279: Mentorship, Marketing, and a Little Magic: How Chelyn Butts Achieved Childcare Success

You’re in for a treat with this episode! Kate and Carrie chat with Chelyn Butts from Texas, who shares her amazing journey from running a tiny child care center to leading a thriving program with 130 kids, all in a brand-new, gifted building! 

Chelyn opens up about the magic of a family-like culture, the game-changing impact of mentors and coaches, and how smart marketing helped her enroll 56 new children in just four months. If you’re dreaming of growth and need a boost of inspiration (and practical tips!), this episode is full of heart and wisdom just for you. 

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Transcript

Marie 00:00:03  Welcome to Child Care Conversations, the podcast where early childhood leaders like you get real world strategies, honest talk and a whole lot of support. Whether you're running one center or many. We're here to help you lead with confidence and clarity. This episode is brought to you by our summer partner Child Care Business Growth, your go to solution for filling spots, increasing revenue, and scaling your child care business without the burnout. We're proud to partner with a team that's as committed to your success as we are. Learn more at Childcare Business growth.com. Now let's get into today's conversation. One we think you're really going to love.

Kate 00:00:49  All the way from Texas. Charlene is going to join us today. And we are so excited because she has had some awesome international recognition literally in the last month, like three weeks ago. And so we want to talk about her experience and that recognition. And I know that Carrie's already got a question. So we could start with having Charlene tell us a little bit about her program.

Carrie 00:01:17  Yeah, let's start there.

Carrie 00:01:19  Okay.

Chelyn Butts 00:01:20  Thank you, ladies, for having us.

Carrie 00:01:22  Tell us, what is the best thing about your program?

Chelyn Butts 00:01:25  The culture.

Kate 00:01:26  Tell me more.

Chelyn Butts 00:01:27  We we definitely have, a family. It's like a family oriented culture. And, we really respect each other. We really pick up the slack for each other. we just. It's it's just a big family. I love our culture. I love our staff.

Kate 00:01:46  Oh, I love that. That's such a great way to identify what's really cool about your program. The other thing that I think would be really interesting to know, because if I believe. Right, like a year ago, you guys moved into a brand new, like, building. Tell us a little bit about that.

Chelyn Butts 00:02:04  Okay, so back in 2016, I bought a small 1500 square foot building and there were like four of us teachers and we had 34 children. I was fine with that. Then I started, having a mentor tell me I need to get out of the fishbowl.

Chelyn Butts 00:02:20  And I needed to think bigger. So we doubled that and we built on. And so we had 3000 square foot and about eight teachers, nine teachers. Then last year in April, I was approached by, a pastor and his wife that we had grown up together. They were getting out of the ministry, and they had an 18,000 square foot building that was their church on 20 acres, and they gifted that to me. So that's,

Carrie 00:02:53  That's quite a gift. That's quite a gift right there.

Chelyn Butts 00:02:56  Yes. And it is the church that, my husband and I attended back in 1993, and we actually put up wallpaper that's still there. Back in 1993. so it was a it was part of my heart. Anyway, it had always been part of my heart. And, so yeah, it was gifted to us and yesterday, which this is a perfect timing. Yesterday we have been in the our new building for one year, and now we have 130 children and 28 employees.

Kate 00:03:30  Well, that is just awesome.

Kate 00:03:32  And such a an example of going out on faith and why sometimes coaches and mentors are a good thing and why it's worth, you know, listening and, not sitting there looking at them like you want me to do what we're doing.

Carrie 00:03:52  It also, I mean, it's being active in your community and having an active network of people who you communicate with about what your dreams and goals are. Because I bet if that pastor, if you had only ever talked about, you know, Psalm 23 or whatever. He would not have gone. Okay. We're stepping out of this ministry. I guess I'll turn it over to another church. Instead, he's like, I'm going to give this to Charlene to help her make her dreams come true. So I.

Kate 00:04:25  Wonder if that's.

Chelyn Butts 00:04:26  Exactly what happened.

Carrie 00:04:27  Yeah, you you did what people should do if they want to be successful in business. We just talk about what makes your business great and your dreams for your business.

Kate 00:04:39  So tell us a little bit about oh that happens.

Kate 00:04:46  So tell us a little bit about the award that you won and a little bit about maybe how you felt when that happened.

Chelyn Butts 00:04:56  So when I started with my advertising, partner. A mentor. everything. I really had no clue I was going to get the award, but since advertising and marketing and having my coach. Which is so important. we got 30 new children in one month, and it was like, whoa. And then ten more and then ten more. And even this week we got six new additional children. But we had to fill out this form before going to CBG and ask what our monthly income was. So I it was my, my it blew my mind when I put it on paper. to be honest, I'm not good money person. Like I don't have all my financials together. And so I just had hired also a bookkeeper. And so I was I text her and I'm like, hey, how much do I make a month? How much, you know? Kind of because it happened so fast.

Chelyn Butts 00:05:54  It was just like one month. I was like 30 new children. And so she sent me that, that. And, so I sent that to Nick, and, I'm sitting there waiting. I'm waiting for the awards to be over. And then he popped me with the award, and it was kind of like, such a an honor because I felt like, wow. Living in survival mode for that last month paid off, and I'm still here. And so it was such an honor. I was so I was so proud of our school.

Kate 00:06:27  Well, I know that, you know, Kerry and I have a little bit of a of a pride component here because we met with you and we talked about what you needed to do, and we said, you need to get a hold of Nick. And so if I calculated this right, you've been with child care business growth for roughly, what, 4 or 5 months?

Chelyn Butts 00:06:45  Yes, we started in March, but I didn't I wasn't ready to.

Chelyn Butts 00:06:50  We started talking, you know, so I wasn't I just wasn't ready. And then I spoke with you all again and you're like, no, you need to talk to Nick.

Kate 00:06:59  So, so so we're still talking four months. And so in four months, you've added 56 kids?

Chelyn Butts 00:07:06  Yes.

Kate 00:07:07  Okay. So, anybody who's listening to this podcast, I want you to think about how much money you're leaving on the table with some open spots. And if you think about the amount of money you're leaving on the table, if you have open spots and you haven't looked into child care business growth mastery. I'm hoping this testimony is something for you to at least think about, because this is not something that she did after having been with them for six months. You did this like literally the first month. So your first, like you've only been on paper with them for months, and in four months you've brought in 56 new children. Yes. Like that. That blows my mind for anybody who I mean, even clients I've worked with.

Kate 00:07:58  I mean, we have great months, like, I'll work with clients and we get to 20 or 30 new kids over that time period. And we all get really, really excited. So I am just so excited to be able to share that testimony, because I think that's powerful. When people are not really sure, they're not really sure whether or not they need a marketing coach, whether they need advice, whether they need somebody to keep them accountable, because I'm sure that was a part of it, because I know you had things you had to do. This wasn't all, you know, company. Magic company gave you homework. So there were things you definitely had to do, which anybody who's listening probably struggles with coming up with their content or coming up with their ideas. And so what's great is they give you homework that's related to your content and the ideas. So, yeah. Carrie, Carrie looks like she has another a thing.

Carrie 00:08:50  I do, I do. So I mean, not every program has enough spots to have 50 some odd spots so that, you know, because you had just moved into that newer space and you had gotten all the licensing handled, and you'd been there long enough to feel comfortable in the space before you took this step.

Carrie 00:09:12  So I want to congratulate you on not doing it. The minute you walked into the door and waiting until you were a little bit comfortable, and then go, okay, I'm ready to grow this program. So good on you for taking care of yourself and your heart and and your team. But how much did you have to grow your staff, and how did you go about growing your staff, either in number or in capacity to be able to handle, this enrollment surge? I'm going to call it.

Chelyn Butts 00:09:45  Right. I guess I'm going to kind of pat myself on the back. people are, like, texting all the time. Charlene, I want to come work with you. I want to come work with your business, your your people. Because we have that reputation in our community that we we're lucky to have family. you know, we're just that culture is there and people are excited to work for us. And that wasn't all on me. it's just my admin team, like everybody. you have to make sure your visions right, your missions right, and that everybody holds on to that.

Chelyn Butts 00:10:17  And I've been so lucky to have an admin team and teachers behind me that are like, hey, you're looking for somebody. I have a really great friend that's been wanting to work for you for a long time, so we'll bring them in and interview them. And it's just always it's always worked out to where we normally have an extra, which this is. This is so not normal in our industry that we may have an extra teacher floating around. And so like you said, being careful if if I had any advice to give anybody also on this is to be careful. All your systems are in place. for, for one, you know, your mission and your values, your vision, all of that. And then make sure those, those, procedures are in place, those SOPs, because if not, you really live in a horrible survival mode because it started getting there. Because what happened is when we moved from the small building to the bigger building, everything changed. Like all of our SOPs really kind of changed.

Chelyn Butts 00:11:16  It was the same, but in a different capacity. So I had to get those under. I had to get those fixed. And so having people know what their job is or what to do in this certain situation, that was like a an extra me, you know, there to be able to handle that.

Kate 00:11:34  Oh, I love that. I love that example in such a great way to kind of, you know, remind people that a this wasn't an overnight thing. that you had those systems in place and I'm sure you probably had system in place because you probably had coaches and mentors that said, hey, you know, how are your systems? You know, are you really wanting to be around all the time? Can't grow. Your admin team can't grow your business if you're trying to do it all yourself. So, again. Hurrah! So, Carrie, anything else you'd like to ask before we wrap up this, this episode?

Carrie 00:12:10  So when you think back to the you that took that first jump of buying that first facility, if you put yourself in her shoes, what do you think she would have to say to you to this version of you? What would she have said to you if she'd met you at a conference?

Chelyn Butts 00:12:30  Just what Kate said.

Chelyn Butts 00:12:32  Yay! I'm so proud of you. It's always been my vision. I want to take all the children in in our community. I want, you know, I want to be that person. But, I'm I am I'm proud of myself, and I it's that's hard for me to say. And so that that question really kind of set me back a minute, but, yeah, I'm, I'm proud of, I'm proud of myself. I'm proud of our team. So thank you.

Carrie 00:13:00  And I'm, I think that a thing that I don't know if you're giving yourself enough credit for is the. You are an implementer and you are coachable. A lot of owners are like, no, this is the way I do it, because I came up with this system and that will only get you to where you are. It won't necessarily get you to that next level, and you being so coachable is what has allowed you to go from that level that you thought was success with the four other teachers and the 32 kids to this level is only possible because you were able to take the coaching, take the mentoring, take it on board, and sometimes go, whew, I'm not quite ready for that.

Carrie 00:13:47  But then do the thoughts and the work to get yourself to a point where you're like, yeah, that coach was saying stuff that I do need to do. And not every coach is telling you stuff that you need to do, because if the coach is telling you you need to have 27 schools in the next three years might not be the right coach for you. So I think knowing when to step away from a coach, because that coach is no longer serving you and, you know, being willing to talk to different ones until you find the ones that resonate with you. So I think you should definitely give yourself a hand for that, because not everybody can do that.

Chelyn Butts 00:14:28  Thank you. I do want to put this out there. I never thought I needed advertising and yes, I had all my stuff together. Like, this is how I've always done it. So that young lady years ago that you're talking about, that's how she was until someone said, hey, let's look at this. And I am very coachable.

Chelyn Butts 00:14:48  I love going to trainings. I love learning more. So I got my coach. I have I've had one coach for five years, and then we've got, CBG and I never had to advertise either. I thought never, but and then another thing is living in that, scarcity. Being scared of the money. Like, am I going to have the money? I'm so glad that I stepped out and hired a coach. I am so glad I stepped out and hired CBG for advertising because, well, you see where I'm at. So I really recommend everybody to find someone that's really good to coach them.

Kate 00:15:26  Love that. Well, thank you so much. And usually Carrie does this, but I'm going to grab it at the end. So if you heard something that sparked some interest or you know, somebody who really needs to hear this story, share it with somebody, you know, feel free to leave us a review. We'd love to connect. So go ahead and follow or subscribe depending on your podcast app.

Carrie 00:15:55  Or you can send us a text message that we'll send on to Charlene, offering her your congratulations or asking her a question so you can text the show. it's in the show notes how to text us. And if you got a question for us or if you got something for Charlene, go ahead and put that in. We all know how to text. It's it's the 2020s. We got this handled.

Kate 00:16:18  All right. So we will see y'all next week.

Marie 00:16:24  Thanks for tuning in. We love bringing you real talk and fresh insight from the world of early childhood education. Be sure to follow us on social media to stay connected and catch all of the latest episodes. And if you're planning a conference, training, or special event, Kate and Carrie would love to speak to your audience. You can learn more about their keynote sessions and workshops at Kate and Carrico. If you learned something today, share the show and leave us a review below. We'll see you next time on Child Care Conversations.