I'm Looking for My First Three Franchisees — But I'm Looking for Something Very Specific

I've committed to finding my first three Clara James franchisees.And I've been thinking a lot about what I'm actually looking for in those three people.Yes, there are practical things.They need to want to build a tutoring business. They need to share the values behind Clara James. They need to care about doing a good job.But there's something else that, to me, matters enormously.I want them to be able to create a space where a child feels completely safe saying:"I don't understand."And then, perhaps even more importantly:"I still don't understand."Because that's actually quite a difficult thing to say."Just ask if you don't understand"As adults, we say this to children all the time."If you don't understand, just ask your teacher."And it sounds perfectly reasonable.But I've been thinking about what we're actually asking that child to do.Imagine you're at work.Your boss has spent half an hour explaining something to you.Everyone else appears to understand it.You don't.Would you feel completely comfortable putting your hand up and saying:"Sorry, I don't understand any of that. Could you explain it again?"Some of us would.But I suspect quite a few of us would smile, nod and hope we could work it out later.Now imagine you do have the confidence to ask.Your boss explains it again.And you still don't understand.How easy would it be to say:"I'm really sorry, but that still doesn't make sense to me. Could you explain it again?"And what about the third time?That's effectively what we're asking children to do.Except they're doing it in front of their peers.And they're potentially doing it in an environment where they've already started to believe that everyone else is cleverer than they are.I can relate to that childI think one of the reasons this matters so much to me is that I can empathise with that feeling.I've been the person who hasn't necessarily understood something the first time it's been explained.I've known what it feels like to lack confidence in my own ability.I've known what it feels like to compare myself with people around me and wonder whether they're simply cleverer than I am.I was lucky.I had people who could explain things to me differently.Not necessarily explain the same thing louder or repeat exactly the same words again.Actually find another way of helping me understand.And there's a huge difference between those two things.Because if someone explains something to you three times in exactly the same way and you still don't understand, you can very quickly start thinking:"There must be something wrong with me."But perhaps there isn't.Perhaps you simply need another explanation.Another example.Something visual.A conversation.A game.Something practical.More time.Or someone who says:"That's fine. Let's try this another way."That's the tutor I'm looking forThat's what I want from the people who eventually become Clara James tutors and franchisees.I'm not looking for somebody who simply knows maths or English.I'm looking for people who can create that safe space.People who don't make a child feel silly because they didn't understand something the first time.Or the second.Or the third.People who are willing to stop and think:"The child isn't understanding this. What can I change?"And there are probably lots of reasons somebody might naturally think that way.Maybe you struggled yourself at school.Maybe you've watched your own child struggle.Maybe you've worked in a classroom and seen the child who desperately needs another explanation but there simply isn't enough time to give them the individual attention they need.Maybe you've been the adult sitting in a meeting pretending you understand something because you don't have the confidence to admit that you haven't got a clue what's going on.You don't necessarily need to have lived the child's exact experience.But you do need to have the compassion to recognise what that experience might feel like.I'm not looking for 100 franchiseesOne day, I'd love Clara James to reach a lot of communities.I'd love hundreds, perhaps thousands, more children to benefit from the approach we've developed over the past 14 years.But that's not what I'm concentrating on right now.Right now, I'm looking for three people.My first three franchisees.Three people who want to build high-quality local tutoring businesses.Three people who believe children are individuals.Three people who are prepared to adapt rather than expecting every child to adapt to them.Three people who understand that progress isn't simply about getting a child from a 4 to a 6, or improving a test score.Sometimes progress starts when a child who has spent years thinking:"I'm stupid."finally feels safe enough to say:"I don't understand."And knows the response isn't going to be frustration or judgement.It's going to be:"That's absolutely fine. Let's find another way."That's what I want Clara James to becomeI want children to have the opportunity to become the best version of themselves that they can be.Not the best version of the child sitting next to them.Not their brother.Not their sister.Not the person who understands everything the first time.Them.And I want to build a community of tutors who can help them do that.So yes, I'm looking for my first three Clara James franchisees.But I'm not simply looking for three people who want to own a tutoring business.I'm looking for three people who want to become the person a child feels safe saying, "I still don't understand," to.If you think you might be one of them, I'd love to have a conversation.No pressure. No expectation.Just tell me a little about you, why this resonates with you and what you'd like your tutoring business to [email protected]