Local man ditches London stock market to open a community-focused business

After 26 years trading bonds and interest rates in the City of London, 48-year-old father of two, Tim Whipman, has done what many of us can only dream of: ditched a grueling, high-profile corporate role to pursue his dream of owning his own business. His passion and commitment to helping the children in his local community has seen his Tutor Doctor business flourish. He now works with over 40 families in the local area.

“I’ve always wanted to do something that makes a difference. Now I have the best of both worlds; a successful business, a sense of community and a real pride that I’m giving students the chance to achieve their dreams too.”

Tim has been at the helm of his Tutor Doctor business in Chiswick for just over five months, helping children to grow in confidence and ability. Tim thoroughly assesses a child’s needs and then carefully selects the best-fit tutor based on goals, personality and learning level. Tim’s tutors visit students at home, at a time that is convenient for them.

As father to teenage twins, Tim says he knew from day-one that his new business would be education focused!

“The twins are 18 now but they both went to highly academic schools where grades mattered! Going through the curriculum and seeing the types of decisions they had to make was quite surprising; it’s a lot to take on at a young age. On top of that, no matter how hard they tried, the dramas at school with other students, even teachers, affected their results and their futures! Choosing this industry was obvious to me. I didn’t consider my work to be that beneficial in my old life but now, I feel I have real value in the community.”

Prior to owning his business, Tim enjoyed a highly successful career at a senior level. Initially lured in by the thrill of the big city, the role was every bit as exciting and fast-paced as you’d imagine it to be from the big screen portrayals. But fast-forward twenty years and things had begun to look and feel very different.

“My priorities shifted, it’s as simple as that. Even at a senior level, the job wasn’t as exciting or rewarding as it used to be. I didn’t like that I wasn’t doing anything I classed as ‘worthwhile’. I wasn’t using my skills to do anything other than to focus on my screens and trade, day-in, day-out. I’d thought about being my own boss for a good few years, it just ate away at me until I got to the point where I thought, if I don’t do it now, I never will!”

As you can no doubt imagine, this dynamic businessman has some ambitious plans for the next two to five years but he’s already well on track!

“If the business continues to grow as quickly as it has so far then in the next six months I’ll definitely be looking at taking on some staff. I want to be the go to service in Chiswick/Ealing/Fulham and I see no reason why I can’t achieve that,” says Tim.

 “Of course I want to earn a reasonable living but my rewards are also the personal satisfaction as well as financial. I often say that my highs are so high… it makes the thought of going back to corporate life impossible! I plan to expand, take on some staff and work closely with the local schools to make a real impact,” adds Tim.

Tim is living proof that the transition from the corporate world to business ownership is not only possible, it’s rewarding and profitable. But what’s the best thing about owning his business? You’d have to ask Tim…

“For me, it’s the people I meet. This area is so diverse; I get to meet people from all walks of life. I find it incredibly rewarding knowing that every time I come out of a consultancy with a family and a child, I’m doing something to help. It’s so tangible and real compared to what I used to do… It feels fantastic!”


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About Tutor Doctor

Tutor Doctor is the fastest growing in-home tutoring franchise in the world. Business owners work with families to thoroughly asses a child’s needs and then carefully select the best-fit tutor based on goals, personality and learning style. Instead of the tired old centre-based model, tutors visit students at home or work via a state-of-the-art online learning platform so that students can learn in the comfort of their own home, at a time that suits them. For today’s busy families, this is a real benefit! The company was established in North America in 2000 and started its global expansion in 2003. It now has over 500 franchised offices in more than 14 countries and a network of 16,000 tutors. Operations in the UK began in 2009 and since then the company has experienced growth of 50% year on year and now has 80 franchise owners in the UK. The company is a proud member of both The Tutors Association and the British Franchise Association.