Today we’d like to introduce you to David Mech.
David, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I quit my job at the bank back in 2003 and started working for myself. Once I was waking up at 11am and wearing shorts and sandals daily, I simply couldn’t return to the corporate world. I was forever self-employed. When market conditions changed and caused my prior business to become less profitable, I needed to look for an alternative. I applied to Ph.D. programs in behavioral economics and evolutionary psychology and was waiting for decisions from the various schools, so I replied to an ad looking for math tutors at a local tutoring center. They didn’t pay me much, but it was something to do until I hear back from the schools. I got curious shortly thereafter and looked up how much my employer was charging the parents for math tutoring services and was surprised to see how much one could charge for tutoring, so I decided to post some ads on craigslist for twice the rate I was being paid at the tutoring center.
My business immediately blew up, so I quit the tutoring service and built my private tutoring company. Shortly thereafter, I was working so much that I was forced to raise my rates just to keep the new customers away. Year after year I had to increase rates just to manage the flow of new business. It got even more interesting when the local community discovered that my prior business was a lawful adult entertainment production and distribution company. The local school board found out and decided to remove all of my advertising that I had taken out at the schools. Coming from the adult film industry and being a huge proponent of free speech rights, I sued the school board in federal court and took the case all the way to the United States Supreme Court, where I lost, although we still have a small hope of prevailing. Despite all the publicity surrounding the case, my business is still booming because I’m an awesome tutor and the kids love me, so it’s a really fun social experiment in challenging traditional social norms while having fun and making a difference at the same time. I even ran for the school board just to have some fun with the school district for unnecessarily removing my advertising — you can listen to an NPR interview here: http://mechforschoolboard.com/
Has it been a smooth road?
It’d be fun the whole way. I had the lawsuit (see http://mechforschoolboard.com/lawsuit.html), but it was really a fun experience. I’m a total nerd, so I love this stuff. Where else can you develop kids’ mathematics and critical thinking faculty while challenging social norms at the same time, all while wearing shorts and sandals and sleeping in every day, drinking chocolate milk at Starbucks all day. 🙂 lol
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Happy Fun Math Tutor story. Tell us more about the business.
See my website HappyFunMathTutor.com — I’m happy and fun, which by itself separates me from most other math tutors who are sad and boring 😉 lol. Sometimes I am at the library tutoring a kid and then I see these other tutors there, many of them are old enough to be my grandfather, and these guys are all serious and dressed up in slacks and a button-down shirt, and I can’t think of how bored the kid must be in the moment. Math is difficult enough for most kids to learn, so you may as well make it happy and fun! My kids build confidence and we make fun of each other all day. It’s great!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think the industry will grow because most teachers in the school district aren’t all that bright, which follows that the quality of instruction isn’t so great, which means that most kids need tutors to really understand the material and excel. No disrespect to teachers, but it takes a certain personality type to accept a job paying say $35k a year, all the while having to wake up at 5am, get dressed up, deal with parents and the administration, make and grade tests, bring your own supplies, etc. If I were a parent, I’d much rather have a successful business entrepreneur teaching my kids how to think…
Pricing:
- $1,500 for 25 hours ($60/hr), $650 for 10 hours ($65/hr), or $69.97 per hour with no commitment.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2901 Clint Moore Road, PMB 319, Boca Raton, FL 33496
- Website: http://www.HappyFunMathTutor.com
- Phone: 561-459-2058
- Email: HappyFunMathTutor@gmail.com
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-happy-fun-math-tutor-boca-raton
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
