dPT Mathematics: Of course the best!

In this edition of Student Entrepreneur we speak with dTP Mathematics. The interview is made in collaboration with Starterslift Tilburg, which is the center of Tilburg University for entrepreneurial students with great talent and ambition.

Could your briefly describe what the business involves and what it is trying to achieve?

A carefree high school period cannot be taken for granted anymore by a growing number of students, as pressure from parents and teachers increases significantly during this period. Furthermore, because of the growing importance of mathematics in our society, the performance expectation of the students increases even further. We at dPT Tilburg are committed to help our students with the mathematical part by using the best study materials, providing tailor-made lessons and by matching each student to the most suitable Personal Trainer based on personality.

When did you come up with the idea of starting your own business?

It started because of my dissatisfaction with other tutoring companies that in my view operate mainly like an employment agency. Additionally, because of my Econometrics studies I started valuing and appreciating the importance of mathematics even more than I already did. This resulted in the desire to organize tutoring in a different but above all a better way and by coincidence I came in contact with two econometrists from Amsterdam through Asset. They had started tutoring high school students with comparable intentions a couple of months earlier and they wanted to expand to Tilburg. Since our visions were similar we decided to continue together. After being established under the same company as Amsterdam for a while, we realised that these two locations were different in many ways and hence starting a separate company in Tilburg with the three of us was the best way to proceed. This allows us to make all our decisions in the best interest of our students here in Tilburg.

In what way has the company evolved since its inception?

With our enthusiasm we have already convinced a lot of parents, students, teachers and many others of our approach. Besides the laudatory reactions and the fantastic results of our lessons, I am very proud of the way we are collaborating with Odulphuslyceum and Theresialyceum in helping students achieve great results in their mathematics classes.

“The most important skill in my opinion is to keep a solution-oriented approach at all times.”

Can owning and running a business be combined easily with your study(s)?

As Econometrics and Operations Research is a rather intensive study program, it is far from easy to combine this with starting and running a company that is growing so rapidly as dPT Tilburg is. Partly because of the flexible studying for entrepreneurs program, I decided to enrol in fewer courses than usual in order for me to give both my studies and dPT Tilburg the attention they deserve.

What skills have you acquired during your studies that can be applied to your daily business activities?

The greatest benefit of my studies during our daily operations is its mathematical content. All our Personal Trainers are studying econometrics because we are convinced they are able to explain the mathematical concepts taught in high school in an enthusiastic way by using theories, examples and illustrations. Moreover, mathematical models that we learned during our studies are used to predict e.g. future number of students or lessons and setting realistic goals for these numbers.

Up to this point, what skills have you gained from the establishment of your business?

Naturally, when establishing a business a lot of practical skills are acquired during the process. We have gained a lot of experience for example in setting up an efficient administration system, creating marketing campaigns and in keeping close ties with our partner companies and associations. The most important skill in my opinion is however to keep a solution-oriented approach at all times. This ability is put to the test almost every day and it is our task to learn from these situations.

How do you see the future of the company?

Our goal for the future is to help as many students as possible in a multitude of ways. These could include offering more online learning possibilities, creating new study materials and having our own dedicated classrooms for (group) lessons. Ultimately we would like to see that the unique approach of dPT Tilburg is known throughout every high school in Tilburg.

Finally, what would you like to say to students who are also planning to start their own business?

Starting a company will cost you a lot of time and effort, but in the end it all pays off!