What if feeling uncomfortable in your business isn't a sign that something is wrong?

What if it's actually a sign that you're growing?

In this episode of Grow Your Tutoring Business, Richard explores the uncomfortable parts of running a tutoring business — selling, showing up, following up, raising prices, saying no, investing in yourself and trying something for the first time.

It's easy to tell ourselves we'll take action when we feel more confident. But perhaps we've got it backwards.

Confidence often comes after the action.

Richard explores a simple process:

Discomfort → Action → Evidence → Confidence

He also looks at an important distinction: when should we lean into discomfort, and when is that uncomfortable feeling telling us something doesn't align with our values?

In this episode:

• Why we avoid the things that could actually grow our businesses

• The danger of "positive procrastination"

• Why sales and visibility can feel so uncomfortable

• How to distinguish growth discomfort from a values problem

• Why confidence doesn't have to come first

• Learning to say no as a business owner

• Building evidence that you can do difficult things

• Why being kinder to yourself matters when things don't work

You don't need to become fearless.

You just need to become a little more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

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A stranger sent me a brutal message on LinkedIn, questioned the ethics of my tutoring business and then publicly called me a “leech”.

He knew very little about me.

So rather than spending days arguing with him online, I invited him onto the podcast.

In this episode, I sit down with Simon Nicholson to talk about what made him send that message, why he believes private tuition shouldn’t need to exist, and whether building a business from the problems within education can ever be morally justified.

We talk about:

• What happens when online criticism becomes personal
• The responsibility we have for how we behave on social media
• Whether tutors are benefiting from a broken education system
• Why so many experienced teachers are leaving the classroom
• Whether those teachers should use their skills to build tutoring businesses
• Simon’s concerns about AI and the EdTech industry
• Education reform and whether the current system needs completely rethinking
• Why human connection may become even more important as AI grows
• 
  

We definitely don’t agree on everything.

But what started as a pretty unpleasant interaction online became a much more human conversation.

If being visible in your tutoring business worries you because you’re scared of criticism, judgement or what somebody might say about you, this episode is particularly worth hearing.

Here is the LinkedIn Post https://lnkd.in/p/evzbZmxH

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A few days after TutorFest 2026, Richard and Vicki sit down—still exhausted and slightly overwhelmed—to reflect on what really happened in Blackpool.

This is not simply a rundown of speakers and sessions. It is a conversation about the moments that made TutorFest feel so special: the attendee who discovered the event through AI and travelled from Nottingham the following morning, the podcast listener who shared how Richard’s content had reached him during a particularly difficult time, and the emotional messages written by attendees to their future selves.

Richard and Vicki also discuss the things that did not go entirely to plan, including a last-minute speaker cancellation and an air-conditioning failure, as well as the decisions that helped them turn those challenges into positive parts of the experience.

They revisit contributions from Dan Meredith, Lisa Johnson, Sophie Kim Hughes, Charlotte Bailey, the TutorFest panel and Lee Parkinson, while exploring what they want to retain, improve and develop for the next event.

You’ll hear about:

• Why the smaller, shared experience is central to TutorFest

• The conversations and connections that happen around the main event

• What attendee feedback has taught Richard and Vicki

• The possibility of more interaction and movement during future events

• Why TutorFest is introducing a virtual ticket

• What is planned for TutorFest 2027 in London

TutorFest returns on 19 February 2027, with both in-person and virtual ticket options available.

Listen for an honest look behind the scenes of creating an event—and a reminder that the impact of your work is often happening long before anybody tells you about it.

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What can tutoring business owners learn from Heinz, Gillette and Levi’s?

Quite a lot, actually.

In this episode, I’m talking about branding, marketing and what happens when big businesses are told they can’t show up in the way they expected. During the World Cup, several well-known brands were restricted from displaying their names because they were not official tournament sponsors. But instead of disappearing quietly, they got creative.

Levi’s changed its social media branding to match its covered-up stadium sign. Gillette leaned into the shaving foam idea. Heinz used the familiarity of its bottle shape and branding to make the point that people already knew who they were.

And there’s a lesson here for all of us.

Running a tutoring business is not always straightforward. Sometimes things feel unfair. Sometimes the rules change. Sometimes you don’t have the budget, platform or opportunity that someone else has.

But that does not mean you have no options.

This episode is a reminder that creativity often comes from constraint. The businesses that stand out are not always the ones with the biggest budget. Sometimes they are the ones willing to think differently, respond quickly and make the most of the cards they have been dealt.

If your tutoring business is going through an ebb and flow moment, this one is for you.

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Leaving teaching can feel like leaving stability behind. A monthly salary, a school timetable, pension contributions, colleagues, policies, procedures and someone else making the big decisions can all create a sense of security.

But stability does not only come from a salary.

In this final episode of the mini-series on moving from teacher to tutor, I explore what stability can look like outside the classroom. Not the fantasy version. Not the “quit teaching and everything is instantly easy” version. The real version.

We look at how tutors and tuition business owners can begin to create stability through income, routines, systems, boundaries, community and support. I also talk about the emotional side of leaving the structure of school behind, why self-employment can feel lonely, and why it is so important to know whether you need business support, emotional support, or both.

This episode is for teachers considering tutoring, tutors still trying to find their rhythm, and anyone building a business after leaving the classroom.

The big message is this: you are not leaving stability behind forever. You are learning how to build a new version of it.

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Leaving teaching is not just an emotional decision. For many teachers, one of the biggest questions is much more practical: can I actually afford to leave teaching and build a tutoring business?

In episode 3 of this mini-series, I’m looking at the money fear behind leaving the classroom. We talk about why a teaching salary can feel hard to walk away from, why financial worry is not weakness, and why understanding your real numbers is so important before making big decisions.

This episode is not about encouraging teachers to quit. It is for those who already have one foot out of the classroom, or those who have already started tutoring and are trying to make the financial side feel more secure.

We explore survival numbers, comfortable numbers, ideal numbers, and why replacing your salary is not always the same as replacing your required income. I also share examples of different tutoring business models, including one-to-one tuition, small groups, workshops and mock exams.

The big message is this: you do not need to leap blindly. You need to build a bridge.

If you are wondering whether tutoring could realistically pay the bills, this episode will help you stop letting money fear swirl around and start looking at the numbers, evidence and next sensible steps.

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In this Make It Happen Monday episode, Richard answers Jessica Sapida’s question about how tutors can create media content without sounding stuffy, and how building a following can impact their business.

This episode explores the difference between being professional and being overly polished, why authenticity matters, and how tutors can show up online in a way that feels natural, useful and trustworthy. Richard also looks at why content does not have to mean dancing reels, viral trends or becoming a performer; sometimes, the most effective content simply comes from answering the real questions parents and clients are already asking.

You’ll hear practical ideas for creating content from frequently asked questions, building familiarity over time, understanding your audience, and using content to create warmer enquiries, better-fit clients and a calmer business.

If you have ever worried that your content sounds too formal, too generic or too far away from the real you, this episode will help you rethink what good content can look like.

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Leaving teaching is not always the exciting fresh start people make it out to be. Sometimes it feels heavy. Sometimes it feels guilty. Sometimes it feels like you are walking away from your identity, your colleagues, your pupils, your security and the version of yourself you worked so hard to become.

In this first episode of my new mini-series on the mindset of leaving teaching, I explore the emotional weight that can come with stepping away from the classroom. We talk about guilt, grief, fear, responsibility, financial pressure, identity, and the difficult question many teachers carry quietly: does leaving teaching mean I’ve failed?

This episode is not about telling you to quit teaching. It is about helping you think honestly about what is going on underneath the decision. Are you tired, or are you done? Are you leaving impact behind, or simply changing where your impact happens? Are you staying because you want to, or because guilt is keeping you there?

If you are a teacher thinking about tutoring, starting a tuition business, or finding a different way to use your skills outside the classroom, this episode will help you feel seen, supported and less alone.

Leaving teaching does not mean leaving education. It may simply mean finding a healthier way to use your experience, values and impact.

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In this Make It Happen Monday episode, Richard answers Emma Salter’s question:

“What is the best way of increasing my prices?”

At first, this sounds like a simple pricing question. Just tell families the price is going up, right?

But for many tutors, the difficult part is not changing the number. It is the emotional reaction that comes with it. Will parents leave? Will they question the increase? Will it feel greedy? Are you really worth the new price?

Richard explores why tutors often undercharge, how to understand the value of the whole tuition experience, and why your prices need to support a sustainable business — not just please the client.

You’ll hear practical advice on increasing prices for new clients, handling existing families, giving notice without over-explaining, and communicating the change with confidence.

Because increasing your prices does not mean you care less.

It means you are building a business that allows you to keep doing good work properly.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leaving teaching is not always the exciting fresh start people make it out to be. Sometimes it feels heavy. Sometimes it feels guilty. Sometimes it feels like you are walking away from your identity, your colleagues, your pupils, your security and the version of yourself you worked so hard to become.

In this first episode of my new mini-series on the mindset of leaving teaching, I explore the emotional weight that can come with stepping away from the classroom. We talk about guilt, grief, fear, responsibility, financial pressure, identity, and the difficult question many teachers carry quietly: does leaving teaching mean I’ve failed?

This episode is not about telling you to quit teaching. It is about helping you think honestly about what is going on underneath the decision. Are you tired, or are you done? Are you leaving impact behind, or simply changing where your impact happens? Are you staying because you want to, or because guilt is keeping you there?

If you are a teacher thinking about tutoring, starting a tuition business, or finding a different way to use your skills outside the classroom, this episode will help you feel seen, supported and less alone.

Leaving teaching does not mean leaving education. It may simply mean finding a healthier way to use your experience, values and impact.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.