A day in the life: tag along with these 3 franchisees for a day, and see what it's really like to own a franchise

Entrepreneur,  August, 2005  by April Y. Pennington

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Occasionally, one of her eight regular teachers is unable to teach a class. If Gallo can't find a suitable substitute, she packs up her laptop, software and handouts, and heads to the facility to teach it herself. Each Computertots franchisee needs to know how to teach all the classes offered.

Gallo doesn't have a teacher to handle some of the more technical after-school or camp programs like robotics, so she just plans on teaching them herself. "You really have to know what you're doing, know the program and be able to manage a classroom of 10 to 15 kids," says Gallo, who offers more than 20 different classes a week at 25 different locations. The basic Computertots class runs a half-hour, while after-school programs and summer camps may be several hours a day for a week, or once a week in a multiweek session.

Gallo's husband, Greg, bought the franchise with her, but continues to work for the state of Connecticut and as a part-time police officer. At 46, he's preparing for retirement, but the couple is waiting for their franchise to be more financially secure before Greg devotes himself to it full time. Meanwhile, he's helping out in his off hours. He processes Credit card payments and checks, and before the monthly teacher/staff meetings, Greg organizes the paperwork to hand out and the software programs the teachers need for their classes. Both husband and wife work on organizing which programs to run at different locations. When they offer their summertime camp programs, including the robotics class, Greg will get the robotics sets organized. "It's kind of crazy," muses Barbara Gallo. "You do things you don't think you're going to do when you buy the business."

Today, Gallo finishes work around 5 p.m. But sometimes she has to head back into her office after dinner and work a few more hours. Still, Gallo helps her children with homework or projects before going back to work, creating a good balance between her work and family life. Says Gallo, "They know they can reach me if they need to, but they also understand if the door is closed, I'm working."

Organization is key for her and any Computertots franchisee. While franchisees may need to play the part of teacher, a business background is helpful, especially when it comes to marketing. Now she's working with fellow franchisees in her state to promote Computertots and sees that in teaching others, she's learned a lot as well.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Being on Arizona time may mean not worrying about daylight-saving time changes, but Mark Roden always minds the clock. The multiunit Subway and Cold Stone Creamery franchisee rises by 5 a.m. to work out before starting the workday at his home office. Since Subway's headquarters is in Connecticut, which can be two or three hours ahead, it's not unusual for Roden to have conference calls scheduled as early as 6 or 7 a.m. He also spends a solid 40 to 45 minutes checking e-malls from Subway, Cold Stone, their organizations he's involved with, his office staff, job applicants and more--all while eating breakfast. "And if my 2-year-old is up," says Roden, 47, "her breakfast, my e-mail and Barney are all going on at once."