After years in the financial and family business sectors, Malcolm Robertson and his wife are bringing Children’s Lighthouse to Naples, Florida. The decision was deeply personal for the couple, driven by their experience trying to enroll their young son in an early education facility only to face a year-long waiting list. Recognizing the growing need for quality child care in the rapidly expanding Naples community, they saw an opportunity to make a meaningful impact. 

With three young children of their own, the Robertsons are passionate about education and understand firsthand the challenges local families face in finding reliable early education options. By partnering with Children’s Lighthouse, they aim to provide a safe, nurturing environment that not only supports children’s academic growth but also fosters strong values and character development. 

1851 Franchise spoke to Robertson about his franchise journey and plans for the future. Here’s what he had to say. 

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Malcolm Robertson: I worked in my family business after college for about 12 years. We sold that business and I decided to move to Florida. I’d been coming here my whole life, really loved the area and had some friends down here, so I made the move. That was probably nine or ten years ago now.

I had been working as a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo for a combined seven or eight years. Everyone in my family has always owned their own business and I’ve always wanted to do my own thing. I had looked at a few different franchises in the past and thought about starting other businesses, but nothing had felt quite right.

It wasn’t until I went to enroll my son — who’s now two — into school that I realized something. When you’re looking at a business, you’re really looking at the market and its needs. This area has grown so much over the last ten years and continues to grow rapidly, but we didn’t have enough early education facilities. My son was on a waiting list for a year before I could finally get him in.

That experience showed me there could be a great opportunity here. My wife and I are both passionate about education. We have three kids — ages five, two and three months now — so the timing really worked out.

We looked at a couple of other franchises, but with Children's Lighthouse, we got the best feeling. We really connected with the people there and liked their curriculum. It felt like a great fit for this market, so we decided to move forward with them.

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Robertson: It hasn’t changed a ton. I looked into a bunch of different franchises in various industries. I feel like franchising will be very beneficial because I’ve never worked in the education field or anything similar. Having their expertise to lean on will be very helpful in this scenario.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Robertson: We really love their curriculum and branding. At the end of the day, though, it’s the people. We got a great feel from everyone we spoke to. We liked that it’s a family business and not owned by private equity like some of their competitors.

I’d say the people were a big factor. We started talking to Stephen Dixon, their franchise sales guy — if you’ll excuse the term — about a year and a half ago. Then we found out we were going to have another baby and decided to pause any big life changes for a while.

After that, we spent a lot of time thinking about different businesses and ideas. This is the one we kept coming back to. It felt like the best fit for this market and something we’re truly passionate about. The fact that we kept coming back to it felt like a sign.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Robertson: We really want to be a part of the community here, and that’s one of the things that feels great about this opportunity. We love our community and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. We also know that our community doesn’t have many options for early education and the ones that are here have years-long waiting lists.

Being able to contribute to the community in this way will be really rewarding. As for growth, we think Southwest Florida — not just Naples, where we plan to open our first school — could potentially support several franchises. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but we see a lot of potential for opening multiple locations in the future.

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Robertson: We truly love our community — we love being here and we’re passionate about our kids and kids in general. We want to add something of value to our community by addressing the significant need for quality child care.

This isn’t just a local issue; it’s a nationwide challenge. The early education industry has grown tremendously and continues to grow. We want to provide a great place where kids can learn, grow and become good people. That’s something we really connected with in Children's Lighthouse’s mission — they’re not just about keeping kids safe; they’re about helping kids develop good morals, learn right from wrong and grow into the best versions of themselves. That was really important to us.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Robertson: I would say, take your time and really think about it. Don’t jump at the first thing that seems like a good business idea. Try to find something you’re passionate about — an industry you truly care about. These days, there’s a franchise available in just about any industry you can think of. We’re passionate about food and restaurants, so we initially looked into a few of those. But in the end, we felt that this opportunity was more meaningful. It seemed like the best way to add value to our community and provide something that’s truly needed.

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/childrens-lighthouse.

About Children’s Lighthouse

The Children’s Lighthouse brand was established in Ft. Worth, Texas, in 1997. Children’s Lighthouse Early Learning Schools™ promise to create a safe, fun and happy place that gives children confidence, a sense of comfort today and a lifelong love of learning, friendship and community. Its proprietary curriculum helps children of all ages develop healthy brains, bodies and best behaviors.