A fast-paced career in investment banking saw Michael Hull regularly move his family to a new country with every fresh overseas posting.

One of the grounding elements of this transient lifestyle was enrolling his children in an after-school Kumon program to support their maths and English learning.

“As we were travelling the world, our kids were jumping from school to school every two years. So we sent them to Kumon, in Asia, in the UK, back in Hong Kong, and had really enjoyed the experience. We love the program,” Michael says.

“And I’m still a Kumon parent – I have been continually for 25 years! My youngest is 13 and still doing it,” he reveals.

So it was a logical step for him to turn to the global education brand when he was considering a small business investment.

Michael had tired of working in the financial markets around the time of the GFC, and stepped out of the business world for a while. As an amateur musician, he spent some time indulging his passion for the guitar.

When he was ready to start a new project, it was the familiarity and confidence with the Kumon program that drew him to become a franchisee.

Investment banker turned Kumon franchisee

Michael bought a brand-new business in Randwick, Sydney, in 2016.

Although he had internal department and group management experience, taking on business ownership was a new challenge.

“As a new business owner, you are everything from cleaner to financial officer, you’re doing everything. It was new, and challenging, and I had to get better at managing my own time and systems,” Michael admits.

As someone who had spent his working life with numbers, he found running a client-facing business didn’t come naturally to him.

“Because of Kumon’s model, I’ve been able to implement systems that solved issues for me. For instance, I implemented auto responders to take me out of initial phone interactions with clients because it was beneficial to everyone,” he says.

Over the decade, Michael has optimised the Kumon business model to his advantage, and built a substantial operation. 

He values the franchisor’s support, with marketing in particular, but also loves the bespoke approach that gives franchisees some freedom in how they run their businesses.

Autonomy and creativity are great advantages

“We have directions and guidance of course, but I have opportunity to run it how I want to run it. I’m not trapped inside a system. I have the opportunity to be creative. 

“Being able to manage your business in a way that suits you as a business owner is very important, and makes it ultimately a more satisfying experience,” Michael says. 

“The autonomy is rewarding. You can contribute. And there’s a very strong collegiate sense among franchisees. We share information, go to conferences; it’s an information-rich group of people,” Michael says.

He discovered that unlocking the quality of a product can lead to real business outcomes. 

“The great strength of Kumon is its IP. I think it is still, across all industries, one of the greatest IPs on the planet, it’s a phenomenal program. That’s the strength – access to that program,” he says.

As a brand-new business owner, Michael was focused on the finances of the operation. Now, while the figures are important, there’s a fresh, more satisfying goal, he says.

“Initially I was a bit numbers oriented, I wanted to grow the centre and develop a good business. My goal now is to deliver the program at the highest level I can. It’s about delivering the program to as many families in this area in a way they get the most out of it,” he says.

The switch comes from seeing the measurable impact the program has on the community.

Community impact is satisfying

“I knew how good Kumon had been for my own kids. But as I learned more about the program and saw the results among different types of kids, and how flexible the program is to help families with lots of different aspects of the development of their children, it became much more satisfying for me.

“I’m focused on extracting more and more out of the program, in a way that’s more and more successful with people. If the numbers come from that, through word of mouth, so be it, but I prioritise program delivery first.”

Michael’s approach has paid off. Over a decade, Kumon Randwick Education Centre has maintained exceptionally high retention rates, among the top in the franchise network. 

“That’s a strong reflection of the quality of your business,” Michael points out. “And I saw that change over time. I saw the retention numbers go up in direct correlation with what I felt was better delivery of the program,” he says.

Throughout the 10 years of operation, the business has included family. Michael’s wife and children work in the business, and are passionate ambassadors for the Kumon brand.

“I’ve never sat here and pored over the numbers, wondering how I can make more money. It was never an asset to sell, the plan is to hand it over to my daughter.

“We all love the program and love sharing it. That’s it. It’s never been about the numbers. And we are richer for it,” Michael says.