Victoria Boeva ​​on Yandex photos. Victoria Boeva ​​and Tatyana Amaryan: “This is an ideal business when you bring joy to people and realize that you are changing future generations!” What can you wish our readers

Tatyana Amaryan and Victoria Boeva

And who will raise the children?

Running a business for a new mother often seems like a daunting task. Some give up work completely in favor of raising children, others wait until the child goes to school. The idea of ​​owning a business 10 years ago seemed wild to mothers: who will raise children?

Now the situation has changed, and we are sure that a child is by no means a hindrance, but. Inventing your own business from scratch, even if you are raising two small children, is quite realistic.

5 years ago, when our second daughters were only 6 months old, we opened the first kindergarten. They started their journey by acquiring a franchise of a popular children's club, but quickly became disillusioned with someone else's concept and decided to come up with their own. This is how our English kindergarten Discovery appeared.

The project turned out to be successful, and without thinking twice, we decided to develop our own franchise. Now in Moscow there are already 5 kindergartens operating under our brand, and we are just starting to expand our network.

How to create a product that everyone wants to buy?

The success of the project is, on the one hand, a matter of luck, on the other hand, the result of hard work, a long journey of trial and error. In fact, there are simply no universal rules, and no one knows the perfect recipe.

Concept

Any successful project starts with a good idea. Very often, those products that were created artificially, and did not arise from the natural needs of society or the market, turn out to be unsuccessful.

Of course, a well-thought-out concept is equally important. and a detailed strategy for the implementation of the product - without this, not a single idea will be implemented.

In the field of private preschool education, an original idea plays a big role, since it can sometimes bring a tangible competitive advantage.

For example, the basis of the concept of the American center for preschoolers Sylvan was training on the principle of tutoring (mentoring). Each child has a mentor who helps to reveal their potential and works with them individually.

It seems that this was exactly the approach parents were waiting for, because the club soon became extremely popular, and over the 30 years of its existence, the franchise has grown throughout America and Canada.

If we talk about our project, then we did not want to open another kindergarten, where will be simple .

We sought to create a comprehensive learning system that would allow children, on the one hand, to fully immerse themselves in the language environment, and, on the other hand, to develop their other talents - logic, artistic and applied creativity, plasticity and acting skills. A place where children can prepare for further advancement in life. It turned out that many parents want just such services.

Quality

A successful concept and its competent implementation is far from the only guarantee of success. It is equally important to ensure the quality of the product at all levels - from the selection of suppliers, equipment and materials to the qualifications of the personnel involved in the project.

Such a criterion seems obvious, but in fact, not everyone strives to set high standards. Someone wants to save money, someone is afraid that there will be no demand for an expensive product. We are sure that when developing a new project, quality is not the criterion that should be saved.

In our project, the quality of equipment and training materials, which we specially order in the USA, has become fundamental for us. We have also developed and patented our own method, which includes preparing children for the international preschool development program - International Preschool Curriculum, created by Harvard University specialists.

The target audience

You can come up with the perfect solution only when you know exactly for whom you are creating a product. The better you represent your customer profile, the more likely you are to hit the mark. This is probably why the most successful projects in the field of preschool education were opened by parents who were looking for something special for their child, suitable for him.

For example, it happened with the world famous children's center Kumon - it was founded by a Japanese mathematician who wanted to instill in his son a love of learning and teach him what he would need at school later. The method turned out to be so effective and interesting to other parents that now it is taught to children in 49 countries around the world.

In our case, understanding the audience was also not difficult.. We ourselves are mothers with children of preschool age, and therefore we perfectly understood what our clients were waiting for.

Modern parents do not just want to "attach" their children during working hours. A stable group of clients has already formed on the market, who seek an individual approach and unique services from the kindergarten, which are not available in an ordinary kindergarten. That is why we tried to create a "niche" product that would cover the unsatisfied demand.

Know-how (methods, schemes and tools)

For a project to be successful, it is also important to develop a quality support service and a set of practices and methods to help understand your product. If we talk about a franchise, then it should be a simple and useful toolkit that helps you successfully start your own business.

We have gone through a difficult path of development of our own and therefore knew exactly how important it is to accompany our franchisees at all stages.

That is why we provide advice on staff recruitment, help in finding premises, creating a design project and purchasing equipment; we provide a specially designed advertising strategy, as well as technical support, help plan financial activities and train staff.

Control

To maintain the quality of the product, you need to think over a clear control system. Control should accompany the project at all stages of life and include planning, reporting systems, monitoring and analysis of the status of the project, as well as a well-thought-out scheme for responding if necessary.

Since the project of a kindergarten involves a lot of responsibility and attention to detail, control is at the forefront.

We carefully monitor safety, control the progress of educational work, conduct regular observations, interviews with children and teachers, and have also developed several levels of reporting and questioning parents. Our franchisees also go through several stages of verification and have their own reporting system. Such conditions are necessary to maintain the quality of the brand and product.

In this regard, the experience of the Sylvan center is interesting - they carry out control through electronic systems, and this applies both to working with children and with franchisees.

For example, for their students, they make personal websites that reflect the entire learning process and the success of the child. The very principle of a personal approach and online access is very modern and relevant for many business areas.

personal attitude

Perhaps the main secret of a successful project is a personal attitude to the product. Love for one's work, no matter how trite it may sound, is the very factor that always remains binding and, perhaps, determining. If you love your product, it will be much easier for you to “fall in love” with both employees and customers.

Their photos collect hundreds of likes, and the number of friends and fans is in the thousands. Who are the most popular Kursk girls on social networks and what is their secret?

Alena Nakhalena

Subscribers: 15 421

Friends: 7075

Zodiac sign: Capricorn.

What is your occupation: marketing director.

Hobby: landscape design.

Favorite book: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.

Favorite movie:"Best deal".

Favorite place in the city: my house.

Main achievements in life: in the profession - completed tasks and projects. In personal life - a strong family.

By herself!

I never thought about it. And I don't really have a secret. I am not a model, but I love the process of photography. Many people like my photos. People often ask about photographers, ask for advice on which one to choose.

Ekaterina Komarova

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What is your occupation: Graduated from RFEI with a degree in management. I am currently a housewife with a 4 year old daughter.

Hobby: I go in for sports, I like to cook very much. I grow flowers, in the summer I always have a lush flower bed.

Favorite book: The Pianist and Greed by Elfriede Jelinek.

Favorite movie: I love thrillers with an exciting and tense plot and intricate endings.

Favorite place in the city: where there are more children's entertainment - "Manege", "Lukomorye", "Baskin Robbins".

Main achievements in life: the birth of my daughter Vasilisa.

A real woman should be able to be different. In the morning it smells of freshness, in the afternoon - delicious pies, and in the evening - expensive perfumes. Every day she falls in love with her man.

What is the secret of your popularity on the network: I have been on VKontakte since the first days of its appearance. I posted my photos from life, kept an album with funny messages that I guys wrote for the purpose of acquaintance. I also had my own group with the uncomplicated name "Blondes of the City of Kursk", which was very popular with both girls and guys.

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Favorite movie:"Diary of member".

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Major achievement in life: I'm going to the goal, I want to open my own business.

A real woman should be queen in society. And, of course, humble.

I am always different. It draws attention.

Marina Goncharova

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A real woman should be loving: family, his work, himself. And happy. For me, happiness is a daily discovery. Every day something new: new emotions, places, books, people.

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Anastasia Kurpitko

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Favorite movie: series based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy "War and Peace", "Interstellar".

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A real woman should be feminine, well-groomed and beloved!

What do you think - work related to children, because this is the dream of every mother? When there is an opportunity to combine spending time with your child and your dream job. One of these ways is the opening of a children's club. Today we talked with Victoria Boeva ​​and Tatyana Amaryan about the club they created English Preschool « discovery , as well as the fact that any brave mother in her city can open it. How to do it? Read in the interview.

Good afternoon Tell us about yourself, how did you come up with the idea to open an English kindergarten?

Tatyana Amaryan: “It all started 5 years ago, when Victoria Boeva ​​and I gave birth to our second children and started taking them to different development centers. At that time, the older daughters needed a kindergarten. And as it happens, we were missing something everywhere. Either the qualifications of the staff and the content of the program, or the atmosphere. Then we decided to open our own kids club. At the moment, our project has been fully implemented, two English kindergartens have been launched. Since the kindergarten was created for their children, our customers always feel it and talk about it. We are very demanding in all matters, from the choice of a teacher and the quality of food, to the finishing materials that we use when opening.

But why not just kindergarten, namely English?

As we have already said, the garden was open to its children. And I wanted to invest as much as possible in them. Now the language has ceased to be a privilege, but has become a necessity! And when children study with a native speaker from a very early age, they already have a completely different pronunciation, the fear of communicating with foreigners completely disappears. The Americans and the British have a completely different attitude and requirements for learning. We want children to study according to international standards.

Do you have any special training? Have you been in business before?

In a past life, Victoria Boeva ​​was a financial director in a large state-owned company, Tatyana Amaryan worked in marketing at a largest investment company. We graduated from the Plekhanov Academy. Having accumulated the necessary experience, professionalism and business knowledge, we decided to try our hand at private business. Moreover, this was accompanied by the birth of second children and there was no longer the strength and time to work in the office from 9 am to 9 pm. I wanted to do my own business, but not as banal as a beauty salon or a cozy cafe, but socially significant in order to benefit society, my children, and influence the education and development of future generations. No matter how grandiloquent it may sound, but the development of a person as a person, as a future citizen, begins with kindergarten and what talents you will discover in it at this age, what skills you will develop, how you will love and educate - this will be the key to the future, to further human success and growth. Initially, having little understanding in this field of activity, we entered the franchise of a well-known network of children's clubs. But, having worked for more than 3 years, they figured out all the intricacies of the business, changed the profile of activity from developing groups to English kindergartens, and began to position their own brand - Discovery.

After more than 6 years of work in this field, we understand that this is an ideal business when you bring joy to people and realize that you are changing future generations! At the same time, your children are with you! Also, planning your schedule on your own, you manage to redo thousands of cases in a day, which would not be possible when working as a hired manager in the office. In our opinion, this is the best business for a young mother with children.”

How is your nursery different from other similar projects?

English Preschool "Discovery" is an intellectual space with a high level of teaching and a homely atmosphere for everyone who is looking for the best way to teach children English. The goal of English Preschool "Discovery" is to help children learn to think in English, feel foreign as native. Classes are based on intuitive learning. Our motto is "Don't learn a language, but think in it". Children from the children's club English Preschool "Discovery" easily continue to study in foreign schools both in Russia and abroad.

Our project was tested on our own children, we asked them what they liked, what they didn’t like, what kind of teacher they liked, what kind of food was delicious. The opinion of a small person can differ sharply from the opinion of an adult, so it is important to take into account children's interests when planning work in kindergarten. In addition, we ourselves, as demanding mothers, tried to select the best for our children - the best teachers, the best methods, and educational aids. Over time, this has grown into a quality standard that we maintain on a daily basis. Our reputational things may not allow us to really save money in our business, but they ensure our high level of education and service and keep us in high positions.

Now there are many different opinions - whether it is worth teaching a child a foreign language from early childhood. What are your observations?

Our experience confirms 100 percent that it is worth it or not - this is a wrong judgment, it is necessary! any kid. To date, a wealth of experience has been accumulated by scientists and psychologists regarding the development of bilingual children. In short, bilingual children adapt better to any environment, communicate better with other people, they have fewer fears in new non-standard situations, they better concentrate and remember information. And this is only superficial information, not to mention the scientific point of view, the formation of the mental and behavioral abilities of these children. Therefore, our advice is to learn as many languages ​​as possible from childhood, the future lies precisely with this! But each educational process must be approached wisely, not to forget to take into account the individual psychological characteristics of each child. Any training should be for the benefit, not the detriment.

From what age are there programs in the kindergarten?

Programs in developmental groups begin with eight-month-old babies. These groups allow children to adapt to the garden and give an initial level of education in mathematics, language, develop their creative abilities. Classes directly in kindergarten begin at 2.5 years. We have 3 different age groups of the garden: 2.5-3.5, 3.5-4.5, 4.5-6 years. For each group, an author's program in English is prescribed, broken down for each day, which includes the comprehensive development of the child: preparation for school, music, physical education, choreography, chess, classes with a psychologist and a speech therapist.

Tell us about the team? I went to the site, all the faces are young. What is it connected with? Maybe young people get along better with children?

We try to take young, full of strength and enthusiasm for the work of teachers. They themselves have recently been children and are on the same wavelength with their pupils! We also believe that it is better to fill in a blank sheet of paper, through reworking a written book. We take children who love to create, come up with all sorts of experiments and many other interesting things that can keep a child's interest and at the same time know how to play with him, jump and run. Children are always drawn to youth. Our teachers are "on the same wavelength" with the children! Of course, such employees are very difficult to find, so our selection is: 1 out of 30-50 candidates. Of course, we sometimes face difficulties regarding the age composition. But in the process of work, everything falls into place.

Now you have two English kindergartens, and what are your plans for the future?

In the future, we plan to develop our network through the sale of franchises for the organization of English kindergartens Discovery Currently, we already have several potential buyers, most of whom are our clients, who see how our business is built and operates, see how their children are progressing (many already fluently communicate and play the language). Our clients trust us, and this is the most important thing for us, because it is impossible to work without trust.

On the site you have the opportunity to open a kindergarten franchise. Tell us more about what you offer? Mom in any city can open such a club?

We plan to open a franchise of no more than 5 clubs in Moscow, and we are also ready to work with other cities and countries. We set ourselves a goal - not to lose quality, and to achieve this, you cannot open 200 clubs, because control is automatically lost and each club lives its own life. Also, we want every franchised club to be successful and profitable, we have specially developed a financial model for this. It is not important for us to just sell the franchise, it is important for us to sell the franchise to a special person, our like-minded person. We must trust a potential partner, his managerial abilities, so as not to disappoint him in his expectations. For this, we are ready to help our partners around the clock, from organizing a business to current daily affairs.

What advice can you give to a future entrepreneur, and part-time mother?

Advice to a future entrepreneur and mother - do not be afraid of difficulties, do not be afraid of financial losses, go ahead, develop and believe in yourself. After all, you can sit at home or in the office all your life, close yourself from new projects, not try anything new! Is this the meaning of life? Think about it, stop being afraid and go ahead! You know, there is such a good saying: "If you want to evaluate your life, think about what will be written in your obituary."

What can you wish our readers?

Don't be afraid and take risks. Our common sense is always trying to stop us and find loopholes. Starting from the little things at work and ending with global issues! You need to enjoy everything you do!

Tatyana Amaryan and Victoria Boeva

Tatyana Amaryan and Victoria Boeva ​​are not only friends and business partners, but also mothers of four charming daughters for two. It was the appearance of the younger ones, Margarita and Emilia, that radically changed their lives and helped them find their dream job. Tatyana and Victoria decided to open their own children's club - one that would be interesting for their own daughters to go to, and not simple, but English-speaking - by the way, the first in our country that received the right to work under the program of preschool education at Harvard University.

Marie Claire: Please tell us how and when it all started: where did the idea of ​​a joint project come from?

Tatyana Amaryan: We have a very interesting history of acquaintance. Our husbands have known each other for quite some time, but have never been close friends. In 2010, when our youngest daughter Emilia was born, my husband suddenly decided to call Vika's husband and tell about this wonderful event. It turned out that in a week their second daughter should also be born ...
Victoria Boyeva: And also - that we live in the same house, our husbands are of the same nationality, my wedding day is September 15, and Tatyana's is September 14. And there are a lot of such incredible coincidences. We have common interests, our children are friends, we often travel together and have become almost inseparable - especially now that we are doing the same thing, getting great pleasure from it every day. At first, we just thought about a joint business, because, having already had two children, we didn’t really want to return to the office rhythm ...

And why exactly a kids club, and not a beauty salon, for example?

Tatiana: At that moment, our youngest children were just six months old. A variety of scenarios were considered, including the option with a beauty salon. But we were looking for something that would give us the opportunity to balance, devote enough time to both work and family - now we can plan our schedules ourselves. Moreover, our younger daughters study in our kindergarten, so we are always with them, and the older ones go to Discovery English Preschool after school for additional classes.
Victoria: In general, it was something like this: “Let's open a kids club?” - "Lets do it!" Together we make decisions very easily and quickly. We had no experience in this area, so we purchased a franchise from a popular chain. We rented a large room on Barrikadnaya, and away we go.

Five and a half years ago when you opened your first kids club, what was the picture in this niche? What were the obvious disadvantages of private gardens in Moscow?

Tatiana: Then this segment of the market was almost not mastered, there were several gardens with an English bias - but with an overestimated cost of education there, while the demand for them was very high. Parents, having no alternative, were ready to pay any money, if only their kid would learn the language. But now the situation has changed, and customers began to understand this issue more deeply. Indeed, in addition to the fact that a native speaker will deal with the child, it is also important - in what atmosphere, according to what program, in what conditions of stay, etc. We tested our project on our own children, we wanted to create a kindergarten that would meet the highest standards - an intellectual space where our pupils could develop while in an English-speaking environment.

Discovery English Preschool

You are the only one in Russia who has started working under the Harvard University Preschool Development Program - International Preschool Curriculum. Why did you choose it, and how popular was the program?

Victoria: Starting a business, we were looking for a universal methodology with a very detailed schedule. But after some time, we realized that it does not fully meet the needs of our customers, which are quite high. Two years ago, we wrote down our program for four years - with transparent and detailed reporting from teachers and a clear plan for every day. That is, any parent can immediately see what their child has learned today, what he has succeeded in, what disciplines he will take in a month, six months, two years, etc. We have copyrighted and adapted this program for an educational license.

Tatiana: Now we already have two clubs in Moscow, two more have acquired our franchise and are working on it. With three we are at the stage of negotiations, and in the near future we plan to enter the regions. We now train teachers according to our program. Putting together a good team is the key to success, and at the same time the most difficult task. To find one, you need to meet with 30-40 candidates. In addition to knowledge of the language and pedagogical education, it is important that a person be very positive and "charged" to work with children. Mostly young specialists work for us - their eyes burn, and they want to change our future.

Apart from the English ones, what other bands are there in Discovery now?

Victoria: The main direction is considered to be in a group with a native speaker, we also offer a combined Russian-English program. At the same time, we have a large number of evening classes, such as robotics (creating robots from construction kits), mental arithmetic, music lessons, drawing, etc. We also have a professional grandmaster in our team.

Modern children already at the age of three use smartphones and tablets to the fullest, but there are many supporters of limiting them in every possible way from communicating with gadgets - so that children communicate more with their peers in real life. Do you agree with this position?

Tatiana: Partly, of course. We use electronic boards, and some parents had requests to use tablets in teaching, as there are so many wonderful educational programs now, but we deliberately refused this - children outside the kindergarten, as you said, and spend so much time with them . In our family, for example, the use of tablets and phones is minimized - no more than 20 minutes a day. Our children enjoy playing regular board games - when there are two sisters and they have a slight difference, they always have something to do

Victoria: We also try to give children a phone for a maximum of one hour a day. The eldest daughter, she is 12 years old, mainly uses it for social networking, and the youngest is six, and she enjoys watching developing creative blogs on how to make various crafts at home.

Discovery English Preschool

Every year more and more private children's clubs are opened, including those with a language bias. How do you manage to survive among competitors, what is your secret?

Tatiana: It’s getting harder and harder to come up with something new these days, but without it, you won’t hit the market. There must be an idea, faith that everything will work out, and consumer demand must be studied as much as possible. You need to understand what people want, how to make their life better and more comfortable, and offer it to them. And also, do it the best way. It took us five years to fully debug business processes, come up with an optimal financial model, register a franchise and sell it. At the same time, we try to maintain a very high level of qualification of teachers, conduct training seminars for the entire team, and update teaching aids. We are currently working on our own book on intuitive language learning at an early age - when a child learns to understand English speech, being in a natural environment, he perceives learning as an exciting game and progresses quickly. Our goal is to help children learn to think in English, to feel a foreign language as a native language, “absorbing” its rules on an intuitive level. We also pay special attention to nutrition and safety - video surveillance and security, in addition, our specialists take Red Cross first aid courses, and each pupil has an insurance policy. We also maintain a very high level of service, for us an individual approach to each child and a quick response to all requests from parents are a priority. Therefore, we can safely say that we know everything about our customers.

Victoria: The startup demanded full mobilization from us. To keep the bar, you need a high degree of organization, consistency, diligence, communication skills, responsibility in decision-making. Starting something new is always stressful. When working in a corporate structure, you risk only your place of work, and having your own business, you are responsible for virtually everything and risk everything, from investments to relations with government agencies. Of course, it is important to love what you do, but at the same time you need to have great knowledge in this area, not be afraid to make a mistake, believe in yourself and go only forward.

How do you distribute areas of responsibility among yourself? Share your life hacks for successful coworking?

Tatiana: With a partner, you need to agree on everything on the shore and share the functionality right away. If two financiers want to organize a children's business, then they are unlikely to succeed. Rather, polar people who completely trust each other are more likely to work together. We are very lucky, everyone is responsible for their favorite part. Victoria graduated from the Academy. G.V. Plekhanov with a degree in Finance and Credit, so she is completely immersed in the "systematic" nature of our business - finance and budgeting. I am a marketer by education - I also have a diploma from the Plekhanov Academy, and in our business I am responsible for promotion, advertising and the methodological part. At the same time, I mastered a new profession for myself - a designer of premises (having studied all the norms and requirements of the SES), and I am also engaged in the manufacture of all advertising layouts of our network.

How do you spend your free time? Where are you looking for inspiration?

Victoria: As we said, we have many common interests. First of all, of course, travel. We love Rome and New York. We also often arrange family holidays and various theme parties. We graduated from sommelier school together, now we periodically go on wine tours. We also love to cook and dream of going on a gastronomic tour to Italy or France. By the way, all of our clients are very interesting, they always inspire us to new ideas and achievements.

What are you dreaming about?

Tatiana: Globally – together with our team we want to change the world! Because we see the results: our pupils are completely different from their peers, they see no boundaries in communication, they are absolutely free and creative, they easily adapt to any conditions and successfully continue to study in foreign schools both in Russia and in the West. And in the next few years we want to turn into a small family network and continue to work for those who share our values ​​and want their children to develop comprehensively and qualitatively.