Kate and Alex DeBiase bring decades of experience in children’s wellness, sales, training, operations, and business leadership. They are expanding CKMN across the country, supporting franchise owners as they build strong businesses offering important health and wellness programs to children and families in their communities.

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Guest Resource

Creative Kids Movement Network – Check out Alex and Kate’s website which provides more information about Creative Kids Movement Network and its opportunities.

3 Value Bombs

1. See what’s possible first, envision the outcome to create direction and belief.

2. Trust your instincts and build from passion, then communicate your value clearly.

3. Get out of your own way, take action instead of waiting for perfect conditions.

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.

Today’s Audio MASTERCLASS: Turned a Local Kids’ Program into a National Children’s Wellness Franchise

[1:38] — Alex shares something he believes about becoming successful that most people disagree with?

He believes successful people can see what’s possible before they begin.
He emphasizes the importance of envisioning the end result from the beginning.

[3:00] — Kate talks about what gave her the confidence to make the leap and run Creative Kids full-time in 2016.

She started Creative Kids in 1998 at age 20 after being asked to teach a dance class at a daycare.
She initially treated it as a side business while pursuing corporate careers.
A corporate burnout moment in 2016 prompted her to make the business her full-time focus.
Alex encouraged her to put her sales skills to work and grow the business.
The need to replace her corporate paycheck created urgency and motivated her to move quickly.

[4:47] — Kate talks about what decisions made 274% growth possible, and what did that experience taught her about scaling?

She clarified that the 274% growth happened in six months, not a year.
She began actively selling dance and yoga programs to daycare centers and schools.
She credits the growth to timing, passion, and believing deeply in the value the programs provided to children and parents.
That passion came through in her conversations with daycare directors and helped drive adoption.

[7:02] — Alex talks about what made him decide the time was right to franchise after 25 years of building a successful local business.

He experienced his own corporate burnout in 2024 after a career in medical device sales.
Watching Kate build the business over the previous decade convinced him the model could work in markets across the country.
The franchise process involved significant legal work and investment.
At the time of the interview, Creative Kids had reached 11 franchises across 9 states.

[8:45] — Kate shares the scariest and most exciting moments when she decided to franchise.

She found it intimidating to give up some of the control she had as the business owner.
Bringing Alex into the business created a new dynamic because they were also life partners.
Building the learning platform for franchise owners was another major challenge because she had to translate the business she built into a system others could follow.
Her previous experience as a corporate training manager became a valuable asset.
The exciting part was being able to use those training skills to help create opportunities for new franchise owners.

[10:23] – A timeout to thank our sponsors.

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[14:08] — Kate talks about how Creative Kids set itself apart by redefining children’s wellness through movement and mindfulness.

Her perspective on children’s wellness evolved after earning children’s yoga certifications in 2016.
The programs are designed to establish healthy habits from an early age, with children starting as young as two.
Movement and mindfulness can help establish foundations for learning and self-regulation.
She sees the long-term impact on children and families as a central part of what differentiates the business.

[16:07] — Kate and Alex share how their different strengths helped them build a stronger business together.

Kate sees Alex as the big-picture thinker who operates from the “50,000-foot view.”
She focuses on translating that big picture into practical steps and execution.
Alex describes himself as highly sales-focused.
He works directly with franchisees to help them develop their sales skills.
His experience from nearly 20,000 office visits informs the sales guidance he provides.
Kate’s operational and systems experience complements Alex’s sales and business-development strengths.

[18:10] — Alex talks about the biggest lesson he learned about building a franchise system.

He says entrepreneurs should expect the investment required to build a franchise system to be significantly higher than initially anticipated.
He recommends preparing for the possibility that the projected investment could effectively double or go even higher.
The legal and operational infrastructure required to build the system has been a major investment.

[18:43] — Alex shares other lesson from the franchising process.

He says franchise lead generation is one of the most complex parts of franchising.
Unlike traditional products, prospective franchise owners are not necessarily already looking for a franchise.
Marketing has to reach people who may never have previously considered business ownership.
The process involves helping prospects work through uncertainty and fear, making the sales process particularly complex.

[20:00] — Kate gives one lesson that Fire Nation should remember about turning a passion into a scalable business.

Her advice is to trust yourself and your instincts.
If you are passionate about what you do, she believes the rest can follow.
Her core message is to trust your instincts and go for it.

[20:23] — Alex gives his closing value bomb.

One of the biggest obstacles for people entering business is fear.
He encourages entrepreneurs to get out of their own way.
You do not need to have everything perfectly figured out before starting.
His advice: take action and “just do it.”

[21:22] — Call to action.

Creative Kids Movement Network – Check out Alex and Kate’s website which provides more information about Creative Kids Movement Network and its opportunities.

[23:20] – Thank you to our Sponsors!

The Foundation: The Foundation has coached 2,000+ students to find painful problems and turn them into software businesses. Their 12-week cohort takes you from no idea or software experience to finding a real problem and preselling the solution. The next cohort launches January 2027. Join the waitlist at TheFoundation.com!
HighLevel: The ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies! Learn more at HighLevelFire.com!

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