Press Release

Starting a new venture can seem daunting, but when you find the right opportunity, it’s a very rewarding experience. For Anjali and Vivek Dighe, the Code Ninjas Franchise offered the perfect way to build a thriving business that also adds value to their community. We at Code Ninjas are thrilled to have them as part of our franchise!

 

Read the following Q & A to gain insight into their decision making process.

 

We are parents of a teenager who loves anything and everything about technology! As a family, we share an affinity of good food (cooking and eating out), great music (seeing different musicians play and a love for Pandora), and enjoying life through experiences (traveling, touring interesting companies, and visiting a myriad of museums). We see the world as a great adventure and want to explore it as much as we possibly can!

 

2. What were your professions prior to joining the Code Ninjas franchise?
Prior to Code Ninjas, Anjali specialized in operational management working within a variety of industries within the nonprofit, government, and commercial markets. In addition, Anjali volunteered her time extensively with community organizations such as Women in Homeland Security, Friends of the Fairfax Commission for Women, and Communities in Schools of Northern Virginia.

 

Vivek specialized in technical product management and business development in the telecommunications industry working within commercial, federal and international markets. He launched numerous software products managing satellite, optical, mobile and tactical communications solutions for small businesses to government agencies.

 

3. What made you decide to become a Code Ninjas franchise owner?
Ready for a change from the Washington, DC rat race, we moved to Charlotte, NC in search of a new venture. Seeking opportunities for our son, we realized through research and speaking with other families that the opportunities for a techie kid and family were very limited.

 

 

We researched our options for starting a program in the Charlotte market and started conversing with the Code Ninjas franchisors. After more research about the dire needs of coding and programming within a variety of industries in the future, we decided that Code Ninjas offered the best opportunity for us to give back to our Charlotte community and market.

 

4. What are you most excited about as a Code Ninjas franchisee?
Code Ninjas gives us the opportunity to provide students with a skill that is not offered in a lot of schools right now. Starting as early as age 7, a student can gain a new life skill within a few years. Coding is a skill that will be a necessity as that student becomes a young adult in a world that will be so very different from what it is today.

 

 

As we continue to grow the company and open new franchises and reach more students, the shear joy of knowing that we will be making a difference in the lives of students that will achieve great successes in the future is what truly excites us!

 

5. What do you think will be the most challenging part of being a Code Ninjas franchise?
As first-time franchise owners, the most challenging part has been getting the franchise started. We are so very impatient in wanting to just start getting the kids in and started but need to go through the leasing, the general contracting, the waiting!

 

 

As we start marketing and seeing students coming in with eagerness in their eyes, the rest is just fun! We know that there will be challenges waiting down the line for us in some way, shape, or form; however, we truly see those as small obstacles that are necessary to overcome with patience and persistence. The big picture here is the excitement of seeing those young students come in and learn and create and have fun.

 

6. What advice do you have for anyone considering owning a Code Ninjas franchise?
Do your homework in advance. Know your local market, build your financial models, and seek to know what your 5 year business plan will look like. The more work you put up front, the more reward you will reap on the back end.

 

 

At the end of the day, we are providing a service to parents who see the necessity of this skill and at the same time we are creating a fun learning environment by which students will see their own successes through building confidence, making friends, and creating code along the way!

 

 

Code Ninjas is a learning center that teaches children ages 7–14 to code, a skill that will be as important as a second language in our technology-driven world. At our state-of-the-art centers, kids have a great time building video games — and they learn coding, math, and logic in the process. Most importantly, kids gain confidence and problem solving skills that that will serve them well on whatever path they take in life. Code Ninjas is Creating the Problem Solvers of Tomorrow.

 

The first Code Ninjas location in Charlotte is expected to open by Fall 2017.