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How to start an education consulting business

Are you a seasoned educator with a passion for helping others succeed? Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit? If so, an educational consulting business may be the perfect career path for you. As an educational consultant, you can provide invaluable guidance, support, and expertise. You can offer your services to clients who want to achieve their educational and career goals. 

There are over 7,500 education consultants in the country. There’s increasing demand for expert guidance and support from students, parents, and educators. By starting your own consultancy business, you can tap into this growing market. 

This guide will help you lay a strong foundation for your consulting business. Read on to explore the essential steps to starting an education consulting business. 

What is an educational consulting business?

Starting an educational consulting business is a great opportunity for individuals with expertise in the education sector. An educational consultant provides guidance and support to students, parents, and educational institutions. This is to enhance their learning process and achieve their academic goals. 

Educational consultants help students and parents with college admissions, financial aid, and career choices. They also assist educational institutions with curriculum development, faculty development, and student recruitment.

Benefits of starting an educational consulting business

Starting an educational consulting business can be a highly rewarding and lucrative venture. It provides the opportunity to work in the education sector. You can help and impact the lives of students and educators. You can also work with educational institutions to improve their services. Additionally, an educational consulting business has the potential to generate significant revenue.

The education consultancy industry

The education consultancy industry is a growing sector as many parents and educators seek support and guidance in navigating the education system. The education consulting market size is expected to reach $3.45 billion by the end of 2030. With an increasing demand for quality education, these consulting businesses are increasingly relevant, helping students and parents make informed decisions about their educational journey. The industry includes a range of services, from college admissions counseling to curriculum development and teacher training. This provides businesses with a wide range of opportunities to specialize and stand out.

Conducting market research

Before you start your education consultancy business, it is essential to conduct thorough market research. This will help you understand your target audience, competition, and industry trends. 

Identifying your target audience

One crucial aspect of market research is identifying your target audience. You must understand your potential clients’ specific demographics, interests, and needs. This will help you develop services that cater to their unique requirements and create effective marketing strategies.

Analyzing competition in the education consultancy industry

Competitor analysis is another significant element of market research. By analyzing the services, pricing, and marketing strategies of your competitors, you can gain a competitive edge. This can help you identify opportunities to differentiate your services and stand out in the market.

Understanding market trends and demands

You must understand the current and future trends in the education consultancy industry. This includes understanding your target audience’s needs. You must understand the increasing demand for specific services. Additionally, you must explore advancements in technology that can impact your business. So stay up-to-date on trends. This way, you can adapt your services. This also lets you stay ahead of the competition.

Conducting comprehensive market research can help you understand your audience, competition, and industry trends. Consequently, this can help you develop effective strategies for growth and success.

Developing a business plan

A business plan is the essence of any business, including an educational consulting business. It is a roadmap for achieving your goals and objectives. A well-written business plan helps you define your business and identify your competition. It helps you determine your target audience and develop effective marketing strategies.

Setting specific goals and objectives

Before creating a business plan, you need to set specific goals and objectives for your educational consultancy. These goals should be measurable, achievable, and relevant to your business. Goal examples include:

• Improving client conversion rate
• Increasing revenue
• Becoming a market leader in your niche

Say you’ve identified your goals and objectives. Then, you can create a plan that focuses on achieving those goals.

Creating a marketing strategy

A well-crafted marketing strategy can help you reach your target audience. Your marketing strategy should identify your target audience. This is where you outline your marketing channels (print ads, social media platforms, email marketing, etc.). This is also where you determine your budget for marketing activities.

Determining financial projections

Determining financial projections is vital for any business. You need to calculate your start-up costs and ongoing expenses. These include rent, utilities, equipment, and employees' salaries. You also need to determine your pricing strategy. You can base this on your competition and the value of your services. Additionally, you should prepare financial projections for the next two to five years. This will guide you in your financial decisions and ensure your business stays profitable.

Legal and financial considerations

Starting a consultancy business involves important legal and financial considerations. By addressing these aspects, you can ensure the smooth operation of your business and minimize the risks involved.

Choosing a business structure

You must choose a business structure. This includes sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, or corporation. For an educational consultancy business, an LLC structure is commonly preferred as it offers limited liability protection and flexibility in management.

Meeting legal requirements

Starting a consultancy business also involves meeting legal requirements. This includes obtaining any required licenses or permits from your state and local government. You may also need to file for a tax ID number and register for taxes. Additionally, you must ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations. For instance, data privacy laws.

Managing expenses and income

Managing expenses and income is an essential part of running a consultancy business. You can anticipate expenses through your business plan. You should keep track of your expenses and income through an accounting system. This can help you make informed decisions. Plus, this can ensure that your business stays profitable.

Protecting your business

You can protect your business in several ways. For example, you can purchase general liability insurance and professional liability insurance. These can cover legal expenses and damages resulting from liability claims and lawsuits. By investing in proper insurance coverage, you can minimize financial risks and safeguard your business.

Branding and marketing your business

Branding and marketing are essential elements of any successful consulting business. Below are some strategies that can help you establish a strong brand image and attract potential clients.

Creating a strong brand image

Your brand identity communicates your values, expertise, and personality to your target audience. To create a strong brand image for your education consulting business, you need to consider the following aspects.

• Logo and color scheme: A well-designed logo and color scheme can make your brand memorable and recognizable. Choose colors and fonts that represent your brand's personality and appeal to your audience.
• Messaging and tone: Your brand messaging should clearly communicate your value proposition and unique selling points. The tone of your messaging should be tailored to your audience and aligned with your brand values.

Developing a website and social media presence

A website and social media presence are essential tools for promoting your education consulting business and reaching potential clients. 

• Website: Your website should be easy to navigate. It should be visually appealing and optimized for search engines. Your website should feature clear calls to action and compelling content that highlights your services and expertise. B12 is an AI website builder favored by growing consultancies for its ease of use, on-platform experts, and built-in client tools like scheduling and invoicing.
• Social media: Choose social media channels that are popular among your target audience. Create a content strategy that includes a mix of educational content, industry news, and promotional messages. Engage with your followers and respond to their comments and feedback.

Establishing partnerships with educational institutions

Partnering with educational institutions can help you expand your network and reach more potential clients. Here are some ways to establish partnerships:

• Networking: Attend industry events, conferences, and meetups to meet potential partners and clients. Build relationships with school administrators, educators, and other professionals in the education industry.
• Offering value-added services: Consider offering value-added services, such as professional development workshops or teacher training programs, to school districts and institutions. This can help you establish yourself as a thought leader in the education space and build credibility with potential clients.

By implementing these strategies, you can develop a strong brand image and attract potential clients to your education consulting business. Remember to continuously monitor and refine your marketing efforts to ensure that they are aligned with your business goals and target audience.

Growing your consultancy business

Congratulations, you have successfully started your own education consultancy business! But the work doesn't stop here. To achieve long-term success, you must continuously grow and improve your services. 

Continuously improving your services and offerings

The education consultancy industry is constantly evolving. So you must stay up-to-date with the latest trends and practices. Keep yourself informed by attending conferences, reading industry publications, and networking with other professionals. Additionally, continuously gather feedback from your clients and use it to improve your services.

Retaining clients and building long-term relationships

Building long-term relationships with your clients impacts your consultancy business’s success. Keep in touch with your clients through regular communication and provide them with regular updates on your services and offerings. Respond to their concerns and questions promptly, and always go the extra mile to exceed their expectations. This will help build trust and loyalty. Plus, this will build a positive reputation for your business.

Seeking opportunities for expansion and growth

As your education consultancy business grows, you may want to consider expanding into different markets or offering new services. But before you do so, conduct market research and assess the risks and benefits of the expansion. Consider hiring additional staff and investing in new technologies to support your growth.

Grow your education consulting business with B12

Starting an education consultancy business is a challenging yet rewarding journey. It requires a solid business plan, a strong brand image, and a clear understanding of your target audience. With these, you can create a consultancy business that will thrive in the ever-changing education industry.

After starting your education consulting business, you need to make sure that you have a solid online presence. This will help you attract the right audience. More importantly, this will help you offer your services to those who are more likely to engage with your business. 

B12 is the all-in-one platform that helps professional service small businesses launch an online presence with tools like payments, scheduling, email marketing, and contracts. See your new site for free in 60 seconds to start winning, attracting, and serving clients in no time.

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Business Plan Template for Education

• Great for beginners
• Ready-to-use, fully customizable Subcategory
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Starting or expanding an educational venture can be an exciting yet challenging endeavor. To ensure that your goals are clearly defined and your strategies are solid, you need a comprehensive business plan. That's where ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Education comes in!

This template is perfect for education institutions, entrepreneurs, or investors who want to outline their goals, strategies, and financial projections. With ClickUp's business plan template, you can create a roadmap for success and attract potential stakeholders to support your educational venture.

This template includes everything you need to:

• Define your educational goals and mission
• Develop strategies for growth and sustainability
• Create financial projections and budgets
• Outline marketing and outreach plans
• Identify potential risks and mitigation strategies

Don't miss out on the opportunity to bring your educational vision to life. Get started with ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Education today!

Business Plan Template for Education Benefits

A business plan template for education offers a multitude of benefits to education institutions, entrepreneurs, or investors looking to start or expand their educational ventures. Some of the key benefits include:

• Providing a clear roadmap for success by outlining goals, strategies, and financial projections
• Attracting potential stakeholders, such as investors or partners, by showcasing a well-thought-out plan
• Ensuring alignment and focus by defining the mission, vision, and values of the educational enterprise
• Analyzing market trends and competition to identify unique selling points and opportunities for growth
• Guiding resource allocation and budgeting decisions to optimize financial sustainability
• Facilitating communication and collaboration among team members and stakeholders
• Supporting decision-making processes by evaluating risks and creating contingency plans
• Enhancing credibility and professionalism for grant applications or funding proposals
• Monitoring progress and tracking key performance indicators to measure success and make adjustments as needed.

Main Elements of Education Business Plan Template

ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Education provides all the essential elements to help you create a comprehensive and strategic roadmap for your educational venture:

• Custom Statuses: Track the progress of your business plan with statuses such as Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do.
• Custom Fields: Utilize custom fields like Reference, Approved, and Section to add important information and categorize different sections of your business plan.
• Custom Views: Access different views to organize and analyze your business plan, including Topics view to focus on specific topics, Status view to track the progress of each section, Timeline view to visualize milestones and deadlines, Business Plan view for a holistic overview, and the Getting Started Guide view to help you navigate through the template.

With ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Education, you can streamline your planning process, collaborate with stakeholders, and ensure a clear path to success for your educational venture.

How To Use Business Plan Template for Education

If you're in the education industry and need to create a business plan, our Business Plan Template for Education can help guide you through the process. Follow these four steps to effectively use the template and create a comprehensive and actionable plan for your educational institution:

1. Define your vision and mission

Start by clearly articulating your vision and mission for your educational institution. What is the long-term goal you want to achieve? What values and principles will guide your organization? By clearly defining your vision and mission, you'll have a solid foundation for your business plan.

Use a Doc in ClickUp to brainstorm and outline your vision and mission statements.

2. Conduct market research

To create a successful business plan, you need to have a deep understanding of the market and the competitive landscape. Research trends in the education industry, analyze your target audience, and identify your unique selling points. This information will help you position your institution effectively and develop strategies to attract and retain students.

Use the Table view in ClickUp to organize and analyze your market research data.

3. Develop your curriculum and programs

The curriculum and programs you offer are crucial to the success of your educational institution. Define the courses and programs you will offer, outline the learning objectives, and design a comprehensive curriculum that aligns with industry standards and meets the needs of your target audience.

Create tasks in ClickUp to outline each course and program, assign responsible team members, and set deadlines.

4. Create a financial plan

A solid financial plan is essential for the sustainability and growth of your educational institution. Determine your startup costs, projected revenue, and operating expenses. Additionally, consider funding options, such as grants or investments, and create a budget that aligns with your financial goals.

Use Dashboards in ClickUp to track your financial projections, expenses, and funding options in one centralized location.

By following these four steps and utilizing our Business Plan Template for Education in ClickUp, you'll be well on your way to creating a comprehensive and actionable business plan for your educational institution.

Get Started with ClickUp’s Business Plan Template for Education

Education institutions, entrepreneurs, or investors who are looking to start or expand educational ventures can use the ClickUp Business Plan Template for Education to create a comprehensive and organized business plan.

First, hit “Add Template” to sign up for ClickUp and add the template to your Workspace. Make sure you designate which Space or location in your Workspace you’d like this template applied.

Next, invite relevant members or guests to your Workspace to start collaborating.

Now you can take advantage of the full potential of this template to create a successful business plan:

• Use the Topics View to outline and organize the different sections of your business plan
• The Status View will help you track the progress of each section, with statuses like Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do
• Utilize the Timeline View to set deadlines and milestones for each section, ensuring timely completion
• The Business Plan View provides a comprehensive overview of your entire plan, allowing you to review and make adjustments as needed
• Create a Getting Started Guide View to provide step-by-step instructions for team members or stakeholders involved in the implementation of the plan
• Customize the template by adding custom fields like Reference, Approved, and Section to provide additional information and categorization for each section
• Update statuses and custom fields as you progress through the plan to keep everyone informed and ensure accountability.
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Did you find what you are looking for.

Thinking of starting a school or a coaching business? Or is it about vocational school?

Well, no matter what’s your business segment in the education and training sector—you need a solid business plan to turn it into a long-term success.

This library of education and training business plan samples here can inspire and guide you as you begin to plan your business. So, don’t worry; we got you covered on that part.

Let’s learn more about these sample training and education plans, starting with their benefits.

Benefits of using an industry-specific business plan example

Believe it or not, using an industry-specific business plan example is the best and probably the quickest way of writing a business plan.

Doubt it? Hold, this may change your perception; an extended list of the benefits of using an industry-specific business plan template.

• Inspiration : Reading a business-specific template can be incredibly helpful in getting content inspiration. Furthermore, it helps you gain insights into how to present your business idea, products, vision, and mission.
• Risk-free method : You are taking a reference from a real-life, let’s say, After-school program business plan—so you know this plan has worked in the past or uses a method subscribed by experts.
• Deep market understanding : Analyzing and reading such examples can provide clarity and develop a deeper market understanding of complex industry trends and issues you may not know but relate directly to the realities of your business landscape.
• Increased credibility : A business plan developed using an example follows a standard business plan format, wisely presents your business, and provides invaluable insights into your business. There’s no question it establishes you as a credible business owner, demonstrating your deep business and market understanding.
• Realistic financial projections : Financial forecasting being a critical aspect of your plan, this real-life example can help you better understand how they project their financials—ultimately helping you set realistic projections for your business.

These were the benefits; let’s briefly discuss choosing an education or training business plan template that best suits your business niche.

Choosing an Education or Training Business Plan

This category has business plan templates for various education or tutoring businesses. With many similar business types and templates, you may not find the most suitable one through manual scrolling.

Here are the steps to consider while choosing the most suitable business plan template.

Identify your business type

Are you going to be an online coaching platform? Or a traditional school? Or a general daycare center?

Asking yourself these questions will help you identify your business type, which will help in choosing a niche-specific business plan template.

Once you identify your business type, you can choose between templates for different business segments.

Search for the template

We have an in-built search feature, so you can easily search for a business-specific template using your business name as a key term(e.g., summer camp business plan). Once you have the search results, choose the most suitable one. Simple as that.

Review the example

Look closely at the content of the sample business plan you are considering. Analyze its sections and components to identify relevant as well as unnecessary areas.

Since all the Upmetrics templates are tailored to specific business needs, there won’t be many fundamental customizations. However, a hybrid business model targeting multiple customer segments may require adjustments.

No big deal—you can view and copy sections from other business plan examples or write using AI while customizing a template.

That’s how you find and select the most suitable business plan for educational services. Still haven’t found the perfect business plan example? Here’s the next step for you.

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Education Agency Business Plan Template

Explore Options to Get a Business Plan.

Are you interested in starting your own Education Agency Business?

Introduction

Global market size, target market, business model, competitive landscape, legal and regulatory requirements, financing options, marketing and sales strategies, operations and logistics, human resources & management.

How to Start an Education Consulting Business

Below you will learn the key steps to starting an educational consulting firm.

10 Steps to Starting Your Own Educational Consulting Business

1. conduct market research to determine demand.

An important step to starting an educational consulting business is conducting market research. To begin, you must learn what services your clients want and how much they are willing to pay for them. There are two ways you can go about conducting this research:

• Survey your target market . This can be done by conducting online surveys, conducting phone interviews, or sending out questionnaires.
• Review the competition . Look at how other educational consultants are marketing their services and what services they offer. This will give you an idea of what services are in high demand and how you can differentiate yourself from the competition.

Once you have analyzed the survey data, determine which types of businesses are likely to hire you and how much they are willing to pay. Use this information to set your consulting prices.

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• Chapter 3: How to Price Your Offers to Add More Revenue, Save You More Time, and Scale Your Business
• Chapter 4: The Roadmap To Scaling Your Consulting Business To $1 Million and Beyond

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2. Name Your Education Consulting Business

Once you have analyzed your market and determined what services clients want, it’s time to name your educational consultancy business. While naming a business can be difficult, there are a few rules of thumb to keep in mind:

• Keep it Short : Your business name needs to be short enough for clients to remember and say.  
• Keep it Relevant : Your business name should be relevant to the education services you offer and your target market’s needs.
• Keep it Memorable : Using clever ideas and words, help your audience connect with your business.
• Focus on Your Target Market :  Make sure that whoever sees or hears your company name understands who you are targeting as clients.

Read our article about choosing the right business name .

3. Choose Your Business Structure and Set-Up Your Company’s Legal Entity

As with any business, the type of legal entity you set up is critical.  After all, you want your company to be treated as a separate entity, not just an extension of yourself.  There are several types of structures in which you can start your own educational consulting business. Three popular options are sole proprietorship, S-corporation and LLC (limited liability company).

• Sole Proprietorship :  A sole proprietorship is one in which the business and the owner are considered to be one entity. Therefore, you are personally responsible for all debts and liabilities your education consultancy business may incur. One benefit of this type of structure is that it’s easy to set up and there are no formal filings required.
• S-Corporation : An S corporation is a type of C Corporation that was designed by the IRS to help small corporations minimize their paperwork while still gaining many of the tax benefits of incorporating. It also offers protection for business owners in case of lawsuits and other liabilities.
• Limited Liability Company (LLC) :  An LLC is a structure in which the company is considered a separate legal entity from its owners. This means that the company is responsible for its own debts and liabilities. This type of structure offers protection for business owners in case of lawsuits.

Read our article comparing the most common consulting business structures .

4. Write an Education Consulting Business Plan

A business plan is a document that outlines your business goals, strategies, and how you plan to achieve them. For an educational consulting company, your business plan should include the following:

• Business Description : Describe what your company does, who your target market is, and how you will differentiate yourself from the competition.
• Industry & Market Analysis : Detail your research on the industry and what services clients are most likely to want.
• Financial Plan : Outline your estimated income and expenses for the next three to five years.

Other sections of your plan will answer other key questions such as the following:

• What are your areas of expertise?
• What services can you offer your clients?
• Who is your target audience?
• How will you differentiate yourself from the competition?

Your business plan should also include several sections that detail your company’s history, current financial situation, and future goals. These sections will allow an investor to learn more about your company before they commit to investing in it.

Read our article about how to write a consulting business plan .

5. Apply for the Necessary Permits and Licenses

You must register your education consultancy business as a legal entity with the state in which you plan to do business.

To file your business with the state, obtain the necessary forms from the Secretary of State’s website or local County Clerk’s office. You will be required to pay a small fee for filing your business with the state.

Registering with the federal government may or may not be required. You can register your business on the federal level by obtaining an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS.

Read our article about obtaining the proper consulting business licenses .

6. Determine Your Budget & Apply for Funding as Needed

As with any business, you will need to use your own capital to finance the initial stages of your educational consulting company.  Your budget may also include several other costs including marketing expenses and the salary you wish to pay yourself.  

After determining how much money you will invest in starting your business, review some options for financing your business.  Here are several financing options that may be available to you:

• SBA Loans : The Small Business Administration (SBA) is a government agency that provides financial assistance to small businesses in the U.S.  
• Bank Loans : Many small business owners are able to secure loans from their local banks. Often, you can borrow money for any purpose that relates to the growth of your company.
• Friends and Family : You can consider getting loans and/or equity investments from friends and family members..
• Angel investors : Angel investors may provide debt or equity funding to you.

Read our article about the costs associated with starting a consulting business to help you determine if funding is needed.

7. Get the Technology & Software Needed to Run Your Educational Consulting Company Efficiently

As an educational consulting firm, you will need different types of technology to complete projects and keep track of your company’s operations. To simplify the process of starting a consulting company, we’ve provided a list below detailing some items that you’ll need:

Computers : Even if most of your work is done remotely with clients on the other side of the country or world, you will need at least one computer that is dedicated to your educational consulting company.

Software : Software is an essential component of any new business. The right software can help you manage projects, track expenses, and communicate with clients more effectively.

Here are some popular software platforms that may be beneficial to your business:

• Microsoft Office : This software suite includes a variety of applications that can help you manage your company, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• QuickBooks : This software is designed for small businesses and can help you track income and expenses, create invoices, and manage payroll.
• Basecamp : This project management software can help you manage multiple projects simultaneously and keep track of deadlines and milestones.
• Gmail : Google’s email platform offers several features that can be helpful for educational consultants, including the ability to access the same email from multiple devices.
• CRM : Customer relationship management software can help you track customer communication, manage leads, and create reports that detail your sales activities.

There may be additional software options available for educational consultants, so be sure to ask other educational consultants to find the best options for your business.

Read our article about the technology and software you need to run a consulting business .

8.  Market Your Educational Consulting Firm to Potential Clients

Once you’ve established your educational consulting company, the next step is to market it to potential clients.

Here are some common marketing strategies used for educational consulting firms:

• Networking : One of the best ways to market your company is by meeting people and building relationships. Attend industry events, meet-ups, and other networking opportunities to get in front of potential clients.
• Online marketing : Marketing your business online, such as through a business website and pay-per-click and/or social media marketing, can help you reach a larger audience looking for your services.
• Blog : A blog is a great way to showcase your knowledge and expertise in the educational consulting industry. Share case studies, how-to articles, and other content that will be helpful to potential clients.
• Website : Your website is the central hub for your business. Make sure it is well-designed, easy to navigate, and provides all the information potential clients need to learn more about your company.
• Referral Programs : Offer current clients a discount or other incentive for referring new clients to your business. This helps build word-of-mouth marketing for your company.

There are many ways to market an educational consulting firm, so be sure to explore all of your options and find the strategies that work best for you.

You should also consider ways to incentivize potential clients to choose you over another educational consulting firm. Some incentives that work well include:

• Lower rates : Many consulting businesses offer lower rates on their services to attract new clients.
• Discounts on services : Offering discounts on certain projects may help you win bids against other companies.
• Free consultation : Providing potential clients with a free consultation can help them determine if your company is the best one for their needs.

Learn more about how to market your consulting business .

9.  Establish a Price Structure and Billing System

There are a few factors to consider when establishing your price structure:

• Hourly rates : Charging by the hour is a common way to price consulting services. This allows clients to budget for your services and gives you the flexibility to charge more for complex projects.
• Project rates : Charging a flat fee for a project can be beneficial for both the client and the educational consultant. It ensures that the client knows what they are paying up front, and it allows the consultant to charge more for more complex projects.
• Retainers : A retainer is a set amount of money that the client pays upfront for services. This can be a good option for clients who need regular educational consulting services.

No matter which pricing structure you choose, be sure to clearly communicate it to your clients. Additionally, have a detailed invoice template that includes all the education services you provided so the client knows exactly what they are paying for.

10.  Manage Client Relationships and Deliver Projects

After finding new clients and marketing your educational consulting business, you should begin delivering the projects and getting paid. This means managing client relationships and making sure that clients are happy with your work. Some of the ways to manage relationships with your education clients include:

• Regular communication : Keep in touch with clients regularly, either through email, phone calls, or face-to-face meetings. This will help ensure that they are happy with the work you are doing and that any issues are addressed promptly.
• Project updates : Send project updates to clients throughout the course of the project. This will keep them in the loop on what you are doing and how the project is progressing.
• Client feedback : Ask clients for feedback after every project. This will help you improve your services and ensure that clients are happy with your work.

Delivering projects on time and within budget is essential for an educational consulting business. It can be beneficial to create a project management plan that outlines how each project will be completed. This will help ensure that all deadlines are met and that the client is happy with the final product.

Learn more about how to effectively manage client relationships .

Starting an Educational Consulting Business FAQs

Why start an educational consulting business.

There are many reasons to start an educational consulting business:

• You have a wealth of knowledge and experience in the education field (such as, as a classroom teacher, school administration, curriculum developer, etc.) and want to share it with others.
• You are passionate about education and want to help students achieve their academic goals.
• You are looking for a flexible business that allows you to work with the clients you choose.

What is Needed to Start an Educational Consulting Business?

There are a few things you will need before becoming an educational consultant:

• Strong knowledge of the education system and how it works
• Experience in teaching or tutoring
• Strong marketing and sales skills
• The ability to manage client relationships effectively

What are Some Tips for Starting an Educational Consulting Company?

The following tips can help you to start an educational consulting business:

• Do your research . Make sure you understand the education system and how it works before starting your business. This will help you to provide accurate information to clients and manage expectations effectively.
• Develop a strong marketing strategy . Marketing is essential for any business, especially a new one. Plan how you will reach potential clients and how you will differentiate your business from others.
• Set your prices wisely . It is important to charge rates that reflect the services you are providing, but also be competitive so you can attract new clients.
• Create a detailed invoice template . This will help ensure that clients understand what they are paying for and that you are billing correctly for services rendered.
• Establish a project management plan . This will help ensure that all projects are completed on time and within budget.
• Manage client relationships effectively . Keep in touch with clients regularly, send project updates, and ask for feedback to ensure they are happy with your work.

A Sample Education Agent Business Plan Template for Australia

By: Author Tony Martins Ajaero

An education agent or agency is a business that provides support to students when searching for universities and colleges to attend. Education agents help aspiring students choose the right universities and programs, submit applications on their behalf, and apply for study visas, and other services.

Available statistics show that the education agency industry is indeed a thriving industry in Australia and the government reports that the country’s 693,750 international students were worth AUS$35.2 billion to the Australian economy and supported 240,000 jobs in 2018.

International enrollments grew by 11.4 percent from 2017 to 2018 across all sectors, and the higher education sector experienced the most growth (14.4 percent).

Steps to Write an Education Agent Business Plan

Executive summary.

Justin Johnson™ Education Agency is a registered education agency that will be located in Western Parkland City, Sydney and we have been able to secure all the necessary permits for our facility. Justin Johnson™ Education Agency is a client-focused and result-driven education agency that provides broad-based services at an affordable fee that won’t in any way put a hole in the pocket of our clients.

We will offer professional education support services to all our clients at national, and international levels. We will work hard to meet and surpass our clients’ expectations whenever they hire our services. Justin Johnson is the founder and CEO of Justin Johnson™ Education Agency.

Company Profile

A. our products and services.

• Assist students in securing and processing admission
• Assist students in securing scholarships
• Assist schools in marketing local and international students
• Providing college selection services
• Providing educational consulting services
• Providing educational guidance counseling services
• Providing educational support services
• Providing educational testing services
• Attending school buses
• Facilitating student exchange programs.

b. Nature of the Business

Our education agency will operate both on a business-to-business and also business-to-consumer business model.

c. The Industry

Justin Johnson™ Education Agency will operate under the education agency industry.

d. Mission Statement

Our mission is to establish a world-class education agency that will help aspiring students choose the right universities and programs. We will submit applications on their behalf, and apply for study visas, and other services.

e. Vision Statement

Our vision is to be among the top 3 education agencies in the whole of Australia.

f. Our Tagline (Slogan)

Justin Johnson™ Education Agency – Your Most Reliable Education agency!

g. Legal Structure of the Business (Sole Trader, Partnership, Company, or Trust)

Justin Johnson™ Education Agency will be formed as a Company.

h. Our Organizational Structure

• Chief Executive Officer
• Admin and HR Manager
• Education Consultants
• Marketing and Sales Executive
• Customer Care Executive/Front Desk Officer

i. Ownership/Shareholder Structure and Board Members

• Justin Johnson (Owner and Chairman/Chief Executive Officer) 56 Percent Shares
• Jasmine Johnson (Board Member) 14 Percent Shares
• Linda Turnbull (Board Member) 10 Percent Shares
• Peter Parker (Board Member) 10 Percent Shares
• Lucy Hazel (Board Member and Sectary) 10 Percent Shares.

SWOT Analysis

A. strength.

• Ideal location for education agency
• Partnership with key stakeholders in the education industry both in Australia and abroad
• Highly experienced and qualified employees and management
• Availability of all kinds of education agency services
• Excellent membership package

b. Weakness

• Budget limitations
• A new business that will be competing with well-established education agencies in and around Sydney
• Inability to retain our highly experienced and qualified employees longer than we want

c. Opportunities

• Excellent location
• Increase in inflow and outflow of international and local students in our location
• Online market, new services, new technology, and of course the starting of new markets

i. How Big is the Industry?

The education agencies industry in Australia is a growing industry and the industry is worth over AUS$35.2 billion.

ii. Is the Industry Growing or Declining?

The education agencies industry in Australia is growing and available data shows that the market size of the industry is expected to grow by 14.4 percent in 2023.

iii. What are the Future Trends in the Industry

The education agency services industry is changing, and players in the industry are improvising. No doubt, technology, and social media will change the landscape of the education agency services industry going forward.

iv. Are There Existing Niches in the Industry?

No, there are no niche ideas in the education agency line of business.

v. Can You Sell a Franchise of your Business in the Future?

Justin Johnson™ Education Agency has plans to sell franchises in the nearest future and we will target the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.

• The arrival of a new education agency within our market space
• Low demand for international students and travelers during the pandemic will reduce industry profitability.
• Economic uncertainty
• Liability problems
• The government could change its regulatory status and decide to enforce strict regulations that can strangulate new businesses like ours.

i. Who are the Major Competitors?

• Global connection
• Go Study Australia
• How Consulting Group Pty Ltd
• IAE Edu Net WA
• iGroup Education and Visa Specialists Pty Ltd
• Information Planet – Australia
• KOKOS International
• Latino Australia Education
• Level Up Studies Pty Ltd
• LH Global Pty Ltd
• LMB Education
• Mate Education Group Pty Ltd
• Mates International Education Visa & Migration Service
• My Connection Abroad
• Orion Education(OEMs)
• Ozsky International Pty Ltd
• SKY Education & Migration Services
• IDP Education Ltd.

ii. Is There a Franchise for Education Agency Business?

No, there are no franchise opportunities for education agency businesses in Australia.

iii. Are There Policies, Regulations, or Zoning Laws Affecting Education Agency Business?

There are no county or state regulations and zoning laws for education agencies, but players in this industry are expected to work with the existing regulations governing such business in the region where their business is domiciled.

Please note that even though in Australia education agents are not directly regulated, they are three Education providers responsible for the regulation of education agents under the ESOS Act and the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 (National Code).

Marketing Plan

A. who is your target audience.

i. Age Range

Our target market age range covers people that are 18 years and above.

ii. Level of Educational

Graduates who complete Years 11 and 12 receive a High School Certificate or “HSC” (comparable to a Baccalaureate or German “Abitur”) and can proceed to tertiary education (university or college).

iii. Income Level

Anyone who can afford our service fee will be welcome to make use of our education agency.

iv. Ethnicity

There is no restriction when it comes to the ethnicity of the people that will patronize our education agency.

v. Language

There is no restriction when it comes to the language spoken by the people that will patronize our education agency since we will be working with international students.

vi. Geographical Location

Anybody from any geographical location is free to do business with us.

vii. Lifestyle

Justin Johnson™ Education Agency will not restrict any customer based on their lifestyle, culture, or race.

b. Advertising and Promotion Strategies

• Host Themed Events That Catch Attention.
• Tap Into Text Marketing.
• Share Your Events in Local Groups and Pages.
• Turn Your Social Media Channels into a Resource
• Develop Your Business Directory Profiles
• Build Relationships with Universities in Your Target Locations

i. Traditional Marketing Strategies

• Marketing through Direct Mail.
• Print Media Marketing – Newspapers & Magazines.
• Broadcast Marketing -Television & Radio Channels.
• OOH, Marketing – Public Transits like Buses and Trains, Billboards, Street Furniture, and Cabs.
• Including direct sales, direct mail (postcards, brochures, letters, fliers), print advertising (magazines, newspapers, coupon books, billboards), referral (also known as word-of-mouth marketing), radio, and television.

ii. Digital Marketing Strategies

• Social Media Marketing Platforms.
• Influencer Marketing.
• Email Marketing.
• Content Marketing.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Marketing.
• Pay-per-click (PPC).
• Affiliate Marketing
• Mobile Marketing.

iii. Social Media Marketing Plan

• Start using chatbots.
• Create a personalized experience for our customers.
• Create an efficient content marketing strategy.
• Create a community for our target demography.
• Gear up our profiles with a diverse content strategy.
• Use brand advocates.
• Create profiles on the relevant social media channels.
• Run cross-channel campaigns.

c. Pricing Strategy

When working out our pricing strategy, Justin Johnson™ Education Agency will make sure it covers premium, skimming, economy or value and penetration. All our pricing strategies will reflect;

• Cost-Based Pricing
• Value-Based Pricing
• Competition-Based Pricing.

Sales and Distribution Plan

A. sales channels.

Our channel sales strategy will involve using partners and third parties—such as referral partners, affiliate partners, managed service providers, marketplaces, or value-added resellers—to market our education agency.

Justin Johnson™ Education Agency will also leverage the 4 Ps of marketing which are place, price, product, and promotion. By carefully integrating all these marketing strategies into a marketing mix, we can have a visible, in-demand service that is competitively priced and promoted to our customers.

b. Inventory Strategy

Justin Johnson™ Education Agency will operate an inventory strategy that is based on a day-to-day methodology for ordering, maintaining, and processing items in our warehouse. We will develop our strategy with the same thoroughness and attention to detail as we would if we were creating an overall strategy for the business.

c. Payment Options for Customers

Here are the payment options that Justin Johnson™ Education Agency will make available to her clients;

• Payment via bank transfer
• Payment via credit cards
• Payment via online bank transfer
• Payment via check
• Payment via mobile money transfer

d. Return Policy, Incentives, and Guarantees

Justin Johnson™ Education Agency will operate a refund policy but it will be dependent on the service providers we are working with. Please note that service providers such as schools, airline companies, taxi companies et al will determine the kind of return policy we will operate.

e. Customer Support Strategy

Our customer support strategy will involve seeking customer feedback. We will make use of effective CRM software to be able to achieve this. Regularly, we will work towards strengthening our Customer Service Team and also Leverage Multi-Channel Servicing as part of our customer support strategy.

Operational Plan

We plan to expand our revenue by 50 percent in the second year and the plan will include a marketing, sales, and operations component. The operations component of the plan would include organizing regular education summits, workshops, and other incentives. These strategies will enable us to boost our service offerings and support revenue growth.

a. What Happens During a Typical Day at an Education Agency Business?

• The office is open for the day’s work
• The walk-in areas, chairs, and tables are properly arranged
• Walk-in customers are attended to
• Deliveries of admission letters, visas, flight tickets, and hostel bookings are made
• Administrative works (liaising with key stakeholders across board)
• Reports are written and submitted to superior officers
• The facility is administratively closed for the day.

b. Production Process

There is no production process when it comes to the education agency business.

c. Service Procedure

When an education agent is successful in becoming a partner with a university or college, they will then handle all aspects of education agency services for the university; services such as securing and processing admission for students,

Securing scholarships for students, providing college selection services, providing educational consulting services, providing educational counseling services, providing educational support services, providing educational testing services, and facilitating student exchange programs.

d. The Supply Chain

Justin Johnson™ Education Agency will rely on trusted agents to supply some of the needed supplies (foreign currencies) and we have been able to establish business relationships with key stakeholders in the education agency industry.

e. Sources of Income

Justin Johnson™ Education Agency will make money from;

• Assisting students in securing admission
• Assisting students in securing scholarships
• Assisting schools in marketing to local and international students

Financial Plan

A. amount needed to start your education agency business.

Justin Johnson™ Education Agency would need an estimate of AUS$150,000 to successfully set up our education agency in Australia. Please note that this amount includes the salaries of all the staff for the first month of operation.

b. What are the Costs Involved?

• Business Registration Fees – AUS$417 – $506.
• Legal expenses for obtaining licenses and permits – AUS$7,300.
• Marketing, Branding, and Promotions – AUS$5,000.
• Business Consultant Fee – AUS$2,500.
• Insurance – AUS$5,400.
• Rent/Lease – AUS$70,000.
• Other start-up expenses like commercial satellite TV subscriptions, and phone and utility deposits (AUS$2,800).
• Operational Cost (salaries of employees, payments of bills et al) – AUS$30,000
• Store Equipment (cash register, security, ventilation, signage) – AUS$4,750
• Website: AUS$600
• Miscellaneous: AUS$2,000

c. Do You Need to Build a Facility? If YES, How Much Will it Cost?

Justin Johnson™ Education Agency will not build a new facility for our administrative office; we intend to start with a long-term lease and after 5 years, we will start the process of acquiring our facility.

d. What are the Ongoing Expenses for Running an Education Agency Business?

• Cost of stocking up supplies
• Utility bills (gas, internet, phone bills, signage and sewage et al)
• Maintenance of facility
• Salaries of employees

e. What is the Average Salary of your Staff?

• Chief Executive Officer – AUS$52,000 Per Year
• Admin and HR Manager – AUS$38,000 Per Year
• Education Consultant – AUS$37,000 Per Year
• Marketing and Sales Executive AUS$34,000 Per Year
• Accountant – AUS$34,000 Per Year
• Customer Care Executive/Front Desk Officer – AUS$32,000 Per Year.

f. How Do You Get Funding to Start an Education Agency Business?

• Raising money from personal savings and sale of personal stocks and properties
• Raising money from investors and business partners
• Sell shares to interested investors
• Applying for a loan from your bank/banks
• Source for soft loans from your family members and friends.

Financial Projection

A. how much should you charge for your service.

The amount education agencies charge their clients depends on the type of services rendered and of course the commission that the third-party provider is willing to give.

b. Sales Forecast?

• First Fiscal Year (FY1): AUS$250,000
• Second Fiscal Year (FY2): AUS$350,000
• Third Fiscal Year (FY3): AUS$500,000

c. Estimated Profit You Will Make a Year?

Justin Johnson™ Education Agency is projecting to make;

• First Fiscal Year (FY1): (50% of revenue generated)
• Second Fiscal Year (FY2): (45% of revenue generated)
• Third Fiscal Year (FY3): (45% of revenue generated)

d. Profit Margin of an Education Agency Business Product/Service

Please note that education agents’ commissions used to be the bulk of their income but that has shifted. Most education agents who earn commission booking tickets on airlines earn 5 percent on domestic flights and 10 to 20 percent on international flights. The commission rates are similar for other services.

Growth Plan

A. how do you intend to grow and expand by opening more retail outlets/offices or selling a franchise.

Justin Johnson™ Education Agency will grow our education agency by first opening other offices in key cities in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States within the first five years of establishing the business, and then we will start selling franchises from the sixth year.

b. Where do you intend to expand to and why? (Geographical Locations)

Justin Johnson™ Education Agency plans to expand to:

• Sydney New South Wales
• Melbourne Victoria
• Bondi Beach NSW
• Brisbane QLD
• Surfers Paradise Gold Coast QLD
• Adelaide SA
• Newcastle Street, Northbridge WA
• Burswood WA
• Osborne Park WA
• Southport Gold Coast QLD.

The reason we intend to expand to these locations is that the cities boast of attracting a huge number of students who want to study abroad. Internationally, we plan to expand to the United Kingdom and the United States.

Justin Johnson™ Education Agency intends to build a family business hence our exit plan will be family succession. We have placed structures and processes in place that will help us achieve our plan of successfully transferring the business from one family member to another and from one generation to another without hitches.

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Education Consulting Business Plan Sample

DEC.10, 2021

Do you want to start Education Consulting business plan?

You might wonder how to start an educational consulting business. In that case, you can take help from this education consulting business plan. Starting a consultation business doesn’t require many resources. You just need basic expertise in the domain.

So, if you have a fundamental understanding of the education sector, you can start this business. However, in order to create a successful venture, you’ll need a good business plan. For that purpose, you can refer to this document or any related business plan such as life coaching business plan , etc. You can also take help from the best business plan experts .

Executive Summary

2.1 the business.

Pro Learning will be an education consultation firm started by Harry Brown. The firm will aim to provide consultation services catering to the requirements of the clients in Stockton. The firm will provide a wide range of services for both students and educational institutes in the US.

2.2 Management of Education Consulting Company

Starting an educational consulting business requires appropriate management of the resources you possess. You can ensure this through an education consultant business plan. In this plan, you should mention all the technical as well as human resources you have along with your plans for their management.

In this strategic and operational business plan , all the requirements for business consulting education have been mentioned.

2.3 Customers of Education Consulting Company

The backbone of an education consulting business is its customers. Our customers will mainly be people who directly belong to the educational domain. They are identified as follows:

• Universities
• International Education Agents

2.4 Business Target

Our primary goal is to become the most trusted place for all kinds of education-related consultancy services.

The financial targets that we want to achieve within the first few years of launch are demonstrated below:

Company Summary

3.1 company owner.

Harry Brown will own Pro Learning. Harry did his M. Ed two years ago. After that, he served as a freelance consultant to many clients. But he decided to expand his business and provide more services.

3.2 Why the Education Consulting company is being started

Harry observed that many schools around the Stockton area had a deficiency of adequate educational consultancy resources. Many able students needed guidance, but there was no one they could go to. Therefore, he decided to make use of his experience and start a consultancy firm.

3.3 How the Education Consulting company will be started

Step1: Plan Everything

A solid education consultant business plan is the first step in how to start an education consulting business. For developing your business plan, you can refer to this education business plan sample or any related business plan like business consulting business plan .

This sample educational consultant proposal can be used to guide the development of a business plan for any business because Harry decided to offer a wide variety of services.

Step2: Define the Brand

The next step in your journey is to advertise your business. You can do this by developing a brand. In your brand, you have to highlight your competitive advantage by listing your unique services and policies.

Step3: Establish Your Corporate Office

For the time being, Harry decided to rent out an office in Stockton. He will now put together a team and gather the technical equipment required.

Step4: Establish a Web Presence

Establishing a solid web presence is necessary when starting a business in this digital age. Keeping this in view, Harry created social media profiles of his business. He also had a simple website developed where clients could reach out.

Step5: Promote and Market

The last thing to do is develop a marketing plan and promote your business by following it.

Services of Education Consulting

Before you start education consulting business, you need to identify the services you will be providing to your clients. That way, you can develop your education consultant services business plan accordingly.

As Harry wanted to offer a wide variety of services through his business, so this education consulting business plan sample pdf can be used as a guide to writing any business plan. Even a mortgage lender business plan .

Below, we have described the education consulting services. So, if you want to know how to become an education consultant, you can take help from here.

• Education Counselling Service

The main service provided by Pro Learning will be education counseling for students. Students can book an appointment directly or through their institutes to gain the help and perspective they need. Our firm will help students:

• Realize their potential
• Understand their areas of aptitude
• Make an educated decision about their future learning
• Admission Procedure Help

Another important service of Pro Learning will be to guide students about the application procedures of the institutes of their choice. Many students shy away from applying to educational institutes because of the overwhelming and complex application procedure.

Pro Learning will:

• Guide students about application dates
• Help students plan out their application submission process
• Inform students about necessary academic and financial requirements
• Financial Advice

Pro Learning will also help students plan out their finances. And inform them of financial resources they can turn to if needed.

• Visa Assistance

Our firm will also handle visa applications and guide students throughout the whole process so that they are as efficient as possible.

Marketing Analysis of Education Consulting Company

Starting an educational consulting firm will require you to have an in-depth knowledge of the target market. You can gain this knowledge through a marketing analysis. A marketing plan for education consultancy business will help you identify your customers and competitors in a better way.

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Conducting marketing analysis is an essential step in the steps to become an educational consultant. However, if you don’t know much about marketing analysis, you can take help from education business plan samples. You can also look to specialized documents like Harvard business school marketing plan template for a more in-depth understanding.

In this document, we have detailed the marketing analysis of Pro Learning.

5.1 Market Trends

According to IBISWorld, the education consultant market is valued at $2 billion. The industry is expected to increase at a steady rate of 2% or over in the next five years. It is because people have finally realized the importance of suitable education. So more and more people are turning towards professional consultancy services to boost their careers.

5.2 Marketing Segmentation

The customer groups of Pro Learning are as follows:

5.2.1 Students

Our primary services will be dedicated to helping students and coaching their academic path. They are expected to be our main customers and are expected to avail our resources the most. The services they are expected to use involve:

• Counseling for future academic opportunities
• Guide for choosing a career path
• Help in deciding and managing academic activities

5.2.2 Universities

Our second target customers will be universities and other institutes of higher education. We want to connect students with suitable universities. Thus, we are expected to partner with many universities throughout the year to provide them with a good candidate pool.

5.2.3 International Education Agents

We will also be partnering with international educational agents and connecting them with the universities in the US. So we expect them to avail our resources quite often as well.

5.2.4 Schools

Lastly, we will also reach out to schools to provide high school students counseling for deciding their future academic paths and careers.

5.3 Business Target

• To become the most sought out counseling service firm throughout Stockton
• To expand our services steadily and reach out to more schools
• To keep customer satisfaction rate above 95%
• To earn a profit margin of $30k per month by the end of our first year.

5.4 Product Pricing

Our prices will be very reasonable considering our main target audience is students. We will provide a greater range of services at the same price as our competitors.

Marketing Strategy of Education Consulting

To become prominent among the businesses for education consulting careers, you need to have a strong marketing strategy for educational consultancy. A good marketing strategy will help you highlight your competitive advantage to your customers. Therefore, it should be a part of your business plan.

Here, we have a sample business plan educational services that highlights the marketing strategy of Pro Learning. This is just an example. And you can use any business plan for guidance, may it be a   counseling private practice business plan .

6.1 Competitive Analysis

• We have excellent client care services available that will be ready to help our clients whenever they need them.
• We will implement a feedback system to improve our services for our clients.
• Our clients can contact us directly by phone. Or they can reach out to us through our website or social media platforms. This will allow them to easily book appointments from the comfort of their home.
• We will have timings for walk-in sessions where our first-time customers can just come and go through a session without needing to book an appointment.

6.2 Sales Strategy

• We will offer reduced prices and sales for our long-term customers
• We will provide cheaper and affordable packages for students.
• We will advertise through word of mouth, Google Ads, and social media.

6.3 Sales Monthly

6.4 Sales Yearly

6.5 Sales Forecast

Personnel plan of Education Consulting

Any good sample educational consultant proposal includes employee hiring criterion. It’s because the success of a business, especially a consultancy business, depends on the employees and their behavior.

Realizing the importance of employee selection, Harry also decided to implement a selection criterion while selecting the employees mentioned below in the educational services business plan.

7.1 Company Staff

• 1 Co Manager
• 4 B. Ed graduates to help with the workload
• 8 Career Specialists
• 1 Web Developer/ Mobile App Developer to manage online sites
• 1 Sales Executive to organize and promote sales
• 1 Accountant
• 1 Receptionist

Financial Plan of Education Consulting

To start education consulting business, you need much more than sales. The success of a business is ensured by a proper financial plan that is usually a part of education consulting business plan.

A financial plan allows you to manage your time and other resources efficiently in order to reap the benefits. It also helps you to analyze the degree of profitability or loss that your business is incurring.

In your financial plan, you need to identify the ways and plan how you will earn profits and pay up your expenses. The financial analysis of a company also helps to identify ways to reduce expenses and increase productivity.

Here we’re providing the detailed financial plan for Pro Learning. You can go through this document on any business plan, such as a business plan for electrical contractor to help you develop a financial plan.

8.1 Important Assumptions

8.2 break-even analysis.

8.3 Projected Profit and Loss

8.3.1 profit monthly.

8.3.2 Profit Yearly

8.3.3 Gross Margin Monthly

8.3.4 Gross Margin Yearly

8.4 Projected Cash Flow

• How do I start an educational consulting business?

If you are wondering how to start an education consulting business, you can do it by writing a sample educational consultant proposal. You can refer to any business proposal such as business plan computer software for guidance.

• How much do educational consultants make?

If you are wondering how much do educational consultants make, then on average, an educational consultant makes $65k per year. But the salary may vary depending on the scale of the business and the job post.

• What is the average cost of an educational consultant?

On average, an educational consultant charges $85 to $200 per hour. The rates will be dependent on the services required and the scale of the business.

Download Education Consulting Business Plan Sample in pdf

OGSCapital’s team has assisted thousands of entrepreneurs with top-rate business plan development, consultancy and analysis. They’ve helped thousands of SME owners secure more than $1.5 billion in funding, and they can do the same for you.

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Tutor Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 8,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their tutoring service. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a tutoring business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What Is a Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your tutoring service as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan

If you’re looking to start a tutoring service, or grow your existing tutoring service, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out how you will grow your business in order to improve your chances of success. Your business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Tutoring Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a tutoring service are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable. But they will want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business.

The second most common form of funding for a tutoring service is angel investors. Angel investors are wealthy individuals who will write you a check. They will either take equity in return for their funding, or, like a bank, they will give you a loan. Venture capitalists will not fund a tutoring service. They might consider funding a tutoring company with a national presence, but never an individual location. This is because most venture capitalists are looking for millions of dollars in return when they make an investment, and an individual location could never achieve such results.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

How to write a business plan for a tutoring service.

Your business plan should include 10 sections as follows:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of tutoring service business you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a tutoring service that you would like to grow, or are you operating a network of tutoring businesses?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the tutoring industry. Discuss the type of tutoring you are offering. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target market. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of tutoring you are offering.

For example, you might operate one of the following types:

• Exam preparation : this type of tutoring company provides exam preparation and training materials for high school students, undergraduate students, and recent college graduates preparing for college entrance exams such as the SAT, ACT, GRE, etc.
• Primary school tutoring : this type of tutoring specializes in helping students in K-12. This type of tutoring is typically subject-specific – math, literature, history, etc.
• Occupational and advanced academics tutoring : agencies may sometimes specialize in occupational certification for those entering the workforce as engineers, mechanics, technicians, etc.

In addition to explaining the type of tutoring you provide, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to questions such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include placement goals you’ve reached, the number of new contracts, etc.
• Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the tutoring industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the tutoring industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy particularly if your research identifies market trends.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section:

• How big is the tutoring industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5-10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your tutoring service? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: elementary students, middle school students, high school students, etc.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of tutoring you offer. Clearly, high school students would want different subject tutoring and would respond to different marketing promotions than professional certification clients.

Try to break out your target market in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve. Because most tutors primarily serve customers living in the same city or town, such demographic information is easy to find on government websites.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target market. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other tutoring services.

Indirect competitors are other options customers may use that aren’t direct competitors. This includes peers, teachers, or graduate students. You need to mention such competition to show you understand that not everyone who needs help with grade improvement and test preparation will hire a tutoring company.

• What types of customers do they serve?
• What types of tutoring services do they offer?
• What is their pricing structure (premium, low, tiered, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regard to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide superior services?
• Will you provide services that your competitors don’t offer?
• Will you make it easier or faster for customers to engage your services?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a tutoring service, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product: in the product section you should reiterate the type of tutoring that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific courses or subject help you will be offering. For example, in addition to high school level math tutoring, will you provide GED preparation, or will you be specializing in certification preparation for a specific occupation?

Price: Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the services you offer and their prices.

Place: Place refers to the location of your tutoring services. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your tutoring office located next to a high school or near a retail district, etc? Discuss how your location might provide a steady stream of customers.

Promotions: the final part of your tutoring marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertising in local papers and magazines
• Reaching out to schools and teachers
• Reaching out to local websites
• Social media marketing
• Local radio advertising

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your tutoring service, such as serving customers, attracting future applications, processing paperwork, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect your 100 th student to successfully improve their grades, or when you hope to reach $X in sales. It could also be when you expect your Xth student to excel at a specific exam, or when you expect to launch a new location.

Management Team

To demonstrate your tutoring business’ ability to succeed as a business, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally, you and/or your team members have direct experience in teaching or tutoring. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in education and/or successfully running small businesses.

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Balance Sheets : Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your tutoring office, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $100,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt. For example, let’s say a company approached you with a $100,000 contract for helping employees achieve certification, that would cost you $50,000 to fulfill. Well, in most cases, you would have to pay that $50,000 now for curriculum, employee salaries, etc. But let’s say the company didn’t pay you for 180 days. During that 180 day period, you could run out of money.

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing your tutoring service:

• Location build-out including design fees, construction, etc.
• Cost of equipment like software, office equipment, etc.
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your office design blueprint or location lease.

Putting together a business plan for your tutoring company is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the tutoring industry, your competition and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful tutoring service.

Tutor Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my tutoring business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily complete your business plan.

Where Can I Download an Online Tutoring Business Plan PDF?

You can download our Online Tutoring business plan PDF  here. This is a business plan template you can use in PDF format.

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Promoting the importance of learning from an early age is vital. But not every teacher, school or student have the support they need to grow. If you have a passion to advocate for educational services and want to go a step further, starting a nonprofit may be a natural next step. To get everything in order, download a business plan from our library of growth and education nonprofit sample plans today.

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Hawaii Board Of Education To Get New Leader For The Third Time In 2 Years

The Senate is being asked to confirm six picks for the 11-member board, including a member nominated last year who has yet to get a confirmation hearing.

Gov. Josh Green has named veteran state lawmaker Roy Takumi to the helm of the Board of Education following the abrupt resignation of Warren Haruki, who held the position for less than a year.

Haruki submitted his resignation to the board on March 11, citing the need to focus on his health and other personal pursuits. He was appointed as chair last June.

Green announced Takumi as his pick to lead the BOE as one of a number of nominations released on Tuesday, including five additional picks for the 11-member volunteer board tasked with overseeing the state’s public school system.

Takumi served as a state representative until 2022 and chaired the House Education Committee for 15 years. If confirmed by the Senate, Takumi will begin serving as board chair immediately until his term ends in 2026. 

The Senate must also approve the appointments of new BOE members Mary Hattori, Elynne Chung and Wesley Lo. Current members Ken Kuraya and Bill Arakaki also received reappointments from Green.  

If confirmed, Takumi will become the fourth chair to serve on the BOE in the last two years. His predecessors, Haruki and Bruce Voss, served as chairs for approximately nine months and one year, respectively. 

Haruki’s appointment as board chair last June came as a surprise to many. At the time, Voss had served on the board for eight years and was only a third of the way into his term as board chair. 

As the former CEO of Grove Farm and other local companies, Haruki’s background was primarily in business, rather than education. But he expressed confidence in his ability to lead the board following his appointment last summer.

“We need a legal expert. We need a financial expert,” Haruki said in an August interview . “We’re solving big, big problems, so that diversity is very helpful to come up with.” 

Haruki, along with BOE member Kahele Dukelow, never received a Senate confirmation on their appointments, meaning that they only served in an interim capacity. While the Senate received official notice of the appointments when it convened in January, legislators had not scheduled a confirmation hearing for either post. 

Previous BOE members have been appointed in a matter of weeks . Takumi said he expects to receive a hearing by the third week of April. 

Haruki declined to elaborate on his reasons for resigning as chair but said he’s proud of the work that Hawaii schools have accomplished during his time on the BOE. 

“Our kids do great, our teachers do great,” Haruki said. 

Takumi said he plans to hold the Department of Education accountable to its strategic plan , which sets ambitious goals for Hawaii schools and students over the next five years. 

“There is a roadmap now for the department,” Takumi said. 

Drawing on his experience as a representative, Takumi said he’s hopeful he can help navigate the “healthy tension” that often exists between the Legislature and DOE. While state policymakers often introduce well-intentioned legislation, he added, it’s the board’s job to ensure that proposed changes to school curriculum or graduation requirements are aligned with DOE’s strategic plan. 

“The good news is, we all have the same goals,” Takumi said. 

Civil Beat’s education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.

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The Department of Homeland Security Is Embracing A.I.

The agency will be the first in the federal government to roll out a comprehensive plan to integrate the technology into a variety of uses, from fighting crime to helping disaster survivors.

The Department of Homeland Security is moving quickly to adopt artificial intelligence, said Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary. Credit... Valerie Plesch for The New York Times

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By Cecilia Kang

Reporting from Washington on A.I. policy

• March 18, 2024

The Department of Homeland Security has seen the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence firsthand. It found a trafficking victim years later using an A.I. tool that conjured an image of the child a decade older. But it has also been tricked into investigations by deep fake images created by A.I.

Now, the department is becoming the first federal agency to embrace the technology with a plan to incorporate generative A.I. models across a wide range of divisions. In partnerships with OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta, it will launch pilot programs using chatbots and other tools to help combat drug and human trafficking crimes, train immigration officials and prepare emergency management across the nation.

The rush to roll out the still unproven technology is part of a larger scramble to keep up with the changes brought about by generative A.I., which can create hyper realistic images and videos and imitate human speech.

“One cannot ignore it,” Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said in an interview. “And if one isn’t forward-leaning in recognizing and being prepared to address its potential for good and its potential for harm, it will be too late and that’s why we’re moving quickly.”

The plan to incorporate generative A.I. throughout the agency is the latest demonstration of how new technology like OpenAI’s ChatGPT is forcing even the most staid industries to re-evaluate the way they conduct their work. Still, government agencies like the D.H.S. are likely to face some of the toughest scrutiny over the way they use the technology, which has set off rancorous debate because it has proved at times to be unreliable and discriminatory.

Those within the federal government have rushed to form plans following President Biden’s executive order issued late last year that mandates the creation of safety standards for A.I. and its adoption across the federal government.

The D.H.S., which employs 260,000 people, was created after the Sept. 11 terror attacks and is charged with protecting Americans within the country’s borders, including policing of human and drug trafficking, the protection of critical infrastructure, disaster response and border patrol.

As part of its plan, the agency plans to hire 50 A.I. experts to work on solutions to keep the nation’s critical infrastructure safe from A.I.-generated attacks and to combat the use of the technology to generate child sexual abuse material and create biological weapons.

In the pilot programs, on which it will spend $5 million, the agency will use A.I. models like ChatGPT to help investigations of child abuse materials, human and drug trafficking. It will also work with companies to comb through its troves of text-based data to find patterns to help investigators. For example, a detective who is looking for a suspect driving a blue pickup truck will be able to search for the first time across homeland security investigations for the same type of vehicle.

D.H.S. will use chatbots to train immigration officials who have worked with other employees and contractors posing as refugees and asylum seekers. The A.I. tools will enable officials to get more training with mock interviews. The chatbots will also comb information about communities across the country to help them create disaster relief plans.

The agency will report results of its pilot programs by the end of the year, said Eric Hysen, the department’s chief information officer and head of A.I.

The agency picked OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta to experiment with a variety of tools and will use cloud providers Microsoft, Google and Amazon in its pilot programs. “We cannot do this alone,” he said. “We need to work with the private sector on helping define what is responsible use of a generative A.I.”

Cecilia Kang reports on technology and regulatory policy and is based in Washington D.C. She has written about technology for over two decades. More about Cecilia Kang

Explore Our Coverage of Artificial Intelligence

News  and Analysis

Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee signed a bill  to prevent the use of A.I. to copy a performer’s voice. It is the first such measure in the United States.

French regulators said Google failed to notify news publishers  that it was using their articles to train its A.I. algorithms, part of a wider ruling against the company for its negotiating practices with media outlets.

Apple is in discussions with Google  about using Google’s generative A.I. model called Gemini for its next iPhone.

The Age of A.I.

The Caribbean island Anguilla made $32 million last year, more than 10 percent of its G.D.P., from companies registering web addresses that end in .ai .

When it comes to the A.I. that powers chatbots like ChatGPT, China lags behind the United States. But when it comes to producing the scientists behind a new generation of humanoid technologies, China is pulling ahead .

By interacting with data about genes and cells, A.I. models have made some surprising discoveries and are learning what it means to be alive. What could they teach us someday ?

Covariant, a robotics start-up, is using the technology behind chatbots  to build robots that learn skills much like ChatGPT does.

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House committee subpoenas agency head amid probe of $127m paid to teamsters’ pension fund with dead participants.

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The House Education and Workforce Committee subpoenaed the head of a federal agency on Tuesday for impeding an investigation into $127 million in payments made to a Teamsters’ pension plan that included dead participants.

House Education and Workforce Committee chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) hit Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Director Gordon Hartogensis with the subpoena after “twice seeking information about overpayments” for 3,479 deceased members of the Central States Pension Fund — and being rebuffed.

PBGC’s Office of Inspector General found in November that the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ pension plan made the wrongful payments after getting $35.8 billion in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law by President Biden.

“As the Committee noted in its February 26 letter, the information it is seeking is necessary for consideration of H.R. 7135, the Ghost Handouts and Overpayments Stop Today Act (GHOST Act), or similar legislation to ensure PBGC meets its obligation to reclaim the full amount of any overpayment it made in the SFA program,” Foxx wrote in her letter to Hartogensis.

“PBGC’s failure to provide responsive materials is unacceptable, and as a result, the Committee must now resort to compulsory process,” she added, giving the agency an April 9 deadline to hand over documents related to the payments.

PBGC’s Office of Inspector General found in November that the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ pension plan made the wrongful payments after getting $35.8 billion from the American Rescue Plan.

The office noted that the agency did not consult the Social Security Administration’s Full Death Master File before funding the Teamsters’ pension plan, which includes 350,000 participants and is one of the largest multiemployer plans in the nation.

On Tuesday, the Government Accountability Office released another report showing $236 billion in improper payments across 14 federal agencies — not including PBGC — in fiscal year 2023.

The House Education and Workforce Committee had asked PBGC several times to explain the overpayments, and the Department of Labor announced earlier this month that the funds must be recovered.

“At PBGC’s request, the Committee provided two extensions to permit PBGC more time to produce responsive materials. Unfortunately, PBGC’s responses have left significant gaps. What is more, the responses show a complete and total lack of respect for hardworking taxpayers’ dollars,” Foxx said in her letter.

“The Department of Labor’s (DOL) subsequent statement on March 14 that multiemployer pension plans are obligated to repay these overpayments comes at the 11th hour and does not explain the months of wasted resources and delay that PBGC perpetrated; nor does DOL’s statement shed light on PBGC’s reasoning for its position.”

In a November Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing, International Brotherhood of Teamsters president Sean O’Brien called on the agency to “refund” the payments.

Hartogensis also appeared for a March 20 hearing with the panel but his answers “failed to satisfy” inquiries related to the Teamsters’ pension funding, Foxx added.

“For several months, PBGC has been coordinating with PBGC’s Office of the Inspector General, the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, and Central States to finalize the terms of an agreement that will include repayment of the $127 million from Central States,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement.

“In  testimony  last week before the House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, PBGC Director Gordon Hartogensis gave a full accounting of how PBGC has fixed the problem and that PBGC will recover any funds attributable to deceased participants from the plans.”

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MTA plan would exempt part of NYC fleet, yellow school buses from congestion pricing

T he MTA’s plan to exempt some New York City fleet vehicles from congestion pricing tolls came into clearer focus Monday, as the transit agency prepared to approve its final version of the tolling plan later this week.

As first reported by the Daily News , the agency has proposed exempting yellow school buses, privately operated commuter buses, and certain city vehicles on official business from its plan to toll vehicles entering Midtown and lower Manhattan.

The congestion pricing plan has long had a built-in exemption for emergency vehicles, and the plan approved by the MTA in December included exemptions for “specialized government vehicles” like street sweepers and snow plows.

That exemption will expand to include certain non-specialized vehicles owned and operated by the city and used for official city business, officials in Mayor Adams’ office and the MTA said Monday.

Examples include building inspectors or child services workers responding to calls in a city-owned car, mayoral spokeswoman Liz Garcia said.

MTA officials said Monday that City Hall would be providing a detailed list of specific vehicles that required such an exemption, and that the list would have to be approved by the transit agency.

An MTA spokesperson estimated that the city exemption would apply to less than half of the non-emergency municipal fleet.

The MTA’s board is expected to vote on a final version of the tolling plan Wednesday, ahead of the expected June start of congestion pricing.

Meanwhile, Patrick Condren, a lobbyist representing several of the region’s private bus operators — including the Hampton Jitney, Coach USA and Academy buses — welcomed the MTA’s decision to extend an exemption to any bus that is open to the public and runs on a regular schedule.

“The private bus industry is clearly part of the public transit system,” Condren told reporters Monday outside a meeting of the MTA’s board. “We are providing a public service to the riding public, and we’re pleased and happy to see that the MTA recognizes that.”

A spokesperson for the Amalgamated Transit Union local 1181-1061, which represents school bus workers, declined to comment on the proposed school bus exemption before the MTA votes on the tolling structure.

Michael Mulgrew, head of the United Federation of Teachers — which is suing the MTA in federal court over the congestion pricing plan, claiming it will increase traffic outside of Manhattan as well as place a financial burden on teachers who drive to work in the congestion zone — did not comment on the proposed school bus exemption.

Mulgrew did, however, take issue with the MTA’s decision not to exempt city workers’ personal automobiles.

“Our lawsuit focused on the inequalities of the congestion pricing plan, both environmental and economic,” he said. “Unfortunately, many of those inequalities have still not been addressed and so it will be up to the court to decide.”

With Cayla Bamberger

©2024 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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The IRS touts improved customer service and a hassle free filing option

Scott Horsley

The Internal Revenue Service says that beefed up customer service is resulting in fewer hiccups this tax filing season. More than 71 million Americans have already filed taxes this spring. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

The Internal Revenue Service says that beefed up customer service is resulting in fewer hiccups this tax filing season. More than 71 million Americans have already filed taxes this spring.

Have you done your taxes yet? April 15th is less than a month away.

So far, the IRS says this year's tax filing season is going smoothly. Paper returns are no longer piling up in government cafeterias. And frustrated callers aren't giving up on un-answered phone lines.

The agency is investing billions of dollars to improve customer service, and to go after wealthy tax cheats. And the IRS wants people to know about that.

"Sometimes it's the little things," IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel told an audience at American University last week. "Like that this filing season we added a call-back function on our main 1-800 number, ending the era of taxpayers being required to stay on hold listening to elevator music."

Trump is on the verge of a windfall of billions of dollars. Here are 3 things to know

Here are three things to know about this year's tax season.

No more backlog

As of March 15, the IRS had received more than 71 million tax returns -- about half the total it expects by the April 15 deadline — and processed 98% of them. It helps that nearly all the returns are being filed electronically this year, which cuts down on paper delays.

About 7 in 10 people filing taxes so far are owed refunds. And the average refund is $3109 — 6% higher than last year.

Even when everything runs smoothly, though, the tax collector is a punching bag. Commissioner Werfel opened his speech at American University with a video clip from the Simpsons, in which Homer is heard loudly booing the IRS.

This year it's a slow crawl to financial aid packages for students

Werfel hopes improved service will help. The agency hired thousands of additional telephone operators last year to help answer questions from taxpayers. It's also opened dozens of new walk-in centers around the country. And it's beefing up its website so more people can find information there.

Experimenting with a new free filing service

This year, the IRS is testing a new program that allows taxpayers to file electronic returns directly with the government for free, bypassing commercial tax preparers. It's a limited pilot program , available in only 12 states and only to people with relatively simple tax returns. The formal launch was less than two weeks ago, and since then more than 50,000 people have tried it out.

That's tiny compared to, say, TurboTax, which prepared 45 million returns last year. But if the Direct File pilot is successful, the IRS hopes to expand it, despite stiff opposition from commercial tax prep companies and their allies in Congress.

Biden unveils a budget that would cut costs for families and hike taxes for the rich

"Nothing is free," Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., told Werfel during a Congressional hearing last month. "I don't think you should be wasting your millions of dollars when the private industry is doing a good job."

The IRS commissioner has said repeatedly that if people like using commercial software or having an accountant do their taxes, that's fine. Direct File is just one more tool.

Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Daniel Werfel testifies before the House Ways and Means Committee in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill on February 15, 2024 in Washington, DC. Werfel testified about improvements at the IRS since the agency was budgeted $80 billion last year. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Daniel Werfel testifies before the House Ways and Means Committee in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill on February 15, 2024 in Washington, DC. Werfel testified about improvements at the IRS since the agency was budgeted $80 billion last year.

"The goal is to provide taxpayers with options," Werfel said. "And what we heard from taxpayers — and we heard it pretty loudly — was that there was an interest in having an option where they could file directly with the IRS for free."

There could be big savings for taxpayers. The average person spends about $140 a year just preparing their taxes.

Cracking down on wealthy tax cheats

For years, the IRS was starved for resources, so a lot of taxes went uncollected . But under the Inflation Reduction Act, Democrats allocated $80 billion for the tax collector over a decade. Some of that money is being spent to go after wealthy individuals and companies that have avoided paying the taxes they owe.

This year the IRS launched audits into the possibly improper use of corporate jets. It's targeting billionaires with delinquent tax bills. And it's zeroing in on 125,000 wealthy individuals who failed to even file tax returns for the last six years.

"We will not allow these higher-income individuals to fail to do their basic civic duty of filing a tax return and paying what they owe," Werfel said.

Congressional Republicans keep chipping away at the IRS budget. They've already trimmed the $80 billion down to $60 billion. In terms of the federal budget, that's counter-productive, since every dollar spent on tax enforcement returns $2 to $6 in additional revenue.

By making a splash with its enforcement actions, the IRS hopes to discourage others from trying to dodge their tax obligations. It also wants to assure everyone who's filing their taxes this spring that others are paying their fair share.

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EPA issues new auto rules aimed at cutting carbon emissions, boosting electric vehicles and hybrids

FILE - President Joe Biden drives a Cadillac Lyriq through the show room during a tour at the Detroit Auto Show, Sept. 14, 2022, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - Traffic enters lower Manhattan after crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, Feb. 8, 2024, in New York. The Biden administration this week is expected to announce new automobile emissions standards that relax proposed limits in the next few years but reach the same strict standards outlined by the Environmental Protection Agency last year. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

FILE - Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan speaks at the University of Maryland, May 11, 2023, in College Park, Md. The Biden administration this week is expected to announce new automobile emissions standards that relax proposed limits for three years but eventually reach the same strict standards proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard, File)

FILE - President Joe Biden drives a Cadillac Lyriq through the show room during a tour at the Detroit Auto Show Sept. 14, 2022, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - Electric vehicle chargers sit outside a Ford dealership, Jan. 21, 2024, in Broomfield, Colo. The Biden administration this week is expected to announce new automobile emissions standards that relax proposed limits in the next few years but reach the same strict standards outlined by the Environmental Protection Agency last year.(AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event at El Portal restaurant Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced new automobile emissions standards Wednesday that officials called the most ambitious plan ever to cut planet-warming emissions from passenger vehicles.

The new rules relax initial tailpipe limits proposed last year but eventually get close to the same strict standards set out by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The rules come as sales of electric vehicles, which are needed to meet the standards, have begun to slow. The auto industry cited lower sales growth in objecting to the EPA’s preferred standards unveiled last April as part of its ambitious plan to cut planet-warming emissions from passenger vehicles.

The EPA said that under its final rule, the industry could meet the limits if 56% of new vehicle sales are electric by 2032, along with at least 13% plug-in hybrids or other partially electric cars, as well as more efficient gasoline-powered cars that get more miles to the gallon.

That would be a huge increase over current EV sales, which rose to 7.6% of new vehicle sales last year, up from 5.8% in 2022.

The new standards will avoid more than 7 billion tons of planet-warming carbon emissions over the next three decades and provide nearly $100 billion in annual net benefits, the EPA said, including lower health care costs, fewer deaths and more than $60 billion in reduced annual costs for fuel, maintenance and repairs.

President Joe Biden, who has made fighting climate change a hallmark of his presidency , cited “historic progress” on his pledge that half of all new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. will be zero-emission by 2030.

“We’ll meet my goal for 2030 and race forward in the years ahead,’' Biden said in a statement Wednesday.

WHAT IS EPA PROPOSING?

The EPA rule applies to model years 2027 to 2032 and will significantly reduce emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases, as well as other air pollution such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter from new passenger cars, light trucks and pickups.

Transportation makes up the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and cars and trucks account for more than half of those emissions. The EPA said the new rule will help “tackle the climate crisis” while accelerating the adoption of cleaner vehicle technologies. The agency is finalizing the rule as sales of clean vehicles, including plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles, hit record highs last year.

The new rule slows implementation of stricter pollution standards from 2027 through 2029, after the auto industry called proposed benchmarks unworkable. The rule ramps up to nearly reach the level the EPA preferred by 2032.

“Let me be clear: Our final rule delivers the same, if not more, pollution reduction than we set out in our proposal,’' EPA Administrator Michael Regan told reporters. In addition to carbon pollution, the final standards also will reduce other serious air pollution that contributes to heart attacks, respiratory illnesses, aggravated asthma and decreased lung function, Regan said.

“Folks, these new standards are so important for public health, for American jobs, for our economy and for our planet,’' he said.

The standards are designed to be technology-neutral and performance-based, Regan said, giving car and truck manufacturers the flexibility to choose pollution-control technologies that are best suited for their customers while meeting environmental and public health goals.

WHY DID EPA CHANGE THE PROPOSED RULE?

The changes appear aimed at addressing strong industry and labor opposition to the accelerated ramp-up of EVs, along with public reluctance to fully embrace the new technology. There is also a legitimate threat of legal challenges before conservative courts.

The Supreme Court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, has increasingly reined in the powers of federal agencies, including the EPA, in recent years. The justices have restricted the EPA’s authority to fight air and water pollution — including a landmark 2022 ruling that limited the EPA’s authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants that contribute to global warming.

At the same time, the Democratic president needs cooperation from the auto industry and political support from auto workers, a key political voting bloc.

“U.S. workers will lead the world on autos — making clean cars and trucks, each stamped ‘Made in America,’” Biden said Wednesday. “You have my word.’'

The United Auto Workers union, which has endorsed Biden, said it supports rules that benefit workers and the environment, not just the industry. The new rule protects workers who build combustion engine vehicles “while providing a path forward for automakers to implement the full range of automotive technologies to reduce emissions,” the union said.

HOW ARE THE NEW RULES BEING RECEIVED?

Generally, environmental groups have been optimistic about the new EPA plan, which is aimed at slashing emissions from a source that causes one-fifth of the nation’s carbon pollution.

David Cooke, senior vehicles analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the rule would significantly reduce vehicle pollution from current requirements. But the standards are weaker than those EPA proposed a year ago and make it unlikely that the U.S. will be able to meet its commitments under the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, which aims to keep global warming from increasing more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times , he said.

Still, the new rules over time will prevent more carbon pollution “than the entire U.S. economy coughs up in a year,″ said Manish Bapna, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council. In the short term, the rules “will save drivers money at the pump and cut tailpipe pollution that endangers public health,″ he added.

“In the longer journey to confront the climate crisis, these standards take us in the right direction,″ he said.

But Dan Becker at the Center for Biological Diversity said he fears loopholes will let the industry continue to sell gas burners. He also is afraid the industry will get away with doing little during the first three years of the standards, which could be undone if former President Donald Trump is reelected.

“The bottom line is that the administration is caving to pressure from big oil, big auto and the dealers to stall progress on EVs and now allow more pollution from cars,” Becker said.

WHAT DO REPUBLICANS SAY?

Republicans criticized the new standards, saying they essentially decide for the public which vehicles they should buy. “These regulations represent yet another step toward an unrealistic transition to electric vehicles that Americans do not want and cannot afford,” said West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, called the rule a “misguided electric vehicle mandate” that will force the U.S. to rely on China and other foes for critical minerals needed for batteries.

Regan said the government isn’t requiring people to buy EVs or any other technology, adding that there are “multiple pathways companies can choose to comply″ with the rule.

“We are staying well within the confines of the law and our statutory authority by not mandating a specific technology,’' he said.

The EPA could achieve its carbon pollution goals even if sales of battery electric vehicles are as low as 30% in 2032, as long as other standards are met, he said.

U.S. electric vehicle sales grew 47% last year to a record 1.19 million as EV market share rose to 7.6%. But EV sales growth slowed toward the end of the year. In December, they rose 34%.

WHAT DOES THE CAR INDUSTRY THINK?

The Alliance for Auto Innovation, a large industry trade group, praised the EPA’s slower implementation of the standards, saying the pace of the EV transition matters as the industry moves to produce more electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids to convert more traveling miles to electricity. The group had complained that the ramp-up to 67% initially proposed by the EPA was too fast for the industry to achieve. The proposal was faster than Biden’s goal of ensuring that EVs account for half of new vehicles in the U.S. by 2030 .

“Moderating the pace of EV adoption was the right call because it prioritizes more reasonable electrification targets in the next few, very critical years of the transition,” said John Bozzella, the Alliance CEO.

The adjusted emissions targets will still be a stretch for the industry to achieve, Bozzella said, but they should give the market and parts supply chains a chance to catch up to higher EV sales. The plan also gives the industry more time to set up public charging stations, and it allows government tax incentives for EV manufacturing and for consumers to buy EVs to take hold, he said.

Toyota, the top seller of hybrid vehicles in the U.S., said it believes the fastest way to reduce carbon emissions quickly is to give consumers choices of battery electric vehicles and hybrids. The new EPA standards allow for more sales of plug-in hybrids and regular gas-electric hybrids to meet emissions limits.

AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher reported from Detroit.