Danie O’Connor, franchisor of Ready Steady Go Kids, shares some essential details about the brand.
How long has the business been trading?
The Ready Steady Go Kids program launched in 2004 and we began franchising the system in 2011 and now have 45 franchisees operating 79 regions across all states other than NT.
What does it cost to buy a franchise?
The cost to acquire a greenfield Ready Steady Go Kids region (including franchise fee, documentation, program manuals, equipment, initial uniforms, booking/website setup and induction training) is $26,000 + GST.
What are the core areas of your company’s business?
Ready Steady Go Kids delivers fun and inclusive, indoor, term-based multi-sport sessions designed to support gross motor development, coordination, teamwork, and school readiness in children aged 1.5 to six years. The physio-designed curriculum introduces kids to 10 different sports over two terms, delivered in small, age-appropriate classes by qualified coaches. Our progressive class structure builds confidence and physical skills through consistent routines, varied activities, and a strong focus on child development.
We also offer fully equipped birthday parties and events led by RSGK coaches, and Early Learning Centre incursions.
Who is a typical customer?
Our typical customer is a parent looking for fun, inclusive, structured sport-based activity that supports motor development and school-readiness.
We are planning to expand our reach through partnerships with Early Learning Centres and Kindergartens, enabling us to engage children earlier (from 18 months) and broaden our demographic into preschool-age ELC settings.
What makes your brand stand out from the competition?
Ready Steady Go Kids stands out because our program is physiotherapist-designed and specifically tailored to the development of gross motor skills in early childhood. We operate in small group sizes within indoor, all-weather venues, ensuring consistent delivery year-round. Our structured curriculum rotates through 10 sports annually (five per term), offering both variety and progression. Sessions are delivered through our unique age-based levels.
Beyond sport, the program also nurtures essential social and emotional skills, supports school readiness, and introduces children to teamwork, resilience, and sportsmanship. We incorporate soft skills like recognising colours, numbers, shapes, and following instructions – all within a fun and structured learning environment. To ensure the right fit, we offer a free trial.
Why is this a good business for a franchisee to buy into?
It’s a purpose-driven business with strong parental appeal, where franchisees support children’s physical, social and emotional development while building a scalable business. Because we operate term-based sessions with weekly classes, enrolments generate regular and predictable income streams. With our established systems, brand awareness, and national marketing support, franchisees are empowered to launch quickly and focus more on growth and program delivery.
We are also a very family-oriented brand – and that extends to our franchisees, many of whom are parents themselves.
It offers the perfect balance of meaningful work, flexibility, and family life. Our term-based structure means holiday sessions or ELC incursions are optional.
It’s the ideal lifestyle for people who love sport, enjoy working with kids, and want a business that fits around family, not the other way around.
Which element of franchisee support that you provide do you think is the most well received and why?
Our most well-received support tends to be the Franchisee Portal and marketing toolkit: it provides live reporting, KPIs, local area marketing guides, member communication templates, and booking analytics. Franchisees value it because it gives them access to data-driven insights (for example break-even calculations, enrolment trends and campaign performance) which helps them make informed decisions and grow their business faster.
How many hours a week does a franchisee typically work?
A typical franchisee invests around 20–30 hours a week during the operational term (running classes, coach supervision, marketing), with hours generally decreasing during holiday periods when programs are paused and focus shifts to planning and business development.
As long as key performance indicators are met, we fully support franchisees tailoring their schedule to suit their personal and family goals.
What drives your growth strategy?
Our growth strategy is location-driven and measured – we focus on expanding into areas with strong demand for early childhood multi-sport options, while maintaining service quality, small coach-to-child ratios, and consistent delivery in indoor venues. We prioritise speed to market where viable and support new franchisees with a start-up process, but never at the expense of program consistency or our brand values.
What are your expansion plans for the next five years?
Over the next five years, we aim to continue growing our network steadily and sustainably across Australia, with a particular focus on strengthening the growth and success of our newer franchisees. We will also continue to expand our presence in Early Learning Centre partnerships and enhance our offering in key metropolitan and regional areas – always with the goal of making our program more accessible to families and communities nationwide.
Please share one exciting innovation/development
One exciting development we’re implementing is a streamlined online coach onboarding experience to assist our franchisees in the staff recruitment process. This includes structured digital learning modules, coaching simulations, and training videos.