We had a chat with Pam Bagworth, owner of Academic Group, to learn more about the family business.
Tell us about your family business.
30 years ago, I was a sole trader of Academic Task Force, I ran a few holiday programs and did a lot of individual tuition. Through hard work and vision the business grew, I developed new programs and resources. I took on staff including my husband Gordon (with his engineering and management background), contributing his financial and business skills. We bought a competitor’s business and persuaded my youngest daughter Megan to leave the Public Service and the cold in Canberra to manage our new business.
It was great having Megan’s drive and determination, her experience of government policy making, her initiative and new ideas.
Our business grew - the families we provided education support to and our staff liked our family orientation of care and commitment, and valued what our family valued, the desire for excellence and success.
We bought bigger premises, employed more staff. We bought two more education and publishing businesses. More schools asked us to conduct programs, we travelled to many regional centres, from Kununurra to Esperance, worked with a school in Beijing and started to develop some SE Asia markets.
Then COVID struck. Schools (our venues) were shut and we couldn’t run courses. University lost their overseas students, so made early offers to local students, who then didn’t need our courses to boost their results. We had to quickly develop our fledgling digital programs and be ready to fill in the gaps when schooling resumed.
One benefit from COVID was that our son David and his wife Claudia joined the business. David was working in Construction in Melbourne. An offer to manage our growing publishing area was attractive after 12 months of lockdown. David brought vision, economies of scale and determination to our business. Claudia brought her knowledge of teaching and her organisational skills.
We continue to grow because we provide quality support for students, schools, teachers and families, by responding to changing educational needs, developing new products and finding new markets.
What do you value about FBA?
We discovered the concerns you are all familiar with; of running a business with family. I saw a poster advertising a Family Business event and discovered a community of like-minded, very supportive family business owners, who had experienced what we were discovering and had survived and grown with the very powerful mix of family drive and commitment and disagreement channelled into a business. We found the experience, expertise and support of FBA members and advisors who knew what it was like to deal with the challenges and rewards of business, within the context of family which draws on a combined vision and drive, harnessing the strengths and conflicts associated with high powered, motivated family dynamics.
What has been your greatest success?
Our greatest success is the number of students who achieve top school results, including teaching multiple Beazley Medal winners, who are the highest-ranking student in the State.
We have been able to grow and develop through the contribution of our diverse, but united and committed family members, supported by the friendship and skills of FBA members and the organisation.
What advice would you give to other family businesses?
To other family businesses, my advice would be always celebrate your successes, focus on the family unit and common purpose and always remember family first over business.
A Family Business celebrates the legacy of the family, its values, its unique characteristics, its achievements.
A family business enables family members to work in harmony (and sometimes in disharmony) with a common purpose and goal.
A family business recognises the unique contribution of each member as individuals (with all the variations and rivalry of families) leveraging their strengths and developing new skills with the common purpose of achieving success, a legacy of excellence.
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