Razzamataz scoops more awards

Following on from last year’s success, we are delighted to announce that we have scooped a new bunch of awards this year in recognition of our work with franchisees and young people in the performing arts.

The trust and credibility that comes with awards recognition has encouraged Razzamataz Theatre Schools to enter a number of different categories; from business success through to achievements in the children’s sector.

What we won

The Approved Franchise Association (AFA) held its first annual awards ceremony to celebrate the incredible achievements made by the UK franchising community, a rapidly evolving sector.

The Head Office team was awarded Bronze in the outstanding franchise marketing category and Nick Furlong and Gemma Hextall, Principals of Razzamataz Sutton Coldfield were awarded Silver in outstanding young franchisee of the year. Nick was 22 and Gemma 21 when they bought re-sale franchise Razzamataz Sutton Coldfield in September 2015. They were both in the final year of study at Birmingham School of Acting when the opportunity arose. After a week’s intensive training they took over the school with 38 students. After they applied all their learnings from training, they re-launched and gained a further 78 students. By year 2, they had doubled their school’s size to 141 students. In September 2017 they had 209 students and then September 2018 272. Currently, Razzamataz Sutton Coldfield has more than 300 students.

“Franchising opened our eyes to what can be achieved and we met other young franchisees so there was a very clear route to success,” says Nick. “Without franchising, I think we would have got a few weeks in and just been overwhelmed and thought that we were too young, and it wasn’t realistic for us.”

The biggest influence and drive for Nick and Gemma is the chance to make a difference to young people in their community. In recognition of this, Razzamataz Sutton Coldfield were also nominated in the What’s On 4 Kids Awards (ADD LINK: https://whatson4kids.co.uk/awards) , in the category of ‘most loved dance, drama or performing arts activity franchise territory.’

“As well as growing a financially sound business, Razzamataz is allowing us to continue to work and inspire young people in our community,” says Nick. “We have forged partnerships with secondary schools where we give careers talks to share our positive experiences and engage with the young people in the community. One of the things we love about being Principals of Razzamataz is being part of young people’s lives and helping to shape their future.”

Razzamataz were also finalists in both the ‘best print advert’ and ‘best overall marketing campaign’ in the Franchise Marketing Awards and MD and Founder Denise Hutton-Gosney and Razzamataz were also finalists in two of the categories for the Best Business Woman Awards.

“The award success over the last few months reflects the passion and commitment of everyone involved in Razzamataz,” says Denise. “When I started Razzamataz, it was with a wish to make performing arts accessible to young people, to improve their confidence and allow them to express themselves through the arts. As we open more schools across the UK, that simple wish is becoming a reality for more children. I’m incredibly proud of all the team and the franchisees who have been instrumental in providing so many wonderful opportunities for young people.”

Recent award success includes double awards at the British Franchise Association (bfa) Awards, winners of a 5 Star Franchise Satisfaction Award for two consecutive years with the Smith & Henderson survey, finalist in two EWIF awards; Inspirational Franchisor and Woman Franchise Employee of the Year and of course a successful appearance on BBC’s Dragons’ Den. Razzamataz have also just been granted membership to the Children’s Activities Association (CAA), an industry-led, not-for-profit community interest company founded and governed by experts to help parents, schools, nurseries and all children’s activities providers by raising the standard of children’s activities.

Join our winning teams

The success of Razzamataz in the recent awards comes at an exciting time for the Dragons’ Den backed franchise. January 2020 is the start of the 20th birthday celebration, which includes a special financial incentive to join the award-winning network. Selected potential franchisees are being invited to attend the annual Razzamataz Conference held on 20 January 2020 at Skyloft Millbank, London. This is a chance to meet Denise and the Head Office team and to find out more about running a theatre school including the many large-scale performing opportunities, business development and the launch of new products under the Razzamataz brand.

We are particularly keen to recruit in Scotland; specifically, Dundee and Aberdeen and Wales; specifically, in Cardiff and Swansea and we have a resale opportunity in Hackney. For those looking for a part-time enterprise, the Early Years Franchise has been created to cater to the demand for people wanting to work in the children’s performing arts industry but who do not have the relevant experience to launch a full Razzamataz Theatre School.

Contact us NOW for a fabulous 50% off the franchise fee, first term management fee free PLUS we pay your VAT. Just quote PR2020.

Due to demand, more training is planned for 2019 and 2020. Contact our friendly head office team on franchise@razzamataz.co.uk
or call 01768213086. Visit: www.razzamataz.co.uk/franchise-opps/discovery-dens/

Quality delivered at Razzamataz

Until recently, there has been no formal guidelines to assist parents in choosing how to select an activity for children.

That has now changed thanks to the Children’s Activities Association (CAA), an industry-led, not-for-profit community interest company founded and governed by experts to help parents, schools, nurseries and all children’s activities providers by raising the standard of children’s activities as well as give more families access to these excellent activities. 

To be a CAA member, children’s activities providers have to undertake a rigorous application process that includes a visit from Sue at the CAA Accreditation Team. She recently visited Razzamataz Carlisle as part of the accreditation process for the entire Razzamataz network.

 “I really cannot reiterate how much I enjoyed my visit and what an amazing opportunity you provide for the students. The self-confidence this builds is invaluable. To say that I enjoyed my visit would be a gross understatement. I was impressed with everything I saw and I know I chose a day when there was the added bonus of a professional workshop being delivered.”

• “Debbie was very welcoming and from the moment I stepped through the door I was entertained, informed and included. It was obvious that everyone there – staff and students – enjoyed what they were doing and why they were there.”

Inclusion

Razzamataz offers performing arts training and experiences for a wide age group and Sue observed parts of the sessions from Razz Tots (children age two and three) through to Seniors class (age 12 to 18) and everything in between. Razzamataz put the children at the forefront of everything that they do, which is reflected in the ethos of the school and the absolute belief that performing arts is for all, no matter what challenges children face.

 “All staff, irrespective of whether they were the lead or an assistant, knew the names of all the children as did the Principal, Debbie. Throughout all the groups, the enthusiasm of the staff was evident and their execution of the lesson was excellent. I observed two children with special needs, one required no extra help whilst a young boy had help when needed. I was very impressed with the handling of this young person as there was no fuss and he was given encouragement to re-engage with the group in his own time. It was very sensitively handled.”

Standards and compliance

Razzamataz is an award-winning franchise theatre school. One of the many benefits of being part of a large network is access to the latest knowledge in regards to child safety as well as ensuring there are no compliance lapses such as out of date DBS checks or the wrong insurance policies.

“I was pleased to see the young children were not released from the session until their parent/carer was identified.”
The CAA are committed to improving standards across the whole sector something that Razzamataz make sure of at their own schools up and down the country. By joining a franchise, Principals have to adhere to a number of guidelines to ensure consistency of standards across all of the schools.

“I was struck by the ease with which the leaders accepted myself and the Principal walking through their classes. The children were so engaged they didn’t seem to notice us and the leaders continued unfazed. This demonstrates that regular visits/monitoring takes place thus ensuring the standard of delivery and content is maintained.”

In order for Principals to achieve such high standards, Razzamataz invest in continually offering support in all areas of running a theatre school. This includes regular training sessions that franchisees attend free of charge, webinars with industry experts and one to one support with a franchise support mentor. This has enabled franchisees to be successful in their own schools and was reflected in the documentation that the Head Office provided to the CAA .

 “The Customer Service, Programmes and Training modules were all submitted prior to the site visit and met and indeed exceeded the criteria for accreditation. These were some of the best policies and modules that I have accredited and there are no follow up actions.”

Opportunities for students

Razzamataz prides itself in offering wonderful opportunities for students. These include incredible performance opportunities both overseas and on the West End stage and masterclasses led by industry experts in both musical theatre and commercial genres.

 “I was fortunate enough to have visited on a day when a professional dancer was giving a workshop to the Seniors and Inters groups. That the students can experience such a masterclass is invaluable to their development and observing the last 15 minutes of one of the workshops, I was impressed with the standard the students achieved and the hard work they put into the exercise. They completed a short routine from the musical Oliver and were delighted with the end result – as was I.”

Join our network

To find out more about joining our team of Principals and all the benefits of joining an Award-winning franchise, drop one of our friendly team a line.
We are currently inviting select attendees to hear more about the Razzamataz franchise at our Conference held on 20 January 2020 at Skyloft Millbank, London.
Email: head office team on franchise@razzamataz.co.uk or call 01768213086 www.razzamataz.co.uk/franchise-opps/discovery-dens/

Mum launches franchise business
for a better live/work balance

For mum of three, quitting a secure job to start her own franchise business was a chance that she knew she needed to take for a better balance between her home life and work. It was a risk that certainly paid off as she now runs two franchise theatre schools and is able to offer her students incredible opportunities.

Debbi Ledwith is the Principal of Razzamataz Newbury and Reading. She is mum to Daniel age 11 and twins Christopher and Jenna age nine. Debbi qualified as a secondary school teacher of performing arts in 1992 and was the Head of Performing Arts at a school in Basingstoke since 2000.

Debbi’s story

“Due to a change in my personal circumstances, I wanted to spend more time with my three young children and needed more flexibility in my working life than teaching could give me. When I first thought about it, I definitely felt that starting my own business was a huge risk. I was working four days a week as a secondary school teacher and I knew that I would have to drop two of these days to make it work. This would mean a drop in guaranteed wages and with three children under seven, this was a gamble. I had never run a business before and knew nothing about marketing or budgeting (apart from running a family budget). I had no idea how long tasks would take, or how to hire staff.”

The franchise route

“My friend knew I was looking for a career change and she suggested a franchise theatre school to me as an option. I have never run my own business before and I had never really considered it until I found out more about Razzamataz. I had to learn a lot, I had to start from the very beginning in some areas, but it has been totally worth it. Being a part of Razz is like being part of an extended family. There is always someone to ask for help and usually someone has encountered the problem before, so you don’t have to constantly reinvent the wheel. Whether you feel like you need a bit of encouragement or motivation, or if you just want advice from other Principals, this is always available. There are plenty of training webinars to keep skills up to date or to pass on new information, and these are really helpful. The Conferences are also a huge boost; it is fantastic to meet up with other Principals and find new ways to move forward. Knowing that there is so much support available and being exposed to new ideas and initiatives that I might not otherwise have thought of is so important when running a business. Without franchising and the support of Razzamataz, I could absolutely not have done this on my own. There is so much advice and there are things that I definitely wouldn’t have known if I went it alone. Having a network of Principals makes is so much easier to come up with solutions; so much better than trying to figure it out on your own.”

The challenges

“It’s sometimes hard to know when to stop work. Sometimes I get so carried away with what I am doing work wise that I want to carry on. However, I am usually quite strict with myself – when the children are awake, I try not to work.”

Live/work balance

“As I have just taken on a new school in Reading, at the moment I am still finding my feet a bit and working out how to add another job into the mix. However, the beauty of being a Razzamataz Principal is that I can work the hours that suit me. I rarely have to miss anything that my children do, such as school assemblies or open mornings, and I can always walk them to and from school, which really means a lot to me.”

The rewards

“Definitely seeing the progress that students make over time. I have now completed four years at Newbury and some of our students have been with us from the outset. It is fantastic to see how much they have changed and how confident and capable they have become. The standard of performance is going up and that is really rewarding. I also love to see my staff succeed. We have all pulled together to achieve some fantastic results and they are my friends as well as my employees. I’ve discovered that I can do whatever I put my mind to and there are a number of things that I have learnt through franchising. These include: learning new skills and using them to achieve success, allowing myself to spend quality time with my children without feeling guilty, work can be fun and rewarding and I can react quickly to issues and solve them efficiently. This is achieved because I can always rely on my support network and I can make a decent income from Razzamataz.”

Opportunities

To find out more about joining our team of Principals and all the benefits of joining an Award-winning franchise, drop one of our friendly team a line.

For those looking for a part-time enterprise, the Early Years Franchise has been created to cater to the demand for people wanting to work in the children’s performing arts industry but who do not have the relevant experience to launch a full Razzamataz Theatre School.

Contact our friendly head office team on franchise@razzamataz.co.uk. Visit: www.razzamataz.co.uk/franchise-opps/discovery-dens/