Editorial

Low-cost entry, home-based business offers potential for high profits.

When Karen Marshall and Mary Rogers started COMPUTERTOTS / COMPUTER EXPLORERS (CTCE) in 1984, they were well ahead of their time. Former teachers, their dream was to provide technology instruction to school children on a consultant basis, and to make a good living for themselves and others through this home-based business. These days it is difficult to imagine a classroom without computers but that wasn’t the case in the early 80s. Nevertheless, both parents and teachers soon saw the value of engaging students in the exploration of technology and their business quickly grew. By 1989 Marshall and Rogers began Franchising their concept. Today there are 105 CTCE Franchise owners in 39 states.

A CTCE franchisee is granted an exclusive and protected territory in which to market his services, which includes computer instruction to children from preschool to eighth grade and also to adults and seniors. Because school districts find it cheaper to outsource specialized education than to hire and train teachers, CTCE fills an important need in a community.

Art Coley, CEO of COMPUTERTOTS/COMPUTER EXPLORERS, calls the franchise the “only turnkey solution provider to address the critical need for technology instruction.” In fact, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 actually mandates that children receive technology education and testing for these skills will begin during the 2006-2007 school year for middle school students. “A school can have a room full of computers but it’s not the hardware that’s important,” says Coley, “it’s what the children are learning.”

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), a non-profit organization created to improve teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology in education, has developed national standards for educational uses of technology that facilitate school improvement in the U. S. “The CTCE curriculum, which was educator-developed, actually exceeds these standards,” says Coley.

“We know that our curriculum works and we even offer a guarantee that children who complete our classes will be able to pass a skills test. If they don’t, we will fund a summer program for remedial instruction and if they still don’t pass, we will refund the instruction fee,” says Coley. “You won’t find a guarantee like that elsewhere but we know our program is successful – we’ve been doing it for over 20 years.”

“The amount of support we provide to franchisees is not in proportion to the franchise fee we charge,” Coley points out. “Our concern is not profit on the front end. For our modest franchise fee ($30,000) you will receive 5 weeks of training including on-site training at our 80-acre corporate campus near Houston. After that a trainer will spend a week at your location to help you prepare proposals and go on appointments with you. In addition, you will receive a year of direct mailings to your potential clients and a year of call center services where a team of people will make your calls and set up appointments for you. We have 150 employees at ICED and we do whatever we can – and then some – to get our franchisees up and running. We can even help with financing.”

As a home-based business, CTCE has other advantages. There is no location to find and no building to rent and furnish. Classes are taught in schools, day care centers, senior centers, etc. This is a business to Business Franchise model and because school districts need your services, you will find it easy to get appointments. The franchisee does not teach the classes but manages a team of teachers and handles the marketing. “CTCE franchisees,” says Coley, “do not need a background in teaching but should have good business acumen and the ability to build relationships. Most of our franchisees have a desire to help children and to make a positive contribution to their communities.”

COMPUTERTOTS/COMPUTER EXPLORERS opened locations in Australia, Canada and the UK in 2005 and expects to continue its U.S. growth over the next few years. “We’ve identified 400 to 500 territories in the U.S. and our goal is to have 400 franchisees by 2010,” says Coley. “We are the fastest growing home-based children’s franchise and #333 on Entrepreneur’s Top 500 Franchises for 2006.”

If a dynamic business concept where you help others master the mysteries of computer technology while building your own team of professionals appeals to you, take a few minutes to request more information. COMPUTERTOTS/ COMPUTER EXPLORERS can help you achieve your dreams of business ownership and financial independence.