Building Kidz Franchisee Success Story: From Tech to Preschool

Bobby Pierce spent more than a decade building technology products and managing software development teams. Although he had built a successful corporate career, by 2024 he was ready for a change.

"I realized that corporate America was not for me," Pierce said. "I really started my whole journey toward franchising and the early education industry by running away from corporate America."

That decision would ultimately lead him to Building Kidz, the 50-plus-unit early childhood education franchise, where he purchased an existing preschool in the Tampa Bay area and discovered a business that offered something his previous career never could: the opportunity to make a tangible difference in people's lives every day.

Interestingly, Pierce wasn't actively searching for the early childhood education industry when he left his corporate role. In fact, the opportunity found him.

"The day I left that company, I happened to get a random message on LinkedIn from a career ownership coach," Pierce said. "She was a headhunter for franchise developers. I got in touch with a few other franchises as well. Pretty quickly, I settled on Building Kidz. I wasn't necessarily looking to buy a preschool, but it was about finding something meaningful. I wanted to do something difficult, something that brought good into the world, and I also wanted a physical community. Owning a preschool meets all three of those criteria."

After years of working remotely, well before remote work became common, Pierce found himself craving daily, face-to-face interaction with people. He decided to purchase an existing center in his area, which already had an established community of teachers, parents and students. Ultimately, his decision to go with Building Kidz came down to something even simpler than unit economics or operational systems.

"At this stage in my life, I want to do good work with good people," Pierce said. "I wasn't measuring capabilities by the best technology or the best experience. I wanted to work with people I could be honest with and do some good in the world."

Coming from a technology background, Pierce immediately identified opportunities to modernize the preschool he acquired. Rather than figuring everything out alone, he leaned on the Building Kidz support team.

"One of the things that Building Kidz has helped me do is cut through the noise and focus on what matters," he said. “This school that I bought previously only accepted cash or checks, for example. With the help of the team, we were able to digitize enrollment and start accepting credit cards and bank transactions."

For Pierce, the changes did more than make the school run more efficiently. They gave him more time to work directly with children and teachers. "Having that support there is so important," he said. "It allows me to focus on being with kids and being in the classrooms.”

Like many entrepreneurs, Pierce sees significant opportunity ahead. But unlike his previous career, growth isn't measured solely by the number of locations he owns.

"I have a three-year-old and a six-year-old," he said. "There is a part of me that is empire building, and opening 10 schools around Tampa does sound very exciting. But another part of me wants to spend time with my own kids as well. I'm about to go take my kid to jiu-jitsu after this call. I continue to keep my options open."

That perspective perfectly captures what drew Pierce to Building Kidz in the first place. Success isn't simply about building a larger business. It's about building a meaningful one.

"I'm very happy I did it," he said. "Having this little corner of the world where I can do good for people has been incredibly rewarding."