The Challenge
++ + Let's Learn Together + {" "} + is a Houston-based tutoring agency providing personalized in-home academic support for + children ages 3-18. As the business grew, their operations became increasingly complex: + tracking tutors, managing schedules, invoicing families, and reconciling payments. +
++ Everything ran through manual spreadsheets. Billing calculations were done by hand. + Invoice generation was copy-paste. Every week, hours disappeared into + tedious administrative work that could be automated—but the team didn't have the + technical background to know where to start. +
++ They needed two things: immediate relief from the spreadsheet chaos, and a long-term + plan to adopt software that could scale with the business. +
+What We Did
++ This was a 2-month advisory engagement focused on optimizing operations + and guiding technology decisions. +
+ +Phase 1: Immediate Relief
++ First, we fixed the spreadsheets. Rebuilt the billing and invoicing workbooks with + proper formulas, automated calculations, and clearer organization. Not a complete + solution, but enough to buy back hours every week while we planned the long-term fix. +
++ "I still have a lot of work to do, but your simple formulas and set up are + saving me hours and so much stress." +
+— Sara Ho, Founder
+Phase 2: Vendor Evaluation
++ Evaluated three business management platforms designed for tutoring agencies:{" "} + Teachworks, Sawyer, and{" "} + TutorCruncher. Sat in vendor demos, asked technical questions, and + helped the team understand trade-offs between features, pricing, and complexity. +
+Key Decision Factors
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+
- + • + + Fit with internal processes: Which platform matched their + existing workflow vs. forcing them to change + + +
- + • + + Team size and simplicity: Avoiding over-engineered solutions + with features they didn't need + + +
- + • + + Pricing and scalability: Cost-effective now, but able to grow + with the business + + +
- + • + + Client and customer experience: Easy for families to book, + pay, and communicate + + +
- + • + + Ease of adoption: How quickly the team could learn the new + system and start using it + + +
Phase 3: Implementation Support
++ After evaluating all three platforms, Teachworks emerged as the + clear choice. It matched their processes, scaled appropriately for their team size, + and provided the best balance of features and simplicity. +
++ Provided technical guidance during onboarding: data migration planning, workflow + setup, and troubleshooting integration questions. The platform is now ready to + launch and replace the manual spreadsheet process entirely. +
+The Result
+ ++ Weekly time savings from optimized spreadsheets—immediate relief + before platform adoption +
++ Vendors evaluated with technical guidance to make an informed + decision +
++ From chaos to clarity—spreadsheet optimization to vendor selection + to implementation +
++ Platform launching soon to replace manual processes with scalable + automation +
++ "...and am LOVING this new system! Saves me so many hours of tedious work!" +
+— Sara Ho, Founder
+What This Demonstrates
+ ++ Technical advisory for non-technical clients. Not every business + needs custom software—sometimes they need someone who can evaluate off-the-shelf + solutions, ask the right questions, and guide them to the best choice for their + situation. +
++ Understanding operations, not just code. Optimizing spreadsheets + isn't glamorous work, but it solved an immediate problem while buying time for + the real solution. Good consulting means solving the problem in front of you first. +
++ Vendor evaluation with business context. Led technical conversations + in vendor demos, translated features into business value, and helped a non-technical + team make a confident decision between competing platforms. +
++ Two-phase approach: quick wins + long-term fix. Immediate relief + (spreadsheet optimization) while planning the sustainable solution (platform adoption). + This keeps the business moving while building the right foundation. +
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