Is Dzana Homan an Abusive CEO? School of Rock, Sterling Partners Controversy Grows
Sterling Partners’ School of Rock franchisees allege that CEO Dzana Homan has transformed a positive, upbeat, music-and kid-centered culture into a dark and oppressive environment where owners and students alike are disrespected. Since Homan took the helm in 2014, insiders allege, a “beautiful company” staffed by experienced, passionate professionals has become a hostile work environment where owners and employees are bullied and demeaned. Unhappy Franchisee is reaching out to Ms. Homan, School of Rock, and Sterling Partners for reaction and comment.
(UnhappyFranchisee.Com) School of Rock franchise owners and insiders have seized the opportunity to share their frustration and dismay with what they describe as the decline of the School of Rock franchise program and the brand that they bought into.
Unhappy Franchisee gives franchise owners and corporate insiders the opportunity to share their experiences and opinions anonymously – without fear of reprisals or other repercussions from intimidating franchisors.
This opportunity seems to have given a forum to the pent-up complaints from School of Rock franchisees who say they are afraid to voice their concerns to CEO Dzana Homan – whom some describe as petty, vindictive, demeaning and dictatorial.
It should be noted that we do not know Dzana Homan and had never heard of her until we received the initial complaints that prompted our posting of the discussion post:
SCHOOL OF ROCK Franchise Complaints
We also don’t know how many of the owners of the 152 School of Rock franchise locations share these negative views that seem to focus on CEO Dzana Holman.
We don’t know how she was regarded by the franchisees of her former companies, including Goddard Early Learning, Huntington Learning Centers and FutureKids.
So, in fairness, we are reaching out to Ms. Homan, School of Rock and Sterling Partners executives for their views, opinions, clarifications, acknowledgements and/or rebuttals.
Is CEO Dzana Holman an Abusive CEO… Or is She Being Unfairly Attacked?
We believe the complaints against Dzana Homan are a serious issue, as one of two scenarios exists.
If the allegations are true, both School of Rock franchise owners (who have invested $140,000 – $340,000 and have their livelihoods on the line) and Sterling Partners investors are at risk due to an abusive company CEO being allowed to undermine a once-impassioned company.
The franchise owners who have invested the capital, passion and sweat equity to build the School of Rock brand deserve better – and we would ask Sterling Partners to make sure they get it.
If the allegations aren’t true or are overstated, a high-profile educational franchise executive is being unfairly denigrated.
We will be happy to publish testimonials of those who vouch for Homan’s professionalism and leadership abilities.
So we invite franchise owners, former franchise owners, employees & former employees, and those who may have worked with Ms. Holman at FutureKids, Goddard Early Learning, Huntington Learning Centers or elsewhere to weigh in on this issue.
Is Ms. Dzana Homan a dedicated educational franchise executive? Or a tyrannical despot who puts profits & control before people?
For discussion purposes, we have grouped the initial complaints about CEO Holman by topic, and invite comments below or by email to UnhappyFranchisee[at]Gmail.com.
Dzana Holman Complaint: Hostility Toward Franchise Owners, Staff
An Anonymous owner wrote:
Over the course of the last 3 years, almost the entire corporate team has changed after the new CEO [Dzana Homan ] was hired, and several new hires left after a short tenure.
Anonymous wrote:
…it’s very disappointing to have such a hostile relationship with the franchisor, especially, the CEO. She goes after franchisees who speak up instead of genuinely seeking to fix problems. We used to work together with corp to fix this stuff but now there is zero concern at the top about franchisees ability to make money.
Anonymous (but wish I didn’t have to be) wrote:
The relationship with the executive management team is not a nurturing one, and is often confrontational, with considerable effort put on compliance and very little on finding ways to make the franchise owners money
Anonymous (afraid of retaliation) wrote:
Owners are either bullied or ignored, there never seems to be a middle ground… The owners, students, and staff deserve a better leader in corporate.
School Owner wrote:
…many of the franchisees will be totally afraid to post here for fear of retaliation from expressing their opinion, which really isn’t right. Many owners have invested significant amounts of money in this business, some their entire retirement bankrolls, and to have to deal from a position of fear of retaliation from the CEO simply isn’t right. There are many smart owners with skill sets that exceed those on the corporate side and to have to work in this environment is really counterproductive.
Franchise Owner wrote:
The CEO Dzana Homan is doing a wonderful job at destroying the company that used to thrive because of the culture and passion for music education… The one and only thing to corp team is concerned with is their how much money are they making.
Anonymous Owner wrote:
Ms. Homan has effectively alienated the owners and made them afraid to speak up lest they be the recipient of retaliatory actions. She has behaved aggressively towards staff and owners and refused to recognize or interact with the independent franchisee organization after essentially disbanding the FAC. We are treated like children, when in fact, the majority of owners within the system have a great deal of experience in the professional realm and that knowledge/experience is wasted and ignored.
The relationship with the executive management team is not pleasant one, and is often confrontational. There is little to no trust in the CEO or the staff due to the constant fear of retaliation.
Anonymous Franchisee wrote:
Almost every interaction is adversarial, to the point where you almost go out of your way not to have them. Maybe that is the intent.
Dzana Holman Complaint: Lack of Franchise Support
Anonymous wrote:
There is zero support from the corporate group and they are thinly staffed (due to such high turnover) and no one up there has any real understanding of how to run a school from an owner standpoint.
Anonymous (but wish I didn’t have to be) wrote:
People are really left to their own devices, which is maybe ok if you are an experienced owner, but it is not really fair to new owners who buy in expecting a formal franchise relationship with best practices around managing a music education business, when there are none.
Anonymous Owner wrote:
There are no standard operating procedures, no training manuals, no training department, no curriculum, and no support in regards to operating our business effectively or developing leads.
Dzana Holman Complaint: No Curriculum Development
Anonymous wrote:
This is a music education business with no product VP – no one in charge of music education, curriculum development or training.
Franchise Owner wrote:
As a Franchise Owner of School of Rock, the product we were sold is not what we purchased… Now, there is ZERO music department, no curriculum, no on going training, and no corporate staff in charge of improving the product we sell to our clients.
Anonymous Owner wrote:
We are a music education program that needs a strong and legitimate curriculum with a strong training/educational team supporting it.
Anonymous wrote:
[Dzana Homan] misses call after call after call while team members were working diligently to solve copyright issues and curriculum issues with Hal Leonard publishing. Ceases all progress with no alternative plan.
Dzana Holman Complaint: Ineffective Marketing
Anonymous (afraid of retaliation) wrote:
We pay high royalties fees and brand funding fees with almost no national marketing campaign. What we do get I spend hours reworking.
Anonymous Owner wrote:
We pay very high royalties fees and brand funding fees with little to no national marketing campaign. SoR tries to rely heavily on the School of Rock musical and the Nickelodeon TV show to be recognized nationally, but we are not a musical and we are not a TV show.
Anonymous Owner wrote:
The owners continue to ask for meaningful and effective marketing campaigns delivered within enough time to make an impact in their markets but campaigns are typically rolled out late in the game. We have asked for editable marketing materials to use in local markets only to be met with demands for phone calls to be “called down” by the “principal” and berated.
Anonymous wrote:
[Dzana Homan] overweights and overvalues the effect that “School of Rock Musical” and Nickelodeon television show will have on brand. Effects are basically zero positive and actually trivialize the real School of Rock experience.
Anonymous Owner – for fear of retaliation wrote:
we are having a corporate conference call today to discuss Summer Camps. We start camps in June. (That’s 6 days from now.) Everything for camps needed to be completed MINIMUM of 60 days ago.
Anonymous wrote:
National Press is almost only about her and her escape from her home country. With her the kids come last.
Dzana Holman Alleged Racist, Homophobic & Discriminatory Statements
One Anonymous commenter posted a list of disturbing statements allegedly made by School of Rock CEO Dzana Holman.
When Ms. Homan found out an employee was pregnant and had limited travel ability, she allegedly said:
This is why you don’t hire women with kids, children are a weakness.
When Ms. Homan found out that an employee had given her two weeks notice, she allegedly said:
Get that fat Asian bitch out of my school
Referring to a homosexual member of School of rock community, Homan allegedly said:
Why didn’t you tell me she was gay, I could have flirted with her to get what I want
Regarding a co-worker, Ms. Homan allegedly said:
She’s not pretty enough for LA
On her tactic to avoid paying an employee severance, Homan allegedly said:
I will make his life miserable with meaningless work until he quits
When she became angry in a meeting, CEO Homan allegedly crumpled a piece of paper violently and said:
I wish I had a little animal that I could squeeze
Dzana Holman Complaint: Screwdrivers & Screaming
Anonymous – who contributed the offensive quotes above – also alleges that CEO Dzana Holman drinks in the office to the point of drunkenness and vents on the corporate staff.
Anonymous wrote:
[Dzana Homan] drinks vodka and orange juice in office and becomes inebriated. Begins screaming at employee for being insubordinate.
Tired of the abuse wrote:
The fact of the matter is, the CEO really needs to go. She is a narcissist, completely devoid of any self-awareness and has absolutely no ability to emphathize with us as owners. We have heard directly from her staff about what a bully she is, and often their interests in moving the needle in a positive direction are thwarted by her as a general practice.
I have absolutely no confidence in her ability to lead this organization, and if the Sterling Partners organization can’t see the issues, I have no confidence in them either.
DISCLAIMER & INVITATION: Views and statements are those of the comment authors and do not necessarily reflect Unhappy Franchisee or its staff. We don’t know Dzana Homan and have no inside knowledge of the School of Rock. Unhappy Franchisee provides a forum for all sides of this issue to state their opinions and debate the facts. We have reached out to CEO Dzana Homan, School of Rock executives, Sterling Partners, franchise owners, and staff for comments, corrections, clarifications, affirmations and/or rebuttals. Please comment below or email us in confidence at UnhappyFranchisee[at]Gmail.Com.
ALSO READ:
FRANCHISE DISCUSSIONS by Company
SCHOOL OF ROCK Franchise Complaints
ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE SCHOOL OF ROCK CEO DZANA HOMAN, THE SCHOOL OF ROCK FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY, AND/OR STERLING PARTNERS ? SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.
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