Business in children has recently become more popular. There are several reasons for this – first, the trend towards early development of children captures the minds of an increasing number of parents. Almost since the birth of the baby, mom and dad have been thinking about how to develop the creative abilities of their child, how to make it smarter and more educated, how to contribute to the full and multilateral development of the individual.
The easiest way to open a children’s studio is to buy a SandLand children’s franchise .
But if you still want to do it yourself – we offer you a step-by-step instruction from the expert of SandLand .
This issue is especially acute for parents of children aged 3 to 5 years. It is at this age that any parent tries to invest a maximum in the development of the child, recording it in various sports sections and creative circles, schools of dance, music, etc. If a few years ago the number of offers to spend children’s leisure was beneficially limited by sections and circles of city centers of children’s creativity, as well as specialized art, music and choreography schools, today the situation is changing radically.
Now the industry of children’s leisure and early development is represented by private children’s studios, which offer more competitive services in comparison with municipal institutions. Moreover, the very approach to children, their development and education is radically different from the usual approach of the «Soviet» school. In such children’s studios are not intended to make a child from Tchaikovsky or Maya Plisetskaya by any means, even against the wishes and possibilities of the child. Children’s studios apply a more loyal and flexible approach, teach playfully, develop creative abilities without evaluation and coercion, taking care primarily of the moral and psychological state of children.
Another reason for the popularity of business on children is that the scope of children’s services is quite rich in business ideas that can be realized with the help of minimal investments and a great desire to work for themselves and develop their business. Naturally, the initial stage of the children’s studio will have to devote a lot of time and effort. But at the same time, a children’s studio as a business can combine both profit and satisfaction, and pleasure from activity.
The business idea of a children’s studio, how, and most of the business ideas associated with children, primarily attracts women, especially young and active moms, who after the birth of children completely rethink their lives. That’s why most of the owners of the children’s studio are women. It is they who after the birth of the child themselves face the needs and problems for which they themselves would not mind paying a price. But not finding a suitable according to certain criteria (comfort, location, service level, direction or price policy) option, they decide to open their own business.
About what needs to be done to open your own children’s studio, how to step-by-step start a business on children and start earning and developing, read on.
Investment size
Children’s studio – a good option for a beginner businessman, including for the reason that the investment in its opening is rather small. This is an extremely important parameter for the first business.
Tip
I do not recommend investing a lot of money in the first business. This is risky because the person has no experience in business. Neither in terms of advertising policy thinking, nor in business planning, nor in understanding demand. In the end, it may also be that a person simply does not have a commercial vein. In the event of a failure in business, it will be much less painful to part with your project if a small amount is invested in it.
With a certain resourcefulness, opening a children’s studio, it is quite possible to meet 200-250 thousand rubles of initial investment. Although, of course, the amount will largely depend on how much the rent of the premises will cost, how much you will spend on repairs and equipment, what supplies you will purchase, what teachers you hire.
Calculate all the alleged items of expenditure and just in case, put a slightly larger amount for the start than you need. This will allow relatively painless to survive the first crisis months, when the pool of customers is only being recruited.
Where can I get money?
But even a small amount of money for initial investments should be taken somewhere. An ideal source of investment is your own savings. By investing your own money in the business, you will significantly reduce the risks, and the stress will be much less: no debts to be paid with interest, no additional monthly expenses (and they are already large in the young business), no credit obligations hanging over you sword of Damocles.
But their means to start there is not all. But almost all have relatives and friends, to whose help it is possible to resort. Although there is a risk of spoiling the relationship.
But bank credit is an extreme measure. It is fraught with overpayments, and recently banks are not particularly willing to issue loans. If you are going to invest very little money in a small business, you can use a credit card, which allows you not to pay interest if you have time to return the money within three months.
You can also rely on state assistance in the form of a subsidy. Practice shows that it is quite possible to get material support from the authorities. But for this you will have to be patient: year by year the procedure for obtaining funds becomes more complicated.
It is especially difficult to get a grant in big cities, and the fault is bureaucracy. Even if you are enthusiastic, it can completely evaporate in the process of collecting all the necessary documents. And the chances of obtaining financial support from the state are not absolute.
In small towns, things are somewhat easier with obtaining funds. But regardless of the size of the city, there are still certain risks. Even if the grant for your project is approved, you can not see the money. There are such cases that businessmen simply deceive.
Step-by-step instruction
After you have identified the demand for your studio and found the money to open, you need to think through the corporate style. This is important for any business, there can be no exceptions. Even the smallest project should not impress the «sharashka office», people should understand its significance. To do this, they need to see that the project is «from and to».
Remember the famous phrase «how to name the ship, so it will float»? It can not be better applied to the business of a children’s studio, so first of all it is necessary to choose the ideal name and closely to do business style. And it is not necessary that the latter will cost you a fabulous amount.
Personal experience
I started with the thinking of the corporate style. To do this, I had to resort to the help of a designer. I found him among freelancers, wrote those. task, on which he relied during work. A good designer takes for the development of 15-10 thousand rubles. Do not regret this money, the more so that the amount is not so great. But people will see how much you are attentive to details, will appreciate your approach to business. A single corporate identity that is used everywhere – on business cards, leaflets, etc. – causes customers more confidence and contributes to the recognition of your studio.
The interior of the studio should also fit into the canons of corporate style, so it is important to think through to the smallest detail. Only after you have decided on the image of the future studio, you can start buying building materials and repairing the room.
After repair, it’s time to purchase equipment. What kind of equipment it will be depends on what your studio is doing. In my case, I had to buy ordinary tables and special tables for rice sand, a camera, a projector, a projection screen.
The prices for the equipment will be very different. For example, a small children’s table can cost 1 thousand rubles, or maybe 8 thousand. Choose you. Just remember that the most important thing is that tables correspond to minimum indices, and having gold legs is the tenth thing. The same, in principle, applies to any other equipment.
The amount of equipment depends on how many children will be trained in your studio at a time. We are all designed to conduct classes with six kids. This is the optimal number of students, since it is with this size of the group that the teacher can give sufficient attention to each child.
As for the choice of equipment suppliers, a lot depends on the city of discovery here. It is easier to find a supplier that is optimally suitable for the parameters in a large city.
The larger the city, the greater the choice of equipment.
For a studio in a small city, most likely, you have to order everything on the site. This can delay the process somewhat or lead to unexpected results.
If we talk about the criteria for selecting suppliers, the main one is the price-quality ratio. Do not rush to low prices! Determine what quality equipment you need, understand the indicators and technical specifications. This will have to be done to understand if you are buying a good technique. And only after with the characteristics everything becomes extremely clear, you can compare prices from different suppliers.
It is desirable to choose firms-monopolists who are engaged in the production of one type of equipment. For example, only the projectors are produced.
Often those who supply equipment are ready to provide supplies. At least this is the case in the sphere of drawing with sand.
Find suppliers and equipment, and supplies every year is easier. In our sphere, demand is constantly growing, that’s why companies appear more and more. And you can «get out» on them through the Internet.
If you discover something fundamentally new, there can be complications with suppliers. If you find them quite difficult, you can try to make the equipment yourself. However, here comes the question of quality.
After the consumables and equipment are purchased, we need to start thinking about the methods of working with children and the time of the studio itself.
In our studios, the session lasts from 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the age of the children. For a longer time, it is difficult for babies to concentrate on just one lesson.
We work with children mainly on weekdays or on weekends. Among the week, the schedule is thought out so that it would be convenient for parents to bring children after the end of their working day or the child’s stay in the kindergarten. And on weekends, mostly children’s parties are held.
No less important issue – the selection of personnel. In fact, choosing a good teacher is not at all easy, if only because not always some of the criteria can be unambiguously advantageous. For example, extensive work experience and extensive track record are not a guarantee of quality. The main thing for the teacher is the brilliance in the eyes. If a person has a desire and enthusiasm, if he is interested in implementing his ideas, you will go far with this person.
It is important that a person wants to not just work, but be a part of your company.
And you will see such a person, even if you do not have experience in recruiting staff. In addition to loyalty to your company, it is very important for a person at the position of a teacher in a children’s studio to love and be able to work with children and parents.
A teacher should be an excellent psychologist, he must be able to control himself in stressful situations. Parents are sometimes «screwed up» and can start to break on you. In such a situation it is important to respond with a smile to all questions and attacks. After all, the customer is always right, and you can not help it.
By the way, at first you can work as a teacher yourself. A person who engages in any business must himself be able to do everything in it, he must pass all the stages of business through himself. If knowledge and competencies for this are not enough, they can be obtained through diligent work and passing courses.
The same applies to hired personnel. In general, business in the art sphere assumes the existence of an art education, but we have self-taught in the studio. Pedagogical education is also an optional requirement, although it will be a plus. But if a person by nature is not a teacher, nothing will help him. First of all, he must be a teacher in the shower.
Of course, responsibility is important, both from the staff and the owner of the studio. It is the entrepreneur’s task to provide for a first aid kit in the studio and to motivate employees to monitor children. Write in the employment contract that the teachers are responsible for their pupils.
It’s not enough to hire good staff, you also need to be able to motivate it to work well. For those who bring something of value to the work of the studio, and just work well, it’s important not to stint on premiums. But for careless employees need to provide for fines.
In our sphere, it is quite easy to follow the discipline of the employee: if the teacher is late for the lesson, we are immediately called by the parents. In this respect, some of the control is shifted to them. About how the teacher conducts classes, also help parents to judge – they often write reviews that should be taken into account.
After the question with the teachers is solved and everything is ready for the opening of the studio, it’s time to start advertising. Although launching an advertising campaign is still better in advance, for example, in parallel with the selection of staff.
The best strategy for a novice entrepreneur is to understand through which channels you can reach your target audience, and then invest money point-by-point in each advertising segment.
So by trial and error you will be able to identify the most effective advertising channels for yourself.
Do not underestimate the «word of mouth», which works particularly well in small towns. The most important thing in the work of a children’s studio is a good reputation, which consists of several key points that are the same for the entire children’s business, and for the service industry as a whole.
The first is the quality of the services provided. The client must leave you completely satisfied. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the quality of the work of employees: they should smile, be polite and explain everything, see if everything turns out for the child.
You can also paste ads. This will require a small investment, but the effect can be palpable. Although much depends on the specific city and region.
That’s exactly what you should not neglect, it’s social networks: VKontakte, Instagram, Facebook, Classmates. Although the last resource is gradually losing its influence among mothers. In addition to the fact that social networks allow you to advertise with minimal investment, they provide an excellent opportunity to receive feedback from customers.
Try to invest small amounts in various paid advertising opportunities: retargeting VKontakte, Yandex.Direct. A very popular move is holding contests.
A separate issue is the creation of your own website. Now in the course of social networks. They are well indexed by search engines, but on the site itself people may not go. Therefore, it may seem to many that it is possible to do without it. But on the other hand, the site is an indicator of the firm’s solidity. But to make it just for a tick is also not an option, the site should be selling.
Personal experience
It is impossible to say unambiguously what is good advertising. The situation will vary depending on the type of business. For example, if you sell construction cranes, advertising in social networks will not work. But for our studio the most effective was this channel. We also use the KidsReview children’s online billboard to place advertisements , but it’s not cheap.
When you are close to the opening of the studio, advertising should be given particularly serious attention. This is an excellent opportunity to tap into new channels. Spend a festive opening, give out leaflets that will announce it, invite the press and TV notify all kindergartens. In a word, raise as much as possible the hype.
A place
The requirements for the placement of a children’s studio are not so strict as, for example, for public catering. However, there are certain rules here. First of all, you need to determine where to rent a room.
Of course, transport and pedestrian traffic is not at all an optional criterion for you. But also to get into the wilderness, to which from anywhere in the city to go three hours, and then still walk 5 kilometers – a bad decision. The children’s studio should be available.
Check whether it will be convenient for customers to get to you. It is important that the studio was not too far from public transport stops. At the same time parents should be able to reach more than one route, preferably from anywhere in the city without a transfer. Do not be superfluous and convenient access roads for those who will bring the kids on their own car.
But as for the part of the city where you will work, you are free to choose. Suitable for both the center and the sleeping area. Especially the new development, where many young families with children live. If you decide on a place very hard, try again to resort to a poll. Parents are happy to vote in the social network for the most convenient for them the option of placing the studio.
Tip
In terms of reducing the cost of premises for large cities, a good option – sublease. But to choose a «neighbor» is necessary with the mind. A children’s studio on the threshold of a grocery store will not cause anything other than bewilderment. Choose an enterprise in the related industry, for example, a toy store or a private garden.
For placing a children’s studio shopping centers are very suitable, many of which today have special «children’s floors». However, it is important that such a shopping center is not too noisy. The child should be able to work out, without being distracted by any extraneous sounds.
Do not forget to provide comfort for your parents. Many of them may decide that leaving for one hour does not make sense, and they will wait for the end of the session here in the studio. Therefore, the studio should have a kind of waiting area with comfortable sofas, magazines and other things that help to comfortably wait for the child. This, of course, will force you to occupy additional space and increase the cost of rent, but it’s worth it.
Speaking of the square. It will depend on whether you plan your training studio to hold events and birthdays. In this case, you will need both a zone for classes, and a zone for recreation and games. Ideally, they should be separated. The minimum area of the studio is 20-30 sq.m.
As for the requirements for repair, everything here is quite simple. While SanPinov, regulating children’s studios, does not exist, and therefore fined for the lack of tile or linoleum instead of carpet you no one will.
The most important thing is to observe fire safety standards. Your landlord must answer for this question. Although it is better to double-check whether there is a fire alarm in the room, if the fire extinguishers are out of order, etc.
Documentation
The obligatory stage of opening of any business is its legal registration. When you open a children’s studio, you have a choice between PI and LLC. It will be easier to work in the event that you register as an individual entrepreneur. In this case, you will be able to choose a simplified version of the tax reporting and keep a record yourself. But when you open an LLC without a professional accountant can not do.
The optimal option for a children’s studio is «simplified» with a tax charge of 6% of income.
In the case of the USN, you can choose the option that the tax will be taken from the difference between the income and expenses of the organization, but this scheme is more complicated. This means that you may again need the help of an accountant. Perhaps in this way you will save a couple of thousand rubles, but you will get a «headache».
And all because all the expenses of your company you have to confirm documentary. This means that you will take care of every check – commodity, cash, etc. Is it not better to spend your energy on other things, for example, on the proper formation of advertising policy?
Another version of the tax reporting – ENDV, which also allows you to work on a simplified scheme. But it’s not really suitable for a children’s studio. The fact that the UTII involves the payment of fixed payments, while the children’s business is largely seasonal.
In a season when children go on vacation together with their parents, spend time in camps or go on vacation to their grandparents, the revenue of the children’s studio falls. But the amount of tax will remain the same as in winter, when there are a lot of kids in the studio.
To issue a children’s studio according to OKVED can also be done in different ways. For example, you can register it as an educational institution. In this case, the requirements for the institution will be more stringent. To begin with, at least you will have to get a license to conduct educational activities.
By the way, this design will affect the choice of premises. For an educational institution, a room with one entrance and a building with a height of more than four floors no longer fits.
To simplify the work, the children’s studio should be registered as a leisure institution. The truth in the documents will have to avoid words like «education» and «teach», and teachers will be registered as instructors.
But you do not have to work with the cash register and keep the appropriate accountability. And you can monitor the receipts with the help of forms and receipts, which can be ordered at any printing house. They give the client information that what service and for what amount he purchased, and you receive copies, by which you fill out the reports.
Check-list of opening
- Determination of demand and direction of work,
- Analysis of competitors,
- Development of the name and corporate identity of the studio,
- Search for rental options,
- Evaluation of the rental location,
- Conclusion of the lease agreement,
- Registration of IP and registration with the tax inspection,
- Search for equipment suppliers,
- Search for suppliers of consumables,
- Room metering for a design project,
- Creating a design project,
- Drawing up an estimate of construction (list of necessary furniture, building materials),
- Search for a repair team,
- Purchase of construction materials,
- Furniture ordering,
- Repair work,
- Development of an advertising campaign,
- Website development studio,
- Placement of advertisements in social networks and the Internet,
- Development of advertising layouts,
- Development and coordination of the signboard, its installation,
- Order printing: banners, flyers, etc.
- Development of forms of internal accounting (form of inventory, receipt, drawing up of an employment contract),
- Search for candidates for a position of a teacher,
- Search for candidates for administrator,
- Interviewing, selection of candidates,
- Festive opening.
Is it profitable to open
With good performance, the children’s studio pays off fairly quickly – for 3-4 months. To achieve this result, we need to look for additional ways to increase profits, for example, by holding children’s parties.
But you need to consider that customers can be different. To you parents can come, ready to spend 25 thousand rubles for a children’s birthday, while the cost of a holiday in your price list is 10 thousand rubles. In this case, you need to be able to offer your customers additional services. For example, enter a paper show, which is now gaining popularity, or add quests to children for the program.
To increase profits and shorten the payback period, you can also conduct visiting master classes and even team building for companies, if your activity allows it.
In addition, you need to be able to reduce the costs of your studio. The main costs fall on the salary fund and rent. In addition, periodically you have to update some interior items, for example, children’s stools, and also spend money on consumables. As for savings, you can cut costs primarily by reducing rental costs. For example, you can use the same sublease.
Beginning entrepreneurs often have a question about what price policy to conduct. Children’s studio – just the case where the main criterion for the formation of your price – the prices of competitors. In this case, it is not necessary that the matter concerns direct competitors. Look at other leisure facilities.
At the very beginning of the work you can dump. This will attract customers.
Dumping with proper use is very helpful, but constantly using it is not an option. The client has an idea: «The cheaper, the worse.» As a consequence, he begins to doubt the conditions provided in the studio, the competence of personnel, etc. In a word, you have to be able to handle dumping, it’s important not to overdo it.
Personal experience
In our studios, open different cities, different prices apply. The average cost of a master class in small cities is 250-300 rubles, in large cities 600-700 rubles.
Long-term courses are subject to other fees. A monthly subscription for four classes costs 1860 rubles.
Organize the work of the studio is quite a difficult task, since it will take a lot of nuances, both for regular classes and for additional services. To work in a plus studio, you need to have 6 groups of 6 people. But it’s important not to forget about additional services. In our studio there are three types of services: developmental activities, children’s birthdays and family master classes.
Regular group classes are held on weekdays in the evening. We try to make sure that two groups of each age have time to study in a week. In total, we have two groups in each (one of three) age categories. Children go to us once a week, the weekend at the studio – on Monday. Schedule of classes is floating. In many respects the reason for this is that young children often get sick.
As for classes, it is important to make every effort to make the customer permanent. It is important to make sure that he has completed the program. This is promoted by a competently built method. We teach the child to draw from scratch. To achieve certain success, the children take 1 year.
At the end of the year, we have an opportunity to move on to a more complicated program. According to statistics, 70% of the children who are engaged with us come in the second year of schooling.
The family master class is designed to rally the parents and the child. As a rule, classes are held for two, for example, mother and child or father and child. Children and parents gather in a small group and work together on creativity in such an interesting format.
One of our main services is children’s birthdays. This format is in great demand, it is very relevant in the market. It is important to think over the entertainment program, make the event interesting, including by attracting animators.
Conducting children’s birthdays is an activity for the weekend, since parents have the opportunity to bring children to the holiday only on weekends. We hold peaks of the conduction on Saturday, on this day we can spend three birthdays.
Each of the services should be developed to maximize. About how successfully services are working, you can judge at the end of the month. If a service does not bring the desired effect, all the forces need to be thrown at its promotion.
Certain nuances of business of children’s studio are connected with seasonality. In non-season, revenue may fall two to three times. Therefore, it is very important to think over a number of measures that will help to compensate for the lack of demand for services.
In conclusion, do not forget that you work in the service sector, and even with children. This means that your business can not be a trifle. Second-class business cards, a cold room, an unattractive bathroom – all this can scare the client away.
