Sarah Drewicz: Turning a Love for Learning into Storybook Success
In this edition of The Tea, we’re sharing a Tea Time conversation with Sarah Drewicz, TeaCup member and founder of Storytime Success Tutoring. Sarah is a reading tutor who supports young learners in building strong phonics foundations—helping children grow their skills, confidence, and love for reading through personalized, engaging approaches. Guided by Stephanie Pellish, this feature is a reminder that sometimes the most impactful businesses begin unexpectedly—and when women follow what they’re naturally great at, they create meaningful change for families, one child at a time.
Some businesses are carefully planned. Others grow quietly out of a moment of need, a simple idea, or a post shared without much expectation.
For TeaCup Entrepreneurs member Sarah Drewicz, her journey into business wasn’t something she mapped out years in advance. It started with a desire to help, a gap she couldn’t ignore, and a willingness to just put something out there.
What followed? A full schedule within hours and a business that continues to grow today.
From Stay-at-Home Mom to In-Demand Tutor
Sarah didn’t set out to become an entrepreneur.
After working at a school an hour from home, she made the decision to stay home with her children (especially after welcoming her second child). However, while she loved being home, she missed working with kids.
At the same time, families around her were struggling. This was shortly after a time when many children had lost critical months of learning, and parents were overwhelmed trying to fill the gaps themselves.
So Sarah did something simple: she made a post on Facebook offering tutoring.
Within one to two hours, her schedule was completely full.
What started as a few neighborhood sessions a couple days a week quickly turned into something more… built entirely through referrals, word of mouth, and results!
Discovering What She Was Meant to Do
One of the most powerful parts of Sarah’s story is how she found alignment in her work.
While she had experience in education, she shared that traditional classroom teaching never felt like her strength. Managing a full classroom didn’t light her up—but working one-on-one with students did.
That realization changed everything.
Instead of returning to a structured classroom environment, Sarah leaned into what she naturally did best: individualized support, connection, and meeting kids exactly where they are.
That’s what eventually became Storybook Success Tutoring.
The Missing Piece: Why So Many Kids Struggle with Reading
As Sarah worked with more students, she started asking a bigger question:
Why are so many kids struggling with reading in the first place?
The answer led her deeper into research—and ultimately to specialized training in Orton-Gillingham, a structured, phonics-based approach to reading.
What she discovered was eye-opening: for years, a large body of research on how children learn to read effectively had been overlooked or underutilized.
And many kids were paying the price.
Sarah began to see patterns:
Gaps in foundational phonics skills
Lack of confidence in early readers
Children labeled as struggling with comprehension when the real issue was decoding
Once those gaps were addressed, everything changed.
Kids who once struggled began to take off, not just in skill, but in confidence.
Making Learning Feel Like Play
One of Sarah’s biggest strengths is her ability to make learning feel fun.
Instead of worksheets and pressure, her sessions are filled with:
Interactive games
Movement-based learning
Hands-on activities
Confidence-building moments
Games like Squishy Land and Kangaroo Cravings might look like play—but they’re strategically designed to reinforce reading skills in a way kids actually enjoy.
And yes… the kids often beat her (which they love even more).
Because for Sarah, success isn’t just about reading ability. It’s about helping kids want to learn.
Supporting Parents, Too
Sarah’s work doesn’t stop with the child.
She recognizes something many parents feel but don’t always say out loud:
“I want to help my child… but I don’t know how.”
Many parents today were never taught phonics themselves. Others feel overwhelmed, unsure where to start, or met with resistance from their kids after a long school day.
So Sarah bridges that gap.
She:
Shares exactly what was worked on in each session
Explains the “why” behind it
Provides low-pressure ways to practice at home
Keeps things simple and manageable
Her approach removes frustration for both the parent and the child.
Because learning at home shouldn’t feel like a battle.
The Course That Brings It All Home
To make her approach even more accessible, Sarah created an online course designed specifically for parents.
Her goal? To take everything she knows and make it simple, doable, and realistic for everyday families.
The course walks parents through:
Letter sounds and early phonics
Blending skills
Simple, effective games
Step-by-step guidance (in bite-sized pieces)
And because she listened to her clients, she took it one step further.
When parents said, “I don’t even know what materials I need to start,”
Sarah created a ready-to-use learning kit—complete with essentials like magnetic letters, whiteboards, and hands-on tools.
Everything is designed to be:
Low prep
Low stress
High impact
Because consistency matters more than perfection.
Building a Business Without a Business Background
Sarah is open about the fact that she didn’t come from a business background… and that came with a learning curve.
One of her biggest lessons?
Take your work seriously from the start.
That meant:
Creating a contract
Setting clear expectations
Establishing payment boundaries
At first, it felt uncomfortable. But over time, she realized something important:
People respect clarity.
And those boundaries allowed her to grow a business that supports her family—while still doing meaningful work.
The Advice She’d Give to Other Women
If there’s one thing Sarah would tell someone thinking about starting something of their own, it’s this:
Put it out there. Without overthinking.
Without waiting for validation.
Without needing it to be perfect.
Because the people you expect to support you might not be the ones who show up… but the right people will.
And when they do, everything can change.
Why This Work Matters
At its core, Sarah’s work is about more than reading.
It’s about confidence.
She’s seen firsthand what happens when kids reach later elementary years still struggling—they shut down, disengage, and start to believe they’re not capable.
But when reading becomes accessible—and even enjoyable—that narrative shifts.
Kids feel capable.
They feel proud.
They stay engaged.
And that confidence carries far beyond the page.
Sarah Drewicz didn’t set out to build a business.
She set out to help.
And in doing so, she created something that’s changing the way families experience learning—one child, one game, and one confident reader at a time.
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