How She Got There: Alexandra Mayzler, Founder and Director of Thinking Caps Tutoring

Name: Alexandra Mayzler
Age: 28
Job Title and Description: Founder and Director Thinking Caps Tutoring, author “Tutor in a Book” (Adams 2010) and “SAT DeMystified” (McGraw Hill 2011)
College: New York University
Website: www.thinkingcapstutoring.com
Twitter Handle:@thinkingcapsusa
 
Her Campus:What does your current job entail? Is there such a thing as a typical day?
Alexandra Mayzler: As the founder of a small company, I wear many hats. I oversee day-to-day operations, manage relationships, and create curriculums for our students. Wherever my attention is needed is where I’m spending time. As the business has grown, I have started to delegate tasks to others and concentrate on thinking about the big picture.

HC:What was your first entry-level job in your field and how did you get it?
AM: I started Thinking Caps Tutoring while still in college. Before Thinking Caps I had a small swim lesson company in high school and college.
 
HC: What is one thing you wish you knew about your industry when you first started out that you know now?
AM: The one thing I wish I knew about entrepreneurship that I know now is that it is very difficult to build boundaries. When I started Thinking Caps, and even to this day, I find that there is always more work to do and when that work directly influences the success of something I’m personally building, it is difficult to stop and take a break. After seven years in business, I’m still learning how create reasonable boundaries.

HC: Who is one person who changed your professional life for the better?
AM: There is no single person who has changed my professional life for the better. It is working with all of our students and seeing them grow that inspires me and motivates me to keep going.

HC:What words of wisdom do you find most valuable?
AM: “Whether your prevail or fail depends more on what you do to yourself than on what the world does to you.” – Jim Collins