Editorial

Tuning Into A Unique Franchise Opportunity

Featured Franchise

When it comes to franchising, Maryland is considered to be one of the toughest and best administered states, according to Howard County resident Stephen F. White, a partner in the law firm of Wright, Constable & Skeen, LLP. "Maryland law is designed to give the potential franchisee maximum exposure to pertinent decision-making information. To obtain approval to sell Franchises in Maryland is to overcome one of the toughest hurdles in the realm of franchising. If a franchiser is approved to offer its franchises for sale in Maryland, you can rest assured it has made full disclosure of every required aspect of its business."

Featured Franchise In early 2002, Scott and Harlene McGowan were able to meet these challenges and Franchise their Playtime Piano Instruction business, which they had started in 1997. The in-home piano instruction business has not only enrolled many students from Howard County but has hired most of its piano teachers from the area as well.

The Franchising of child-oriented programs is happening at an unprecedented pace. franchises for every conceivable product or service for children seem to have sprung up in the last 20 years. The statistics clearly underscore the fact that parents are willing to invest money in their children's future. Yet, to entrepreneurs Scott and Harlene McGowan, one particular enrichment program seemed to be missing from all of these franchise offerings: in-home music lessons. Playtime became one of the first franchise offerings for 2002 registered in the State of Maryland.

Playtime's business model was founded and developed by Scott McGowan, president and CEO, and his wife Harlene, creative director and curriculum consultant. Their franchise status has been a gradual outgrowth of their own experience teaching piano and running a successful business, and their ability to have identified an unmet need in the marketplace.

It is easy to see how franchising their business came as much from necessity as ambition. Playtime Piano Instruction has provided lessons to more than 1,000 students who range in age from four to 70-plus. The Playtime philosophy is more akin to mentoring than instruction. Students not only learn to read and play music and understand the meaning of musical terms and symbols, but they are treated as individuals with specific musical goals and interests. The McGowans go to great lengths to qualify instructors and to match personality and temperament of instructor and student. Individual learning styles and musical tastes are respected and nurtured, and emphasis is placed on learning theory "hands on" through original composition.

A successful business, however, is only the first step toward franchising. The foundation of any franchised business concept is a proven methodology, systems of operations and service or product delivery and controls-all of which must lend themselves to being replicated and packaged as a franchise. For Playtime Piano, that has meant developing a standardized means of recruiting, screening and managing qualified instructors, finely-tuned administrative procedures and an unwavering commitment to customer service.

Taking a venture through the franchising process is not for the faint of heart, regardless how sound a business concept. It is a lengthy process and can be complex, given federal and state requirements. Documentation can seem endless. And, comprehensive materials to support franchisees must be developed, including operations and marketing manuals. To help them over the hurdles, the McGowans enlisted the expertise of aptly named "McGrow Consulting," a Boston-based firm.

Featured Franchise The McGowans expect that early interest among prospective franchisees will come from among their more than 50 instructors, who are independent contractors. Music experience is not a requirement to own a Playtime Piano franchise, but is helpful.

A Franchise In The Making

In 1993, when Scott McGowan began to teach piano, his light-hearted teaching style and creative, low-pressure approach to music instruction had great appeal. His client list grew quickly, along with a waiting list. As a short-term solution to handle the burgeoning demand, Harlene McGowan directed and produced Scott's educational video, "Discover the Magic Keys to Piano Playing" in 1995. The video was subsequently purchased by a Baltimore area library system and hundreds of other libraries across the United States. Resulting publicity about the video generated even greater demand for lessons.

Featured Franchise An even longer waiting list developed after Harlene McGowan, a classically trained pianist, joined Scott in the business. The logical solution was to begin hiring and training other instructors in their approach. In April of 1997, Playtime Piano Instruction was born.

Supply And Demand

The demand has always outpaced the McGowans' hiring of qualified piano teachers in the communities of Howard County and other counties throughout the Baltimore-Washington corridor. A waiting list-anywhere from a few to several weeks-became the rule rather than the exception. In fact, even though their advertising expense had been minimal, they suspended advertising for students for an eight-month period in an effort to ensure that all interested students were placed.

As the student and instructor rosters grew, Playtime went through waves of administrative growing pains, continually tweaking and refining their systems and processes. Quality control in billing, scheduling, curriculum development, instructor evaluations and more was essential in this detail-driven business, and mandatory for a franchised business. Creative and support materials for students and instructors flourished as well. Harlene McGowan is the author of self-published Playtime Prequel, an imaginative music lesson book, something akin to a fairy tale, which provides children an effective introduction to any music lesson.

Harlene and Scott still teach their own private students, including Harlene's very first two students, while alternatively running the home-based business and caring for their three-year-old son adopted last year from Russia.