Meet Simon Barnes, founder of TLC Live
TLC LIVE is a personalised, pay as you go, online tutoring service which connects qualified teachers with students anywhere in the country. We deliver bespoke online learning content covering English, Maths, Science, Humanities and EAL from Key Stage 2 through GCSE level.
Most of the students we work with are looked-after children, children in Pupil Referral Units and AP students. Last year, we delivered over 40,000 hours of education online to some of the UK’s most vulnerable children.
Do you have a morning routine or ritual to get your day started on the right foot?
I get up very early in the morning and begin my day with a 45-minute run. It’s a great stress-reliever, a chance to think, and I find if I don’t run that I look at problems completely differently. I then spend another 45 minutes in my office, which doubles as a recording studio, playing the guitar or piano, recording, and editing. I’ve actually released two albums, one of which is on Spotify. One of the great things about music is that it requires your entire focus, so you can’t really think about anything else.
If you could be in a room with any entrepreneurs, who would they be and why?
James Dyson, he’s a great innovator. I’d like to learn about the early days of bringing the product online, the challenges he faced and how they ultimately beat out competitors. I’d also like to speak to him because he’s entering the education sector by starting a university.
Can Mick Jagger and Keith Richards be considered entrepreneurs? They’ve built an incredible business and a brand that is recognised all over the world. I’m sure they have some stories to tell.
What are your top tips for entrepreneurs wanting to get their business out there?
Setting up a business is a leap of faith: You may have an idea, but you can’t know if it’s a winner until you make the jump. That said, you still need to plan ahead and predict which steps you need to take to get to your goal. Stay focused, and don’t get knocked off course. Another lesson which may sound simple is to never spend more than you make, but so many businesses – mine included – make this mistake early on. Cash flow is critical.
How important is company culture and what is your top tip to get it right?
Openness is vital, and the team needs to be involved in the company’s success. At TLC LIVE, we don’t really have a hierarchical structure, the organisation is very flat, and that’s something I’ve tried to achieve in previous companies. A flat management structure – and paying everyone a fair salary – means that they’re all willing to go the extra mile to do an outstanding job. It’s important that everyone sees leadership getting their hands dirty.
What’s the single most important decision that you made that contributed to your business?
The decision to go online back in 2011. The company began as a fixed-location face-to-face tutoring service and grew to seven centres around East Anglia. We decided to trial online before eventually fully launching in 2012. Since then, we’ve moved away from face-to-face tutoring to focus solely online.
How did you fund the launch of your business and what creative strategies did you use to execute a minimal cash flow?
We’ve learned by making mistakes. In 2012, we had extensive plans for our face-to-face business and we raised capital and hired with the expectations that centres would grow faster than they actually did. We didn’t keep an eye on revenue and expenditure and started to run out of money. We had to make people redundant, which was painful, and we downsized the company and relocated the business to survive, but we learned our lesson. From that point on, we forensically examine the money going into and out of the company.
How did you conquer those moments of doubt that so often affect entrepreneurs or stop many with great ideas – what pushes you through?
2012 was extraordinarily tough, but the support from family got us through, as did our unwavering belief in the business. While I sometimes doubted my ability to bring the idea into a profitable business, I never doubted the business itself. Music helped me a lot, as did exercise.
What’s the most important question entrepreneurs should be asking themselves?
“Do I believe in this project?” You need to believe in what you’re doing and be rational in that belief. Ask yourself if your idea is scalable and viable, and make sure you understand the market before diving in. If you believe in your project, you’ll be able to absolutely go for it.
How do you believe the evolution of tech will affect your industry over the next decade?
As online education becomes more established and better understood, I expect it will be used more widely. However, there will always be a role for in-person teachers – they are vital to delivering education. We hope that we can show how robust content taught by teachers in real time is a viable way of delivering education.
