KidStrong Kids Training Franchise Expands in Bay Area

After years of working in finance and owning UPS franchises, Neha Sidhu is bringing KidStrong, the science-based kids training program, to the Bay Area. After experiencing the program firsthand, she and her husband, Ajay, signed a five-unit deal with plans to bring the brand to communities including San Francisco, Corte Madera, Santa Rosa and Daly City. Their first location will open in Santa Rosa.

“We went to a birthday party at KidStrong locally when my daughter was around four-and-a-half, and I really liked the whole concept,” Sidhu said. “My daughter was a very late walker. She didn't start walking until she was 17 or 18 months old. She is not somebody who's very physically active or confident, and so when she went there, and I saw her running around and playing and competing, it was an eye-opener for me.”

Neha grew up in a family of entrepreneurs and was exposed to business ownership at a young age. She graduated from San Jose State with a degree in business administration and worked in finance for five years afterward. Her husband bought his first UPS store in 2015 and the couple bought two more in 2019.

Instead of starting with a single location, the Sidhus signed a five-unit deal off the bat because they believed strongly in the brand’s long-term potential. Sitting down with the founders and corporate team during Discovery Day also showed the passion behind the brand.

“I already knew that this could be something that could change lives,” Neha said. “We're shaping kids. It's something that's going to produce future leaders.”

One of the reasons KidStrong stood out to the franchisees was its science-based approach. “It's not just for the pure entertainment of kids,” Neha said. “It’s creating a future for them. It's accelerating their physical growth and their mental growth, versus just putting a kid in a class for 30 minutes and just spending some time entertaining them.”

It’s something that Neha wishes she had earlier for her daughter and herself. As the child of parents who immigrated to the United States from India, the skills children can develop with KidStrong weren’t always emphasized.

“I know things have changed now, but my parents are from a different generation,” she said. “I think if they had a program that was so well-rounded to put me in, it would have helped me a lot more growing up with confidence, learning new things and being physically stronger. I think it would have made me a more well-rounded person.”

The Sidhus’ experience in franchising gives them skills that will carry over into the new business.

“I think managing employees will definitely transfer over,” Neha said. “I've been doing it for a long time. It's been almost 11 years. That's probably the strongest skill set that I'm going to take into KidStrong.”

After Santa Rosa is up and running, the franchisees hope to open two more locations per year and plan to expand beyond the original five territories planned across the Bay Area.