Today we’d like to introduce you to Cinttya Morgan.
Cinttya, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
After having worked in the materials and polymers industry for about 10 years and while on maternity leave with my first child, I started looking into what it would take to start a business that would get kids interested in science. After experimenting with a “mobile” science business concept for about a year, I realized a traveling science show was not what I was looking for. Other businesses with that model were out there and it didn’t appeal to me at all and was not accomplishing my primary goal which was getting kids truly engaged in science.
The greatest turning point early on was when I realized that the kids needed to experience it and touch the science themselves, not just watch someone else doing it like a magic show. So after further research, my husband and business partner, Trevor, decided to open a real lab facility where kids could come and really experience hands-on science. We said goodbye to our careers, bought equipment and materials, leased a 2000 sq ft space and opened the first Little Beakers location in the summer of 2012 in Cypress, Texas…about 2 years after the initial research had started. Three years later, we opened another location in The Woodlands, Texas.
The concept has recently been offered as a franchise opportunity. To date, there are no franchise sales yet, but plenty of leads and it has garnered interest from all over the United States and all over the world.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Not a smooth road at all. Having never done anything like this before, we have learned a lot about the challenging areas of business of lease negotiation, space buildouts, employee management, marketing and customer management.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Little Beakers – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Little Beakers is a real science lab built just for kids. We conduct field trips for ages 3 to adult, group sizes from a few to 160 kids in one sitting, birthday parties, homeschool, preschool and after-school classes, parents’ nights out, holiday and summer camps, corporate team-building events, and our signature service, Open Lab, where parents or grandparents accompany their little scientists around the lab choosing from about 30 different experiments from the Little Beakers procedures book.
We are known for our unique concept, great customer service and making seemingly chaotic events (160 kids at one time!) surprisingly organized and fun. No one else does what we do like we do it and nothing is as hands-on as Little Beakers is.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We plan to open more locations in the Houston area in the near future. Either our own or through franchising. We would like to have Little Beakers labs all over the USA.
Pricing:
- Open Lab is only $10 per child for a 1-hour lab session (no charge for adults)
- 5-day mini-camps (3-hours per day) at $185 per camp
- Birthday parties start at $265 for 11 kids
- Home school weekly classes are $69 per month
Contact Info:
- Address: 13040 Louetta Rd, Suite 226,
Cypress, TX 77429 - 26803 Hanna Rd, Unit 507,
Oak Ridge North, TX 77385 - Website: www.littlebeakers.com
- Phone: 281-401-9501
- Email: info@littlebeakers.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/1021814217/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LittleBeakers/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/littlebeakers?lang=en
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/little-beakers-science-lab-for-kids-cypress
- Other: https://www.yelp.com/biz/little-beakers-science-lab-for-kids-oak-ridge-north
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
