A Day in the Life of a Kid to Kid Franchisee

Kid to Kid Provides Work/Life Balance and the Satisfaction and Pride That Comes With Owning a Community Business

Being a Kid to Kid franchisee has helped Amy Gustin achieve two life goals — the work/life balance she’s always wanted as a mom and her childhood dream of owning a community business.

“When I was younger, I was always interested in owning a store,” Amy says. “I wanted to own an ice cream shop when I was a kid, but reality kicked in and life happened. I went to school and pursued a corporate job and got away from that idea of owning my own business until I had a family.”

The transition from corporate America to franchising was made easier thanks to the training and support of Kid to Kid. The hard work put in by Amy and her team has obviously paid off — Gustin’s Kid to Kid franchise in Fort Wayne, Indiana, was named the 2020 Store of the Year after just three years in business.

“A lot of time upfront was spent training and developing the staff. I went into this not knowing too much of what I was doing,” Amy says. “It was a learning process for all of us and through that we’ve gotten stronger and better.”

“Any business is going to be hard to start up. It takes time and it takes smarts,” she says. For Amy, the challenges were also made a little more complex because at the time she launched her Kid to Kid store she had a newborn and a three-year-old. She was able to bring them to work with her, however, something her corporate job wouldn’t have enabled her to do.

“My 3-year-old would be hanging out with me on the sales floor, and the baby would be on my belly in the baby carrier,” she says. “For me, Kid to Kid married up the fact that I could have a family and own and run a store.”

She also sees the long-term benefits of launching her business when her children are young. By the time they are older and school-age, her Kid to Kid store will have been up and running for several years, and she’ll be spending less hands-on time at the store.

“Looking ahead to the long term when they need me most, I would be able to supply them with more time stability with shorter work hours,” Amy says. “I want to have time with my kids after school is out for the day.”

Being her own boss also enables her to work remotely from her phone or computer. “I can be anywhere and know the status of the store.”

KID TO KID FRANCHISE IS ALL ABOUT HELPING OWNERS’ FAMILIES AND FAMILIES IN THE COMMUNITY

Owning a Kid to Kid store has benefitted Amy’s family. It’s also a rewarding business that helps young and growing families in the local community by providing a place to shop sustainably and save money.

“When I thought of the idea of what owning a business would be, it was what would help the community and be a fun place that people would really want to go to and enjoy,” she says.

At the end of the day, she feels good about the work she does as well as the workplace her Kid to Kid store provides locally.

“I get to see the smiling faces coming in here, and I get to see what I am doing for the community and for staff and through providing employment,” she says. “I feel good about what I am doing with my work, and that energizes me.”

Ready to start your new career as a Kid to Kid franchise owner?

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