This blog was updated on August 27, 2017, to reflect Ghalia and Hania’s new business name.

Ghalia and Hania are two bright young entrepreneurs that started their business, Toon Tutors, to help other children and teens succeed. The entrepreneurial seed was sown when they employed a tutor of their own and quickly realized there was an opportunity to develop a different kind of tutoring relationship, one that focuses on peer-to-peer mentoring. In addition, they saw their newfound tutoring business as an opportunity to create more meaningful work experience for their peers. For the past year, these young women have created both impactful work experience for teenagers and affordable tutoring for children. Their aim is to empower youth. They do this by offering them employment outside of the typical fast food cashier job. These opportunities permit flexibility and the chance to create one-on-one relationships with their students. Learn a little about how these two young, ambitious women established their successful business and haven’t looked back since.

Reach out for Help

When starting a business, there are usually more questions than answers. Hania and Ghalia gathered their questions and reached out to our team for business regulations help.  As they were adolescents looking to hire adolescents, they ran into some hurdles and found it helpful to have an adult role model with business knowledge. We also connected the sisters with [the now revamped] Alberta Venture and they sat down for lunch with Catherine Vu, benefitting from useful mentorship and advice from a seasoned business owner. Perhaps most importantly, they had the support of their parents. They constantly encouraged the sisters and even acted as a chauffeur at times. More importantly, they instilled in them perseverance and the importance of not giving up.

Deflecting the Doubters

Ghalia and Hania truly are go-getters, and they haven’t let their young age stop them from achieving their goals. Hania is now 18, but when they first started out, they felt that no one took them seriously. Pushing past the naysayers, they’ve accomplished some great things in a short period of time. In April, they spoke about their business at a TEDx Talk in Edmonton and found many people were intrigued by these young, and already successful entrepreneurs. They’ve also seen a lot of interest from teenagers wanting to get involved by becoming tutors for their company. The young entrepreneurs have cultivated a sense of independence and empowerment in their business which attracts youths of all ages.

Toon Tutor Tips and Tricks

No matter your age, there is a lot to be learned from these teen-preneurs. When asked for tips to share with others starting their own businesses, they had a wealth of knowledge to share:

  • Don’t give up so easily. You might have a great idea, but it takes people some time to figure out if it is a good idea or not. You have to be patient.
  • It is really important to reach out to others. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
  • You are never too young to do something amazing.

“You can do it whenever you want, you just have to have the perseverance and determination to achieve it.”

What’s Happening This School Year?

In summer 2016, Ghalia and Hania planned to increase their marketing efforts so they can continue helping kids and teens alike. They are also hoping to hire university students in order to be more helpful to the kids they provide tutoring to. They are working hard to build a stronger company together with their employees and clients, and we have no doubt they will do just that. Keep updated with Toon Tutors online, or find them on social media.