Background: With the birth of their daughter, Bill and Marina began looking for quality child care in their area, which turned out to be quite a challenge. As a Vice President of Human Resources for a Fortune 500 company, with a Master's degree in early childhood education, Marina became dissatisfied with the corporate world and saw this as an opportunity to use her skills in an educational aspect.
For Bill, a manufacturing engineer, opening a Kiddie Academy location meant bringing a much needed service to the area. The Schmidts were looking at child care franchise options for a little over a year before they decided upon Kiddie Academy. They found Kiddie Academy's dedication to education and warm, welcoming approach to be the perfect combination.
Challenges: Like many new business owners, the Schmidts faced challenges. At the time of their opening, the economic market conditions were the worst in many years. Homes throughout Florida and the rest of the country were being foreclosed on and unemployment rates were at an all-time high.
Nevertheless, the Schmidts persevered -- benefiting from an abundant work force, the fact that many previous stay-at-home moms were re-entering the workforce, and a supportive franchisor with a proven business model. Despite those issues, the Schmidts have become extremely successful.
Results: The couple's passion and attention to customer service and community outreach has earned them a stellar reputation in the area, along with tremendous community and parent support. They have received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback that has complimented their passion, service and programs. The Schmidts focus on grassroots marketing and initiatives, including events such as book readings, parent date nights and local partnerships have helped them achieve the success they are enjoying today.
*The information above was taken from this document.*