Flemington Business Buzz: SCORE Central Jersey Mentor Helps Teacher Transition to Entrepreneur

Gabbi Flachs enjoyed math more than other subjects growing up but found that her ability to excel related directly to the teacher’s skill in the classroom.

“In my algebra 1 class, I didn’t do that great and attributed it to the teacher,” said Flachs, who took ownership of Mathnasium of Flemington in 2023. “I saw how important it was for the teachers to connect to their students.”

Inspired by the teachers who made a difference in her learning, Flachs, in high school, set her sights on teaching math as her career goal. During the second year of her tenure teaching seventh-, eighth-, fifth- and high school math, Flachs began tutoring part-time at Mathnasium after school and during summers.

“I really saw the program and how it changed kids’ lives essentially for math,” she said. “We had kids coming in multiple grades behind in math, then testing into honors-level math classes.”

Seeing students’ success in math opened her eyes to a new way of learning. In 2023 when the Mathnasium in Flemington franchise was available for purchase, Flachs jumped at the opportunity.

“The effect of what I was doing in the classroom was limited,” Flachs noted of her classes, many of which had more than 30 students. “I saw more of an impact on what I could do.”

Early in her entrepreneurial journey, Flachs joined the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce. As Flachs sought help expanding upon the education realm to that of business owner, the chamber referred her to SCORE Central Jersey. She began meeting with mentor Raymond Millner in July 2023.

“I needed more support on what it is to be a business owner,” Flachs said, adding that Millner has guided her with balancing her books, tracking expenses, marketing and more. “I talk to him a lot about hiring and connecting with the local community.”

Since taking ownership last summer, she has grown the business nearly four-fold from 24 students to 95. She and her roughly 15 employees tutor Hunterdon County kids ranging from kindergarten through 12th-grade in all aspects of math, generally meeting twice a week in hour-long sessions.

“We try to be as flexible as possible,” Flachs said. “We make a lot of progress in that time.”

Millner, too, has seen a remarkable amount of progress with Flachs and her business trajectory. He connected her with schools near her center and worked through how to market to her audience. Millner also helped formalize franchise-related factors which have directly led to her success.

“She’s a very positive person and knowledgeable and enthusiastic. She goes after things. She’s a decisive, strong woman. I’m impressed by that,” Millner said. “Clients that demonstrate that type of attitude are so rewarding.”

About SCORE

Since 1964, SCORE has helped 17 million entrepreneurs start or grow a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free mentoring, workshops, and educational services to 1,500+ communities nationwide. With more than 30 members throughout Somerset, Hunterdon and Middlesex counties, SCORE Central Jersey provides thousands of mentoring services annually to local small business owners through one-on-one counseling and small business workshops. For more information about starting or operating a small business, or finding a mentor, visit SCORE Central Jersey at https://www.score.org/centraljersey.

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