Being an entrepreneur can sometimes feel like a lonely place. The pressure of getting your business off the ground can feel heavy when you don’t have anyone around to bounce ideas or collaborate with. Being part of a franchise network, allows you the support of others going through the same thing as you, but it is also wonderful if you have family members who can be supportive.
At Razzamataz Theatre Schools, during our initial meeting at a Discovery Den, we encourage people to bring with them a partner, parent, or family member to help understand what you as a franchisee will go through. Over the years, this has encouraged many people to work with their family member, either as a joint Principal or team member.
“I first found out about Razzamataz as my wife was a teacher at one of the branches,” explains Samantha Wingfield-Jones, Principal Razzamataz Leighton Buzzard. “The company sounded amazing, and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. My wife, Frankie, has been with me every step of the way and teaches for Leighton Buzzard alongside being in Mamma Mia! in the West End. Once she has finished in the show, we plan to open another territory and share the role of Principal with both Leighton Buzzard and the new territory. I think it adds to the ‘Razz Family’ feel and we are very grateful that we can work together.”
As well as partners, many of our Principals work with their parents, who can offer a huge amount of support and can add their experience to their child’s business. Asha Richardson, Principal of Razzamataz South Lakes has seen enormous growth since she took over Razzamataz Penrith in July 2020 and her mum has been with her every step of the way. She took over with just 35 students and now has more than 290 students and a large team. “I love having my mum as part of our Razzamataz Team, she’s our teams go-to for everything and she’s my biggest cheerleader,” says Asha. “I feel lucky she’s able to be on this journey with me and she’s an integral part of Razzamataz, offering advice and a listening ear to all our families.”
The Razzamataz franchise network is made up of people from a wide range of backgrounds. Eve Aston, franchisee of Razzamataz Tonbridge, is celebrating her fifth anniversary joining the Razzamataz network after a successful career as a seamstress and role within the gaming industry. In fact, she first found out about Razzamataz through her daughter who worked for the company as an overseas teacher.
“Natasha worked overseas for Razzamataz running a Stage Academy in Portugal, so she’s been involved with Razzamataz longer than I have,” says Eve. “It has been wonderful sharing special memories with her such as when we won the ‘Best Showcase Award’ during the evening of the Razzamataz 20th Anniversary. I could not have been prouder of my students and my teaching team. What made this even more special was that I was able to share this moment with my daughter Tash, who is my assistant Principal at Razzamataz Tonbridge and my biggest supporter. A real family achievement all around.”
The set up works equally well for Natasha as she explains: “I love working at Razzamataz as it enables me to spend more quality time with my mother planning lots of exciting opportunities for our students.”
It’s not just our franchisees who work with family members. Denise Hutton-Gosney, MD and Founder of Razzamataz also works with husband Jason in Head Office. Jason Gosney uses his 20 plus years of health and safety experience in the leisure industry to strengthen and support the network in his field of expertise as well as supporting with audits and brand compliance. He also works with the Razzamataz supplier to create an online uniform shop with new ranges and launches.
“The set-up of Razzamataz works for so many people because of the flexibility that it offers, giving many people the life/work balance that they need,” adds Denise. “This is no different for myself and Jason as we are the main caregivers for our youngest son who has Type 1 Diabetes. We both need to have flexible roles that work around our family and looking after our sons.”
There are many other franchisees in the network who work with a family member. Sisters, fiancés, husbands and wives and parent and grown-up child are all part of the Razzamataz family. There are so many different opportunities for people who have a passion for performing arts and are looking for a flexible and financially rewarding career working with children and young people.
Tips to work with family members
- Keep personal and business life separate where you can.
- Be fair and ensure you don’t favour relatives over other staff members.
- Use contracts and the same legal requirements that you would with anyone else.
- Communicate regularly but keep work discussions in the office as much as possible.
- Mutual respect is paramount. Don’t fall into bad habits just because your child is working for you.
- Enjoy the extra time you get to spend with your family member at work.
- They know you better than anyone else and have your best interests at heart, so take time to listen to advice.
Re-sale opportunities
Occasionally franchise territories come up for re-sale due to a change in the franchisees’ personal circumstances or simply because they have decided to sell their asset and reap the rewards of their hard work. These re-sale schools very rarely stay on the market for long, so if you are interested, don’t delay in contacting us. Re-sale schools in:
- Merseyside
- Berkshire
- Midlands
If you would like to find out more about our ambitious growth plans and be part of multi-award winning Razzamataz Theatre Schools network, drop Charlotte a line from our friendly Head Office team to book on to one of our virtual Discovery Dens.
Email: franchise@razzamataz.co.uk