Seeking Resourceful Maximizers for a Fun Gig!

by Elizabeth Denham

Stepping into an existing franchise system to take over as a franchisor might not sound like something that would benefit work-life balance, but for Stacey Kimmins of Fun Bus Franchising Group, it offered her exactly what she was looking for – the ability to apply her vision, the flexibility to own her time and the opportunity to grow something into an amazing business model.

“I really wanted something I could take on and have passion for,” Kimmins said. “I observed my nephew on a Fun Bus at his preschool, and he loved it! He wanted to know why I was on ‘his’ fun bus. He took ownership of it! I understood the appeal of it for these kids. So, I bought a franchise system and started a journey.”

Kimmins used a business broker to help her through the process, and once the deal was done, she jumped right in and immediately set about learning all she could about franchising.

“I had worked for Avis for a while, and I like the licensing model, but I knew what I didn’t know about franchising,” she explained. “I hired a consultant, got my CFE certification and got to work.”

Kimmins recognized just want a gem she had in the Fun Bus concept and looked for ways to make it bigger and better. That included making some updates to the mindset and the culture.

“We wanted to create a mindset for growth – an optimistic mindset,” she said. “We looked for resourceful maximizers to join our system. We wanted people who would use all resources available to grow and expand.

Kimmins wanted to evolve Fun Bus into a bigger system, and she needed to ensure everyone understood unit-level economics. They pushed owners to have two or more buses and came up with a multi-unit development agreement.

Today, they have owners running up to six buses. They have 16 franchisees and 23 agreements in place. There are a total of 38 buses on the road.

“Fun Bus is a great model for work-life balance as an owner,” Kimmins noted. “There are low fixed costs, business hours are generally preschool hours and it’s fun! We teach kids that being healthy can be fun – that it’s not about working out, it’s about enjoying yourself and having a good time while exercising.”

Kimmins and her team have introduced 52 professionally developed, uniform lesson plans that are themed and skills-based. They provide a CD with music performed by a music therapist that also includes two of their custom Fun Bus songs. The lessons focus on making muscles, milestones and memories through improving gross motor skills, flexibility, balance and strength.

Because the business is relationships driven, the team worked hard during the pandemic to maintain and build relationships for when schools reopened.

“Schools love us, parents love us,” Kimmins said. “They value what we do, and when the schools are excited, they will promote you to the families. As we have been able to open locations back up after being closed during the pandemic, our clients have continued with us. We are really excited about the future!”

To learn more, visit https://www. funbuses.com/franchise