We recently connected with Will Cook and have shared our conversation below.

Will, appreciate you joining us today. Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

While poetry requires creativity, building my company took some serious innovation. I started my tutoring company Will Cook Tutors in August 2020 to respond to diminished job prospects following the start of the pandemic. At the time, I didn’t have a bachelor’s and was worried about income. I needed to grow my client base to ensure a solid foundation and increase revenue. I was living with my dad, who had worked in sales for over 20 years, and he gave me crucial advice on drip marketing. Over the next 10 months, I implemented a marketing campaign aimed at school districts in DC, Maryland, Virginia, and other states on the East Coast. I gathered contact info for math teachers and counselors and sent hand-addressed paper letters to over 600 individuals. I used off white paper and envelopes so the letters visually stood out in a stack of mail and would follow up each letter with an email a week later starting with, “As I mentioned in my letter…”. I anticipated most letters being disregarded or thrown out but by giving myself an in to contact each individual, I achieved a 14% response rate and half of those responses were positive. By the time the next school year rolled around, I had a solid base of new students and I had developed working relationships with several faculty members. It was a slow and arduous process. I had shoulder surgery in December 2020 and spent several months filling out contact lists one-handed with my dominant arm in a sling. The marketing project taught me discipline and that if you’re willing to sink some time into an endeavor, you will see results.

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.

I knew I wanted to work in education since I was 16. At the time, I worked at the local YMCA and had the privilege of working with a refugee amputee who had been in a car that drove over an IED. Despite missing an arm and her nose, she was the first in the swimming pool and showed extreme resolve. That experience shaped my love for teaching, and I spent several years tutoring math at my community college before starting my company Will Cook Tutors. I offer math tutoring for all K-12 math along with some college math, a SAT prep course, and will soon be offer 3 creative writing courses covering writing techniques and spoken word. What sets me apart is mission statement: “I make math make sense”. I focus on making math make sense and not fun because for most students, the issue isn’t enjoyment, it’s accessibility. So many adults hate math not because it wasn’t fun enough but because they were never taught it in a way that made sense to them. I’ve helped make math make sense for hundreds of students and taken the stress out of homework and tests. It’s a joy to be able to work with so many talented students of all ages.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Word of mouth has been key in growing my client base. While I’ve practiced drip marketing and invested money in online advertisements, 60%-70% of all my clients have been referrals. I’ve learned that providing consistent and exceptional service will not only lead to increased revenue and client retention but will lay the foundation for more business. For my line of work, it’s common that the parents I work with mention me to their friends or on local list servs. I’m nearing the 4-year mark for my business and currently don’t spend a dollar on advertising.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

You’re going to hear no. It doesn’t matter what field you work in, what creative project you want to get off the ground, you will hear countless no’s before getting a positive response. I had to unlearn the idea that rejection is a bad thing. In fact, it’s a constant. Understand that getting started is the hardest part but once you get going, you will get positive results. I used to do parkour in high school and had to get over the fear of failing when learning a new move. When doing my first flip, it took me 30 minutes to build up the courage; the second flip took 30 seconds. Accept rejection and failure as possible outcomes and you’ll succeed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.willcooktutors.com
• Instagram: willcookcreates
• Facebook: Will Cook Tutors
• Linkedin: Will Cook Tutors
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• Youtube: n/a
• Yelp: n/a
• Soundcloud: n/a