Entering Brand New Territory: Poland
In the 1990's Poland was a country in a state of transition, and perhaps not the most stable environment for new businesses. Furthermore, in 1998....
Eastern Europe suffered a huge economic relapse. But that didn't discourage Joanna Cesarz-Zbroszczyk, a prospective Helen Doron Early English Master Franchisor, excited about possibilities of what Helen Doron Early English Learning Centres could accomplish in a country like Poland, anxious to get on the road to a healthy, western-style democracy.
A groundbreaking agreement was signed In January 1999 that established the very first Helen Doron Early English Mater Franchise in Poland (initial region of approx. 9 million inhabitants). This was totally new territory - we were virtually unheard of, so our market penetration had to be flawless.
Here are the results following our flagship Polish Master Franchise:
- January 1999 - first Master Franchise area sold
- April 2000 - second Master Franchise area sold
- July 2000 - two more Master Franchise areas sold
- May 2001 - final Master Franchise area sold
Today the entire country of Poland is divided into five successful Master Franchise regions, with over 158 Helen Doron Early English Learning Centres in total. Within a few short years Poland became fully franchised.
Close
Entrepreneurial Spirit Hits Home: Germany
Armin Ritschny had a well-paid middle management position in a large Austrian Electronic Goods company - so why leave? "Sometime in 1998 I thought: I'm working very hard for this company, but no matter how hard I work I'll never own it! So I started looking around for my own business."....
Reminiscent of Dorothy stranded in the land of OZ, Armin found his dream right on his own doorstep - at home! Armin recalls, "Then I realized that there was already a business in my own home. My wife is a Helen Doron Early English teacher and was very happily teaching and earning right under my nose. We talked about the business side of it and I contacted the company's headquarters and started to discuss things with them."
Sadly he couldn't get what he wanted, since a Helen Doron National Franchisee already existed in Austria, but Armin and his wife were not defeated. They took a huge leap of faith, uprooting the family in order to make a dream come true. "Parts of Germany were still available [for a Master Franchise] and it was such a great opportunity that we moved! We moved in 1999 to Munich. There were already a handful of teachers in the area and almost 500 students."
Today Armin is the Helen Doron Early English Master Franchisor for Southern Germany. He enjoys more job satisfaction and twice the earning power than he ever did working for someone else. "Now we have about 9000 students. I have only scratched the potential so far and the awareness of the value of our work to the children grows day by day. I'm self-employed but I have more time for my life and my family."
Close
