Member Profile – Tracey-Lee Sydney-Smith, Kip McGrath
- What is the name of your business and what is your role? Kip McGrath Education Centre Umhlanga and Computers 4 Kids Umhlanga. I am a franchisee for both.
Tracy-Lee Sydney-Smith
- Describe your business in two sentences. Kip McGrath provides professional tuition for grade R to Matric students. Computers 4 Kids provides IT training for 5 year olds to 105 year olds.
- How long have you been in business? Kip McGrath is 7 years old on 1 February 2013 and Computers 4 Kids was 3 years old in October 2012.
- How did you get into this business? I was not happy teaching for the department of Education. I was looking for an alternative and found nothing that would satisfy me like teaching does. So I resigned myself to the fact that I had to teach. Then a friend told me that she taught at Kip McGrath for additional income. So I joined. The first night of training I asked my husband if we could buy one instead of me teaching for one. The rest is history. I read business magazines every month. I saw Computers 4 Kids advertised and made enquiries. It compliments what we do at Kip McGrath and I was ready to diversify my portfolio.
- What makes you go to work in the morning? I wake up and know that today Kip Umhlanga is going to make a difference in more than one student’s life. To see the proverbial “light” being switched on by children in class is enough for me to ensure that my business is successful.
- What is your favourite part of your work day? Having the students in the centre learning.
- Your secret to business success? Being positive, strong, and proactive and then extending that to the students who attend lessons.
- What is your business goal for 2013? I want 500 students in the Kip centre. I want to touch more lives and make a difference in those precious lives. I want Computers 4 Kids to offer extra murals in all pre-schools in our franchise area.