At the opening moment of the Little Master annual dinner, the lights slowly dimmed, and photographs documenting the brand’s journey gradually appeared at the centre of the stage. From a small trilingual learning centre in the beginning to learning centres now located across Malaysia and Singapore; from an entrepreneurial dream shared by only two people to an education brand with a large team and franchise partners today.
Little Master franchisees, teachers and team members from across the country gathered for a group photo at the annual dinner, witnessing together the important moment when the brand achieved 100 branches.
During the dinner, founder Sharol Pong and co-founder Lawrence Tan officially announced that Little Master had successfully achieved the important milestone of 100 branches. Franchisees, teachers and team members from across the country gathered together to witness this entrepreneurial journey from zero to 100.
Lawrence Tan, from the left, and Sharol Pong delivered a speech on stage, emotionally recalling Little Master’s growth journey from starting the business to achieving 100 branches.
When the number “100” appeared at the centre of the stage, the entire audience burst into applause. At that moment, it was not merely a number, but also a witness to the realisation of a dream and an achievement built through countless moments of perseverance and belief.
“100” is not merely a number, but also a witness to the perseverance and belief accumulated throughout Little Master’s journey.
During their speech on stage, Sharol Pong and Lawrence Tan emotionally recalled the story of the brand’s journey.
Sharol Pong, who is from Kuala Lipis, Pahang, followed her mother from a young age as she travelled across different districts to provide tuition classes for primary school students. Through this early exposure, she developed a strong interest in education. After graduating, she took over the kindergarten operated by her mother, while continuing to further her studies and improve herself, hoping to guide children’s development through more professional methods.
While providing tuition classes on a part-time basis, she discovered that the differences in learning ability among students were extremely significant. Existing teaching materials were unable to meet the needs of different children, and the pressure of teaching increased as a result. However, many parents still hoped that she would continue organising tuition classes. With the encouragement of her husband, Lawrence Tan, she began trying to design a completely new teaching method and set of teaching materials. She hoped to build a system that would allow every teacher to deliver the same teaching quality as her, while also allowing children to learn three languages in a relaxed environment. This experience made her even more certain that education was a career she was willing to dedicate her entire life to.
In 2015, they opened their first learning centre in Puchong, Selangor—Little Master—and officially began their entrepreneurial journey. The two of them then spent nearly five years continuously refining the courses and teaching materials, eventually developing the “Little Master Learning Method”.
In 2020, they established the headquarters and officially introduced the education franchise model. However, the entrepreneurial journey was not smooth. During the Movement Control Order period, the education industry almost came to a complete standstill. Sharol Pong admitted that the team faced an extremely difficult situation during that time, but they never chose to give up.
“At that time, many people asked us whether Little Master could possibly reach 100 branches,” Lawrence Tan recalled with a smile.
He said that although the two of them had no resources or funding in the beginning, they always firmly believed in one thing: miracles are created by people. If they did not even believe in themselves, the miracle would never happen.
Starting from the first learning centre, Little Master gradually attracted more and more franchise partners to join. Today, the brand has established 100 branches in major cities across Malaysia and in Singapore, becoming one of the fastest-growing education brands in the country.
Lawrence Tan, from the left, Sharol Pong and Chen Jia Rong officiated the witness ceremony for Little Master’s milestone of 100 branches during the annual dinner, celebrating the brand’s development as it entered a new stage.
A Night of Glory for the Team
The annual dinner that evening was not only a celebration of the brand achieving the milestone of 100 branches, but also a night of glory belonging to the team.
Several awards were presented during the dinner to recognise outstanding franchisees and teachers. Sharol Pong pointed out that within the education industry, very few peers organise annual dinners of such a scale, but she has always insisted on organising them.
The Little Master annual dinner presented several awards to recognise outstanding franchisees, while those with exceptional performance were also rewarded with a travel package to Krabi, Thailand.
“If we only thought about making money, all these activities could be avoided. But we hope even more that every partner can feel recognised and seen.”
She said that many teachers wrote down their thoughts after the event, saying that they had never imagined that, as educators, they would also be able to participate in such a grand celebration. This feedback deeply moved both founders and the team.
Little Master insists on organising its annual dinner to recognise the contributions of the team and franchise partners, allowing every member to feel seen and appreciated.
At the same time, the two founders also gave special thanks to the distinguished guest who attended that evening—well-known news anchor Chen Jia Rong.
Sharol Pong recalled an unforgettable experience from the early stages of the brand’s development. At that time, Little Master was still in its early stage and had limited resources, but Chen Jia Rong was willing to provide support and helped make their first collaboration possible. That collaboration brought important exposure to the brand and allowed more parents to understand Little Master’s educational philosophy.
Chen Jia Rong attended the Little Master annual dinner, continuing to support the brand’s development and witnessing the milestone of 100 branches.
“That collaboration meant a great deal to us. Thank you, Chen Jia Rong, for coming today to witness and share this milestone moment with us.”
She also hopes that in the future, Little Master can work together with more members of society to help more families understand the importance of quality education.
During the group photo, the team members formed an “L” hand gesture together, symbolising the Little Master spirit and demonstrating the team’s unity and determination to move forward together.
Breaking Through Doubts and Entering Singapore: Taking the First Step Towards Internationalisation
At the same time as achieving 100 branches, Little Master also officially took an important step towards internationalisation. At present, the brand has opened its first overseas branch in Singapore and established its second branch within a short period, showing an enthusiastic market response.
Little Master entered Singapore for the first time, with the founders and team filming a promotional video at the first local branch together with news anchor Chen Jia Rong.
Sharol Pong admitted that when they first planned to enter Singapore, many people believed it was almost impossible.
“Many people said that Singapore’s education standards are so high, so how could a Malaysian brand possibly enter the market?”
However, after conducting in-depth research, they discovered that the local tuition system still leaned towards traditional classroom-based teaching methods. In contrast, Little Master’s personalised learning and segmented teaching model formed a clear point of difference.
The course structure combines input-based learning, rest and adjustment, and output-based practice, allowing children to master language skills in a more relaxed environment. This learning method not only attracted local parents, but also gained the interest of many Korean and other foreign families.
A parent’s feedback left a deep impression on the team: “My child used to cry and refuse to attend tuition classes, but is very happy to come to Little Master.”
This also strengthened the team’s confidence in international development.
From 100 Towards the World: Aiming for 5,000 Branches Across 50 Countries
Looking ahead, Little Master’s goal extends far beyond 100 branches.
Lawrence Tan revealed that the brand hopes to enter 50 countries and regions in the future and establish 5,000 branches, bringing a Malaysian education brand to the world.
At present, Little Master has already received collaboration invitations from countries and regions including Indonesia, South Korea and Australia. In the future, the team will make localised adjustments according to the education systems of different countries and combine technology to continue expanding into international markets.
“Teaching materials are fixed, but teaching methods are flexible. As long as the core philosophy remains unchanged, adjustments can be made according to the needs of different countries,” Sharol Pong said.
A 24 Festive Drums performance was presented at the event. The powerful drumbeats added a strong cultural atmosphere and visual impact to the Little Master annual dinner.
Looking back on this entrepreneurial journey, the two founders believe that what has truly supported Little Master in reaching where it is today is not only its business model, but also its original aspiration.
“If you only think about making money, it is difficult to go far. But if you want to change the lives of more children, you will continue moving forward.”
That evening, what they celebrated was not only the milestone of 100 branches, but also an education story that began with the dream of two people and gradually grew through countless moments of perseverance and belief.
Just as Little Master has always believed:
“Because we believe, we move forward together.”
