9 minute read
Doug Downer
ProDuCtS AND ServICeS to BeNefIt our CHIlDreN
Imagine having 380,000 more customers coming into your marketplace every year, with an existing marketplace made up of over 5 million existing customers.
In Australia over 300,000 babies are born each year whilst New Zealand welcomes over 60,000 new babies each year, add to this the migration of children into these two countries of over 20,000 and this is an ever-growing market, Australia and New Zealand are enormous markets in terms of the children’s sector.
It’s often said that any business that services the children’s products and services sector is a good one to be associated with. Some corporates come under criticism for marketing their products and services to this sector and some will blame parents for the choices they make when it comes to their children.
Thankfully the franchise sector has taken a responsible approach to creating business opportunities within this sector and in so doing has supported parents and their decision making and provided invaluable products and services to benefit children. Within our business at Franchise Ready we are fortunate to work across all industry sectors and are proud to have launched and supported over 85 brands to grow through franchising but those that give us the greatest sense of pride and satisfaction are those that make a difference in the lives of children.
“The question is not whether we can afford to invest in every child; it is whether we can
afford not to.” Marian Wright Edelman Providing excellent quality products and services to children just makes sense, after all what parent doesn’t want the best for their children?
When we look at this sector and specifically the clients that we work with that have an offering in this sector, we are fortunate to have clients and brands that service children and their families from birth through to adolescence.
doug downer an experienced Business Developer and Coach with an impressive 30+ year senior management history in developing and leading businesses within the Franchising sector. He has been recognised in the Top 30 Franchise Executives in Australia in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 and in the Top 100 Global Influencers in Franchising in 2022. Doug owns five franchises as a franchisee and has been responsible for the establishment of three start-up franchise systems including all aspects from strategy through to market entry. Doug has operated at CEO and Director level in eight franchise systems. He also started, owns, and operates five successful SME Businesses of his own, so he is well versed in all aspects of franchising.
The clients that we work with follow the adage of Benjamin Franklin’s quote -
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, Involve me and I learn”.
That is the key to engaging children and helping them to love the activities that they undertake, do this and you should have a sound business.
It starts at the beginning
The most important years in a child’s development are from birth to age five. Children’s experiences and relationships that are formed during these years determine how their brain develops. In fact, by the time children reach age five, 90% of a child’s brain is already developed. Preschool is the perfect place for your child to build the connections needed for healthy development and a successful future.
For many families having your children attend childcare or early learning centres provides the perfect environment for developmental growth but many of these centres have very little substance to their curriculum or pedagogy as it is known within the early childhood sector. As parents we have an expectation that these carers will do just that, provide high quality care to our children, this should be a given. There is one organisation in the market that does so much more than this, MindChamps Early Learning and Preschool. MindChamps started as a research centre right here in Sydney in 1998 before taking their findings to Singapore – one of the most demanding educational systems in the world – to measure their unique teaching and learning approach against the traditional models. MindChamps holds the number one position in the Premium pre-school market in Singapore and in 2017 they returned to Australia to benefit Australian children with their break-through philosophy and pedagogy by incorporating the ‘3-Mind Movement’ and use of the four domains of education, neuroscience, psychology and theatre into its curriculum.
The MindChamps point of difference is their dedication to helping each and every child realise and unlock their true potential by teaching them learning foundations and the love of learning. An early education business is financially rewarding with significant government subsidies that makes childcare more affordable for all families which assists with optimising occupancy and ultimately profitability. All business owners want the opportunity to build equity in an asset that can be sold at some point in the future, the beauty of the Childcare sector is that the business value multiples of earnings is higher than every other franchise opportunity in the market, so
not only does a business owner do ‘Good’ but they have a very ‘Good’ business. The industry is heavily regulated which it needs to be, after all they are looking after our children, our most prized possessions, so not everyone can enter this sector but for those that do, it is very rewarding.
the formative years
The formative years or the early stages of childhood are between 0-8 Years of a child’s life where they learn more quickly than at any other time in life. These are the years in which a child experiences rapid cognitive (intellectual), social, emotional, and physical development. It is estimated that the average Australian and New Zealand child will spend between 15-20 hours per week on some form of screen device whether that be television or other technology. This can be a frustration for parents, so any business that can tear children away from these devices to engage in activities that will stimulate their children socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually has a strong chance of receiving a parent’s blessing, but in order to convert this into a successful business it needs to engage the child and make them want to continue with that brand, product or service, ultimately it has to be enjoyable. Five of our clients have successfully achieved this, they have made their products and services fun whilst improving children’s social, emotional, physical and intellectual needs. The services that they offer compliment the foundations that MindChamps lays in those first 5 years.
ninja kids
Ninja Kids is the home of Australia’s most loved “Ninja Warrior” style gym for kids, its mission is to get children out of the house and into physical activity. A physically active child is a healthy child. Physical activity strengthens a child’s muscles and bones, prevents excessive weight gain, and reduces the risk of diabetes, cancer, and other conditions. Physical activity is also beneficial to the mental health of a child and experts say physical activity allows children to have a better outlook on life by building confidence, managing anxiety and depression, and increasing self-esteem and cognitive skills.
Some children try team sports but may not be cut out for it, Ninja Kids is designed for every child no matter their skill level, every child has the chance to participate and better their previous best, whilst they may be working individually, they are working within a group, so the benefits socially are enormous. Ninja Kids offers regular program, school holiday camps and birthday parties and is consistently in demand, it’s a solid business opportunity with benefits for the children that attend and provides some respite for their parents all the time knowing that their children are in good hands, having fun and learning key skills that will benefit them in all aspects of their life.
Stormer Music
Did you ever notice that the kids that did music in school also happened to be the smartest kids in school? There are significant benefits to music and the impact that it has on children and their development. Studies in neuroscience show that music can enhance brain function in children. Musical activities (such as playing an instrument, singing or just listening to music) stimulate the brain, and this brain workout leads to improved brain structure with the formation of new neural connections.
Music can help with the Memory, Attention and Concentration, Increased Coordination, Achievement and Discipline, all great benefits but what’s even better is there’s now an opportunity for musicians and those with a love of music to make a business out of it, Stormer Music is a family business with generations of Muso’s coming together to bring music to the world in a business format franchise and with 9 locations up and running, they’re making beautiful music together.
Skill Samurai
We already established that children are spending way too much time on screen devices and a lot of time on gaming and computers. Skill Samurai is helping kids channel their obsession with technology into something that helps them expand their knowledge instead of simply distracting them or entertaining them. Skill Samurai provides after school and school holiday programs for children and teaches them coding and essential computer skills that will benefit them well into the future, with future programs being launched to target the development of IT related work and preparing students for a career within the IT sector.
Skill Samurai turning a fixation with technology into a practical, educational and fun outlet with real tangible educational benefits for children whilst having fun.
Success tutoring
There are so many tutoring services available for primary and high school students, the difference with Success Tutoring lies in their mission of motivating, uplifting and inspiring students to enjoy learning. The educational model is research-backed, ‘inspired learning’ teaching method. This method suggests that inspired students are more attentive and engaged in their lessons, which correlates with an improvement in their academic performance and grades – That’s the Success difference.
As the only tutoring company that uses motivation to unlock students’ maximum academic potential, Success Tutoring’s impact extends far beyond the four walls of a classroom by transforming students into active life-learners.
They understand that the traditional, onesize-fits-all approach to learning limits the academic potential of some students. Success Tutoring tailors each lesson to the immediate needs and characteristics of the student.
Tutors curate a lesson plan that facilitates the basic psychological need for competence, connection and autonomy to achieve academic success, in accordance with the principles of the Self-Determination Theory. Every business needs to make money and it needs to stand for something, the beauty of the Children’s Products & Services category is that what it does resonates with us all, we can all relate to our own experiences of growing up, the highs and the lows and as the carers, families and parents of children we all want the best for our children, we want them to have all the positive attributes we enjoyed in our childhood and to protect them from the things we didn’t enjoy, we want to give them the best chance at life and if we can do that in a way that they enjoy, everyone wins.
