Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Denzer.
Hi Kristen, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My career path is quite convoluted, full of twists and turns. After briefly working “real” jobs, I began consulting. I loved how empowering it was to have control over my own success but did not enjoy some aspects of that work. After getting engaged and planning my wedding, a friend and I saw the gaps that existed in the events market and decided to start our own event rental company. Just a couple of years later, we started a second business together – a dog daycare and boarding facility. While growing those businesses, I got married, had children, and began my search for childcare. While looking, I noticed there were no programs that had everything I was looking for. This spurred the idea that perhaps this could be my next business venture. I then spent almost a year developing projections, searching for a location, securing my first small business administration loan, and constructing the first Tierra Encantada. It had everything I was searching for and more – and I was able to create a Spanish immersion environment with an elevated culinary program with meals like quinoa with avocado where employees were paid living wages and provided careers with benefits less than 10% of childcare communities in the county provide. I created it for my children, and they both went there!
I am very excited about our growth plans and bringing Tierra Encantada to families across the United States in the coming years. We started 2021 with five centers and ended 2022 with 11. We are on track to double again by the end of 2023. With each new center we open, we add over one hundred new families to the Tierra Encantada community. Parents are able to go to work knowing that their child is experiencing something so much more than standard childcare. And when they head home for the day, they know their child ate organic, fresh-cooked meals designed to expand their palate. When their child graduates and goes to kindergarten bilingual, they know that time apart had meaning and value. One of my favorite reviews that a family left for us shared that their child translated for them when they visited Central America. That kind of amazing impact we get to have on families drives and excites us!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
To be perfectly honest, it has been anything but! Tierra Encantada was the first business for that I needed outside capital and got my first Small Business Administration loan. I underestimated how much money I needed for pretty much everything — particularly working capital. When we opened that first day in July of 2013, we had more full-time employees than children enrolled! It was my first brush with failure, and if it hadn’t been for the fact that I had two other successful businesses in addition to Tierra Encantada, I may not be where I am today. During those first six months, I poured money into the business. I exhausted all the working capital I had asked for within the first two months and put every penny I had into Tierra.
Fortunately, after much trial and error, I figured out what worked — and didn’t — and about a year after we first opened our doors, we finally broke even. Of course, like any serial entrepreneur, I immediately started thinking about what was next. That was 10 years ago, and in that time, we experienced exponential growth. As we have grown, I have been grateful to see others come to Tierra and bring their own unique talents, experiences, and passions to the table.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Tierra Encantada?
As CEO, I focus on our strategic vision. We have worked hard to build an amazing team that has helped make Tierraʼs growth possible. I wanted to learn from other businesses and note critical things to do differently in order to make those changes happen. An example of this would be staffing. I recognized that employees are more likely to provide a better experience for the kids around them when they are treated fairly themselves. This includes prioritizing hours and benefits and providing opportunities for growth.
I also wanted to provide a learning experience that parents wanted for their children yet couldn’t directly provide themselves—for example: learning another language. I’m proud of how far we’ve come since we first started. The growth across the U.S. has been incredible, and I can’t wait to continue watching it expand through our franchise partners.
As far as childcare goes, our day-to-day operations and proprietary program are what sets us apart from others.
From the cloth diapers in our classrooms to our fresh-cooked organic food program designed to expand young palates, our goal is to provide a wholesome environment that parents consider a second home for their children.
Where do you stand on luck as it relates to owning and running a business?
I’ve had some incredible people and experiences along my journey. For example, when I was first looking for that business loan years ago, a few people took a chance on me. Those few people have been on my banking team for nearly a decade now and have been great advocates for Tierra Encantada.
I am very goal driven, so relying on money or good luck isn’t the ultimate driver in my life. As a result, I take on more risks than most because I am not afraid to fail. I am realistic about the fact that having big goals along with the determination to accomplish them does not come without sacrifice. I know that to achieve the next step, I have to be willing to work 90 hours a week and 17 different jobs to make it there.
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Image Credits
Block Portrait Studios
