The Financial Health Gear
Warren Buffett famously said: “Only when the tide goes out do you discover who has been swimming naked.”
Right now, the financial tide is going out. And many school leaders are about to be exposed.
MYTH: As long as your school is mostly full, you’re financially healthy.
Many school leaders believe that high enrollment equals financial success. When your classrooms are full and parents seem happy, you might think you’re doing great. This myth persists because enrollment numbers are tangible, visible, and feel like an immediate measure of success.
But here’s the brutal truth: Enrollment doesn’t equal profitability.
Why This Myth Will Destroy Your School
Meet Jen, a school owner who thought she was doing just fine. From the outside, her school looked perfect. Full classrooms. Happy parents. But beneath the surface, a financial disaster was brewing.
When we first met Jen, she was running 11 school locations and thought she was doing everything right. Her revenue looked solid on paper. She was expanding. But beneath the surface, she was bleeding money in ways she couldn’t see.
Her day started at 4:37 AM, fueled by desperation and coffee. Despite managing multiple locations, she was working harder, not smarter. Her operational costs were eating through potential profits. She was spending $30,000 monthly on management that could have been streamlined to $15,000. Her inefficient leadership structure meant she was personally handling tasks that could be delegated, costing her time and money.
Her financial strategy wasn’t just about numbers. It was about reclaiming her life.
Here’s something I want you to really hear: Profit isn’t a dirty word. It’s your mission’s oxygen.
Profit means:
- Paying your incredible teachers what they’re TRULY worth
- Creating mind-blowing learning experiences for kids
- Building something that goes way beyond “just getting by”
The heartbreaking truth is 27% of private schools close within five years. Not because they’re bad schools. Because no one showed them how to play the financial rules.
You’re different. You’re listening to this because you know there’s more.
Discover your school's hidden breaking points
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More about the show:
If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life.
Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.
In addition to weekly solo episodes, she’ll also be inviting industry leaders and the changing makers of the landscape of education to give listeners the inside knowledge of what it takes to sustain excellence.
Don’t miss an episode, subscribe today for everything you need for your leadership journey!
