Snapology of Lehi sets itself up for success with Salesforce Starter.
Find out how Starter gives this small business everything it needs to grow and keep costs low.
May 26, 2023
Snapology is on a mission to help kids pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM). Designed for students ages 5–12, it offers interactive, hands-on learning programs in schools, community facilities, homes, and Discovery Centers. You might think STEAM subjects are heavy concepts for kids to grasp, but Snapology’s philosophy is simple — make it fun. Using tools like LEGO® Education sets, it teaches hundreds of classes on robotics, physics, programming, and more.
In late 2019, Adam and Charlee Ruben purchased a Snapology franchise to open in Lehi, Utah. After seeing how much fun — and affordable — STEAM education could be, they knew it was the perfect business opportunity. The challenge they didn’t see coming? Their franchise opened three months before the global pandemic hit.
Despite the unfortunate timing, Snapology of Lehi bounced back, and its summer camps and after-school programs were bustling with kids excited to learn about STEAM. In fact, it’s running 54% more summer camps this year compared to last. So, how did this small business become so successful in such a short time?
Adam shared his insight on how Salesforce Starter — the world’s most complete CRM suite — is helping his company unlock AI + Data + CRM to grow fast and stay cost-efficient.
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As the owner of a few different ventures, Ruben is no stranger to CRM. In his words, he’s even a “big fan” of Salesforce, and brings it into the fold wherever he goes.
According to Ruben, the four things that make Starter different from other CRMs are:
- How easy it is to use.
- How much you can customize everything to fit your needs.
- How modern the user interface is.
- How you get all the above for only $25 per month.
Adam Ruben
Ruben implemented Starter at Snapology of Lehi within a weekend. Even though he’s familiar with CRM, he was surprised to see how easy it was to tailor the capabilities to his needs.
“To be able to customize everything — from the Lightning App Development builder to the mobile experience — those are crazy levels of customization you get for a $25 per month product. The fact that you can do that with such an entry-level product is really impressive.”
Between the platform’s built-in processes and self-guided tutorials, online communities, and Salesforce resources, Ruben said he’s never had to submit a help-desk ticket because “it’s just really easy.”
The same goes for onboarding employees across any of his companies. Once they understand the features, they’re up and running right away.
“All of it just feels very natural and intuitive to most people, so driving adoption hasn’t been difficult.”
If there’s one thing Ruben wants any business owner to know, it’s this: “Data is king. If you don’t know the data of your business, you’ll never know what strategies are going to be effective to grow.” That’s one of the biggest reasons he adopted Starter right away.
Like many small businesses, Ruben needs crucial insights about the health of his company, like:
- Is the business selling more summer camp spots this year versus last year?
- Are kids coming back to summer camp this year?
- Where are most of its sales coming from?
- What are its most effective marketing channels?
Having answers to questions like these means everything to business owners. Now that Ruben can track year-over-year growth and sales trajectories, he can forecast, make quick decisions, and adjust his strategy as soon as possible.
“Salesforce Starter helped me get data and visualize it in a way that’s very simple and easy. And it doesn’t require an ‘enterprise-level business intelligence data warehousing solution’ to do it. I think it’s a perfect option for small businesses.”
Snapology of Lehi relies on partners across the state — from recreation and fitness centers to schools and trampoline parks — to host its programs. That means there are a lot of contacts Ruben and his team need to keep track of.
With all of Snapology of Lehi’s partners, contacts, and details organized in one place, Ruben can easily see which programs are working best at each facility. Then he can decide where to focus each program to make the biggest impact.
“All we had was email and all the contacts were just names in my head, so I would know who to reach out to if I had problems or questions, but nobody else would. We realized we needed a centralized place for all that contact information and correspondence.”
As a business owner, Ruben knows how important it is to make himself less important in operations. Even if he’s the one who established the relationship, he empowers his team members to build connections with his contacts and manage partnerships on their own.
Adam Ruben
To get even more value from his CRM, Ruben uses integrations like Gmail to make sure all his emails to partners are tracked and logged in Starter. That way, if he goes on vacation or is out of the office, his team can easily pick up where he left off and nothing slips through the cracks.
“Starter is a really, really amazing product … With Gmail and calendar integrations, and all the things available, for $25 a month — it just blows me away. It’s not something you find anywhere else. Usually, you have to be at an enterprise level to get those kinds of features.” The Rubens know that by setting the company up for success, they can do the same for students.
That’s why Snapology of Lehi is using Starter to do more with less, backing up every business decision with data, and giving employees the tools they need to build deeper connections with partners. “I'm a big fan of Salesforce products and what they provide. I think they're well worth the value,” Ruben said.
If you'd like to see the value for yourself, try out Starter for free today.
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