In her former life, Mary Murphy was a longtime Kindergarten teacher, making learning fun for young children. Now, as the founder of Hooray for Books (HFB), she offers “Creative classes where kids look, cook & devour good books!” ™

After the birth of her third child, Mary left her teaching job with an idea to start educational classes for young children, teaching them to read and cook in new and creative ways.  Local mothers encouraged her to “go for it,” and in 2001, she started teaching a few classes per week.

Mary used her teaching background to create unique, one-of-a-kind programs for her young students.  Next, she used her experience as a mom to make the programs attractive for parents, too.  She offered 90 minute drop-off classes, allowing parents enough time to run to the grocery store while their kids were in their classes – a win-win for all.

Cooking is something Mary has been passionate about since she was young, so making that activity a centerpiece at Hooray for Books was only natural.  Mary is also a self proclaimed “humor expert” creating theme days, wearing costumes to match the theme and greet excited learners with “out of the box” recipes with learning challenges built in.

Her Hopkinton, MA-based company grew due to popular demand.  Today, she offers classes for ages 2-11 as well as birthday parties, summer camps, and book/cook clubs at her two local locations.

The next chapter? Mary is franchising her successful business, with the goal of opening locations first throughout New England and then nationally.  As a business convert, she knows moms want exciting, yet flexible business opportunities.

Running a Hooray for Books franchise is that and so much more.  Her ideal candidates don’t need a background in education.  In fact, she’s considering people from corporate backgrounds who have taken time off from full-time careers to spend time with their children.  Franchise owners will receive HFB lesson plans and recipes, as well as personal support and a proven track record.  Franchisees can arrange their class schedules based on their own family responsibilities and be part of a fantastic company.

Mary’s advice for others who are considering an entrepreneurial business concept: Go for it.  She believes that women are fantastic at finding and filling a need, and then turning it into a business. 

The busy mom of five kids (ages 17, 12, 9, 7 and 5) strives to maintain a healthy work-life balance.  She finds time in her schedule to work guilt-free, usually from 9 pm until midnight.  That way, she can spend quality time with her family, and then carve out a chunk of uninterrupted time to concentrate on work projects when her kids are in bed.  (She calls herself nocturnal!)

Mary understands that children’s attitudes towards reading are formed between ages 2-8, and she’s delighted to give them positive experiences in her classes.  She enjoys promoting that positive attitude through books, making letter associations through cooking activities, being silly, wearing crazy costumes, planning creative projects for them to enjoy – and watching them learn.

For more information about Hooray for Books and franchising opportunities, visit www.hoorayforbooks.com.