Why running a franchise can be child’s play

The Musical Minis franchise dispels the myth that you should never work with children

Karen Sherr founded Musical Minis 24 years ago after she was unable to find a music class to take her young son to. With a degree in psychology and having recently given up work as a play specialist at Great Ormond Street Hospital, she was aware of the significant gains in the areas of cognitive, physical and emotional development that could be achieved through the use of music, instruments and stories.

“One of the longest standing franchise operations in the UK, I put the success and longevity of Musical Minis down to a structured programme with specific aims that are timeless, the benefits of which are obvious to the mums attending with their children,” Karen says.

Family friendly
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“I have a network of dedicated franchisees, many of whom, like me, are seeking a better work-life balance and who embrace the idea of a job that fits around their family. Having been through the same journey, I am able to understand the challenges faced by my franchisees and the rewards they are seeking.” Karen Sherr: “I have a network of dedicated franchisees”

Musical Minis achieved excellent results in a recent Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark survey, scoring 100 per cent in a number of categories, including initial training and support, head office support and work-life balance. Completed anonymously by franchisees, the report is produced by business consultant Smith & Henderson.

Amanda Perkins, 30, bought her Musical Minis franchise in 2010. She was a human resources adviser for the Meat and Livestock Commission and had just completed her Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development qualification and master’s degree when she found out she was pregnant with her first child, Niamh.

At the same time the government restructured the commission, which resulted in Amanda being employed in a new role that meant a 100-mile round trip to work. Shortly after Niamh was born, Amanda began to contemplate her return to work, but realised that leaving her daughter with a child carer for up to 10 hours a day, three days a week wasn’t what she wanted, so she applied for voluntary redundancy.

Popular classes
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Amanda started looking for locally based HR jobs, but discovered there weren’t many vacancies.

She explains: “I wasn’t actively looking to buy a franchised business, but I’d been taking Niamh to a local Musical Minis class with some of my friends and their children every week and we all absolutely loved it.

“Being a new mum, it was the one thing I looked forward to and the classes became so popular we had to book early each week to be sure of getting a place.”

One day Amanda approached the owner to ask if she could help out at any of her classes, only to be told the franchise was for sale, as her own child was unwell and she was finding it hard to cope. Amanda started her training in January 2010 and eventually bought the business three months later.

“I’m proud to say I took over a business running just four classes a week and we now run 19 classes a week, two parties a month and I won the Encouraging Women Into Franchising Young Franchisee of the Year award in 2010 in recognition of my success.

“For me, the benefit of buying a franchise was that I didn’t feel alone in those early days. Being unemployed then buying a business are both scary things to go through, but with a franchise business I knew I had support from day one. Not only did I receive full training on running the classes and the admin side of the business, but Karen also provided me with invaluable support in those early days and continues to do so even today.”

One of Musical Minis’ key contracts is the classes the company organises in government-backed Sure Start centres, which are run across the country for the benefit of young children. Karen was heavily involved in helping Amanda’s predecessor win some of these contracts and, to this day, is available to franchisees who require advice about marketing, public relations and administration.

Sound advice
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Amanda has some sound advice for anyone starting out in a new franchise business: “Don’t be afraid to ask for help in the early days. When I first started, I realised I needed to do a leaflet drop to a local estate, but I couldn’t manage it on my own, so I asked some friends to help me, then made them supper at my house afterwards to say thank you.

“Also, make sure you harness the power of Facebook and Twitter so you can let everyone know about your wonderful new business. After all, it’s free and you can do it from your sofa at night.

“I would recommend buying a Musical Minis business. At times I have been earning as much as I would be if I was working part-time in a HR department. However, if I had one piece of advice for someone thinking of starting a franchised business like mine, I’d say remember it is a job not a hobby. You have to put the hard work in to build your business yourself. Your franchisor will support you, but they aren’t going to grow your business for you - that’s 100 per cent down to you.”