October 09, 2025

Episode 212 with Josh and Pamela Hernandez — Leveraging Word of Mouth Marketing for Fast Growth

42 minutes

Kris welcomes Josh and Pamela Hernandez, owners of Montessori Kids Universe Stone Oak. The duo talks about their path into early childhood education and opening up MKU, tips for starting out with cash flow out of the gate, and enrollment strategies that worked for them. They also chat with Kris about using referral rewards, how they balance family and business, marketing tools that help them build trust and stand out in their community, the need for the industry to collaborate more, and how they keep their staff happy and inspired.

Key Takeaways:

[5:04] Joshua and Pamela talk about the history of MKU of Stone Oak, and how they got into the ECE field.

[8:58] They currently have 37 team members.

[9:27] The wins and challenges of creating (and keeping) great employees.

[14:50] Joshua and Pamela discuss their marketing strategies, including Google and Facebook ads, and their active presence on social media.

[15:19] The importance of referrals in their business model, offering bonuses for both staff and families who refer new enrollments.

[21:06] Working as a husband-wife team and the importance of dividing responsibilities based on their strengths.

[26:04] Pamela shares her inspiration from her mother, who was a social worker and professor, and her own passion for education, while Joshua talks about his mother's influence and the importance of hard work and dedication.

[30:03] Thinking long-term with employees and getting them in a mindset to stay with the company for years to come.

[34:48] Will an expansion be in the future?

[38:14] Remembering that building something new takes persistence, but it is one step at a time, so keep going!

[40:24] The need for better collaboration.

Quotes:

"At this stage in both of our businesses, we're more firefighters right now. So wherever there's fire, that's where we go." — Joshua [5:11]

"We have a beautiful culture that we've built, and we go above and beyond to show our teachers how much we care and love them, and want them to be a part of the team." — Pamela [10:40]

"We both bring our strengths to the table, and we have created what I feel is a beautiful team of husband and wife." — Pamela [21:39]

"Growth is a process, and sometimes the best lessons come from challenges." — Joshua [35:05]

"Building something meaningful takes time, persistence, and a lot of heart, but it's worth every step." — Joshua [38:03]