It's just, it's really just giving them information on who you are, what you offer, what what services you offer, sort of what your philosophy is, I asked all my tutors to write their own bios, because I think like resumes are very cold. So they all write their own bios. And I always say don't brag tell about all your great schooling and education. But also tell us about you, you know, your family or the cooking or what class you'd like to take or something like that. Because we all want to connect that way. In the end, especially in the tutoring industry, I think you want that person sitting across from you, or sitting across from your child, who's going to be you know, a human that can connect, right? So if you give some of that on Instagram or on your on your website, you just honestly saving yourself some time.
Lily Jones
Yes, and it all goes back to those relationships. So you know that a bio, you know, or whatever you're putting out there online is a way to start building those relationships and making sure that you come through. That doesn't sound like any old other person. We're gonna be offering these services like, Does it sound like you?
Kathleen Brigham
Yeah. And that's why the bio is so important, right? It's not just where you went to school and what you studied, but it's really who you are. And what's your philosophy as a teacher or tutor? What do you you know, how do you connect with students? What do you think is important? That kind of thing.
Lily Jones
I love that. Because that as a parent to like is what I want to see. And I want to see if it these people might resonate with what I'm looking for, like, what do they believe about education? Or what is their approach?
Kathleen Brigham
Exactly. It's also another reason that almost always I give teachers sorry, parents a choice. So I find that they're a little more invested. If I say, Well, this is one option of a tutor. And this is another option. And that way, it's not just one, you know, you just give me this one person and there's a little bit more of a buy in there and they develop a better relationship I find with the tutor.
Lily Jones
Yeah, that makes sense. Well, thank you so much, Kathleen, it was wonderful talking with you and hear you about your experience. Can you tell people where they can connect with you or find out more about more about you? Yeah, absolutely.
Kathleen Brigham
So the company is Brigham learning, and you can just Google Burgum learning Brigham learning.com Um, my email is Kathleen at Brigham learning. You can also find me on Instagram which is that the Kathleen Brigham. And just to explain I do a lot of I do kind of wear two hats. So when you'll get on there you'll see all about tutoring and parent advising but I also do work with parents around divorce and divorce counseling. So you've gotten the right person I just happened. This is more another conversation we can have about how I expanded my business, just to cover the things that I found really useful to me.
Lily Jones
Wonderful. Well, thank you again. It was so nice talking with you.
Kathleen Brigham
Thanks, Lily. Really enjoyed it.
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