Category Archives: franchise v. small business

3 “birds” with one flyer

スミス英会話布施校講師が書いた記事。日本語はこちらへ I recently had my first experience at a triple trial in Horie! Talk about a full house! I was a bit nervous not knowing what to expect or how I would conduct this lesson and gauge their levels within the allotted time. In they came at 8pm, three young ladies, obviously long time friends [...]

Three Excellent Posts from Adrian

My fellow franchisee, Adrian Shephard, has again written three excellent posts. I share his optimism about the future of the English Conversation industry and my school. I also share his optimism about belonging to a dynamic franchise like Smith’s. Belonging to something bigger with great web presence and kind and a courteous staff is essential. [...]

Why Become a Teacher-Owner Now?

Why become a Teacher-Owner of your own English Conversation School in Japan at this moment? Because the largest corporate English conversation school in Japan, which had 60% of the market share went out of business three months ago after a 21-year build-up, and left hundreds of thousands of its students with little to show for [...]

Great Advice Craig! Get Out and Meet the Local Merchants and Show the Brand!

I really enjoyed reading this one written by Craig, the owner of the Ohtsu School. It expresses exactly what we must do to succeed. Become a part of the local merchant family and show the brand. Get to know the people doing business in the vicinity of your school and let them know that you [...]

Smith’s School of English: Who are we?

With the recent failure of the largest corporate English school in Japan, I have come to wonder, shall I say “hope” that those 400,000+ students will take a hard look at how they were treated by this corporate school and decide to find a monthly tuition school like Smith’s so as not to be burned [...]

My Web at Smith Web

スミス英会話布施校講師が書いた記事。日本語はこちらへ It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything here; I’ve been a bit busy these days. I guess running three schools will do that to you, but all is going well and I’m enjoying watching each of the three schools grow. http://www.smithweb.co.jp/school/horie.shtml http://www.smithweb.co.jp/school/kamishinjyo.shtml http://www.smithweb.co.jp/school/fuse.shtml October was a great month for each location! The weather [...]

Losing a student at Smith’s School of English Horie

スミス英会話布施校講師が書いた記事。日本語はこちらへ Two days ago I lost a student but…Smith’s School of English Kyobashi gained one! Two days ago I walked into Smith’s School of English Horie and began checking my faxes which arrive on a nightly basis from head office. Typically it’s only the following days schedule but from time to time there is a [...]

What’s it Like to Buy and Grow a Smith’s School?

Initial Investment Payback in less than 13 months! So I have now had my Smith’s school for 14 months after purchasing it for 2.7 million Yen in 2006. After starting with only 15 students I now have 49 but 7 are Man-to-Man (Private) which is like having 56 students. The clear earnings exceeded the initial [...]

Wow! Suddenly 6 trials in one week!

This month started off a little slow. I only had one trial a few weeks ago but suddenly this week I got a new fax showing 6 trials this week. What a pleasant surprise! I was beginning to worry ….a little. But as has happened many times, there was nice surprise waiting for me when [...]

Smith’s School of English 1, Smith’s School of English 2, Smith’s School of English…3!

スミス英会話布施校講師が書いた記事。日本語はこちらへ That’s right! I’ve achieved my goal of having three Smith’s School of English schools! http://www.smithweb.co.jp/school/horie.shtml http://www.smithweb.co.jp/school/kamishinjyo.shtml http://www.smithweb.co.jp/school/fuse.shtml If you’ve read any of my former postings here you are already aware that I have been working toward this goal for some time now. http://www.sse-franchise.com/testimonials/t27.shtml Well, on July 1st, 2007 I officially accepted the challenge at [...]

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