Page 50 - Entrepreneur-November 2018

Franchisee

realized that if you want to work
in childcare, you have to love kids,
period. That’s not something I
can teach. Now I’ve had staff with
me for more than 10 years, which
makes me very proud. They’re the
people we’ll promote within our
three locations.

As you expand, how do you
market to new communities?
RAJ: We try to get involved with
the local community—when
people meet you in person,
they’re able to connect with
you. In North Brunswick, for
example, they have Heritage Day,
and we go there, have giveaways,
hire a magician to keep kids
entertained. We also used to do
storytelling events at the local
Barnes & Noble.
VEENU: And we host parents’
night out in local restaurants.
They give a certain percentage
of sales back to the Lightbridge
Academy Foundation, which sup-
ports anyone in the Lightbridge
community who needs help.

I’m sure that with childcare,
word of mouth is also pretty
valuable to your business.
RAJ: We are the only business
that sees its customers twice a
aj and Veenu Parkash are seasoned business owners. After they married, in the ’90s,
day, five times a week. When par-
they owned and operated a garment business in Manhattan while raising their young ents leave their children—their
family in the New Jersey suburbs. But after eight years of that, they wanted a way to most prized possessions—with
work closer to their kids—which is why they became franchisees of an East Coast–based you, they have to trust you. That
R early childhood education center called Lightbridge Academy. Despite their past expe- bond is so important, and a lot of
rience, launching this business felt like starting from square one. The two longtime entre- our families stay with us for eight
preneurs tell us how they hit reset on their careers, learned the ins and outs of an unfamiliar to 10 years as their children age.
When you’re there for your cus-
industry, and earned the hard-won trust of their community’s parents.
tomers through thick and thin,
they tell their family and friends.
What attracted you to Other ventures like retail What was one of the big-
Lightbridge Academy, coming or restaurants intrigued us, gest challenges you faced It sounds like this operation is
from the garment industry? but they required such long when you first signed on as still a significant time commit-
RAJ: Our daughter was actu- hours, including weekends. franchisees? ment. Has it given you the free-
ally enrolled in Lightbridge We knew the Lightbridge VEENU: I spent two years dom you’d originally hoped for?
Academy in New Jersey when model, were very impressed training at other Lightbridge VEENU: The first center we
we were running our garment by it, and knew it would work facilities while we got our first opened was tough—we rarely had
business in Manhattan. And for our family, because it was a location built, and I learned a any family time. But we knew we
on 9/11, we could not get to Monday-through-Friday oper- lot about what I wanted from would have to give away a year or
her. From there, we wanted ation. But we knew absolutely my staff. But hiring was still a two of our lives before it would
an opportunity that would let nothing about childcare—it was challenge. I hired a lot of people get better. And it did. You have to
one of us stay close to home. a big gamble. I ultimately had to let go. I pay a price for success.

80 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / November 2018