The Code Ninjas UK franchise network is built of a diverse and accomplished group of like-minded business owners, all with one shared goal: to facilitate the digital literacy of children across the nation. In some cases it could be argued that this is often the only thing they have in common. Franchisees have come from an abundance of backgrounds, including hospitality, mainstream education, finance and, unsurprisingly, digital technology industries, to name but a few. Justin Nihiser, CEO of the kids coding franchise, takes great pride in utilising the differing backgrounds of his franchisees for the benefit of the brand.
When it comes to diverse career histories, you could argue that you couldn’t get more varied than mine. Although the common thread running throughout has been a passion for developing children’s confidence, I have worked with music education franchise School of Rock, been COO of Brain Balance Achievement Centers and have worked in music production for most of my adult life.
Varied experiences have enriched me and equipped me with a wide spanse of knowledge. When I joined Code Ninjas as CEO, I brought those experiences and that expertise with me. As the figurehead of the brand, I happily collaborate with my franchisees, colleagues, and peers, drawing on my own internal directory of insight for the greater good of Code Ninjas.
It stands to reason that I should value the expertise of those around me. There is nothing more inspirational than surrounding yourself with insightful and worldly people who see the value in sharing their knowledge with others. When we speak with prospective franchisees about their potential to invest in our franchise opportunity, I would hope to see in them passion for children’s coding education, professionalism, and experience. By the latter, I don’t necessarily mean experience of working with children, or in kids coding specifically, but life experience. I want people to join us who are hungry for success, show commitment to our cause and inspire those around them.
I also see the value in utilising our network’s experience, by drawing from our franchisees’ career backgrounds. Some of our franchisees have come from high-powered roles such as CEOs, directors or managers. I look to them for their own examples of running their teams, encouraging them to share best practice with those who may be less rehearsed in leading people. Others come from teaching or education backgrounds, bringing with them an in-demand set of skills, including the ability to inspire, nurture and develop the next generation of digital thinkers, and because our franchisees don’t often deliver our coding curriculum themselves, I would hope to see these skills being shared with our Code Senseis™.
We also have a whole host of franchisees who join us with neither corporate experience nor teaching experience. They may come from customer services, hospitality, engineering or even construction backgrounds – and anything in between! That doesn’t mean they can’t share valued experiences with others. In fact, they may bring with them skills that I hadn’t even considered. For instance, anyone having worked in customer services or in the hospitality field will be well rehearsed in the art of communication, with on-the-job experience of working under pressure – not to mention cultural and commercial awareness. No experience is too limited, nor is any experience irrelevant to what we’re trying to achieve at Code Ninjas.
As a global community, we encourage our network to utilise digital tools to share these skills, during our regular calls, in messaging groups and via social media. In 2021, brands and businesses get ahead by working together, collectively striving to keep our global economy going, through sharing best practice and instilling an open-door policy. At Code Ninjas, we call this caring and sharing.
