Testimonials

The Road Less Traveled

We’ve heard it many times and we’ll hear it again but until you’ve tried it, you won’t know the great feeling that comes along with it doing something the average person doesn’t. With many thousands of English teachers in Japan I chose to join a group of less than 100 motivated teachers making a name for themselves as business owners. That is something I will never regret.

After being in Japan for 6 months I realized that teaching was something I loved and that in Japan it was quite a lucrative business. I didn’t plan on staying that long, maybe a two years and saw Smith’s as the fastest way to get going. Moreover as I didn’t have any business experience, my safest choice was to start with a franchise and learn the business. I became a Smith’s School of English franchisee after being in Japan for 7 months. I realized right away what a great opportunity it was and I worked hard and build one of the stronger schools in the system. I bought a second school and began to stretch a little too far too fast. I was uncomfortable and so closed that second school and focused back on first. My school began to thrive; it all seemed too easy after owning two schools. After my school stabilized I became one of the first three to join the business mentor program offered by Smith’s management in which I studied more advanced business concepts.

After a few years and with full permission and support of Smith’s I started my own company as a pet project to practice what I had learned from being a franchise owner and Smith mentee. I focused exclusively on a niche market within the English education for small children sector. Smith’s saw the business as being non competitive and were happy to support me getting it going. The company grew to be so successful that it became necessary for me to sell my Smith’s School of English franchise and focus on the growth of my kids business. I asked Smith’s to sell my school and that was achieved quickly at a fair price.

Today, my former Fukushima franchise is one of the largest in the system and doing better than when I owned it thanks to the hard work and motivation of the present owner. Oh, and that school I closed was reopened in the very same set of rooms I started in and the present owner of Smith’s Morinomiya is doing very well indeed.

I now have 6 schools of my own and continue to grow. I enjoy the opportunity to maintain contact with Smith’s School of English. There is no doubt that both the hands on learning available within Smith’s and the mentorship offered by Smith’s management have been the building blocks upon which I have created my own independent success.

It just takes the right mindset for any willing person to change those Smith lessons and support into your own business. I promise you the guys at Smith know what they are doing, are generous in sharing knowledge and work hard for the success of each of their members. Good luck to all of you who decide to take the leap of faith in taking your financial future into your own hands!

Scotte Crowe. Former Smith’s franchisee.

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