Today we’d like to introduce you to Kylie Koscoe.
Hi Kylie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I have always loved Science and performing. I went to school for Theatre, but took as many chemistry classes as I could. In my late 20s, I saw an ad on Craigslist for someone to perform Science Shows for a new Science company in town. Having a love of theatre and science, I interviewed and became one the first Mad Scientists at Mad Science of NE Central Florida! After 6 years, the former owner was looking to get out of the business. So, I bought her out and took over, expanding into Orange County and setting up our Mad Science Laboratory space in Oviedo. Since then, we have opened a second Laboratory on the west side of town in Ocoee and have expanded our programs all over central and north Florida!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When I started as the owner of Mad Science, I had no real business background. I was a performer with a background in education and marketing, so I was capable of performing as a Mad Scientist and marketing the business, but I needed to learn about accounting, QuickBooks, budgeting, training staff, sales, etc. The former owner gave me some training, and then I had to work to figure out the rest myself. When COVID hit, things were tough. We were able to pivot and create some online programs, along with a Science Kit delivery service, where we created videos that went along with experiments and then delivered bags of supplies to kids all over central Florida. We called it Mad Science Delivered. It was a great way to give the kids something fun to do at home, and we loved seeing all of the pictures of our Junior Scientists getting excited about creating and exploring. It kept us very busy at a time when most people had a lot of time on their hands. It was hard work, but that pivot kept a small (but steady) revenue stream during a time when most businesses had $0 in revenue coming in. Thankfully, I’ve had a great staff of Mad Scientists who have helped over the years to lend a hand when needed. My mother has been a tremendous help, often lending a hand at events, cleaning the lab after parties, and helping with prep work. She’s retired but has “worked” for me practically full-time since I started. I could never have done it without her!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Mad Science is a global brand that has brought Science enrichment to kids worldwide for almost 4 decades. Locally, kids know us from “that cool Show we did at their school where we made a big cloud of smoke” or Riley’s birthday party where “the Scientist helped us make a gooey cup of slime.”
We currently have 2 Lab spaces (in Ocoee and Oviedo) where we host camps, parties, homeschool programs, scout programs, etc. But the majority of what we do is in the community. We visit schools, libraries, businesses, daycares, and event centers and bring them fun Science. Our goal is to get young kids excited about Science! We work with kids, mainly in Pre-School and Elementary School, to give them hands-on experiences they may not have during the school day due to school budgets, lack of resources, or even just having time in the day to do the fun Science stuff. We travel all over Central and North Florida (just about anywhere north of Lakeland) to bring Science to kiddos in Florida.
Our Science style is Mr. Wizard/Bill Nye the Science Guy. We are some crazy and wacky Scientists! While we want the kids to learn, we want them to experience Science in such a fun way that they think Science is incredible. If we can give them that spark, we hope that it spreads so that, by the time they get to high school or college, they think about going into a Science or engineering program. We want them to feel empowered and excited about the possibility of Science in their futures.
We are different in that we are hands-on, but low-tech. Many programs around use a lot of technology, which is great! But we are a bit old school and like it that way. We’re all about teaching pre-schoolers how different sea creatures eat by using different tools to fetch objects out of a bin of water. We’re using balancing bird toys to explain the center of gravity to 3rd graders. And we’re building circuits with batteries and light bulbs to explain how electricity works. And it’s not just about the kids- you’d be surprised to see how excited adults get when they put a balancing bird on the end of their finger and it stays balanced- the look of wonder and nostalgia in their eyes. That’s why we do what we do. To excite that sense of wonder in everyone we bring programs to, whether they are 3 or 103.
What does success mean to you?
While we’ve been lucky to have some financial success throughout the years, for us, success is measured in our kiddos. Seeing shy 8-year-old students come back to our Lab to say hi when they are 16 and now in the advanced STEM program in their school. Hearing about some of our Students and Interns go on to study Aeronautical Engineering or go into Pre-Med and having them thank us for making science exciting for them when they were younger. Knowing that we helped plant a seed in some of their young Scientist brains and seeing all of the amazing places it takes them makes doing what we do a huge success for us.
Pricing:
- Workshops start at $209/Workshop for up to 20 Students
- Special Event Shows start at $359/Show
- Birthday Parties start at $285
Contact Info:
- Website: CFL.MadScience.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/madsciencecfl
- Facebook: Facebook.com/MSCentralFlorida
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@madscienceofnecentralfl1655/about
Image Credits
Kylie Koscoe
