Ready Steady Go Kids is an established multi-sport coaching brand built on the belief that fitness and skill development for young children should be fun.

Ready Steady Go Kids’ success, and its strategic direction, are now guided by Danie O’Connor, a former franchisee turned CEO and franchisor.

Danie brings a strong franchisee perspective to her leadership role. She is committed to helping franchise partners build a profitable business around a flexible lifestyle.

The program, designed for young children aged 18 months to six years, provides an all-body workout while teaching the foundational skills of 10 different sports.

It is dedicated to enhancing gross motor development through sports circuits, warm-ups, and stretches, all delivered in a fun, inclusive way.

And it’s often watching their own children enjoy a Ready Steady Go Kids class – making friends and learning new skilsl – that inspires parents to consider buying a franchise. 

Ready Steady Go Kids, a potential-packed business

Danie, who took on the franchisor role 10 years ago, was one such parent. In 2011 she came across the Ready Steady Go Kids brand while on maternity leave with her third child.

“My five-year-old wanted to do sports and we enrolled him in a program but the half hour drive to the sessions was a real drain on the family” Danie says.

So she and her husband Brent took a drastic step – they bought a franchise.

“We could see a big gap in the market for other parents wanting to offer their young kids a fun sports program,” she says.

The Adelaide-based business was just starting to rollout its franchise model, so the timing was perfect. Danie became the first franchisee.

She soon discovered that she would need to supplement her financial skills with some hard marketing tactics to bring in the 30 kids a week she needed to make this a viable business.

With a successful marketing strategy, Danie was able to double the enrolments the following term running two single day locations across two territories in Victoria.

“I enjoy marketing, and I like working with staff, and these are the hardest elements of business,” says the former tax auditor. “Business building is my background, I love the calculations!”

Danie continued to work for the Australian Tax Office two days a week while building up her franchise. Then she took over a well-established, head office-run territory to add to her growing empire.

In 2013 Danie purchased another two territories and scooped the brand’s Franchisee of the Year award. She also supported the franchisor to develop a local area marketing guide that is still used by franchisees today.

From award-winning franchisee to franchisor

A year later Danie purchased her sixth territory from neighbouring franchisee and business ally Sherrie Boulter, bringing her on board as area manager.

“I’d just had my fourth baby and needed support managing so many territories,” she says. 

It proved an excellent precursor to an even bigger project. 

“We worked really well together and so in 2015, when the previous franchisor approached us to buy the business, we didn’t think twice,” Danie says.

Sherrie’s background in accounting, marketing and HR complemented Danie’s passion for systems, strategy and operations. The two women became joint franchisors, ready to take Ready Steady Go Kids to the next level.

In June 2025, after a decade of partnership, Sherrie officially retired, though she remains a shareholder in the franchisor business. The transition was carefully planned.

“We’d been working on the handover for 12 months,” says Danie. “So when the time came, it was incredibly smooth. It’s been a seamless step forward, and I’m proud of how supported the network has felt throughout.”

With a broad program of location-based classes, holiday programs, birthday parties, and incursions to early learning centres, the format has proved a success for an increasing number of franchisees. 

Today there are 45 franchisees operating 79 territories, supported by a robust franchisor team.

And key to this is the franchisor’s understanding of franchisee challenges. 

A franchisee perspective drives Ready Steady Go Kids CEO

“I like franchise support; I understand what it takes. Having lived and breathed the day-to-day of running classes, hiring staff, and juggling family life with business, I feel I can really relate to our franchisees,” Danie says. 

“I understand their challenges and pain points because I’ve been there, and I love being able to offer practical, real-world support that helps them succeed.”

Franchisee comments are testament to the level of support provided.

Victorian franchisee Kerrie Froese says “With Danie being a franchisee herself she is a wealth of knowledge and experience to support us with our own businesses. Having the continued support from Danie, I’ve seen my business grow from strength to strength.”

And she’s not the only franchisee to praise Danie’s commitment. Fellow franchisee Georgina Nicolas says “Danie’s dedication makes a real difference in the network”.

Danie still spends about 20 hours a week actively engaging with franchisees, a testament to her dedication and commitment.

Expanding the brand with successful franchisees

“Working with this incredible bunch of franchisees genuinely makes me excited to go to work each day,” Danie says. 

“We share the same passion for the brand, and we’re all driven by the same goal: to give as many toddlers and preschoolers as possible the opportunity to improve their gross motor skills, build confidence, and develop a lifelong love of sport.”

Ensuring every single franchisee is on track to grow their business is part of the overall strategy to grow the brand. 

As franchisor, Danie is looking to expand further still, taking the Ready Steady Go Kids concept to more franchisee locations across the country, particularly in Queensland and Western Australia.