“To be successful in business, you need to show some passion”

Why it’s important for prospective franchisees to explore opportunities they ultimately feel passionate about

One of the key motivations for prospects enquiring about opportunities in the franchising industry is the need to do something more rewarding and valuable with their career. With the majority of us spending a third of our lives at work, it stands to reason that we would want to fill the hours doing something meaningful and fulfilling. Whilst there will be many motivations for starting a franchise – becoming your own boss, creating a better work-life balance and enjoying the financial rewards of your own efforts – there should be one more very important reason for starting your own business – the enjoyment of every day at work.

John Kutac, VP of franchise operations at kids coding franchise, Code Ninjas, believes that it’s not just advisable but imperative for prospective franchisees to invest in a brand or service they feel passionate about – rather than simply following a model and being driven by sales.

As well as increasing the chances of the franchisee finding the daily role and responsibilities rewarding, it will also improve the mood amongst the team and create the best possible atmosphere for success. Whether opting for a management model, or owner-operator, there’s always going to be a certain amount of passion and dedication expected from the franchisee. That passion also needs to be evident at the enquiry stage – a franchisor can set you up with all the tools needed to operate the model, but the dedication required to make a success of the venture ultimately lies with you. At the end of the day, those with a real belief or desire for the brand, product or service are bound to make more of an impact than people with lacklustre motivations for launching in the first place.

Starting a business isn’t something to be taken lightly. Whether the venture goes well, or you fail at the first hurdle, the experience can change your life forever. To be successful in business, you need to show some passion. You need to have a keen interest or a solid appreciation for your chosen sector in the first place. I’m sorry to say that, in most cases, knowledge or skill just isn’t enough. The two come hand in hand - passion and knowledge - because a business owner faces multiple scenarios through the course of their business where one, the other, or both are required to come up with long-term, actionable solutions.

Code Ninjas was started by David Graham in 2016. After taking his son to Taekwondo, he’d thought how cool it would be to start a kid’s coding business based on the fundamentals of martial arts – modelling the locations after a Dojo and allocating a different belt for each stage of the curriculum. From that idea, Code Ninjas was born! Code Ninjas combined David’s background in tech start-ups with, as a parent, knowledge of what kids love – gaming and building robots.

Justin Nihiser stepped into David’s shoes last summer, taking over as CEO having left his previous role as VP of franchise operations for children’s music education franchise, School of Rock. Bringing a wealth of franchise experience with him, Justin’s aim was to align our brand’s long-term plans for growth with the needs and expectations of our franchisees in the UK, the US and Canada. His goal for our students around the world was to maintain the quality standard of coding education we’d been delivering for four years. Like David, Justin is a father and a real advocate for the powers of kids coding education.

My role, as VP of franchise operations, is to encourage the most passionate and dedicated prospects into our network. Our commitment, as the world’s number one kids coding franchise, is to deliver the most impeccable quality of coding education, the best possible customer service and to establish our brand as the most trusted provider of extra-curricular activities across all regions we operate in. To achieve this, our mission is to recruit the required talent to support us in this endeavour. We’ve found that prospects from all walks of life feel just as strongly as us about equipping children with digital literacy – some have come from technology backgrounds, whilst others have taught in mainstream schools. We’ve even had a former postman join our ranks! What aligns them all is their belief in our aim and their own dedication to our cause.

They will always have this drive and enthusiasm to fall back on, so when the going gets tough - and trust me, that happens to the best of us – they can feel safe in the knowledge that what they’re doing is going to make a positive change in their communities.

Our franchisees in Milton Keynes, married couple, Girish and Divya Betadpur, are proud to play such an active role in delivering a much-needed service to children living in their area. “Both Divya and I come from a technology background, so we’re more than aware of the need for the next generation to have an understanding of coding,” said Girish. “Milton Keynes is a real hub of innovation when it comes to digital technology and so we want to give children living in our area the best head start possible by providing a quality standard of coding education, delivered in a fun and exciting atmosphere.”

“We live just 10 minutes from our Dojo and so feel very passionately about our commitment to the community – we hope to become a real after-school hub for local families. And as parents, we’re very proud to start a business that is purely focused on providing life skills for local children, especially during this pivotal time. Many children in our area have missed a significant period of school during the lockdown period – making the most of local extra-curricular activities is a great way to tackle learning loss. We feel strongly about delivering the best quality service we can and know our hard work is going to make a positive impact on our community,” added Divya.

There’s no doubt that Girish and Divya’s motives for launching their franchise come from an honest and ethical place. They’re equally motivated to bring an in-demand service to their community and run a successful and fruitful business, which will benefit both children living locally and their own family too. And the best part? They’re doing something they love whilst utilising their digital technology experience.

So, whilst there’s no magic formula to starting a business, I can certainly vouch for the advantage that starting up in a sector you’re passionate about offers when the time comes to take the leap. Whether you’re ready to tackle the challenge right now, or dreams of business ownership are more of a slow-burn, I wholeheartedly encourage you to continue to nurture the love you have for your chosen field. That will offer the best start in business you could ever imagine.