Rod and Jen Arreola Transition from the Fast-Casual Segment to Supplementing Kids’ Creativity In Three-Unit Franchise Deal with Kidcreate Studio

High school sweethearts Rod and Jen Arreola plan to open three Kidcreate Studio locations within the next five years, starting with their first location slated to open in August in Broomfield, Colorado.

After spending a decade in the IT field, Rod could put off his entrepreneurial itch no longer and moved his family to Las Vegas. That itch eventually led to his founding of the well-known teriyaki brand, Teriyaki Madness. On the day the first Teriyaki Madness restaurant was opened, Jen delivered their second baby. It was at that moment she realized she wanted to take some time off from working and focus on being a full-time mom.

During the next couple of years, Rod and Jen opened a few more Teriyaki Madness locations around the Las Vegas area and watched as the restaurant brand flourished. The brand was doing so well that even Kidcreate Studio founder Lara Olson reached out for advice about franchising back in 2014.

Kidcreate Studio had great potential in Rod’s eyes. “I liked the idea of helping kids learn art, but as a businessman, I saw it as a great business as far as profit margins, cost of entry and demand were concerned.”

As Teriyaki Madness began ramping up its franchising efforts, Rod and Jen were eventually bought out in 2016. Rod decided to head back into the IT field while he continued searching for another concept to grow—this time outside the restaurant industry.

“When you own your own business in the restaurant industry, you’re subject to crazy hours and demand. With Kidcreate Studio, we can determine our own hours and operate with more flexibility, which is great because we wanted more family time and to not to be tied to a concept 24/7 like a restaurant would require.”

Jen decided to pursue her passion for childhood education and began work as a gifted education advisor in the Boulder Valley School District in Colorado in 2010. Her passion for children’s education aligned perfectly with Kidcreate Studio. “In my work, I’ve noticed there wasn't a lot of art out there for kids, so this mixes really well with the needs of the kids I work with and also with my passion for children’s education.”

Being parents themselves, Rod and Jen felt that moving in the direction of education was the right path for them. “With three kids of our own, I understood as a parent that there is a lot of opportunity for this kind of supplemental education in this niche market because of the lack of art in schools. Beyond that, the low cost of entry was impressive. I’ve looked at a lot of businesses in my search and it took a while for me to move forward—between two and three years. I liked the fact that this industry was not as risky as the restaurant industry. With a restaurant, the cost of build-out is high and ROI isn’t as great. With Kidcreate Studio, the numbers I was seeing looked great, as far as profit margins were concerned.”

With the rate of young families rising in Broomfield, it seemed like the time was ripe to introduce a creative education and arts program there.

“I spend a lot of time with moms who frequently encounter few options when looking for things for their kids to do. The art programs available around here don’t necessarily offer all of the options we have, so there's a ton of opportunity for us.”

The Arreolas are planning to open all three Kidcreate Studio locations within the next five years. The potential sites for the remaining two locations include the area surrounding Boulder and across northern Denver.

The startup costs for a Kidcreate Studio range from $108,800 to $231,750 with a franchise fee of $45,000. To learn more about franchising with Kidcreate Studio, visit https://franchise.kidcreatestudio.com/.