“If you are buying into a brand, it must align with your own beliefs”

Rebecca Scott will shortly become the new franchisee of Razzamataz Durham having just completed her intensive week-long franchise training

How did you hear about Razzamataz?

Razzamataz has a high profile in Durham and after leaving university, I saw a job advertised for a dance teacher. I’ve been at the school for two and a half years teaching lots of different age groups.

What business experience did you have?

My mum joined amateur dramatics as a child, and I followed suit. I’m currently a member of the committee of a local charitable theatre group. This is really the only business experience that I have because after I joined Razzamataz, within a few weeks we had gone into lockdown and the events industry totally shut down.

Have you always wanted to run your own school?

I never planned to run my own theatre school, but I have loved theatre for so long that when the job at Razzamataz came along, it felt like a dream come true. I never thought it would go any further than this but when the current principal, Alison, told us she was selling, there was a little part of me that thought with my love of theatre and my degree, could this be something I could do.

What attracted you to the franchise sector?

I knew very little about franchising but at my initial meeting with Alison, I asked how much support you get from the head office, and I was told that you get as much as you need. Although I’m only in my training week, I’ve found that this is the case already and there is always someone to speak to if I have any questions.

What was the process like when you decided to become a franchisee?

There have been some challenging moments because this is all so new, but it is a lovely challenge and I’m excited to push myself to see what I can achieve. I’ve had so much support from Alison and the head office that it hasn’t been overwhelming and although it is a lot to take on, I just need to drop someone an email if I need any clarification.

How has the initial training and support been?

It’s very intense and there is a lot to take on, but it has also been excellent, and I’ve learnt so much. Each section of running a theatre school is covered and everything is broken down into manageable chunks so I can digest each element. What is helpful is that the training is recorded so it is easy to go back over any parts of it to solidify your learning. As a teacher, you imagine there is more to running a theatre school than you see but I didn’t realise quite how much there is, so it is great to have the head office there to guide me.

What are your goals?

Most importantly I want a smooth handover for students and parents, so they continue to have a great experience at Razzamataz. There won’t be any sudden changes because the school is very successful. But I have plans to grow it and add on more classes to increase opportunities for our students. These include offering Razz Project Intense for students wishing to take their dance training up a level and school clubs to further increase the Razzamataz brand in Durham.

What are you most looking forward to in becoming a Razzamataz principal?

I’m in a fortunate position to already know the children but I’m looking forward to helping them grow and develop as their principal. It’s important to me to help children build their confidence, especially since the lockdowns, so I’m looking to increase opportunities for them to perform locally and explore all ways to provide as many avenues as possible for them to develop their self-esteem.

What advice can you offer others considering investing in a franchise?

Ask as many questions as you can and get to know as much of the business as possible. When I first started out at Razzamataz as a teacher, I didn’t realise what a large, established network this was. If you are buying into a brand, it must align with your own beliefs and there should be plenty of opportunities that you can tap into to help build your business.