How Many Hours Do Our Franchisees Actually Work? (The Honest Answer)

By Danie O’Connor – Franchisor

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me how many hours they would actually be working, I would probably be retired on a boat by now. Whenever someone looks into buying a franchise, one of the very first things they Google is: "How many hours will I actually work?"

And usually, they get a bunch of corporate fluff. They get told they can "be their own boss" and "work from the beach," while the fine print suggests they will be tethered to a laptop 80 hours a week just to keep the lights on.

As the CEO of Ready Steady Go Kids, I have always promised one thing: honesty. Whether it is talking about the local area marketing required or the reality of the daily grind, I am not here to sell you a dream that does not exist. I am here to tell you how it actually works.

So, if you are wondering if you will still have time to pick up your own kids from school or if you will be buried in spreadsheets until midnight, here is the honest answer.

The "It Depends" Factor (No, Seriously)

I know, I know. You hate that answer. But here is why it is the truth: there is no one-size-fits-all in this business. This is not a 9-to-5 desk job where you clock in, stare at a flickering fluorescent light, and clock out.

The beauty of a kids activity franchise is that it is fundamentally flexible. We have franchisees who are "all-in" power players, scaling multiple regions across the state, and we have others who treat it as a high-impact, part-time passion project that fits neatly around their family life.

You are not buying a job; you are building a business. And the hours you put in are directly related to the scale you want to achieve. However, for those looking for a "typical" experience, we do see a very clear pattern.

The Realistic Range: 20 to 30 Hours

During the school term, most of our successful franchisees spend about 20 to 30 hours per week on their business.

Does that mean they are standing on a court coaching for 30 hours? No. (Unless they really want to). That time is usually split between four main "buckets":

1. Running (or Overseeing) Classes: Whether you are coaching or just popping in to check on your team, this is the heart of the business and quality classes need to be your number 1 focus.

2. Managing Your Dream Team: Hiring, training, and motivating your coaches. This is where the magic happens. Great coaches = happy kids = full classes.

3. Local Marketing: Posting that cute video of a toddler nailing a soccer goal on Instagram, chatting with local kinders and ELCs, and making sure your community knows you exist.

4. The Boring (but Necessary) Admin: Checking enrolments, responding to parent emails, payroll and making sure the equipment is ready for your classes.

When you break it down like that, 20-30 hours is incredibly manageable. It’s the sweet spot that allows you to be "present" in the business without it consuming your entire existence.

Flexibility is Our Middle Name

The biggest differentiator in franchising with RSGK is that you can tailor the workload to your lifestyle.

Take our NSW crew, for example. Over the last 12-15 months, we have really seen the cost of living bite. Mums and dads are heading back to work more hours, which means weekday morning classes in some areas are not as busy as they used to be. Instead of panicking, our franchisees pivoted. They tapped into the ELC (Early Learning Centre) incursion market.

Now, instead of waiting for parents to come to them on a Tuesday morning, they take the program into the childcare centres. It is a different way of working those hours, but it has kept the income steady while their weekend classes remain busy as usual.

If you want to work three days a week and spend the other four with your own toddlers? You can do that. If you want to go hard Monday to Friday so you can have your weekends completely free? You can do that too. You are the architect of your own schedule.

The "Secret Weapon": The Term-Based Structure

This is the part that usually makes people's eyes light up. We run our programs in line with the school terms.

Why is this huge? Because school holidays = no weekly classes.

For a parent, this is the ultimate work-life balance win. While other business owners are stressing about childcare during the school holiday breaks, our franchisees are at the park with their kids, heading down the coast, or simply taking a breath.

Yes, you might spend a few hours during the break planning for the next term or doing a bit of marketing, but the heavy lifting of running classes stops. It is a built-in "reset" button four times a year. You will not find that in a retail or fast-food franchise.

The Growth Pathway: From Boots to Boardroom

One of the coolest things to watch is how a franchisee's hours evolve over time.

• Stage 1 (The Early Days): You are going to be hands-on. You are likely to be coaching all of your classes yourself, meeting every parent, and doing most of the admin. You are learning the ropes. It feels busy, but it is exciting.

• Stage 2 (The Growth Phase): You might start expanding into extra locations and hiring a solid team of coaches. You are spending less time on the court and more time on the "business" side. Your hours might stay the same, but the type of work changes.

• Stage 3 (The Mature Stage): This is where you become the strategic director of your region. You have coaches handling the day-to-day, you may even have an admin assistant helping you follow up your trials. You are focusing on the data and focusing on growth - and maybe expanding into new territories.

At this stage, some of our franchisees actually work fewer hours than they did at the start, despite their business being twice as big. That is the power of the RSGK model.

You Are Never Flying Solo

One of the biggest fears around business ownership is feeling like you have to do absolutely everything yourself, but that is not how it works with us. Our national contact centre handles bookings and enquiries, our marketing support builds national brand awareness and gives you ready-to-use materials so you are not reinventing the wheel. You work directly with me through our franchise support program and have plenty of network opportunities such as state zooms, Franchisee Facebook and WhatsApp groups and our not to be missed Annual Conference! There is always real support around you. It is all designed to save you time, keep things moving, and stop you from chasing your tail.

Is This the Right Fit for You?

So, how many hours do our franchisees actually work? Enough to make the business a success, but few enough to remember why they started it in the first place.

If you are looking for a franchise where you can make a genuine impact on kids' lives while still being home for dinner every night, this might be the one. We are not looking for people who want to work 100 hours a week; we are looking for people who want to work smart and build something they are proud of.

What do you want your work week to look like?

Let's chat.

– Danie