Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Adelle Southall, Owner of Adelle Tutors LLC., located in Timonium, MD, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I help struggling readers blossom into confident and skilled readers. By focusing on the gaps in phonics, phonological awareness, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency, I can help elementary school students go from reluctant readers to hiding under the bedsheets readers. I tutor online through a zoom-like kid-friendly platform called Koala Go.
Tell us about yourself
After 15 years of teaching in the public school system, I decided it was time to do something new. During the lockdown periods, I saw so many students struggling to learn the basics of reading and knew that I could help them with one-on-one focused instruction. I started tutoring 1 student referred by a colleague, which turned into tutoring 7 students and starting my own business.
I never imagined becoming an entrepreneur, but I love the freedom it brings to my life. I've been able to help so many kids go from struggling reluctant readers to confident and skilled readers, a skill they'll take with them through their whole life.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I love it when I get a random text message from a client telling me how much progress their child has made. My greatest accomplishment was working with a 1st-grade boy who barely knew his letter names and sounds. With hard work and focused instruction, I was able to help him get on grade level and test into the higher levels of his state reading test.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
As a tutor, my job is to work myself out of a job. If I'm doing it right, I'm moving kids forward so they no longer need me. This makes it hard to stay fully booked. However, it also offers opportunities to work with and inspire many students.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Balance is key. You're likely looking to start and run your own business to have more freedom in your life. Getting caught up in the hustle culture is easy, leaving you with less time than you had while working your 9-5 job.
- Get a mentor or coach. When I started, I invested all of my income into myself and my business. Hiring business coaches who were a few steps ahead of me and could guide me was the key to the quick success I saw in my tutoring business.
- Find something you're passionate about. If you can talk about it always and never get bored, it might be your thing! As an elementary school teacher, I taught all subjects, but reading, by far, was my favorite. I could talk about the science of reading all day long, and some days I have to, making it the perfect niche for me.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://adelletutors.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adelletutors
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adelletutorsreading/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adelle-southall-5a8a231b5/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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