During the decade that Seungik Park taught biology in his home country of South Korea, he enjoyed sculpting young minds. While teaching was his passion, a move to the United States prompted a career change. For the last ten years, he has owned and operated a convenience store at the heart of his community. Today, Park has moved on to his next venture. As the new owner and Instructor of Kumon of Orchard Park, he has learned how teachers have an advantage in entrepreneurship.
“Prior to opening this center, my wife and I had the pleasure of being Kumon parents to our youngest daughter,” said Park, owner and Instructor of Kumon of Orchard Park. “After having firsthand experience with how much Kumon has helped her academic development, we wanted to be able to share that joy with other families in our community.”
Becoming a Kumon franchisee is an attractive business opportunity for entrepreneurs seeking their next step. While it’s not required, Park’s prior experience as a teacher along with owning a small business made him a great candidate to open a Kumon Center. Up to $36,400 in startup cost assistance is available to further assist new Instructors, along with an extensive network of support.
Kumon is a supplemental education program that aims to unlock students’ full potential by increasing academic independence, confidence, and study skills. Through daily worksheet study, students enrolled in Kumon often end up mastering material far beyond grade level.
“What sets Kumon apart is the fact that it’s not direct tutoring – instead, students learn how to work through solving problems on their own,” said Park. “My hope for this center is for it to be a safe place for my students to be able to make mistakes, so that they can improve their self-learning skills without judgement.”
