Steve O’Hara, co-founder of Exemplar Instruction, explains what drives his company philosophy. Exemplar Education is the leading UK provider of high quality supplemental home-based math and English education.

What do you do at Exemplar Education right now?

I am the Director of Education at Exemplar Education, the largest home learning firm in the UK, which I co-founded to provide families with learning support in the convenience of their own homes. The application is an intuitive online learning environment designed in support of the UK National Curriculum. 6 million questions for kids to answer are included, along with more than 2,000 video tutorials.

Since the Coronavirus outbreak, I have been in charge of the company’s mission to distribute free courses to kids learning at home. In just a few weeks, more than 10,000 households have signed up, and enrollment has improved achievement to the point that young students are now passing each class with an average grade of 96 percent.

What motivated you to start your business?

We discovered a huge demand for a home-based, online alternative to individual instruction, as well as one created specifically to aid teachers and educational institutions. We have never claimed to be, nor have we ever sought to be, perceived as a suggested replacement for the classroom.

We created a platform that provided a cost-effective solution to complement the effort put in by teachers because education must be the conclusion of numerous resources. We were aware that there was a need for a system that would be simple to use and affordable for busy working families’ daily lives and budgets.

Who do you look up to?

I’ve gotten inspiration and advice from a variety of authorities in my profession. I respect Tony Robbins and Sun Tzu for their clear and insightful explanations of difficult problems. The tenacious perseverance of people like Richard Branson and Alex Ferguson has always amazed me. I am also inspired by my own father, who always speaks truthfully and without malice, and I look up to kids because they keep me grounded and remind me of why I started Exemplar Education in the first place.

Is there anything you would have done differently looking back?

We were motivated to make it happen overnight back in 1991 because we had found our niche and a common vision for the future. The truth was rather different. We were disappointed by the initial modest progress even though we immediately wanted to advance our concept. Looking back, I wish I had given myself a little more leeway and trusted our business strategy more.

What characterizes your business strategy?

Our strategy hasn’t changed in nearly 30 years of operation: we innovate without sacrificing what made us special in the first place. We were the only company in the education sector in 1991 trying to introduce a particularly home-based learning programme. By the year 2020, we will still be the only company providing a service of this scope.

What words of wisdom would you provide to a beginner?

My recommendation to anyone just starting out is to trust your USP once you’ve decided on a model and constantly be willing to modify and enhance it. The most essential thing is to surround yourself with people who will help you advance rather than impede you.

Referring to Exemplar Education

The leading provider of supplemental home-based English and math instruction in the UK is Exemplar Education. From Year 1 to GCSE, Exemplar Education has pioneered and improved the use of home learning as a supplement and support for classroom work in math, English, and reading. In the UK, more than 400,000 kids have registered for Exemplar Education programs.