She Worked Hard to Become An Engineer, and Didn't Want Her Degree to Go to Waste. Then She Found a Franchise That Was the Best of Both Worlds.

Kayla Opperman made bully money astatine her engineering job. But erstwhile her girl was a baby, she sewage tired of agelong hours successful nan office. She besides recognized location was a limit to really overmuch she could make moving for personification else. "I'd worked difficult to get an engineering degree," she says, "so I didn't want to fto that spell completely. But I started researching if location were immoderate franchises that progressive engineering. And that's erstwhile I came crossed Snapology."

Snapology is simply a kids' STEM and robotics marque founded successful 2010, and now has 130 locations astir nan country. But successful 2018, location were nary locations successful Colorado, wherever Opperman lived, and she viewed that arsenic a large opportunity. When she visited headquarters, she loved really happy everyone seemed, truthful she went for it. Six years later, she and her hubby ain 5 units, arsenic good arsenic 1 pinch Class 101, a college-planning franchise. Here, she talks astir scaling strategies, moving pinch your spouse, and nan value of friendships pinch different franchisees.

Related: She Cashed successful $100K of Her Retirement Savings to Start a Business. Here's What Happened.

You scaled to 5 units beautiful quickly. What was that like?

Snapology has proven to beryllium a bully prime for a batch of reasons, but particularly nan scaling part. At first, we were benignant of surviving disconnected my husband's paycheck and I was reinvesting successful nan business to grow more. I was successful nan greenish pinch my first franchise 10 months in, truthful bought my 2nd franchise a twelvemonth later. I bought 3 much units a mates of years aft that, which made consciousness because I'd gotten to cognize my marketplace and customer base, and I knew I wanted those different territories.

How did you and your hubby make nan determination to activity together?

It conscionable started to make sense. When COVID happened, he started moving remotely, truthful he sewage roped into my business stuff. After a while he was moving afloat clip astatine Snapology, and afloat clip astatine his engineering job, and besides taking attraction of 2 kids. So it was like, something's gotta give. He discontinue possibly 8 months aft I bought those further units, and it's been great. We don't really person a work-life balance, much for illustration work-life integration. But that useful for us. We'll spell retired connected a day and talk a batch astir business, but that's because we for illustration talking astir it.

Snapology was acquired by Unleashed Brands aft you joined. How's that been for you?

To me, it meant much resources. I genuinely emotion and attraction astir Laura Coe, nan laminitis and now-former CEO of Snapology, but I knew she needed a smart exit plan, for illustration immoderate beardown business proprietor would. Of course, selfishly, I was sad, but it each made consciousness to me. I was conscionable excited to person much smart group astir maine and much resources.

What are your plans for continued growth?

Well, we're beautiful maxed retired connected our territory pinch Snapology. I besides consciousness for illustration it'd beryllium difficult to ain a Snapology remotely. I'm from nan Chicago area, truthful I thought astir opening 1 successful my hometown, but I conscionable don't deliberation it's possible. But Class 101 focuses connected precocious schoolers. At Snapology, I'm moving pinch elementary-age kids, and yet they'll beryllium nan property for Class 101. So I would emotion to person Class 101 each complete my Snapology territory.

Do you person proposal for different prospective franchisees?

Talk to different franchisees. We trust connected each different for ideas, and you shape a typical enslaved erstwhile you train together. They're my champion friends now. The different point is, erstwhile you bargain a franchise, I deliberation you request to make it your full-time commitment. When group bargain a franchise while they're still moving different job, they're truthful slow building it that they extremity up failing, because you do person to salary royalties. So I show anyone reasoning astir it: You request to beryllium each astir it.

Related: The Role and Responsibilities of a Franchisee, Defined