Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Margie Figueroa. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Margie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?

I have an educational services business that provides online learning, tutoring, homeschool help, and parent support to many families. I believe that showing my clients that I appreciate them is essential. Since I provide academic support, it is important to keep in mind that families have many options to choose from in educational services. Standing out and being different from all the other educational services providers gives me an opportunity to not only gain more clients but also retain current clients.

I show my appreciation to both the parents and students I serve. I make sure that they know I am grateful for their trust and support by providing free online learning sessions, sending them gift cards and thank you cards, and also offering discounts for referrals. I also send my students gifts, gift cards, encouraging cards, and recognition certificates a few times a year.

Sending gifts, encouraging cards, and certificates is part of my business’ framework and has been effective in retaining my clients. Many families have shared pictures and videos of their children (or themselves) with the gifts, cards, and certificates and are always thankful. In my business, all interactions with the families and students is online and so these pictures and videos are priceless and inspire me to do more and continue to show them that their trust means a lot to me.

I am truly honored to be providing academic support to so many beautiful families.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Funshine Educational Services (FES) provides personalized learning for children ages 4-11. We provide online tutoring, homeschool help, and parent support. Funshine Educational Services was built from a passion for educating young children and helping others.

Here at FES, we believe that every child should feel valued and we strive to develop positive relationships with our students while building their confidence. We make sure to incorporate their interests and learning preferences into their sessions. We believe that children and families deserve only the best. They deserve to be provided with the best teaching methods. They deserve personalized attention and recognition. They deserve to have fun while learning. We also believe in collaboration. We believe in collaborating with students’ parents and whoever is involved in their education such as their teachers or therapists. Lastly, we believe in celebrating growth and embracing progress. We make sure to recognize every child’s academic progress every step of the way no matter how little and no matter the pace.

About me… I have a degree and several certifications in education, and never would I have imagined that God would have it in His plan for me to become an entrepreneur. I, of course, did not learn how to open a business, manage a business, how to market or sell, etc. in college. I learned how to teach. But when God put it in my heart to open FES, I took the leap of faith and was hopeful and excited. But then, once FES began to grow, and at such a rapid pace, I knew that I had to learn how to manage a business, how to do bookkeeping, how to start build a website, how to utilize email marketing, and I had to learn how to wear all those hats in my business. Knowing how to teach and how to do it well was not enough to continue growing my business. So I watched YouTube and learned. I watched hours and hours of YouTube videos on business taxes, bookkeeping, business bank accounts, email marketing, sales… You name the “how to” business video on YouTube and I’m sure I watched it.

The great thing about taking the leap of faith and dedicating myself to learning about business management was that I already had a lot of the skills to be able to continue providing high quality educational services regardless of my lack of knowledge in managing a business. My experience, skills, and knowledge as an educator, instructional coach, and even a mother were essential to growing my business.

Many people think that just because they are “only a mother” or “only an educator” or “only a (fill in the blank)”, they don’t have the skills or the knowledge to build a successful business. But, let me be the one to tell you, there are so many skills that “only a mother” or “only an educator” or “only a (fill in the blank)” can transfer to building a brand or starting up a business. It’s in you. You just gotta take the leap of faith like I did.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe that there are many things that have been essential to building my reputation within my industry. As a 15-year educator and and an educational services business owner, my teaching philosophy has not changed. I believe that before teaching academics, it’s important to connect with students. After all, they are people just like you and me. They have likes, dislikes, interests, opinions, and their voice matters. Connecting with the student on a personal level, getting to know them, and making them feel important while also teaching academics has resulted in academic achievements, academic progress, and growth. My students (past and present) are happy, feel important, and have confidence. The students love attending their online learning sessions and tell their parents all about how they love learning and having fun. It’s a win-win for everyone!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for my business has been word-of-mouth. Some parents don’t know where to look or who to ask about educational services and so they ask their child’s teacher or other parents. Many other teachers and educators have recommended my services to their students’ families. I have also gained some clients from customer referrals. Being in the service industry, I believe that a referral is the best compliment!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.funshineeducation.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/funshine_edu
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FunshineEducationalServices/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margie-figueroa/
• Other: “Nurturing your Child’s Confidence” Freebie https://www.funshineeducation.com/freebie

Image Credits
Michelle Herrera Photography