Meet Tova Vertes!
Founder of Phenomenal Kids, a boutique practice that helps families of children with dyslexia, reading difficulties, and attention or organization challenges.
Welcome to our Canadian Business Owner Spotlight Series hosted by me… Kelsey Reidl (Business & Marketing Consultant).
In this series, I'll be catching up with the most talented, generous & inspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners in Canada & beyond.
Enjoy learning more about these wonderful humans, and give them a ‘follow’ or get in touch in order to collaborate with them + work with them.
-Kelsey
The TL;DR for Tova Vertes of Phenomenal Kids
Tova Vertes is the founder of Phenomenal Kids, a specialized literacy and learning practice she launched in 2022 in Dundas, Ontario, serving families across the Greater Hamilton area.
After more than 15 years in pediatric therapy as an Occupational Therapist Assistant and Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant, Tova saw a gap in the market.
Families of children with reading and learning differences were being sent to separate providers for assessment, intervention, and school advocacy, with no one connecting the pieces. She built Phenomenal Kids to bring all three under one roof.
Tova is a Certified Orton-Gillingham Practitioner, a Certified Special Education Advocate, and an Acadience Reading K-6 Mentor. She is also a parent to a neurodivergent child, so she understands the journey from both sides of the school meeting table.
Alongside her private practice, she partners with Little Forest Therapy to lead literacy programming and has expanded into professional training, school consulting, and public speaking.
Her business is intentionally small and premium by design, built around a motto that guides every decision: Different Brains, Same Brilliance.
Okay, let’s get to know Tova!
Name
Tova Vertes
Profession / Title
Literacy and Learning Specialist
Business Name
Phenomenal Kids
Industry / Niche
Educational Consulting
My Business Was Founded In
2022
Current Location
Dundas, Ontario
3 words you would use to describe yourself…
Curious.
Playful.
Tenacious
Tell us more about your business
Phenomenal Kids is a boutique practice that helps families of children with dyslexia, reading difficulties, and attention or organization challenges. Most providers in my field offer tutoring, or assessment, or consulting. I built my business around bundling them. Assessment is the front door, and from there I offer intervention, school advocacy, and ongoing planning. Families get one trusted partner instead of five disconnected appointments, and I get deeper, longer-term client relationships.
My workweek is a mix of client sessions, report writing, and business development. I also have the pleasure of joining forces part time with Little Forest Therapy, where I help lead their literacy programming. I've been growing new revenue streams beyond one-on-one work too, including staff training for camps, school consulting, and speaking engagements.
Clients find me mainly through the relationships I've built with other professionals, including OTs, SLPs, psychologists, pediatricians, and teachers, along with word of mouth in local parent communities. Rather than chasing every marketing channel, I've focused my energy where it matters most for a solo owner: building genuine professional relationships, staying visible on LinkedIn, and speaking to my community.
In one or two sentences, what specific problem does your business solve for your clients?
I help families whose children are struggling with reading, and often with language, focus, and organization alongside it, get clear answers and one coordinated plan instead of being bounced between providers and told to "wait and see."
Recent milestone you've celebrated in your business
This September, I restructured my service offerings and raised my rates to reflect the specialized, bundled work I actually do. It was a big mindset shift. I stopped pricing myself against tutors and started pricing as the specialist I am. This fall I was also invited to speak at the Centre for Diverse Learners, which has been a wonderful boost for visibility and credibility in my professional community.
What is a recent investment you’ve made in your business
I invested in the Seeds of Learning cohort with Tera Sumpter, an advanced training in executive function. I kept seeing children whose struggles showed up in many different places at once: reading, writing, focus, getting started, and behaviour. I needed a framework that could connect those dots rather than treat each one as a separate problem. I also recognized that if I could offer that, I'd have something truly distinctive in my market.
What changed after that investment? Why do you see it as an investment, not an expense?
Executive function became the overarching lens for my entire practice. I now use it in every assessment, it shapes every intervention plan, and it has changed how I understand behaviour. I see behaviour as a neurologically linked set of executive functions, not as a child being difficult or unmotivated. That lens became my core differentiator, sharpened my marketing message, and gave me the confidence to raise my rates. An expense gets used up. This training changed how I see every child who walks through my door, and it keeps paying off with every family I serve.
What would you tell a new entrepreneur who's considering investing in the same thing, but is hesitant?
Look for the investment that answers a question your clients keep asking you. If you can't solve that problem yet, that's your market telling you where to grow. The right training doesn't just add a line to your bio. It can become a new lens, a new message, and a reason for clients to choose you over everyone else.
Now for some fun stuff!
Always…
Always build relationships before you need them. My referral network is the backbone of my business.
Never…
Never compete on price when you can compete on value.
Advice for other entrepreneurs, who are slightly less far along…
Small can be a strategy, not a limitation. A limited caseload lets me charge for expertise, protect my time with my family, and do work I'm proud of. I'd also say to market where you can actually show up consistently. I stopped forcing Instagram because it drained me. Choosing channels that fit my life made my marketing more consistent, not less.
What is a tool, resource, podcast, book or person you’ve invested in that’s added value to your entrepreneurial journey
Two come to mind. Tera Sumpter, whose executive function training reshaped how I run my entire practice. And WAVE, a community of women entrepreneurs who build me up, connect me with opportunities, and truly understand this journey. Running a business on your own can feel isolating, and having people who get it makes all the difference.
Favourite way to wind down after a long workweek
Hiking the local conservation trails with my dog Dizzy.
Before starting my workday, I make sure to…
Ease in slowly. I have my coffee on the couch, sometimes with a bit of a show to help me settle into the day. Whenever I can, I take a forest trail walk with Dizzy. As a business owner, I've learned that starting calm makes me sharper for everything that follows.
Best part of my work is…
Building something that reflects exactly what I believe families deserve. I get to design the service I wish had existed when I needed it as a parent.
Last vacation you took (and where did you go)
New Zealand, to visit my stepson and hike volcanoes with my husband.
