TESTIMONI

“Alasan – alasan kenapa saya berkembang menjadi 4 lokasi !”

Saya sangat merasa terhormat untuk menerima Eye Level Franchisee Excelence Award 2 tahun berturut turut secara kita berada di bisinis ini baru hanya 2 tahun. Setiap kali saya berkunjung ke korea, saya takjub dan senang untuk melihat bagaimana korea berubah dan berkembang setiap tahun. Saya juga senang melihat Daekyo seperti itu juga, mau mendengarkan kebutuhan franchisee dan memperbaiki penawaran dan jasanya tahun demi tahun. Re branding menjadi Eye level, standarisasi dan mengeluarkan program Play Math, adalah sebagian contohnya.

Sebagai franchisee, saya melihat kesempatan bisnis yang luar biasa di bidang pengembangan dan pendidikan usia dini. Dan sekarang, lebih dari sebelumnya, kami berada di posisi yang sangat baik untuk mengambil pangsa pasar selama kita terus menjalankan strategi kita unuk menawarkan program pembelajaran yang berbeda, membuat bisnis model yang menguntungkan untuk franchisee dan memberikan kepuasan yang tinggi kepada pelanggan.

Saya sangat percaya akan masa depan Eye Level yang cerah dan karena itulah saya berkembang menjadi 4 lokasi secara cepat untuk meraih kesempatan tersebut.

Sekali lagi, saya dengan tulus menghargai award yang saya terima dan kehangatan anda, dan saya berharap bisa ke korea lagi di tahun 2014

Luke Lee

Eye Level Bridgewater

“Eight Key Points to Owning an Eye Level Center.”

Jayashri Yamunan’s extensive research on educational franchises ended up being a valuable investment that paid huge dividends to her long-term success.

“Prior to making my decision to franchising with Eye Level, I researched a number of different after-school programs for almost two years,” said Yamunan. “Eye Level provided a customizable curriculum and also developed critical thinking abilities which are much needed for a comprehensive learning program. These factors, along with the various tools, techniques in testing, and active listening program convinced me to choose Eye Level.”

Yamunan owns two centers in New Jersey (Piscataway South and Edison North) and attributes her continued success to the environment she creates. Both centers positively emphasize performance and encourage development of greater study skills by making sure every child efficiently uses the time in the center. Yamunan also mentions the support received from the corporate office has always been positive and responsive.

There are eight key points that Yamunan believes directly influences her center’s successes:

1. We always focus on the quality, never on the results, with the firm belief that quality will yield success.
2. We take time to talk to parents, since their views on the Center and the program are very important to us.
3. Parent orientation meetings and the diagnostic tests at our Center are comprehensive and productive.
4. We use all the supplemental materials of Eye Level.
5. We ensure that the students master the levels proficiently and the results and improvements are recorded in the progress charts for sharing with parents.
6. We keep the motivational level of the students high with performance award prizes. We maintain a balanced instructor to student ratio.
7. We believe in an open door policy and encourage parent instructor interaction.

Piscataway – South

Address : 1258 Stelton Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854

Homepage : www.eyelevelpiscatawaysouth.com

Tel : 848-202-9111

Center hours : Monday – Friday 5:00pm – 8:00pm; Saturday 10:00am – 2:00pm

Edison North - Coming Soon!

“Kids Like Critical Thinking Math Sessions the Most!”

Eye Level Frisco East learning center has been running successfully from the beginning since I opened it in July 2012. Most of the parents are highly satisfied with Eye Level program. Kids like Critical thinking math sessions the most and parents have testified that the sessions helped enhance their children’s thinking ability beyond their grade level. Overall, we are very satisfied and would recommend Eye Level to new franchisees so that children across the nation can benefit from Eye Level program.

Vinotha Srinivas
Dallas, Texas, USA

Amy Kan

Eye Level Bukit Antarabangsa (4 years)

“Do not procrastinate if you want a business that gives you flexible hours at the same time fulfills your passion and love for children.”

Venturing in the Eye Level franchise opportunity allows me to kill two birds with a stone by having more flexible time for my family as well as fulfilling my passion to work with children.

Having operated my Eye Level center for 4 years, it is not easy changing from a comfortable income and corporate culture to a hands-on do-it-all entrepreneur mindset. But it has been no regrets thus far seeing the children grow and learn and how Eye Level makes a difference in their lives.

Like any other business, the most challenging part is keeping your customers happy with your product. I believe in the education business, bonding and interaction with children is very important. There must be a constant 3-way communication between the parents, teacher and student to understand student’s needs, bridge parents’ expectations and provide feedback.

I can see the benefits almost instantly in terms of mental well-being (less corporate stress) and more quality time with my family due to the flexible working hours. Of course this comes with some financial sacrifice at the start of the business.

The factors that contribute to the success of my business is firstly to believe in the underlying Eye Level philosophy and self-directed study approach. Never let challenges extinguish the fire of passion and love for children and always strive to make a difference in a child’s life regardless how small.

To be an Eye Level franchise business owner, one must have passion and love for children and of course some financial outlay. Do not procrastinate if you want a business that gives you flexible hours at the same time fulfills your passion and love for children. It just takes a bold step of faith to start.

Ann Cheong

Eye Level Kuantan (11 months)

“I would say Daekyo Malaysia has developed the most effective and efficient business models for franchisees.”

I have been working in education field for the past 5 years right after I graduated from my university. My dream is to become an educator, a teacher! I started laying eyes on children learning centers and soon found out about Eye Level through my cousin whose sons were studying at Eye Level Melaka. Their math improved tremendously and they liked the class so much. Frankly, I have visited some children learning programs and I still find Eye Level provides the best learning environment and teaching method, especially the Critical Thinking Math.

Flexible working hours and the Self-Directed-Learning (SDL) method makes the instructor’s job at ease besides nurturing good learning habit. Instructors will have more time to observe the child’s progress and to provide appropriate guidance. I feel very accomplished when I am able to aid my students’ learning difficulties. I also feel appreciated when the parents came back with good feedback.

The greatest challenge for me is the manpower issue. Having a hard time in recruiting the right person to assist me, I advertised vacancies in newspapers, social media and recruitment flyers to distribute to a nearby college.

My staff and I were trained by the professional trainers in Daekyo Malaysia. They ensured that we were well prepared before we started operating the center. We are grateful that our Area Manager is a responsible person. He will call us from time to time to make sure things run smoothly in our center. We felt supported by HQ in every way.

I would say Daekyo Malaysia has developed the most effective and efficient business models for the franchisees. We aim to be the most reputable children learning center in the East Coast. One of our goals is to be able to nurture a group of self-directed, self-confident and self-motivated students.

Our winning strategy is to never stop promoting your center. Make good use of the Eye Level promotional items. Distribute flyers to schools and kindergartens. We also held events suggested by HQ such as Praise Day, ELMO, ELLA, Christmas Party and etc.

These events will help to create higher awareness and to become a good reason for the potential prospect to visit your center. Never get too comfortable with the number of students that you have enrolled. There is always space for improvement.

Fuel yourself with positivity and that vibe will take you far. We were once very upset with the withdrawal of a group of students during Raya time. It was discouraging but we understand that students will come and go. We have to do our best to retain the existing students and to bring in new students.

One must have passion in teaching and never get bored dealing with children. Besides that, one should also be resourceful and positive. With the support, services and materials provided by HQ, center operation can be at ease. Everything will be hands-on in no time! We just have to follow the guidelines given and work towards it. Be cooperative and creative!

Wong Foong Mang

Eye Level Sri Gombak (2 years)

“Best of all, it can be as rewarding as corporate world if not more.”

My partnership was introduced to Eye Level by one of our ex-colleagues who bought over an Eye Level center in PJ. I was particularly attracted to Eye Level's emphasis on self-directed learning and critical thinking which I found lacking in the staff that I had recruited in my 16 years in corporate world, most of whom expected spoon-feeding and excessive guidance even when they were in managerial capacity. Knowing that it's hard to change adults, I decided to turn my attention to kids and found my match in Eye Level ie a foundation building program with strong emphasis on self-directed learning and critical thinking.

I enjoy the working hours most. My partnership owns 3 centers but we work only 21 hours a week, starting our week on Thursday evening & ending on Sunday evening which means I'm free from Monday to Thursday morning to pursue my other interests in life. Best of all, it can be as rewarding as corporate world if not more, once you build a good student base despite the limited time spent at work, and this is all without the usual stress that comes with climbing the corporate ladder.

Sri Gombak is my partnership's third center set up last year in 2013 and by far, the most successful as it copied all proven formula from our earlier two centers and avoided all the pitfalls. Our choice of location and premises despite its relatively high rental would not have been the same without the rather costly lessons that we learnt from such choices made for our earlier two centers.

The management was generous with business incentive. Sri Gombak center managed to fund a lot of its business expenses from the incentives awarded by Daekyo Malaysia for its steep growth. We have continuously helped in our small way to expand brand awareness in our area of business, namely through truck roadshows - thanks to the rather impressive truck that Daekyo Malaysia has invested in.

With continuous branding awareness and improvement in quality of learning, I hope our centers will become the first choice education provider for almost all households in our areas of business.

Jolene Chan

Eye Level Kuchai Entrepreneur’s Park (1 year 3 months)

“What I like most about being an Eye Level franchisee……Kids and flexible hours!”

My nieces and nephews attended Eye Level programme when they were young. I was attracted by the colourful workbooks and those fun comic pages from the booklets since years back. Critical Thinking Math also caught my attention. My passion of teaching young children grew after I spoke to one of my friends who started her Eye Level Learning Centre four years ago. Seeing the tremendous progress and the big improvement that my nieces and nephews have, it prompted me to speak to Daekyo Malaysia and here I am, I started my very own Eye Level Learning Centre at Kuchai Entrepreneurs' Park!

What I like most about being an Eye Level franchisee are kids and flexible hours!Seeing kids daily makes me feel younger and cheerful. Previously in my years in the hotel industry, I worked 10 hours a day! Being an Eye Level franchisee, there’s flexibility to operate only four days in a week with minimum of four hours a day. Apart from this, I also enjoy attending the various trainings which I personally find very useful and practical.

Lack of teaching experience is one of my challenges when I had my first few students initially. I must express my appreciation to the training team of Daekyo Malaysiaand my Area Manager whohave given me "tips" in handling difficult students, supporting me by visiting my centre every now and then to ensure my smooth operation. I also faced challenges in getting new students but marketing efforts such as flyers distribution to schools, collaborating with kindergartens as well as making use of our Eye Level mobile truck to promote my centre have proven fruitful.

I am proud and glad to have Daekyo Malaysia as my management. They have given me support in various dimensions through trainings, IT support, marketing ideas and launching different kinds of promotions in order to entice new parents. From my end, I strongly believe that fostering a strong instructor/parents relationships is vital to sustain our business. I also work very closely with art and music centers as well as day care centersto further promote Eye Level programmes.

For the upcoming years, my aim is to transform my centre to be the preferred learning centre among all the other child enrichment centres in my area. I believe that my constant enforcement in self-directed learning method would definitely help in achieving positive and independent attitude to my students.

Coming from the hotel service industry, I have always equipped myself with warm hospitality, close follow up with parents as well as providing them constant feedback on students' performance throughout the year. Strong and close parents-instructor rapport which I have built is the main contributor to my steady and realistic growth in terms of subject count in the past 12 months. With this, I am proud to set my centre aside from the rest by not only having a steady enrolment throughout the year but also a centre that have very minimal dropped ratio. It is my hope that my centre could continue to maintain the current retention rate and continue to have a steady growth for the next couple of years.

Satine Lim

Eye Level Subang Bestari (1 year)

“What I like most about being an Eye Level franchisee is the simple, easy and effective business system.”

When I was younger, I wanted to become my own boss or a business owner. I wished to be involved in something that can bring goodwill to our society. With that aim, I ventured in financial consulting for the past 10 years. As I grew older, I became interested in children related business. My cousins who have been with Eye Level since 2006 have improved in their math skills. They also possess a very positive attitude in problem solving. Eye Level then came into my mind as I started exploring business ventures. I love children and I believe every child deserve a bright future. Education is the main key for children to achieve their goals and to be able to contribute back to the society. With Eye Level’s proven education system and market experience, I believe I could obtain guidance to run my own business although I didn’t have any experience in running a children enrichment center.

What I like most about being an Eye Level franchisee is the simple, easy and effective business system. I have no doubt on the effectiveness of Eye Level programs. After I attended the Eye Level Business Orientation, I was amazed with the successful franchisees in Malaysia. They have been proven role models to me.

The possibility of having 300, 200 or even 100 students is possible. Eye Level provides professional advice from setting up the center to center marketing and operations. Trainings are ongoing and they have been useful in equipping new franchisee as a successful entrepreneur as well as a center instructor.

In first few months, I think the major challenges were how to promote my center to my area and how to spread the word that a good learning system is available in my area. I hung banner and distributed flyers. As a result, I received positive response from the parents of my area.

I am touched with the support that HQ has shown to me. We have our own assigned Area Manager, routine meetings and the eyelevelfamily web portal to stay in touch with one another.

I am the key to making my center successful and to ensure more children are reaping the benefits of Eye Level programs. With the company’s direction towards the Self-Directed Learning concept and Blended Learning system, I strongly believe that my center will be the first choice for parents in my area.

What sets me apart from other franchisees is that my center’s constant monitoring on our students’ progress and ongoing consultation with parents.

Anyone can be a franchise business owner. I always put myself in a child’s shoes when I am in class with my students. Think like them, feel like them. Be fun, friendly and energetic to the students. When it comes to parents, I will be the key person to communicate with them on their children’s behaviour in class and learning progress.

To those who are interested to take up the Eye Level franchise business, do not say Yes or No until you have attended the Business Orientation conducted by Daekyo Malaysia. Be open-minded and obtain a full understanding on the business.

An interview with our newest Franchisee
Tricia Chan of Jurong West Learning Centre

DSG was glad that Tricia managed to take some time off from her busy schedule to give us an interview. Being someone who is astute and a mother of two, juggling between work and home is by no means an easy task.

Read on to find out more about about the goings on from the inception stage of DSG’s newest Learning Centre – Jurong West.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m a mother of 2 lovely kids, one 3 and other 6, and used to work as an engineer / sales engineer for more than 10 years. As my job was rather demanding, I had to plan and find time to juggle between work and family.

I can say that I performed very well in my career (top sales, top success rate etc) but I feel I could `perform better’ as a mother. There was always some form of guilt in me that I had not played my role as a mother well and that was why I decided it was time for me to do something.

I wanted to have more quality time with my family, to play with my kids, to learn with them and to nurture and guide them in achieving their life targets and be a successful people in life.

With the support of my husband, I decided to give up climbing the corporate ladder and do something I enjoy and able to spend more time with my kids and family and beneficial for my kids as well.

Amongst so many franchises out there to choose from, why Eye Level?

Well, franchising a business was our initial plan because it was easier to start up compared to setting up a business of our own. Our target was for me to have something to do but still have time with my kids and family.

Franchising a F&B business, which my husband (the investor) initially wanted was not easy and not my cup of tea.

I suggested the idea to franchise an enrichment centre as I have had experience in teaching children and it is something I enjoy and it would benefit our own children as well. More importantly, I would be able to teach and nurture them myself in my very own centre!! That was when we started searching for franchise opportunities for enrichment centres.

Why Eye Level? There are few reasons:

The first is the business model. Its business model suited what we were looking for. During the Business Orientation, I came to know that I did not have to operate full time/daily basis. I could actually plan out a timetable of my own and work out a time that fitted my personal lifestyle.

The 2nd reason was the teaching tools and program Eye Level has. Comparing to a few top tuition / enrichment programs which I have sent my son to and the few franchise workshops I attended, Eye Level’s program is the program that was what I am looked for. Its philosophy in letting the child learn at their own pace and own comfort level is exactly what I wanted my son & daughter to have.

So as a parent myself, I saw no reason why I should go around searching for other enrichment schools to franchise when I was convinced that Eye Level’s program would definitely benefit the child in better ways.

It is the ground rule that one should believe in his/her own business in order to succeed.

Lastly, the support we felt from DSG HQ. They have done promotional events and are still doing for the branding of Eye Level. If the brand starts to sell by itself, it will definitely benefit every franchisee like us.

You are at your renovation stage now, what hurdles have you faced so far?

Haha! It is all about timing! We are rushing as we have only three weeks for renovation works so we can have our Opening Ceremony in mid‐September and starting operations in October.

It took us more than 6 weeks to apply for a change of use (of the premises) and approval from the Fire Safety Board.

Amongst the four subjects offered (English, Math, Play Math, Chinese Jr), why is your favourite? Why?

Play Math, definitely! The books are so colourful and fun. I even enjoyed doing them myself! Most importantly, I enjoy the company of young children!

Where do you see your Centre in a year's time?

We envision in providing a warm and cozy environment for students and thus they would look forward to every lessons. We strongly believe that it is every parent’s wish that their child enjoy the process of learning and not see learning as a phase to get through the high standard educational system in Singapore. We believe that our centre will be able to garner support from parents who share the same vision in a year’s time.

Linda Ng

As an educator, I strongly believe that quality, relevance and presentation of instructional materials play an important part in effective learning. Having studied the Eye Level curriculum and materials, I am convinced that Eye Level programs are well-developed and very structured.

In addition, I find the approach of “learning and progressing at each individual’s pace” very apt for our children today, each with different learning needs and ability. Whether for those who need more time in grasping mathematical concepts and honing mathematical skills or for those who are well ahead of their peers in their mathematical ability, Eye Level Math enables them to progress confidently.

I am pleased with the support the Head Office has shown to the Centre owners. I can recall the high level of involvement, guidance and support the Head Office rendered to me when I started my centre in 2011. All these years, the management has always been open to sharing of ideas and concerns. The regular communication between the Head Office and Centre owners establishes common goals and interests, thereby allowing us to take the Eye Level business to the next level together as one big family.

Making A Difference In A Student’s Life

With so many competitive children educational programmes around, what motivated you to become an Eye Level franchisee?

My partnership was introduced to Eye Level by one of our excolleagues who bought over an Eye Level centre in Petaling Jaya.
I was particularly attracted to Eye Level’s emphasis on selfdirected learning and critical thinking which I found lacking in the staff that I had recruited in my 16 years in corporate world, most of whom expected spoon-feeding and excessive guidance even when they were in managerial capacity. Knowing that it’s hard to change adults, I decided to turn my attention to kids and found my match in Eye Level i.e. a foundation building programme with strong emphasis on self-directed learning and critical thinking.

■ What do you like the most being an Eye Level franchisee?

I enjoy the working hours most. My partnership owns three centres but we work only 21 hours a week, starting our week on Thursday evening and ending on Sunday evening, which means I’m free from Monday to Thursday morning to pursue my other interests in life. Best of all, it can be as rewarding as corporate world if not more, once you build a good student base despite the limited time spent at work, and this is all without the usual stress that comes with climbing the corporate ladder.

■ What were the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them when you started off as an Eye Level franchisee?

Sri Gombak is my partnership’s third center set up last year in 2013 and by far, the most successful as it copied all proven formulae from our earlier two centers and avoided all the pitfalls. Our choice of location and premises despite its relatively high rental would not have been the same without the rather costly lessons that we learnt from such choices made for our earlier two centers. Due to its strategic location (on top of Pizza Hut along main road in a new shoplot) in a middle income market that places a lot of emphasis on improving kids’ lives through education, business grew faster than our expectation but this posed a new problem, namely staff constraint but we were lucky as there was a ready pool of trained staff from our nearby center that we had imported to help out while we were training our local assistants. Looking back, we acknowledge that we would not have survived the steep growth without the advantage of Sri Gombak being third in our center lineup as we would otherwise have been handicapped by staff constraint and inadequate experience dealing with parents and students.

■ How did the management support your business and what are the initiatives introduced by you to grow your Eye Level business?

I enjoy the working hours most. My partnership owns three centres but we work only 21 hours a week, starting our week on Thursday evening and ending on Sunday evening, which means I’m free from Monday to Thursday morning to pursue my other interests in life. Best of all, it can be as rewarding as corporate world if not more, once you build a good student base despite the limited time spent at work, and this is all without the usual stress that comes with climbing the corporate ladder.

■ What do you like the most being an Eye Level franchisee?

The management was generous with business incentive. Sri Gombak centre managed to fund a lot of its business expenses from the incentives awarded by Daekyo Malaysia for its steep growth. On our part, we have continuously helped in our small way to expand brand awareness in our area of business, namely through truck roadshows – thanks to the rather impressive truck that Daekyo Malaysia had invested in.

■ With the support of the Eye Level management,where do you see your business in the next three years?

With continuous branding awareness and improvement in quality of learning, I hope our centres will become the first choice education provider for almost all households in our areas of business.

■ If there is one winning strategy that set you apart from other Eye Level franchisees, what would it be?

I believe it’s our business setup. Mine is a partnership of three, hence adequate backup to make sure that any one of us can be absent with our business interests still intact and our partnership operates in a way that all three partners remain hands-on and can backup any staff with lower risk of being blackmailed by our staff.

Nathalia Surjadi

Princessa Audrey Lesamana (7 yo) is another Eye Level student with good achievement. Pricessa says “ beside math I also like to learn English and ballet, I have won the Eye Level Math Oympiad for the 1stGrade level and also first champion in my school competition”.

Irine Oktaviani, Princessa’s Mom also add “I trusted Eye Level for Princessa math education because Eye Level have more values in the learning methods compared to similar education course”.

Lynn Soh

The Eye Level franchise is a great opportunity given to start my own business. I was uncertain how fast the business is able to grow, but the support I received from the HQ was notable. Within 6 months of operations, the business had grown significantly. For the past 15 months, there has been continual growth.

IThe franchise gave me the opportunity to interact with many different children through teaching. It has been rewarding to see them increase in their confidence and willingness to practice Mathematics as well as build their foundation through the program.”

Linda Ng

As an educator, I strongly believe that quality, relevance and presentation of instructional materials play an important part in effective learning. Having studied the Eye Level curriculum and materials, I am convinced that Eye Level programs are well-developed and very structured.
In addition, I find the approach of “learning and progressing at each individual’s pace” very apt for our children today, each with different learning needs and ability. Whether for those who need more time in grasping mathematical concepts and honing mathematical skills or for those who are well ahead of their peers in their mathematical ability, Eye Level Math enables them to progress confidently.
I am pleased with the support the Head Office has shown to the Centre owners. I can recall the high level of involvement, guidance and support the Head Office rendered to me when I started my centre in 2011. All these years, the management has always been open to sharing of ideas and concerns. The regular communication between the Head Office and Centre owners establishes common goals and interests, thereby allowing us to take the Eye Level business to the next level together as one big family.

Linda Lo and Tan Kee Aun

Venturing into business takes a whole lot of planning and preparation, with many key considerations to be addressed. Many seek to open their own business, but choosing the right partner could certainly assure one’s successful endeavours into becoming an entrepreneur.

For Linda Lo and Tan Kee Aun, the right fit came about when they ventured into the Eye Level franchise business and have now achieved both success and self-fulfilment by doing what they love. Lo and Tan now runs their own Eye Level franchise business in Kota Kinabalu and SS2, Petaling Jaya respectively.

Unprecedented Confidence

Lo, who took the Eye Level franchise business all the way to East Malaysia, believes that Eye Level’s strength lies in its syllabus. “Personally, I believe math is a very important subject in a child’s education especially when they are young.

When I found out that Eye Level also provides Critical Thinking Math, on top of the Basic Thinking Math, I thought it was a perfect combination!” she says.

For Tan, on the other hand, he felt that the programme was one that made sense for students. He shares: “As a trained educator and having seen other programmes and learning philosophies, I found Eye Level’s programmes to be the most effective and wholesome.”

Eye Level boasts of superior learning materials, and Tan agrees: “The booklets trump most programmes out there in terms of content and presentation. The Critical Thinking aspect of the programme is really what every student should go through in order to discover what their brain is really capable of. The math concepts explained in the programme are clear and systematic. Learning through Eye Level is truly a fun and motivating journey.”
Their confidence in the Eye Level franchise programme certainly paid off, and are now reaping in the benefits of being associated with a highly regarded supplementary education institution such as Eye Level.

Not Just About Business

Of course, in the world of business there are bound to be some bumps during the start-up phase of their venture. “At the core of all businesses, I think it is all about people and relationships. In this business, it is our constant effort to build a trusting relationship with the parents and ensuring that they have confidence in our programme,” says Lo.

Reiterating Lo, Tan found that many times parents could not wait long enough for the students to improve because they have fallen so far behind in the school syllabus that they do not know how to solve the problems.

Tan explains: “They come to meet us and expect improvements, but that is not how the Eye Level programme works. Helping parents find that balance between improvement and the waiting time is both crucial and challenging.”

Such challenges, however, did not stop Lo and Tan to pursue finding balance for its students as passion for what they do remains as a strong motivator and driving force. “When we can understand what the children and parents are going through and find a solution, we find that it’s easier to meet both of their needs. When we become their partners in solving their problems, the journey together becomes a whole lot more exciting and fun,” shares Tan.

Similarly with Lo, building a trusting relationship through communication is very important. She adds: “Even though I am handling a business in that sense, I make sure my team understand that I will spend time with the parents just by talking to them, caring for them and discussing with them about their children. “Like all parents, they want to know we care for their children as much as they do. I am thankful for the open conversation the parents have had with me. It really helps me to understand them better and vice versa.”

It truly is rewarding to be in the education line, as Lo’s efforts of communication deems fruitful. When asked of what motivates her to carry on, she shares: “We see children who could not read an English word now being able to read story books happily. We have children who could not count and recite multiplication table initially and are now excelling in solving them effortlessly.”

The biggest motivator of all is when they see parents trusting the programme more. “It just motivates us to do well and do more for the parents and the children,” Lo adds.

Open for Business

Learning never stops; neither should educators who want to make a difference. The Eye Level franchise business is always looking to expand its reach, especially for individuals who are passionate about education as they are. The best thing of all is that you will be supported in more ways than one to start your business venture!

“I am truly thankful for the financial support that comes from the Eye Level headquarters, especially for our roadshows, which helped get the centre to where it is now. Monetary rewards and programmes such as the Learn Together, Grow Together completion gave me the opportunity to understand the programme more and interact with other instructors,” says Tan.

“It starts with the heart that truly loves learning and the people who want to learn. The monetary gains will come later as with all who start off with something great…Anyone can be a franchise owner, but only the ones who see the bigger picture will thrive.”

Lo also opines that an Eye Level franchise owner should adhere to the 6C’s, namely commitment, competency, compassion, communication, creativity and collaboration. That said, she believes that if you can treat the children in the centre as your own, you will not find yourself working or trying to run a business.

“It is all about passion for education and loving the children. As Confucius once said, choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” concludes Lo.

Ms Ita

Saya seorang ibu rumah tangga dengan 2 orang anak yang sudah duduk di bangku SMP dan SMA. Saya bergabung dengan PT. Daekyo Indonesia dan membuka franchisee Eye Level di daerah Pulomas, Jakarta, sejak Maret 2007. Saya seorang insinyur kimia lulusan ITB yang pernah bekerja di salah satu perusahaan Amerika yang bergerak di bidang perminyakan selama 7 tahun. Keinginan saya untuk mendidik anak-anak saya sendiri membuat saya memutuskan untuk keluar dari pekerjaan saya. Kepuasan saya dalam menemani anak-anak saya belajar menimbulkan keinginan untuk terjun di dunia pendidikan informal yang akhirnya terbuka saat saya menemukan Eye Level di sekolah anak-anak saya yang pada saat itu ada sebagai kegiatan ekstra kurikuler.

Filosofi pemberian fondasi matematika yang kuat dan sistematis baik dalam kemampuan berhitung maupun dalam mengasah kemampuan menganalisa problem matematika yang membuat saya jatuh cinta pada kurikulum Eye Level. Sudah seharusnya anak-anak mempunyai fondasi yang kuat dalam pelajaran matematika bukan hanya belajar sesaat untuk mengejar nilai ulangan. Fondasi yang kuat akan terpakai sepanjang hidup mereka. Sebagaimana kita ketahui matematika kita pakai dalam kehidupan sehari-hari baik kemampuan berhitung maupun kemampuan dalam menganalisa suatu masalah. Anak yang punya kemampuan menganalisa dengan baik akan mampu secara sistematis menyelesaikan masalah.

Kendala yang saya dapatkan pada waktu membuka usaha ini adalah kemampuan menghadapi anak-anak yang ternyata merupakan dinamika dari usaha ini. Materi dapat di pelajari dengan mudah tetapi bagaimana kita menyampaikannya kepada anak-anak itu merupakan tantangan tersendiri. Pada awalnya saya melakukan semuanya sendiri dibantu oleh seorang guru part time. Saya kenali seluk beluk mengajar anak-anak yang berbeda2 kemampuan dan karakter untuk dapat membuat anak belajar dengan senang hati. Puji syukur usaha ini berkembang dengan baik dan jumlah murid bertambah karena kepuasan para orang tua yang senang anaknya belajar Eye Level di tempat kami dan menyampaikannya kepada kerabat. Dalam 6 bulan murid Pulomas mencapai BEP nya, guru2 baru pun perlu di rekruit untuk membantu kelancaran. Dengan pengalaman saya yang terjun sendiri pada awalnya, membuat saya dengan mudah mengarahkan tenaga kerja guru untuk melakukan yang terbaik dalam menstimulasi murid-murid untuk belajar.

Motivasi saya dalam menjalankan usaha ini masih besar berorientasi pada kepuasan kami dalam proses mendidik anak-anak yang serius dalam belajar, membantu mereka untuk belajar menyenangi matematika, mempunyai rasa percaya diri yang dapat ditimbulkan apabila mereka punya fondasi matematika yang kuat. Saya sangat menikmati proses belajar mereka bukan hanya berorientasi pada hasil nilai ulangan semata. Kami percaya belajar adalah sebuah proses dan proses yang berjalan baik otomatis akan menghasilkan hasil yang baik pula.

Selama hampir 7 tahun berdiri, puji syukur jumlah murid kami selalu stabil dan banyak murid yang setia mengikuti proses belajar yang memang bukan instan ini. Tenaga guru saat ini full time 5 orang (termasuk admin) dan 2 orang part time. Saat ini yang kami coba terus pertahankan adalah suasana yang nyaman bagi murid-murid kami untuk belajar. Dan itu terjadi apabila keharmonisan terjalin antara sesama guru, antara murid dengan guru dan antara sesama murid. Kami senang jika murid-murid datang ke tempat kami dengan sukacita. Tidak dapat di pungkiri bahwa proses belajar bukan hal yang di sukai oleh anak-anak. Tapi kami percaya dengan suasana center yang nyaman, anak-anak akan senang dan betah untuk belajar di tempat kami. Dan berharap mereka menyampaikannya ke teman dan kerabat.