Gymboree Play & Music - Franchise

I’m Tami, and I’m the owner of Gymboree Play & Music of Lafayette. I took over my site in June 2018, and I’ve loved it ever since! Don’t get me wrong -- I have my tough days. But I love what I do, and I love being around so many families, who in so many ways, remind me a lot about myself when I had my babies. It’s just so great for me to see so many families, so many moms, dads, grandparents, caretakers, getting together,making connections. It’s seriously my favorite things to hear families make plans to meet up later, or walk out and say “ok see you at Friday’s class” or “see you at the zoo tomorrow!” It’s just the best. Tami Shaffer, LaFayette, GA

Gymboree Play & Music is not a business, it is a lifestyle. As a Gymboree parent, some of our family’s most precious memories were at DC Gymboree. Our three boys all experienced their initial kinesthetic and social emotional milestones at our second home. I was traveling extensively for work and wanted to spend more time with family. My wife forwarded me an email that the current Gymboree owner was selling the franchise and I should explore the opportunity. Discovery Day in San Francisco was informative and fun. I was very impressed by the values of the organization and dedication of its loyal team. My due diligence included conversations with over 20 franchisees that were supportive and generous with their time. A successful operator shared, “I sent my children to private high school & college and never missed a recital or game”.I was convinced me that this would be an ideal venture to quench my thirst as s professional educator and cultivate my entrepreneurial spirit. I am thrilled with my decision to become a Franchisee. We have significantly improved sales, built a dynamic team and created a welcoming community. Gymboree has given me a fantastic challenge and rewarded me with personal flexibility and financial profitability. If you care about early childhood education and are willing to roll up your sleeves, then come join Team Gymbo!! Randy Brown, Washington DC

As a Gymboree Play & Music franchisee over the last 12 years, I have had the privilege of being a part of thousands of families’ lives as they entrust our program to provide the best early childhood development classes for their little ones. When I first became a new franchisee years ago, I was an eager entrepreneur who thought it would be fun to run a business that revolved around classes for kids. As it turns out, I was right! Each day at Gymboree Play & Music brings a new and exciting adventure. Children are delighted to explore and engage with friends and instructors; parents are proud and excited to witness their little ones’ accomplishments. Lasting friendships and connections are formed within our community right here on our playfloor. Being a part of these special moments has made “work” at Gymboree Play & Music never feel like work at all. As an active mother of two kids with an entrepreneurial spirit, I could not imagine a more perfect business than Gymboree Play & Music. Being a Play & Music franchisee has given me the work-life balance that fits me and my family. I am thankful for the opportunity to own and operate a business that has had a positive impact on my life as well as the lives of the families in my community. Rachelle Birnbaum,

The first time I visited a Gymboree Franchise, I was a new mom in a foreign country. I was desperate to find a place that met my infant son’s abilities, and I was still trying to figure out what those were! I was also in need of finding a mom tribe – moms experiencing the same newness and unfamiliarity that motherhood brings the first time around. I wanted to see my son smiling and engaging with other children his own age and not just being held by my friends and coo’ed over (although that was definitely awesome). That very first visit hooked me. It was a music class and my son made a beeline for the drum as soon as it was brought out. He laughed as he banged his heart out and I laughed while my heart sang loudly with pride and joy. I made two mom friends that day and we became regular “classmates” – meeting Saturday mornings and smiling as we expressed our discoveries of joy, fear, companionship and of course tales of exhaustion…Like I said, I was just as hooked as my son. The following summer, my son and I visited TN and I lamented to family members about how we missed Gymboree – the activities, the achievements and the “mommy-comradery.” I may have lamented too frequently, as my mother once responded “Well, you need to just open one, I guess!” It was a joke, but it turned out to be the truth as well. I began discussions right away with Gymboree HQ to make this truth a reality for me and my hometown. I was already a believer in the company, I knew I couldn’t be the only one in town seeking a safe place in which to play with and educate their little one. I had to return to my overseas post in order to finish my tour, and so many odd-hour phone calls and emails were made. In the end when my tour ended in 2018, my new adventure as a Franchisee began. A few visits to San Francisco served to solidify my passion for a company with which I was already in love. While, I had military experience and a business degree to fall back on, this was still new territory and I was grateful for the in-depth introduction and preparation I received from the Corporate Office. Meeting like-minded Franchisees and members of the company with years of institutional knowledge, furthered my commitment to see Gymboree succeed in Clarksville, TN. In January 2020, we will celebrate our one year anniversary! We will celebrate with new friends, families and hopefully more stories of success. Though I have experienced the stereotypical woes of getting a new business off the ground (“What do you mean the entire construction crew has the flu?”), I have also experienced unexpected blessings (You say you worked for Gymboree 20yrs and you just moved to town and you’re looking for work?!”). On a daily basis, I am confident that I made the right decision to join the Gymboree Family. I have been so well received by the local community and know that we have created something valuable in a space that was lacking. To be able to have met such a need in a town I love with a wonderful business that I am passionate about, is a dream realized. I now have the opportunity to not only run a successful franchise and be my own (Girl)boss, but to show other “small-town” girls, just what is possible when you believe in yourself. Lindsey White, Clarksville, TN

Gymboree Play & Music is not a business, it is a lifestyle. As a Gymboree parent, some of our family’s most precious memories were at DC Gymboree. Our three boys all experienced their initial kinesthetic and social emotional milestones at our second home. I was traveling extensively for work and wanted to spend more time with family. My wife forwarded me an email that the current Gymboree owner was selling the franchise and I should explore the opportunity. Discovery Day in San Francisco was informative and fun. I was very impressed by the values of the organization and dedication of its loyal team. My due diligence included conversations with over 20 franchisees that were supportive and generous with their time. A successful operator shared, “I sent my children to private high school & college and never missed a recital or game”.I was convinced me that this would be an ideal venture to quench my thirst as s professional educator and cultivate my entrepreneurial spirit. I am thrilled with my decision to become a Franchisee. We have significantly improved sales, built a dynamic team and created a welcoming community. Gymboree has given me a fantastic challenge and rewarded me with personal flexibility and financial profitability. If you care about early childhood education and are willing to roll up your sleeves, then come join Team Gymbo!! Randy Brown,