Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gina Suggs. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Gina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

The Kids Center for Academic Resources and Education (Kids CARE Atlanta) Kids Center for Academic Resources and Education (Kids C.A.R.E.) is one of Atlanta’s premier private institutes servicing students from 3 years old through 5th grade. We are conveniently located in the Southwest Atlanta Community (the SWATS). There is void in our Education System in this particular community. Parents are able to receive free and public school education for their students, but often time their children become overlooked, mis diagnosed or just simply do not receive the one on one attention from overworked teachers. On the other hand, parents that are able to afford private school education for their children are forced to send their children to private schools who lack in cultural appropriation and appreciation or affordability. We strive to bridge that gap between both the public school system and the traditional private school system by providing educational services that include a student to teacher ratio is 1:10, affordable tuition and an overall family environment.

Gina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Gina Suggs is the youngest African American women in Georgia to own and operate a private institute. Her determination and passion for education has been a driving force behind Kids C.A.R.E. Kids C.A.R.E was founded by Suggs to provide exceptional educational support for families seeking quality schooling through leadership, arts and culture. Her goal has and will always be to make a positive impact on her community.

The things that set Gina apart from other business owners is her ability to create an educational experience that is tailored to Urban Families. The likelihood of success is higher when families are able to connect with the educators. She has an open door policy with each family enrolled and trust does her best to make each child feel loved and appreciated.

Gina is most proud that she is able to turn a passion into a lifestyle. She is the face of Kids C.A.R.E. Even though she is representing a prestigious institute at all times, she still is able to maintain relatability. In many cases the director/ owner/ principal of a school can come off as stern and intimidating. Gina makes things fun, is extremely down to earth and chooses to remain herself inside and outside of professional settings.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Gina begin her professional career as a support specialist for a Fortune 500 company. She used this time to stack and save money. If her monthly over head was $2000, she only spent that much and saved the rest because she knew corporate life wasn’t her life. She kept in close contact with business brokers to prepare the process of buying a childcare business. Eventually she saved up enough money to be able to put down on a sell of business offer. The broker connected her to the SBA and she began the process of ownership.

How did you build your audience on social media?

RECORD EVERYTHING. Social media has helped Kids C.A.R.E. succeed in many ways. We have been open for 4 years and maybe 75 percent of our enrollment came form our social medic presence. putting out ads, creating relatable content and making sure that the quality is good are the key point in business marketing. Day to day activities are recorded to show our audience what it would be like if they were students. We put out “how to videos”, funny videos, experiments and other things to make sure our audience likes it enough to repost and remain interested.

Contact Info:

• Website: kidscareatlanta.com
• Instagram: @kidscareatlanta
• Facebook: @kidscareatlanta
• Linkedin: @kidscareatlanta