The theme of SuperCoaches’ website took on a superhero look to match its motto: Strike change in your community. “When you are hiring a tutor or a coach, you’re striking change in lives—just like superheroes do,” says Excelsior’s Jennifer Shawgo, owner and founder. Photo: Chris Emeott
SuperCoaches connects students and athletes with tutors and coaches.
When it comes to finding a solution to an issue, Jennifer Shawgo is all in.
Last fall, the Excelsior resident launched SuperCoaches, a website charged with connecting students and athletes with experienced local athletic coaches and academic tutors, who have completed thorough training and background checks. The platform simplifies scheduling and securing payments while assisting parents with identifying the perfect match to help their child excel.
“We created a process that people can trust when they’re looking to hire someone as a tutor or a sports coach,” Jennifer says. “We want to make it easy for people to connect.” The scope of the coaching and tutoring is vast. Even parents who are hesitant to enroll a child in an organized sport team can hire a local athlete to, for example, kick around at a soccer field or open space to see if the child has interest in the sport before joining a team. Older and more serious athletes can also get the extra coaching they need, and the same goes for varied academic needs.
The 1998 Woodbury High School graduate says the idea came from her own experiences. Jennifer often found herself in search of a tutor for school or some extra hockey coaching for her sons, Tucker, 18, Tyler, 16, and Beckett, 13. “I would be given a name and a phone number for a tutor, but I didn’t know what they charged, if they’ve been background checked, what their availability is or how I would pay them,” she says. “It got frustrating.”
Jennifer majored in entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas, and as a natural connector and fixer, she combined her skills for the concept for the SuperCoaches website. In addition, her husband, Tom Shawgo, offered expertise on the technical side of her brainchild. “This website helps parents with what I struggled with, and it helps teachers and coaches who could use a side income,” she says.
While still in its infancy, Jennifer says the website is generating excitement from users on both sides. She has been busy meeting with local school counselors, who are especially appreciative of the background check process. “Background checks are a huge peace of mind. We complete a background check both federally and locally,” she says, adding the checks are run annually. Coaches and tutors must be at least 16 years old, and one tutor is 85, has Ph.Ds. in math and physics and was a former physics professor at the University of Minnesota, Concordia College and The Ohio State University, so the breadth of experience runs wide.
Tutoring or coaching can be in person or virtual, depending on the preferences of both parties. Each coach or tutor fills out a biographical form, which can be favorited by users for future reference. Once a meeting time is established, text reminders are sent out to help streamline the process even further. “After the session, parents are asked to rate the coach or tutor, and the coach or tutor is asked to give feedback to the students on what they need to work on,” Jennifer says.
Future business goals include incorporating specialized coaches. Jennifer says she recognizes the importance of offering support for clients who have special needs, for example. She is also paying attention to philanthropic opportunities to help students and athletes who need financial assistance for tutoring or coaching sessions.
When it comes to numbers, Jennifer aims to grow the coach and tutor inventory to 250 individuals within a year. “That means we successfully figured out the recipe here,” she says. “But I am very flexible with expectation. We’re just really excited about this and looking forward to striking real change in our communities.”
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