Category Archives: New start up or franchise?

スミス英会話は何故違う。Why is Smith’s School of English Different?

What’s different about Smith’s School compared with the multitude of English conversation schools in Japan? Bottom to the top it’s totally different. It’s truly a breath of fresh air. No stale lesson plans, no stiff teachers looking truly uncomfortable in ties, just a down-to-earth well thought out curriculum which provides what Japanese [...]

Smith’s opportunity was just right for me!

So what is good about the Smith’s opportunity? Well, in my case, it allowed me to come back to Japan on my own terms and not at the whim of the company for which I was working. It allowed me to bring my wife back to be near her aging parents and my [...]

Why is Japan the Best Place to Start an English School?

Japan with its extremely limited natural resources is totally dependent on other countries to purchase almost all raw materials and fossil fuels. Despite this it is the second largest economy in the world and its people, who work more hours than anyone else in the world, are very resourceful and intelligent. They design [...]

Christmas and New Year’s - a welcome time to reflect on the progress so far and make bold plans for the future!

I really enjoyed reading Adrian’s posts too. It is great to see that someone has been in this business as a Smith’s owner for over 7 years and still really enjoys it and has helped his students to get great results on the EIKEN and TOEIC. Makes me still feel like an infant with only [...]

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 [...]

Smith’s has a Great Staff!

The staff at the head office is great! They have helped me many times and just the other day one of my students told me that the young women who answer the phone to book their lessons etc. are always very kind and helpful. She was very sincere when she said this. [...]

What does it take to run your own school?

So, what does it take to be the owner of your own successful school? Well, it doesn’t take too much money but it does take willpower. Now, not everyone has the willpower that he/she thinks he/she does. I asked myself “Do you want to enjoy teaching English? Do you want to [...]

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 [...]

Why Buy a Franchise School?

I was thinking about this question the other day and thought I should put in a few words about it. In today’s business world, most businesses are franchise businesses. So why does a person decide to buy a McDonald’s franchise instead of just opening a “My Burger” shop? Well it is obvious isn’t [...]

A Pleasant Surprise

Last night I got a very pleasant surprise. It was a fax from head-office informing me that one of my new students had just called the staff to request that her lesson be changed from Powerful to Man-to-Man from next month. “Powerful” refers to those students who, due to their job etc., [...]