Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Costello.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Julie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I opened a child care business, Watch Me Grow Child Care and Preschool, in 2005 in Gilbert after a difficult search for quality child care for my daughter, Bailey. We were the first school in Arizona to offer live streaming cameras so parents can view their children’s classrooms via any computer or phone while at work. This business has since grown to three locations and continues to offer the highest quality of care for hundreds of children and working families.
When I was pregnant with my second child, a son, Declan, I started researching Kids Yoga and was immediately drawn to it. I spent several years practicing with my own kids and in the classrooms at Watch Me Grow. In 2014, it grew into Let’s Grow Studio; a family fitness studio offering classes for both children and adults in Yoga, Barre, Pilates and more. It’s a great compliment to my child care business as the Studio is located in the same complex as one of my schools and we offer classes for children during the day, so they can participate even when parents are working 🙂 We currently have 150 members and are continuing to grow each week.
I’ve always been passionate about working with children and families and I’m truly lucky to be able to provide two outlets for this passion and touch the lives of so many in a positive way.
Has it been a smooth road?
I have learned over the years of business ownership that things just have a way of naturally working themselves out the way they ought to. I have had bumps in the road, but used them as opportunities to grow and learn. I had one business deal fall through for an additional location of Watch Me Grow Child Care, which was devastating at the time, but turned out to be the best thing that could have happened for my business in the long term. It’s also a challenge to be a full time working mom, but I have the support of a wonderful husband and family, which are a huge part of my success.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Let’s Grow Studio story. Tell us more about the business.
For both of my businesses I am most proud of the positive and cohesive community that I have been lucky enough to be part of bringing together. I truly love walking into work each day and am surrounded by smiling faces (children, parents and teachers), and I am confident that we are all having a positive influence on the lives of these young children and also their families. When potential families visit our schools we constantly hear that it just “feels right”. We have built something that lives outside of us and brings positivism into the world. That is what I am most proud of.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I am enjoying the ride at this point. I don’t want to continue to open new schools. I like that we are small and able to offer something different, something more personal and unique. I am at a point now where I can enjoy time with family and know that everything is fine at work. I am surrounded by an amazing team with amazing talent that is the best thing you can wish for as a business owner.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4100 S. Lindsay Road, Suite 117 (Watch Me Grow Child Care)
4100 S. Lindsay Road, Suite 101 (Let’s grow Studio) - Website: www.wmgchildcare.com www.letsgrowstudio.com
- Phone: 4802315797 (my cell)
- Email: julie@wmgchildcare.com julie@letsgrowstudio.com
- Instagram: @wmgchildcare @letsgrowstudio
- Facebook: @WatchMeGrowChildCare @LetsGrowStudio
- Twitter: @wmgchildcare
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/watch-me-grow-child-care-llc-gilbert
- Other: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lets-grow-studio-gilbert
Image Credit:
Jessica Gaines
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