Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Columbus in Central Ohio have a rich history of companies
being headquartered here, everything from technology, manufacturing, retail, insurance, and more.
But what about the leaders behind these companies? What makes
them tick? How do they get their start? This is
where you get to meet the captain of the ship.
Welcome to CEOs You Should Know and iHeartMedia Columbus Podcast.
Welcome back to another episode of CEOs You Should Know,
(00:23):
a Columbus iHeartMedia Podcast. I am Boxer the host, along
with this week's guest, Becca Paul, who of course is
responsible for founding Balanced Family Academy now with ten locations BECA.
It's good to have you here.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yes, likewise, thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
You have quite the story. I can't wait to get
into this amazing franchise you starting. You know, a lot
of times we'll have guests that come on and maybe
they own four or five of these restaurant franchises, but
they didn't start it. In here. I'm sitting across from
the person who started this. Yes, and now, I mean,
(01:02):
and you're like gangbusters right now with what you're doing
as far as building this company. So I can't wait
to hear more about that. First and foremost though, let's
start with tell us what Balance Family Academy is.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
So Balance Family Academy is a childcare center. All of
our locations are in central Ohio, the Columbus area, and
my sisters and I started Balance Family Academy when we
came across the struggles and challenges of being new moms
and trying to juggle and find balance with our professional
careers and finding childcare for our young kids. So we
(01:38):
start as early as six weeks old and then go
all the way through kindergarten at most of our locations,
and then also provide school age summer camp support as well.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
So amazing. So I would have to assume and I
know we'll get more into it, Becca, But was there
a point where were you were you looking around maybe
at other daycares and going Was therever thought of I
think I could do this better?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah? Yeah, I love it. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
And all of my friends and family are like, oh,
of course, you guys are in need of childcare and
you just go start a business to fulfill that need.
And the funny part about it is is that we
opened up our first location in twenty fourteen, and we
were full within a few months, and we were giving
up our own kids spots because people needed childcare so bad,
(02:33):
and our families were like, well, wait, like, what do
you mean you don't have a spot for your son?
Speaker 2 (02:38):
And I was like, I gave it to this.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Mom who was crying because she's got to go back
to work next week, and sure, you know, we'll figure
it out.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
So wait a minute, can I just ask on a
side note, when that happened, what did you do with
your kids? Whether there was we.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Would call our parents, and my parents, you know, are
saying we're too old for this.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
We had you when we were younger.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I love it. Beca Paul is with us. She is
the co founder and CEO of Balance Family Academy. Well
let's start with you, Becca. Where were you born and raised?
Where you from?
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Yeah, Chillicothee, Ohio, So our south of Columbus and born
and raised and came to Columbus to go to college
at Ohio State and never really left.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
So do you get back as you still family in Chilcothee.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yeah, so my parents still live there, so not as
often because they have found it's nicer to come see
us and all their grandkids and be able to leave
at their leisure versus the opposite.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
So so what was what was growing up like in Chilacothee.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Oh, well, we.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
My sisters and I, we kept pretty busy with sports.
They are both cheerleaders. I was into volleyball, basketball. I
was the closest thing to a son that my dad
was going to get so so yeah, just busy with that.
And my grandparents live down the street. So we've always
(04:08):
been very family oriented, weekly dinners and just spending a
lot of time together. And so when we started telling
people we are starting this business, the first thing people
said is like, oh gosh, like, you know, going into
business with your family, like, is not a good idea?
Oh and it could ruin your relationship And so that
(04:33):
always was in the back of my head at the beginning.
But we of course have had, you know, disagreements, my
sisters and I, but it's like, we're very truthful and honest,
and I couldn't imagine being in business with anyone else
other than my sisters.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
So yeah, I was I was going to say, maybe
you had those thoughts being a little leary going into
business with family, but at the same time you had
to have already known like, Okay, look we're gonna probably
have disagreements, but we can get through anything together.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Yeah. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
So you mentioned earlier you eventually would move on to
the Ohio State University. What did you study?
Speaker 3 (05:13):
So my background was in business so I still to
this day, I think the most beneficial class was my
accounting and computer like learning Excel and all the formulas
like that has been a big help.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Wait, are you an Excel spreadsheet person?
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Yes, we love Excel sheets spreadsheets.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
We love a good spreadsheet.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Oh it's the best. I have so many I forget
the names of them.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
Now I have a spreadsheet for a spreadsheet to write
all the names of them.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
That tells me you are uber organized then, right, yeah,
that's the goal. I love that. So eventually graduating, so
I would have mentioned what business? Yeah, got into business? Okay,
So after graduation, where were you headed? Where did you go?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
So I did?
Speaker 3 (06:03):
I opened up a retail store, Helly Hanson out in California.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Helly Hanson. I love Helly Hanson.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Yeah, it's huge.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
It's it's a Norway right, Yeah, I love it. I
have like a dozen different jackets and yeah it's the best.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Yeah, they have really quality clothing. Most of my paycheck
there like their number one customer.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
So but how did so did you go out west
or were you based here?
Speaker 3 (06:32):
So I went out west, you know, graduate the day
after graduation, I got in my car, drove out there
and just wanted to explore the mountains.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
As far as childhood, I'd never really gone further west
than Ohio. We always went to Hiltonhead in the summer,
and we'd go to Florida, you know, occasionally in the winters.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
So yeah, just intrigued, try something new and get outside
my comfort zone.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
I'm glad. I'm glad you did that. And we both
probably know and granted I wasn't born and raised here,
but you're right, there's a lot of people, even maybe
you were born and raised in Columbus yea. And some
people have never left, Yeah, never left. And it's I
think it's so good to go experience. You don't have
to just move away and never come back. Right. But
what you did is you got to experience something new,
(07:20):
a different chapters. So what was your take from it?
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Yeah, it was it was different and it was great
and I am so thankful I did it. Managing a
retail store, I got firsthand experience of hiring and training
and managing staff and schedules and you know, running a
business as far as like staying within budget for payroll,
(07:47):
dealing with call offs, and just all the challenges that
go with managing staff.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
So that was a great experience.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
The thing that was most difficult for me being so
living in Lake Tahoe is very seasonal, and what I've
learned about myself is I love consistency, and so it
was really busy at times, but in the off seasons
that drove me a little crazy because I like to
keep busy and like to be challenged, and so it
(08:18):
was fun for what it was.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
I did that for a little.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Bit and then I did time share sales for the
Marriott and so I used to pitch people to get
free ski passes or you know.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Little perks to come on a tour.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
And that really gave me experience with just talking with
people and connecting with all different types of backgrounds. And
I've never been a shy person. One of my old
bosses she always used to say, you do not know
a stranger. So I really enjoy those components meeting new
(08:58):
people and learning more about them and also just helping
people find a solution and at the same time being challenged.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
So Becca, eventually you would find yourself back hearing it. Yeah,
when was that what happened?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Yep?
Speaker 3 (09:15):
So came back in two thousand and nine again, just
wanting to be closer to family again. My sister's funny enough,
they at some point both lived in California too, so
we all kind of took our turn, and my parents
are like, you can't stay out there forever. And at
that time my grandparents were still around but getting older,
(09:40):
and so just coming back and being close to family
is what felt natural.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
So so yeah, came back and.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
I used to nanny and babysit when I was in
college at O High.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Estate and came back to kind of get into that.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
And then one of my families that I helped raise
their heads introduced me to someone who was hiring for
a pharmaceutical company.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
So she was like, you'd be great.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
You just have to walk in and talk to nurses
and doctors and build relationships and educate them on you know.
I at that time sold Nexium for heartburn. Okay, that
product sold itself, so that was easy. But yeah, it
was a fun introduction to a career a professional career
(10:29):
back in Columbus because I was babysitting and still young,
and helped build my skill set of again just communication
and being strategic and creative because it's hard to find
the time to meet with doctors or better yet, for
the doctors find time to meet with pharmaceutical reps in
(10:50):
their day to day. But at the end of that journey,
just still felt a little unfulfilled with that career path,
and at that same time had just had my first
child and was experiencing the challenges of quality childcare, and
the more people I spoke with they were experiencing the
(11:12):
same challenges. And so after a lot of discussions with
my sisters, were like, there's such a need for this,
and not only is there a need, but we think
we can take what's out there and actually do it better.
So that drove us into creating our offerings. We call
it the BFA difference that we truly feel is what
(11:35):
separates us from other childcare options in the Columbus area,
and a lot of those just had to deal with
the convenience of getting out the door. It's hard enough
for me to get out the door myself, and so
I always said every child I added, I'm like, go
ahead and add just thirty more minutes to my day.
(11:56):
And so we just wanted to provide childcare that obviously
was a priority of safety and giving that peace of
mind to parents why they were at work that their
child was being well taken care of, but in addition
to that, making more balance in their life, so providing
diapers and wipes, providing all the meals, providing extracurricular activities,
(12:22):
carving out space in our facility for a multipurpose room.
Having four boys had so much energy and when my
dad would come, he was like, now I know why
I had three daughters because these kids are jumping off
the walls. And He's like, why are they having pillow fights?
And I'm like, because they're boys, they're what they do,
(12:45):
and so so yeah, that was really important, especially in
Ohio where the weather is so unpredictable. Maybe you can
experience four seasons in one week. And we wanted to
make sure that kids got that physical activity and burn
off that energy because it just makes for easier evenings
for parents, right along with just the guilt. I remember
(13:09):
signing my son up for the very like he's two,
and I'm like Yep, you're gonna play soccer. And you
know they just ran around and didn't do much of
anything at that age, but the stress of all right,
I got to pick them up at five and then
fighting with rush hour to get him there. And so
now that we offer those type of offerings at our school,
(13:32):
they're still getting that physical activity in and it's just
one less thing that parents have to feel guilty about it.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Yeah. Becka fall At is this week's guest on CEO's
You Should Know and I heard Media Columbus podcast. She's
the co founder and CEO of Balanced Family Academy BFA.
So let's let's go back to twenty fourteen, actually pre
twenty fourteen. How long did it when the light bulb
went off when you realized, hey, I think I can
(13:57):
do this, I know I can do this. How how
long did it take planning wise, from a business plan
to opening the doors?
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Yeah? Great question.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
So my sister and I, like my natural instinct was
to reach out to my connections in Columbus. We knew
we needed a building, and so I reached out to
another family that I used to babysit for and he
had connections with a realtor that had helped open up
other childcare centers. And so we met at the market
(14:30):
district here in up Arlington and it.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Has that upstairs.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Yeah, and he comes walking in with flip flops and
you know, swim trunks. It's the week before fourth of July,
so you know everyone's about to not work for a week.
And my sister and I we just came so organized
with our business plan, like exactly what we wanted to do,
and it caught him off guard and he was like, oh,
you guys like have really thought about this. And I
(14:55):
was like, yeah, what did you think we were showing
up to do? And he's like okay, and so he
started looking at buildings. At that point, we were looking
at investors because we were gonna need a million dollars
to get this started.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Okay wow, all right yeah, and.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Which seems like such a little number now.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
So two thousand and thirteen is when we started that journey,
we'll call it July one, and we started meeting with banks.
We had a few investors that said all right, well
we'll do this with you. And we were really lucky
because we were able to find a building just north
(15:41):
of Arlington on the corner of Bethel and Red Road,
just on the outskirts of Upper Arlington, and the real
estate market was just it was a good time to buy.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
It wasn't It wasn't.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Yeah, So we got a good price on the building
and then the construction. We started construction in March of
twenty fourteen, and then we were opened by August first,
so pretty quick. Even with the team I have today,
it's usually from the starting of conversations to the day
(16:16):
they opened doors can take two years. So the fact
that we are able to do it in about thirteen
months looking back is pretty remarkable. And we were just
I like to say we were lucky, but my dad
tells me otherwise. He's like, you guys work hard and
your solution driven and you just never give up.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
It's good dad right there back.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
Yeah, he's our biggest fan.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
But I thought we were lucky in a sense that
the right building came along. The construction team that we
had was just wonderful. We didn't know what we were doing,
you know, and so we were trying to figure it
out alongside, and they were very accommodating and worked fast.
(17:04):
And you know. The funny story. John Yeger is who
helped build our school, and my mom I come from
a background of real estate. That's what my mom and
my grandpa told her Chillo Coffee.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
And so my mom.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Came to see the school and she was looking at
John Yeger. John Yeger's looking at her and they're like,
I think.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
We know each other.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
And they grew up when they were little in Chillo
Cofee and.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
So it was.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Yeah, so so yeah, It's funny how these opportunities, there's
so many paths that cross, even like families that come to.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Her that knew someone, that knew someone.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
It's very much a family oriented business too much of
what we were like growing up, that everyone is there
for each other through thick and thin, and that's really
what we wanted to create an offer for families. You know,
I always and still am thankful I had my sisters
(18:09):
down the street to help, you know, in those early
years of motherhood. But there are so many families that
don't have family here in Columbus. So I'm like, well,
what do you do when you have an emergency or
you need someone to tell you like it's okay, You're
going to make it. And that's been the really cool
part of BFA over the last ten years is the
(18:33):
friendships that have been made with the parents. And I
see people that are on spring break and their kids
are in elementary school and they met each other when
their kids.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Were confidence out of our school.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
And a lot of our staff is really close, and
you know, it's it's just fun and exciting to be
part of something that everyone has the same mission and
everyone is there to support every child, every teacher, and
family every single day.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
That's our mission.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Becco. When did did you realize after opening your first location?
When did you realize that it was it was going
to be a success, it was going to be a hit.
How long after Halloween?
Speaker 3 (19:20):
Okay, Yeah, I remember it because we were all dressed
up and I was talking. I called our realtor and
I'm like, we're full, and he's like what And I
was like, we need another building and he was like okay,
and I said, I already got it figured out. There's
a building right beside our first building and it was
(19:41):
supposed to be a doctor's office. And I was like,
I've seen zero activity in months, you know, since we
opened August one. Obviously we're there twelve thirteen, fourteen.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Hours a day.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Yeah, and I said, just call and see if they'll
sell it, and he said they're not going to sell it.
I talked to the you know there either way, I
proved him wrong. He called me back in about five
minutes and I remember being in my Halloween cost too,
and he said, yeah, they are interested in selling, like
(20:13):
they just didn't really get along as business partners.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
And so we.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
Called John Yaeger and at that point I failed to mention.
He said, I'll build this school for you, but I'm retiring.
And I said, okay, perfect. So I called him and
I said, you're not allowed to retire yet. We need
you to build one more school for us. And he's like,
oh okay. And so we opened the second location up
on our one year anniversary.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
So wow.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
And then my sister she kind of was over at
the second school that we opened. I stayed at the
first school. My other sister she wasn't with us day one,
she was still working another job. But yeah, I always
include her because she literally saved our life every day.
Anything we needed, even if it was like we need
(21:07):
you to pick up all our kids and take them
home and feed them, or like, she was there for it.
And so very quickly after that second location, we opened
up a third and that's when our older sister Katie
came along and joined us. But but yeah, it just
we kept on thinking, Okay, we'll open up this location
(21:27):
and then we'll be good.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
And then we just kept getting a wait list.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
And what started naturally happening is families were growing and
they were moving outside the Arlington area into neighborhoods where
they could have more space.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Yea, and more homes for further out.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Yeah, and so there they got used to being spoiled,
I suppose, or they really enjoyed and appreciated the diapers
and the food and them all type purpose room and
just the community.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
That's huge by the way.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
Yeah, and so they're like, you got to open one
in Dublin, you got to open one in Clintonville, you
got to open one you know, Grove City. And then
the request just kept coming in and we were very
protective obviously of the brand and wanted franchise owners who
shared our passion and commitment to providing this service for
(22:25):
their community. And so that's when the franchise journey started.
Because what we realized is we're only human, and one
person or there's only three of us, and we need
more support. We didn't want to grow too quickly in
for the brand to suffer or the experience for the
(22:45):
families to suffer. And so we started the franchise business
and our first location opened May thirty first, twenty nineteen.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
And I know that is because they're supposed to open
in May.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
May first, and I said, well, we'll get you open
in May. And it was everything we could do to
get them open that last day in May, and then
the rest is history.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
I like it. You know what's funny is I can
totally see you going, I'll be danged if this doesn't
open in May. This is opening to May. It is
if you get it open.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
On the last day, the last day, it's you know,
that's the hardest thing before opening, is just predicting construction. Sure,
and I think anyone you know listening can relate. Whether
it's a home project or you know, a building or
a business that you're doing construction for, it always takes
longer than you think.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Well, and whether it's construction, especially construction, I'm guessing you
are not a fun person to have on the wrong
side of the railroad tracks. No, no, I mean I
wouldn't want to have to answer, Oh, yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
That we we have gotten lots of names from different inspectors.
They're like, you guys are conducting witchcraft. We're like, sit
down and they're like, your building is not ready for
us to inspect, and I'm like, it will be ready
in an hour, just.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Becca. Is there a whole different chapter a process when
it comes to the franchise arena? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Yeah, So.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
Ultimately it's I explain it as a pregnancy having a baby, ironically,
and so it's when you're first exploring. Even though you
are excited to open a school, you see a need,
it can take many months years to find the right location.
(24:49):
And so similarly, when people decide that they want to
have a baby, it doesn't always happen, you know, when
you want it to, and so you got to be
really patient. So that drives the opening of a school.
The leadership and ownership is really important to my sisters
(25:10):
and I in this process, and so someone who is
a good leader you have to be able to manage
a lot of balls in the air, if you will.
I always share and like it's juggling like three glass balls,
and one of it is the children that attend. Another
(25:32):
is the teachers, and the third component is the parents.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
And you're you never know what every day is going
to bring.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
Every day brings different challenges, whether you're ready for him
or not, and so you need to be able to
pivot quickly and.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
You know, make the right decisions.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
And so we look for owners who really enjoy that
fast paced environment. They're not afraid of a challenge, they're
not afraid of tough days, difficult days, and it's hard work.
But I think I can speak on behalf of all
of our franchise locations. It's it's the most rewarding experience.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
They've ever felt.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
And I think that's most things in life, like the
harder it is to achieve, it generally is the most
rewarding or proud moments.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
Of your life.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
And so there is no shortage of being challenged and
just having to pivot and make make decisions that are
for the greater good of the kids most importantly, but
also taking into consideration the perspective of teachers and you know,
parents wishes and everyone has different requests and things that
(26:49):
they would like to see. So we always try to
make the best decision for the greater goodness.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
Yeah, Becka. So at this point, you have you have
ten locations. Are you checking in with all ten locations
or the locations you're not at usually? Are you you're
talking to them every day? How does that work? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Great question.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
And so I have a team thankfully that helps support
all of our location. So my sisters and I have
the seven locations, and then the ten locations are our
franchise locations. So we do an in person quarterly visit
and what that looks like, we call it operational excellence.
(27:29):
So there's seven areas of our business that we feel
are really important that you need to achieve certain standards
in order to operate and excel at the highest level.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
And so we speaking of.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Trackers Google sheets, we have a system in place where
the administrators and the owners follow a system that we're
able at any time of the day to kind of
get a gauge of like all their days going, how
they're weeks going.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
So it's real time, it's a real time.
Speaker 3 (28:01):
Okay, yeah, and so so yeah, and we're all really close.
So sometimes we talk a lot, and then sometimes there's
days or weeks that you know, there's not as much communication,
but there's always an open line of communication between franchise
owners administrators that have access to myself and my team.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
And so in addition to that, we do quarterly empowerment calls.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
It's personally one of my favorite things, as I generally
kick it off with some type of inspiration, bring it
back to relatable topics, whether it's how to be a
great manager, how to overcome challenges. A lot of it's
built around building a strong culture, having healthy mindset, and
(28:50):
so those are great opportunities for collaboration. Additionally, we offer
curriculum meetups. A person on my team has designed our
Full Circle curriculum. Her name's Taylor. She's wonderful, and so
we open up this opportunity for teachers of all of
our seventeen locations here in Columbus to come.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
We hold them at libraries.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
And teachers come and share their best practices. Okay, they
learn more about the curriculum. And so we're all about
getting people together as much as possible so that we
can share successes and equally as important, be able to
share the challenges. And it's really fun to see one
(29:33):
school may be experiencing a challenge and another school pipes
in and says this is what we've done in the past,
and so.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
It really is.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
A teamwork, group effort. Teamwork makes the dream work one
of my favorites, and so yeah, just continuing those opportunities.
The last few years, I've done a leadership summit where
it's an all day learning experience for administrators, So we
really focus on supporting everyone with their professional goals and
(30:08):
in addition, their personal goals too. And I always start
with personal because I feel like if you're at a
good spot personally, then you're going to be able to
give the energy professionally.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Oh, that's so, That's what drives me is supporting our
teachers because that's where it all starts, and they spend
the most time with the kids in the classroom, and
if they are in a good spot and have what
they need and are set up for success, then our
kids are going to be set up for success. And
when they have healthy, happy, healthy days, then the parents
(30:41):
are happy and so it's kind of a full circle,
you know approach there.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
Becca. Two part question is there are a lot of
overhead with the business like yours and what's the most
difficult part about running a business like yours?
Speaker 2 (30:57):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (30:58):
Yeah, so our biggest expense, and it's worth every penny
is our payroll, and if our schools go over it's
generally in that area, which I am always okay with
our model. We staff an additional teacher in all of
our classrooms than what's required by the state. So if
(31:19):
you look at even the financials of our business versus
other franchise locations, our payroll is going to be about
thirty percent higher than the payroll of some of the
other brands that staff two teachers verse three.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
And well, I'm guessing and I know why, But why
do you do that?
Speaker 3 (31:38):
Just for more individualized care? You know, at the earliest stages,
when a child is an infant, you can have all
the babies needing fed at the same time, diaper changes.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
It's really busy. We do our.
Speaker 3 (31:54):
Best to accommodate individual schedules and our youngest infant classroom,
so in our younger infant we staffed two additional teachers
than state ratio. And so really that is just peace
of mind for parents that their child is getting held
and all the things that they need. We also, gosh,
(32:16):
I feel ancient just even talking about this, but when
my son went to childcare, we used to get daily
reports on a piece of paper and depending if you
know who picked up and where that sheet of paper
ended at the night, it was a miracle if it
actually landed inside our home.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
And so we now have a.
Speaker 3 (32:37):
Technology communication app. It's called care Day. Have built and
created ourselves, and what this allows is for us to
take pictures throughout the day. There's nothing worse than you know,
mom or dad dropping off and their child is just
extremely sad, and you're driving to work and all you
can think about is leaving your kid crying at the door.
(33:01):
And so we're able to send pictures and updates, and
it's parents are able to send. You know, if mom's
not able to drop off and Johnny started baby food
or table food and she wants to make sure that's
communicated with the teacher, she can do so through the app.
And so having those additional teachers in the classroom, whether
(33:23):
it's taking pictures or just updating what they ate or
what their nap schedule was, or how many times they
use the bathroom. You know, it seems a little silly,
but those are such important components. At the end of
the day, your child is falling asleep at the dinner
table and you look at the app and it's like,
(33:43):
well they didn't take a nap today, then you can
kind of put the pieces together and a gesture evening accordingly.
So so, yeah, the biggest component of our business is
the payroll and the HR component aditionally after that is
the facility costs.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
And that's the hardest.
Speaker 3 (34:05):
We do our best as the franchise or to really
set this model an equation for our owners to create
a budget that's realistic. And the facilities are the unpredictable
part right Sadly, we probably have plumbers on a site
more than we should with stuff you know, oh I've
(34:29):
car made it down the toilet or a child learning
to potty train and.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
I didn't even think about.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
That, roll a toilet paper down the toilet.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
And in addition, the toilets are small, they're not your
right you generally see at your.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
Home, because we want to make it.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
Easy as possible for that process.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
But but yeah, just.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
The unexpected facility costs definitely plays a component and roll
into the financial impact. And we take a lot of
pride in our facilities and just making sure they're very
clean and they're up to date, and so we put a.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Lot of work back into that.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
Yeah, over time, Becca, I know we were going to
start to wrap up here. But how how I mean,
I don't want to bore you. However, how how difficult
was COVID And what was your what were your takes
from you know, post COVID now looking back.
Speaker 3 (35:30):
Ah, that was hard, that was really hard. I'll never forget.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
I sent home.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
Several teachers on Saint Patrick's Day in twenty twenty is
March seventeenth, Oh yeah, And because that's when we heard
from Governor Dwine that there was going to be changes.
And the first thing we started doing was looking into
ways this stay open and how can we support our
families and how can we.
Speaker 2 (35:59):
Support or essential workers.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
And so we were able to work with the state
to get a special license to stay open. We had
to make a lot of changes in our group sizes
and classrooms that would have up to twenty four preschool
pre K kids could only have six kids. Right. What
we also did for our families who were not essential
(36:25):
workers is I remember it like it was yesterday.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
We had this.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
Clear board of it's pretty as big as half this wall, okay,
but we wrote all the families, We sent out a
survey if you still need care, we will do our
best to place our teachers inside your home.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
So we created pods.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
Yeah, so if a family had one or two kids,
like we'd go up to four kids in a household
and like families, like I said, are very close, so
they'd call their friends and they're like, all right, we
want to pair with this family, and then we'd try
to pair them with a teacher that one of the
four kids had and we placed that. So we had
(37:05):
seventy five different family pods going for the month of
April and the month of May, in addition to being
able to keep three out of at that time, six
of our corporate schools open. Gosh, Dublin had just opened
in May of twenty nineteen, so I was like, forgot
(37:26):
to mention this and our FDD that you know that
this is happening. So that was scary. Obviously they're just
getting into the groove. Clintonville, another franchise location, they had
just opened January one of twenty twenty, so they hadn't
even made it through three full months, not even one quarter.
Speaker 2 (37:47):
And so I.
Speaker 3 (37:49):
Think that's just a true testament to the loyalty of
our families, is that when we were able to open
back up to non essential workers. June one, everyone came
back and it was just it felt really great to
be able to support the families we could while staying
(38:11):
open in the schools, and then the families that we
couldn't support. We were sending teachers where we could. We
were making curriculum boxes, so we had all these supplies
and we drop them off on the doorsteps of all
of our homes. We had take home meals as that's
a component of our operations that families can order a
(38:33):
meal once a week, and so we just kept that
going and we'd deliver food to their doorstep. And so
we were doing everything we could to still support the
family so that they could continue to work. And you know,
I will say the other component with us staffing an
additional teacher is that if there were teachers that you know,
(38:58):
didn't continue to work for us because of health reasons,
because that was that was a situation, we had extra teachers,
and so we were really able to accommodate the group
sizes in the schools and then be able to send
teachers to homes.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
That's amazing you were able to do all that, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (39:18):
Yeah, and so so yeah, we figured it out and.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
It got tiring after a while.
Speaker 3 (39:28):
We didn't have our first case until July of COVID,
so we're just waiting to like see what happens. And
I would say that was probably the hardest thing, is
the quarantine period, because we would have to shut a
classroom down and then parents would have to figure out
things on their end for child care and kind of
(39:50):
navigating through what that looks like because obviously we still
had overhead costs for the business, and you know, the
quarantines were tough.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
There was no worse.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
Feeling than getting an e e mail at like nine
thirty at night with a parent saying that someone tested
positive and obviously concerned for you know them, but then
also having to send an email out to class at
ten pm and say, well, your room's shut down and
we'll see you in ten days. Yeah now. And so
(40:21):
that that was the hardest thing, was not being able
to help because that's who we naturally are, is that
will help anyone with anything they need.
Speaker 1 (40:31):
It's something that happens every year. I mean, COVID obviously
was a interesting time, that's for sure for all of us.
But flu seasons every year, Yeah, can I just ask you,
as a business owner and someone who deals with children,
is that one of your biggest d reads?
Speaker 2 (40:46):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (40:47):
God, flu season, Yeah, it.
Speaker 2 (40:49):
Is, it is. It's been a rough few months. It
always is in the winter.
Speaker 3 (40:54):
And so so yeah, that's why cleaning is such a
high priority for as we have professional cleaning services that
even come in every evening to kind of follow up
behind the teachers.
Speaker 1 (41:07):
Yeah, have so it's ready for the next day. That
makes sense.
Speaker 3 (41:10):
Yeah, so yeah, in addition to all the cleaning processes
and procedures that we have in place for our teachers
to do before leaving, then we have someone else that
comes through. But inevitably, you know, it's hard to prevent
the illnesses from happening. And again, that's another not so
(41:31):
fun call is when you know families are very busy
with work and having to make that call that their
kid has a temperature and needs picked up.
Speaker 2 (41:41):
We dread, we dread those phone calls. They are not fun.
Speaker 1 (41:45):
BECA, this has been so inspiring to hear how you
and your family, your sisters built this business. Uh, congratulations
for moms, dads, for parents that are listening to this
podcast and going, wait, I boy, I I kind of
want to get in on this, either whether it's a
franchise or just having their children attend. What where's a
(42:06):
good website? Social media platforms? Where are you at?
Speaker 2 (42:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (42:10):
So Balance Family Academy dot com.
Speaker 2 (42:14):
We've shortened it.
Speaker 3 (42:15):
You can also get to our website by b f
A Schools dot com. We got Facebook pages, Instagram, We're
all over. We love posting pictures of the kids and
all the great milestones that they're achieving every day.
Speaker 2 (42:32):
And so yeah, even if you don't have.
Speaker 3 (42:35):
Kids and you want to see some smiling faces, we
got lots of them every day.
Speaker 1 (42:41):
By the way, what's what's next for you? I would
imagine expansion is going to continue. And also a part
of that, how do you what kind of data do
you use? I mean, you're not throwing arrows at dardboard,
are you? I mean what how do you figure that out?
Where to go?
Speaker 2 (42:57):
Yeah? Yeah, great question.
Speaker 3 (43:00):
Honestly, and just looking at the weight lists of other schools,
and as I mentioned, a lot of our families that
have moved to areas that there's not a Balanced Family Academy,
we look at that as an opportunity. And right now
a lot of the expansion is with current franchises that
(43:23):
are opening up a second location or a third location,
and ironically, we tend to open them up pretty close
to one another. A lot of our franchise owners that
have more than one, their second one is literally right
next door or within a mile away.
Speaker 1 (43:42):
Oh wow, and that seems to work.
Speaker 3 (43:45):
Yeah, okay, Yeah, And you know, I was one of
those parents. When I heard that the weight list for
eighteen months, I was like, there's no way, There's no way.
But generally what happens is a lot of the infant
spots are taken and from families that have a second child,
and so they're getting priority in that classroom. And so
(44:07):
our infant room has twelve kids in it and it
feels fast and so so yeah, a lot of the
expansion close by allows for us to enroll new families
while also making sure that our current families that are
expanding their family have a spot.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
To backa before we go. I almost forgot to ask
you this, and it's one of my favorite questions to ask.
Oh my god, how did you come up with the name.
Speaker 3 (44:32):
Oh, it was hard, we were going to be caught.
We had a whole list of going, the whole list going,
and my sisters And I still laugh about this because
we were going to do Sisters who Care.
Speaker 1 (44:44):
I like that.
Speaker 2 (44:44):
Yeah, And then we were it was family, balanced, balance,
family all over the place.
Speaker 3 (44:53):
And we met with someone and just started talking about
what we wanted to achieve through our offerings, and it
really was just to provide balance for families, and so
we knew that the word balanced.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
Needed to be in the name.
Speaker 3 (45:10):
And then obviously we're supporting families. And then the Academy
is the school in that environment that we're providing, and
so that is our hope that we have you know,
achieved creating balance for families who attend our school and
continuing to stand by that mission of the all inclusive care,
(45:34):
the ratios that we provide with the extra teacher, providing
all the meals, the extracurriculars, you know, speaking at COVID,
those were things that we didn't want to have to compromise,
and so the BFA difference, no matter what, we were
going to do our best to stand by offering all
(45:56):
of those things.
Speaker 1 (45:57):
Well. BECA Paul, who is the co founder CEO of
Balanced Family Academy, this week's guest on CEOs you should know.
Thank you so much. For your time and congratulats, yeah,
congrats and all your success. And this might be the
first podcast where I haven't had to say very much.
Speaker 2 (46:13):
Oh my gosh, I told you this has been good.
Speaker 1 (46:16):
This all the time, this has been amazing. You are awesome.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (46:21):
All right, thank you.
Speaker 1 (46:22):
CEOs You should Know is hosted and produced by Brandon Boxer,
a production of iHeartMedia, Columbus
Columbus in Central Ohio have a rich history of companies
being headquartered here, everything from technology, manufacturing, retail, insurance, and more.
But what about the leaders behind these companies? What makes
them tick? How do they get their start? This is
where you get to meet the captain of the ship.
Welcome to CEOs You Should Know and iHeartMedia Columbus Podcast.
Welcome back to another episode of CEOs You Should Know,
(00:23):
a Columbus iHeartMedia Podcast. I am Boxer the host, along
with this week's guest, Becca Paul, who of course is
responsible for founding Balanced Family Academy now with ten locations BECA.
It's good to have you here.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yes, likewise, thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
You have quite the story. I can't wait to get
into this amazing franchise you starting. You know, a lot
of times we'll have guests that come on and maybe
they own four or five of these restaurant franchises, but
they didn't start it. In here. I'm sitting across from
the person who started this. Yes, and now, I mean,
(01:02):
and you're like gangbusters right now with what you're doing
as far as building this company. So I can't wait
to hear more about that. First and foremost though, let's
start with tell us what Balance Family Academy is.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
So Balance Family Academy is a childcare center. All of
our locations are in central Ohio, the Columbus area, and
my sisters and I started Balance Family Academy when we
came across the struggles and challenges of being new moms
and trying to juggle and find balance with our professional
careers and finding childcare for our young kids. So we
(01:38):
start as early as six weeks old and then go
all the way through kindergarten at most of our locations,
and then also provide school age summer camp support as well.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
So amazing. So I would have to assume and I
know we'll get more into it, Becca, But was there
a point where were you were you looking around maybe
at other daycares and going Was therever thought of I
think I could do this better?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah? Yeah, I love it. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
And all of my friends and family are like, oh,
of course, you guys are in need of childcare and
you just go start a business to fulfill that need.
And the funny part about it is is that we
opened up our first location in twenty fourteen, and we
were full within a few months, and we were giving
up our own kids spots because people needed childcare so bad,
(02:33):
and our families were like, well, wait, like, what do
you mean you don't have a spot for your son?
Speaker 2 (02:38):
And I was like, I gave it to this.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Mom who was crying because she's got to go back
to work next week, and sure, you know, we'll figure
it out.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
So wait a minute, can I just ask on a
side note, when that happened, what did you do with
your kids? Whether there was we.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Would call our parents, and my parents, you know, are
saying we're too old for this.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
We had you when we were younger.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I love it. Beca Paul is with us. She is
the co founder and CEO of Balance Family Academy. Well
let's start with you, Becca. Where were you born and raised?
Where you from?
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Yeah, Chillicothee, Ohio, So our south of Columbus and born
and raised and came to Columbus to go to college
at Ohio State and never really left.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
So do you get back as you still family in Chilcothee.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yeah, so my parents still live there, so not as
often because they have found it's nicer to come see
us and all their grandkids and be able to leave
at their leisure versus the opposite.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
So so what was what was growing up like in Chilacothee.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Oh, well, we.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
My sisters and I, we kept pretty busy with sports.
They are both cheerleaders. I was into volleyball, basketball. I
was the closest thing to a son that my dad
was going to get so so yeah, just busy with that.
And my grandparents live down the street. So we've always
(04:08):
been very family oriented, weekly dinners and just spending a
lot of time together. And so when we started telling
people we are starting this business, the first thing people
said is like, oh gosh, like, you know, going into
business with your family, like, is not a good idea?
Oh and it could ruin your relationship And so that
(04:33):
always was in the back of my head at the beginning.
But we of course have had, you know, disagreements, my
sisters and I, but it's like, we're very truthful and honest,
and I couldn't imagine being in business with anyone else
other than my sisters.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
So yeah, I was I was going to say, maybe
you had those thoughts being a little leary going into
business with family, but at the same time you had
to have already known like, Okay, look we're gonna probably
have disagreements, but we can get through anything together.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Yeah. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
So you mentioned earlier you eventually would move on to
the Ohio State University. What did you study?
Speaker 3 (05:13):
So my background was in business so I still to
this day, I think the most beneficial class was my
accounting and computer like learning Excel and all the formulas
like that has been a big help.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Wait, are you an Excel spreadsheet person?
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Yes, we love Excel sheets spreadsheets.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
We love a good spreadsheet.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Oh it's the best. I have so many I forget
the names of them.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
Now I have a spreadsheet for a spreadsheet to write
all the names of them.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
That tells me you are uber organized then, right, yeah,
that's the goal. I love that. So eventually graduating, so
I would have mentioned what business? Yeah, got into business? Okay,
So after graduation, where were you headed? Where did you go?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
So I did?
Speaker 3 (06:03):
I opened up a retail store, Helly Hanson out in California.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Helly Hanson. I love Helly Hanson.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Yeah, it's huge.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
It's it's a Norway right, Yeah, I love it. I
have like a dozen different jackets and yeah it's the best.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Yeah, they have really quality clothing. Most of my paycheck
there like their number one customer.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
So but how did so did you go out west
or were you based here?
Speaker 3 (06:32):
So I went out west, you know, graduate the day
after graduation, I got in my car, drove out there
and just wanted to explore the mountains.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
As far as childhood, I'd never really gone further west
than Ohio. We always went to Hiltonhead in the summer,
and we'd go to Florida, you know, occasionally in the winters.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
So yeah, just intrigued, try something new and get outside
my comfort zone.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
I'm glad. I'm glad you did that. And we both
probably know and granted I wasn't born and raised here,
but you're right, there's a lot of people, even maybe
you were born and raised in Columbus yea. And some
people have never left, Yeah, never left. And it's I
think it's so good to go experience. You don't have
to just move away and never come back. Right. But
what you did is you got to experience something new,
(07:20):
a different chapters. So what was your take from it?
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Yeah, it was it was different and it was great
and I am so thankful I did it. Managing a
retail store, I got firsthand experience of hiring and training
and managing staff and schedules and you know, running a
business as far as like staying within budget for payroll,
(07:47):
dealing with call offs, and just all the challenges that
go with managing staff.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
So that was a great experience.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
The thing that was most difficult for me being so
living in Lake Tahoe is very seasonal, and what I've
learned about myself is I love consistency, and so it
was really busy at times, but in the off seasons
that drove me a little crazy because I like to
keep busy and like to be challenged, and so it
(08:18):
was fun for what it was.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
I did that for a little.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Bit and then I did time share sales for the
Marriott and so I used to pitch people to get
free ski passes or you know.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Little perks to come on a tour.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
And that really gave me experience with just talking with
people and connecting with all different types of backgrounds. And
I've never been a shy person. One of my old
bosses she always used to say, you do not know
a stranger. So I really enjoy those components meeting new
(08:58):
people and learning more about them and also just helping
people find a solution and at the same time being challenged.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
So Becca, eventually you would find yourself back hearing it. Yeah,
when was that what happened?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Yep?
Speaker 3 (09:15):
So came back in two thousand and nine again, just
wanting to be closer to family again. My sister's funny enough,
they at some point both lived in California too, so
we all kind of took our turn, and my parents
are like, you can't stay out there forever. And at
that time my grandparents were still around but getting older,
(09:40):
and so just coming back and being close to family
is what felt natural.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
So so yeah, came back and.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
I used to nanny and babysit when I was in
college at O High.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Estate and came back to kind of get into that.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
And then one of my families that I helped raise
their heads introduced me to someone who was hiring for
a pharmaceutical company.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
So she was like, you'd be great.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
You just have to walk in and talk to nurses
and doctors and build relationships and educate them on you know.
I at that time sold Nexium for heartburn. Okay, that
product sold itself, so that was easy. But yeah, it
was a fun introduction to a career a professional career
(10:29):
back in Columbus because I was babysitting and still young,
and helped build my skill set of again just communication
and being strategic and creative because it's hard to find
the time to meet with doctors or better yet, for
the doctors find time to meet with pharmaceutical reps in
(10:50):
their day to day. But at the end of that journey,
just still felt a little unfulfilled with that career path,
and at that same time had just had my first
child and was experiencing the challenges of quality childcare, and
the more people I spoke with they were experiencing the
(11:12):
same challenges. And so after a lot of discussions with
my sisters, were like, there's such a need for this,
and not only is there a need, but we think
we can take what's out there and actually do it better.
So that drove us into creating our offerings. We call
it the BFA difference that we truly feel is what
(11:35):
separates us from other childcare options in the Columbus area,
and a lot of those just had to deal with
the convenience of getting out the door. It's hard enough
for me to get out the door myself, and so
I always said every child I added, I'm like, go
ahead and add just thirty more minutes to my day.
(11:56):
And so we just wanted to provide childcare that obviously
was a priority of safety and giving that peace of
mind to parents why they were at work that their
child was being well taken care of, but in addition
to that, making more balance in their life, so providing
diapers and wipes, providing all the meals, providing extracurricular activities,
(12:22):
carving out space in our facility for a multipurpose room.
Having four boys had so much energy and when my
dad would come, he was like, now I know why
I had three daughters because these kids are jumping off
the walls. And He's like, why are they having pillow fights?
And I'm like, because they're boys, they're what they do,
(12:45):
and so so yeah, that was really important, especially in
Ohio where the weather is so unpredictable. Maybe you can
experience four seasons in one week. And we wanted to
make sure that kids got that physical activity and burn
off that energy because it just makes for easier evenings
for parents, right along with just the guilt. I remember
(13:09):
signing my son up for the very like he's two,
and I'm like Yep, you're gonna play soccer. And you
know they just ran around and didn't do much of
anything at that age, but the stress of all right,
I got to pick them up at five and then
fighting with rush hour to get him there. And so
now that we offer those type of offerings at our school,
(13:32):
they're still getting that physical activity in and it's just
one less thing that parents have to feel guilty about it.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Yeah. Becka fall At is this week's guest on CEO's
You Should Know and I heard Media Columbus podcast. She's
the co founder and CEO of Balanced Family Academy BFA.
So let's let's go back to twenty fourteen, actually pre
twenty fourteen. How long did it when the light bulb
went off when you realized, hey, I think I can
(13:57):
do this, I know I can do this. How how
long did it take planning wise, from a business plan
to opening the doors?
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Yeah? Great question.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
So my sister and I, like my natural instinct was
to reach out to my connections in Columbus. We knew
we needed a building, and so I reached out to
another family that I used to babysit for and he
had connections with a realtor that had helped open up
other childcare centers. And so we met at the market
(14:30):
district here in up Arlington and it.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Has that upstairs.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Yeah, and he comes walking in with flip flops and
you know, swim trunks. It's the week before fourth of July,
so you know everyone's about to not work for a week.
And my sister and I we just came so organized
with our business plan, like exactly what we wanted to do,
and it caught him off guard and he was like, oh,
you guys like have really thought about this. And I
(14:55):
was like, yeah, what did you think we were showing
up to do? And he's like okay, and so he
started looking at buildings. At that point, we were looking
at investors because we were gonna need a million dollars
to get this started.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Okay wow, all right yeah, and.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Which seems like such a little number now.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
So two thousand and thirteen is when we started that journey,
we'll call it July one, and we started meeting with banks.
We had a few investors that said all right, well
we'll do this with you. And we were really lucky
because we were able to find a building just north
(15:41):
of Arlington on the corner of Bethel and Red Road,
just on the outskirts of Upper Arlington, and the real
estate market was just it was a good time to buy.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
It wasn't It wasn't.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Yeah, So we got a good price on the building
and then the construction. We started construction in March of
twenty fourteen, and then we were opened by August first,
so pretty quick. Even with the team I have today,
it's usually from the starting of conversations to the day
(16:16):
they opened doors can take two years. So the fact
that we are able to do it in about thirteen
months looking back is pretty remarkable. And we were just
I like to say we were lucky, but my dad
tells me otherwise. He's like, you guys work hard and
your solution driven and you just never give up.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
It's good dad right there back.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
Yeah, he's our biggest fan.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
But I thought we were lucky in a sense that
the right building came along. The construction team that we
had was just wonderful. We didn't know what we were doing,
you know, and so we were trying to figure it
out alongside, and they were very accommodating and worked fast.
(17:04):
And you know. The funny story. John Yeger is who
helped build our school, and my mom I come from
a background of real estate. That's what my mom and
my grandpa told her Chillo Coffee.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
And so my mom.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Came to see the school and she was looking at
John Yeger. John Yeger's looking at her and they're like,
I think.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
We know each other.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
And they grew up when they were little in Chillo
Cofee and.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
So it was.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Yeah, so so yeah, It's funny how these opportunities, there's
so many paths that cross, even like families that come to.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Her that knew someone, that knew someone.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
It's very much a family oriented business too much of
what we were like growing up, that everyone is there
for each other through thick and thin, and that's really
what we wanted to create an offer for families. You know,
I always and still am thankful I had my sisters
(18:09):
down the street to help, you know, in those early
years of motherhood. But there are so many families that
don't have family here in Columbus. So I'm like, well,
what do you do when you have an emergency or
you need someone to tell you like it's okay, You're
going to make it. And that's been the really cool
part of BFA over the last ten years is the
(18:33):
friendships that have been made with the parents. And I
see people that are on spring break and their kids
are in elementary school and they met each other when
their kids.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Were confidence out of our school.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
And a lot of our staff is really close, and
you know, it's it's just fun and exciting to be
part of something that everyone has the same mission and
everyone is there to support every child, every teacher, and
family every single day.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
That's our mission.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Becco. When did did you realize after opening your first location?
When did you realize that it was it was going
to be a success, it was going to be a hit.
How long after Halloween?
Speaker 3 (19:20):
Okay, Yeah, I remember it because we were all dressed
up and I was talking. I called our realtor and
I'm like, we're full, and he's like what And I
was like, we need another building and he was like okay,
and I said, I already got it figured out. There's
a building right beside our first building and it was
(19:41):
supposed to be a doctor's office. And I was like,
I've seen zero activity in months, you know, since we
opened August one. Obviously we're there twelve thirteen, fourteen.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Hours a day.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Yeah, and I said, just call and see if they'll
sell it, and he said they're not going to sell it.
I talked to the you know there either way, I
proved him wrong. He called me back in about five
minutes and I remember being in my Halloween cost too,
and he said, yeah, they are interested in selling, like
(20:13):
they just didn't really get along as business partners.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
And so we.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
Called John Yaeger and at that point I failed to mention.
He said, I'll build this school for you, but I'm retiring.
And I said, okay, perfect. So I called him and
I said, you're not allowed to retire yet. We need
you to build one more school for us. And he's like,
oh okay. And so we opened the second location up
on our one year anniversary.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
So wow.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
And then my sister she kind of was over at
the second school that we opened. I stayed at the
first school. My other sister she wasn't with us day one,
she was still working another job. But yeah, I always
include her because she literally saved our life every day.
Anything we needed, even if it was like we need
(21:07):
you to pick up all our kids and take them
home and feed them, or like, she was there for it.
And so very quickly after that second location, we opened
up a third and that's when our older sister Katie
came along and joined us. But but yeah, it just
we kept on thinking, Okay, we'll open up this location
(21:27):
and then we'll be good.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
And then we just kept getting a wait list.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
And what started naturally happening is families were growing and
they were moving outside the Arlington area into neighborhoods where
they could have more space.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Yea, and more homes for further out.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Yeah, and so there they got used to being spoiled,
I suppose, or they really enjoyed and appreciated the diapers
and the food and them all type purpose room and
just the community.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
That's huge by the way.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
Yeah, and so they're like, you got to open one
in Dublin, you got to open one in Clintonville, you
got to open one you know, Grove City. And then
the request just kept coming in and we were very
protective obviously of the brand and wanted franchise owners who
shared our passion and commitment to providing this service for
(22:25):
their community. And so that's when the franchise journey started.
Because what we realized is we're only human, and one
person or there's only three of us, and we need
more support. We didn't want to grow too quickly in
for the brand to suffer or the experience for the
(22:45):
families to suffer. And so we started the franchise business
and our first location opened May thirty first, twenty nineteen.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
And I know that is because they're supposed to open
in May.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
May first, and I said, well, we'll get you open
in May. And it was everything we could do to
get them open that last day in May, and then
the rest is history.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
I like it. You know what's funny is I can
totally see you going, I'll be danged if this doesn't
open in May. This is opening to May. It is
if you get it open.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
On the last day, the last day, it's you know,
that's the hardest thing before opening, is just predicting construction. Sure,
and I think anyone you know listening can relate. Whether
it's a home project or you know, a building or
a business that you're doing construction for, it always takes
longer than you think.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Well, and whether it's construction, especially construction, I'm guessing you
are not a fun person to have on the wrong
side of the railroad tracks. No, no, I mean I
wouldn't want to have to answer, Oh, yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
That we we have gotten lots of names from different inspectors.
They're like, you guys are conducting witchcraft. We're like, sit
down and they're like, your building is not ready for
us to inspect, and I'm like, it will be ready
in an hour, just.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Becca. Is there a whole different chapter a process when
it comes to the franchise arena? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Yeah, So.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
Ultimately it's I explain it as a pregnancy having a baby, ironically,
and so it's when you're first exploring. Even though you
are excited to open a school, you see a need,
it can take many months years to find the right location.
(24:49):
And so similarly, when people decide that they want to
have a baby, it doesn't always happen, you know, when
you want it to, and so you got to be
really patient. So that drives the opening of a school.
The leadership and ownership is really important to my sisters
(25:10):
and I in this process, and so someone who is
a good leader you have to be able to manage
a lot of balls in the air, if you will.
I always share and like it's juggling like three glass balls,
and one of it is the children that attend. Another
(25:32):
is the teachers, and the third component is the parents.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
And you're you never know what every day is going
to bring.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
Every day brings different challenges, whether you're ready for him
or not, and so you need to be able to
pivot quickly and.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
You know, make the right decisions.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
And so we look for owners who really enjoy that
fast paced environment. They're not afraid of a challenge, they're
not afraid of tough days, difficult days, and it's hard work.
But I think I can speak on behalf of all
of our franchise locations. It's it's the most rewarding experience.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
They've ever felt.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
And I think that's most things in life, like the
harder it is to achieve, it generally is the most
rewarding or proud moments.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
Of your life.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
And so there is no shortage of being challenged and
just having to pivot and make make decisions that are
for the greater good of the kids most importantly, but
also taking into consideration the perspective of teachers and you know,
parents wishes and everyone has different requests and things that
(26:49):
they would like to see. So we always try to
make the best decision for the greater goodness.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
Yeah, Becka. So at this point, you have you have
ten locations. Are you checking in with all ten locations
or the locations you're not at usually? Are you you're
talking to them every day? How does that work? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Great question.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
And so I have a team thankfully that helps support
all of our location. So my sisters and I have
the seven locations, and then the ten locations are our
franchise locations. So we do an in person quarterly visit
and what that looks like, we call it operational excellence.
(27:29):
So there's seven areas of our business that we feel
are really important that you need to achieve certain standards
in order to operate and excel at the highest level.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
And so we speaking of.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Trackers Google sheets, we have a system in place where
the administrators and the owners follow a system that we're
able at any time of the day to kind of
get a gauge of like all their days going, how
they're weeks going.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
So it's real time, it's a real time.
Speaker 3 (28:01):
Okay, yeah, and so so yeah, and we're all really close.
So sometimes we talk a lot, and then sometimes there's
days or weeks that you know, there's not as much communication,
but there's always an open line of communication between franchise
owners administrators that have access to myself and my team.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
And so in addition to that, we do quarterly empowerment calls.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
It's personally one of my favorite things, as I generally
kick it off with some type of inspiration, bring it
back to relatable topics, whether it's how to be a
great manager, how to overcome challenges. A lot of it's
built around building a strong culture, having healthy mindset, and
(28:50):
so those are great opportunities for collaboration. Additionally, we offer
curriculum meetups. A person on my team has designed our
Full Circle curriculum. Her name's Taylor. She's wonderful, and so
we open up this opportunity for teachers of all of
our seventeen locations here in Columbus to come.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
We hold them at libraries.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
And teachers come and share their best practices. Okay, they
learn more about the curriculum. And so we're all about
getting people together as much as possible so that we
can share successes and equally as important, be able to
share the challenges. And it's really fun to see one
(29:33):
school may be experiencing a challenge and another school pipes
in and says this is what we've done in the past,
and so.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
It really is.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
A teamwork, group effort. Teamwork makes the dream work one
of my favorites, and so yeah, just continuing those opportunities.
The last few years, I've done a leadership summit where
it's an all day learning experience for administrators, So we
really focus on supporting everyone with their professional goals and
(30:08):
in addition, their personal goals too. And I always start
with personal because I feel like if you're at a
good spot personally, then you're going to be able to
give the energy professionally.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Oh, that's so, That's what drives me is supporting our
teachers because that's where it all starts, and they spend
the most time with the kids in the classroom, and
if they are in a good spot and have what
they need and are set up for success, then our
kids are going to be set up for success. And
when they have healthy, happy, healthy days, then the parents
(30:41):
are happy and so it's kind of a full circle,
you know approach there.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
Becca. Two part question is there are a lot of
overhead with the business like yours and what's the most
difficult part about running a business like yours?
Speaker 2 (30:57):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (30:58):
Yeah, so our biggest expense, and it's worth every penny
is our payroll, and if our schools go over it's
generally in that area, which I am always okay with
our model. We staff an additional teacher in all of
our classrooms than what's required by the state. So if
(31:19):
you look at even the financials of our business versus
other franchise locations, our payroll is going to be about
thirty percent higher than the payroll of some of the
other brands that staff two teachers verse three.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
And well, I'm guessing and I know why, But why
do you do that?
Speaker 3 (31:38):
Just for more individualized care? You know, at the earliest stages,
when a child is an infant, you can have all
the babies needing fed at the same time, diaper changes.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
It's really busy. We do our.
Speaker 3 (31:54):
Best to accommodate individual schedules and our youngest infant classroom,
so in our younger infant we staffed two additional teachers
than state ratio. And so really that is just peace
of mind for parents that their child is getting held
and all the things that they need. We also, gosh,
(32:16):
I feel ancient just even talking about this, but when
my son went to childcare, we used to get daily
reports on a piece of paper and depending if you
know who picked up and where that sheet of paper
ended at the night, it was a miracle if it
actually landed inside our home.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
And so we now have a.
Speaker 3 (32:37):
Technology communication app. It's called care Day. Have built and
created ourselves, and what this allows is for us to
take pictures throughout the day. There's nothing worse than you know,
mom or dad dropping off and their child is just
extremely sad, and you're driving to work and all you
can think about is leaving your kid crying at the door.
(33:01):
And so we're able to send pictures and updates, and
it's parents are able to send. You know, if mom's
not able to drop off and Johnny started baby food
or table food and she wants to make sure that's
communicated with the teacher, she can do so through the app.
And so having those additional teachers in the classroom, whether
(33:23):
it's taking pictures or just updating what they ate or
what their nap schedule was, or how many times they
use the bathroom. You know, it seems a little silly,
but those are such important components. At the end of
the day, your child is falling asleep at the dinner
table and you look at the app and it's like,
(33:43):
well they didn't take a nap today, then you can
kind of put the pieces together and a gesture evening accordingly.
So so, yeah, the biggest component of our business is
the payroll and the HR component aditionally after that is
the facility costs.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
And that's the hardest.
Speaker 3 (34:05):
We do our best as the franchise or to really
set this model an equation for our owners to create
a budget that's realistic. And the facilities are the unpredictable
part right Sadly, we probably have plumbers on a site
more than we should with stuff you know, oh I've
(34:29):
car made it down the toilet or a child learning
to potty train and.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
I didn't even think about.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
That, roll a toilet paper down the toilet.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
And in addition, the toilets are small, they're not your
right you generally see at your.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
Home, because we want to make it.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
Easy as possible for that process.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
But but yeah, just.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
The unexpected facility costs definitely plays a component and roll
into the financial impact. And we take a lot of
pride in our facilities and just making sure they're very
clean and they're up to date, and so we put a.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Lot of work back into that.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
Yeah, over time, Becca, I know we were going to
start to wrap up here. But how how I mean,
I don't want to bore you. However, how how difficult
was COVID And what was your what were your takes
from you know, post COVID now looking back.
Speaker 3 (35:30):
Ah, that was hard, that was really hard. I'll never forget.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
I sent home.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
Several teachers on Saint Patrick's Day in twenty twenty is
March seventeenth, Oh yeah, And because that's when we heard
from Governor Dwine that there was going to be changes.
And the first thing we started doing was looking into
ways this stay open and how can we support our
families and how can we.
Speaker 2 (35:59):
Support or essential workers.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
And so we were able to work with the state
to get a special license to stay open. We had
to make a lot of changes in our group sizes
and classrooms that would have up to twenty four preschool
pre K kids could only have six kids. Right. What
we also did for our families who were not essential
(36:25):
workers is I remember it like it was yesterday.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
We had this.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
Clear board of it's pretty as big as half this wall, okay,
but we wrote all the families, We sent out a
survey if you still need care, we will do our
best to place our teachers inside your home.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
So we created pods.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
Yeah, so if a family had one or two kids,
like we'd go up to four kids in a household
and like families, like I said, are very close, so
they'd call their friends and they're like, all right, we
want to pair with this family, and then we'd try
to pair them with a teacher that one of the
four kids had and we placed that. So we had
(37:05):
seventy five different family pods going for the month of
April and the month of May, in addition to being
able to keep three out of at that time, six
of our corporate schools open. Gosh, Dublin had just opened
in May of twenty nineteen, so I was like, forgot
(37:26):
to mention this and our FDD that you know that
this is happening. So that was scary. Obviously they're just
getting into the groove. Clintonville, another franchise location, they had
just opened January one of twenty twenty, so they hadn't
even made it through three full months, not even one quarter.
Speaker 2 (37:47):
And so I.
Speaker 3 (37:49):
Think that's just a true testament to the loyalty of
our families, is that when we were able to open
back up to non essential workers. June one, everyone came
back and it was just it felt really great to
be able to support the families we could while staying
(38:11):
open in the schools, and then the families that we
couldn't support. We were sending teachers where we could. We
were making curriculum boxes, so we had all these supplies
and we drop them off on the doorsteps of all
of our homes. We had take home meals as that's
a component of our operations that families can order a
(38:33):
meal once a week, and so we just kept that
going and we'd deliver food to their doorstep. And so
we were doing everything we could to still support the
family so that they could continue to work. And you know,
I will say the other component with us staffing an
additional teacher is that if there were teachers that you know,
(38:58):
didn't continue to work for us because of health reasons,
because that was that was a situation, we had extra teachers,
and so we were really able to accommodate the group
sizes in the schools and then be able to send
teachers to homes.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
That's amazing you were able to do all that, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (39:18):
Yeah, and so so yeah, we figured it out and.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
It got tiring after a while.
Speaker 3 (39:28):
We didn't have our first case until July of COVID,
so we're just waiting to like see what happens. And
I would say that was probably the hardest thing, is
the quarantine period, because we would have to shut a
classroom down and then parents would have to figure out
things on their end for child care and kind of
(39:50):
navigating through what that looks like because obviously we still
had overhead costs for the business, and you know, the
quarantines were tough.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
There was no worse.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
Feeling than getting an e e mail at like nine
thirty at night with a parent saying that someone tested
positive and obviously concerned for you know them, but then
also having to send an email out to class at
ten pm and say, well, your room's shut down and
we'll see you in ten days. Yeah now. And so
(40:21):
that that was the hardest thing, was not being able
to help because that's who we naturally are, is that
will help anyone with anything they need.
Speaker 1 (40:31):
It's something that happens every year. I mean, COVID obviously
was a interesting time, that's for sure for all of us.
But flu seasons every year, Yeah, can I just ask you,
as a business owner and someone who deals with children,
is that one of your biggest d reads?
Speaker 2 (40:46):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (40:47):
God, flu season, Yeah, it.
Speaker 2 (40:49):
Is, it is. It's been a rough few months. It
always is in the winter.
Speaker 3 (40:54):
And so so yeah, that's why cleaning is such a
high priority for as we have professional cleaning services that
even come in every evening to kind of follow up
behind the teachers.
Speaker 1 (41:07):
Yeah, have so it's ready for the next day. That
makes sense.
Speaker 3 (41:10):
Yeah, so yeah, in addition to all the cleaning processes
and procedures that we have in place for our teachers
to do before leaving, then we have someone else that
comes through. But inevitably, you know, it's hard to prevent
the illnesses from happening. And again, that's another not so
(41:31):
fun call is when you know families are very busy
with work and having to make that call that their
kid has a temperature and needs picked up.
Speaker 2 (41:41):
We dread, we dread those phone calls. They are not fun.
Speaker 1 (41:45):
BECA, this has been so inspiring to hear how you
and your family, your sisters built this business. Uh, congratulations
for moms, dads, for parents that are listening to this
podcast and going, wait, I boy, I I kind of
want to get in on this, either whether it's a
franchise or just having their children attend. What where's a
(42:06):
good website? Social media platforms? Where are you at?
Speaker 2 (42:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (42:10):
So Balance Family Academy dot com.
Speaker 2 (42:14):
We've shortened it.
Speaker 3 (42:15):
You can also get to our website by b f
A Schools dot com. We got Facebook pages, Instagram, We're
all over. We love posting pictures of the kids and
all the great milestones that they're achieving every day.
Speaker 2 (42:32):
And so yeah, even if you don't have.
Speaker 3 (42:35):
Kids and you want to see some smiling faces, we
got lots of them every day.
Speaker 1 (42:41):
By the way, what's what's next for you? I would
imagine expansion is going to continue. And also a part
of that, how do you what kind of data do
you use? I mean, you're not throwing arrows at dardboard,
are you? I mean what how do you figure that out?
Where to go?
Speaker 2 (42:57):
Yeah? Yeah, great question.
Speaker 3 (43:00):
Honestly, and just looking at the weight lists of other schools,
and as I mentioned, a lot of our families that
have moved to areas that there's not a Balanced Family Academy,
we look at that as an opportunity. And right now
a lot of the expansion is with current franchises that
(43:23):
are opening up a second location or a third location,
and ironically, we tend to open them up pretty close
to one another. A lot of our franchise owners that
have more than one, their second one is literally right
next door or within a mile away.
Speaker 1 (43:42):
Oh wow, and that seems to work.
Speaker 3 (43:45):
Yeah, okay, Yeah, And you know, I was one of
those parents. When I heard that the weight list for
eighteen months, I was like, there's no way, There's no way.
But generally what happens is a lot of the infant
spots are taken and from families that have a second child,
and so they're getting priority in that classroom. And so
(44:07):
our infant room has twelve kids in it and it
feels fast and so so yeah, a lot of the
expansion close by allows for us to enroll new families
while also making sure that our current families that are
expanding their family have a spot.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
To backa before we go. I almost forgot to ask
you this, and it's one of my favorite questions to ask.
Oh my god, how did you come up with the name.
Speaker 3 (44:32):
Oh, it was hard, we were going to be caught.
We had a whole list of going, the whole list going,
and my sisters And I still laugh about this because
we were going to do Sisters who Care.
Speaker 1 (44:44):
I like that.
Speaker 2 (44:44):
Yeah, And then we were it was family, balanced, balance,
family all over the place.
Speaker 3 (44:53):
And we met with someone and just started talking about
what we wanted to achieve through our offerings, and it
really was just to provide balance for families, and so
we knew that the word balanced.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
Needed to be in the name.
Speaker 3 (45:10):
And then obviously we're supporting families. And then the Academy
is the school in that environment that we're providing, and
so that is our hope that we have you know,
achieved creating balance for families who attend our school and
continuing to stand by that mission of the all inclusive care,
(45:34):
the ratios that we provide with the extra teacher, providing
all the meals, the extracurriculars, you know, speaking at COVID,
those were things that we didn't want to have to compromise,
and so the BFA difference, no matter what, we were
going to do our best to stand by offering all
(45:56):
of those things.
Speaker 1 (45:57):
Well. BECA Paul, who is the co founder CEO of
Balanced Family Academy, this week's guest on CEOs you should know.
Thank you so much. For your time and congratulats, yeah,
congrats and all your success. And this might be the
first podcast where I haven't had to say very much.
Speaker 2 (46:13):
Oh my gosh, I told you this has been good.
Speaker 1 (46:16):
This all the time, this has been amazing. You are awesome.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (46:21):
All right, thank you.
Speaker 1 (46:22):
CEOs You should Know is hosted and produced by Brandon Boxer,
a production of iHeartMedia, Columbus
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