Lockdowns hit schools, but Maple Bear not only survived, it grew. How do i do it?

November
27, 2020

4 min read

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Maintaining constant growth and exceeding any pessimistic forecast was the goal of many businesses and franchises in Mexico and around the world. However, today we know that many did not succeed. What did those who could do? Those who surpassed negative expectations and managed to keep their expansion plans surely have a secret to tell us and what to follow.

One of the franchises that managed to maintain its growth and the opening of new units is Maple Bear , a network of bilingual schools that work under the Canadian model. The company will open four new schools in Mexico by 2021, and this year it entered Peru and Colombia. How do i do it? The key has been the relationship with your franchisees and adapting to the circumstances to maintain your prospecting and closing system.

“In business, one has to recognize that teams are the ones that help to advance, as long as they have a leader who accompanies them and guides them correctly. Training and being up-to-date with everything it requires is what helps a franchisor to generate loyalty with their franchisees ”, explains Mateo Cuadras, director of expansion for Latin America at Maple Bear.

It is not enough to follow up on compliance with the operations manual and all the conditions that the franchise considers, it is necessary to accompany the franchisee in the various processes and, above all, support them in extraordinary situations. And a pandemic like the one we are experiencing is, and none of us was prepared, indeed, we did not even imagine that we could experience something like this.

In addition to anticipating the launch of its digital platform and providing it at no cost to each of its franchisees, so that each Maple Bear school could offer online courses to its students, the brand generated intensive training for both its investors and parents of family and teachers. With this, he not only made sure that the educational model is fully complied with, he also strengthened ties with all his people.

^{Image: Courtesy Maple Bear}

“Our network of franchisees is essential to grow around the world. Thanks to it, we have entered Latin American, European and Asian countries, while the model that characterizes us is spreading. We have to make sure that there is a closeness and a relationship between students and the school, and that our network knows how to promote and boost online enrollment, for example, ”adds Cuadras.

In addition to providing the resources to keep the franchise running, as well as the constant training it offers, the company learned to adapt and even changed in the way of presenting its franchise, since being a network of schools, it is generally he made a tour for investors to see the facilities. Today, these visits are carried out virtually and have been just as successful.

It is worth mentioning that in times of COVID-19 , the monitoring that the corporate makes of its franchises is essential, because they must not only monitor the conditions required by the new normal, but also comply with the government guidelines of each region, the conditions of space and time to be respected, among others. In the case of a school, care becomes even more important for the population that attends.

So, remember, the key to success is teamwork, the ability to adapt and, above all, being a leader who supports his people, because he knows that without them the business can collapse and that is what he least knows. want.