Helping you start, expand or purchase an early-stage, non-tech business
Ahmad Galuta, Go2Grad Tutors Founder
What is your business?
Go2Grad Tutors is the only Canadian tutoring company with graduate (Ph.D. and Masters) tutors and a science-backed method for learning. Our objectives are to help high school students gain the knowledge and skills to get into university, and provide graduate students with meaningful, career-enriching experiences through teaching.
Why did you start your business?
I’ve been tutoring and mentoring students for more than a decade which has been both gratifying and meaningful, but as a single tutor, I could only support 3-4 students at a time. Go2Grad Tutors was created to extend the positive impact I could have on students with an entire team of tutors. It also allowed me to provide teaching opportunities to fellow graduate students who find a similar passion in education.
Tell us about yourself as an entrepreneur.
I’ve always been drawn towards innovation and education. As a PhD student in Neuroscience, I’ve been fascinated with the mechanisms that drive and enhance learning. This led me to create strategies based on research and proven methods to allow for more effective learning. Taking both my experience as a tutor and learning strategies into account, I created Go2Grad Tutors!
When did you launch your business?
Go2Grad tutors was launched in Ottawa in October 2019.
Where do you see your business in 3 to 5 years?
Supporting students across the nation.
What did you learn from the Starter Company Plus program?
The program offers a unique opportunity to learn and grow in a judgement-free and inclusive environment. In addition, the opportunity to network with the local entrepreneur community and learn from experts in the field has never been easier. It was a great pleasure being a student in Invest Ottawa’s Starter Company Plus and learn the fundamentals for starting and running a business.
What advice would you give other entrepreneurs who are starting their businesses?
1. Make sure your product/service is actually solving a problem that people have.
2. Create a business plan before you launch, but don’t wait too long to get started. You’ll figure out the rest along the way!
3. Ask for help and seek mentorship wherever possible (like Invest Ottawa!)
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Frequently Asked Questions
BIPOC as Starter Company Plus’ 2020 priority?
At Invest Ottawa, we know that diversity, inclusion and belonging are critical success factors for globally competitive organizations and are required to drive sustainable wealth creation and prosperity across our region. As an organization that doesn’t simply accept differences, but celebrates and supports it, we prioritize the creation of an inclusive culture and infuse diversity into our programs, operations and governance. As has been widely identified, racialized people face significant barriers in accessing resources necessary for starting and growing successful businesses. In a 2017 survey on ownership demographics of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in Canada, data shows that only 13.6% of businesses are majority-owned by BIPOC. Of this 13.6%, only 3% of businesses are majority owned by BIPOC women. We at Invest Ottawa have recognized this gap, and as such are delivering Starter Company Plus 2020 to specifically help address the needs of racialized people and help close the equity gap in our local entrepreneurial landscape
2SLGBTQ+ is an acronym used to refer to people, as a group, who identify as Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Pansexual, Trans, Gender Independent, Queer and Questioning. The plus sign acknowledges the many sexual and gender minority people who don't see themselves in the umbrella acronym and prefer other identity terms such as pansexual, gender-free, or intersex.
The word "womxn" is an alternative term to the English language word "women." We use this term to explicitly include those who identify as women, transgender women, women of colour and non-binary individuals. This choice supports our concerted effort to create a culture of belonging.
This program is made possible through funding from the Government of Ontario.