We were lucky to catch up with Nikki Hunt recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Nikki thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Well I wouldn’t say I came up with the idea of opening childcare centers, it was more so a God dream. I was content working as a childcare teacher and after graduating from SFA I knew I still wanted to work with children but behind the scenes so I thought… a few years passed and it hit me while I was driving one day that I needed to open a childcare center. As an assessor I had the opportunity to meet great people in the childcare industry listen to their stories and I saw a need for high quality care in the underserved communities I knew I had to be apart of that. Of course it definitely did not happen overnight like I would have preferred but everything happened in Gods time and in June 2022 the first location of Firm Foundation Early Learning Center, LLC opened.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I always tell people I did not choose childcare it chose me. I started working in a childcare center in the Summer of 2007 through a program in high school and I stuck with it. I decided to get a degree in Child & Family Development while still working in local childcare centers and becoming a mom. Now here I am over a decade later still in the childcare industry and I wouldn’t change a thing. I truly believe that all children deserve a high quality early childhood education no matter their background or economic status and that is why Firm Foundation ELC exists to meet children and families where they are.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Naturally I would say social media but I really think word of mouth has helped put FFELC on the map. I had a mom call to get information about the center and of course I’m really trying to sell the program and at the end I ask when would you like to schedule a tour. She said and I quote “I really do not need a tour my Aunt spoke very highly of FFELC and I just need to know when I can come pick up the paperwork for my daughter” . I literally had no words that has never happened to me before and I’ve worked at a few well known corporate centers and I have never encountered a family that felt so confident solely based off another persons opinion.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Prior to creating our social media I did a little research. In this day and time the first thing people are going to want to do is go straight to your social media pages. So it’s very important to remain consistent and relevant with postings. You also have to figure out what are the best times and days to post. I personally feel like it’s like having another job, so I use a monthly calendar to decide what content to post and also what days and times.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ffelcenter.wixsite.com/firmfoundationearl-1
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/_firmfoundationelc?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Firm-Foundation-Early-Learning-Center-LLC-110823634801175/
- Other: TikTok- firmfrpi8xd