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How Low Startup Costs Helped this Franchisee Grow
Since signing on with a children’s dance franchise 10 years ago, franchisee Tracy Genheimer has leveraged the affordable and scalable business model to expand to multiple locations.
Tracy Genheimer, a life-long dance lover and teacher, originally signed on with Tippi Toes, one of the most popular franchises in children’s enrichment programming, as a way to follow her passion.
“I grew up dancing — I started when I was very young and fell in love with it,” said Genheimer. “I knew that I wanted dance to be a part of my life forever, and after majoring in dance performance in college, I decided to impart my love of the art onto others through teaching.”
The dance class franchise featured on ABC’s “Shark Tank” is attracting the attention of more and more savvy entrepreneurs thanks to more than just a passion-driven offering — it also requires very low startup costs.
With an estimated initial investment of only $52,100 to $69,100, Tippi Toes boasts one of the lowest startup costs in its segment, and because classes are taught at pre-schools, daycares and other third-party locations, franchise owners don’t have to pay for or maintain brick-and-mortar facilities.
“Since Tippi Toes is not a traditional studio storefront, and we can operate out of existing buildings, the overhead costs are much lower than competitors,” Genheimer said. “I don’t have to worry about rent costs or building loans. That is very comforting.”
With that low investment, Genheimer says the franchise makes it even easier to grow and expand into multiple markets. “Once you open one location, it is easy to pick a new location and apply the business to that community since the business can be run remotely, affordably and efficiently,” she said.
Genheimer opened her first Tippi Toes location in 2010 in Oklahoma City, and since then has expanded her portfolio, purchasing the North Dallas franchise in 2014, and adding on the Denton and the Wichita locations in 2019.
“After 12 years, I can honestly say I love Tippi Toes more than ever,” said Genheimer. “The business has really grown with me and my lifestyle. My husband and I were in our early 20s when we first purchased the franchise, and now we have two babies and are older, and it is wonderful because we’ve been able to grow this business along with the different seasons of our life.”
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