I could have packed in Breakthrough Maths many moons ago.

To be honest, I probably should have. The bank balance hit red 4 times in 3 years. Nobody will understand the pressure and anxiety one feels in the grinds space every September. You’ve no idea what revenue you will take in in September.

“Will the customers come back?”

“Will we be able to pay the wages?”

There’s very little business like this. Low barriers to entry. Everyone thinks they can do it. And every September you’ve got to pay to re-market to people to sign up to your classes.

It’s horrible. Every September feels like starting again.

So, why am I still here?

Pure cliché to say it’s for the love of the student. But that’s what I feel. I really mean that. A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. That line lingers.

The magic and the buzz of someone who meets me on the street saying, “You’re the maths fella, you saved my maths.”

That’s a kid who school hasn’t clicked for. Who jumps onto a class with a team I’ve built around a vision and a dream. Who improves their maths. Who opens up options after school. Who becomes a happier child. A happier family.

Like that’s so, so, so much pride.

How many people go through the motions in life? A job is a job to them. A means to an end.

For me, that feels like a voluntary prison sentence. Doing something for the sake of it. That’s what kills excitement. A deadpan life.

That scares the daylights out of me.

And I know, I know. Oh, it’s easy for you. You’ve no kids yet or a mortgage to pay for. I get it. But flip side, so did you at one point. And you’re here reading my story.

Fear holds most people back. Pride drives me forward.

It’s a choice. I’m glad I took the leap.