by Kasey Hammond

Created on: August 10, 2010   Last Updated: August 11, 2010

To begin a tutoring business you will want to think about marketing and advertising.  Marketing is fairly inexpensive and there are even free tools that you can use to immediately launch your business and start advertising. Contact your local school system to see if they have or maintain a tutor list.  You may also want to reach out to private schools in your area.

It's a good idea to make simple fliers to advertise both your name and the subject you tutor.  Tutoring is a broad term, so be sure to niche yourself when you advertise. For example- Algebra Tutoring by Jim.  To keep costs low you can even use the library to print. Most libraries allow you to have a certain number of copies for free.  You can post your fliers locally on community bulletin boards as well as in the library itself!  Once you have a subject that you want to specialize in, be sure to niche yourself in that subject. You may eventually branch out to other subjects but initially it will be good to choose one subject and really market yourself in that subject to grow your business.

Teachers and schools are a great source of referrals and once they get to know you will easily give out your name to potential customers.  As challenges continue to grow in education, the need for a personalized tutor continues to grow.  With many households having two working parents and the stress of day to day life, parents are happily paying tutors to work one on one with their children to ensure success in their academic studies.

Once you have a few clients you will want to start a website. On your website be sure to include your bio, your testimonials from your happy students and their family as well as your price list.  You can also include any other websites or materials page that you may recommend.  Some tutors have an online system for booking appointments on their website which might be something to consider in the future but initially you can just keep your website simple. Be sure to list your business in Google so that it will come up in the search results.

Typically students already have their own textbooks and therefore you don’t need to purchase materials. The internet is a great tool to find supplemental worksheets to use during your sessions.

The best part about having your own tutoring business is that you get to meet new people, help a child succeed and make a great living at the same time. You can run this business out of your house if you choose or meet students in a public library or coffee house.

Tutors who are enthusiastic about the subject they are  tutoring will find they will succeed and have parents and teachers begging them to work with their students!

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