Grow Your Tutoring Business Podcast

Tutoring cancellation policies can make or break your tutoring business.In this episode, I’m talking about terms and conditions, cancellations, payment in advance, direct debits, and the mindset shift that has to happen when you stop treating your tuition business like a side hustle and start treating it like a proper business.A lot of tutors start out informally. A few clients come in through word of mouth, sessions get booked, money gets paid here and there, and before long the business is running — but the systems aren’t. That’s when the cracks start to show.I share why clear cancellation policies, payment systems, and professional boundaries matter if you want a more stable and sustainable tutoring business. I also talk about why missed sessions, late payments, rearrangements and vague expectations can quietly leak money, time and energy out of your business.This is not about being harsh. It’s about protecting what you are building.Who this helpsThis episode is for UK tutors who want to:tighten up their tutoring business systemsstop chasing paymentsfeel more confident with parents and policiesbuild a business that feels professional, not patchy

Is it worth starting a tutoring business right now? It sounds like a simple question, but underneath it are all the fears so many tutors carry when they think about starting or growing: Have I missed the boat? Is the market too crowded? Will people actually buy from me? What if I put time, money and energy into this and it goes nowhere?In this new Make It Happen Mondays podcast format, I’m taking real questions submitted by tutors and answering them here on the show with honest advice, practical thinking, and actions you can actually take away.This episode goes right to the heart of what stops so many teachers and tutors from getting started. I talk about why there’s rarely a “perfect time,” why the tutoring market is bigger than many people think, why fear can keep us stuck, and why building a business needs a longer-term view than most people expect.If you’ve been thinking about tutoring more seriously, reducing your school hours, or even replacing teaching with a business of your own, this episode will help you think more clearly about what’s really holding you back.In this episode, I cover:whether now is a bad time to startif the tutoring market is too crowdedwhether parents are still buying tuitionthe fear of putting energy into something uncertainhow to think more clearly about your first stepsThis is for tutors at the beginning, tutors in transition, and tutors who know they want more but haven’t quite moved yet.

September doesn’t start in September.If you want a calmer, more predictable start to the new academic year, you need to start thinking about it now — not when parents hit panic-points and your diary turns into chaos.In this episode of Grow Your Tutoring Business, I’m recording on 26 March 2026 and I’m talking you through the thinking (and the simple plan) that’s helped me have my best Septembers year after year — especially as someone who runs Kent Test / 11+ groups and sees a big student changeover at the end of summer.We’ll start with the bit most tutors skip: the customer journey.Before you post anything, what do you want the parent experience to feel like? Clear? Calm? Professional? Easy to say yes to?Then we move into a practical 8-week “September Pipeline Plan” (don’t worry — you don’t have to call it a pipeline). We cover:what to put in place before you promote anything (offer, FAQs, pricing approach, proof, onboarding)how to increase visibility in a way that doesn’t feel spammyhow to build trust and confidence before families enquirehow to create an interest list or waitlist and nurture it properlyhow to avoid the peaks-and-troughs cycle so your quieter months aren’t as lowIf you’re tired of relying on last-minute enquiries, and you want September to feel like a fresh start (not a scramble), this episode is for you.

Grow your tutoring business by learning why trust, visibility and relationships matter more than quick wins.In this episode of Grow Your Tutoring Business, I share a conversation I had with a close friend who has built a career as a session guitarist, guitar teacher and performer. Parents often ask him how their child can “make it” in music, and his answer was a powerful reminder that success rarely comes from one lucky break.We talk about the hard yards: practising your craft, getting in the right rooms, building relationships, being known, and staying in the game long enough for opportunities to grow.Although the music world is very different from tutoring, the lessons are incredibly relevant for any tutor trying to attract more clients, improve their tutor marketing, and build a sustainable tuition business.This episode is all about visibility, trust, reputation, and why the tutors who keep showing up are often the ones who create the best long-term opportunities.Who this helpsThis episode will help:tutors who want to grow their tutoring business steadilytutors who are struggling to find clients consistentlytutors who want to improve their visibility and reputationtutors who know they need a long-term business mindset, not just quick winsThrive business Circle informationhttps://www.tutorswhothrive.com/thrivebusinesscircle

Growing a tutoring business in the UK gets more complicated when you start a second venture alongside your tuition business.In this special episode of Grow Your Tutoring Business, I’m joined by Vicki for an honest conversation about what it really looks like to build another business while still running everything else. We talk about the excitement of launching something new, the pressure of divided attention, and the reality of juggling systems, marketing, recruitment, and day-to-day delivery.We also share the story behind Students Who Thrive and why we felt pulled to create a business that connects great tutors with children who are outside mainstream education. Along the way, we unpack the challenges of local authority tutoring, the repetitive admin, the uncertainty of contracts, and what happens when your tuition business growth starts competing with your time, energy, and focus.This is a practical, honest episode for tutors who are thinking bigger, stretching themselves, or wondering whether a second business idea is worth pursuing.Who this helps:Tutors, tuition business owners, and education entrepreneurs in the UK who are growing, hiring, systemising, or considering a second income stream.

Failure in tutoring business is something most tutors experience, but few talk about honestly.In this episode of Grow Your Tutoring Business, I’m sharing some of my own mistakes from the last seven years of running a tuition business — from freezing after research, to pricing errors, to shrinking part of my business at the wrong time.This episode is all about what failure really means in business, how it affects us emotionally, and why the most important part is not the mistake itself, but what we do with it next.I talk about the lessons I’ve learned around confidence, comparison, competition, growth, pricing, and decision-making, and why so many tutors stay stuck for too long after something goes wrong.If you’ve ever questioned yourself after a setback in your tuition business, this one is for you.In this episode:Why failure in business feels so personalHow over-research can lead to freezing and inactionThe pricing mistakes many tutors make early onWhat I learned from shrinking part of my businessWhy comparison with bigger tuition companies can hold you backHow to reframe setbacks and use them for growthThe mindset shifts that help tutors move forwardWho this helps:This episode will help tutors, tuition business owners, and education entrepreneurs who want to grow with more confidence, make better decisions, and stop letting setbacks define what happens next.If you’re building a tuition business, trying to improve your tutor pricing, or looking for more honest tutor business tips, this episode will give you plenty to think about.Listen now, and if it resonates, share it with another tutor who needs to hear it.

Leaving teaching identity can be one of the hardest parts of starting again. In this episode of Grow Your Tutoring Business, I’m talking about what happens when so much of who you are has been wrapped up in teaching, and why leaving the classroom can feel like grief, loss, uncertainty, and a complete shake-up of self.If you’ve ever asked yourself Who am I now?, this episode is for you.I share my own experience of leaving teaching, the psychological impact of losing structure, status, purpose and belonging, and how to start building a new identity for yourself through small actions, better language, stronger standards, and a clearer vision of who you want to become.This is a real conversation for tutors, teachers, and education professionals navigating teacher career change, building a tutor business, or simply figuring out what life after teaching looks like.In this episode:Why leaving teaching can feel like griefThe identity shift nobody really warns you aboutWhat happens when your purpose, routine and status disappearWhy confidence often drops after leaving the classroomThe psychology behind self-concept, impostor feelings and self-beliefHow small behaviours help you build a new identityWhy the language you use about yourself mattersHow to stop clinging to an old version of yourselfWhat it takes to grow into a new chapter with intentionWho this helps:This episode will help you if you are:a teacher thinking about leaving the classrooma tutor building a business after teachingfeeling stuck between your old identity and your next chapterstruggling with confidence, visibility or self-belief in businesstrying to create a version of work and life that feels more alignedVisibility Workshop March 22nd 7pm - more info here https://www.tutorswhothrive.com/marketing-social-visibility

You can be brilliant at tutoring and still struggle to grow a business.That’s the truth.A lot of tutors are working hard, doing right by families, caring deeply about their students… and still feeling stuck. Not because they’re bad at what they do, but because being good at tutoring is only part of the job.This episode is for tutors who need a reality check.We’re talking about the hard truths of running a tutoring business: why word of mouth alone can be too slow, why discomfort is often part of growth, why missing a day of earnings might actually help you earn more, why free advice only takes you so far, and why undercharging is not the same as being accessible.I also get into something many of us don’t want to admit:Sometimes the biggest bottleneck in the business is us.That might sound harsh, but it should also feel empowering. Because once you can see what’s really holding things back, you can start making better decisions.This isn’t about guilt. It’s about honesty.And it’s about helping you build something sustainable, profitable, and actually enjoyable.So if you’ve been avoiding the sales conversation, putting off visibility, staying too cheap, or telling yourself “now’s not the right time”, this one is for you.You might not agree with every point. But you’ll definitely have something to think about.Listen in, and then ask yourself: What truth have you been avoiding in your business?https://www.tutorswhothrive.com/tutorfest-2026