Larry Wilkins has witnessed the positive impact an encouraging adult can have on kids. Wilkins’s father played that role for him and some of his peers growing up, and he knew that he wanted to be a positive influence in his own community as an adult. Just Play was born out of this aspiration, having started as a local basketball camp program. It has since expanded into a brick-and-mortar location in Houston, Texas, offering a wide range of basketball activities, such as classes, clinics, private lessons and birthday parties. By Kelsi Trinidad
EMERGING BRANDS
Larry Wilkins has witnessed the positive impact an encouraging adult can have on kids. Wilkins’s father played that role for him and some of his peers growing up, and he knew that he wanted to be a positive influence in his own community as an adult. Just Play was born out of this aspiration, having started as a local basketball camp program. It has since expanded into a brick-and-mortar location in Houston, Texas, offering a wide range of basketball activities, such as classes, clinics, private lessons and birthday parties.
In 2024, Just Play introduced its franchise model to bring its community-focused business nationwide. At its first location, the company established successful membership classes for training. Now with a second facility, this model allows many franchisees to generate recurring revenue streams in addition to drop-in customers. However, what really sets it apart from others in the industry is its inclusion of teams, leagues and tournaments.
Just Play offers franchisees a chance to make a positive impact on the kids in their community while providing a great business opportunity for sports enthusiasts looking to carve out a career in the sports industry. It’s something that Wilkins always wanted for himself, but with few realistic opportunities in sports, he decided to make one for himself.
Above all, potential franchisees should have a genuine love for kids and a desire to be a positive force in their community. They should also be coachable and willing to learn the franchise model’s best practices.
For Wilkins, his passion for creating a great experience for the youth in his community is what drives him, and he sees collaboration with franchisees as a way to make the business better.
“One thing I’m looking forward to is engaging with our potential franchisees and challenging each other to be creative and get that engagement going where we can really enhance our kids’ experiences,” said Wilkins. “I think the most gratifying thing about this work is just knowing at the end of the day that you’ve impacted someone.”
Kelsi Trinidad