Today we’d like to introduce you to Molly Stone.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In 2012 I was looking to make a change in my career and find a way to spend more time with my family. I was working in a corporate sales environment that required a lot of travel and expected me to prioritize work over family. Around the same time, my in-laws were looking to invest some retirement savings into a business that would provide them income into their retirement years. After working with a business consultant and doing some soul searching, they found Young Rembrandts franchise and the 3 of us fell in love with the company and its mission to provide affordable arts enrichments to children across the world. We officially opened the business in January 2013 with just me and my mother in-law, Shelly, managing everything from office supplies to teaching classes. Since then we have grown from one class a week in that first school year to now having 7 women on our staff and we taught 41 weekly classes bringing the power of drawing to 877 students this past school year.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Starting a new business is always challenging and we struggled in the beginning to have any principals take our calls or consider our program for their school. During our due diligence prior to buying the franchise we had called many different schools in Gwinnett County and were delighted that none of them were really using outside providers and many didn’t even have teacher run after school clubs. We thought this meant we’d have an easy time getting our program in since there was no competition but once we really began trying to sell our classes we realized that the competition was the status quo of either not having any after school activities or only having teacher run after school clubs. It became clear there was going to be a lot of client education required in order to change the mindset around the value and necessity of strong outside programming to provide robust enrichment opportunities on campus. We focused on getting our program in front of parents through free classes at libraries and attending area festivals and they immediately saw the value and helped us advocate for the program to their principals. We continue to cultivate parent advocates and ask for referrals from our current account principals to try and shift the mindset at many of the schools in our area.
Young Rembrandts Northeast Atlanta – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Young Rembrandts is a recognized leader in Art Education. As a franchise, we provide drawing classes and workshops to pre-school and elementary aged students in Gwinnett County. Our classes provide a fun, convenient and affordable art enrichment opportunity for children of all skill levels. Our unique step by step drawing methodology ensures all students complete a drawing from scratch while learning fundamental visual art skills and building their confidence. There is nothing that makes us prouder than seeing our students faces when they finish their first drawing or a drawing they thought was too hard for them and they are so proud. We love those “I did it” moments and creating that for as many children as possible is what drives our business.
At Young Rembrandts, we believe all children are artists-it is not a skill you either have naturally or not. Just like Math or Dance it is a skill that can be developed and learned and we want to foster art education for as many children as possible. By focusing on the youngest learners, we can build those skills and confidence before they fall into the trap of thinking they cannot draw or are not an artist. We also recognize that most art enrichment opportunities are provided off school campus and are costly which is a barrier for a lot of families. Our classes take place right after school, right on campus with all supplies included which brings the opportunity for art enrichment to more families. We also offer need based scholarships each school year and we support our local schools by becoming business sponsors.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
For me success is a byproduct of pursuing your passion with integrity and excellence. Are we making a difference in our student’s lives? Are we helping to bring art enrichment to our community? Are we providing jobs for people in our community? Then we’re doing the right things and that leads to revenue and market penetration and the other traditional markers of success.
Pricing:
- Summer Camps $265/session for 4 days 9AM-4PM
- School year classes average $10-$12/class
Contact Info:
- Website: www.youngrembrandts.com/neatlanta
- Phone: 770-674-5204
- Email: molly.stone@youngrembrandts.com
- Instagram: @youngrembrandts
- Facebook: @YRNEAtlanta
- Twitter: @youngrembrandts
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