We were lucky to catch up with Sam Barnes recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sam, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

A number of years ago, I started kicking around the idea of breaking the traditional tutoring model. The usual model teaches students specific academic topics for the next exam, but it fails to have any kind of long-term focus. I began to study the deficits and challenges that many students face and devise a framework for solving them holistically. When the concept became baked, I made a tough decision to part from a promising EdTech start-up and pursue a venture on my own. That’s how I founded Star Tutoring Centers.

Our emphasis is on building executive functioning skills, in addition to academics, so that students can build towards independence in learning. We want our students to be able to study and perform well not just with our tutors, but also at home or at school. We strive to build college level study habits so that our clients are ready for the future. Our model is great for all students and is geared specifically towards helping students with ADHD become better students.

Sam, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Star Tutoring Centers is a novel tutoring concept to the Dallas area. Our after-school model focuses on building Executive Functioning skills in the context of the student’s academics. Instead of the industry-standard 60-minute, private tutoring model, our Star Sessions are 2-3 hours in length so that we can work with students to get organized, prioritize and complete a substantial amount of schoolwork under the supervision of a tutor/coach. We consult with parents (and any professionals that work with the student) to identify and strengthen areas of greatest impact.

Our goal is to spark independent learners who become successful students at our Center and then transfer those practices to home, to school and to life. The focus on developing Executive Functioning skills is particularly important as students transition from Middle to High School and High School to college. During these transition points, students are often expected to simply know how to operate in a new environment. We find that many students are not actually taught these skills. Perhaps parents think the school is teaching it, and the school assumes that parents are teaching it; meanwhile, no one has actually taught it to the student.

Executive Functioning skills are the bedrock of academic success as children grow. What are these skills? Broadly speaking, Executive Functioning is responsible for being able to start tasks, stay focused, and complete them. This includes focus/attention, organization, prioritization, and regulating one’s emotions. Our 2-3 hour format allows students to practice these skills, develop a consistent and sustainable work rhythm, while studying for exams and completing a lot of their work.

We encourage families to start with us early in the semester so that we can spend more time on building binders, reviewing syllabi, developing study skills, and plotting out long-term assignments and goals. This way, we can help students reach their full potential when the academics pick up later in the semester.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I spent years studying Executive Functioning and ADHD to the point of expertise within this area. I have conducted professional development and training for teachers and have led information sessions for Parent Teacher Associations and Licensed Professional Counselors. You absolutely have to know your subject matter 100% and speak to it confidently – that will give you the credibility to have a good reputation in the market.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

As a small business owner, it’s hard to not try to control everything. I ran every aspect of the business, answered every call/text/email, and hired every staff member for 3 years. When I finally hired administrative staff, it was very difficult not to micromanage them. In order to raise their morale, I have had to learn to trust them, give them more responsibility, and “delegate / elevate” my own role.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.StarTutoringCenters.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startutoringcenters/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/startutoringcenters
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startutoringcenters
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/startutoringcen
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/star-tutoring-centers-dallas

Image Credits
Select Photos from  Heath Hall Photography