Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alexander Merrill, Owner of Alliance Tutoring, located in Greenwich, CT, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Alliance Tutoring supports students in the space between adolescence and young adulthood with comprehensive academic and personal support, with experienced tutors sporting impressive personal and academic backgrounds.

Tell us about yourself

As a former 18-year-old gone rogue, I've made it my life's work to support those that get lost "comin thro the rye." I began as an instructor in boarding schools and colleges throughout the northeast before beginning Alliance Tutoring in 2019 to focus exclusively on this mission.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

In three years, we've gotten thousands of clients back on the metaphorical horse. When they do make it back on the path, it's cathartic and life-altering. It's incredibly fulfilling to support teens or young adults through what is ostensibly the hardest period of their lives.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

There are a number of dramatically different facets of business that I had to learn when I began: from finance to operations, to HR, to customer service. Once I got to a basic level in all of these departments, making decisions about structuring, re-structuring, hiring/firing, and broader mission goals were lonely and psychologically challenging in ways that have forced my growth, whether I wanted it or not!

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Market distinction is key. It's really tempting to be "All things to all people" when you just start when you call from all kinds. But clients respect and trust you more when you admit to them what you're not and turn away those who aren't good fits.
  2. Big spending on marketing, operations, etc., does not always result in expanded profit margins. While it's important, vital even, to take risks, you can't succeed without them; reckless is not necessarily successful in and of itself.
  3. Finding good marketing is critically important, and it's really difficult. If you find something that works really well, hold on for dear life.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Finding creative ways to obtain funding for your ventures is basically the lifeblood. You can grow a tree from a seed, but it's a lot easier if they give you a ten-foot tree with free fertilizer to start.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://alliancetutoring.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alliancetutoring/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alliancetutors
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3oyXRgo

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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