- I did not have to open my own kindergartenthe dream of my life. I never dreamed of my own business, nor that my life will be so tightly connected with children. In 2003, I graduated from the Higher School of Economics University in the direction of Economic Sociology, then worked in the marketing industry, in PR, and after I left on the decree and gave birth to the first child. I can say that it was this moment that dramatically changed me and my life. And I still consider my baby to be the most important teacher and mentor, and he, without knowing me, showed me the right way.
Photo: Personal archive of Zhanna Kazanskaya
How did the idea of opening a kindergarten
I spent a long time and a lot of time choosing a garden formy child. I was haunted by the feedback from adults, teachers, professionals that it would be difficult for them with my son, that we needed to introduce the strictest limits, they convinced me that he was “inconvenient” and “not like that”. Although, before going to kindergarten, I read a lot of literature on child psychology and education. And I went there with the confidence that all children are different, that the most important thing is love. It is important for a child to be understood, recognized, respected, so that he feels needed, because he spends most of his time in kindergarten, his self-esteem is formed there, and the conditions in which he will grow up affects his future life. And since I did not find educators with the same worldview as mine anywhere, I decided to open a place myself where my child and all his peers would feel comfortable. As a result, I came to my friends with an offer to become my partners, they agreed almost immediately. It was very scary, and at the same time with this fear there was confidence that everything was right. Now I have no doubts about it. In almost 10 years, we have launched four kindergartens, which together accommodate 600 children.
Starting capital and project development
The initial investment was around 600 thousand.rubles of our own funds. We invested 1 million rubles in opening the first kindergarten. We found a site for the kindergarten very quickly. There was a mansion next to our house for rent, we just came and said that we wanted to rent the first floor (it cost us 150 thousand rubles). Later, as the project developed, we occupied the entire mansion and paid 500 thousand rubles for it. To be honest, I did nothing to develop the first kindergarten. We just opened the building and hung a banner. The first clients were parents of children who lived in the villages next to us, later word of mouth worked, and in two months our kindergarten was full of children. The investment paid off in about eight months, when we became successful. It was then that the idea came to me that it would be good to take marketing steps with the second site. We mainly used the Internet and social networks. Currently, we are growing very well, parents trust us, the media is interested in us. I am sure that this is primarily due to the fact that our graduates have very good results.
Business in crisis
I opened my first garden during the 2008 crisis,and the active development of the network fell on 2015-2016, also a difficult time for entrepreneurs. I think this is the best time to make a name for yourself if you do your business well. During a crisis, players who are unable to give the consumer what he expects to receive in return for the money spent are eliminated. We have been in the industry for eight years and have not felt the crisis. Parents are ready to save on anything, but not on their children's education. And we have a serious responsibility - not to let them down, because preschool development lays the foundation for the rest of their lives, a lot depends on it. For example, will the child love to read or how will he perceive the learning process - as a favorite and exciting journey through the world of knowledge or as an annoying activity that is imposed by adults. And precisely because we are confident in the quality of the services provided, and our prices for visiting the kindergarten are justified, we are not afraid of competition, as well as the economic situation in the country.
Why "Interesting kindergarten"?
When I look at my gardens, it seems to me thatThey are the best. First of all, we are always on the child's side. Often parents compete with each other about what their son or daughter should know and be able to do. Moreover, they often drive their own children into a corner and thus give birth to a clear feeling in the child that he is not the way the dearest and closest people on the planet want him to be. Adults make him think that something is wrong with him, because he needs to read and learn English, and not play... In my opinion, upbringing and education should be gentle and comfortable. A child does not owe anything to anyone. He should not be able to read at 5 years old, he should be able to play with other children, draw, sculpt, cut out.
1/4Photo: personal archive of Zhanna KazanskayaPhoto:Personal archive of Zhanna KazanskayaPhoto: Personal archive of Zhanna KazanskayaPhoto: Personal archive of Zhanna KazanskayaAnother difference of our kindergartens is the creation of such a learning environment that children themselves want to acquire new knowledge. For this, the correct presentation of the material is important. If a boy or a girl is captivated, and not intimidated, then he or she will learn to read and count faster than you think. Over the years of work, I have seen only one need in children - love. If they feel it, they are not afraid of anything. We try to build human relationships with the child. I am sure that before educating, criticizing or punishing for actions that we do not like, you need to learn to unconditionally accept the child. No conditions, and no "if ... then". You need to love the child JUST LIKE THAT, not "because he ..." and not "only if he ...", but simply because he exists. Only against the background of unconditional acceptance is everything else possible: educating, negotiating, establishing discipline. I always teach my teachers to see in each child an individual with his or her own independent needs, deserving attention and respect.
Family and Career
At first, combining family and career wasincredibly difficult. I understood that I did not have enough time to do everything, and I could not give my children and home as much of myself as I would like. When the project began to stand on its own feet and a decent team gathered around me, the issue of time management became less acute. I no longer need to be constantly at work and solve every task myself, I can rely on my employees and confidently delegate to them tasks that I used to have to do myself. But despite this, I still come to different sites every day and personally check if everything is in order there, and help if necessary. In addition, my mother, nannies and housekeeper help me with family and household issues. I could not have coped without them.
A photo: personal archive of Zhanna KazanskayaNo, probably the most important thing is to plan your time competently, to be able to distribute business and not forget to give time to yourself. A woman is a vessel that must always be filled, and in order to create, one must create and draw inspiration, filling out the wasted energy with pleasant procedures or ordinary walks.
Tips for those who want to open a startup
To be honest, I would recommend itgirls should not start building a business, but enjoy life! Dreams of your own business are great, but the real process, as a rule, has very little in common with them. To seriously run a startup, you need a certain mindset, a strong character and a willingness to devote 100% of yourself and your time to the business, and a woman should first of all personify beauty and comfort, and not strength and success. But if you really have a conscious desire to create your own project, choose the direction that will not require unconditional dedication and will leave time for yourself and your family without damage. Also interesting:
