HOW WE HELP
TRAINING PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Busy Bees® emphasizes the education and hands-on training of each of its franchise owners. New franchise owners complete a one-week comprehensive session on-site at our Mentor, OH location at least one month prior to opening day. During training, we will teach you the operations, design techniques, marketing programs, technical skills, management, problem solving and customer service. All owners and managers must attend.
Once you receive your Franchise Training, you will be well prepared and ready to begin the adventure of owning and running your own Busy Bees®.
DESIGN TECHNIQUES
As part of your overall training, you will learn multiple ceramic painting techniques, glass fusing design and firing schedules, clay hand sculpting techniques, and mosaic design. As new techniques are developed and mediums are introduced they are/will be added to the training program.
TECHNICAL
Glazing and firing of customer pieces is critical to the Busy Bees® business. One day of training is allotted to this aspect. The technical aspect of the art is critical for our customers’ creations.You will learn the full operations process from customer purchase to customer pick up; how to glaze pieces, load and unload the kiln, and every detail in-between. You will also learn how to trouble shoot various issues that may arise such as glaze and kiln issues.
MARKETING
We will show you how to create local “buzz” in your market. All aspects of marketing are covered during training, including in-studio promotions, merchandising, displays, monthly calendars, fundraising, public relations, and workshops. You will also learn the how-to’s of successfully booking and executing parties, both in the studio and on the road. All marketing materials needed to successfully drive business to your store will be provided.
Marketing collateral included in your ownership:
- Website for your specific location(s)
- Social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest)
- Flyers, calendars (schedule of events), press release, and more
- Curriculum
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Customer service is the single most important element in the pottery business. We believe that our business is not only exists but thrives on the happiness and satisfaction our customers feel after they’ve created art at our studios. We will train you on how to handle all aspects of customer service, including difficult situations to navigate for successful outcomes. During in-studio training, you will receive instruction on customer assistance, up-selling, retention, value perception, training your staff to provide excellent customer service, building sales through product knowledge, return incentive programs and increasing bookings.
STUDIO MANAGEMENT & OPERATIONS
This section of training gives you the tools to establish employee policies, recruit, hire, train, motivate and evaluate your staff.
We believe in letting technology drive and manage the business so you can delight your customers with their Busy Bees® experience and focus on driving more business. You will receive in-depth instruction in the operation of the Busy Bees® Point-of-Sale System. We will also cover basic cash register operations, inventory control, on-line ordering, daily paperwork and accounting, banking, scheduling and payroll management.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Our services are always evolving; innovation and creativity are the keys to our success and staying as the leader in the PYOP & Arts space. While your initial training is one-week long, the franchise communicates and works together with our owners on an on-going basis to maintain our cutting edge approach to the arts as entertainment. We are a team that brings the best out of each other and nurtures our own successes.