35-year-old Kristen Denzer was ahead of her time before the concept she is currently franchising was so desperately needed.
Quality daycare is a must for so many parents-not just a place to "drop the kid" for eight hours because you both need to work; but a lovely, enrichment filled environment that can also help shape the child's future with education and activities nearly impossible to duplicate at home for these busy parents!
Thus, Tierra Encantada was born of an idea out of a working mother's head.
The then 28-year-old Kristen was that working mother. With two small children she yearned for a better quality daycare experience for her own second child and with her usual tenacity and thorough research (and buying a vacant church!) this young entrepreneur created a Spanish Language Immersion daycare concept.
Why not educate while caring for these young children at an age where they soak up knowledge?
Kristen started her first entrepreneurial endeavor in 2008 - an event rental company. She grew that company from 20 events to 500 events annually in just 6 years.
While operating the successful event rental company, she started a second business in 2010 with a childhood friend called The Woof Room - a dog daycare and boarding facility.
She managed to grow both into profitable companies serving thousands of clients annually. In 2013, while searching for quality early education for her young child, she founded Tierra Encantada's first location in Eagan, Minnesota.
She continued to operate all three businesses until 2016 when she sold her event rental company and dog daycare facility to focus solely on Tierra Encantada's growth.
In Spring of 2019, she launched Tierra Encantada's franchising expansion to provide access to language immersion education to families across the country. Today, Tierra Encantada is an Inc 5000 company.
With waiting lists for spots at each of the Tierra Encantada centers, she and her team find themselves helping parents who are Covid-19 first responders by providing tuition free placement for their children.
Thanks to some great families who CAN stay home with their children, spots are being voluntarily given up for first responders' children. A great example of how we can all find ways to help.
Why read about it when you can watch it on NBC-KARE-TV.
