Introduction:

Spirit of Math (SOM) was a leading after-school math program tailored to high-performing students from grades one to eleven, offering classes, camps and workshops across Canada. Owned by Releasing the Genius Inc., the company operated alongside other education focused subsidiaries. Founded by Kim Langen, SOM was created after she identified the lack of academic challenges available to gifted students. A pivotal moment for SOM occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic when schools were closed due to social distancing requirements and SOM was able to transition to online learning seamlessly. During this time, SOM maintained their extremely long average customer lifetime of nearly five years. Langen wanted to capitalize on the rise of after-school math programs and knew she needed to identify an approach to scale the business: maintaining current operations, committing to a franchising model, implementing a new educational technology, adding more brick-and-mortar locations, or selling the business. Students are asked to perform qualitative analysis as well as projected statements, net benefit and payback analysis, and business valuations while considering external factors and organizational goals. This general management case is designed for an introductory business class at the undergraduate level.