An Education Business in Singapore

Denyse Whillier is the founder of The Purpose Company, working with purpose-led founders and leaders at every stage of growth. Her approach - hope-centred strategy - combines the strategic capabilities she developed over eight years as a CEO with a commitment to building businesses that are aligned with their founder's purpose and values.

‍ Kristy is a researcher, clinician, and founder of an education business in Singapore that unlocks the power of literacy for children struggling with reading, writing, or spelling. Her belief is that reading ignites a child's imagination so they can believe anything is possible. The mission was clear and the impact was real - but when Kristy came to me, revenue had been stuck at S$60,000 a year for three years and she couldn't see how to grow.

"I'd been running my business for years and the revenue hadn't shifted in three. I knew the mission was right - I could see the difference we were making for children - but I couldn't see how to grow. Denyse helped me see it clearly. She showed me the numbers, built the case for hiring, and gave me the confidence to invest in a team. Within two years, we'd grown from S$60,000 to S$350,000 and I had five people working alongside me." - Kristy

Kristy's background is in research. She worked as Head Research Assistant at the Department for Cognitive Science at Macquarie University in Sydney, contributing to a National Health and Medical Research Council study comparing different reading and spelling treatments for children. She has published in peer-reviewed journals, including as lead author of a paper on developmental reading disorders.

That depth of expertise is what makes Kristy's business distinctive. She brings genuine scientific rigour to her work with children - an evidence-based approach grounded in years of research. What she didn't have was the strategic support to turn that expertise into a business that could grow.

I worked with Kristy through Purpose-Led Business Coaching. The first piece of work was understanding why the business had plateaued - and what it would take to move past it. Kristy had been focused entirely on private work with individual families. What we developed together was a new revenue stream: placing reading specialists directly in schools. This opened up a market that was significantly larger than private tuition alone, and it was this shift that created the jump in revenue - and the need for a team to deliver it.

The step of hiring felt daunting. Could the business afford it? Would it sustain a team? I showed her the projected revenue, reviewed the employment costs, assessed cash flow stability, and demonstrated that she had sufficient working capital. The evidence gave Kristy the confidence to invest in growth. Sometimes that's the most important thing a strategic advisor can do - help a founder see what the numbers are already telling them.

Over the next two years, Kristy built a team of five: a part-time administrator, three teachers, and a part-time Programme Development lead. Revenue grew from S$60,000 to S$350,000. The mission that had driven Kristy from her first day in the Macquarie research lab was now reaching more children than she could ever have served alone.

Kristy's story is told in detail on my blog:

• Case Study

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If Kristy’s story resonates with you - whether you're building something from scratch, navigating a transition, or looking for the strategic support to take your business to its next stage - I'd welcome a conversation about what working together could look like for you. There's no pressure and no obligation. Just a conversation about where you are and where you want to be.