Robin Harris

  Don't miss this powerful and heartfelt episode, featuring the incredible Miss Robin Harris. Driven by her passion to empower and motivate teachers within the school system, Robin shares invaluable insights on making a lasting impact on students’ lives through effective strategies that surpass standard expectations, promoting constant improvement and excellence. Robin discusses finding her energy and drive in the early childhood world, the unwavering motivation that enables her to be a guiding light to others, and details about her Level Up program, two schools, and her fun alter ego. Tune in for one of Kris’s favorite episodes!     Key Takeaways:   [5:28] Robin talks about the Future Leaders Learning Academy, right outside of Houston in Spring, Texas. They have a capacity of 68; the Harris Academic Club has a capacity of 150.   [7:03] How they got into offering homeschooling, and the benefits that students receive including a lot of personalized attention.   [9:53] How Robin’s aunt and uncle helped her realize that she could be something more and make a big difference in the world.   [12:15] Kris shares the story of Mrs. Irish, the teacher who made the biggest impact in her life.   [15:55] Empowered teachers are the number one leverage point and the most important thing in education for children to fully thrive.   [17:20] Robin has an alter ego?! OMG!   [20:00] Robin talks about her interactive workbook,  Success Looks Good On You.   [21:37] Unique selling points or differentiation of Robin’s schools, and how the word of mouth and results do the promoting and selling on their own.   [25:29] Robin helps teachers bring their energy and passion back for teaching, and big things happen.   [29:32] How the open concept teaching works, and why both the future leaders and parents love it.   [32:08] What strategy does Robin employ for the youngsters?   [33:25] Robin talks about her Level Up curriculum.   [43:01] What are Robin’s plans for 2023 and beyond, including the brilliant ABCDE awards?     Quotes:    “From the moment I walked into the classroom, I knew that was my field.” — Robin [6:22]    “I wanted to show the world that I was different.” — Robin [11:20 ]    “Right now, the schools are promoting me.” — Robin [8:25]    “When you do well, by families and children, your parents will love you so much that they will sing your praises to the world.” — Robin [27:40]    “If you produce excellence, you have the power to change a student’s life. Multiple students’ lives.” — Robin [35:32]    “That’s the thing about a great leader, you always want to continue to grow and to develop.” — Robin [43:42]    “When you give excellence, you will always get excellence from your students, your staff, and teachers.” — Robin       Sponsored By:   ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)   Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course!     Mentioned in This Episode:   Kris Murray   The Child Care Success Company   The Child Care Success Academy   The Child Care Success Summit   Grow Your Center   Childcare Education Institute: use code  CDARenewal22  to get $100 off your renewal   Level Up: 1-888-700-1017   Miss O.M.G. Blast from the Past

Don't miss this powerful and heartfelt episode, featuring the incredible Miss Robin Harris. Driven by her passion to empower and motivate teachers within the school system, Robin shares invaluable insights on making a lasting impact on students’ lives through effective strategies that surpass standard expectations, promoting constant improvement and excellence. Robin discusses finding her energy and drive in the early childhood world, the unwavering motivation that enables her to be a guiding light to others, and details about her Level Up program, two schools, and her fun alter ego. Tune in for one of Kris’s favorite episodes! Key Takeaways: [5:28] Robin talks about the Future Leaders Learning Academy, right outside of Houston in Spring, Texas. They have a capacity of 68; the Harris Academic Club has a capacity of 150. [7:03] How they got into offering homeschooling, and the benefits that students receive including a lot of personalized attention. [9:53] How Robin’s aunt and uncle helped her realize that she could be something more and make a big difference in the world. [12:15] Kris shares the story of Mrs. Irish, the teacher who made the biggest impact in her life. [15:55] Empowered teachers are the number one leverage point and the most important thing in education for children to fully thrive. [17:20] Robin has an alter ego?! OMG! [20:00] Robin talks about her interactive workbook, Success Looks Good On You. [21:37] Unique selling points or differentiation of Robin’s schools, and how the word of mouth and results do the promoting and selling on their own. [25:29] Robin helps teachers bring their energy and passion back for teaching, and big things happen. [29:32] How the open concept teaching works, and why both the future leaders and parents love it. [32:08] What strategy does Robin employ for the youngsters? [33:25] Robin talks about her Level Up curriculum. [43:01] What are Robin’s plans for 2023 and beyond, including the brilliant ABCDE awards? Quotes: <ul> <li> “From the moment I walked into the classroom, I knew that was my field.” — Robin [6:22] </li> <li> “I wanted to show the world that I was different.” — Robin [11:20 ] </li> <li> “Right now, the schools are promoting me.” — Robin [8:25] </li> <li> “When you do well, by families and children, your parents will love you so much that they will sing your praises to the world.” — Robin [27:40] </li> <li> “If you produce excellence, you have the power to change a student’s life. Multiple students’ lives.” — Robin [35:32] </li> <li> “That’s the thing about a great leader, you always want to continue to grow and to develop.” — Robin [43:42] </li> <li> “When you give excellence, you will always get excellence from your students, your staff, and teachers.” — Robin </li> </ul> Sponsored By: <a href="https://www.cceionline.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)</a> Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course! Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Company</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://growyourcenter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Grow Your Center</a> <a href="http://cceionline.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Childcare Education Institute</a>: use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal <a href="https://www.ourlevelup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Level Up</a>: 1-888-700-1017 <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ms-M-G-Robin-C-Harris/dp/1537155369" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Miss O.M.G. Blast from the Past</a>

How to Create Waves of Positive Change In Your Communities with Robin Harris

Rob Rubicco

  In this episode, Kris sits down with Rob Rubicco, the entrepreneurial founder of Anna and Jack’s Treehouse, a childcare business with a unique blend of corporate experience and a family feel. Rob shares the incredible journey of he and his wife Christina, starting with Anna's Treehouse in a basement and scaling it to multiple locations. With his background in management consulting for renowned companies like Disney and Coca-Cola, Rob brings a corporate approach to customer experience in the childcare industry. Rob talks about the selling points that set Anna and Jack’s Treehouse apart, including their amazing programs, wonderful teachers, and even their homemade fresh pasta sauce. Rob emphasizes the importance of traditional values as a leader and the significance of setting clear expectations for teachers. He also shares his journey with the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and how it has helped him scale his business with clarity and efficiency.     Key Takeaways:   [6:37] The daycare that started it all, called Anna’s Treehouse, that started in a basement, then Jack’s Treehouse, and how it evolved into a commercial space.   [11:01] Before getting into childcare, Rob was a management consultant, helping companies like Disney and Coca-Cola find ways to enhance their overall customer experience.   [13:53] Taking care of the children of first responders during the pandemic.   [17:19] We need less stigma around men in childcare and in leadership roles around childcare.   [18:11] Fun fact: Rob is actually a trained chef, and even studied at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan and appeared on the Food Network.   [22:34] If their great programs and wonderful teachers don’t do the trick of enrollment, the fresh pasta sauce may just be the next best-selling point.   [24:17] Some of the great selling points at Anna and Jack’s Treehouse that set them apart and give them that family feel.   [29:33] Getting back to his traditional values as a leader.   [30:29] The importance of setting expectations and communicating them clearly to teachers.   [31:50] How Rob got into his EOS journey.   [34:56] The structure of what EOS brings allows you to scale much more quickly and more pain-free with more clarity.   [48:19] Using   Trainual  to systemize and build out their training platforms.     Quotes:    “Every time we’ve grown and expanded, other than the Norwalk location, it’s been because of demand.” — Rob [9:19]    “When I first joined Treehouse, I came from the boardroom to the classroom, really. And I had to adjust my way of thinking from every perspective you could possibly imagine.” — Rob [15:45]    “Whether it's a parent or a teacher, I just want to get to know them and understand what their aspirations are, what they’re into, and not for any other reason than just to be a human.” — Rob [30:00]    “The best sign of a super successful entrepreneur is somebody who is a fast implementer, from what we teach.” — Kris       Sponsored By:   ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)   Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course!     Mentioned in This Episode:   Kris Murray   The Child Care Success Company   The Child Care Success Academy   The Child Care Success Summit   Grow Your Center   Childcare Education Institute: use code  CDARenewal22  to get $100 off your renewal   Anna and Jack’s Treehouse    The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It,  by Michael E. Gerber    Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… And Others Don't,  by Jim Collins    The Finisher’s Journal: High Performance Planner   Rob Rubicco

In this episode, Kris sits down with Rob Rubicco, the entrepreneurial founder of Anna and Jack’s Treehouse, a childcare business with a unique blend of corporate experience and a family feel. Rob shares the incredible journey of he and his wife Christina, starting with Anna's Treehouse in a basement and scaling it to multiple locations. With his background in management consulting for renowned companies like Disney and Coca-Cola, Rob brings a corporate approach to customer experience in the childcare industry. Rob talks about the selling points that set Anna and Jack’s Treehouse apart, including their amazing programs, wonderful teachers, and even their homemade fresh pasta sauce. Rob emphasizes the importance of traditional values as a leader and the significance of setting clear expectations for teachers. He also shares his journey with the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and how it has helped him scale his business with clarity and efficiency. Key Takeaways: [6:37] The daycare that started it all, called Anna’s Treehouse, that started in a basement, then Jack’s Treehouse, and how it evolved into a commercial space. [11:01] Before getting into childcare, Rob was a management consultant, helping companies like Disney and Coca-Cola find ways to enhance their overall customer experience. [13:53] Taking care of the children of first responders during the pandemic. [17:19] We need less stigma around men in childcare and in leadership roles around childcare. [18:11] Fun fact: Rob is actually a trained chef, and even studied at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan and appeared on the Food Network. [22:34] If their great programs and wonderful teachers don’t do the trick of enrollment, the fresh pasta sauce may just be the next best-selling point. [24:17] Some of the great selling points at Anna and Jack’s Treehouse that set them apart and give them that family feel. [29:33] Getting back to his traditional values as a leader. [30:29] The importance of setting expectations and communicating them clearly to teachers. [31:50] How Rob got into his EOS journey. [34:56] The structure of what EOS brings allows you to scale much more quickly and more pain-free with more clarity. [48:19] Using <a href="https://trainual.com/?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_term=keyword_trainual::matchtype_p::targetid_6306594670079616917&amp;utm_content=661394321252&amp;device=c&amp;utm_campaignid=20258687479&amp;utm_campaign=new_brand&amp;hsa_acc=2461640097&amp;hsa_cam=20258687479&amp;hsa_grp=150424814375&amp;hsa_ad=661394321252&amp;hsa_src=g&amp;hsa_tgt=kwd-532142581104&amp;hsa_kw=trainual&amp;hsa_mt=p&amp;hsa_net=adwords&amp;hsa_ver=3&amp;gad=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwqs6lBhCxARIsAG8YcDhvVQjhKp0gfCdOMk6CulXTIOs_Ya9o-BVIlpwLAU7kAVxsPro4sIwaAkmvEALw_wcB" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Trainual</a> to systemize and build out their training platforms. Quotes: <ul> <li> “Every time we’ve grown and expanded, other than the Norwalk location, it’s been because of demand.” — Rob [9:19] </li> <li> “When I first joined Treehouse, I came from the boardroom to the classroom, really. And I had to adjust my way of thinking from every perspective you could possibly imagine.” — Rob [15:45] </li> <li> “Whether it's a parent or a teacher, I just want to get to know them and understand what their aspirations are, what they’re into, and not for any other reason than just to be a human.” — Rob [30:00] </li> <li> “The best sign of a super successful entrepreneur is somebody who is a fast implementer, from what we teach.” — Kris </li> </ul> Sponsored By: <a href="https://www.cceionline.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)</a> Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course! Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Company</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://growyourcenter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Grow Your Center</a> <a href="http://cceionline.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Childcare Education Institute</a>: use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal <a href="https://thetreehouses.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Anna and Jack’s Treehouse</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/The-E-Myth-Revisited-audiobook/dp/B00094F0ES/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=267147473949&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvlocphy=9031195&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvqmt=e&amp;hvrand=6307812430137607816&amp;hvtargid=kwd-448090345395&amp;hydadcr=22534_10344589&amp;keywords=book+the+e+myth&amp;qid=1689554189&amp;sr=8-1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, by Michael E. Gerber</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Good-to-Great-Jim-Collins-audiobook/dp/B003VXI5MS/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=616863135558&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvlocphy=9031195&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvqmt=e&amp;hvrand=18101645005754336504&amp;hvtargid=kwd-24841833&amp;hydadcr=24662_13611802&amp;keywords=good+to+great&amp;qid=1689554214&amp;sr=8-1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… And Others Don't, by Jim Collins</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Finishers-Journal-High-Performance-Planner/dp/B09QP3KCLQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Finisher’s Journal: High Performance Planner</a> <a href="https://www.robrubicco.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Rob Rubicco</a>

How to Scale Your ECE Business With Clarity and Vision with Rob Rubicco

Simon Laube

  As Kris gets ready to head to New Zealand for the ECC Conference, she sits down with Simon Laube, Chief Executive at the Early Childhood Council of New Zealand. Simon brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in policy and advocacy for early learning in New Zealand. He discusses the current challenges facing early childhood education in the country and how he and his team are working to overcome them. Simon explores the nuances of New Zealand’s early education system and its impact on the global stage, and he opens up about the unique global perspective and innovative approaches to ECE in New Zealand, shedding light on their high-quality experiential curriculums for children. He and Kris also preview some of the “don’t miss” amazing offerings coming up at the conference so you can plan your schedule accordingly.     Key Takeaways:   [8:55] Simon joins the show from Wellington, New Zealand.   [9:35] The Early Childhood Council is membership-based with about 860 members across New Zealand. They run about 1500 centers across the country.   [13:50] More about Simon’s background in government policy and how it was a chance to specifically recruit someone with his skill set.   [14:22] One of the ways of dealing with a threat is to try and have someone who understands quite deeply how the other side works.   [15:18] Simon’s previous role at the Ministry of Education.   [17:39] What is really going on between the government and the early childhood community and industry?   [19:30] What politicians say doesn’t always match up with their actions when it comes to helping the childhood industry.   [25:19] How do we not only survive but stay positive during this time?   [29:56] The importance of keeping ourselves inspired for not only us, but the children, their families, and our staff.   [34:05] It is also important to be realistic, and when the going gets tough, you need to have an exit strategy.   [37:56] What can we expect from the ECC conference in July? Simon and Kris talk about some sessions and panelists to not miss.     Quotes:    “My background is government policy. So that was a change of tack from the organization to specifically recruit someone with my skill set.” — Simon [11:05]    “If you talk to any politician, they will tell you about the benefits of early childhood and how important that is. But, you know, actions speak louder than words. And if you follow the money, they might say that, but when it comes down to it, they make choices and they put their money into other things.” — Simon [19:30]    “The quality of early childhood for the child can and does run parallel to the investment in business skills, and best practices, which then flow down a trickle down to the leaders which flow to the teachers, kids and the parents.” — Kris [24:19]    “We need to also do this dance where we can continue to keep ourselves inspired and positive so that we don’t just fall into a rut of despair.” — Kris [29:45]    “When the going gets really tough, you need to have an exit strategy.” — Simon [34:05]       Sponsored By:   ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)   Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course!     Mentioned in This Episode:   Kris Murray   The Child Care Success Company   The Child Care Success Academy   The Child Care Success Summit   Grow Your Center   Childcare Education Institute: use code  CDARenewal22  to get $100 off your renewal    Simon Laube   Early Childhood Council   ECC Conference

As Kris gets ready to head to New Zealand for the ECC Conference, she sits down with Simon Laube, Chief Executive at the Early Childhood Council of New Zealand. Simon brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in policy and advocacy for early learning in New Zealand. He discusses the current challenges facing early childhood education in the country and how he and his team are working to overcome them. Simon explores the nuances of New Zealand’s early education system and its impact on the global stage, and he opens up about the unique global perspective and innovative approaches to ECE in New Zealand, shedding light on their high-quality experiential curriculums for children. He and Kris also preview some of the “don’t miss” amazing offerings coming up at the conference so you can plan your schedule accordingly. Key Takeaways: [8:55] Simon joins the show from Wellington, New Zealand. [9:35] The Early Childhood Council is membership-based with about 860 members across New Zealand. They run about 1500 centers across the country. [13:50] More about Simon’s background in government policy and how it was a chance to specifically recruit someone with his skill set. [14:22] One of the ways of dealing with a threat is to try and have someone who understands quite deeply how the other side works. [15:18] Simon’s previous role at the Ministry of Education. [17:39] What is really going on between the government and the early childhood community and industry? [19:30] What politicians say doesn’t always match up with their actions when it comes to helping the childhood industry. [25:19] How do we not only survive but stay positive during this time? [29:56] The importance of keeping ourselves inspired for not only us, but the children, their families, and our staff. [34:05] It is also important to be realistic, and when the going gets tough, you need to have an exit strategy. [37:56] What can we expect from the ECC conference in July? Simon and Kris talk about some sessions and panelists to not miss. Quotes: <ul> <li> “My background is government policy. So that was a change of tack from the organization to specifically recruit someone with my skill set.” — Simon [11:05] </li> <li> “If you talk to any politician, they will tell you about the benefits of early childhood and how important that is. But, you know, actions speak louder than words. And if you follow the money, they might say that, but when it comes down to it, they make choices and they put their money into other things.” — Simon [19:30] </li> <li> “The quality of early childhood for the child can and does run parallel to the investment in business skills, and best practices, which then flow down a trickle down to the leaders which flow to the teachers, kids and the parents.” — Kris [24:19] </li> <li> “We need to also do this dance where we can continue to keep ourselves inspired and positive so that we don’t just fall into a rut of despair.” — Kris [29:45] </li> <li> “When the going gets really tough, you need to have an exit strategy.” — Simon [34:05] </li> </ul> Sponsored By: <a href="https://www.cceionline.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)</a> Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course! Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Company</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://growyourcenter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Grow Your Center</a> <a href="http://cceionline.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Childcare Education Institute</a>: use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-laube-3aa23616/?originalSubdomain=nz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Simon Laube</a> <a href="https://www.ecc.org.nz/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Early Childhood Council</a> <a href="https://www.ecc.org.nz/Event?Action=View&amp;Event_id=1501" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> ECC Conference</a>

New Tools and Inspiration for Struggling ECE Owners with Simon Laube

Jennifer Conner

  Kris welcomes Jennifer Conner, the Director of Coaching at the Child Care Success Company. She first gives an update on her move to Mexico and shares her inspiring story of exiting her business and transitioning to a full-time role as Director of Coaching. Jennifer’s natural talent for building operations manuals and systems, combined with her leadership skills, has allowed her to scale and grow the company’s processes and automation. She shares valuable insights on how she and her team valued the business, organized the necessary paperwork, and set her successor up for success. This episode is particularly relevant for those looking to build their businesses with an eye toward future sales and expansion. Lastly, Kris and Jennifer also discuss a transformative book that provides a framework for stepping out of the day-to-day operations and achieving maximum value when exiting your business.     Key Takeaways:   [5:50] We get to know Jennifer from her home office, just a little north of Tulum, Mexico. She gives a quick highlight of her background in early education and how it was not the path she expected.   [10:16] Jennifer’s decision to move to Mexico.   [13:47] Jennifer talks about the emotional highs and lows that come with changing ownership. If you are in the process of exiting or changing ownership structure, it’s very normal to ping pong back and forth.   [17:40] How did Jennifer structure the financial side of the buyout?   [21:47] The benefits of having a clear cut on the operating accounts.   [23:33] Fun Fact: the director opened up a second business, and Jennifer loves the idea that selling her business to her may have given her more confidence and the empowerment to go even bigger.   [28:33] Why she encouraged the new owner to rebrand and have her own name.   [29:05] Adopting video during the pandemic to keep connection with families.   [37:14] Subsidy vs. private pay and the lessons Jennifer learned.   [41:25] Creating systems that would make it easy for the next person, and making a video about them instead of having to repeat the same things.   [44:17] Why you may not want to be the one steam cleaning your carpets on a Saturday, and learning to have your business run without you needing to be the one working on it all the time.     Quotes:    “I didn’t want to be an owner that has only been an owner and had no understanding of what goes on in the classroom.” — Jennifer [7:02]    “Exiting your business is a ping pong. One minute I was all in, we’re going to sell. And the next day, I was like, Nope, I’m pulling it all back.” — Jennifer [13:28]    “That was my goal to empower people, and I wanted them to have more and be able to be more.” — Jennifer [23:30]    “I’m proud of what we accomplished together. Because it’s the legacy of what was built, and still being able to serve the families and children and the staff.” — Jennifer [27:10]    “I do love systems. I did that because I felt like I trained people better than anybody else. And so I wanted to do it, but then I got tired of repeating it over and over. So I’m like, why don’t I just record it? So that was the brainchild behind that.” — Jennifer [42:13]       Sponsored By:   ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)   Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course!     Mentioned in This Episode:   Kris Murray   The Child Care Success Company   The Child Care Success Academy   The Child Care Success Summit   Grow Your Center   Childcare Education Institute: use code  CDARenewal22  to get $100 off your renewal   Jennifer Conner     Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You,  by John Warrillow   @thejenventure

Kris welcomes Jennifer Conner, the Director of Coaching at the Child Care Success Company. She first gives an update on her move to Mexico and shares her inspiring story of exiting her business and transitioning to a full-time role as Director of Coaching. Jennifer’s natural talent for building operations manuals and systems, combined with her leadership skills, has allowed her to scale and grow the company’s processes and automation. She shares valuable insights on how she and her team valued the business, organized the necessary paperwork, and set her successor up for success. This episode is particularly relevant for those looking to build their businesses with an eye toward future sales and expansion. Lastly, Kris and Jennifer also discuss a transformative book that provides a framework for stepping out of the day-to-day operations and achieving maximum value when exiting your business. Key Takeaways: [5:50] We get to know Jennifer from her home office, just a little north of Tulum, Mexico. She gives a quick highlight of her background in early education and how it was not the path she expected. [10:16] Jennifer’s decision to move to Mexico. [13:47] Jennifer talks about the emotional highs and lows that come with changing ownership. If you are in the process of exiting or changing ownership structure, it’s very normal to ping pong back and forth. [17:40] How did Jennifer structure the financial side of the buyout? [21:47] The benefits of having a clear cut on the operating accounts. [23:33] Fun Fact: the director opened up a second business, and Jennifer loves the idea that selling her business to her may have given her more confidence and the empowerment to go even bigger. [28:33] Why she encouraged the new owner to rebrand and have her own name. [29:05] Adopting video during the pandemic to keep connection with families. [37:14] Subsidy vs. private pay and the lessons Jennifer learned. [41:25] Creating systems that would make it easy for the next person, and making a video about them instead of having to repeat the same things. [44:17] Why you may not want to be the one steam cleaning your carpets on a Saturday, and learning to have your business run without you needing to be the one working on it all the time. Quotes: <ul> <li> “I didn’t want to be an owner that has only been an owner and had no understanding of what goes on in the classroom.” — Jennifer [7:02] </li> <li> “Exiting your business is a ping pong. One minute I was all in, we’re going to sell. And the next day, I was like, Nope, I’m pulling it all back.” — Jennifer [13:28] </li> <li> “That was my goal to empower people, and I wanted them to have more and be able to be more.” — Jennifer [23:30] </li> <li> “I’m proud of what we accomplished together. Because it’s the legacy of what was built, and still being able to serve the families and children and the staff.” — Jennifer [27:10] </li> <li> “I do love systems. I did that because I felt like I trained people better than anybody else. And so I wanted to do it, but then I got tired of repeating it over and over. So I’m like, why don’t I just record it? So that was the brainchild behind that.” — Jennifer [42:13] </li> </ul> Sponsored By: <a href="https://www.cceionline.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)</a> Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course! Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Company</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://growyourcenter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Grow Your Center</a> <a href="http://cceionline.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Childcare Education Institute</a>: use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal <a href="https://www.childcaresuccess.com/jennifer-conner/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Jennifer Conner </a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Built-Sell-Creating-Business-Without-ebook/dp/B004IYISQW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You, by John Warrillow</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thejenventure/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> @thejenventure</a>

Built to Sell with Jennifer Conner

Amir Zoghi

  Are you ready to live a Limitless life? This week, Kris extends a warm welcome to Amir Zoghi, one of her mentors and a renowned coach whose impactful WTF talks have influenced thousands, while his transformative events provide a gateway to unlocking a higher, deeper, and more limitless version of oneself. Amir emphasizes the importance of creating space within and fostering an ethos of wisdom, truth, and freedom that forms the foundation of the Limitless experience. He talks about the rebranding of WTF to the Limitless events that take participants on a profound journey of self-discovery, helping them uncover their purpose and upgrade their perspective on the world. Prepare to be inspired as Amir empowers you to tap into your energy, intuition, and limitless potential, setting you on a path of remarkable personal growth and fulfillment. To learn more about Amir's special 1-day Limitless event in Los Angeles, click here. You'll also get a special 2-for-1 ticket deal with this link. Links go to: https://limitlessevent.live/ccs     Key Takeaways:   [7:37] Whether it’s working as a mindset coach, speaking, or flying as an aerobatic pilot, Amir’s work will get you out of your comfort zone.   [9:03] Our mindset is the program that we are running, but if you want to change your mindset, it sometimes requires an updated capacity.   [10:09] Our capacity has to grow sometimes in order to accomplish some of the goals and tasks we desire.   [10:33] Becoming the highest frequency of yourself can allow you to tap into your greatest potential.   [11:50] The greatest level of purpose is realized in who you are. When you improve the relationship that you have with yourself, you can become purposeful in everything you do.   [15:00] How to give yourself space and time when you have a busy and demanding schedule, a family/partner, etc.   [18:17] Where your attention goes, it grows.   [22:39] You’ve got nothing to give to others unless you’ve put yourself first.   [26:17] The importance of claiming your own time in partnerships so you can fill your own cup up.   [27:18] Who were the early influences that impacted Amir?   [31:17] His journey of embracing his gifts.   [32:11] Amir’s certainty, even at his younger age, when starting his WTF talks.   [33:55] What is a Limitless event and how has the brand grown over the years? What can people expect at a Limitless event?   [41:05] How entrepreneurs have the vision and gut instinct to change the world.     Quotes:    “Once you expand your space, then suddenly you can run whatever mindset and pattern that you like.” — Amir [9:20]    “The mindset is the program that we are running. But if you want to change your mindset, some mindsets require an updated capacity.” — Amir [9:40]    “Our capacity has got to grow in order to accomplish some of those goals and tasks.” — Amir [10:11]    “Who you need to be is the highest level of frequency. That’s what actually makes the change possible, and that’s what makes the change last.” — Amir [10:44]    “I believe that entrepreneurial people with the right intentions can actually change the world.” — Amir [41:04]       Sponsored By:   ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)   Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course!     Mentioned in This Episode:   Kris Murray   The Child Care Success Company   The Child Care Success Academy   The Child Care Success Summit   Grow Your Center   Childcare Education Institute: use code  CDARenewal22  to get $100 off your renewal   Amir Zoghi   @amirzoghi    The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment,  by Eckhart Tolle   2 For 1 Special — Limitless Event 

Are you ready to live a Limitless life? This week, Kris extends a warm welcome to Amir Zoghi, one of her mentors and a renowned coach whose impactful WTF talks have influenced thousands, while his transformative events provide a gateway to unlocking a higher, deeper, and more limitless version of oneself. Amir emphasizes the importance of creating space within and fostering an ethos of wisdom, truth, and freedom that forms the foundation of the Limitless experience. He talks about the rebranding of WTF to the Limitless events that take participants on a profound journey of self-discovery, helping them uncover their purpose and upgrade their perspective on the world. Prepare to be inspired as Amir empowers you to tap into your energy, intuition, and limitless potential, setting you on a path of remarkable personal growth and fulfillment. To learn more about Amir's special 1-day Limitless event in Los Angeles, click here. You'll also get a special 2-for-1 ticket deal with this link. Links go to: <a href="https://limitlessevent.live/ccs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://limitlessevent.live/ccs</a> Key Takeaways: [7:37] Whether it’s working as a mindset coach, speaking, or flying as an aerobatic pilot, Amir’s work will get you out of your comfort zone. [9:03] Our mindset is the program that we are running, but if you want to change your mindset, it sometimes requires an updated capacity. [10:09] Our capacity has to grow sometimes in order to accomplish some of the goals and tasks we desire. [10:33] Becoming the highest frequency of yourself can allow you to tap into your greatest potential. [11:50] The greatest level of purpose is realized in who you are. When you improve the relationship that you have with yourself, you can become purposeful in everything you do. [15:00] How to give yourself space and time when you have a busy and demanding schedule, a family/partner, etc. [18:17] Where your attention goes, it grows. [22:39] You’ve got nothing to give to others unless you’ve put yourself first. [26:17] The importance of claiming your own time in partnerships so you can fill your own cup up. [27:18] Who were the early influences that impacted Amir? [31:17] His journey of embracing his gifts. [32:11] Amir’s certainty, even at his younger age, when starting his WTF talks. [33:55] What is a Limitless event and how has the brand grown over the years? What can people expect at a Limitless event? [41:05] How entrepreneurs have the vision and gut instinct to change the world. Quotes: <ul> <li> “Once you expand your space, then suddenly you can run whatever mindset and pattern that you like.” — Amir [9:20] </li> <li> “The mindset is the program that we are running. But if you want to change your mindset, some mindsets require an updated capacity.” — Amir [9:40] </li> <li> “Our capacity has got to grow in order to accomplish some of those goals and tasks.” — Amir [10:11] </li> <li> “Who you need to be is the highest level of frequency. That’s what actually makes the change possible, and that’s what makes the change last.” — Amir [10:44] </li> <li> “I believe that entrepreneurial people with the right intentions can actually change the world.” — Amir [41:04] </li> </ul> Sponsored By: <a href="https://www.cceionline.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)</a> Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course! Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Company</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://growyourcenter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Grow Your Center</a> <a href="http://cceionline.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Childcare Education Institute</a>: use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal <a href="https://amirzoghi.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Amir Zoghi</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/amirzoghi/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> @amirzoghi</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenment/dp/1577314808" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle</a> <a href="https://limitlessevent.live/ccs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> 2 For 1 Special — Limitless Event</a>

Becoming A Limitless Version of You with Amir Zoghi

Cindy Lehnhoff

  Kris welcomes a special guest, Miss Cindy Lehnhoff, the director of the National Child Care Association. With over four decades of experience in the industry, including various roles within the learning care group, Cindy is passionate about strengthening and professionalizing the field. Cindy and Kris explore the world of advocacy and how to be our own best advocates. They discuss the importance of staying informed about policy changes and share insights on leveraging our political power as business owners or leaders. Cindy addresses misconceptions and fears around advocacy, debunking the notion that it requires an excessive time commitment, along with the vital role of engaging parents and teachers in this journey.     Key Takeaways:   [10:48] Cindy’s background in child care and the path that got her into advocacy and the NCCA.   [14:40] Cindy is now the Director of the NCCA.   [16:49] Cindy and her high school sweetheart are still married and living in Florida, with three incredible adult children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren!   [18:40] Fun Fact: Cindy didn’t choose a career in child care — it chose her!   [21:02] How early childhood professionals aren’t often comfortable with advocating for themselves, and why it’s important.   [22:34] Advice for people to build up confidence towards advocating for themselves using the three Cs: collaborate, connect, and communicate.   [30:50] The CHIPS Act, and how we can do better with funding and creating a better ecosystem for education.   [37:52] How do we engage more people in our communities?   [39:20] What types of things does the National Child Care Association provide for its members?   [45:38] There’s no industry more essential than child care if we want to get America back to work fully.    [50:52] Options for accreditation, including  NECPA.     Quotes:    “We want our providers to be able to thrive so they can do their best work for families.” — Cindy [16:15]    “I never really pursued a career in early care and education. It pursued me.” — Cindy [18:28]     “For the most part, early childhood professionals, they simply just don’t get involved in advocating for themselves.” — Cindy [20:57]    “We actually say there's three C’s in, in advocacy, and it’s to collaborate, connect and communicate.” — [Cindy 25:23]    “There’s no industry more essential than childcare if we want to get America back to work fully.” — Kris [45:57]       Sponsored By:   ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)   Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course!     Mentioned in This Episode:   Kris Murray   The Child Care Success Company   The Child Care Success Academy   The Child Care Success Summit   Grow Your Center   Childcare Education Institute: use code  CDARenewal22  to get $100 off your renewal   National Child Care Association   NECPA

Kris welcomes a special guest, Miss Cindy Lehnhoff, the director of the National Child Care Association. With over four decades of experience in the industry, including various roles within the learning care group, Cindy is passionate about strengthening and professionalizing the field. Cindy and Kris explore the world of advocacy and how to be our own best advocates. They discuss the importance of staying informed about policy changes and share insights on leveraging our political power as business owners or leaders. Cindy addresses misconceptions and fears around advocacy, debunking the notion that it requires an excessive time commitment, along with the vital role of engaging parents and teachers in this journey. Key Takeaways: [10:48] Cindy’s background in child care and the path that got her into advocacy and the NCCA. [14:40] Cindy is now the Director of the NCCA. [16:49] Cindy and her high school sweetheart are still married and living in Florida, with three incredible adult children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren! [18:40] Fun Fact: Cindy didn’t choose a career in child care — it chose her! [21:02] How early childhood professionals aren’t often comfortable with advocating for themselves, and why it’s important. [22:34] Advice for people to build up confidence towards advocating for themselves using the three Cs: collaborate, connect, and communicate. [30:50] The CHIPS Act, and how we can do better with funding and creating a better ecosystem for education. [37:52] How do we engage more people in our communities? [39:20] What types of things does the National Child Care Association provide for its members? [45:38] There’s no industry more essential than child care if we want to get America back to work fully.  [50:52] Options for accreditation, including <a href="https://necpa.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> NECPA</a>. Quotes: <ul> <li> “We want our providers to be able to thrive so they can do their best work for families.” — Cindy [16:15] </li> <li> “I never really pursued a career in early care and education. It pursued me.” — Cindy [18:28]  </li> <li> “For the most part, early childhood professionals, they simply just don’t get involved in advocating for themselves.” — Cindy [20:57] </li> <li> “We actually say there's three C’s in, in advocacy, and it’s to collaborate, connect and communicate.” — [Cindy 25:23] </li> <li> “There’s no industry more essential than childcare if we want to get America back to work fully.” — Kris [45:57] </li> </ul> Sponsored By: <a href="https://www.cceionline.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)</a> Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course! Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Company</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://growyourcenter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Grow Your Center</a> <a href="http://cceionline.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Childcare Education Institute</a>: use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal <a href="https://www.nationalchildcare.org/about-us/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> National Child Care Association</a> <a href="https://necpa.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> NECPA</a>

Funding and Advocacy for ECE, Across All 50 States with Cindy Lehnhoff

Ashley Ryan

  Ashley Ryan is currently the Chief Operating Officer at Grow Your Center. She shares her super successful hiring formula based on extensive research and her personal experience. She and Kris talk about attracting great candidates, red flags to look for even before hiring someone, how to stand out and show your personality, and great tips for onboarding in an organized and methodical fashion. Ashley and Kris also emphasize the importance of calculating turnover rates and treating hiring as a sales and marketing process aligned with your brand. Lastly, the two explore the value of incorporating test tasks to provide a realistic preview of candidates’ capabilities.     Key Takeaways:   [7:18] How did Ashley make her way from starting her own web agency and working with other female entrepreneurs to Grow Your Center?   [11:18] Fun fact — Ashley is a motorcycle mama! She thinks Kris should get a bike too.   [13:36] The importance of knowing your company values and providing growth.   [15:04] Benefits can be more than just time off.   [16:56] Growth opportunities mean different things for different people.   [18:22] Having a good manager, good reviews, and competitive salaries are all crucial to succeed in hiring.   [20:57] Know how to calculate your turnover.   [21:44] Hiring is essentially sales and marketing. Whatever your brand is, be intentional and think through each piece in advance.   [27:52] What tools are best to stay organized and to keep following up?   [31:59] Ashley talks about her hiring rating system. A few of the measurements they discuss are:     The ability to problem-solve.    Reliability    Motivation and the candidate being productive    Personability and having a superpower    Is the person coachable? Are they inquisitive?     [38:30] The importance of a test task to show what it will really be like working with them.   [40:29] When hiring, listen to your gut. Save yourself pain and payroll by not hiring the wrong person.   [46:09] Any tips for onboarding?   [49:52] How Grow Your Center has been revamped and what Ashley is excited about for the future.     Quotes:    “Oftentimes, when we’re leading something, it’s like it’s those costly mistakes that kind of show us the way.” — Ashley [7:47]    “People don’t leave a job, they leave a manager.” — Kris [18:50]    “Whatever your brand is, be intentional and think through each piece in advance.” — Kris [25:02]    “Another key tip to having a really solid hiring process is following up a lot.” — Ashley [28:42]    “Fortune is really in the follow-up.” — Ashley [29:32]    “Your hire should have some kind of superpower.” — Ashley [34:14]    “A big red flag with hiring with whoever is the fact that you’re giving too many chances.” — Ashley [35:33]    “If I could only do one thing to someone, and I had to eliminate everything, all I would do is some kind of test task.” — Ashley [38:00]    “If it’s definitely a no and your gut is firing, don’t hire that person.” — Kris [48:32]       Sponsored By:   ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)   Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course!     Mentioned in This Episode:   Kris Murray   The Child Care Success Company   The Child Care Success Academy   The Child Care Success Summit   Grow Your Center   Childcare Education Institute: use code  CDARenewal22  to get $100 off your renewal    Ashley’s Scorecard

Ashley Ryan is currently the Chief Operating Officer at Grow Your Center. She shares her super successful hiring formula based on extensive research and her personal experience. She and Kris talk about attracting great candidates, red flags to look for even before hiring someone, how to stand out and show your personality, and great tips for onboarding in an organized and methodical fashion. Ashley and Kris also emphasize the importance of calculating turnover rates and treating hiring as a sales and marketing process aligned with your brand. Lastly, the two explore the value of incorporating test tasks to provide a realistic preview of candidates’ capabilities. Key Takeaways: [7:18] How did Ashley make her way from starting her own web agency and working with other female entrepreneurs to Grow Your Center? [11:18] Fun fact — Ashley is a motorcycle mama! She thinks Kris should get a bike too. [13:36] The importance of knowing your company values and providing growth. [15:04] Benefits can be more than just time off. [16:56] Growth opportunities mean different things for different people. [18:22] Having a good manager, good reviews, and competitive salaries are all crucial to succeed in hiring. [20:57] Know how to calculate your turnover. [21:44] Hiring is essentially sales and marketing. Whatever your brand is, be intentional and think through each piece in advance. [27:52] What tools are best to stay organized and to keep following up? [31:59] Ashley talks about her hiring rating system. A few of the measurements they discuss are:  <ul> <li> The ability to problem-solve. </li> <li> Reliability </li> <li> Motivation and the candidate being productive </li> <li> Personability and having a superpower </li> <li> Is the person coachable? Are they inquisitive? </li> </ul> [38:30] The importance of a test task to show what it will really be like working with them. [40:29] When hiring, listen to your gut. Save yourself pain and payroll by not hiring the wrong person. [46:09] Any tips for onboarding? [49:52] How Grow Your Center has been revamped and what Ashley is excited about for the future. Quotes: <ul> <li> “Oftentimes, when we’re leading something, it’s like it’s those costly mistakes that kind of show us the way.” — Ashley [7:47] </li> <li> “People don’t leave a job, they leave a manager.” — Kris [18:50] </li> <li> “Whatever your brand is, be intentional and think through each piece in advance.” — Kris [25:02] </li> <li> “Another key tip to having a really solid hiring process is following up a lot.” — Ashley [28:42] </li> <li> “Fortune is really in the follow-up.” — Ashley [29:32] </li> <li> “Your hire should have some kind of superpower.” — Ashley [34:14] </li> <li> “A big red flag with hiring with whoever is the fact that you’re giving too many chances.” — Ashley [35:33] </li> <li> “If I could only do one thing to someone, and I had to eliminate everything, all I would do is some kind of test task.” — Ashley [38:00] </li> <li> “If it’s definitely a no and your gut is firing, don’t hire that person.” — Kris [48:32] </li> </ul> Sponsored By: <a href="https://www.cceionline.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)</a> Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course! Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Company</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://growyourcenter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Grow Your Center</a> <a href="http://cceionline.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Childcare Education Institute</a>: use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal <a href="https://www.notion.so/Hiring-Rating-System-624e5839b4ec440fb9967a7aa65bbb75" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Ashley’s Scorecard</a>

The Hiring Success Formula with Ashley Ryan

  This week features Sue Kurtovich, all the way from New Zealand. Sue is a specialist in early childhood education (ECE) administration and management with over 30 years of sector experience. She shares her journey into Early Childhood, and how her extensive knowledge of the ECE regulatory environment helps others through her Early Childhood Management Consulting business. Sue talks about challenges in teacher staffing during the early years, her predictions for New Zealand’s regulations and teacher shortages in early childhood, and the qualities of generosity, kindness, and practicality that continue to serve her along the way.     Key Takeaways:   [1:25] Sue walks us through her journey into Early Childhood and how she got interested in the business, regulation, and compliance side.   [5:44] How Sue got involved with the Early Childhood Council.   [7:00] What does Sue’s consulting company provide?   [12:42 What is Sue’s home life like?   [13:36] What are some of the biggest differences in the culture of early childhood in New Zealand versus the U.S.?   [17:00] What are some of the issues that face childcare providers right now?   [26:33] Will New Zealand loosen the regulations in early childhood?   [30:54] What is the funding like for childcare in the community, and how can we do better?   [30:58] The importance of mentorship.   [40:00] Why hasn't Sue retired? Many reasons. First, she loves what she does and takes great pride in helping others.   [41:02] One of Sue’s proudest moments was achieving a turnaround in the government policy back in the 2000s when the government wanted to discriminate against privately-owned services.     Quotes:    “We’re fairly tenacious sort of women, and we were determined to get a preschool going for our children. So, we thought we can’t be the only people that are looking for a preschool. And, a nice preschool.” — Sue [5:05]    “I worry about burnout for those people who own the business and work in the business and the pressures on them.” — Sue [16:36]    “The downside for the Early Childhood sector was that we probably didn’t have a true understanding of our reliance on immigration when it came to our teaching workforce.” — Sue [17:19]    “We’re very mindful of what we need to put in place to keep the good teachers that we’ve got to ensure we look after them.” — Sue [19:39]    “Sometimes people just want to know how they can do something better.” — Sue [38:13]    “I feel quite proud every day because every day I help somebody. It’s like that’s the rewarding part about it.” — Sue [32:45]       Sponsored By:   ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)   Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course!     Mentioned in This Episode:   Kris Murray   The Child Care Success Company   The Child Care Success Academy   The Child Care Success Summit   Grow Your Center   Childcare Education Institute: use code  CDARenewal22  to get $100 off your renewal   Kurtovich Consulting

This week features Sue Kurtovich, all the way from New Zealand. Sue is a specialist in early childhood education (ECE) administration and management with over 30 years of sector experience. She shares her journey into Early Childhood, and how her extensive knowledge of the ECE regulatory environment helps others through her Early Childhood Management Consulting business. Sue talks about challenges in teacher staffing during the early years, her predictions for New Zealand’s regulations and teacher shortages in early childhood, and the qualities of generosity, kindness, and practicality that continue to serve her along the way. Key Takeaways: [1:25] Sue walks us through her journey into Early Childhood and how she got interested in the business, regulation, and compliance side. [5:44] How Sue got involved with the Early Childhood Council. [7:00] What does Sue’s consulting company provide? [12:42 What is Sue’s home life like? [13:36] What are some of the biggest differences in the culture of early childhood in New Zealand versus the U.S.? [17:00] What are some of the issues that face childcare providers right now? [26:33] Will New Zealand loosen the regulations in early childhood? [30:54] What is the funding like for childcare in the community, and how can we do better? [30:58] The importance of mentorship. [40:00] Why hasn't Sue retired? Many reasons. First, she loves what she does and takes great pride in helping others. [41:02] One of Sue’s proudest moments was achieving a turnaround in the government policy back in the 2000s when the government wanted to discriminate against privately-owned services. Quotes: <ul> <li> “We’re fairly tenacious sort of women, and we were determined to get a preschool going for our children. So, we thought we can’t be the only people that are looking for a preschool. And, a nice preschool.” — Sue [5:05] </li> <li> “I worry about burnout for those people who own the business and work in the business and the pressures on them.” — Sue [16:36] </li> <li> “The downside for the Early Childhood sector was that we probably didn’t have a true understanding of our reliance on immigration when it came to our teaching workforce.” — Sue [17:19] </li> <li> “We’re very mindful of what we need to put in place to keep the good teachers that we’ve got to ensure we look after them.” — Sue [19:39] </li> <li> “Sometimes people just want to know how they can do something better.” — Sue [38:13] </li> <li> “I feel quite proud every day because every day I help somebody. It’s like that’s the rewarding part about it.” — Sue [32:45] </li> </ul> Sponsored By: <a href="https://www.cceionline.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)</a> Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course! Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Company</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://growyourcenter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Grow Your Center</a> <a href="http://cceionline.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Childcare Education Institute</a>: use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal <a href="https://www.kurtovichconsulting.co.nz/about-us/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Kurtovich Consulting</a>

Facing a Global Teacher Shortage: The Story from New Zealand

Kaye Boehning

  Kris welcomes Kaye Boehning of Tomorrow’s Promise Montessori Schools, located in the small community of Huntsville, Texas. Kaye talks about how she got into the child care industry, learning to delegate and elevate, and what practical steps she took to work on her business and not have to be in the business for every step. Kaye talks with Kris about what sets Tomorrow’s Promise apart, some fun Montessori school facts, and how she and her team are scaling for growth.     Key Takeaways:   [1:50] Kaye was nominated by the SBDC Small Business Development Center for the Small Business Owner of the Year Award for her district. She is the first person ever to get the award in the brand new category.   [4:50] Tomorrow’s Promise is located in the small community of Huntsville, Texas. The first location is licensed for 255 and the second for 81. She is still waiting for the city to approve her permit for the third location.   [7:26] Kaye talks about switching her major at 25 and what made her go from a CPA to knowing that she had to make a difference in a child’s life.   [10:44] Fun Fact! Kaye met her husband on Match.com and she is a car nut, which runs in her family.   [14:02] Besides being the only Montessori in town, Tomorrow’s Promise has the largest playgrounds in town and that are designed for each age group. They also have bathrooms in every classroom.   [18:02] Kaye talks about growing and scaling her locations.   [26:09] The importance of delegating and letting go, which for Kaye included hiring someone that is really good at hiring great talent. This saves her money in mistaken hires and staff turnover.   [27:02] Hire an extra person.   [28:24] Kaye talks about her administrative team structure.   [39:51] Kaye explains the inspiration and beautiful mission behind the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.   [44:09] Fun fact: Ever heard of Amazon, Wikipedia, or Google? All three have been founded by Montessori students.     Quotes:    “We have, gosh, over 200 years of experience with teachers.” — Kaye [15:10]    “I didn’t think the school could live without me.” — Kaye [21:50]    “I’ve sat in a closet and half listened to the Summit. That was my office in the supply closet. Now I have an office office.” — Kaye [22:01]    “When I started the school, I wanted to be the kind of boss I always wanted.” — [Kaye] 23:23    “Sometimes the speedboat needs to refuel and rest.” — Kaye [45:54]       Sponsored By:   ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)   Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course!     Mentioned in This Episode:   Kris Murray   The Child Care Success Company   The Child Care Success Academy   The Child Care Success Summit   Grow Your Center   Childcare Education Institute: use code  CDARenewal22  to get $100 off your renewal   Tomorrow’s Promise

Kris welcomes Kaye Boehning of Tomorrow’s Promise Montessori Schools, located in the small community of Huntsville, Texas. Kaye talks about how she got into the child care industry, learning to delegate and elevate, and what practical steps she took to work on her business and not have to be in the business for every step. Kaye talks with Kris about what sets Tomorrow’s Promise apart, some fun Montessori school facts, and how she and her team are scaling for growth. Key Takeaways: [1:50] Kaye was nominated by the SBDC Small Business Development Center for the Small Business Owner of the Year Award for her district. She is the first person ever to get the award in the brand new category. [4:50] Tomorrow’s Promise is located in the small community of Huntsville, Texas. The first location is licensed for 255 and the second for 81. She is still waiting for the city to approve her permit for the third location. [7:26] Kaye talks about switching her major at 25 and what made her go from a CPA to knowing that she had to make a difference in a child’s life. [10:44] Fun Fact! Kaye met her husband on <a href="http://Match.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Match.com</a> and she is a car nut, which runs in her family. [14:02] Besides being the only Montessori in town, Tomorrow’s Promise has the largest playgrounds in town and that are designed for each age group. They also have bathrooms in every classroom. [18:02] Kaye talks about growing and scaling her locations. [26:09] The importance of delegating and letting go, which for Kaye included hiring someone that is really good at hiring great talent. This saves her money in mistaken hires and staff turnover. [27:02] Hire an extra person. [28:24] Kaye talks about her administrative team structure. [39:51] Kaye explains the inspiration and beautiful mission behind the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. [44:09] Fun fact: Ever heard of Amazon, Wikipedia, or Google? All three have been founded by Montessori students. Quotes: <ul> <li> “We have, gosh, over 200 years of experience with teachers.” — Kaye [15:10] </li> <li> “I didn’t think the school could live without me.” — Kaye [21:50] </li> <li> “I’ve sat in a closet and half listened to the Summit. That was my office in the supply closet. Now I have an office office.” — Kaye [22:01] </li> <li> “When I started the school, I wanted to be the kind of boss I always wanted.” — [Kaye] 23:23 </li> <li> “Sometimes the speedboat needs to refuel and rest.” — Kaye [45:54] </li> </ul> Sponsored By: <a href="https://www.cceionline.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)</a> Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course! Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Company</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://growyourcenter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Grow Your Center</a> <a href="http://cceionline.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Childcare Education Institute</a>: use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal <a href="https://tomorrowspromise.info/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Tomorrow’s Promise</a>

Culture Transformation Starts at the Top with Kaye Boehning

Ben Poswalk

  In this lunch and learn, Kris welcomes Coach Ben Poswalk from Colorado to answer the first listener question from the amazing child care leader listeners. First up is Tomika Roberston of A Giant’s Playschool, who has a question about budgeting. She is wondering how to get started with budgeting as she transitions her home based preschool to her first brick and mortar center. And, how to take in consideration for events like parent’s night out, bonuses, grad events, etc. Ben shares some sage advice on measuring your information, accounting for fluctuations, and having support and a second pair of eyes.     Key Takeaways:   [7:00] Tomika calls in.    [8:19] Tomika is aware she needs to focus on creating a budget from scratch and to implement best money practices.    [10:33] Ben shares the importance of measuring and tracking data. Measure income first, then expenses.    [11:16] Make measuring and collecting data a habit, and have someone to help you on a regular basis.    [13:38] Get creative with ways to build parent relationships without breaking the bank, like potlucks or picnics.    [16:28] You don’t have to get stuck in just giving out bonuses to show appreciation. Think creatively, whether it’s visible notes where people can see the nice things you and others say about them, donuts once a quarter, etc.      [17:11] Getting your staff business cards also is an affordable way to make them feel more professional.    [17:50] How to use bonuses to build relationships with your team.   [18:20] What tools do most people use to create a budget?   [19:55] How to keep your business on track with your budget.   [22:00] Make the habit of actually looking at your numbers to ensure your business is going in the right direction.    Quotes:     “What gets measured improves.” - Ben/Kris 10:49     “People don't remember what you get them, they remember how you make them feel.” - Ben 15:29     “You need to just be able to explain the anomalies in your budget when it's not at 100%, or close to. And that's really how I learned to track my business.” - Ben 21:00     “Get support, get somebody else looking. Get a second set of eyes looking at your numbers.” Ben 21:40        Sponsored By:   ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)   Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course!     Mentioned in This Episode:   Kris Murray   The Child Care Success Company   The Child Care Success Academy   The Child Care Success Summit   Grow Your Center   Childcare Education Institute: use code  CDARenewal22  to get $100 off your renewal   Coach Ben Poswlak

In this lunch and learn, Kris welcomes Coach Ben Poswalk from Colorado to answer the first listener question from the amazing child care leader listeners. First up is Tomika Roberston of A Giant’s Playschool, who has a question about budgeting. She is wondering how to get started with budgeting as she transitions her home based preschool to her first brick and mortar center. And, how to take in consideration for events like parent’s night out, bonuses, grad events, etc. Ben shares some sage advice on measuring your information, accounting for fluctuations, and having support and a second pair of eyes. Key Takeaways: [7:00] Tomika calls in.  [8:19] Tomika is aware she needs to focus on creating a budget from scratch and to implement best money practices.  [10:33] Ben shares the importance of measuring and tracking data. Measure income first, then expenses.  [11:16] Make measuring and collecting data a habit, and have someone to help you on a regular basis.  [13:38] Get creative with ways to build parent relationships without breaking the bank, like potlucks or picnics.  [16:28] You don’t have to get stuck in just giving out bonuses to show appreciation. Think creatively, whether it’s visible notes where people can see the nice things you and others say about them, donuts once a quarter, etc.    [17:11] Getting your staff business cards also is an affordable way to make them feel more professional.  [17:50] How to use bonuses to build relationships with your team. [18:20] What tools do most people use to create a budget? [19:55] How to keep your business on track with your budget. [22:00] Make the habit of actually looking at your numbers to ensure your business is going in the right direction.  Quotes: <ul> <li>  “What gets measured improves.” - Ben/Kris 10:49  </li> <li> “People don't remember what you get them, they remember how you make them feel.” - Ben 15:29  </li> <li> “You need to just be able to explain the anomalies in your budget when it's not at 100%, or close to. And that's really how I learned to track my business.” - Ben 21:00  </li> <li> “Get support, get somebody else looking. Get a second set of eyes looking at your numbers.” Ben 21:40  </li> </ul> Sponsored By: <a href="https://www.cceionline.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)</a> Use the code CCSC5 to claim a free course! Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Company</a> <a href="http://childcaresuccess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://growyourcenter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Grow Your Center</a> <a href="http://cceionline.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Childcare Education Institute</a>: use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal <a href="https://www.childcaresuccess.com/ben-poswalk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Coach Ben Poswlak</a>

Lunch and Learn: Budgeting with Coach Ben Poswalk

Early learning leaders around the globe are breaking through challenges, leading the way in innovation, testing new best practices, and impacting children and families in a much more powerful and positive way than ever before.  Each week, tune in to top child care business guru Kris Murray on the Child Care Rockstar Radio podcast for interviews with early childhood leaders and experts that will leave you inspired to get to the next level of success, whatever that means for you.  Kris Murray is President of Child Care Marketing Solutions, and the Founder of the Child Care Success Academy, the world’s largest and most comprehensive business coaching program for early childhood entrepreneurs and leaders.  She is the author of two top-rated books on early learning business, and the mom of two great kids.  She and her team are based in the mountains of Colorado.Listeners are encouraged to visit https://www.childcaresuccess.com/podcast/ and leave a message for a chance to have your questions/thoughts featured on a future podcast episode!

Perfect podcast for the anyone looking to take their childcare business to the next level. Kris brings solid advice and solutions, from childcare business owners that are thriving in a challenging industry. Listen to every episode, you’ll be so glad you did. Thank you Kris Murray and Team.
Tasha Santistevan

If you’re ready to up level your childcare business

Thank you for bringing professionalism to childcare. Thank you for covering the business topics that affects childcare. I appreciate your vision.

Thank you

Early learning leaders around the globe are breaking through challenges, leading the way in innovation, testing new best practices, and impacting children and families in a much more powerful and positive way than ever before. Each week, tune in to top child care business guru Kris Murray on the Child Care Rockstar Radio podcast for interviews with early childhood leaders and experts that will leave you inspired to get to the next level of success, whatever that means for you. Kris Murray is President of Child Care Marketing Solutions, and the Founder of the Child Care Success Academy, the world’s largest and most comprehensive business coaching program for early childhood entrepreneurs and leaders. She is the author of two top-rated books on early learning business, and the mom of two great kids. She and her team are based in the mountains of Colorado. Listeners are encouraged to visit <a href="https://www.childcaresuccess.com/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.childcaresuccess.com/podcast/</a> and leave a message for a chance to have your questions/thoughts featured on a future podcast episode!

Child Care Rockstar Radio

Kris starts this week off with a big announcement — her new book, Rockstar Stories, is out and available! She then dives into the three principles of one of the most important success strategy books out there today, Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill. These three principles and their associated action items are the foundation for manifesting your dream life and creating a space where the universe rewards you with what it is you actually seek. Then, Kris gives two real-life examples of what happens when you follow the principles, and also why persistence is key if it doesn’t go perfectly at first.   Key Takeaways: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill is so much more than a book. It’s a manifestation guide, roadmap to getting your mindset right, and resource for creating habits that work for us instead of holding us back. It comes from the successful strategies from over 500 multi-millionaires and powerful business owners, leaders, and thinkers. Know what you want, and make it specific. Write down a specific and detailed description of what your perfect day would look like, your perfect relationship, health, etc. When we take the time to declare it and cement it in our subconscious, our brain believes it has actually occurred and we are living our dream life. Feel the burning desire. Wealth represents your value to others. The 6 steps to acquiring more wealth:  Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire. Decide exactly what you will offer for that money? Select a date to possess the money. Create a definite plan and implement it immediately. Summarize 1-4 into a clear written statement. Read this statement 2X daily out loud (once before you go to bed and once in the morning), and see/feel yourself already possessing the money.  Kris shares a success story of Beth Davis from Kids for Kids Academy where she took what she learned, put it in an actionized plan, and communicated it authentically to her team. If you are struggling with enrollment, look to the people that have said yes and learn more about them, or figure out a way to show your value to the market. Don’t give up if your dream doesn’t come to fruition right away. Stay persistent. Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray The Child Care Success Company  Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit The Genius Network Annual Conference Les Brown Ep #001: The Beauty of Persistence Kids for Kids Academy The Ron Clark Academy Rockstar Stories — click on link to get the book for free   Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill

Kris starts this week off with a big announcement — her new book, Rockstar Stories, is out and available! She then dives into the three principles of one of the most important success strategy books out there today, Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill. These three principles and their associated action items are the foundation for manifesting your dream life and creating a space where the universe rewards you with what it is you actually seek. Then, Kris gives two real-life examples of what happens when you follow the principles, and also why persistence is key if it doesn’t go perfectly at first. Key Takeaways: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill is so much more than a book. It’s a manifestation guide, roadmap to getting your mindset right, and resource for creating habits that work for us instead of holding us back. It comes from the successful strategies from over 500 multi-millionaires and powerful business owners, leaders, and thinkers. Know what you want, and make it specific. Write down a specific and detailed description of what your perfect day would look like, your perfect relationship, health, etc. When we take the time to declare it and cement it in our subconscious, our brain believes it has actually occurred and we are living our dream life. Feel the burning desire. Wealth represents your value to others. The 6 steps to acquiring more wealth: <ol> <li>Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire.</li> <li>Decide exactly what you will offer for that money?</li> <li>Select a date to possess the money.</li> <li>Create a definite plan and implement it immediately.</li> <li>Summarize 1-4 into a clear written statement.</li> <li>Read this statement 2X daily out loud (once before you go to bed and once in the morning), and see/feel yourself already possessing the money.</li> </ol> Kris shares a success story of Beth Davis from Kids for Kids Academy where she took what she learned, put it in an actionized plan, and communicated it authentically to her team. If you are struggling with enrollment, look to the people that have said yes and learn more about them, or figure out a way to show your value to the market. Don’t give up if your dream doesn’t come to fruition right away. Stay persistent. Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="https://www.childcare-marketing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Child Care Success Company</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://geniusnetwork.com/about/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Genius Network Annual Conference</a> <a href="https://lesbrown.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Les Brown</a> <a href="https://www.childcare-marketing.com/podcast-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ep #001: The Beauty of Persistence</a> <a href="http://kidsforkidsacademy.com/director-letter-5242013" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kids for Kids Academy</a> <a href="http://www.ronclarkacademy.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Ron Clark Academy</a> Rockstar Stories — click on link to get the book for free  <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Think-Grow-Rich-Landmark-Bestseller/dp/1585424331" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill</a>

3 Key Principles of Think & Grow Rich

Lisa Giancarli

Lisa Giancarli is the Executive Director and Owner of Over the Rainbow Child Development Center, located in Bordentown, New Jersey. Lisa followed her passion to own her own business and fell in love with childcare after acquiring the center in 2011. She talks about the improvements she and her husband made when starting Over the Rainbow from the bottom up, the specific things she has done to create a culture in line with the overall company vision, and the benefits she received when really looking at her metrics and taking action steps based upon them.   Key Takeaways: [3:13] Lisa’s husband is a REALTOR®, and they bought the Over the Rainbow building as an investment in 2011. Her plan was to run it until they got a deal but she ended up taking it on and 8 years later, the rest is history. [6:10] Lisa proves that it is possible to learn as you go. She became a student of the childcare business and they went from a barebones school to one that utilizes technology and state-of-the-art electronic reporting and data collecting. [9:36] Lisa and her husband Joe not only work great together but they are also high school sweethearts who have been married 28 years. [9:54] While you are working hard and building your business, self-care is not only important but it’s also essential. [13:34] The Director position is a huge component of success in the school. Lisa realized firsthand how important it is to listen to the team and foster an environment where people can speak up. [17:38] When one toxic person leaves, sometimes more follow. [20:45] In an age of electronic communication and quick responses, a well thought out handwritten note goes a long way to create a personal touch and show that you care. [21:28] Lisa tracks enrollment weekly and reviews her metrics to create a realistic view of where her business is. This wasn’t always the case but she found much more control and power once they started consistently looking at metrics. [28:45] Lisa’s top pillars to success in the field:  Never stop learning about the business and immersing yourself in the industry. A happy family and happy staff build the business and foster high retention. Be open to the outside-of-the-box ideas from all people on your team. Don’t resist growth and change or advice from others who have done it before you.   [36:287] A rockstar is one who learns what they need to do and figures out how to do it. They understand, plan, and execute.   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray The Child Care Success Company  Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit Over the Rainbow  Ann Rhoades  ChildCare CRM  The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People, by Gary Chapman and Paul White  Child Care Millionaire: Secrets to Building a Profitable 7 or 8 Figure Child Care Business,  by Brian Duprey  StrengthsFinder ProCare KidReports

Lisa Giancarli is the Executive Director and Owner of Over the Rainbow Child Development Center, located in Bordentown, New Jersey. Lisa followed her passion to own her own business and fell in love with childcare after acquiring the center in 2011. She talks about the improvements she and her husband made when starting Over the Rainbow from the bottom up, the specific things she has done to create a culture in line with the overall company vision, and the benefits she received when really looking at her metrics and taking action steps based upon them. Key Takeaways: [3:13] Lisa’s husband is a REALTOR®, and they bought the Over the Rainbow building as an investment in 2011. Her plan was to run it until they got a deal but she ended up taking it on and 8 years later, the rest is history. [6:10] Lisa proves that it is possible to learn as you go. She became a student of the childcare business and they went from a barebones school to one that utilizes technology and state-of-the-art electronic reporting and data collecting. [9:36] Lisa and her husband Joe not only work great together but they are also high school sweethearts who have been married 28 years. [9:54] While you are working hard and building your business, self-care is not only important but it’s also essential. [13:34] The Director position is a huge component of success in the school. Lisa realized firsthand how important it is to listen to the team and foster an environment where people can speak up. [17:38] When one toxic person leaves, sometimes more follow. [20:45] In an age of electronic communication and quick responses, a well thought out handwritten note goes a long way to create a personal touch and show that you care. [21:28] Lisa tracks enrollment weekly and reviews her metrics to create a realistic view of where her business is. This wasn’t always the case but she found much more control and power once they started consistently looking at metrics. [28:45] Lisa’s top pillars to success in the field: <ol> <li>Never stop learning about the business and immersing yourself in the industry.</li> <li>A happy family and happy staff build the business and foster high retention.</li> <li>Be open to the outside-of-the-box ideas from all people on your team.</li> <li>Don’t resist growth and change or advice from others who have done it before you. </li> </ol> [36:287] A rockstar is one who learns what they need to do and figures out how to do it. They understand, plan, and execute. Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="https://www.childcare-marketing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Child Care Success Company</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://overtherainbowcdc.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Over the Rainbow</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ann-Rhoades/e/B004AOKM0U%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Ann Rhoades</a> <a href="https://www.childcarecrm.com/?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_term=child%20care%20crm&amp;utm_campaign=2074002898&amp;utm_content=79358578307&amp;hsa_mt=e&amp;hsa_kw=child%20care%20crm&amp;hsa_net=adwords&amp;hsa_tgt=kwd-336416317411&amp;hsa_ad=372551554483&amp;hsa_src=g&amp;hsa_acc=8172459126&amp;hsa_ver=3&amp;hsa_grp=79358578307&amp;hsa_cam=2074002898&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwoebsBRCHARIsAC3JP0K6-Z2io2T68ioBMpEH26asLBZMkuTaZa2zgUageFB-6cc7DvnY0jgaAgklEALw_wcB" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> ChildCare CRM</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Languages-Appreciation-Workplace-Organizations-Encouraging/dp/080246176X" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People, by Gary Chapman and Paul White</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Child-Care-Millionaire-Building-Profitable/dp/1726776018" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Millionaire: Secrets to Building a Profitable 7 or 8 Figure Child Care Business, by Brian Duprey</a> <a href="https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/254033/strengthsfinder.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> StrengthsFinder</a> <a href="https://www.procaresoftware.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ProCare</a> <a href="https://kidreports.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">KidReports</a>

Culture, Metrics, and Execution with Lisa Giancarli

Evan Goldman

Our episode this week is chock full of industry insights, innovative ideas, and nuggets of wisdom that you can plug right into your child care or preschool business! We are joined by the amazing Evan Goldman from Early Education Group. Evan is a true veteran in the industry and his take on the growth and change in the landscape is truly inspiring. He shares his family’s impressive background in high-quality early education and then he and Kris do a deep dive on several topics related to the business of early learning. Tune in to hear Evan’s advice on how to find your unique messaging in such a competitive field, an insider view on how funding and regulations could be improved and what a true rock star is to him. We think Evan is a rock star himself, and maybe we'll even have him as a return guest one day as he and Kris hike up Machu Picchu!   Key Takeaways: [1:02] Kris gives a wrapup of a very successful Child Care Success Summit 2017 Conference in Chicago. Thank you to everyone that helped make this transformative and amazing event a success. [6:43] Evan was influenced by his parents at a young age to make a difference in the education world. His parents were educational entrepreneurs and pioneers in the industry for over 40 years. His father was the provost of all the graduate education at Nova Southeastern University. His mother was a second-grade teacher and really valued early childhood education. Together they started a large chain in the early 80’s called Another Generation Preschool. Evan learned from the ground up and learned all aspects of the industry, including education, funding, organization, etc. [8:07] During Evan’s time at Kaplan he identified partnerships and funding streams and helped organizations meet their highest needs. [9:33] Evan lists a few of the changes he has seen in the industry over his many years of expertise and experience: massive consolidation and growth, state-funded Pre-K and subsidized child care, quality improvement systems, rating scales, and blended funding. It’s a much more competitive landscape with many more choices. [12:17] Evan is very tied to both Florida to North Carolina. He loves extreme travel and shares some of his recent amazing trips! [15:18] Evan’s current venture that he has been doing for the last decade is the Early Education Group. He shares his mission, clients and partners he works closely within all different industries. It is clear he is passionate about developing relationships with companies that have a mission to better education. [20:47] Strategic and high-quality messaging is something very important to both Evan and Kris. [28:33] Kris and Evan take a look at funding streams and how the model has changed over the past decades, with new challenges in both politics and technology. [36:59]  Evan shares his thoughts on common misconceptions within education and the value and experience of smaller neighborhood-based environments. [43:24] Evan describes the qualities a true rockstar has for him, using his experience of over three decades in the industry. [48:38] Evan gives the resources he would recommend people should get into right away to educate and inform yourself.   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray  Child Care Marketing Solutions  Child Care Success Academy Holly Elissa Bruno Evan Goldman Kaplan Amazing Explorers Academy Zero to Three Childcare Aware  How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, by Paul Tough  Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don’t, by Jim Collins     About Evan: Evan Goldman is an early childhood business development consultant with twenty years of experience at the national, regional, state, and local levels. His strengths include a vast network of business relationships among federal, state, and local policymakers, in-depth knowledge of federal and state early childhood initiatives and funding streams, and an abundance of successes in negotiating and implementing important partnerships and collaborations at all levels. Mr. Goldman developed his own company in 2007, The Early Education Group, specializing in identifying and linking partners across public and private businesses, organizations, and governing bodies. Since its inception, The Early Education Group has brokered relationships for national e-learning, publishing, non-profit, and for-profit companies, as well as developed partnerships for higher education, state governments, and private foundations.

Our episode this week is chock full of industry insights, innovative ideas, and nuggets of wisdom that you can plug right into your child care or preschool business! We are joined by the amazing Evan Goldman from Early Education Group. Evan is a true veteran in the industry and his take on the growth and change in the landscape is truly inspiring. He shares his family’s impressive background in high-quality early education and then he and Kris do a deep dive on several topics related to the business of early learning. Tune in to hear Evan’s advice on how to find your unique messaging in such a competitive field, an insider view on how funding and regulations could be improved and what a true rock star is to him. We think Evan is a rock star himself, and maybe we'll even have him as a return guest one day as he and Kris hike up Machu Picchu! Key Takeaways: [1:02] Kris gives a wrapup of a very successful Child Care Success Summit 2017 Conference in Chicago. Thank you to everyone that helped make this transformative and amazing event a success. [6:43] Evan was influenced by his parents at a young age to make a difference in the education world. His parents were educational entrepreneurs and pioneers in the industry for over 40 years. His father was the provost of all the graduate education at Nova Southeastern University. His mother was a second-grade teacher and really valued early childhood education. Together they started a large chain in the early 80’s called Another Generation Preschool. Evan learned from the ground up and learned all aspects of the industry, including education, funding, organization, etc. [8:07] During Evan’s time at Kaplan he identified partnerships and funding streams and helped organizations meet their highest needs. [9:33] Evan lists a few of the changes he has seen in the industry over his many years of expertise and experience: massive consolidation and growth, state-funded Pre-K and subsidized child care, quality improvement systems, rating scales, and blended funding. It’s a much more competitive landscape with many more choices. [12:17] Evan is very tied to both Florida to North Carolina. He loves extreme travel and shares some of his recent amazing trips! [15:18] Evan’s current venture that he has been doing for the last decade is the Early Education Group. He shares his mission, clients and partners he works closely within all different industries. It is clear he is passionate about developing relationships with companies that have a mission to better education. [20:47] Strategic and high-quality messaging is something very important to both Evan and Kris. [28:33] Kris and Evan take a look at funding streams and how the model has changed over the past decades, with new challenges in both politics and technology. [36:59]  Evan shares his thoughts on common misconceptions within education and the value and experience of smaller neighborhood-based environments. [43:24] Evan describes the qualities a true rockstar has for him, using his experience of over three decades in the industry. [48:38] Evan gives the resources he would recommend people should get into right away to educate and inform yourself. Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/portfolio-item/kris-murray-child-care-marketing-expert/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Marketing Solutions</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="http://www.hollyelissabruno.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Holly Elissa Bruno</a> <a href="http://www.earlyeducationgroup.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Evan Goldman</a> <a href="https://www.kaplanfinancial.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kaplan</a> <a href="http://aexplorers.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazing Explorers Academy</a> <a href="https://www.zerotothree.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Zero to Three</a> <a href="http://childcareaware.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Childcare Aware</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Children-Succeed-Curiosity-Character/dp/0544104404" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, by Paul Tough</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others-ebook/dp/B0058DRUV6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don’t, by Jim Collins</a> About Evan: Evan Goldman is an early childhood business development consultant with twenty years of experience at the national, regional, state, and local levels. His strengths include a vast network of business relationships among federal, state, and local policymakers, in-depth knowledge of federal and state early childhood initiatives and funding streams, and an abundance of successes in negotiating and implementing important partnerships and collaborations at all levels. Mr. Goldman developed his own company in 2007, The Early Education Group, specializing in identifying and linking partners across public and private businesses, organizations, and governing bodies. Since its inception, The Early Education Group has brokered relationships for national e-learning, publishing, non-profit, and for-profit companies, as well as developed partnerships for higher education, state governments, and private foundations.

Complexity, Technology, and Competitive Advantage with Evan Goldman

Andrea Wortman

Andrea Wortman is all about doing things from a non-traditional and slow but steady approach. She runs an after-school program in the Portland, Oregon area with 11 locations, and has worked with the school systems to forge a relationship where she is contracted to take space and run her after-school programs out of the schools.   We talk about a different model of how to do effective, fun and profitable early learning in an after-school program that doesn’t require you to buy any real estate. We also discuss the challenges that come with this model; how Andrea reduced her staff turnover and doubled her revenue and number of locations in the recent years. Key Takeaways: [6:29] Andrea’s school is the Club K After School Zone, a full after-school daycare service for families with 60 employees and over 500 kids served. She discusses how she fell into child care and education, and never saw herself as an owner and operator of a successful company. This fall, Club K will have 11 locations in three districts spread out in the metropolitan Portland area. [12:05] Andrea enjoyed her job at working at a Montessori school, and that began her path of many years and energy spent in childcare.  [13:39] Andrea discusses the conveniences and challenges of her stand-alone program. They have anywhere from 30-60 kids in a gym or cafeteria, and everything must be portable, flexible (and cheerful) in case they need to be moved. There are responsibilities of the traditional model that Andrea and her team are free from, including no maintenance and bussing.  [17:44] They have added more Club K locations every year, and the process is different depending on the particular district. [21:34] Andrea has a pretty natural fit for her marketing, as she has access to the kids that attend the school. They do have families that attend her program that do not attend the school, so at some point, they may be doing bussing programs. [22:34] Andrea is figuring out how to serve lower socioeconomic communities better, including scholarships. [25:01] Club K’s revenue has doubled since joining the Child Care Success Academy, and she is serving twice as many kids. [27:15] It is imperative for the staff to roll with the older kids and keep one step ahead of them so they aren’t always standing in line waiting. Andrea ensures her staff is connected with the kids and ready to have fun with a sense of humor. [28:09] Club K’s employees range from age 16-year-old high school student to adults in their early 70’s. The commonality is they all love kids and come together to provide a service for working families. [31:52] Culture is very important at Club K. Andrea has built a team focused on solutions, with a bright and sunny optimistic attitude. They still have challenges, but they handle it with a team mentality with kind and thoughtful actions instead of ruminating on something out of their control. She has a leadership team that is in charge of social events and gives achievement points for additional pay. [42:52] Learning how to speak up and confidently voice her opinion was one of the biggest shifts Andrea has made professionally over the past several years. [45:13] To Andrea, a rock star is the whole package of someone that has fun, sees the humor in life, and gets their job done while encouraging their team.   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray  Child Care Marketing Solutions  Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit  Grow Your Center   The Ultimate Child Care Marketing Guide: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Success, by Kris Murray  Enrollment Bootcamp  Club K After School Zone  Club K After School Facebook  Scaling Up: How a Few Companies  Make It…and Why  the Rest Don’t, by Verne Harnish  A Complaint is a Gift: Using Customer Feedback as a Strategic Tool, by Janelle Barlow and Claus Møller  The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness, by Jeff Olson and John David Mann   Success for Teens: Real Teens Talk About Using the Slight Edge, by John Fleming

Andrea Wortman is all about doing things from a non-traditional and slow but steady approach. She runs an after-school program in the Portland, Oregon area with 11 locations, and has worked with the school systems to forge a relationship where she is contracted to take space and run her after-school programs out of the schools. We talk about a different model of how to do effective, fun and profitable early learning in an after-school program that doesn’t require you to buy any real estate. We also discuss the challenges that come with this model; how Andrea reduced her staff turnover and doubled her revenue and number of locations in the recent years. Key Takeaways: [6:29] Andrea’s school is the <a href="https://www.clubkafterschool.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Club K After School Zone</a>, a full after-school daycare service for families with 60 employees and over 500 kids served. She discusses how she fell into child care and education, and never saw herself as an owner and operator of a successful company. This fall, Club K will have 11 locations in three districts spread out in the metropolitan Portland area. [12:05] Andrea enjoyed her job at working at a Montessori school, and that began her path of many years and energy spent in childcare.  [13:39] Andrea discusses the conveniences and challenges of her stand-alone program. They have anywhere from 30-60 kids in a gym or cafeteria, and everything must be portable, flexible (and cheerful) in case they need to be moved. There are responsibilities of the traditional model that Andrea and her team are free from, including no maintenance and bussing.  [17:44] They have added more Club K locations every year, and the process is different depending on the particular district. [21:34] Andrea has a pretty natural fit for her marketing, as she has access to the kids that attend the school. They do have families that attend her program that do not attend the school, so at some point, they may be doing bussing programs. [22:34] Andrea is figuring out how to serve lower socioeconomic communities better, including scholarships. [25:01] Club K’s revenue has doubled since joining the Child Care Success Academy, and she is serving twice as many kids. [27:15] It is imperative for the staff to roll with the older kids and keep one step ahead of them so they aren’t always standing in line waiting. Andrea ensures her staff is connected with the kids and ready to have fun with a sense of humor. [28:09] Club K’s employees range from age 16-year-old high school student to adults in their early 70’s. The commonality is they all love kids and come together to provide a service for working families. [31:52] Culture is very important at Club K. Andrea has built a team focused on solutions, with a bright and sunny optimistic attitude. They still have challenges, but they handle it with a team mentality with kind and thoughtful actions instead of ruminating on something out of their control. She has a leadership team that is in charge of social events and gives achievement points for additional pay. [42:52] Learning how to speak up and confidently voice her opinion was one of the biggest shifts Andrea has made professionally over the past several years. [45:13] To Andrea, a rock star is the whole package of someone that has fun, sees the humor in life, and gets their job done while encouraging their team. Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/portfolio-item/kris-murray-child-care-marketing-expert/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Marketing Solutions</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Child Care Success Summit </a> <a href="http://growyourcenter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Grow Your Center </a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Child-Care-Marketing-Guide/dp/1605540838" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Ultimate Child Care Marketing Guide: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Success, by Kris Murray </a> <a href="https://www.childcare-marketing.com/enrollment-bootcamp-live" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Enrollment Bootcamp </a> <a href="https://www.clubkafterschool.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Club K After School Zone </a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/clubkafterschoolzone/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Club K After School Facebook </a> <a href="https://scalingup.com/book/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scaling Up: How a Few Companies  Make It…and Why  the Rest Don’t, by Verne Harnish</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Complaint-Gift-Customer-Feedback-Strategic/dp/1576755827" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> A Complaint is a Gift: Using Customer Feedback as a Strategic Tool, by Janelle Barlow and Claus Møller</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Slight-Edge-Turning-Disciplines-Happiness/dp/1626340463" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness, by Jeff Olson and John David Mann </a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Success-Teens-About-Using-Slight/dp/0979034159" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Success for Teens: Real Teens Talk About Using the Slight Edge, by John Fleming</a>

A Non-Traditional (and fun) Approach to Child Care with Andrea Wortman

In this inspirational episode, we hear from Kris’s very first client Alison Pfeister and her daughter Alexandra Kroon. Their school, the TLC Academy for Young Children in Hudson, Ohio is a family owned business, founded by Alison and her husband in 1989 after the birth of Alexandra, who now serves as the director. Alison shares the story of how TLC continues to be successful after many years, highlights of her journey as an early child care business owner, and provides resources and inspiration for building a culture of play, respect, and transparency.   Key Takeaways: [2:52] Big announcement — the company name has changed! Instead of Child Care Marketing Solutions, it is now the Child Care Success Company. Kris couldn’t be more excited for the rebrand and it fits the mission and vision perfectly. [13:06] Kent and Alison decided to create their own child development center that would provide the best in care and education. They couldn’t find any they felt 100% certain about, so they put their careers on hold and renovated a church. They opened TLC in March of 1990. Their daughter Alexandra was the first baby, and now she is the Director. They used her as the standard and now it’s come three generations in with Alexandra’s children attending the school. [15:19] Usually the cycle of enrollment tightly follows employment and jobs in this country. That is a major reason why schools must work hard to become recession-proof and build the strength of their business. [16:02] TLC is at 75-80 max capacity with a high retention rate, and it has been almost 30 years since the doors of TLC first sprang open, but the motto remains the same: The best is the least we can do for your child. [22:51] Kris and her team’s vision is to make a difference in the lives of one million children. They are in the process of tracking exactly how many, but they think they’ve touched 750,000 children so far. Pretty close! [28:24] Yes, there is a mud kitchen at TLC! Along with a garden, components of an outdoor classroom, a Farm-to-Table program and walking field trips. Experiential learning is very important and they like to foster a connection with nature. [33:46] At TLC, they encourage teachers to remember that each child is different and it’s important to be flexible when coming up with solutions. [36:11] Consistency in training is important, and letting the teachers feel heard is one of the ways they can keep them healthy and happy. TLC also offers professional development, organizational structure, and the blessing to grow and learn if they need to experience something even bigger. [42:43] To Alison and Alexandra, being a child care rockstar is someone that has the ability to create safety for the children and the patience and dedication to develop a bond with both the kids and parents. [48:45] College programs with young ECE students are often great resources for student teachers.    Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray The Child Care Success Company  Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit Janet Lansbury Ohio Voices for Learning Kent State  Designs for Living and Learning: Transforming Early Childhood Environments, by Deb Curtis and Margie Carter TLC Academy  

In this inspirational episode, we hear from Kris’s very first client Alison Pfeister and her daughter Alexandra Kroon. Their school, the TLC Academy for Young Children in Hudson, Ohio is a family owned business, founded by Alison and her husband in 1989 after the birth of Alexandra, who now serves as the director. Alison shares the story of how TLC continues to be successful after many years, highlights of her journey as an early child care business owner, and provides resources and inspiration for building a culture of play, respect, and transparency. Key Takeaways: [2:52] Big announcement — the company name has changed! Instead of Child Care Marketing Solutions, it is now the Child Care Success Company. Kris couldn’t be more excited for the rebrand and it fits the mission and vision perfectly. [13:06] Kent and Alison decided to create their own child development center that would provide the best in care and education. They couldn’t find any they felt 100% certain about, so they put their careers on hold and renovated a church. They opened TLC in March of 1990. Their daughter Alexandra was the first baby, and now she is the Director. They used her as the standard and now it’s come three generations in with Alexandra’s children attending the school. [15:19] Usually the cycle of enrollment tightly follows employment and jobs in this country. That is a major reason why schools must work hard to become recession-proof and build the strength of their business. [16:02] TLC is at 75-80 max capacity with a high retention rate, and it has been almost 30 years since the doors of TLC first sprang open, but the motto remains the same: The best is the least we can do for your child. [22:51] Kris and her team’s vision is to make a difference in the lives of one million children. They are in the process of tracking exactly how many, but they think they’ve touched 750,000 children so far. Pretty close! [28:24] Yes, there is a mud kitchen at TLC! Along with a garden, components of an outdoor classroom, a Farm-to-Table program and walking field trips. Experiential learning is very important and they like to foster a connection with nature. [33:46] At TLC, they encourage teachers to remember that each child is different and it’s important to be flexible when coming up with solutions. [36:11] Consistency in training is important, and letting the teachers feel heard is one of the ways they can keep them healthy and happy. TLC also offers professional development, organizational structure, and the blessing to grow and learn if they need to experience something even bigger. [42:43] To Alison and Alexandra, being a child care rockstar is someone that has the ability to create safety for the children and the patience and dedication to develop a bond with both the kids and parents. [48:45] College programs with young ECE students are often great resources for student teachers. <ul> <li>Mentioned in This Episode:</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.childcare-marketing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Child Care Success Company</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Child Care Success Summit</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.janetlansbury.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Janet Lansbury</a></li> <li><a href="https://ohiovoices.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ohio Voices for Learning</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.kent.edu/earlychildhood" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kent State</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Designs-Living-Learning-Transforming-Environments/dp/1929610297" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Designs for Living and Learning: Transforming Early Childhood Environments, by Deb Curtis and Margie Carter</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.tlchudson.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TLC Academy </a></li> </ul>

Tell Your Story, and Then Never Stop Telling It with Alison Pfeister and Alexandra Kroon

Marnie Forestieri

My guest today is an early childhood business powerhouse, whom I have yet to meet in person but who has inspired me and many others in the field. Marnie Forestieri is Chief Learning Officer and Co-Founder at Amazing Explorers Academy in Florida, which she helped build from the ground up and now has two busy and thriving locations. She tells us about her journey, how STEM folds into her mission of innovation and problem-solving in early childhood, and the group approach and empowerment process of hiring new teachers, all the way up to the onboarding process. Marnie brought her professional expertise outside of early childhood and embraced it to start her own game and ultimately change some of the rules. I love how Marnie promotes from within and helps groom her own for more leadership and success.   Key Takeaways: [3:02] Marnie moved to the United States 10 years ago as an investor, and first purchased a franchise for almost a decade. She found three things that told her she had a different calling: the need to innovate, to introduce STEM toys, and the opportunity to bridge a gap between the educators and business people. [5:34] Her first step to opening Amazing Explorers Academy was a lot of research and travel to try to come up with comparisons in other countries. She knew it had to be tailored to the needs and standards of our countries. Her reporter background helped in creating the framework of what needed to be done. [13:18] STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is becoming the new trend in education. By the time children are in third grade, one-third of the boys and girls have lost their interest in these topics. [16:09] They are opening nine more schools this year. Marnie shares how their innovative and group approach to the interview process and intensive training for new hires makes sure they are empowered and held accountable. [24:07] Every part of what Amazing Explorers Academy does needs to have accountability, children’s assessments, or a KPI. [30:46] Marnie believes in leading by example and that their biggest asset is the people that make up the business. [34:32] Amazing Explorers Academy has a bright future and is on the path to growing into new states and markets. They are opening their first prototype in Lake Nona, Florida, which is an area known for innovation. [37:45] According to Marnie, teachers are rockstars. Anyone that spends a whole day with a bunch of two-year-olds knows it’s not an easy job!   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray  Child Care Marketing Solutions  Child Care Success Academy Amazing Explorers Academy  The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon, by Brad Stone STEM Play: Integrating Inquiry into Learning Centers, by Deirdre Sheridan Englehart, EdD Debby Mitchell, Junie Albers-Biddle, Kelly Jennings-Towle, and  Marnie Forestieri Growing Up Wild Dale Carnegie     More About Marnie: Marnie is an entrepreneur with a passion for education and innovation with an ability to translate market trends into successful business models and innovations. Marnie and the education team have been recognized nationally and collaborated to design a line of STEM toys for Kaplan Early Learning and write books for Gryphon House. Marnie has been recognized in the industry nationally, including finalist of the award “Director of the Year” and the winner of the “Center of the Year” award by FACCM. Prior to starting her career in education, she was a reporter for CNN Spanish and later became the VP of marketing of a telecommunications company. Marnie holds a BS in business administration, a Director’s credential, CDA (Child Development Associate) and is a graduate of Stanford University Latino Entrepreneurs Leaders Program.

My guest today is an early childhood business powerhouse, whom I have yet to meet in person but who has inspired me and many others in the field. Marnie Forestieri is Chief Learning Officer and Co-Founder at Amazing Explorers Academy in Florida, which she helped build from the ground up and now has two busy and thriving locations. She tells us about her journey, how STEM folds into her mission of innovation and problem-solving in early childhood, and the group approach and empowerment process of hiring new teachers, all the way up to the onboarding process. Marnie brought her professional expertise outside of early childhood and embraced it to start her own game and ultimately change some of the rules. I love how Marnie promotes from within and helps groom her own for more leadership and success. Key Takeaways: [3:02] Marnie moved to the United States 10 years ago as an investor, and first purchased a franchise for almost a decade. She found three things that told her she had a different calling: the need to innovate, to introduce STEM toys, and the opportunity to bridge a gap between the educators and business people. [5:34] Her first step to opening Amazing Explorers Academy was a lot of research and travel to try to come up with comparisons in other countries. She knew it had to be tailored to the needs and standards of our countries. Her reporter background helped in creating the framework of what needed to be done. [13:18] STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is becoming the new trend in education. By the time children are in third grade, one-third of the boys and girls have lost their interest in these topics. [16:09] They are opening nine more schools this year. Marnie shares how their innovative and group approach to the interview process and intensive training for new hires makes sure they are empowered and held accountable. [24:07] Every part of what Amazing Explorers Academy does needs to have accountability, children’s assessments, or a KPI. [30:46] Marnie believes in leading by example and that their biggest asset is the people that make up the business. [34:32] Amazing Explorers Academy has a bright future and is on the path to growing into new states and markets. They are opening their first prototype in Lake Nona, Florida, which is an area known for innovation. [37:45] According to Marnie, teachers are rockstars. Anyone that spends a whole day with a bunch of two-year-olds knows it’s not an easy job! Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/portfolio-item/kris-murray-child-care-marketing-expert/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Marketing Solutions</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="http://aexplorers.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazing Explorers Academy</a> <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=t95iRvivDHIC&amp;source=productsearch&amp;utm_source=HA_Desktop_US&amp;utm_medium=SEM&amp;utm_campaign=PLA&amp;pcampaignid=MKTAD0930BO1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjw4eXPBRCtARIsADvOjY1Xmt_Qpj3_72sosRajuKFdokiOtHRiaN11O-2k4cppN75lVzfnvbkaAvMUEALw_wcB&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds&amp;dclid=CN7Q2r3tntcCFQ3BZAodgkkKWg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon, by Brad Stone</a> <a href="https://www.gryphonhouse.com/books/details/stem-play" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">STEM Play: Integrating Inquiry into Learning Centers, by Deirdre Sheridan Englehart, EdD Debby Mitchell, Junie Albers-Biddle, Kelly Jennings-Towle, and  Marnie Forestieri</a> <a href="http://www.projectwild.org/GrowingUpWILD.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Growing Up Wild</a> <a href="https://www.dalecarnegie.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dale Carnegie</a> More About Marnie: Marnie is an entrepreneur with a passion for education and innovation with an ability to translate market trends into successful business models and innovations. Marnie and the education team have been recognized nationally and collaborated to design a line of STEM toys for Kaplan Early Learning and write books for Gryphon House. Marnie has been recognized in the industry nationally, including finalist of the award “Director of the Year” and the winner of the “Center of the Year” award by FACCM. Prior to starting her career in education, she was a reporter for CNN Spanish and later became the VP of marketing of a telecommunications company. Marnie holds a BS in business administration, a Director’s credential, CDA (Child Development Associate) and is a graduate of Stanford University Latino Entrepreneurs Leaders Program.

The Power of Innovation and Collaboration with Marnie Forestieri

Lety and Raoul of Springview Academy in Florida join the show today to talk about working as a married couple, the cute story of how they met and became a partnership, and spotting teacher burnout. They are both highly focused on professional development, active leadership and creating a culture that serves children and their families yet also provides the staff with a healthy amount of freedom and autonomy. They also talk about how they went from 125 children to 350, almost tripling their attendance, and the strategies of success that keep them at the top of their game.   Key Takeaways: [13:01] Lety and Raoul of Springview Academy are married and they structure the business to highlight each of their strengths. Raoul focuses on the billing and financial aspect, while Lety is the primary contact for parents, directors and other teachers. [13:50] Lety has an education background with over 13 years of experience in the field of early childhood, and a Master of Science in Educational Leadership, which is something that gives them quite an edge over their competitors. Her biggest accomplishment, though, is being a parent and having a special needs child. [16:44] Lety and Raoul partnered early on in their relationship, with a business transaction first before marriage. Raoul’s offering to give her a loan worked out quite well for both of them, and now they are happily married and partners, three years later. [21:19] Miami is very competitive for child care centers. Besides Lety’s background in education, other success strategies that set them apart include going above and beyond in communication with parents, great follow-through, and fun activities. [24:09] It’s important for leaders to recognize burnout in their staff. Lety actively manages it by paying attention to who may be burnt out and having transparent conversations on what it is they need to feel energized and fresh. They also have put back-up systems in place to give teachers time off when they need to recharge, even if it’s not paid. [29:02] Lety and Raoul partake in same page meetings and use the days after conferences as a chance to get away on an extra honeymoon. [31:33] Some of their key success strategies since joining the Academy includes educating themselves on CRM, knowing the metrics of their business, and getting real about their numbers. [32:55] Just by charging weekly instead of monthly, Lety and Raoul made $50k annually. [38:48] Springview runs like a small company with attention to the people and culture, but like a big company with systematization, structure, and autonomy. Tools like sales scripts and phone scripts create freedom and consistency. [47:46] To Leddy and Raoul, a rock star is someone that helps others, and has a life that is both professionally and personally fulfilling. They create high-quality programs and have a great company culture, but aren’t afraid to get off the grid and focus on personal connection. [52:49] Lety and Raoul expanded into K-5 by demand from their parents. They are on fire now, but there were growing pains and learning lessons along the way. From a marketing standpoint, it was the same, but from an administration standpoint, it was a whole new ballgame.   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray The Child Care Success Company  Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit  The Road Less Stupid, by Keith J. Cunningham  Move Your Bus: An Extraordinary New Approach to Accelerating Success in Work and Life, by Ron Clark Springview Academy VPK  Grow Your Center  Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, by Gino Wickman Florida Early Learning Coalitions  Brian Duprey   The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness, by Jeff Olson and John David Mann  Child Care Millionaire: Secrets to Building a Profitable 7 or 8 Figure Child Care Business, by Brian Duprey

Lety and Raoul of Springview Academy in Florida join the show today to talk about working as a married couple, the cute story of how they met and became a partnership, and spotting teacher burnout. They are both highly focused on professional development, active leadership and creating a culture that serves children and their families yet also provides the staff with a healthy amount of freedom and autonomy. They also talk about how they went from 125 children to 350, almost tripling their attendance, and the strategies of success that keep them at the top of their game. Key Takeaways: [13:01] Lety and Raoul of Springview Academy are married and they structure the business to highlight each of their strengths. Raoul focuses on the billing and financial aspect, while Lety is the primary contact for parents, directors and other teachers. [13:50] Lety has an education background with over 13 years of experience in the field of early childhood, and a Master of Science in Educational Leadership, which is something that gives them quite an edge over their competitors. Her biggest accomplishment, though, is being a parent and having a special needs child. [16:44] Lety and Raoul partnered early on in their relationship, with a business transaction first before marriage. Raoul’s offering to give her a loan worked out quite well for both of them, and now they are happily married and partners, three years later. [21:19] Miami is very competitive for child care centers. Besides Lety’s background in education, other success strategies that set them apart include going above and beyond in communication with parents, great follow-through, and fun activities. [24:09] It’s important for leaders to recognize burnout in their staff. Lety actively manages it by paying attention to who may be burnt out and having transparent conversations on what it is they need to feel energized and fresh. They also have put back-up systems in place to give teachers time off when they need to recharge, even if it’s not paid. [29:02] Lety and Raoul partake in same page meetings and use the days after conferences as a chance to get away on an extra honeymoon. [31:33] Some of their key success strategies since joining the Academy includes educating themselves on CRM, knowing the metrics of their business, and getting real about their numbers. [32:55] Just by charging weekly instead of monthly, Lety and Raoul made $50k annually. [38:48] Springview runs like a small company with attention to the people and culture, but like a big company with systematization, structure, and autonomy. Tools like sales scripts and phone scripts create freedom and consistency. [47:46] To Leddy and Raoul, a rock star is someone that helps others, and has a life that is both professionally and personally fulfilling. They create high-quality programs and have a great company culture, but aren’t afraid to get off the grid and focus on personal connection. [52:49] Lety and Raoul expanded into K-5 by demand from their parents. They are on fire now, but there were growing pains and learning lessons along the way. From a marketing standpoint, it was the same, but from an administration standpoint, it was a whole new ballgame. Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="https://www.childcare-marketing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Child Care Success Company</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Road-Less-Stupid-Keith-Cunningham/dp/0984659269/ref=sr_1_2?gclid=CjwKCAjw1rnqBRAAEiwAr29II6A1CHrh34SAqo5RcMnShBbhBdSJKHd1fTrdKRYK1WSOp24dM1vIoRoCN04QAvD_BwE&amp;hvadid=267928151659&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvlocphy=9031357&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvpos=1t1&amp;hvqmt=e&amp;hvrand=8235149005565300058&amp;hvtargid=kwd-464490709663&amp;hydadcr=24631_9648902&amp;keywords=the+road+to+less+stupid&amp;qid=1565462316&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Road Less Stupid, by Keith J. Cunningham</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Move-Your-Bus-Extraordinary-Accelerating/dp/1442391677" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Move Your Bus: An Extraordinary New Approach to Accelerating Success in Work and Life, by Ron Clark</a> <a href="https://springviewacademy.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Springview Academy</a> <a href="https://www.vpkhelp.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">VPK </a> <a href="https://www.growyourcenter.com/?r_done=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Grow Your Center</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, by Gino Wickman</a> <a href="http://flbt5.floridaearlylearning.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Florida Early Learning Coalitions</a> <a href="https://www.childcare-marketing.com/child-care-marketing-blog/portfolio-item/brian-duprey/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Brian Duprey </a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Slight-Edge-Turning-Disciplines-Happiness/dp/1626340463" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness, by Jeff Olson and John David Mann</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Child-Care-Millionaire-Building-Profitable/dp/1726776018" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Millionaire: Secrets to Building a Profitable 7 or 8 Figure Child Care Business, by Brian Duprey</a>

How to Spot Teacher Burnout, and How to Manage It with Lety Carvajal and Raul Pineyro

Kris Murray

In this week’s episode, we flip the podcast and replay the conversation Kris recently had with Ron Spreeuwenburg from The Preschool Podcast. They discuss why marketing strategies are important for child care, the change in the landscape of how people should market, and the two main buckets to be sure your strategy is covering. Kris also discusses how to build trust and rapport with potential and existing parents, and why it’s okay to show the whole world how cool and innovative your work is.   Key Takeaways: [1:22] The Preschool Podcast is brought to you by HiMama, a platform for learning from leading professionals in early childhood education. [7:28] The North American Child Care Benchmark Study is here, and would love your help in providing a broader base to the sample size. The more data, the better. [13:59] Any business needs to market so they can be found by the best clients and maximize their enrollment. [15:34] Even at 90% enrolled, you are still leaving thousands of dollars on the table. [16:30] The two buckets that Kris feels are important to cover in digital marketing are researching and social media. [19:34] Visibility on Google is key to enrollment. When parents are googling “child care” or “daycare” in your location, it is important to be one of the top results. [24:48] Schools should have a business page, and it is more about engagement now than likes. While targeted ads can be more direct, we should think of Facebook as a tool to bolster human engagement and connection. Pictures, videos, and comments are great ways to start a conversation and add texture to the community. [30:58] The more real and human a business is on Facebook, the more it will build trust from Millennial parents. [37:58] Many business owners just want to focus on their business and not dive into social media. That is fine, just make sure you have an expert such as Kris Murray’s team on board to make sure you have your bases covered. [38:10] Don’t be shy about sharing all the great and exciting stuff you are doing on your website and social media!   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray  Child Care Marketing Solutions  Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit The Preschool Podcast HiMama  Digital Marketing and Social Media Strategies for Child Care HiMama/Benchmark

In this week’s episode, we flip the podcast and replay the conversation Kris recently had with Ron Spreeuwenburg from The Preschool Podcast. They discuss why marketing strategies are important for child care, the change in the landscape of how people should market, and the two main buckets to be sure your strategy is covering. Kris also discusses how to build trust and rapport with potential and existing parents, and why it’s okay to show the whole world how cool and innovative your work is. Key Takeaways: [1:22] The Preschool Podcast is brought to you by HiMama, a platform for learning from leading professionals in early childhood education. [7:28] The <a href="https://blog.himama.com/benchmark-2018/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">North American Child Care Benchmark Study</a> is here, and would love your help in providing a broader base to the sample size. The more data, the better. [13:59] Any business needs to market so they can be found by the best clients and maximize their enrollment. [15:34] Even at 90% enrolled, you are still leaving thousands of dollars on the table. [16:30] The two buckets that Kris feels are important to cover in digital marketing are researching and social media. [19:34] Visibility on Google is key to enrollment. When parents are googling “child care” or “daycare” in your location, it is important to be one of the top results. [24:48] Schools should have a business page, and it is more about engagement now than likes. While targeted ads can be more direct, we should think of Facebook as a tool to bolster human engagement and connection. Pictures, videos, and comments are great ways to start a conversation and add texture to the community. [30:58] The more real and human a business is on Facebook, the more it will build trust from Millennial parents. [37:58] Many business owners just want to focus on their business and not dive into social media. That is fine, just make sure you have an expert such as Kris Murray’s team on board to make sure you have your bases covered. [38:10] Don’t be shy about sharing all the great and exciting stuff you are doing on your website and social media! Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/portfolio-item/kris-murray-child-care-marketing-expert/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Marketing Solutions</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://himama.libsyn.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Preschool Podcast</a> <a href="https://www.himama.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HiMama</a> <a href="https://blog.himama.com/digital-marketing-social-media-strategies-for-childcare/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Digital Marketing and Social Media Strategies for Child Care</a> <a href="https://blog.himama.com/benchmark-2018/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HiMama/Benchmark</a>

Kris Murray on The Preschool Podcast — Digital Marketing and Social Media Strategies for Child Care

Ann Rhoades

Ann Rhoades joins the show to discuss her extremely important and successful careers at Southwest Airlines and JetBlue, and shares more about the extraordinary service she and her team at People Ink provide for leaders looking to shape and define their culture. A highly sought-after speaker and author behind the book Built on Values, she provides inspiration and strategic direction for many companies around the world. Ann talks about why core values are integral to the success of the culture, how we define and determine a great culture, interviewing tips for hiring players aligned with the company value systems, and the qualities of good leadership.   Key Takeaways: [2:48] Ann speaks about the development of her interest in working with people and leadership. She noticed the consistencies around organizations that were successful in creating a productive and accountable culture and sought to help others create and execute sustainable well-defined core values. [6:48] Ann lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico and loves being in the mountain air. She loves to travel herself and is extremely excited to announce a new model to bring the cost of travel back to basics with values from the onset. [11:36] We can determine if our culture is working by talking openly with our existing employees, looking at the data, turnover, and customer satisfaction. [14:34] When building a culture from scratch, it’s imperative to get the right people in the room. We define the behaviors, and look at how the A players behave as a model for all to emulate. [18:40] Values and language that a company chooses to align with may change over time due to growth and global expansion. [20:55] Ann’s advice for interviewing is to ask more about past behaviors as they relate to values than about why someone wants to work for your particular company. [27:53] If you are the CEO and leader, you have to be visible and engaged. [31:08] One of Ann’s future goals is to learn more languages and immerse herself in other cultures. [32:08] Ann defines a leadership rockstar as someone that leads by example and is very confident but not arrogant. [33:52] Ann wrote her book Built on Values as a prescriptive to help people understand the science and methodology of building a culture. This is a great resource for smaller companies who also may not be able to afford someone to come in and has practical action items that make a measured difference. [39:52] Core value shout outs are great for highlighting employees that live and breathe a particular value.   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray  Child Care Marketing Solutions  Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit  Built on Values: Creating an Enviable Culture that Outperforms the Competition, by Ann Rhoades and Nancy Shepherdson Ann Rhoades Peopleink  21 Lessons for the 21st Century, by Yuval Noah Harari  Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb

Ann Rhoades joins the show to discuss her extremely important and successful careers at Southwest Airlines and JetBlue, and shares more about the extraordinary service she and her team at People Ink provide for leaders looking to shape and define their culture. A highly sought-after speaker and author behind the book Built on Values, she provides inspiration and strategic direction for many companies around the world. Ann talks about why core values are integral to the success of the culture, how we define and determine a great culture, interviewing tips for hiring players aligned with the company value systems, and the qualities of good leadership. Key Takeaways: [2:48] Ann speaks about the development of her interest in working with people and leadership. She noticed the consistencies around organizations that were successful in creating a productive and accountable culture and sought to help others create and execute sustainable well-defined core values. [6:48] Ann lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico and loves being in the mountain air. She loves to travel herself and is extremely excited to announce a new model to bring the cost of travel back to basics with values from the onset. [11:36] We can determine if our culture is working by talking openly with our existing employees, looking at the data, turnover, and customer satisfaction. [14:34] When building a culture from scratch, it’s imperative to get the right people in the room. We define the behaviors, and look at how the A players behave as a model for all to emulate. [18:40] Values and language that a company chooses to align with may change over time due to growth and global expansion. [20:55] Ann’s advice for interviewing is to ask more about past behaviors as they relate to values than about why someone wants to work for your particular company. [27:53] If you are the CEO and leader, you have to be visible and engaged. [31:08] One of Ann’s future goals is to learn more languages and immerse herself in other cultures. [32:08] Ann defines a leadership rockstar as someone that leads by example and is very confident but not arrogant. [33:52] Ann wrote her book Built on Values as a prescriptive to help people understand the science and methodology of building a culture. This is a great resource for smaller companies who also may not be able to afford someone to come in and has practical action items that make a measured difference. [39:52] Core value shout outs are great for highlighting employees that live and breathe a particular value. Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/portfolio-item/kris-murray-child-care-marketing-expert/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Marketing Solutions</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Built-Values-Creating-Outperforms-Competition/dp/0470901926" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Built on Values: Creating an Enviable Culture that Outperforms the Competition, by Ann Rhoades and Nancy Shepherdson</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/annrhoades/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ann Rhoades</a> <a href="http://www.peopleink.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Peopleink</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-21st-Century-Yuval-Harari/dp/0525512179/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1549678184&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=21+lessons+for+the+21st+century+by+yuval+noah+harari" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, by Yuval Noah Harari</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beating-Midas-Curse-Cochell-Rodney/dp/1933694009" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Beating the Midas Curse, by Perry L. Cochell and Rodney C. Zeeb</a>

Why a Values-Based Approach is a Game Changer for Companies Big and Small with Ann Rhoades

Victoria Lynch

Victoria Lynch and her team at First Discovery Children’s Academy in Virginia are having what she feels is the best year yet, and she explains what exactly her process has been for their expansion, growth, and most importantly — fun. Victoria shares with Kris how game-changing it was to finally hire an Executive Director, her methods for delegating, and which of her marketing efforts provided the largest enrollment boosts. Victoria also shares the wisdom she has learned since beginning her journey with First Academy and why a true child care rockstar never gives up on their dreams.    Key Takeaways: [1:08] Victoria is up to three First Discovery locations in Virginia, and she has been in the business for over 10 years. She and Kris agree that it takes time and hours to master your craft and a decade in the business certainly helps. [7:03] Victoria hired an Executive Director who has been with her for eight years. She helps immensely by taking some of the day-to-day stuff off her plate so she can focus on her tasks and not get too distracted. [11:24] Victoria has had much success in implementing the EOS structure for effective and efficient meetings that give others on her team a chance to identify, discuss, and solve their issues. [16:24] When Victoria provided her team with an enrollment gaining incentive of having the change to go on a vacation, she saw a 20% increase in enrollment from it. She also provided them with peer mentors and helps build them up to have a well-rounded experience, both personally and professionally. [26:39] Victoria has a great mindset and it inspires others around her. She realizes that a true child care rockstar doesn’t wait for the right time to go after their goals. They also have emotional resilience, and understand that quitting is not an option. [35:21] If she could do it all again, from day one Victoria would start tracking and implementing different marketing strategies, start collecting parent testimonials and reviews, and take clarity breaks.    Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray The Child Care Success Company  Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit First Discovery Children’s Academy EOS Worldwide  The Alter Ego Effect: The Power of Secret Identities to Transform Your Life, by Todd Herman  High-Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way, by Brandon Burchard

Victoria Lynch and her team at First Discovery Children’s Academy in Virginia are having what she feels is the best year yet, and she explains what exactly her process has been for their expansion, growth, and most importantly — fun. Victoria shares with Kris how game-changing it was to finally hire an Executive Director, her methods for delegating, and which of her marketing efforts provided the largest enrollment boosts. Victoria also shares the wisdom she has learned since beginning her journey with First Academy and why a true child care rockstar never gives up on their dreams.  Key Takeaways: [1:08] Victoria is up to three First Discovery locations in Virginia, and she has been in the business for over 10 years. She and Kris agree that it takes time and hours to master your craft and a decade in the business certainly helps. [7:03] Victoria hired an Executive Director who has been with her for eight years. She helps immensely by taking some of the day-to-day stuff off her plate so she can focus on her tasks and not get too distracted. [11:24] Victoria has had much success in implementing the EOS structure for effective and efficient meetings that give others on her team a chance to identify, discuss, and solve their issues. [16:24] When Victoria provided her team with an enrollment gaining incentive of having the change to go on a vacation, she saw a 20% increase in enrollment from it. She also provided them with peer mentors and helps build them up to have a well-rounded experience, both personally and professionally. [26:39] Victoria has a great mindset and it inspires others around her. She realizes that a true child care rockstar doesn’t wait for the right time to go after their goals. They also have emotional resilience, and understand that quitting is not an option. [35:21] If she could do it all again, from day one Victoria would start tracking and implementing different marketing strategies, start collecting parent testimonials and reviews, and take clarity breaks.  Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="https://www.childcare-marketing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Child Care Success Company</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://www.fdacademy.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">First Discovery Children’s Academy</a> <a href="https://www.eosworldwide.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">EOS Worldwide</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Alter-Ego-Effect-Identities-Transform-ebook/dp/B075WPWMSK" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Alter Ego Effect: The Power of Secret Identities to Transform Your Life, by Todd Herman</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/High-Performance-Habits-Extraordinary-People/dp/1401952852" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> High-Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way, by Brandon Burchard</a>

Where There's a Will There's a Way with Victoria Lynch

Vernon Mason

In today’s episode, Kris is joined with one of her favorite friends in the industry, Vernon Mason. Vernon has over 25 years of experience in early childhood. He shares with us his journey of how he started and some of the key points that allowed him to grow from a school of 30 into now five locations. Vernon is an inspiration as a leader and rockstar! Vernon makes it fun and open, from making the snacks in a classroom to helping directors find the confidence and skills to be great leaders themselves. They also cover hiring and letting employees go, his rewards and motivation systems, and what’s next in his career!   Key Takeaways: [:52] Today’s guest is Vernon Mason. He has been in early childhood for over 25 years, and with a $5,000 credit card in 1991, he and his mom opened a small child care center that grew to 125 children. In 1999, it was destroyed by a natural disaster, and he rebuilt and has since grown into 5 locations. [5:28] One of Vernon’s original schools grew and expanded, but then got flooded due to a hurricane. They were closed for 2 days then moved to a downtown location for a year, where the parents would drive out of their way just to go to the school. Within two years he doubled the attendance, and grew the number of teachers he hired, as well. [7:27] Vernon thanks Kris for helping to rejuvenate him in a time of burnout from the stress of expansion. Getting clear on his to do list and his day became a way to get him more focused with an efficient strategy to work on high-payoff activities. [11:54] Loyalty, openness, and incentives are very big to Vernon when hiring and working with his directors. [16:25] They are focusing a lot of attention on good attendance, and he has a great rewards program for those with great and near perfect attendance. They also give a reward for going above and beyond with a sense of enthusiasm and energy. [22:19] Vernon gives tips and shares his own experiences on being able to let someone go that isn’t a fit for the company in a respectful and professional manner. [29:52] Having a “three strikes rule” is a good tool to maintain core values within the company. [43:26] A key to good leadership is vulnerability and letting people see your imperfections. [45:24] Vernon has done 16 keynote talks this year, so he may be taking a little keynote break! His second book will also be out soon.   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray  Child Care Marketing Solutions  Child Care Success Academy  The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, by Michael E. Gerber  Don’t Go!: A Practical Guide for Tackling Employee Turnover, by Vernon H Mason  The Freak Factor: Discovering Uniqueness by Flaunting Weakness, by David J. Rendall  The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin  The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy, by Jon Gordon Directors Leadership Solutions

In today’s episode, Kris is joined with one of her favorite friends in the industry, Vernon Mason. Vernon has over 25 years of experience in early childhood. He shares with us his journey of how he started and some of the key points that allowed him to grow from a school of 30 into now five locations. Vernon is an inspiration as a leader and rockstar! Vernon makes it fun and open, from making the snacks in a classroom to helping directors find the confidence and skills to be great leaders themselves. They also cover hiring and letting employees go, his rewards and motivation systems, and what’s next in his career! Key Takeaways: [:52] Today’s guest is Vernon Mason. He has been in early childhood for over 25 years, and with a $5,000 credit card in 1991, he and his mom opened a small child care center that grew to 125 children. In 1999, it was destroyed by a natural disaster, and he rebuilt and has since grown into 5 locations. [5:28] One of Vernon’s original schools grew and expanded, but then got flooded due to a hurricane. They were closed for 2 days then moved to a downtown location for a year, where the parents would drive out of their way just to go to the school. Within two years he doubled the attendance, and grew the number of teachers he hired, as well. [7:27] Vernon thanks Kris for helping to rejuvenate him in a time of burnout from the stress of expansion. Getting clear on his to do list and his day became a way to get him more focused with an efficient strategy to work on high-payoff activities. [11:54] Loyalty, openness, and incentives are very big to Vernon when hiring and working with his directors. [16:25] They are focusing a lot of attention on good attendance, and he has a great rewards program for those with great and near perfect attendance. They also give a reward for going above and beyond with a sense of enthusiasm and energy. [22:19] Vernon gives tips and shares his own experiences on being able to let someone go that isn’t a fit for the company in a respectful and professional manner. [29:52] Having a “three strikes rule” is a good tool to maintain core values within the company. [43:26] A key to good leadership is vulnerability and letting people see your imperfections. [45:24] Vernon has done 16 keynote talks this year, so he may be taking a little keynote break! His second book will also be out soon. Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/portfolio-item/kris-murray-child-care-marketing-expert/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Marketing Solutions</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-About/dp/0887307280" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, by Michael E. Gerber</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Go-Practical-Tackling-Employee/dp/1517476208" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Don’t Go!: A Practical Guide for Tackling Employee Turnover, by Vernon H Mason</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Freak-Factor-Discovering-Uniqueness-Flaunting/dp/1599326698" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Freak Factor: Discovering Uniqueness by Flaunting Weakness, by David J. Rendall</a> <a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/books/the-happiness-project/about-the-book/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Energy-Bus-Rules-Fuel-Positive-ebook/dp/B0086I25S8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy, by Jon Gordon</a> <a href="https://directorsleadershipsolutions.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Directors Leadership Solutions</a>

Expansion, Leadership and Just Plain Old Fun with Vernon Mason

Nina Lemon

Nina Lemon, Owner and Founder of the Lemon Tree Academy in Georgia, has the enthusiasm and commitment to action and implementation of a true Child Care Rockstar. She talks with Kris about how she went from a pediatric nurse to a businesswoman with two full locations, the biggest challenges she faced as she scaled up and out, and how her love of HGTV plays into making her centers a welcoming environment for children and their families. Key Takeaways: Nina has been in child care for six years and grew up around kids as part of her large family. She started as a pediatric nurse and very much enjoyed a job at the local elementary school so much she decided to dedicate more of her time and energy to the industry. Once she had her daughter, she figured out a way to carve a path where she could work where her daughter went to daycare, and now she just opened a second location at full capacity. Fun fact — Nina’s father was in construction and the love carried down to her! Her other career in a different world would be in construction, but for now, she enjoys using her HGTV knowledge to make her schools even better. Her first location went from four paying kids and her daughter to 50, and then to a full location of 94. Nina’s biggest challenge when opening up Lemon Tree Academy and expanding to the second location was learning to expand her comfort zone outside of the classroom. She rose to the occasion and saw the importance of training, duplicating successful methods, and being a positive example to her team. Three other action items that Nina implemented at Lemon Tree that she saw produce positive results were: 1. Creating training videos for staff so they could understand policies and procedures. 2. Share events and accomplishments on Facebook. 3. Reward the staff for their hard work and dedication.  Nina’s mindset shifted when she understood her value, worth, and what she brought to her community.  A true child care rockstar to Nina is someone that is always learning and growing and uses their power to also motivate and help others.   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray The Child Care Success Company  Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit Lemon Tree Academy  LemonTree Academy on Facebook Property Brothers | HGTV   The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, by Michael E. Gerber  Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth, by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares  Move Your Bus: An Extraordinary New Approach to Accelerating Success in Work and Life,by Ron Clark

Nina Lemon, Owner and Founder of the Lemon Tree Academy in Georgia, has the enthusiasm and commitment to action and implementation of a true Child Care Rockstar. She talks with Kris about how she went from a pediatric nurse to a businesswoman with two full locations, the biggest challenges she faced as she scaled up and out, and how her love of HGTV plays into making her centers a welcoming environment for children and their families. Key Takeaways: Nina has been in child care for six years and grew up around kids as part of her large family. She started as a pediatric nurse and very much enjoyed a job at the local elementary school so much she decided to dedicate more of her time and energy to the industry. Once she had her daughter, she figured out a way to carve a path where she could work where her daughter went to daycare, and now she just opened a second location at full capacity. Fun fact — Nina’s father was in construction and the love carried down to her! Her other career in a different world would be in construction, but for now, she enjoys using her HGTV knowledge to make her schools even better. Her first location went from four paying kids and her daughter to 50, and then to a full location of 94. Nina’s biggest challenge when opening up Lemon Tree Academy and expanding to the second location was learning to expand her comfort zone outside of the classroom. She rose to the occasion and saw the importance of training, duplicating successful methods, and being a positive example to her team. Three other action items that Nina implemented at Lemon Tree that she saw produce positive results were: 1. Creating training videos for staff so they could understand policies and procedures. 2. Share events and accomplishments on Facebook. 3. Reward the staff for their hard work and dedication. Nina’s mindset shifted when she understood her value, worth, and what she brought to her community. A true child care rockstar to Nina is someone that is always learning and growing and uses their power to also motivate and help others. Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="https://www.childcare-marketing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Child Care Success Company</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://lemontreeacademy.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lemon Tree Academy </a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheLemontreeAcademy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LemonTree Academy</a> on Facebook <a href="https://www.hgtv.com/shows/property-brothers" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Property Brothers | HGTV </a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-About/dp/0887307280/ref=asc_df_0887307280/?tag=hyprod-20&amp;linkCode=df0&amp;hvadid=312106851030&amp;hvpos=1o1&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvrand=12598555642539895578&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvptwo=&amp;hvqmt=&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvdvcmdl=&amp;hvlocint=&amp;hvlocphy=9031357&amp;hvtargid=pla-361791162205&amp;psc=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, by Michael E. Gerber</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Startup-Achieve-Explosive-Customer/dp/1591848369" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth, by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Move-Your-Bus-Extraordinary-Accelerating/dp/1442391677" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Move Your Bus: An Extraordinary New Approach to Accelerating Success in Work and Life,by Ron Clark</a>

Scaling Up Your School in Every Way with Nina Lemon

Judy Bradby

This week, Kris is thrilled to chat with Judy Bradby, winner of the 2019 Child Care Rockstar Award. As a Pediatric Nurse with over 30 years of experience, Judy saw a need for a place for children who had no other place to go to learn and grow. She opened up LeaRN Lily Child Development Center and through much trial and error and overcoming adversity, now has tripled her enrollment in just 8 months. Judy talks about her nursing background, her mission behind LeaRN Lily, the mistakes she learned along the way, and her vision for the future to provide medical daycare to children all across the country.   Key Takeaways: Judy has a background in Pediatric Nursing and is an RN with 30-plus years of experience. She saw a need for the children to have a place to go, and also for a place that parents could drop their kids off at with trust and comfort so they could work and earn a living as well. She opened LeaRN Lily and currently has a capacity of 60 with 44 children enrolled. Fun fact: Judy met her husband in an online chat room, and they have a teenage son together. But don’t worry, she did a background check on him first before meeting IRL (in real life)! When there is a will, there is away. Judy sold her jewelry to become part of the Child Care Success Academy and came back from her first event with a notebook and a half filled with things to start implementing. Judy has gone through Enrollment Boot Camp four times, each time learning something new and valuable. She has changed her mindset and attitude to become more approachable, a true leader, and transparent about what she is looking for in terms of her staff. She now hires her staff with more intention towards the mission and based on their value, instead of coming from a place of desperation and fear. At LeaRN Lily, the program is inclusive for every child. Everyone in the same class is integrated with one another in both learning and play. Judy and her staff had great success in marketing when they became more active on Facebook and getting out more in the community, including working with the local children’s hospital. They also made crafts that parents couldn’t help but love, making them happy to leave the school a great review. One of Judy’s big goals in the future is to expand LeaRN Lily, and possibly franchise it so children all across the country can get the same opportunity. It doesn’t matter if it’s one center or 17, if you are doing the work and taking inspired action, you should be proud of yourself and go for the big dreams. Judy did, and that is what landed her the Rockstar award of 2019.   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray The Child Care Success Company  Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit Bar Rescue LeaRN Lily Contact Judy: jcbradby@gmail.com

This week, Kris is thrilled to chat with Judy Bradby, winner of the 2019 Child Care Rockstar Award. As a Pediatric Nurse with over 30 years of experience, Judy saw a need for a place for children who had no other place to go to learn and grow. She opened up LeaRN Lily Child Development Center and through much trial and error and overcoming adversity, now has tripled her enrollment in just 8 months. Judy talks about her nursing background, her mission behind LeaRN Lily, the mistakes she learned along the way, and her vision for the future to provide medical daycare to children all across the country. Key Takeaways: Judy has a background in Pediatric Nursing and is an RN with 30-plus years of experience. She saw a need for the children to have a place to go, and also for a place that parents could drop their kids off at with trust and comfort so they could work and earn a living as well. She opened LeaRN Lily and currently has a capacity of 60 with 44 children enrolled. Fun fact: Judy met her husband in an online chat room, and they have a teenage son together. But don’t worry, she did a background check on him first before meeting IRL (in real life)! When there is a will, there is away. Judy sold her jewelry to become part of the Child Care Success Academy and came back from her first event with a notebook and a half filled with things to start implementing. Judy has gone through Enrollment Boot Camp four times, each time learning something new and valuable. She has changed her mindset and attitude to become more approachable, a true leader, and transparent about what she is looking for in terms of her staff. She now hires her staff with more intention towards the mission and based on their value, instead of coming from a place of desperation and fear. At LeaRN Lily, the program is inclusive for every child. Everyone in the same class is integrated with one another in both learning and play. Judy and her staff had great success in marketing when they became more active on Facebook and getting out more in the community, including working with the local children’s hospital. They also made crafts that parents couldn’t help but love, making them happy to leave the school a great review. One of Judy’s big goals in the future is to expand LeaRN Lily, and possibly franchise it so children all across the country can get the same opportunity. It doesn’t matter if it’s one center or 17, if you are doing the work and taking inspired action, you should be proud of yourself and go for the big dreams. Judy did, and that is what landed her the Rockstar award of 2019. Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="https://www.childcare-marketing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Child Care Success Company</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://www.paramountnetwork.com/shows/bar-rescue" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bar Rescue</a> <a href="https://www.learnlily.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LeaRN Lily</a> Contact Judy: <a href="mailto:jcbradby@gmail.com">jcbradby@gmail.com</a>

Getting to Know Judy Bradby, Child Care Rockstar Winner 2019

Don Alley is the owner of Center Stage Preschool in Ashburn, VA, and is an example of the results that unfold when you focus and dream big. Don has 30 years of experience in martial arts and has been running his three karate schools successfully for the last twenty years. He built his preschool from scratch in 2016 and quickly filled his location. He joins Kris for a great chat including ways to use playfulness and personality to stand out of the crowd and set yourself apart with high-level marketing assets, expert tips on how to delegate successfully, his future plans of expansion and growth within his schools, and how he manages running multiple brands. This episode is chock full of action items you can use to shift your business right away, so be sure to take some notes of what changes you can begin to implement immediately.   Key Takeaways: [2:40] Fun Fact: A Facebook ad with video usually outperforms a regular post with just a photo by double the amount. A professionally edited video is great, but even just a homemade one from your phone still does the trick. [3:29] Don is our newest Platinum Plus member in the Child Care Success Academy. [4:35] As a special thank you, Kris will be choosing comments left on the podcast page, blog or iTunes and mentioning them on this show! If you want your school to be mentioned, be sure to write it in the comment. You can check out the podcast page on the website here. And, just for listening to this episode, you can save $100 off when you use the code “rockstar” for the Child Care Success Summit. [7:41] Don merged his passion for karate, child care, and theater to create a place for children to experience a unique and challenging curriculum. [11:28] Don married his elementary school crush after he randomly bumped into her years later, and had the courage to ask her out. [12:58] Pick up the pen and journal. It’s therapeutic, and even just writing one page a day is a great way to get the flow moving. Don cites the book The Artist’s Way as a great way to get started. [16:52] Don leverages both of his businesses, and uses the customer base and geographic proximity as supportive tools for recommending the other. [19:14] To have ten locations by the end of 2020 is Don’s goal for the next several years. He also loves helping people figure out their “aha” moments, so consulting and some business-to-business endeavors may be on the horizon as well. [25:57] Don may be the owner of Center Stage, but he thinks of himself and his business assistant/partner Heather as the co-founders. Heather has been instrumental in helping him run his life and business in an organized fashion, so he felt great about both of them working in tandem to create their dreams from scratch with her as Director. He gave her a ton of autonomy within a structure, and she ran with it and is a leader herself while taking a lot off Don’s plate. [30:01] New hires and potential team members must have the right attitude and energy first, as that is something that is next to impossible to train into someone. [30:43] Center Stage’s capacity is 54 and they are currently full, especially thanks to the Enrollment Boot Camp. [32:58] Don uses person-to-person marketing for his karate schools. They will attend events, festivals and give away a guest pass to bring people in. He realized quickly that he needed a different strategy for preschool, and the internet was the best way to make it happen. He first created a flashcard video, and within a short time he had over 30,000 views and was getting recognized in the community as the “preschool guy”! [38:33] If you feel too shy or introverted to put yourself on camera, there are still many workarounds for making great videos, including using kids, another employee that would love to be the face of the business, or taking acting or coaching classes to develop on-camera skills. [45:50] Don’s karate training and mentors taught him to always learn, find solutions, and level up. He uses that mindset for growth in his own profession and the way he inspires others to think of bigger solutions to big problems. [46:56] Don’s definition of a rockstar is someone who is trying to add a tremendous amount of value to their communities with their business, at a level where they themselves have delegated the role of Director.   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray  Child Care Marketing Solutions  Child Care Success Academy Center Stage Preschool Don Alley  The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron Super Kicks Karate  Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money — That The Poor And Middle Class Do Not!, by Robert T. Kiyosaki Flash Card Video Marketing    Rich Dad's CASHFLOW Quadrant: Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom, by Robert T. Kiyosaki  Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill John Maxwell

Don Alley is the owner of Center Stage Preschool in Ashburn, VA, and is an example of the results that unfold when you focus and dream big. Don has 30 years of experience in martial arts and has been running his three karate schools successfully for the last twenty years. He built his preschool from scratch in 2016 and quickly filled his location. He joins Kris for a great chat including ways to use playfulness and personality to stand out of the crowd and set yourself apart with high-level marketing assets, expert tips on how to delegate successfully, his future plans of expansion and growth within his schools, and how he manages running multiple brands. This episode is chock full of action items you can use to shift your business right away, so be sure to take some notes of what changes you can begin to implement immediately. Key Takeaways: [2:40] Fun Fact: A Facebook ad with video usually outperforms a regular post with just a photo by double the amount. A professionally edited video is great, but even just a homemade one from your phone still does the trick. [3:29] Don is our newest Platinum Plus member in the Child Care Success Academy. [4:35] As a special thank you, Kris will be choosing comments left on the podcast page, blog or iTunes and mentioning them on this show! If you want your school to be mentioned, be sure to write it in the comment. You can check out the podcast page on the <a href="https://www.childcare-marketing.com/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website here</a>. And, just for listening to this episode, you can save $100 off when you use the code “rockstar” for the <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Child Care Success Summit</a>. [7:41] Don merged his passion for karate, child care, and theater to create a place for children to experience a unique and challenging curriculum. [11:28] Don married his elementary school crush after he randomly bumped into her years later, and had the courage to ask her out. [12:58] Pick up the pen and journal. It’s therapeutic, and even just writing one page a day is a great way to get the flow moving. Don cites the book The Artist’s Way as a great way to get started. [16:52] Don leverages both of his businesses, and uses the customer base and geographic proximity as supportive tools for recommending the other. [19:14] To have ten locations by the end of 2020 is Don’s goal for the next several years. He also loves helping people figure out their “aha” moments, so consulting and some business-to-business endeavors may be on the horizon as well. [25:57] Don may be the owner of Center Stage, but he thinks of himself and his business assistant/partner Heather as the co-founders. Heather has been instrumental in helping him run his life and business in an organized fashion, so he felt great about both of them working in tandem to create their dreams from scratch with her as Director. He gave her a ton of autonomy within a structure, and she ran with it and is a leader herself while taking a lot off Don’s plate. [30:01] New hires and potential team members must have the right attitude and energy first, as that is something that is next to impossible to train into someone. [30:43] Center Stage’s capacity is 54 and they are currently full, especially thanks to the Enrollment Boot Camp. [32:58] Don uses person-to-person marketing for his karate schools. They will attend events, festivals and give away a guest pass to bring people in. He realized quickly that he needed a different strategy for preschool, and the internet was the best way to make it happen. He first created a flashcard video, and within a short time he had over 30,000 views and was getting recognized in the community as the “preschool guy”! [38:33] If you feel too shy or introverted to put yourself on camera, there are still many workarounds for making great videos, including using kids, another employee that would love to be the face of the business, or taking acting or coaching classes to develop on-camera skills. [45:50] Don’s karate training and mentors taught him to always learn, find solutions, and level up. He uses that mindset for growth in his own profession and the way he inspires others to think of bigger solutions to big problems. [46:56] Don’s definition of a rockstar is someone who is trying to add a tremendous amount of value to their communities with their business, at a level where they themselves have delegated the role of Director. Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/portfolio-item/kris-murray-child-care-marketing-expert/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Marketing Solutions</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://centerstageashburn.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Center Stage Preschool</a> <a href="http://therealdonalley.com/about-don-alley/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Don Alley</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Artists-Way-25th-Anniversary/dp/0143129252" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron</a> <a href="https://martialartsashburn.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Super Kicks Karate</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0175P82RA/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&amp;btkr=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money — That The Poor And Middle Class Do Not!, by Robert T. Kiyosaki</a> Flash Card Video Marketing   <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0175P5MZU/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&amp;btkr=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Rich Dad's CASHFLOW Quadrant: Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom, by Robert T. Kiyosaki</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0743FCV3W/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&amp;btkr=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill</a> <a href="http://www.johnmaxwell.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John Maxwell</a>

The Epitome of Hustle with Don Alley

Jennifer Connor

Today, Kris and special guest, Jennifer Conner from AppleTree Kids, uncover the secret sauce on how to manage your preschools from the beach, or wherever your dream life may take you. They give the inside scoop how to delegate appropriately, grow from within, empower your teams and have backup systems in place so that you can have the freedom to grow your business and just work on the things that you love.  Jennifer is a master of delegation, a model of business success, and now proudly has two locations with a waiting list and a very committed and dedicated staff. Find out how she decided to define her dream life, make the move to Mexico, and how it has positively impacted her work and personal life. As a coach and leader, she strives to keep learning and sharpening her own saw, which leads to a great impact on her staff and leadership team, and ripples out to many children and their lives.   Key Takeaways: [3:16] The inspiring and extraordinary Jennifer Connor is today’s guest. She is the owner of Appletree Kids, which has two locations in Louisiana. In 2012, she took a leap and flew to Denver to attend her first ever Child Care Summit event. There, Kris helped her triple her enrollment and expand to her second location and eventually hired her to be a coach. [4:28 Jennifer was doing outside sales when approached with the offer to purchase the childcare center her children went to. She was hesitant at first but prayed with her husband about it and the signs were clear that it was the right decision where they should start to make a difference. This location was a challenge for many reasons, and set Jennifer on the path for her mission and knew she had to work hard and make a difference. [11:46] Jennifer and her husband found love at a point in their life when they knew that they wanted and what was important to them. [14:29] Jennifer shares how she decided to take a chance and attend the Child Care Summit in 2012, leading her to the Bootcamp as well. She felt encouraged and empowered to demonstrate her original connection to marketing and sales, and also rediscovered her “why” and main purpose. [17:58] In a mystery call, Kris and her team found that Jennifer was the poster child for following the phone script that Kris gave her, yet another reason she gets results from implementing the system already set out in place. [19:17] She decided to play a bigger game and expand to two locations after joining the Summit and finding herself surrounded by others that are also in major growth mode. There was a center down the road going out of business, and she took advantage of the situation to make that location her next venture. [25:50] Jennifer’s ripple effect got larger when she joined the coaching program, and now impacts many children through her leadership team and staff. [28:09] They started vacationing in Mexico and liked the way the general lifestyle naturally changed both herself and her family. She finds more of a traditional value culture than an entitlement culture. [36:03] Learning how to delegate properly herself and to find ways to empower her team has been an invaluable skill Jennifer has learned. [48:02] Jennifer’s blog is Barefoot Bikini Beach Life, follow her adventures here!   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray  Child Care Marketing Solutions  Child Care Success Academy Appletree Kids  Built to Sell  80/20 Sales and Marketing Barefoot Bikini Beach Life

Today, Kris and special guest, Jennifer Conner from AppleTree Kids, uncover the secret sauce on how to manage your preschools from the beach, or wherever your dream life may take you. They give the inside scoop how to delegate appropriately, grow from within, empower your teams and have backup systems in place so that you can have the freedom to grow your business and just work on the things that you love.  Jennifer is a master of delegation, a model of business success, and now proudly has two locations with a waiting list and a very committed and dedicated staff. Find out how she decided to define her dream life, make the move to Mexico, and how it has positively impacted her work and personal life. As a coach and leader, she strives to keep learning and sharpening her own saw, which leads to a great impact on her staff and leadership team, and ripples out to many children and their lives. Key Takeaways: [3:16] The inspiring and extraordinary Jennifer Connor is today’s guest. She is the owner of Appletree Kids, which has two locations in Louisiana. In 2012, she took a leap and flew to Denver to attend her first ever Child Care Summit event. There, Kris helped her triple her enrollment and expand to her second location and eventually hired her to be a coach. [4:28 Jennifer was doing outside sales when approached with the offer to purchase the childcare center her children went to. She was hesitant at first but prayed with her husband about it and the signs were clear that it was the right decision where they should start to make a difference. This location was a challenge for many reasons, and set Jennifer on the path for her mission and knew she had to work hard and make a difference. [11:46] Jennifer and her husband found love at a point in their life when they knew that they wanted and what was important to them. [14:29] Jennifer shares how she decided to take a chance and attend the Child Care Summit in 2012, leading her to the Bootcamp as well. She felt encouraged and empowered to demonstrate her original connection to marketing and sales, and also rediscovered her “why” and main purpose. [17:58] In a mystery call, Kris and her team found that Jennifer was the poster child for following the phone script that Kris gave her, yet another reason she gets results from implementing the system already set out in place. [19:17] She decided to play a bigger game and expand to two locations after joining the Summit and finding herself surrounded by others that are also in major growth mode. There was a center down the road going out of business, and she took advantage of the situation to make that location her next venture. [25:50] Jennifer’s ripple effect got larger when she joined the coaching program, and now impacts many children through her leadership team and staff. [28:09] They started vacationing in Mexico and liked the way the general lifestyle naturally changed both herself and her family. She finds more of a traditional value culture than an entitlement culture. [36:03] Learning how to delegate properly herself and to find ways to empower her team has been an invaluable skill Jennifer has learned. [48:02] Jennifer’s blog is Barefoot Bikini Beach Life, follow her adventures <a href="https://barefootbikinibeachlife.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here!</a> Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/portfolio-item/kris-murray-child-care-marketing-expert/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Marketing Solutions</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="http://www.liveaki.com/#home" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Appletree Kids</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&amp;keywords=built+to+sell+book&amp;tag=googhydr-20&amp;index=aps&amp;hvadid=241915961705&amp;hvpos=1t1&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvrand=10301045291729350240&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvptwo=&amp;hvqmt=e&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvdvcmdl=&amp;hvlocint=&amp;hvlocphy=9031357&amp;hvtargid=kwd-303174428777&amp;ref=pd_sl_3kjje4ehp0_e_p38" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Built to Sell</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/80-20-Sales-Marketing-Definitive/dp/1599185059/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1519576237&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=80+20+sales+and+marketing" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> 80/20 Sales and Marketing</a> <a href="https://barefootbikinibeachlife.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Barefoot Bikini Beach Life</a>

Defining Your Dream Life, Delegation, and Working From the Beach with Jennifer Conner

Dawn Uribe

Dawn Uribe, the owner of Mis Amigos Spanish Immersion Preschool, joins Kris today to talk about her vast expansion mode and how she came to the vision of owning a Spanish immersion school. Dawn is a game changer in her marketplace and she has some great golden nuggets on how to drive your vision forward with a system for freedom, why it’s necessary to schedule in time to focus on goals, how to finance your expansion, delegate to your team, and break through fear. She also discusses challenges that are unique to her situation and gives some practical tips for owning your inner rockstar.   Key Takeaways: [2:56] While much of the Child Care Success Team is remote, Kris recommends using Slack and Zoom as communication platforms. [8:31] Dawn purchased the first Mis Amigos in 2005. At the time she wanted a way for her son to learn Spanish and ended up developing a passion for both business and leadership. It has grown into two locations — one in Hopkins with seven rooms and a capacity of 92, and another in St. Paul with a location of their own and a capacity of 85. There are also new locations on the horizon, as Dawn and her team are certainly in growth mode. [16:21] Donna has two boys, ages 19 and 16 and her husband Gary helps out in numerous ways. [18:03] Fun fact: singing is a lifelong passion of Dawn’s, and she has been at it since she was 2. [20:07] Dawn had a strong interest in teaching herself and her children more about the world and different cultures. There are a host of benefits that come with children learning new languages — research has shown it sparks an interest in lifelong learning and a wider world perspective. [25:46] Communication is a challenge for any early child care business, but Dawn has even more to work with. While the majority of her staff are from a different country, and the fact that they hold staff meetings in Spanish, she is always focused on communication between both between management staff and teachers, and also between parents and teachers. [31:39] While Dawn is in fast expansion mode, she also stays open to opportunities that come up along the way. [37:32] There is much to be gained from community involvement, and developing a strong network. [45:28] Trust, but verify. It is important to empower and delegate your team and to give them the freedom to handle situations with them trusting that you are there as a coach and mentor if needed. [48:35] Dawn defines a rockstar as someone improving the industry with professionalism.   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray  Child Care Marketing Solutions  Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit Mis Amigos  “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”

Dawn Uribe, the owner of Mis Amigos Spanish Immersion Preschool, joins Kris today to talk about her vast expansion mode and how she came to the vision of owning a Spanish immersion school. Dawn is a game changer in her marketplace and she has some great golden nuggets on how to drive your vision forward with a system for freedom, why it’s necessary to schedule in time to focus on goals, how to finance your expansion, delegate to your team, and break through fear. She also discusses challenges that are unique to her situation and gives some practical tips for owning your inner rockstar. Key Takeaways: [2:56] While much of the Child Care Success Team is remote, Kris recommends using Slack and Zoom as communication platforms. [8:31] Dawn purchased the first Mis Amigos in 2005. At the time she wanted a way for her son to learn Spanish and ended up developing a passion for both business and leadership. It has grown into two locations — one in Hopkins with seven rooms and a capacity of 92, and another in St. Paul with a location of their own and a capacity of 85. There are also new locations on the horizon, as Dawn and her team are certainly in growth mode. [16:21] Donna has two boys, ages 19 and 16 and her husband Gary helps out in numerous ways. [18:03] Fun fact: singing is a lifelong passion of Dawn’s, and she has been at it since she was 2. [20:07] Dawn had a strong interest in teaching herself and her children more about the world and different cultures. There are a host of benefits that come with children learning new languages — research has shown it sparks an interest in lifelong learning and a wider world perspective. [25:46] Communication is a challenge for any early child care business, but Dawn has even more to work with. While the majority of her staff are from a different country, and the fact that they hold staff meetings in Spanish, she is always focused on communication between both between management staff and teachers, and also between parents and teachers. [31:39] While Dawn is in fast expansion mode, she also stays open to opportunities that come up along the way. [37:32] There is much to be gained from community involvement, and developing a strong network. [45:28] Trust, but verify. It is important to empower and delegate your team and to give them the freedom to handle situations with them trusting that you are there as a coach and mentor if needed. [48:35] Dawn defines a rockstar as someone improving the industry with professionalism. Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/portfolio-item/kris-murray-child-care-marketing-expert/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Marketing Solutions</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="http://www.misamigospreschool.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mis Amigos</a> <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”</a>

Giving Children the World with Dawn Uribe

Bruce Spurr

 In today’s episode, Digital Marketing Expert and real-life Rocket Scientist Bruce Spurr joins Kris for a talk on how to win the digital marketing game using Facebook ads, Google Maps, and Google Search. They touch upon how to get your school to stand out, even above the “big boys” of advertising, ways to leverage your ad no matter how small your budget, what consists of a great ad, and how to use digital marketing to keep your enrollment high or fill the empty spaces. He and Kris reminisce of the olden days before social media, and ways that they have learned to adapt and work together in the current landscape to help child care owners overcome their challenges in the field. Strap in, and get ready to launch into the digital marketing stratosphere!   Key Takeaways: [4:22] Special announcement! The Child Care Success Summit announces their celebrity speaker, Les Brown. Les is one of the world’s top motivational speakers, and he himself has a tie in the child care market, so this is one experience not to miss. They are almost at 80% full, so be sure to get the tickets while they last, using promo code: ROCKSTAR to get a $100 discount off the full price. [7:31] Bruce and Kris met while at the Frank Kern Mastermind Group. [8:52] Fun Fact: Bruce has some Lebanese ties in his family, and traveling with his wife is one of his favorite parts of the way he has set up his life. He calls into today’s episode from Beirut, Lebanon and gives us an update on the current political climate and perspective there. [10:52] Bruce shares how he went from a physical labor job as a construction worker, to entrepreneur building e-commerce sites, then marketing and advertising. He has a Degree in Physics and Engineering and is a rocket scientist by education. [11:40] He was at the Web 2.0 Conference when Twitter was launched, and one of the first thousand people to open up a Twitter account. [15:42] All the owners Bruce has had the chance to meet are kind and loving people, driven by a purpose to help. They are in it for the passion of making a difference in the lives of children and leaving a legacy, but often are run by their business, instead of running their business. When Kris and Bruce work with the owner together, they win the battle of hiring in a tight labor market and the battle of filling up the school in a competitive community. [21:54] Bruce explains why people need to do Facebook ads, and how it’s important for people both just indirectly scrolling and also searching in a focused manner for child care centers geographically close to them. [25:54] SEO used to be about getting listed on a page, now it’s about getting listed in Places and Maps. Google is smart and figured out the search algorithm on a specific school in general, and organic articles and information on how to pick a school in general. It is a huge game changer and Kris and Bruce have even seen people triple their results once they get the Google Maps piece of the puzzle figured out. [30:00] When Bruce works with clients to determine the lifetime value of the customer, it is clear spending the initial marketing money to attract them is a drop in the bucket to secure them long-term. [33:40] The “Insights” tab on Facebook is a magical place, where you can look for your most popular posts, what gets the highest engagement (aka hunting for unicorns) and what gets the normal or not so big response (the donkey). Bruce explains how to drill down to hit your target market in a Boosted Post and why you may want to use Targeted Ads for an even more specific reach. [38:28] Even just $5-$10 can be a great budget to start Boosting and Re-Boosting your post. When something works, keep doing the same. [40:41] Bruce explains the difference between the two different types of ads. For an ad that is simple and straightforward with an offer or incentive for enrollment, they call it a “tuition credit” instead of a discount. [47:59] The biggest challenge Bruce has had is focusing on one thing and not getting too distracted by opportunity. [53:59] Your school’s success depends on getting yourself in the digital marketing game. It is a fun journey to play around and see what part of it you like best, whether it’s creating videos, managing the back end of ads or posting photos and captions. [56:05] Invest in some tools such as a selfie stick and mic to enhance the quality of your videos and audio.    Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray  Child Care Marketing Solutions  Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit  Les Brown  Frank Kern  Google Maps Google Business  Facebook   Preschool Podcast  

In today’s episode, Digital Marketing Expert and real-life Rocket Scientist Bruce Spurr joins Kris for a talk on how to win the digital marketing game using Facebook ads, Google Maps, and Google Search. They touch upon how to get your school to stand out, even above the “big boys” of advertising, ways to leverage your ad no matter how small your budget, what consists of a great ad, and how to use digital marketing to keep your enrollment high or fill the empty spaces. He and Kris reminisce of the olden days before social media, and ways that they have learned to adapt and work together in the current landscape to help child care owners overcome their challenges in the field. Strap in, and get ready to launch into the digital marketing stratosphere! Key Takeaways: [4:22] Special announcement! The Child Care Success Summit announces their celebrity speaker, Les Brown. Les is one of the world’s top motivational speakers, and he himself has a tie in the child care market, so this is one experience not to miss. They are almost at 80% full, so be sure to get the tickets while they last, using promo code: ROCKSTAR to get a $100 discount off the full price. [7:31] Bruce and Kris met while at the Frank Kern Mastermind Group. [8:52] Fun Fact: Bruce has some Lebanese ties in his family, and traveling with his wife is one of his favorite parts of the way he has set up his life. He calls into today’s episode from Beirut, Lebanon and gives us an update on the current political climate and perspective there. [10:52] Bruce shares how he went from a physical labor job as a construction worker, to entrepreneur building e-commerce sites, then marketing and advertising. He has a Degree in Physics and Engineering and is a rocket scientist by education. [11:40] He was at the Web 2.0 Conference when Twitter was launched, and one of the first thousand people to open up a Twitter account. [15:42] All the owners Bruce has had the chance to meet are kind and loving people, driven by a purpose to help. They are in it for the passion of making a difference in the lives of children and leaving a legacy, but often are run by their business, instead of running their business. When Kris and Bruce work with the owner together, they win the battle of hiring in a tight labor market and the battle of filling up the school in a competitive community. [21:54] Bruce explains why people need to do Facebook ads, and how it’s important for people both just indirectly scrolling and also searching in a focused manner for child care centers geographically close to them. [25:54] SEO used to be about getting listed on a page, now it’s about getting listed in Places and Maps. Google is smart and figured out the search algorithm on a specific school in general, and organic articles and information on how to pick a school in general. It is a huge game changer and Kris and Bruce have even seen people triple their results once they get the Google Maps piece of the puzzle figured out. [30:00] When Bruce works with clients to determine the lifetime value of the customer, it is clear spending the initial marketing money to attract them is a drop in the bucket to secure them long-term. [33:40] The “Insights” tab on Facebook is a magical place, where you can look for your most popular posts, what gets the highest engagement (aka hunting for unicorns) and what gets the normal or not so big response (the donkey). Bruce explains how to drill down to hit your target market in a Boosted Post and why you may want to use Targeted Ads for an even more specific reach. [38:28] Even just $5-$10 can be a great budget to start Boosting and Re-Boosting your post. When something works, keep doing the same. [40:41] Bruce explains the difference between the two different types of ads. For an ad that is simple and straightforward with an offer or incentive for enrollment, they call it a “tuition credit” instead of a discount. [47:59] The biggest challenge Bruce has had is focusing on one thing and not getting too distracted by opportunity. [53:59] Your school’s success depends on getting yourself in the digital marketing game. It is a fun journey to play around and see what part of it you like best, whether it’s creating videos, managing the back end of ads or posting photos and captions. [56:05] Invest in some tools such as a selfie stick and mic to enhance the quality of your videos and audio. <ul> <li>Mentioned in This Episode:</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/portfolio-item/kris-murray-child-care-marketing-expert/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Marketing Solutions</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Child Care Success Summit </a></li> <li><a href="https://lesbrown.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Les Brown </a></li> <li><a href="https://frankkern.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Frank Kern </a></li> <li><a href="https://www.google.com/maps" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Maps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.google.com/business/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Business </a></li> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook </a></li> <li><a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/himama/the-preschool-podcast/e/53685272" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Preschool Podcast </a></li> </ul>

How to Win in Digital Marketing with Bruce Spurr

Carol Duprey

Today Kris is joined with very special and inspiring guests, Brian and Carol Duprey! Brian Duprey is a seasoned 20-year veteran in the childcare industry. Along with his wife Carol, they have opened and operated eight different childcare centers in central Maine and currently, own five schools. They have been married for over 26 years and have five children and four grandchildren. We talk with Brian and Carol about their very inspiring mindset and attitude, overcoming challenges along the way of becoming business leaders, strategies they use when hiring great teachers, and how after all these years of working together they still end each night holding hands! Success and a winning attitude are woven into everything they do, and it is their mission to help others and inspire them to live the best life possible.   Key Takeaways: [4:24] Our guests today are Brian and Carol Duprey. They are seasoned veterans of over 20 years in the childcare industry, and just happen to be married! Together they have opened and operated eight child care centers in Maine. Brian helps Kris in the Child Care Success Academy, and both are amazing and inspirational human beings! [6:14] Brian and Carol met while they were in the Navy, and tried a few different businesses before child care. They moved to Maine with no money or jobs and just a dream of becoming business owners together. Carol was the one with her foot first in the child care door, with opening their first daycare. This lead to them opening their first center and proved to people why they should get the necessary help in order to get funded. [9:46] During the recession they had seven centers open, and they had some funding cut along with losing a lot of children. In eight years of business, they have only had to lay off one person. [12:39] They have been married for 26 years, and have done every business venture together, including one where Carol was the Mayor of their town for one year! [17:50] Carol tends to deal with the peacekeeping between staff and the parents, addressing their concerns and overall customer service. Brian deals a little more with the money and sales, negotiations and strategic component. [20:35] They discuss how their children help run their business and how fulfilling it is to have such great and compassionate children that share the passion for great childcare. [25:41] They have a pretty low turnover but find that when someone leaves another great person arrives. A lot of their workforce has even left and then returned back to work with them. [32:14] Brian has a gratitude journal that he writes things he is thankful for and this helps put him in a mindset of positive gratitude for the entire day. [36:56] Brian manifested working with Kris! He dreamt himself speaking and working with Kris, and sure enough, it came true!   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray  Child Care Marketing Solutions  Child Care Success Academy  The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines Into Massive Success, by Jeff Olson  His Needs, Her Needs: Building an Affair-Proof Marriage, by Willard F. Jr. Harley John Maxwell  Get Off Your “But”: How to End Self-Sabotage and Stand Up for Yourself, by Sean Stephenson Little Angels Early Learning Center Almighty Beginnings Child Care Mindset Academy

Today Kris is joined with very special and inspiring guests, Brian and Carol Duprey! Brian Duprey is a seasoned 20-year veteran in the childcare industry. Along with his wife Carol, they have opened and operated eight different childcare centers in central Maine and currently, own five schools. They have been married for over 26 years and have five children and four grandchildren. We talk with Brian and Carol about their very inspiring mindset and attitude, overcoming challenges along the way of becoming business leaders, strategies they use when hiring great teachers, and how after all these years of working together they still end each night holding hands! Success and a winning attitude are woven into everything they do, and it is their mission to help others and inspire them to live the best life possible. Key Takeaways: [4:24] Our guests today are Brian and Carol Duprey. They are seasoned veterans of over 20 years in the childcare industry, and just happen to be married! Together they have opened and operated eight child care centers in Maine. Brian helps Kris in the Child Care Success Academy, and both are amazing and inspirational human beings! [6:14] Brian and Carol met while they were in the Navy, and tried a few different businesses before child care. They moved to Maine with no money or jobs and just a dream of becoming business owners together. Carol was the one with her foot first in the child care door, with opening their first daycare. This lead to them opening their first center and proved to people why they should get the necessary help in order to get funded. [9:46] During the recession they had seven centers open, and they had some funding cut along with losing a lot of children. In eight years of business, they have only had to lay off one person. [12:39] They have been married for 26 years, and have done every business venture together, including one where Carol was the Mayor of their town for one year! [17:50] Carol tends to deal with the peacekeeping between staff and the parents, addressing their concerns and overall customer service. Brian deals a little more with the money and sales, negotiations and strategic component. [20:35] They discuss how their children help run their business and how fulfilling it is to have such great and compassionate children that share the passion for great childcare. [25:41] They have a pretty low turnover but find that when someone leaves another great person arrives. A lot of their workforce has even left and then returned back to work with them. [32:14] Brian has a gratitude journal that he writes things he is thankful for and this helps put him in a mindset of positive gratitude for the entire day. [36:56] Brian manifested working with Kris! He dreamt himself speaking and working with Kris, and sure enough, it came true! Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/portfolio-item/kris-murray-child-care-marketing-expert/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Marketing Solutions</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Slight-Edge-Turning-Disciplines-Massive/dp/193594486X" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines Into Massive Success, by Jeff Olson</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/His-Needs-Her-Building-Affair-Proof/dp/0800719387" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> His Needs, Her Needs: Building an Affair-Proof Marriage, by Willard F. Jr. Harley</a> <a href="http://www.johnmaxwell.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John Maxwell</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Get-Off-Your-But-Self-Sabotage/dp/0470399937" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Get Off Your “But”: How to End Self-Sabotage and Stand Up for Yourself, by Sean Stephenson</a> <a href="http://www.littleangelselc.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Little Angels Early Learning Center</a> <a href="http://www.almightybeginnings.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Almighty Beginnings</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/CCMindsetAcademy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Child Care Mindset Academy</a>

Partners in Every Way with Brian and Carol Duprey

This week, Kris shares a tried and true roadmap for exactly how she sets and achieves goals. If you are looking to make 2019 the best year yet, listen in, as you will get concrete examples to apply to your personal and professional life. Kris gives great insight on how to get traction towards actually accomplishing your goals, the importance of a tribe, and ways to stay accountable once things are in motion.   Key Takeaways: [2:12] Thank you for all your support in this podcast in 2018; we are growing big in 2019! We are the top podcast in the business of child care, and it’s because of your support and sharing. This year was fantastic for the Child Care Success Academy. We grew by 45%, and are now strong with 140 motivated and successful members. [5:55] Many of us have weight loss and fitness goals but fail to stick with them or we have no clue where to begin. One way to build in accountability is to join a tribe or mastermind with a community that will support you and help you keep on track. For Kris, 2019 is going to be about fitness, both physically and financially. [14:20] Acti0n Item: Write out five to six goals you want to achieve that are specific, time-bound, measurable, attainable, and somewhat realistic. [17:53] What are you leaving behind in 2019 that doesn’t serve your highest calling? Negative self-talk, mindset patterns, toxic relationships — all can be left behind in the new year to make a path toward moving forward. [19:38] By Jan 15, 75% of people abandon their resolutions. Writing down your dreams and resolutions is the difference between people making progress in their lives, and those sitting idly on the sidelines. [28:13] A simple piece of paper with three columns: Goal, Why/Motivation, and Progress is an inexpensive and efficient way to begin. [29:10] When we read the statement as though it happens, our brain tells our body that this is possible.   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray  Child Care Marketing Solutions  Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit  The Dream Manager, by Matthew Kelly

This week, Kris shares a tried and true roadmap for exactly how she sets and achieves goals. If you are looking to make 2019 the best year yet, listen in, as you will get concrete examples to apply to your personal and professional life. Kris gives great insight on how to get traction towards actually accomplishing your goals, the importance of a tribe, and ways to stay accountable once things are in motion. Key Takeaways: [2:12] Thank you for all your support in this podcast in 2018; we are growing big in 2019! We are the top podcast in the business of child care, and it’s because of your support and sharing. This year was fantastic for the Child Care Success Academy. We grew by 45%, and are now strong with 140 motivated and successful members. [5:55] Many of us have weight loss and fitness goals but fail to stick with them or we have no clue where to begin. One way to build in accountability is to join a tribe or mastermind with a community that will support you and help you keep on track. For Kris, 2019 is going to be about fitness, both physically and financially. [14:20] Acti0n Item: Write out five to six goals you want to achieve that are specific, time-bound, measurable, attainable, and somewhat realistic. [17:53] What are you leaving behind in 2019 that doesn’t serve your highest calling? Negative self-talk, mindset patterns, toxic relationships — all can be left behind in the new year to make a path toward moving forward. [19:38] By Jan 15, 75% of people abandon their resolutions. Writing down your dreams and resolutions is the difference between people making progress in their lives, and those sitting idly on the sidelines. [28:13] A simple piece of paper with three columns: Goal, Why/Motivation, and Progress is an inexpensive and efficient way to begin. [29:10] When we read the statement as though it happens, our brain tells our body that this is possible. Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/portfolio-item/kris-murray-child-care-marketing-expert/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Marketing Solutions</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Manager-Matthew-Kelly/dp/1401303706" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Dream Manager, by Matthew Kelly</a>

Goal Setting and Strategic Planning with Kris Murray

Mike Garatoni

Mike Garatoni of Growing Kids Learning Centers in Indiana joins the show to talk about scaling up, growing, and advice for schools of any size to grow and expand even more. He and his wife Beth found high-quality care quite limited as parents themselves and knew they wanted to help be part of the solution. Mike and Kris talk about the importance of starting from the end goal and working back, delegation, how he empowers his directors, and challenges they faced in the early scale-up phases. They also talk about simple tweaks that have made a huge difference and what we can expect from Mike and Growing Kids in the future.   Key Takeaways: [3:02] Mike and his wife Beth started with one Growing Kids Center that was a franchise, and have since developed nine schools with a total capacity of 1,750 children and 350 staff. They are also very busy with their own six kids ranging in age from 25 to 11, and four dogs! [6:06] Start with the end game in mind, and work your way backward from there. When you define clearly what it is you want, you can work from there and make sure you aren’t wasting your own time and energy with what does not serve you. [14:28] A major key to success is systems thinking and delegation. It is important to set a procedure and structure in place so other people can do it, and do it correctly. Leaders also can’t fall prey to thinking they are the only one in a certain role that is able to do the job correctly. [20:31] Most owners don’t hire the right director and have to restaff this pivotal role often, wasting time and energy. Mike describes how at Growing Kids they distribute the workflow so it doesn’t all fall on the director. This also empowers people in other roles to make decisions. [27:23] The hardest point is starting up a center and going from one up to two and three. Once three centers are in place, adding more is almost just a juggling act that does become easier with time when the right systems and people are in place, and the team is aware of the values. [33:12] It’s important to fully know your radius when picking a location. This will determine your marketing, the messages in that marketing, and how far you plan on trying to reach. [37:30] Once you hit two or three centers, you may want to hire an enrollment coordinator. This “call center” can be one person in charge of calling the leads back and making sure time is spent doing the proper follow up at the most effective times. [45:14] Take some time and be deliberate in planning. Make a plan and take the time to evaluate it throughout the year with your team to make sure everyone is on track.   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray The Child Care Success Company  Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit Growing Kids  The E-Myth Revisited, by Michael E. Gerber Childcare CRM  The Slight Edge, by Jeff Olson and John David Mann  Built on Values, by Ann Rhoades Simon Sinek

Mike Garatoni of Growing Kids Learning Centers in Indiana joins the show to talk about scaling up, growing, and advice for schools of any size to grow and expand even more. He and his wife Beth found high-quality care quite limited as parents themselves and knew they wanted to help be part of the solution. Mike and Kris talk about the importance of starting from the end goal and working back, delegation, how he empowers his directors, and challenges they faced in the early scale-up phases. They also talk about simple tweaks that have made a huge difference and what we can expect from Mike and Growing Kids in the future. Key Takeaways: [3:02] Mike and his wife Beth started with one Growing Kids Center that was a franchise, and have since developed nine schools with a total capacity of 1,750 children and 350 staff. They are also very busy with their own six kids ranging in age from 25 to 11, and four dogs! [6:06] Start with the end game in mind, and work your way backward from there. When you define clearly what it is you want, you can work from there and make sure you aren’t wasting your own time and energy with what does not serve you. [14:28] A major key to success is systems thinking and delegation. It is important to set a procedure and structure in place so other people can do it, and do it correctly. Leaders also can’t fall prey to thinking they are the only one in a certain role that is able to do the job correctly. [20:31] Most owners don’t hire the right director and have to restaff this pivotal role often, wasting time and energy. Mike describes how at Growing Kids they distribute the workflow so it doesn’t all fall on the director. This also empowers people in other roles to make decisions. [27:23] The hardest point is starting up a center and going from one up to two and three. Once three centers are in place, adding more is almost just a juggling act that does become easier with time when the right systems and people are in place, and the team is aware of the values. [33:12] It’s important to fully know your radius when picking a location. This will determine your marketing, the messages in that marketing, and how far you plan on trying to reach. [37:30] Once you hit two or three centers, you may want to hire an enrollment coordinator. This “call center” can be one person in charge of calling the leads back and making sure time is spent doing the proper follow up at the most effective times. [45:14] Take some time and be deliberate in planning. Make a plan and take the time to evaluate it throughout the year with your team to make sure everyone is on track. Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://twitter.com/kris_murray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Murray</a> <a href="https://www.childcare-marketing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Child Care Success Company</a> <a href="http://www.childcare-marketing.com/coaching-programs/success-academy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Child Care Success Academy</a> <a href="https://www.childcaresuccesssummit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Child Care Success Summit</a> <a href="https://www.growingkids.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Growing Kids</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-About/dp/0887307280" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The E-Myth Revisited, by Michael E. Gerber</a> <a href="https://www.childcarecrm.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Childcare CRM</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Slight-Edge-Turning-Disciplines-Happiness/dp/1626340463" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Slight Edge, by Jeff Olson and John David Mann</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Built-Values-Creating-Outperforms-Competition/dp/0470901926" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Built on Values, by Ann Rhoades</a> <a href="https://simonsinek.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Simon Sinek</a>

Scaling Up with Mike Garatoni

The best podcast episodes on parenting. Interviewing experts and talking through common issues surrounding parenting. This topic is filled with important lessons and insights for anyone listening. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

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Best Parenting Podcasts

The best episodes for anyone looking to learn more about topics such as happiness, fulfillment, depression and psychology/mental health in general. With interviews with industry experts, personal stories of individuals, this topic has lessons applicable to everyone. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!