Contributors
Ole Miss Musings: A Tutor For All Seasons
I just met one of the most dynamic young entrepreneurs in recent memory….Lee Ingram from Madison, Mississippi. Lee may have found his “niche” in life, even before he completes his academic journey. We just crossed paths with the businessman here in Oxford.
HottyToddy.com: Lee, tell us first about yourself before we dive into your exciting business concept.
Lee Ingram: I am currently an accounting and a grad student here at Ole Miss. I will be completing my academic work in August, which will then make me eligible to sit for the CPA exam.
HottyToddy.com: Your tutoring business apparently has taken off faster than you could have ever anticipated. How exactly did this come about?
Lee Ingram: I started tutoring in the summer of 2015. I had no idea where this would lead. In just one week, I had 16 students as clients. All in all since then, my team has assisted about 250 students with over 1,000 hours of tutoring.
HottyToddy.com: Unbelievable! Especially in such a short time. You said “team”?
Lee Ingram: I currently have four tutors working with me. We were as large as 14 at one point. I only seek out the best and the brightest students to work with me.
HottyToddy.com: Are you focused strictly on accounting courses?
Lee Ingram: We do our best to have a tutor available for any subject that a student needs help in. Other subjects we serve include finance, statistics, math, biology, chemistry, physics, and Spanish.
HottyToddy.com: Who is your customer and how do you go about finding them?
Lee Ingram: Basically students who are either struggling or students who want to reinforce their grade as going from a B to an A. We quickly analyze their objective and determine what we need to do in order to attain it. A lot of our marketing is word of mouth coupled with distributing fliers and professors allowing me to make pitches in the classroom.
HottyToddy.com: You must be doing something right to get this far so fast.
Lee Ingram: Of all our customers, I would say 99 percent are satisfied with our service as we’re extremely focused on giving them the best experience possible. And I would also estimate that 80 percent of our B students coming in were able to achieve an A as a result of our services.
HottyToddy.com: Haven’t you had some success recently besides your tutoring accomplishments?
Lee Ingram: I just won the Gillespie Business Plan Competition on campus, which the prize was $10,000 and office space for one year in Insight Park on the UM campus. I competed against 16 other students at the beginning of the competition. On May 12, I will be competing nationally in Silicon Valley for a prize of $30,000. There will be approximately 10-15 competing. My mentor and MBA professor, Clay Dibrell, will be joining me on the trip to advise me and consult.
HottyToddy.com: How expensive are your services?
Lee Ingram: We typically charge $40 to $50 an hour and are flexible in working with the students as much as they need us. In some instances, we tutor a student two to three times a week for an entire semester. By students working with students, we can overcome the “stigma” of looking like a tutoring session is in process. We meet in the library or wherever the student is most comfortable.
HottyToddy.com: What have you learned as a young entrepreneur?
Lee Ingram: It takes a great deal of hard work to succeed in business. You have to first identify who your customer is, next determine what their problem or objective is and then figure out how to solve it. Building a business is all about improving people’s lives.
HottyToddy.com: I bet the parents love you.
Lee Ingram: We have an outstanding relationship with parents. There is a great deal of stress with grades and maintaining GPAs for scholarships. The cost of attending a university is significant.
HottyToddy.com: Where do you go from here?
Lee Ingram: This fall, we’re planning to expand to MSU and LSU. I currently have two technical programmers working on our website collegiatetutoring.com. It should be ready to roll out also by fall.
HottyToddy.com: How do prospective students, clients as well as tutors, get in touch with you?
Lee Ingram: My email address is Lee@collegiatetutoring.com or they can even go to the website now and will be directed to an application.
HottyToddy.com: Do you work with the Greek organizations?
Lee Ingram: Absolutely! Many of our clients are affiliated with fraternities and sororities.
Lee is a perfect example of the apple falling not too far from the tree as his sister, father and grandfather are all CPAs. This young man may never leave Oxford as the grass could not be much greener in other pastures! The Madison Central grad has come a long way quickly as he’s raising GPAs on his journey!
Steve Vassallo is a HottyToddy.com contributor. Steve writes on Ole Miss athletics, Oxford business, politics and other subjects. He is an Ole Miss grad and former radio announcer for the basketball team. Currently, Steve is a highly successful leader in the real estate business who lives in Oxford with his wife Rosie. You can contact Steve at sovassallo@gmail.com or call him at 985-852-7745.
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Reed Ingram
April 25, 2017 at 11:52 am
Proud of all you’ve accomplished Lee and I know your vision going forward will lead to even greater things.
I knew you when…. Love you! Dad
Russell Morrison
April 25, 2017 at 2:19 pm
This is so great. This isn’t surprising as I’ve met Lee and know how impressive he is. Good job Lee, and keep it up.
Liles Ingram
April 25, 2017 at 2:23 pm
GO LEEBO!!
Can’t wait to see what the future holds for you.
XOXO–Lilesypoo
Clark Love
April 25, 2017 at 2:24 pm
Great work Reed. I really think you are on to something. Scale it up!!!
Tommy Turner
April 25, 2017 at 2:25 pm
Great vision and sounds like this could explode. With Lee’s hard work, this will come to fruition no doubt.
Clark Love
April 25, 2017 at 2:26 pm
Da…. I said Reed…. I meant Lee.
Kamel King
April 25, 2017 at 3:21 pm
Lee you are the BOMB! What a great interview and concept to grown your entrepreneurial endeavors while helping people. You need to go nationwide with this!!! Congrats man!
Sujit Adhikari
April 25, 2017 at 4:02 pm
GReat one LEE. I WISh you all the best of luck
Matthew Weaver
April 25, 2017 at 6:49 pm
What a great guy! Lee has a passion for helping others! Best of Luck
Mort
April 25, 2017 at 7:04 pm
Wow! I’ll bet this is the most people to ever read a Steve Vasallo article!
Way to go, Lee!
Vicki C
April 26, 2017 at 1:36 pm
Great job Lee!!! Good luck!
Caitlin
April 26, 2017 at 3:54 pm
Way to go LEE!!
Amber Hurtado
April 26, 2017 at 9:20 pm
I’m so impressed with Lee’s tutoring business. He was able to identify a need and create a very exciting and innovative solution. I know these students are lucky to have Lee as a tutor, mentor, and business role model. Lee is an extremely talented young person, way ahead of his time. I’m excited to see how much his business grows and what the future holds!
Jessie Bennett
April 26, 2017 at 9:26 pm
So inspiring to see someone of our generation take initiative and use it to help others! Extremely inspiring!
Kristen Wilson
April 26, 2017 at 9:36 pm
Go Lee!! You are so smart, talented and driven. I’m very excited you are getting this recognition! Can’t wait to see what your future holds with this company and more!
Janet S. Ingram
April 27, 2017 at 3:37 pm
I’m SO incredibly proud of you, Leebo!!! You are so energetic and passionate about your business and helping others succeed. I know God has so much in store for you and keep up the hard work! You’re so smart but also genuine and down to earth, and people love being around you!!
Proud is an understatement! And don’t forget to invite me to your vacation home(s)!!! I’m your biggest supporter and love you!!
Mom
Janet S. Ingram
April 27, 2017 at 3:38 pm
I’m SO incredibly proud of you, Leebo!!! You are so energetic and passionate about your business and helping others succeed. I know God has so much in store for you and keep up the hard work! You’re so smart but also genuine and down to earth, and people love being around you!
Don’t forget to invite me to your vacation home(s)!!! I’m your biggest supporter and love you!!
Mom
Holly Rose
April 27, 2017 at 3:54 pm
Your future looks bright! Hard work always pays off! Congrats Lee!
Sue Honea
April 27, 2017 at 8:39 pm
Lee, you are awesome and your business is awesome! How great to see someone with your passion…and then to make it happen. There is no limit to what you can achieve. I’m on for the ride and can’t to see where you go! Congratulations!