Zaniac Franchise

by FMS Franchise | Case Studies
5 minutes
Zaniac Franchise

In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. The need for people experts in these areas is critical as the technology surrounding us evolves. As any educator will tell you, for students, developing an interest in these educational areas and building an expert knowledge base in a STEM-related field can set them up for future success in countless industries.

But how do you give children the motivation to pursue a STEM-based education? Make learning fun! The founders of Zaniac recognized this years ago and built an education-related franchise business model that many future entrepreneurs can learn from.

Zaniac is an after-school and summer camp enrichment centre for parents who want to give their children an academic edge and 21 st century skills for a better future. The environment is high-tech and sleek with glass walls, bright colours, whiteboards and open and collaborative workspaces. Students have access to cutting-edge technology for programs like Computer Programming, 3D Printing, and Robotics.

The idea is to make learning feel like fun, and seem like play. The environment fosters confidence in students to explore new ideas, learn new concepts, work with other students to problem solve and develop critical thinking skills. Students enjoy hands-on learning experiences they may not have access to in their everyday classrooms. When kids enjoy learning, they’re motivated to learn as much as possible.

Zaniac was founded by Paul Zane Pilzer, a world-famous economist, college professor, bestselling author, White House official and software developer of the educational curriculum. When he became a parent, he realized that traditional educational methods didn’t really assess an individual child’s abilities when figuring out how to teach them new material.

When a child moved up a grade, they learned new math material along with every other child in their class, at the same pace, with the same materials, regardless of their unique abilities and understanding of math. Paul developed his solution to this problem, Zane Math, which was a breakthrough approach to teaching math.

With Zane Math, every child would take a pencil and paper assessment and based on the result, his software would create a customized curriculum for that child. Zane Math became Zaniac’s signature program. Parents quickly recognized its value, saw how it improved outcomes for their kids, and wanted more.

In 2012, Paul and his wife Lisa opened their first Zaniac campus in Park City, Utah. As parents brought their kids to his facility, Paul and his wife learned about the vision parents had for their children, their hopes and their dreams. Repeatedly parents told him they believed that a solid STEM education would give their children the best chance for life success. They saw science and technology as opening doors for endless career opportunities.

As the success of Zaniac grew, they decided they wanted to expand the concept to markets around the country. But how can you grow an educational product successfully with management spread out in different cities, with kids and families from wildly different geographical areas and backgrounds? It could seem overwhelming. Paul and his wife turned to Franchise Marketing Systems in 2014 to help them develop their franchise model and franchise the education services business.

When it comes to franchising a business, every business has its unique challenges. Some major issues faced by Zaniac may be very different than the issues a restaurant attempting to franchise may need to face. Franchise developers are specialists in helping businesses grow successful concepts no matter what product or service they sell.

For Zaniac, Franchise Marketing Systems developed the company’s franchise business plans, handled franchise state registrations, worked with an outside franchise attorney to develop the FDD and franchise agreement, created training programs and manuals, and set up operational and marketing support systems. They also provided support for selling new franchise opportunities to entrepreneurs with an interest in education and STEM.

Today, because of their franchise business model, Zaniac can offer franchise owners a turnkey operation. They provide a number of support channels to not only grow a franchise owner’s campus business operation but also maintain Zaniac’s requirement that each campus achieves highly successful academic outcomes for kids. These channels include accounting, marketing and legal support, operational guidance, ongoing research and development, along with the systems necessary to manage the business from enrollment to billing to reporting.

In just a few short years, Zaniac has grown from one campus to 11 franchise locations and 2 new master franchisees. The brand is well positioned for growth in a competitive market and is continuing to expand quickly. Zaniac is proof that no matter what the industry, a franchise model can work if business owners team with the right franchise consultants to set up the business model successfully.

For more information on how to franchise your education business, contact us.

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