Just Play, founded in 1996 by Larry Wilkins, is a basketball training facility that offers classes, camps, clinics, leagues, private lessons and more to children ages four and older. This emerging brand began franchising in 2024, and it’s looking to attract entrepreneurs who are sports lovers and have a desire to positively impact children and the greater community. By Nancy E. Williams
Just Play, founded in 1996 by Larry Wilkins, is a basketball training facility that offers classes, camps, clinics, leagues, private lessons and more to children ages four and older. This emerging brand began franchising in 2024, and it’s looking to attract entrepreneurs who are sports lovers and have a desire to positively impact children and the greater community.
Community impact has always been important to Wilkins, so it’s not surprising that he created a business that drives positive change.
“We are very focused on the power of one – impacting one person at a time, one family at a time. If you impact one family, before you know it, you’ve impacted an entire community,” said Wilkins.
According to Wilkins, a Just Play franchisee should expect spending much of their workday engaging with the community.
“Each day is a little different, which keeps things fresh,” Wilkins said. “Summer is really busy because kids are out of school, and we have summer camps going on. It’s the peak of our tournament season, so days start early. However, an owner will be busy all year long. We’re in the people business, whether it’s hiring staff, working with your coaches to problem-solve to help children excel in certain aspects of their game or visiting games and events at local schools to share with parents about what Just Play has to offer.”
When asked about what role an owner plays in sales and marketing, tasks that some entrepreneurs aren’t necessarily experienced in, Wilkins shared that word of mouth works best.
“It’s why we spend so much time working on our program,” he said. “When parents hear about it, they want their kids in it. But we do market to schools, of course, and can train owners on how to navigate those waters because there are rules that need to be followed. Street signs are also big for us as well as social media.”
Ultimately, Wilkins stressed the importance of keeping the fundamentals of the program strong because retention of students is one of the main keys to success.
Nancy E. Williams