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Zarina won a $30,000 investment by opening a unique kindergarten with STEM technology
Zarina won a $30,000 investment by opening a unique kindergarten with STEM technology
Zarina won a $30,000 investment by opening a unique kindergarten with STEM technology
Zarina Baiseitova together with her sister managed to open a unique kindergarten, which is distinguished by a program focusing on the development of fine motor skills, the famous Montessori approach, classes aimed at the development of logic, thinking and speech, and of course, with STEM-technologies. In an interview with Limon Media, Zarina tells how they managed to attract investment from Accelerate Prosperity, Kyrgyzstan's main business accelerator, and open 4 more branches.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
L. Zarina, congratulations on winning the acceleration program for private daycare and preschool courses organized by Accelerate Prosperity, the country's first accelerator.
Thank you so much!!! We are extremely honored that Cinderella Kindergarten was the top graduate of the accelerator organized by Accelerate Prosperity. To be honest, this win came as a big surprise to me, as among the participants were some of the strongest preschool education leaders across Kyrgyzstan.
L. How many applications were there in total?
There were 300 applicants in total, from which 30 participants were selected, and only 3 finalists managed to receive investments from Accelerate Prosperity.
L. What amount of investment did you receive?
$30 000.
L. What did you need these funds for?
To open two branch offices.
L. Tell us more about the kindergarten Cinderella
Now we have 5 kindergartens in Bishkek. We work with our sister, her name is Baiseitova Burul Tokaevna.
In general, we came into this business thanks to our parents, they always supported us and were always on our side. After retiring, my parents decided to open a kindergarten in our house in Bishkek, which was empty after all the daughters got married and moved away. They remodeled the house, hired staff and started working. This was in 2017. However, they couldn't last long and after six months they decided to close the kindergarten due to health reasons. This is a complex social business. It takes 6-12 months to reach the break-even point.
After a few years, my sister decided to restart the business after all. She and her husband worked for a year and a half in the negative, investing all her salary in the business. Later, we started promoting the kindergarten in social networks, and then we started to gain momentum. We no longer needed to hand out leaflets or hang banners.
L. What year did you join the business?
February 2022. My job is a teacher and I have always wanted to work in education. For a long time I taught at the Iskhak Razzakov KSTU.
In Kyrgyzstan, 26% of preschool children cannot attend kindergartens. Of course, in Bishkek the situation is a little better, because there are both public and private kindergartens. Our goal was to open kindergartens throughout the country so that children could attend them at more affordable prices.
L. Why do you think children who go to kindergartens consistently have better cognitive abilities?
I think it's for many reasons, mainly these kids are actively socialized from a young age. They learn to socialize with their peers. For example, we have a lot of classes to develop logic, thinking and speech.
Many parents leave their children alone with gadgets all day long. This is a direct path to cognitive retardation. We are trying to solve this problem.
L. What is the uniqueness of the kindergarten "Cinderella"?
I thought it would be easy to open a kindergarten. It would seem that you need to find a building, equip it with furniture, find teachers, feed the children and that's it. But no! This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Our kindergarten is characterized by four meals a day, meeting all nutritional standards and cooking requirements. We are also distinguished by a unique program that emphasizes fine motor development. We follow various approaches, including the famous Montessori method. And, of course, we introduce STEM-technologies into the program as early as preschool age.
L. What other difficulties have you encountered in developing your business?
The main difficulties arose with obtaining a license. The procedure took about a year. To get a license, you have to pass a sanitary inspection, an inspection by the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and, of course, you have to implement the program of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Another challenge was recruiting staff and training them. We choose only those who love children and are ready to put their heart into their upbringing. Children can be very capricious. You have to get along with everyone and find a common language.
To stay afloat and develop, it is desirable to start if you have your own building. This is easier. You will not spend money on rent. Given the fact that now there are a lot of commuters, two- and three-story mansions are rented for almost $3000-$5000. It is impossible to open a kindergarten in such mansions. It is better, of course, to start with your own building or find a cheaper option. As for recruitment, we post vacancies everywhere: in Telegram channels, in Instagram, and we use Lalafo. The staff must necessarily be chosen with a pedagogical education. Now there is a great demand for teachers, because schools and kindergartens have raised salaries. And, accordingly, the competition is very high. It is necessary to take into account both competence and stress resistance of candidates. The most important thing is love for children and teaching.
L. And how is that to be understood?
We have a conversation. You can tell right away whether a person can work as an educator or not.
L. What qualities do you notice?
At the interview, we ask situational questions to find out how a person treats a child, and we require a certificate of criminal record or that the person is not registered in a physical or drug treatment center. We take adequate people. We take the physical integrity and moral health of children very seriously, and taking these factors into account, we promise parents that nothing bad will happen to their child.
During the enrollment of children we launch different promotions. For example, "Bring your friend and get 500-1000 soms discount". We give a small discount for two children. We also make videos for Tik-Tok and run targeting in Instagram, which costs $100-$150 per month. The costs of targeting are not always justified, but we are used to uncertainty, as everything happens in life. I've been an idealist in general. Essentially, I'm a great nerd, however, you should always allow yourself to accept a different outcome than you expect. It's easier and better to live life that way.
L. How did you come to participate in the accelerator from AP?
My family and friends sent me links to publications about investments on Facebook and Instagram. At first, I thought I wouldn't get it. But after a lot of links, I thought, "Well, let me give it a shot. If I pass, I'll pass. If I don't, then I don't." I ended up getting an interview. It was at the beginning of 2023. The training was really cool. I did not expect that there would be so many different trainers, useful and necessary information. The accelerator helped us develop entrepreneurial qualities, gave us the business education we needed to develop and scale our business. There was also a program specifically designed for early childhood education businesses.
This acceleration was held in the south, in Osh. This year - in Bishkek. The north of Kyrgyzstan was covered: Chui, Naryn, Talas and Issyk-Kul oblasts. During the southern acceleration, Osh, Jalal-Abad, and Batken participated. I got into the northern one, in my stream there were girls from Kochkor, Issyk-Kul, Balykchy and Karakol. It was very interesting. Of course, Bishkek residents were the luckiest, because the accelerator was held in Bishkek. We studied for several weeks, then developed a project proposal and made a presentation to investors. We had very good business coaches, mentors, and presenters who guided us, taught us, showed us the way, and corrected our mistakes. With the help of the accelerator, I conducted a competitive analysis of the price and quality of preschool education in Bishkek. It turned out that our price-quality ratio is very acceptable and affordable, i.e. low price and good quality. And our graduates study quite well in schools.
L. Why do you think AP accepted you into its program?
I think one of the reasons why we were accepted was that our kindergarten has official registration, license and experience in this field for more than three years. And I won because I showed very good results for the acceleration program. We take investments and debts to open new branches, and this way we pay them off. We invest all the money we earn back into business development.
We received investments with very favorable conditions than from the bank. The interest rate is 6% for 6 months during the promotion period. The remaining 42 months we pay 12%. In 48 months we pay back the money and interest from this loan. Such loans are not issued in banks, where the minimum interest rate is 18% and higher.
L. What else did you learn during acceleration?
We learned how to keep financial statements. We were given formulas for calculating the break-even point, profit, profitability, capital and variable costs. There were moments related to accounting. One of the mentors, Aizhan, has her own accounting services company. She explained everything to us clearly and concisely and gave us the wording, including Excel spreadsheets for planning and calculating the break-even point. There was also a market analysis and long term planning coach who trained us to analyze income to understand if the business is going plus or minus. There were trainers on early childhood education: directors of an association of early childhood educators that I joined with the help of AP. Our teachers received relevant and important trainings on working with children. In our field it is important to be constantly trained, consulted by psychologists and teachers. With the help of AP we develop, learn new, important and necessary information.
L. Describe your emotions immediately after you became an accelerator winner.
First they handed out the certificates, then they announced the winners and called me over, and I didn't even hear. When I found out that we had won, to be honest, I didn't believe it right away. I was very happy!
My family also did not immediately believe that I won the investment. Earlier I said that the competition was very strong, besides me there were many cool girls, and among them they still chose me. Our kindergarten passed all the tests and requirements that AP has in order to receive investment and open branches.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apkgz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ap_kgz
Zarina Baiseitova together with her sister managed to open a unique kindergarten, which is distinguished by a program focusing on the development of fine motor skills, the famous Montessori approach, classes aimed at the development of logic, thinking and speech, and of course, with STEM-technologies. In an interview with Limon Media, Zarina tells how they managed to attract investment from Accelerate Prosperity, Kyrgyzstan's main business accelerator, and open 4 more branches.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
L. Zarina, congratulations on winning the acceleration program for private daycare and preschool courses organized by Accelerate Prosperity, the country's first accelerator.
Thank you so much!!! We are extremely honored that Cinderella Kindergarten was the top graduate of the accelerator organized by Accelerate Prosperity. To be honest, this win came as a big surprise to me, as among the participants were some of the strongest preschool education leaders across Kyrgyzstan.
L. How many applications were there in total?
There were 300 applicants in total, from which 30 participants were selected, and only 3 finalists managed to receive investments from Accelerate Prosperity.
L. What amount of investment did you receive?
$30 000.
L. What did you need these funds for?
To open two branch offices.
L. Tell us more about the kindergarten Cinderella
Now we have 5 kindergartens in Bishkek. We work with our sister, her name is Baiseitova Burul Tokaevna.
In general, we came into this business thanks to our parents, they always supported us and were always on our side. After retiring, my parents decided to open a kindergarten in our house in Bishkek, which was empty after all the daughters got married and moved away. They remodeled the house, hired staff and started working. This was in 2017. However, they couldn't last long and after six months they decided to close the kindergarten due to health reasons. This is a complex social business. It takes 6-12 months to reach the break-even point.
After a few years, my sister decided to restart the business after all. She and her husband worked for a year and a half in the negative, investing all her salary in the business. Later, we started promoting the kindergarten in social networks, and then we started to gain momentum. We no longer needed to hand out leaflets or hang banners.
L. What year did you join the business?
February 2022. My job is a teacher and I have always wanted to work in education. For a long time I taught at the Iskhak Razzakov KSTU.
In Kyrgyzstan, 26% of preschool children cannot attend kindergartens. Of course, in Bishkek the situation is a little better, because there are both public and private kindergartens. Our goal was to open kindergartens throughout the country so that children could attend them at more affordable prices.
L. Why do you think children who go to kindergartens consistently have better cognitive abilities?
I think it's for many reasons, mainly these kids are actively socialized from a young age. They learn to socialize with their peers. For example, we have a lot of classes to develop logic, thinking and speech.
Many parents leave their children alone with gadgets all day long. This is a direct path to cognitive retardation. We are trying to solve this problem.
L. What is the uniqueness of the kindergarten "Cinderella"?
I thought it would be easy to open a kindergarten. It would seem that you need to find a building, equip it with furniture, find teachers, feed the children and that's it. But no! This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Our kindergarten is characterized by four meals a day, meeting all nutritional standards and cooking requirements. We are also distinguished by a unique program that emphasizes fine motor development. We follow various approaches, including the famous Montessori method. And, of course, we introduce STEM-technologies into the program as early as preschool age.
L. What other difficulties have you encountered in developing your business?
The main difficulties arose with obtaining a license. The procedure took about a year. To get a license, you have to pass a sanitary inspection, an inspection by the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and, of course, you have to implement the program of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Another challenge was recruiting staff and training them. We choose only those who love children and are ready to put their heart into their upbringing. Children can be very capricious. You have to get along with everyone and find a common language.
To stay afloat and develop, it is desirable to start if you have your own building. This is easier. You will not spend money on rent. Given the fact that now there are a lot of commuters, two- and three-story mansions are rented for almost $3000-$5000. It is impossible to open a kindergarten in such mansions. It is better, of course, to start with your own building or find a cheaper option. As for recruitment, we post vacancies everywhere: in Telegram channels, in Instagram, and we use Lalafo. The staff must necessarily be chosen with a pedagogical education. Now there is a great demand for teachers, because schools and kindergartens have raised salaries. And, accordingly, the competition is very high. It is necessary to take into account both competence and stress resistance of candidates. The most important thing is love for children and teaching.
L. And how is that to be understood?
We have a conversation. You can tell right away whether a person can work as an educator or not.
L. What qualities do you notice?
At the interview, we ask situational questions to find out how a person treats a child, and we require a certificate of criminal record or that the person is not registered in a physical or drug treatment center. We take adequate people. We take the physical integrity and moral health of children very seriously, and taking these factors into account, we promise parents that nothing bad will happen to their child.
During the enrollment of children we launch different promotions. For example, "Bring your friend and get 500-1000 soms discount". We give a small discount for two children. We also make videos for Tik-Tok and run targeting in Instagram, which costs $100-$150 per month. The costs of targeting are not always justified, but we are used to uncertainty, as everything happens in life. I've been an idealist in general. Essentially, I'm a great nerd, however, you should always allow yourself to accept a different outcome than you expect. It's easier and better to live life that way.
L. How did you come to participate in the accelerator from AP?
My family and friends sent me links to publications about investments on Facebook and Instagram. At first, I thought I wouldn't get it. But after a lot of links, I thought, "Well, let me give it a shot. If I pass, I'll pass. If I don't, then I don't." I ended up getting an interview. It was at the beginning of 2023. The training was really cool. I did not expect that there would be so many different trainers, useful and necessary information. The accelerator helped us develop entrepreneurial qualities, gave us the business education we needed to develop and scale our business. There was also a program specifically designed for early childhood education businesses.
This acceleration was held in the south, in Osh. This year - in Bishkek. The north of Kyrgyzstan was covered: Chui, Naryn, Talas and Issyk-Kul oblasts. During the southern acceleration, Osh, Jalal-Abad, and Batken participated. I got into the northern one, in my stream there were girls from Kochkor, Issyk-Kul, Balykchy and Karakol. It was very interesting. Of course, Bishkek residents were the luckiest, because the accelerator was held in Bishkek. We studied for several weeks, then developed a project proposal and made a presentation to investors. We had very good business coaches, mentors, and presenters who guided us, taught us, showed us the way, and corrected our mistakes. With the help of the accelerator, I conducted a competitive analysis of the price and quality of preschool education in Bishkek. It turned out that our price-quality ratio is very acceptable and affordable, i.e. low price and good quality. And our graduates study quite well in schools.
L. Why do you think AP accepted you into its program?
I think one of the reasons why we were accepted was that our kindergarten has official registration, license and experience in this field for more than three years. And I won because I showed very good results for the acceleration program. We take investments and debts to open new branches, and this way we pay them off. We invest all the money we earn back into business development.
We received investments with very favorable conditions than from the bank. The interest rate is 6% for 6 months during the promotion period. The remaining 42 months we pay 12%. In 48 months we pay back the money and interest from this loan. Such loans are not issued in banks, where the minimum interest rate is 18% and higher.
L. What else did you learn during acceleration?
We learned how to keep financial statements. We were given formulas for calculating the break-even point, profit, profitability, capital and variable costs. There were moments related to accounting. One of the mentors, Aizhan, has her own accounting services company. She explained everything to us clearly and concisely and gave us the wording, including Excel spreadsheets for planning and calculating the break-even point. There was also a market analysis and long term planning coach who trained us to analyze income to understand if the business is going plus or minus. There were trainers on early childhood education: directors of an association of early childhood educators that I joined with the help of AP. Our teachers received relevant and important trainings on working with children. In our field it is important to be constantly trained, consulted by psychologists and teachers. With the help of AP we develop, learn new, important and necessary information.
L. Describe your emotions immediately after you became an accelerator winner.
First they handed out the certificates, then they announced the winners and called me over, and I didn't even hear. When I found out that we had won, to be honest, I didn't believe it right away. I was very happy!
My family also did not immediately believe that I won the investment. Earlier I said that the competition was very strong, besides me there were many cool girls, and among them they still chose me. Our kindergarten passed all the tests and requirements that AP has in order to receive investment and open branches.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apkgz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ap_kgz
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