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Published: May, 2009

STEPHANIE BLACK • IRVINE
Mother of four girls, ages 8, 10, 25 and 28

Business: Young Rembrandts

Product or service:
Young Rembrandts focuses on teaching children between the ages of 3 and 12 how to draw using a structured, step-by-step method. Our students gain a foundational art literacy that encourages a lifetime appreciation of the arts.

How did you decide that this was the product you wanted to rep?
I was fortunate to grow up in a family that valued art, but my sixth grade art teacher took me aside and told me that I didn’t have any talent as an artist, which was devastating to me. I gave up my dream of being an architect and completely changed the direction of my life.  When I was looking for a business opportunity, I came across the Young Rembrandts program and was immediately drawn to it, because it would give me the opportunity to ensure that other children wouldn’t have a similar experience.

What did it take to get your business launched?
Total start-up costs were approximately $40,000, including equipment, the franchise fee, liability and workers’ compensation insurance, business licenses and DBA filings.

Tell us about your first sale or contract.
I worked up the courage to call a local school and ask if they would be interested in offering our classes to their students as an after-school enrichment program. I was very nervous, but was so excited when the principal wanted to meet with me.

What is the size of your business?
Annual revenues for 2009 are projected to be about $232K. We have 50 part-time instructors, a staffing manager and a regional account manager.