Our studio, currently, is a very small one. With three learners to be exact. There are great benefits to such a small and tight-knit group and there are some days where we say to ourselves “this thing might have gone better if there were more learners in here”. In speaking with potential families, some people are encouraged by the intimate environment, while others express a sense of “maybe we’ll come when there are more children in the group”.
I can see both sides. As a parent, having my children in a studio setting with lots of other learners with different perspectives is an ideal situation. Where they can learn from each other, experience different kinds of friendships and the collaborative aspects that come with being with many people at once. I can also really appreciate the gift that is this small group. They all know each other well, they know their guide well, and there is comfort for them in that small setup.
I met with the other founders and owners in the Northeast last week
And I had the opportunity to ask a question that I’ve not been able to answer in a way that feels satisfying:
“What do you tell parents when they ask you when you’ll be getting more children in the studio, or ask why the studio is so small?”
The first answer came from another founder who has been running his school for 5+ years. He said something along the lines of: Speak from your heart. Let the people who are wondering about the numbers know that the selection process for Acton Academy is not a hasty one and that while the growth may look slow, doing it this way ensures a community of families and learners who have growth mindsets and are truly excited about Acton and the hero’s journey.
Following his response other Acton owners gave me their own perspectives on starting small and growing slowly. Most pieces of advice came from their own mistakes, and could be summed up as: We needed to fill seats to pay the rent for our space so we were lax about our admission process and it came to bite us in the butt in the long run.
- One owner shared that in her first year, she started with 6 learners, but quickly had to exit 3 of them, leaving 3 learners left, two of them being her own children
- Another owner talked about how she started with a community of 12 learners six years ago, and of that first group, only 4 remain because over the last six years, 8 of them were exited
- Someone else echoed much of the same: growing too fast and having to make some hard decisions to exit some learners. He, however, emphasized how hard it was to navigate the exiting process because of the nature of founding families (expectations, relationships, etc.)
The advice was resounding: start small, grow slowly, and be selective.
It was reassuring for me. That we are exactly where we’re supposed to be. Small, slow, and selective. From what I’ve learned from these other schools (who have great success), this is the way to do it, and while it can be disheartening in the beginning, it’s so worth it.
I’m excited to continue on this journey, slow and steady. It’s not my default, however. I typically like to make things happen and see the results, after all, there is some positive reinforcement in that. But like most things in this process of running an Acton Academy, it’s encouraging my own growth– and for that I am grateful.
-Janel