Is now the right time to launch a franchise?
If you’re thinking of starting a MagiKats educational franchise but you’re worried that now isn’t the right time, you might be interested to hear from three franchisees who have all launched their businesses during the pandemic. Here’s what they had to say about their experience:
Why did you decide to launch during a pandemic?
Fay: I had always planned to open MagiKats Newquay before the pandemic and so I wanted to continue with my plan. My intention has always been to create a Tuition Centre where families know they can come for support with their child’s learning in English and maths. A trusted, welcoming centre where children feel safe to make mistakes and investigate answers further, while receiving support. I think due to the mental health impact of the pandemic, people need this type of tuition more than ever!
Kate: I had plenty of time to think during the first lockdown and decided that the time was right for me to move into a different direction with my career. However, I didn’t want to waste my skills and experience as a teacher. I realised that many parents were struggling with keeping learning going during lockdown and was concerned about the impact this was going to have on children when they were able to return to school.
I had explored the MagiKats franchise back in the autumn and started to seriously consider taking the plunge. I felt that, by setting up a MagiKats Tuition Centre in my local area, I could help students catch up and help them feel confident and positive about learning again.
Kirsty: I had originally planned to launch in 2018 but then fell pregnant. I then bought my franchise in 2019 and did the first part of my training in January and February with a view to completing my training in March and launching in April. Of course, when we went into lockdown in March, it meant I couldn’t complete my training and I had to postpone my launch, but I eventually opened in August.
What support did you receive from MagiKats HQ?
Fay: From my first contact with MagiKats, I have been supported every step of the way and continue to have daily support when needed! I chose to open a franchise because I wanted the experience and knowledge of MagiKats, and they have helped make it a successful new business. One of the man things I like about MagiKats is it continues to be a family run business with a personal touch however, it has all the attributes of a professional business. The support began with how to purchase and set-up a franchise and more recently developed into marketing, sales and becoming an employer!
Kate: HQ helped me every step of the way. From helping me create a business plan; providing training in the MagiKats system; setting up and marketing the business and checking in on a weekly basis to ensure everything was going well. I genuinely would have not known where to start without them.
There is always someone available to talk through any concerns or to offer advice and support and the MagiKats computer system, once you understand how to use it, makes the whole business of running the workshops pretty much fool proof.
Kirsty: The support I have received from MagiKats has been amazing and I can’t think of anything more they could have done. Sarah from HQ has regularly checked in with me to see if I am ok. When we went back into lockdown in November, I had to move the workshops online and MagiKats invested in an excellent online learning platform. This is interactive and fun and has made a world of difference to the experience for pupils.
What’s more, when you buy a MagiKats franchise you get 12 weeks of marketing support, and I’ve had weekly phone calls and received lots of materials. HQ are always looking for ways to improve so I feel like I have joined a network that is progressive, evolving and proactive.
There is always someone at the end of the phone if I need help and MagiKats have launched a monthly Coffee and Catch Up event for all the franchise owners. There is also the Workplace platform which we all use and it’s a really friendly and supportive network.
How is it going and has it been better or worse than expected?
Fay: Overall, I am delighted I chose to open a MagiKats Tuition Centre. It has allowed me the flexible work/life balance I wanted with having a young family. It’s been exciting to learn new skills in business and have the time to utilise my knowledge and experience of teaching in a small setting, where you get to the see the impact on a daily basis from the family and children I support.
Kate: I was a bit over optimistic with my initial projections for numbers but made a pretty good start and was agreeably surprised at how smoothly things ran from the word go. I know that, if I had decided to go it alone, there would have been many more slip-ups in the first few weeks as I am a total novice when it comes to running a business. The training that I took part in during the summer and the support and advice from HQ and the other MagiKats Principals gave me a really clear route map to follow and took the guesswork out of it.
Kirsty: Despite everything that had happened, I opened in August with a healthy number of enrolments. The children were eager to learn and the parents were very supportive. Again, despite all the challenges we have faced since I opened, I have kept everyone who started with me in August. I have got all my processes in place and built strong relationships. Had I not had the support that I’ve had from HQ, I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to make such a success of it.
Any advice you would give to someone else thinking about launching but not sure?
Fay: Take time to consider if it is the right career change for your situation, it is a lot of work in these early days. Check your teaching beliefs are in line with the MagiKats ethos – it is much easier to sell something when you truly believe it works!
Kate: There is never a perfect time to start something new. Stop making excuses and make the leap! The beauty of a tried and tested model such as MagiKats is that you are not making that leap alone.
In a way, starting a new business in the middle of a global pandemic seemed crazy. But in reality, things are only going to get easier from now on.
Kirsty: If you can afford to, then you should go for it. Children’s education is experiencing such a massive level of disruption at the moment and that means there is a real opportunity to help and build a business.
A final note from Sarah Marsh, Director of Operations at MagiKats HQ: This article features interviews conducted in the last couple of weeks of 2020. Who knew that by time of publication we would be back in full lockdown! One thing we can be certain of though is that the demand for additional support will not be diminishing in the coming months, so why not take the next steps now and be ready when the country re-opens?