In 2009, James Temple had just lost his father to a heart attack.
He was 30 years old, getting his MBA at UVA, and facing a choice: take a stable consulting job… or buy a $40K franchise that barely made money.
He chose the latter.
James partnered with his mother—a retired teacher—and bought a struggling Mathnasium tutoring center in Richmond, VA. It had done just $70K in revenue the previous year.
They each put in $10K. His mom lent the business another $20K. The seller carried the rest through financing.
And then they went to work.
James worked Monday through Thursday at the center, commuting an hour each way. Friday through Sunday, he pulled 14-hour shifts at another job just to pay his bills.
In year one, he opened a second location. By year five, he was still making less than his MBA peers—and asking himself if he’d made a huge mistake.
But he kept going.
Instead of relying on SBA loans, James reinvested profits. He didn’t take on real debt until location #7.
Today, that tiny $40K investment has grown into a 24-unit, $10M education empire across 5 states—earning 15–20% EBITDA margins.
And that original store?
It went from $70K in revenue to over $1 million… and was once the top-performing Mathnasium in the country.
A bet on brand, discipline, and a little bit of family grit.
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