“I was impressed by the growth of the Tutor Doctor brand and decided to invest”

Serial entrepreneur Deaglan Furey felt unfulfilled in his previous roles that predominantly involved making cold calls until he finally came across the Tutor Doctor franchise opportunity and decided to invest

Deaglan Furey knows a thing or two about running businesses. After studying robotics at the University of West England, and finding the course wasn’t suited to him, the savvy entrepreneur went his own way and set up a food supply company. Following this, he opened an estate and letting agency in central London and went on to run and work in several businesses across a variety of sectors. When he came across an opportunity with Tutor Doctor, Deaglan discovered that becoming a franchisee would enable him to utilise his experience and the business lessons he had learned, all whilst making a positive impact on his local community.

Deaglan launched his company, Tutor Doctor Bromley and Croydon, in 2019, and set about applying his energy and skills to building a thriving business he could be proud of. He has since been running his territories with the support of his mother Ann Mary Wardman. Keeping up with the demand in the local areas, the business has only grown and Deaglan now manages the Romford and Upminster area for the brand too.

He says: “I enjoyed school and went on to complete A-Levels in Physics, Maths and Design & Technology. I did attend university, but it just wasn’t the right fit for me. After leaving, I made the decision to set up and work on my own businesses, but I was left unfulfilled. In 2019, I came across an opportunity in Tutor Doctor. The company had been operating in the UK for eight years at the time I was looking to invest. I was unhappy in my current role as it felt like I was predominantly making cold calls. I was impressed by the growth of the Tutor Doctor brand and decided to invest.

“I had several years of business experience, and I knew Tutor Doctor’s model. I had seen them work quite effectively over the years and saw the brand accelerate quite drastically. It had expanded to 15 countries and its steady and sustainable growth through the years made it an attractive option as a business investment. One of the things the company is extremely passionate about is running a business, whilst making a difference. It’s always impressed me how this has shone through and this ethos has really transformed me as a business owner.”

Tutor Doctor is the fastest-growing in-home tutoring franchise in the world, with over 720 franchisees operating in over 16 countries. Franchisees manage a team of tutors and work closely with families to identify the needs of students. As successful business owners at the heart of the local community, franchisees help children to achieve their potential and change lives for the better. In today’s modern, hectic world, the tired old centre-based model lacks convenience and the personal touch. Tutors visit students at home or work with them one-to-one via an online platform for a truly bespoke, person-centred service.

Deaglan flew to Tutor Doctor’s home office in Toronto for his initial franchisee training in January 2019. Although he was prepared for the plethora of information he would receive during his 10 days, he was still impressed by the sheer breadth of training material on offer, covering various business disciplines.

“I had a full week of training in Toronto which was fantastic,” he says. “It was very hands-on, and we discussed everything from sales to how to employ the right tutors to managing cash flow. I took my first member of staff, Dominique, with me and it was very informative for both of us. We returned home feeling well equipped to run the business from the get-go.”

Immediately after launching, franchisees are actively supported by a business coach across all areas of business through structured training programmes, weekly coaching calls, weekly global calls and on-demand support as and when needed. Then, as the business grows, specifically designed support systems help to maintain growth, build momentum, and scale the business, allowing franchisees to achieve both financial and personal goals.

“The ongoing support is fantastic and there is always someone at the end of the phone if you need them,” Deaglan says. “We have a good working relationship with our regional manager who ensures everything runs smoothly. When the pandemic hit we did initially find things difficult, as we were unable to have any meetings with the rest of the network. We would usually be having regional meetings once a quarter and a global meeting once a year. These are held in one centralised location for franchisees. The last one we were able to attend was in Mexico and it provided a great opportunity to keep up to date with the rest of the network, as well as share ideas and progress with one another.

“In terms of how we worked with our students throughout the pandemic, we were lucky to already have an online system in place. It was just a case of moving our content online and training our tutors on how to do that too. The main problem we came up against was the government’s handling of the closing and re-opening of schools. Being able to provide support to our families through such a difficult time for education was a pleasure and a privilege.”

Deaglan’s aim when he first launched in 2019 was to develop his business into one that would work as a larger model, whilst also ensuring they were successful and, of course, making money. Due to the size of his business, Deaglan made the wise decision to employ a team to help with the running of the franchise. He now has two full-time members of staff and he has a goal to turnover £1.25m a year.

“What’s great about being a franchisee is that it’s not just running a business. You’re much more supported; you can be more open, which in turn creates better results. Although you’re working for yourself, it’s never by yourself. The freedom of being able to set up your office from home is fantastic too. You save money and time on travelling and the flexibility is great,” he says.

Due to the flexibility of the Tutor Doctor model, Deaglan is still able to own and run other companies. In his spare time, he enjoys going for walks with his housemate and going to the cinema. As an avid gym-goer, he enjoys playing regular games of badminton. Deaglan also has a passion for video games, science and rocketry.

“For me, the best thing about being a Tutor Doctor franchisee is the other franchisees in the network. You never work as competitors; you are part of a team. Although we all have our own plans of attack, this creates different outcomes. When someone in the network finds something that works, we can all share it. We are all individuals, but we always want to help each other improve. Having that support network is invaluable,” he says.

“Joining the Tutor Doctor franchise is a fantastic opportunity. I would recommend that any prospects research their marketing strategy, as well as their territory before making a decision. If it feels right after you’ve done your due diligence, my advice would be don’t hesitate!”