Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Durby.
Jill, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I began my journey with Gymboree Play & Music as a customer in Orange County. As a nervous new mom of a 9-month-old boy, I joined Gymboree and instantly fell in love with the program and how it nurtured both me and my baby. I spent a year as a customer and then my husband got the call to move to San Diego for his work.
We moved to Scripps Ranch, and I was now eight months pregnant with our second boy. I immediately searched out the local Gymboree. Extremely disappointed, there wasn’t a Gymboree Play & Music close to me anymore, the wheels started turning and a little serendipity stepped in.
I began contemplating becoming a Gymboree franchise owner myself. I was a previous Preschool teacher, a previous Marketing Manager, and a previous Psychology & Child Development Professor. This couldn’t be a more perfect business for me! Low and behold…a new location, right in Scripps Ranch, was opening and was up for sale.
I decided to go for it. The early days were a steep learning curve, for sure. Buying a business and learning the ropes of entrepreneurship, while mothering a two year old and an infant was definitely a challenge. But from day one, I was loving what I was doing and the community I was creating. That always fueled me and continues to fuel me twelve years later. It is always my #1 goal to provide the same nurturing community to San Diego families that first attracted me to Gymboree myself.
A year later, we took over ownership of our second location in Clairemont Mesa. And later that same year, Jeff’s work had us making the return to Orange County, where we have lived ever since.
Adding a second location and moving away from the stores proved to be another transitional milestone for me. I learned how to find exceptional team members, and I learned how to let go a little bit (difficult for a type-A perfectionist) and trust their abilities and their passion for the work. Our team has become an extension of our family for Jeff and me, and we all stand united in our mission to help San Diego families be their best and enjoy those early years of parenthood!
Together, Jeff and I have now spent over a decade owning and operating two Gymboree Play & Music locations in San Diego County – Clairemont Mesa & Scripps Poway. We’ve also added a third boy to our family and three dogs too!
I can’t begin to express the amount of personal growth and the satisfaction that I have experienced through this journey as a small business owner thus far. I thrive on constant learning and improvement, and this “job” definitely affords that. It is always changing and always challenging, but most of all, always rewarding.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A smooth road? Is there such a thing in a small business?
The biggest challenge that we have faced in our tenure as a Gymboree Play & Music owners is the opening and closing of our third location in Chula Vista.
It was an exciting risk for us to expand our business to a third location, and it was the first time we built a location from the ground up. We had only operated existing locations previous to this venture, so it was another steep learning curve to take on the work necessary to create our own store.
Our team was an incredible support throughout the whole process, and putting in the extra work necessary only made our team stronger. Together, we proudly opened our doors to the families of Chula Vista in 2011.
We put our blood, sweat and tears into that location. The community that we built was amazing. Our families were so grateful and supportive. We loved operating that site.
Unfortunately, our parent company put out a requirement that we update our play equipment and remodel our locations. To meet this requirement, we could not renew our lease, and we would have to find a new location in Chula Vista. Sadly, that never came together as we had hoped that it would.
I still feel much sadness about closing our doors in Chula Vista. It definitely stands out as the biggest disappointment that I have experienced as a business owner.
My advice: You will never have it all figured out. Just keep learning and growing and don’t be afraid to pivot.
I hear young people all the time feeling frustrated that they haven’t found their “passion”. Or that they don’t want to try something if it isn’t 100% related to their “career goals”.
The journey is long and I recommend you don’t try to look too far ahead. Just do the next best thing. If you really decide it isn’t for you or you want to make a change, you can. Pivot. I won’t say it will be easy, but it is possible.
While pursuing my undergraduate degree in Psychology and Education, I focused my work efforts in the preschool classroom. I loved Early Childhood Development, and the hands-on experience in the classroom only strengthened my interest in the topic.
After graduating college, I wanted to take a break from school even though I believed I would return one day. I spent ten years working as Marketing Manager for the tech industry and then the travel industry. I gained important real world business skills and acumen from those positions.
I then decided it was time to return to school to pursue the field of Education again. I earned my Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology and achieved my goal of teaching Psychology and Development at various Junior Colleges in Orange County.
When our family moved to San Diego, I had to give up my teaching positions…so now what? That was when the opportunity to own a Gymboree Play & Music presented itself to me. I never aspired to be a small business owner. My long-term goals never included owning a Gymboree. But all of my experience leading up to that point afforded me valuable tools to do just that. And it ended up being the best possible fit for me. One that I would’ve never dreamed of on my own. And one that required me to take another leap and pivot again.
So…don’t be afraid to diversify. Don’t be afraid to do something different or outside the box. If you are being challenged and growing your skills, the effort will not be wasted. Everything doesn’t have to fit into a specific track towards a specific goal all the time. And don’t be afraid to take a leap and put in the work towards something that does inspire you. That is where the real rewards are always found.
Please tell us about Gymboree Play & Music.
I entered into the world Gymboree Play & Music looking at it through the lens of an Early Childhood Educator. And I loved what I saw. A play environment designed to foster a child’s growth in ALL areas of development. Gross Motor Skills like crawling, running and tumbling are important, but there were messages about my child’s cognitive skills, emotional development, and social interactions too. I was in heaven!
As I became more engrossed in building a community and connecting caregivers with each other, I realized that a very important piece of what makes the Gymboree experience so magical was the learning and growth that takes place within the caregivers.
There are a lot of options out there that is focused on entertaining the child, but I can’t think of any that are designed to help the parent grow in their new role. Raising a new living human is intimidating stuff. But within our supportive community, week after week, new parents are gaining understanding of development of their child and making friends themselves. Aside from a parenting support group, I don’t see any options that afford that. Here you get it all – a play experience designed to engage and challenge a child, strengthen the bond with their caregiver, and build confidence within the caregiver, who is also learning and growing through the experience.
As someone who understood early childhood education, I was drawn in by the curriculum. I knew that children learn through play and I could see Gymboree supported my child in that way. What I didn’t expect and where the real value came was in the ways it supported me. Through my experience at Gymboree, I developed an actual parenting philosophy that has guided me through all the stages of my parenting journey. My formula is to follow the lead of my child with love, support, and boundaries. It was a practice that I learned as a Gymboree customer, and now one that I cultivate with all the families that come to us!
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
-He wrote the book, literally. It’s my guiding philosophy in parenting, relationships, work, life. Win-win, always.
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
-All of her books are good. This was the first one I read and was a game changer for me. I am a proud “Recovering Perfectionist”
The Blessing of a Skinned Knee by Wendy Mogel
-Parenting gold
The Whole Brained Child by Dan Siegel
-Again all of his books are fantastic. If you want a little science of the brain to support how you parent, this is an incredible book.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
-Introverts Unite! This is the book I recommend most often. We are an often misunderstood bunch.
The Tilt Parenting Podcast by Debbie Reber
-Although this is centered on parents of neurodiverse children (of which I am one), I argue that the information is most often applicable to all parents. And the quality of information and the guests that she brings on week after week is second to none.
How I Built This Podcast with Guy Raz
-I love hearing the stories of business builders. It’s fascinating and inspirational storytelling. And I argue that Guy Raz is the world’s finest interviewer.
The Pitch Podcast
-It’s like Shark Tank but better. Again, I am inspired by the stories of the entrepreneurs even though I have no ambition to ever try to pitch a room for a seed round.
Pricing:
- Regular Membership – $89/mo
Contact Info:
- Address: Gymboree Play & Music, San Diego
4340 Genesee Avenue #103
San Diego, CA 92117Gymboree Play & Music, Scripps Poway
12265 Scripps Poway Parkway #110
Poway, CA 92064 - Website: www.gymboreeclasses.com
- Phone: 858.560.7529
- Email: cmesaca@gymboreeclasses.com
- Instagram: gymboreesd
- Facebook: Gymboree Play & Music, San Diego
Image Credit:
Aubrey Tran
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