– Stéphane Guilly, LearnyKids Partner
From corporate management to entrepreneurship: how Stéphane started his own business while keeping his full-time job.
After 15 years in a senior management role within a large company, Stéphane Guilly wanted to take greater control of his professional future without putting his family’s financial security at risk.
When he joined LearnyKids in 2025, he chose to build his business gradually, alongside his existing career.
With an established business concept, digital tools and ongoing support, he found a way to explore entrepreneurship while making the most of his previous professional experience.
In this interview, Stéphane shares his experience of starting a LearnyKids business, the challenges of balancing employment and entrepreneurship, and the importance of having the right support.
Can you introduce yourself and explain what led you to join LearnyKids?
My name is Stéphane, I’m 45, and I spent 15 years working in management and business development for a large company.
I had a stable and comfortable career, but over time, I began to feel that I’d reached a point where there were fewer opportunities to progress.
I no longer wanted my professional future to depend entirely on decisions made by other people.
I wanted to take back control, build something of my own and use my experience to develop my own business.
However, I wasn’t prepared to leave my job overnight or put my family’s financial stability at risk.
I was looking for a business model that would allow me to **start gradually while remaining employed**, giving me time to learn, test the market and assess the potential before considering a complete career change.
LearnyKids appealed to me because it brought together several things I was interested in: entrepreneurship, digital technology, creativity, partnerships and a positive business environment centred around children and families.
Did you have any previous experience in education or the children’s sector?
No, I had never worked in either education or the children’s sector.
Initially, I wondered whether this type of business would really suit someone with my professional background.
But I quickly realised that running a LearnyKids business doesn’t mean becoming a teacher or an early-years specialist.
My role is primarily about managing a business, understanding the needs of families and professionals, developing projects and partnerships, organising my activities and promoting the different LearnyKids products and solutions.
I also realised that many of the skills I’d developed throughout my career were directly transferable: project management, organisation, leadership, performance monitoring, business development and decision-making.
I didn’t feel as though I was starting from scratch.
Instead, I was applying my existing experience in a new environment that offered greater independence and was more closely aligned with my ambitions.
Why did you choose to start your business with LearnyKids rather than go it alone?
I wanted to become an entrepreneur, but I didn’t want to start with a completely blank page.
Developing an entire concept, brand, product range, website, marketing materials and sales strategy would have taken considerable time, with a significant amount of uncertainty.
Joining an established network meant I could retain my independence while benefiting from an existing business structure, experience and practical support.
I explored several franchise and brand licensing opportunities.
Many required substantial investment, commercial premises, employees or significant fixed costs from the outset.
Some would also have required me to leave my job immediately and devote myself entirely to launching the business.
I was looking for something different: **a flexible business model with relatively low overheads and the opportunity to develop at my own pace.**
LearnyKids offered that flexibility.
I could get started without commercial premises, without immediately building a team and with limited fixed costs.
This allowed me to keep my job during the initial stages, providing an important financial safety net for my family.
It wasn’t a lack of commitment. It was a deliberate and responsible way to prepare for my career transition.
What training and ongoing support have you received?
The support began with a detailed introduction to the LearnyKids concept, its personalised products and educational resources, and the different customer groups they serve.
I then received guidance on using the business tools, setting priorities, organising my launch, marketing and approaching different markets, including families, businesses, associations, retailers and educational organisations.
This support was particularly valuable because I was initially developing LearnyKids alongside my full-time job.
My time was limited, so I needed to know which activities to prioritise in order to make meaningful progress.
I also appreciate that the network doesn’t impose a single way of working.
It provides a framework, tools and recommendations while allowing each partner to build a business suited to their local market, experience and ambitions.
Training and resources also continue to evolve, particularly in areas such as digital marketing, automation and artificial intelligence.
These tools help me save time, stay organised and work more efficiently.
Was the training practical and effective?
Yes. The training helped me organise my launch and avoid spreading myself too thinly.
Coming from a corporate management background, it’s easy to spend too much time analysing, anticipating and preparing everything before actually taking action.
The training encouraged me to adopt a more practical approach, test the market gradually and distinguish between essential activities and those that could wait.
It was also compatible with my existing professional commitments.
I could complete the training and familiarise myself with the tools while keeping my job.
That allowed me to build my business step by step without causing a major disruption to my professional or family life.
I also gained a better understanding of the different ways to develop the business.
LearnyKids doesn’t rely on a single sales channel. You can combine online sales, local partnerships, professional customers, events and digital marketing according to your own objectives.
Has LearnyKids delivered on its promises of training and support?
Yes.
The tools, resources, training and support that had been presented to me were all available when I started.
I also appreciated the transparency around how the business model works and the responsibilities of each party.
LearnyKids provides the brand, concept, products, tools, training and ongoing support.
However, each entrepreneur remains responsible for developing their own business and taking the necessary action to attract customers.
That distinction was clear from the beginning.
I wasn’t looking for promises of guaranteed success.
I wanted a solid business framework that would help me reduce uncertainty, save time and focus on developing my activity.
What is the atmosphere like within the LearnyKids partner network?
The exchanges within the network are constructive because partners come from different professional backgrounds and have different approaches to developing their businesses.
Some focus more heavily on digital sales, while others develop local partnerships, events, business customers or relationships with educational organisations.
This variety of experience introduces you to ideas and opportunities you might not have considered on your own.
Personally, I’m quite independent in the way I work and rarely attend live meetings.
As I’m still developing LearnyKids alongside my job, I mainly watch recordings of meetings and training sessions whenever they fit into my schedule.
This means I can benefit from other partners’ experiences, ideas and advice without having to commit to fixed meeting times.
Everyone remains independent and develops their business at their own pace.
But having access to that shared knowledge, whether live or through recordings, means you never feel completely on your own.
How did your business perform financially during the early stages?
My business developed gradually because I initially chose to run it alongside my existing job.
My first objective wasn’t to immediately replace my salary.
It was to validate the concept, understand the market and identify which activities offered the greatest potential.
The initial results helped confirm my interest in the business and refine my strategy.
I was then able to focus more of my time on the channels best suited to my experience and local market.
One particularly useful resource has been the website provided and personalised for my business by LearnyKids.
I also received training on how to manage the website myself, update content and operate my online business more efficiently.
The website has become an important business development tool.
It allows me to showcase the full LearnyKids range, promote my products, reach customers beyond my immediate network and support my discussions with professional partners, event organisers and educational organisations.
The management process has also been designed to be straightforward and efficient.
My turnover is now growing steadily, with an increasing proportion of recurring revenue.
This progress is supported by customer loyalty, long-term partnerships and the gradual automation of certain activities through my website and digital tools.
It gives me greater confidence when planning the next stages of my business because I can base my decisions on actual results rather than assumptions.
What practical steps are you taking to attract customers and grow your business?
I use several complementary channels.
First, I work on increasing LearnyKids’ local visibility among families and professionals in my area.
I also approach businesses, associations, retailers and organisations looking for original, meaningful experiences for children.
My website and digital tools play an important role in this strategy.
They help me present the LearnyKids concept, reach people beyond my existing contacts and generate some sales without requiring my constant involvement.
I also use artificial intelligence and automation tools to prepare marketing communications more quickly, organise follow-ups and adapt my messaging to different audiences.
Because I initially developed the business alongside my job, it was essential to work efficiently and focus on activities that could deliver meaningful results.
My objective isn’t to pursue every possible opportunity at once.
Instead, I’m gradually building a structured business with several complementary sources of revenue.
Looking back, do you believe LearnyKids is well positioned in the market?
Yes, I do.
Parents and professionals are increasingly interested in the quality of experiences offered to children.
They want activities that are not simply entertaining but also encourage imagination, confidence, creativity and learning.
LearnyKids responds to these needs by combining personalisation, learning through play, physical products and digital solutions.
The concept isn’t limited to one product or one type of customer.
It offers a broad range of creations and educational resources that can appeal to different audiences
