Today we will talk about enthusiasm, dedication, challenges, and above all – the new beginning.
The main hero of today’s article is our first partner in Macedonia – Vesna Atanasova. Vesna is a pedagogue, she is dedicated to the cause of building the child as a person and puts the child’s psychophysical development, and emotional intelligence in the foreground because she strongly believes that the basis for acquiring knowledge, developing skills, and abilities start from an early age. Success is inevitable when a child learns through a game and through a rich methodology that adapts to the child’s personality and interests.
In September 2021, Vesna opened a new page in her life by accepting the challenge – to be the first franchise partner of SmartyKids not only in her hometown Bitola but also in the whole country.
Please, meet Vesna:
Please, tell us more about yourself. At what stage in your life were you when you decided to start your own business?
As a child, I was a girl with a bright and restless spirit who was constantly doing something to move things and events. Sometimes I was bored in class just listening and sitting, so I often knew how to be a part of the activities together with my teacher. I was lucky to be taught by a teacher who was an outstanding person, pedagogue, psychologist, and excellent methodologist because he was able to awaken in me a love of learning and direct my energy. I graduated from teacher training with the desire to be part of a fun and unusual learning process where children will come to learn with love and desire and will return home happy and excited about what they learned and how they learned it.
I have been an active part of the learning process in my private school for 7 years, I started with an English language franchise, then supplemented it with an education centre where we will help children to do their school work with us. When Covid – 19 hit, and before that, I noticed that there is a “little problem” that runs through most kids and that is a lack of attention, concentration, and focus. Homework is performed slowly and uninterestingly, which is due to poorly developed fine motor skills, insufficient attention, and lack of concentration.
In the native language classes, I noticed that the vocabulary was scarce and the way of communication was backward for the children’s age.
I started researching, educating myself, going to trainings and seminars, and often the answer was that children in this new generation are not included in the educational process (early childhood is skipped). Before the age of 7, parents think that children are young and will be overwhelmed with responsibilities and a shortened childhood, or children spend too much time with smart devices.
Why did you choose the SmartyKids brand for your own business?
While doing my research, I was very impressed by the advantages of the SmartyKids methodology for children.
Most of them include:
- Iterative teaching methods engage every child in the learning process.
- Fun hours filled with excitement and play.
- Stories that boost the logical and analytical thinking in children through play.
- Fun games with which they build an ability to work in a team.
- The courses in SmartyKids develop emotional intelligence and foster empathy in children.
- Working with an abacus encourages the work of both hemispheres of the brain and helps the development of fine motor skills.
- The exercises with the abacus help the development of speech because this particular centre of the brain is stimulated.
- Everyday exercises of 15 to 20 minutes help the child build useful habits and also acquire new math skills very quickly.
This type of business fit what I wanted to do for a living – to help children boost their intellect and achieve better results in school and life.
What expectations did you have before starting the business?
SmartyKids methodology helps children develop new abilities and skills in a short time. This teaching method requires discipline in learning. Children acquire knowledge with a desire to learn. It is not just for getting A’s with memorized answers or tasks.
I already have students who have a great desire to learn and made excellent progress in their psychophysical development. That’s why I can confirm that my expectations have been exceeded. Moreover, the material benefit comes with satisfied parents, who are happy with their children achieving great results.
How long (from contract signing) did it take for the business to start generating revenue?
For me, it took 1 or 2 months before the business started generating revenue.
We held the classes together with my sister Maria, who is also a trained teacher of the SmartyKids methodology.
Because my work engagements during the day have a tight agenda and there is always something that comes out of the plan, but still at the end of the day what gives me pleasure is the change I create for one with the parents in the children.
If you had to describe your business SmartyKids in one sentence, what would it be?
“What we learn with pleasure, we never forget.” – Alfred Mercier
What advice would you give to people who still hesitating to take the first step in developing their own business?
I believe that love, desire, and faith that change ourselves start with each of us. The real wealth in a person that cannot be taken away is the knowledge and the ability to believe.
Our centre in Bitola is the first SmartyKids centre in Macedonia, so I often get calls from women curious to learn more about the brand and business itself. I am always encouraging them to launch their educational centre .
My advice to everyone who hesitates to launch their education centre would be: Encourage yourself to be what you want, find your passion, and go to fulfill it.
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