The Top Questions We Hear
We understand the importance of adapting our operating hours to best fit the needs of each location. We’ll work with you to carefully assess and determine the optimal operating hours for your Steamoji Academy based on a variety of factors, including local market dynamics, demographic considerations, and individual preferences.
Yes, we’ll work with you to design and build out your franchise location. We provide support and guidance to ensure that your Steamoji Academy meets brand standards, and our team will help you create a fun and welcoming learning environment for your apprentices.
The ideal space for your franchise is 1,200-1,600 square feet. Our Development Team, in collaboration with experienced commercial real estate partners, will work closely with you to identify the most suitable Academy location that aligns with community demographics, local market dynamics, and your specific space requirements.
The choice is yours! At Steamoji, we empower our franchisees to decide whether they want to be hands-on owner-operators or hire a dedicated academy director. We prioritize what works best for you, as it aligns with what works best for us.
Constantly! Our curriculum team is always monitoring, observing, and evaluating STEM in and out of Steamoji and updating the curriculum to incorporate new and exciting technology. We also spend time in Academies to observe the curriculum in action and optimize it accordingly.
Our curriculum is a living, breathing entity that is always advancing with the wider world.
We have a dedicated team who will be there to train you before you open and support you after you open. We’ll onboard you in every aspect of operating a Steamoji Academy, from the business aspects to the curriculum.
As soon as you sign a License Agreement with us, we’ll work with you to secure funding, if necessary, and connect you with a local real estate broker who will scout appropriate locations for your Steamoji Academy. Training is typically a 16-week process that involves virtual sessions, with one week on location at our corporate Academy.
We operate on a hybrid learning model. Each apprentice has their own workstation that includes a tablet, the materials they’ll need for that day, and access to all of the tools and technology that are part of the exciting Steamoji experience.
Apprentices access the entire curriculum through a purpose-built app, which is the main resource for their Steamoji journey. It hosts the video tutorials that guide them through each project, as well as quizzes to test their knowledge and additional content to challenge and guide them. Academy staff are on hand to support, troubleshoot, provide guidance, and help prepare materials.
Each academy is run by the Academy Director (similar to a Branch Manager). This can be yourself or someone you hire. All other staff are known as Facilitators, who are typically part-time staff who are passionate about STEM and education. Because of our curriculum’s unique delivery method, staff with specialist knowledge are not required – it’s all about building an enthusiastic and supportive team of people who enjoy working with kids.
Typically, we recommend a 1:6 ratio of Facilitators to Apprentices – this allows Apprentices to have a great experience while also ensuring you’re able to run a successful and profitable business.
The biggest variable is real estate, which is specific to your location. Factoring in the launch marketing budget and 3 months in working capital, your total initial investment ranges from $222,500 to $493,000. You should plan to have at least $100,000 in liquid capital. The rest can be financed, which we can guide you through as part of the onboarding process.
Start by submitting a request for more information and our Franchise Development Team will contact you within 24 hours. We’ll set up a meeting or call where we can take the time to get to know you and answer your initial questions, so you can be confident that Steamoji is a great fit for you.
When you’re ready to move forward, we’ll share our financial model and its many revenue streams. Then, we disclose our Franchise Disclosure Document and within the 14-day holding period we’ll connect you with our CEO and current franchise partners for validation calls.
Next, you’ll come and visit one of our Academies for a tour and meet the Steamoji team. Finally, if you are selected by us you’ll then be able to sign a License Agreement and your Steamoji journey will begin!
No, Steamoji Academies are purpose-built education centres, typically located in commercial retail spaces. We often find that people who have a background in childcare and education are great franchisees, however Steamoji Academies are not suitable for shared business usage.
Experience running a business and working with children is helpful, but not necessary. The keys to success are active engagement in your local community and a willingness to develop your Steamoji as the centre for STEAM education in your local area.
Our franchisees come from a wide range of backgrounds. We work with owners who don’t come from an educational background and choose to hire their own Academy Directors while they focus on other aspects of the business. We also have hands-on owners who operate as Academy Directors while working with a wider team to support business operations. We’re here to help you find a balance that works for your lifestyle and business goals.
Steamoji is different from other education centres in a variety of ways, but our key differentiators involve the structure of our memberships and our unique curriculum. The majority of our members subscribe via annual or monthly memberships, which helps you to forecast predictable and reliable revenue streams.
Our curriculum is designed to be delivered in a physical location with hands-on tools and technology, providing apprentices with access to content they won’t find in their local schools. For us, it’s not about competing with online learning models or tutoring platforms – we’ve created a maker space that kids not only must attend in-person to progress their STEAM education, but a place they’ll also want to come back to week after week.
We incorporate many unique elements that keep kids and parents engaged in the format, such as gamification, our custom app for parents, and much more we can’t wait to tell you about!