Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Jones.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Christopher. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started as a tutor while obtaining my undergraduate degree at Texas State University. I worked with college students in SLAC & helped out at Mendez Elementary in San Marcos, TX. At Mendez Elementary, I helped underprivileged students who had learning disabilities (autism, ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, processing disorders) and I also helped as a teacher aide in the classrooms. Furthermore, I helped students one-on-one working on all subjects and helped with school events.
During this time, I became passionate about helping others through academics & mentoring. I moved to Austin, Texas after receiving my degree in Accounting and started helping co-worker’s students for fun. This sparked the idea of branching out and creating a tutoring business. I officially started the business in December of 2015 and started helping students ranging from Primary through College. My tutoring business has helped over 50 students improve academically since we started in 2015.
Currently, Planting Seeds Tutoring is serving the Central Texas & South Texas areas. We are slowly branching out to Dallas & Houston areas looking to serve every student who is passionate about learning.
Has it been a smooth road?
I have definitely had my fair share of challenges thus far & still am dealing with challenges everyday. My first challenge, I encountered outside of the business was building a solid client base.
Furthermore, how could I keep students/parents coming back for our services & what policies and procedures would I have established. I remember when I first started, I would have students canceling on me right before tutoring sessions started. I would feel I wasted my time & become frustrated in the moment. However, I came to realize that I would need to create a cancellation policy that would cover my business from dealing with these issues.
Another challenge/obstacle I endured was finding the right employee that would fit my business and represent my vision. I remember one of the first clients I had I assigned them to one of my new tutors. At the first tutoring session he was a no show, no call. I lost that client and realized the importance of hiring the right employee that would represent the passion, drive and excellence that Planting Seeds Tutoring represents.
The last obstacle I have faced is going through slow seasons and realizing when the fast season is. During my first year, I knew the beginning of the school year, students/parents are constantly looking for tutors. However, I didn’t know the rate would be so fast and I had more clients than I had tutors and eventually lost some. On the contrary, during summer seasons are the slow times when students are enjoying summer vacation. Students typically take an extended break during this time & it’s the best time for us to get together & create great material for the next school year.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Planting Seeds Tutoring was founded in December 2015. We offer tutoring for students as early at the age of 6 through college.
We offer one-on-one tutoring, small group tutoring & test prep… In addition, we provide in-home tutoring, online tutoring and/or public location tutoring (library, coffee shop, etc.)
What sets us apart, is our ability to create tutoring sessions for students that will be engaging, fun & create a passion for learning. We believe if we create students who have a passion for learning then they will experience major growth inside the classroom. Furthermore, our tutors have achieved high levels of success and can provide mentorship that will help students improve their character.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Dallas is a great place for a business in the education field.
Contact Info:
- Website: plantingseedstutoring.com
- Phone: 972-342-6496
- Email: plantingseedstutoring@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plantingseedstutoring/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plantingseedstutoring/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/planting-seeds-tutoring-austin
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
