Student & Teacher: Nina Kapoor, KapTutor
Here are some of the highlights of our conversation:
Natasha: What is your background/interest?
Nina: Since I was a freshman in high school, I picked up tutoring as a side gig. I tutored at the local Kumon Learning Center in my town and helped run the Star's Tutoring Program at Wissahickon High School. For me, tutoring was a way for me to give back and help students in need by being a peer counselor. In most sessions, you are able to relate and get students to open up further than just doing math and science work. It is honestly such an honorable role because you are able to see what is causing students the extra stress: some have personal problems going on, others don't feel they have the caliber to grasp the materials, and some just need a buddy to do work with because it helps keep them motivated.
Natasha: What was your major in college?
Nina: Business and Engineering with a concentration in Business Consulting and General Engineering.
Natasha: Did you ever imagine yourself starting a company?
Natasha: How did you come up with KapTutor?
Nina: It's a play on words. I definitely wanted to have a personal touch to it, so the "Kap" part comes from my last name - Kapoor. I loved the idea of a graduation cap being on top of the K; I thought it was very friendly and welcoming, which is the image I am trying to put out: Learning can be fun!
Natasha: How did you develop it?
Nina: The brand developed through me being a tutor for many years. I've worked with companies, I've worked privately, and I've worked with schools, so I think it was easy to take a mixture of all the best parts and create my own niche in the tutoring world.
Natasha: How has your brand evolved as you've grown?
Nina: I used to think of tutoring as just me and a bunch of clients, but I always reached this point where I was overworking, and I didn't have the room on my plate with school and internships. This is when I realized the flaw in my plan and came up with the idea of having a network of tutors. Essentially, I would do the hard work of finding clients, signing them up, but I would hire other tutors to continue the KapTutor experience. This was also beneficial because students who lost their internships or who needed a side gig can also make money while networking with families of different backgrounds. It seemed like the best win-win situation!
Natasha: How was it starting a business in the middle of a global pandemic?
Nina: I think for this particular business since I am in the education industry, the pandemic helped me. It showed me the need for affordable tutors during this online schooling period, and with the extra time on my hands from being quarantined, it seemed like my window of opportunity was wide open.
Natasha: What were some growing pains or challenges?
Nina: I think the hardest aspect was getting clients to trust me over more prominent brand companies like Khan Academy, Kaplan, Huntingdon Valley, etc. However, once I could get on a phone call, parents could tell that their child's education is our #1 priority.
Natasha: (If you can) quantify how many (or estimate) clients have you had so far?
Nina: Since the start of KapTutor in July, we have had over 35 revolving clients. Twenty-two of those clients are on long - term contracts with us going into the fall school year. We have taught over 96 sessions on our online platform, which translates to roughly 117 hours of tutoring.
Natasha: What are you most proud of/excited for as an entrepreneur?
Nina: I am most proud of the support I get from fellow students and past mentors. I thought I was way in over my head initially, but the support from family, friends, and mentors has kept me going. Also, that wholesome feeling you get when a kid finally understands a concept or is able to let you in and help them or the amazing comments we receive from parents, well honestly, it's just the best feeling. It makes me feel like I have a sense of purpose in this crazy career journey.
Natasha: Advice to others?
Nina: The best advice I ever got was from the Rocky movies, so my motto in life is this quote:
Natasha: What is your post-grad ambition?
Nina: Postgrad, I would love to continue growing KapTutor while working towards getting licensed/my CFA at a finance company.
Natasha: Where do you see your brand in 5 - 10 years?
Nina: In 5 - 10 years, I can see KapTutor being a staple in online education. The goal is to make education and technology hand in hand, so children in any country, under any circumstances, have the right and the accessibility to education.