Mandarin Stars has grown from a modest playgroup of twenty kids into a flourishing franchise business that teaches around 2,000 kids across Australia and Europe. We had an inspiring conversation with its founder, Dawn, to learn more about their remarkable journey of growth and adjustment, particularly in response to the challenges posed by COVID-19 and operational scalability. Plus we learnt the pivotal role of Enrolmy for overcoming these challenges and its transformation of how Mandarin Stars operates and engages with families.
Read more to find out about how Mandarin Stars became the pioneering program across continents, that has been at the forefront of teaching Mandarin to children through an immersive and engaging methodology!
Dawna, a parent and passionate linguist, knows the joy of learning and teaching a new language. Having studied several languages including French, Spanish and Cantonese, she wanted her children to experience languages from a young age. When her son was three, Dawna set out to find a Mandarin language playgroup for him to join in Sydney, Australia – but she couldn’t find anything suitable. Noticing this gap in the market, Dawna founded Mandarin Stars in 2008 which quickly gained momentum as more parents recognised the value of early language acquisition.
Children have an amazing capacity to learn languages
Mandarin Starts offers after-school programmes, holiday programmes and classes in various childcare centres. Children are given the opportunity to interact with Mandarin via dynamic and immersive activities such as arts and crafts, short stories, singing and puppet shows.
It was vital that children see learning languages as fun because that’s what makes learning stick
Scaling Challenges and Covid-19
As Mandarin Stars experienced steady growth over its first five years, franchising became necessary for further expansion. However, this decision posed questions in terms of how they would scale operations efficiently. Dawn explained that they initially used US-based software for enrolments and financial processes, which proved problematic due to geographical constraints. The need for a more localised solution became apparent. In 2019, after thorough research within Australia and New Zealand’s tech landscape, they chose Enrolmy.
It was a tricky time for them to switch due to Covid. Not only did they have to get to grips with new software, but they needed to offer online classes too. Although the transition was nerve-wracking, Dawna commended Enrolmy's responsive customer service team for their support during the setup process.
It was nerve-wracking moving from one system to another, especially during Covid
Despite the stress of forced change, their online classes were a hit, and years later they continue to offer them! This move was not just about overcoming immediate logistical hurdles but also about future-proofing the business against unforeseen challenges. This opened new avenues to reach children far beyond their physical locations – from remote Australian territories to students in Los Angeles and inquiries from Mumbai and Malaysia.
The Undeniable Impact of Enrolmy
Financial Fluidity
Their usual term classes run across ten-week blocks, four times a year. This made managing cash flow very challenging for Mandarin Stars, as Dawn and her staff would have to chase payments until the end of each term. However, now with Enrolmy facilitating simultaneous booking and payment processes, financial stability improved dramatically - securing 95% of payments by week three (instead of ten) of each term.
A Seamless Experience for Families
Mandarin Stars' recent website overhaul showcases its commitment to providing seamless experiences for families interested in enrolling their children. Caregivers can now search and filter for activities based on location, days, and age range. They are then presented with attractive booking tiles based on their search criteria, which they click on to take them straight to Enrolmy. Integrated smoothly with Enrolmy’s platform; it offers caregivers an intuitive way to find classes tailored to their needs – simplifying what could otherwise be an overwhelming process, especially for large franchises.
Facilitates Growth Through Streamlined Operations
Enrolmy played a significant role in automating Mandarin Stars' operations and facilitating their growth:
"Systems and processes...having an enrolment system [that allows us to] quickly ramp up and scale the business." - Dawna
By allowing parents to take control of their own booking and payment processes, Enrolmy freed up time and resources that Mandarin Stars redirected towards teacher training—empowering their teachers with confidence and capacity.
"What I love about Enrolmy is parents can self-serve. This takes away a lot of the pressure [from us] of managing the process." - Dawna
Franchise Flourishing
The other benefit is that they can bring in new franchises more easily.
“It’s definitely a value-added service as part of the franchise package,” Dawna says.
You’re invited to join Enrolmy
The inspiring story of Dawn and Mandarin Stars exemplifies how child education ventures driven by passion, coupled with technological solutions like Enrolmy, can revolutionise how children learn and appreciate languages. By streamlining operations and expanding reach, Mandarin Stars has successfully brought the joy of learning Mandarin to children across Australia—and even internationally. Enrolmy love helping providers like Mandarin Stars grow, and can’t wait to support them to reach new heights.