No Education Degree Required — How He Built a $2.5 Million Education Empire
Jason Skidmore once ran an ambulance service. Now he’s the top-performing franchisee of Celebree School.
Courtesy of Celebree School
This story appears in the November 2024 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
Key Takeaways
- Skidmore’s story proves that you don’t need an education degree to thrive in the early-education franchise space.
- Skidmore emphasizes the importance of strong engagement with both customers and staff.
- Expanding a franchise requires scalable systems and ongoing reassessment of processes.
When Celebree School CEO Richard Huffman talks to prospective franchisees, he often hears the same misconception: People think they need a degree in education to run a school. But it’s not true. Huffman himself doesn’t have an education degree. Instead, he believes that franchisees just need to be great operators — so they can hire great educators.
Jason Skidmore is a perfect example. Skidmore’s background is in healthcare; he grew an ambulance service from a single ambulance into a multimillion-dollar operation with more than 130 vehicles and 350 employees. Then in 2019, he became a franchisee for Celebree, an early-education franchise with more than 50 units open. Now Skidmore owns four units, with five more in development, and is bringing in more than $2.5 million in annual revenue — making him the brand’s top performer.
So, how did a non-educator become the top franchisee of an education business? He followed these three rules:
1. Demonstrate leadership through engagement.
When you run a school, your customers (parents!) expect a great experience and curriculum—but they’ll judge you equally on your communication. That’s why Skidmore doubles down on it. “Make sure parents always have a voice at the table,” he says, “and build a leadership team that wants to listen and understands the importance of listening.”
2. Build scalable systems.
If you’re a franchise owner, you can’t just add a second (or third) unit and run things the same. Your systems must adapt. “It’s looking at what those requirements are, building the team, and then constantly reassessing the gaps and opportunities and processes, then building measurables to review with the team every week,” he says.
3. Remember what matters.
Skidmore may not be an educator by training, but he connects personally to his brand’s mission—to support children, teachers and families. When you build a culture around your mission, he says, your team’s actions will follow. “It’s knowing and understanding how many lives we touch every day.”
Related: These Are the Best Franchises in Every Industry
BONUS TIP: Find your scalable talent.
Skidmore proves it: You really don’t need an education degree to run a successful education franchise. But that’s not to say your background isn’t useful — you just need to think about your skills more broadly. According to Celebree CEO Richard Huffman, prospective franchisees often bring a lot of relevant experience as leaders. “Jason [Skidmore] already knew how to build teams and get results through others,” Huffman says. If you’re unsure if you fit into a franchise, consider what skills of yours are transferable across industries. Your versatility could surprise you!
Key Takeaways
- Skidmore’s story proves that you don’t need an education degree to thrive in the early-education franchise space.
- Skidmore emphasizes the importance of strong engagement with both customers and staff.
- Expanding a franchise requires scalable systems and ongoing reassessment of processes.
When Celebree School CEO Richard Huffman talks to prospective franchisees, he often hears the same misconception: People think they need a degree in education to run a school. But it’s not true. Huffman himself doesn’t have an education degree. Instead, he believes that franchisees just need to be great operators — so they can hire great educators.
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