During every economic downturn, franchising is one of the sectors that withstands the turbulence better than any other, and the pandemic has been no exception. Code Ninjas hasn’t just survived the challenges it has faced over the course of the last 12 months – it has thrived. Justin Nihiser, CEO, puts that down to the way in which his support team and franchisees work together, for the good of each other. As locations across the UK open their doors for the very first time in 2021, fellow franchisees are there to celebrate and congratulate their peers far and wide. Here, Justin talks about the importance of community and why working together for shared success will always play a part in the Code Ninjas culture.
‘Team player’ is often an attribute thrown around freely by those looking to secure their dream job or profitable promotion. But, as a leader, I can spot a real team player a mile off – someone that will consistently go above and beyond to prove the commitment they claim they have for a brand, product or community. That’s the kind of prospect we want to bring into the Code Ninjas network. Like-minded individuals that regard being a franchisee as a badge of honour worn with pride.
The best franchisees are those that are dedicated to the cause of a brand even before they’ve invested. They see the innate value in your model and, because of that, want to join the ranks and help you fight your corner – figuratively speaking, of course! And then once they’re part of the network, this feeling of belonging becomes amplified. These individuals not only follow the franchise guidelines to the letter but complement it, coming up with additional strategies that will benefit their own business whilst aligning with the motives and aims of the entire network.
At Code Ninjas, each of our franchisees fulfils the role of a team player. A recent example of this mentality being put into action is a story that I’m very proud to tell. Our franchisee at Code Ninjas Welwyn Garden City, Bhavna Patel, secured the opportunity to speak on air during a primetime evening slot on her regional BBC radio station. Despite the interview predominantly focusing on the upcoming launch of her own location, Bhavna spoke highly of the Code Ninjas curriculum and brand as a whole. She even went so far as to say that Code Ninjas is a franchise, with investment opportunities throughout the UK.
As well as increasing trust and credibility in the Code Ninjas brand as an internationally recognised kids coding provider, this promoted the franchise opportunity with a whole host of potential investors. By no means was this something Bhavna was asked to do – but she sees such value in the model that she’s happy to shout it from the proverbial rooftops! Since then, Bhavna has been asked to speak again on local radio… and guess what? You can bet she sang our praises for a second time, commending the expertise of our head-office-based curriculum development team. We recently saw the same thing happen stateside, when our Denver franchisee was interviewed on local radio – they too took the time to celebrate their role as part of our global network, and they didn’t just take the sole credit for running a local centre in their own community.
These are the people we don’t just want in our network, but the people we need. At the end of the day, our franchise network is the backbone of our brand, and our franchisees are the ambassadors that continue to positively communicate our messaging to prospective students and future fran
