"Protect, Educate, and Nurture" Celebree School's Richie Huffman trusts his values

Richard "Richie" Huffman opened the first Celebree School preschool location in 1994 when he was 26 years old. He may not have realized it at the time, but he was launching a company that would eventually turn to the franchising growth model in 2019 and now has more than 120 locations open or in development. Celebree School operates in six states and has more than 1,300 employees system wide with an enrollment of more than 4,500 children.

Celebree Schools offer early childhood education, including infant and toddler care, preschool, before and aftercare, and summer camp programs. Its mission is to "Grow People Big and Small." Huffman describes the core vision of the brand as "change, innovation, and the constant pursuit of self-improvement."

As founder and CEO, Huffman is dedicated to building a corporate culture that attracts leading executives to the brand while always focusing on Celebree's short-term and long-term vision. His 30 years of experience behind the wheel of Celebree School allows him to share his expertise and insights with the brand's franchisees.

He says the growth the brand has experienced since beginning to franchise is not surprising because of the ongoing demand for the services the company provides. "Communities need quality pre-K education and daycare, and we can fill that gap," Huffman says.

The world is taking notice of Celebree School. In 2023, Celebree School claimed the No. 1 spot in Entrepreneur's Top New and Emerging Franchises, and this year it made Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 list--no small feats.

Huffman is bullish on the future of Celebree School. "We will continue to invest in initiatives that position us for franchise success and equip us with the resources we need to scale the business and continue to deliver best-in-class results," he says.

Name: Richard "Richie" Huffman
Title: Founder and CEO
Company: Celebree School
Age: 56
Years in franchising: 2
Years in current position: 30

LEADERSHIP

What is your role as CEO? My role as CEO is making sure every action I take furthers our mission to "Grow People Big and Small." My role is to make sure our corporate team and franchisees have the support they need to grow professionally and personally. This allows them to be better teachers and support members, making parents feel confident in bringing their child to Celebree School.

How has Covid-19 affected the way you have led your brand? Covid-19 didn't change my leadership style as much as it made me recognize the team we have and focus on the vision of caring for children in the community. We were not going to close. We pushed through and didn't fold.

Describe your leadership style. I would consider myself to be very collaborative and supportive. People want to be a part of something special, so I always make sure I communicate that, share and celebrate the wins, and share the successes of each person who makes up the Celebree team. My style is a verify-then-trust approach. Once there's trust, I'll let you own it. My focus is on the vision of the company: where we are headed, following the strategy in place, and holding people accountable.

What has inspired your leadership style? That came from watching my parents. They were totally relentless in their work ethic--working hard during the week and, over the weekend, still working toward their goals. They didn't take a break.

What is your biggest leadership challenge? I've come to realize as I've gotten older that it's being patient. I used to think this was a horrible word that meant relaxing and not working hard. But it's not lowering standards or giving up on goals, but giving grace in time to catch up. My wife even brings this to my attention. I will ask her something and expect it 10 minutes later. But I've been thinking about it for hours or days, so I expect it quickly. Patience and grace.

How do you transmit your culture from your office to frontline employees? Our culture is transmitted from corporate to the schools. This is transmitted through our district directors. The more time I spend with Allison Tsomos and other key executives, the more they know the expectations of our culture. Then they bring this to our district directors as our executives spend time with them, and then it goes into the schools. It all trickles down to the school teams--promoting vision and mission, goals for schools for the year, and core competencies. It's what makes us different.

Where is the best place to prepare for leadership: an MBA school or OTJ? I think about this, if it would be better if I got my degree. I thought about getting my MBA but decided not to because I gain my knowledge from experience and on-the-job training. After high school, by the time my friends were three years into school, I was buying properties and running my own business. I got a jump ahead. I got knowledge through reading books and taking action.

Are tough decisions best taken by one person? How do you make tough decisions? I'm not sure there is a tough decision. If you are set on your values and mission, it's easy. You find it is black and white; there is right and wrong. If you put decisions through the lens of your mission and values. It used to be "what would Richie do," but now it's through our values: protect, educate, and nurture. Our teachers look at decisions through this.

Advice to CEO wannabes: CEOs come in different flavors. I think it's more of an entrepreneur wannabe. You will find out really fast if you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur. There is pressure in every area. Many give up and take the easy route. Entrepreneurs make it through, and the team you build will ease this pressure though it never goes away.

My mom experienced this pressure and talked about it at home, but the next day she was always moving forward. Embrace it, learn to live with in, and learn to be good with it.

MANAGEMENT

Describe your management style: I'm not sure I manage people, but I coach them in our mission, vision, and values. Is the strategy right? Are we reaching goals? Etc.

What does your management team look like? They tell me it looks a lot like Richie. This comes through time. They will understand how you think and mirror this and your values. Spending lots of time with the executive team allows them to take my values and beliefs to schools.

Allison, our COO, worked with Celebree for 24 years. What does my touch base with her look like compared to someone who has only been here one year? She is family; they are family. The coolest thing about this company is I've never seen myself as the owner. I see myself as the CEO and part of the team. I make some of the decisions but not all of them. I play a role here. We all want to win, and we work hard every single day.

How does your management team help you lead? I remember when it happened with our CTO, Lisa Bricker. She looked uncomfortable when she was about to give me some tough feedback. At that moment, I had to decide to take that feedback and create our culture and allow us to give each other feedback to be better leaders. This changed the entire organization. At the end of the day, we want what's best for the company and each other. We give all we have every single day.

What makes you say, "Yes, now that's why I do what I do!"? We were on an awards call with franchise partners, and this particular partner was obviously interested, but the wife was not giving the same signs. She seemed hesitant. The day that we awarded them, I could see her excitement in becoming a Celebree franchise partner--not just changing her perspective on the industry, but coming into a business with our team.

OPERATIONS

What trends are you seeing with consumer spending habits in your stores? Spending habits have not changed. Parents are always willing to spend as much as needed for children, especially in high-quality preschools. Parents are more educated in what they are looking for in early education. Even if one parent can be home, they still want children to meet development milestones to prepare for elementary school.

How is the economy driving consumer behavior in your system? Coming out of Covid has changed it--hoping for a hockey stick rise in education. Parents knew the importance, but Covid highlighted it. Enrollment shot through the roof, and we can't build schools fast enough.

What are you expecting from your market in the next 12 months? There are now more children trying to get in than ever before, and we see that continuing. Are your franchisees bullish or bearish about growth and adding additional units? Bullish. A majority are looking for multi-development deals (three or more). All want to be a part of it.

Are commodity/supply costs any cause for concern in your system? A little bit, but they are starting to come down a bit. I haven't heard any stories lately of not being able to get building supplies.

In what ways are political/global issues impacting the market and your brand? States and governors emphasize the importance of early education. Building these relationships with political figures and understanding policies that impact our industry. Getting in front of the issues and being a thought leader in the industry.

PERSONAL

What time do you like to be at your desk? Why do I need to be there? I'm constantly working from before waking up to night. Everywhere is my office, and I'm always working toward goals with the business and family. My thoughts don't start at 9 and end at 5. I'm always going.

Exercise in the morning? Wine with lunch? I prefer to work out in the evening. Don't drink now, but when I did, never at lunch.

Do you socialize with your team after work/outside the office? Only for special events (philanthropic, etc.). If we are together, that means they are not with their families. They need to be with their families.

Last two books read: Believe in People: Bottom-Up Solutions for a Top-Down World by Charles G. Koch and Brian Hooks and The Holy Grail of Investing by Tony Robbins.

What technology do you take on the road? Just an iPhone. It gives me access to email, podcasts, and YouTube (I'm constantly looking for motivation, education, and validation.)

How do you relax/balance life and work? To me, it is focusing on things that mean the most to you. Find goals and objectives and stick to them. Whether it's personal or professional, determine how much time is spent here. Why? Goals? Action steps?

Favorite vacation destination(s): The farm is my favorite place to spend time. It allows me to reconnect with nature.

Favorite occasions to send employees notes: It's easy with email and technology to reach out to franchisees on their milestones or executives on their birthdays. I prefer phone calls over texts because you can hear each other's voices and emotions. But my children try to convince me texts are better.

BOTTOM LINE

What are your long-term goals for the company? Keep building and constantly looking for ways to improve. I am super excited about where we are with our franchisees and love watching them grow and helping franchisee partners in buying properties.

How has the economy changed your goals for your company? Helped accelerate growth due to the demand for early education. Little to no impact on capital.

Where can capital be found these days? Community banks. We have great partnerships with national and local banks.

How do you measure success? Spending time in categories important to me and reaching my goals inside those categories. Hitting goals in health, wealth, family--get this--very successful.

What has been your greatest success? My kids. We have five kids from ages 14 to 23. Watching them grow and become adults. The way they treat each other as a family.

Any regrets? No. Every single bad decision was a phenomenal learning experience. I never see bad decisions, just opportunities to improve.

What can we expect from your company in the next 12 to 18 months? Growth. More schools. More real estate. Main focuses.