Building something gives a special feeling, even for adults.
When Snapology trains new franchisees, they start by creating projects similar to what children do in class. Nancy Bigley, multi-group president at Unleashed Brands, which owns Snapology, said, “We’re adults and we still giggle like, ‘Oh my gosh, you know what I built?’” She added that the excitement of creating and finishing something is fun and never goes away.
This joy is also felt by the kids who attend Snapology’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and robotics classes. The franchise uses materials like Legos and K’Nex to make learning entertaining. Students can even test toy cars they build on racetracks. Bigley shared a story about three boys who built a piano from Legos.
“They finished, coded it correctly, and it played music,” Bigley said. “They were jumping and dancing to it. It was really cute to see.”
Opening a Snapology franchise costs between $75,250 and $105,800. Since 2022, Snapology opened 50 new stores and will end 2024 with 121 locations. According to its franchise disclosure document, the average sales for 27 full-time mobile locations last year was $157,035.
Bigley joined Unleashed in 2021. She first led The Little Gym and then Snapology. As the multi-group brand president, she manages six of the company’s eight brands.
“More parents are engaging with several brands in our portfolio,” Bigley said. “We are working to share best practices and align operations. This will make it easier for parents who use multiple brands.”
Curriculum is very important at Snapology and The Little Gym. But Bigley said parents also appreciate the cognitive and social skills their children gain.
“Parents love the hard skills their kids learn,” she said. “But they are also excited—and sometimes surprised—by how much cognitive and social development we include.”
After the pandemic, many parents want their children to socialize more with other kids. Bigley said, “We heard from many parents that their children have regressed socially or gone backwards.”
The Little Gym serves children from 4 months to 12 years old. It teaches dance and gymnastics using a “three-dimensional learning” method.
“We always make sure it’s fun,” Bigley said. The program encourages creativity and imagination through different equipment. “We have specific exercises to build motor skills, but we keep it playful and fun.”
Keeping kids interested is important, but teachers do not force participation. If a child is shy or unsure, they can join when ready. “They usually join quickly once they see others having fun,” Bigley said.
Franchisees of The Little Gym must sign a minimum two-unit agreement. Opening one center costs between $519,265 and $756,995. The Delaware-based company had 219 locations at the end of 2024, up from 174 in 2022. The unit sales in 2024 ranged from $110,708 to $1.87 million. The top 25% of franchises averaged $1.09 million in sales, while the bottom 25% averaged $327,091.
Bigley emphasized that franchisees need to be passionate about their brands. “It’s not just about money,” she said.
“Youth enrichment is a strong investment because adults invest in children and pets first,” she explained. “People will always prioritize those before spending on themselves. So, it’s a safe business opportunity.”
At Code Ninjas, children use coding to create video games and other projects. The program helps kids learn problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity through hands-on activities.
Mike Rodrigues, vice president of franchise development at Code Ninjas, said, “We focus on making education fun. We use a medium that attracts kids to understand ideas, not just memorize them. This builds their confidence with technology, which is important in their lives now and in the future.”
Code Ninjas ended last year with 244 U.S. locations. Including international centers, Rodrigues said the brand had 369 units as of April. They have locations in Canada and the United Kingdom, with plans to expand into three more countries this summer.
Opening a Code Ninjas franchise costs between $68,500 and $298,250, depending on the location type. Last year, the average sales for 227 locations was $238,184. These locations had an average of 86 active students each month.
Edward Kim, Code Ninjas’ vice president of education and training, recalled his own coding education. “It was much more rigid and harder to learn,” he said. “In college, you had to spend hours programming just to practice and test.”
Kim said those times have changed with programs like Code Ninjas. “We teach critical thinking, resilience, and presentation skills—key abilities for every student,” he said. “Coding is just the tool we use to teach these skills.”
