Fitness, Fun, and a Fancy School Bus: Josh Visser
Today’s guest is Josh Visser, a proponent of education and play within an active learning environment. Josh and Kris talk about his school, De Kinderen Huis, and its mission to provide growth through movement and play-based discovery. He also talks about his cool hobbies including his impressive Rubik’s Cube and school bus renovating skills, his process for getting inspired and inspiring his team around him, and how he saw and decided to pursue a child-care opportunity. Josh and his team have set themselves apart in the market and built a vibrant and abundant school with over 50 children enrolled in less than five months.
Key Takeaways:
[4:23] Kris will be the keynote speaker and host of a breakout workshop at the Georgia Child Care Association Fall Owners & Directors Conference on September 27.
[6:45] Josh shares his journey from a high school math teacher to a business owner. He came full circle a few months ago when he combined his experience in education and knowledge in sales and corporate business.
[8:35] Josh decided to go forth and embark on his business venture when witnessing the lack of child care in his area. He had the available space and declared that within one month he would open a child-care facility.
[11:35] Josh makes great use of his spare time and loves to stay busy. He also owns and runs a longtime DJ business, flips houses, and is currently converting a school bus into an RV with his children.
[16:22] It’s important to make connections with people both personally and professionally that have done before what you are wanting to do, so they can help guide you down the path.
[16:57] De Kinderen Huis is a wide-open 25,000-square-foot facility and 17,000 square feet of that is an indoor turf football field. They utilize this for their classroom centers so the children can be active and provides a way for him and his team to stand out in the community.
[19:57] Once Josh got his vision in place, it was time to build his team. It wasn’t all smooth sailing and luckily Josh had the right support and knowledge to make the right choices to overcome the challenges.
[24:30] Josh is matched with Coach Jennifer, who also was featured on the podcast in Ep #13. He has surrounded himself with others in growth mode and in turn, gives back what he learns to his team.
[27:01] Josh’s licensed capacity is 90. In just a few months they went from 8 to 45 kids. Acquiring them was a mix of word of mouth, personal connections, and marketing. Josh’s goal is to be at 80% capacity by the end of October, so stay tuned! Open houses, Facebook ads, and email marketing were all tactics that served them to meet and connect with community members who also may be potential families. Josh finds that he is able to target those in the community with a big pull, they will be the best and biggest advocates and can also provide valuable feedback.
[32:38] Kris and Josh talk pricing, and how even one dollar makes a difference when it comes to their pricing strategies.
[35:32] All of Josh’s business are an ode to his Dutch background, and Pella, Iowa is a Dutch community.
[39:40] There are no failures as long as you learn a lesson, have the right attitude, and communicate with your team and staff.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Child Care Marketing Solutions