Confident Leadership & A Strong Marriage with Rick and Nancy Kodama

Child Care Rockstar Radio

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The story this week starts with pizza, so you know it’s going to be a good one! Kris welcomes Rick and Nancy Kodama from Kid’s World Learning Center. Rick and Nancy are a husband-and-wife team based near Houston, Texas. They share some great tips on having a business together as a married couple for over three decades. They chat with Kris about their journey from owning Domino’s Pizza franchises to transitioning into early childhood education and give perspective on how having four sons affected their overall managing style and work-life balance. They also talk about how joining the Childcare Success Academy impacted Nancy’s leadership growth and confidence in running their school.

Key Takeaways:

[3:42] Kris set herself a goal of visiting all seven continents and speaks a bit about her Amazonian adventures.

[6:35] Rick and Nancy join from Texas.

[8:00] Kid’s World started in 2012 and now has a capacity of 262. They have nine classrooms.

[9:12] Rick and Nancy share more about their four sons and family background.

[15:03] How they went from a Domino’s Pizza franchise to Kid’s World, and lessons learned along the way.

[20:01] Remembering that you’re in a relationship business, and true connections matter.

[23:09] Fun fact! Talk about a large family — Rick has over 150 relatives in California.

[25:38] Leading without micromanaging.

[26:37] What The Child Care Success Academy has taught them about leadership.

[32:14] Communication, respect, and overcoming challenges as partners.

[44:18] The “other” Nancy at Domino’s that inspired our Nancy.

[46:18] What’s next for this husband-and-wife duo?

Quotes:

“Our vision for our school is to serve more children in our community.” — Nancy [8:32]
“With five locations, it was just not enough to sustain a supervisor. So it's either grow, or go.” — Nancy [16:06]
“When people ask me how I spend 12 hours at the childcare, I say that’s nothing. Working 6‒6:30 pm is nothing.” — Nancy [19:32]
“It’s not a transactional business. It’s a transformation business.” — Kris [20:36]
“We’re not just watching your babies here, we’re teaching them. When I say we’re teaching curriculum, and all the things that I’m saying that we’re going to deliver, I make sure that my staff is going to do that. That’s what is important to me.” — Nancy [48:02]