Beyond the Business Plan: Real Talk from a Mom, CEO, and Franchise Trailblazer

Can a female entrepreneur truly have it all? Keri Stoltz, owner and operator of Primrose School of Midtown in Atlanta, has been on an amazing entrepreneurial journey to find out. Spoiler alert! After more than 15 years of nurturing both a family and business side-by-side, she just may have cracked the code. 

We sat down with Keri to learn more about how she went from a career in marketing to successfully running her own daycare and preschool with a staff of 50 team members, serving over 150 families in her community. From how she overcame tough challenges to juggling the constant push and pull of work/life balance, Keri’s story is full of inspirational tips and guidance for any entrepreneur at any stage of their own journey. 

Q: You started out at Primrose Marketing and then went on quite a journey. Would you mind sharing a bit about that?

Keri: Yeah, I did! After college, I was temping and trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I really had my heart set on working at a marketing agency, but I couldn’t quite find the right fit. Around that time, my mom, who is the CEO of Primrose Schools, asked if I could help her out temporarily while she searched for a new VP of Marketing. I wasn’t sure about working at Primrose, but I agreed to help for six months. I started as a marketing coordinator... and ten years later, I was still there!

I loved the work—supporting franchise owners, local marketing efforts, and building national campaigns. But more than anything, I fell in love with the brand. As they say, I definitely “drank the Kool-Aid.”

Q: So how did you go from corporate marketing to running your own Primrose school?

Keri: Well, I met my now-husband and we were living in-town in Atlanta. As we talked about starting a family, we realized there wasn’t anything like Primrose in our neighborhood. That got me thinking: what if we brought Primrose to our community?

There were several law firms in the area that were hoping Primrose would bring quality child care to the in-town market. So everything kind of aligned. We signed a franchise agreement in 2007 and started working on the first non-traditional Primrose model. Up to that point, every school had been built on a standard acre-and-a-half suburban lot. That wasn't an option in Midtown Atlanta, so we had to get creative, looking at leases, old warehouses, you name it.

Eventually, we found a space in Colony Square. Within six months of signing the lease, we opened the Primrose School of Midtown. It was a wild time—I had a two-year-old at the time—and it was a lot of work but also so rewarding. Fast-forward 15 years, and the school is still thriving!

Q: When you opened your school you had a toddler at home! How did you manage work-life balance during that time?

Keri: It was definitely hard. Everything was in an early stage—early motherhood, early business ownership, and early childhood, my son was just two at the time! I tell people I feel like I missed my son's second year. I hired a nanny and worked from morning to night, really burning the candle at both ends. But I knew that if I could get through that season, I’d gain more flexibility long-term.

After opening the school, we had our second child, a daughter. I was juggling a lot, but I was so passionate about what I was building that it didn’t always feel like work; it was just exciting.

Of course, there were trade-offs. I missed milestones. But what came from those hard years is a much more balanced life now.

Q: How do you continue to balance your responsibilities as a mother and a business owner?

Keri: It’s definitely a juggling act. I can’t pretend like it’s easy; there’s always something that’s being pushed to the back burner. But I try to focus on what’s truly important at any given moment. If I’m with my children, I really try to be present with them, whether it's reading a book or taking them to an event. Similarly, when I’m at work, I focus on the tasks at hand without letting the guilt creep in.

I’ve also learned to delegate and ask for help. For a long time, I thought I had to do everything myself, but it just wasn’t sustainable. Whether it’s getting help with household chores or relying on my amazing staff at the school, delegating has been essential. You can’t do it all, and that’s okay.

Q: And your husband is part of the business too, right?

Keri: Yes, we’re both full-time in the business now. It allows us to really share both roles—business owners and parents. One of us might be at the school while the other does carpool or takes our daughter to cheer practice. We’re constantly tossing the keys back and forth, so to speak.

Being able to have it all as a woman is very hard. In fact, I often say, “I don't know that it's possible to be the best mom, the best business owner, the best wife.” I'm not sure if you can actually have it all. But I feel like right now I might have found that magic space, getting as close as I possibly can to really getting to enjoy it all. 

Q: What traits have helped you most in your entrepreneurial journey?

Keri: You really have to be positive and optimistic. You missed out on things so many times, and it isn't easy. You might not be doing all the school drop-offs, or be home for dinner every night. But if you're choosing to take on a career, whether that's working for someone or starting your own business, you have to stay optimistic and know that it's all worth it in the end.

You also need the strength to persevere. Things aren’t going to go your way all the time—sometimes not even every year. But you just keep pushing forward. You can’t let challenges drag you back.

Q: That leads me to my next question. Can you share one of the toughest challenges you've faced since starting your school?

Keri: The biggest challenge for me is being a people pleaser. I don’t like confrontation, I don’t like saying “no”, and I genuinely want to meet everyone’s expectations—my children’s, my husband’s, my customers’, my staff’s. But it’s just not possible to do that all the time.

I’ve had to learn that I will fall short sometimes, and that’s okay. I have had to relax my expectations of being perfect—that’s been my biggest challenge in both motherhood and business.

Q: As your business grew, you went from managing a small team to now overseeing about 50 employees. What tips do you have for managing a larger team and delegating tasks effectively?

Keri: It’s been a big learning curve for me! One key thing I’ve learned is the importance of genuinely investing in the relationships with your team. You can’t just focus on the tasks; you have to care about the people you’re working with. My advice is always to get to know your team better. Understand why they might be struggling or not showing up for work, and offer empathy. That builds loyalty, and loyalty is something you can’t fake; it’s essential for a strong team. 

Q: What’s one of your proudest accomplishments during your 15 years of owning your school?

Keri: There have been so many milestones, but I’m especially proud of how we navigated through the challenges of COVID-19. It was a terrifying time for staff, parents, and the community. But we managed to get through it together. We kept our school closed for nine weeks, but we continued to pay our staff during that time, so they didn’t have to worry about their financial security while staying home to protect their health. It developed such loyalty with our team and with our parents. It was a transformational period for our small business. And we came out on the other side a stronger business and a stronger community. I look back and think, I was a pretty damn strong leader through that. That is probably my proudest moment as a business leader.

Q: Do you have any advice for someone considering entering the franchise industry?

Keri: Trust the experts. In the case of Primrose, for example, they’ve spent over 30 years perfecting their operations, education programs, and marketing strategies. When you become a franchise owner, it's tempting to want to do things your own way, but my advice is to follow the franchise model—do it the Primrose way. They’ve already figured out the best practices, and by sticking to them, you’re much more likely to succeed. I think that applies to any franchise business—following the model is key to success.

Q: As a business owner, you also connect your school with the community by raising funds for local charities. How do you think giving back to the community benefits your business and personal growth?

Keri: I’m a marketing girl at heart, so it's really easy for me to see that any feel-good story is certainly going to help you out. But if you genuinely connect with a need in your community, you don’t need to focus on the PR; that’s just a natural outcome. I would highly encourage any business owner to find a cause that impacts the people in your community, because it’s not about the end result; it's really about how your efforts touch the hearts of those that you are closest to. 

At Primrose, we raise funds for local charities like the Primrose Save the Children Foundation, but we also support causes that are personally meaningful to our families. For example, we raised money for an organization supporting children with Down syndrome because our school had a student who was part of that community. 

Q: Ok, how about looking ahead? What’s next for you and your business?

Keri: I recently signed another franchise agreement, so we are going to open another school! We're looking into a few different opportunities, but yes, our goal is to open a second location!

Q: What advice would you give anyone thinking about starting their own business?

Keri: Just do it! It will all fall into place. If you’ve got the passion and the drive, take the leap. There will never be a time when everything is “right.” If I had waited until my children were older or until everything lined up perfectly, I would never have gotten started. If you've even got an idea, jump in there and make it happen.