Kelly Yang is the founder of The Kelly Yang Project, a Hong Kong-based after-school creative writing “and critical reasoning” programme for children aged two to 17. Born in China, Ms Yang moved to the United States at the age of six, wrote her first book of autobiographical essays when she was 12 and her second when she was still 15. She started college at 13 and graduated from Harvard University with a law degree at the ripe old age of 20. A year later, in 2005, she started The Kelly Yang Project. Ms Yang, who had no previous business experience, says she’s made “a lot of mistakes,” but adds that hiring “the best writing teachers” and getting great word-of-mouth marketing have made all the difference.
You had no business experience prior to starting your company, so where did the idea for the Kelly Yang project come from?
To be honest, I never thought I would be running a business. When I was a little girl, I always wanted to be a writer. I started the Kelly Yang Project because, after law school, I knew I did not want to be a lawyer. So I thought about what I loved doing most, and that was always writing. I had this vision that I could use writing as a platform to inspire kids and, in the process, help transform education in Asia from one of boring, rote memorisation to one of creativity and fun. The fact that the Kelly Yang Project is a business is something that is almost accidental. From the very beginning, I've always run it like a think tank or a research institute – anything but a business. It's a place that is all about new ideas, creativity and doing the right thing. And I think that's part of its appeal.
Where does your company fit in Hong Kong’s highly competitive tutorial market? Have you found a discrete niche?
Hong Kong's highly competitive tutorial market falls into two categories – the cram schools for local Hong Kong exams, and everything else. Our programme is geared towards top students from both local and international schools. The curriculum we teach is American; for example, on the test preparation side, we teach the SAT, which is the American university entrance exam. Traditionally, our programme has attracted many students from international schools. But we are also looking for ways to reach out to local school students, many of whom we've found to be extraordinary.
Another reason our company has been able to stand out in this highly competitive market is because of the quality of the lessons. We spend a lot of time thinking about our lessons and creating our lesson plans. Every lesson plan we use is created in-house. We can afford to do this because, unlike other learning centres, all our teachers are full time with us.
Isn’t it difficult to sell your main product – creative writing classes – in an increasingly high-tech, visual world, a world in which the written word seems to have lost its way?
Technology may be taking over, but people still need to learn how to write well. The ability to effectively communicate one's ideas is probably the single most important ingredient for success in today's world. To us, that means preparing students to be better writers and public speakers. If you have those two things – the ability to write well and the ability to sway an audience – then you've got a great start. And that's exactly what we're trying to give our students.
How do you market your company? Do you have any lessons for other SMEs in this regard?
We have a very anti-marketing marketing approach. I'm a firm believer that education is not something you can sell. Education is something people either believe in or they don't. And they're not going to believe in it because of an advertisement they see on a minibus. The best way to "sell" education is by word of mouth. The best way to create word of mouth is by doing a great job. And that's exactly what we have done. Here at the Kelly Yang Project, we are writing teachers. We are the best writing teachers in Hong Kong, because we actually practice what we preach – we write. We write and speak frequently – in The South China Morning Post, in magazines and at various talks and conferences. We hold huge events for our students, such as our annual “Spellbulary” citywide spelling competition. [The fourth annual Spellbulary contest, 6 March, takes place at the Hong Kong Sheung Wan Civic Centre.] All of this is our marketing. None of it is paid, but everything's priceless.
Is hiring, and keeping, talented teachers your biggest challenge as an SME?
Hiring and keeping talented teachers is crucial to our business. After all, parents want stability, and students want a teacher who really knows them. We've been very fortunate in that most of the teachers we've hired have stayed with us for a few years. There are some exceptions: sometimes teachers move away or want to start a family. A big part of my job is making sure I always understand what my teachers need. And I totally can, because I always think first as a teacher myself and second as a boss.
How did you get financing to start your company, how are you financing the company today, and how will you finance any expansion plans you may have?
The Kelly Yang Project is entirely tuition funded and has been since day one. We use the funds to expand our programme, add new classes and hire more teachers. For example, our programme used to be mostly for older students. A few years ago, we launched our hugely popular Kelly Yang Project Kubs, an intensive reading and phonics programme that starts at two years old. I believe the way to good writing starts with good reading.
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