Change For The Better

For record breaking Stagecoach franchisee James Barker, work-life balance began at 40

Launching his Stagecoach franchise in Faringdon, Oxfordshire and turning 40 all in the same 12 months, James Barker has plenty to celebrate. He had a number of goals for his year of the big 4-0, including spending more time with his family, four holidays a year and a fulfilling job. Thanks to Stagecoach and his hard work, he’s well on his way to achieving all that and more.

Fastest growing

In fact, just seven months after launching his performing arts school, James became the fastest growing franchisee in the history of the Stagecoach network.

He says: “Before joining Stagecoach, I spent seven years with Warner Leisure Hotels as the director of entertainment across the UK. The demanding role meant I would often spend four or five nights a week away from home.

“When our two children came along, my busy corporate lifestyle combined with my partner’s NHS shift work proved far from ideal. After hearing about the Stagecoach franchise from a friend, I quickly realised this was the opportunity to change my life, and the lives of others, for the better.”

For almost 30 years, the Stagecoach model has been proven and refined to become one of the UK’s leading performing arts opportunities. Franchisees build a team of equally passionate and enthusiastic teachers, qualified to bring out the very best in their students.

Stagecoach schools provide a thriving, nurturing and supportive environment for creative learning. That’s just one of the reasons 40,000 children every week flock to classes nationwide.

Today, a network of more than 300 franchisees operate over 650 schools offering 1,645 classes in eight countries. Through a varied framework of teaching and development, franchisees have helped to unlock the potential of more than one million students since it opened in 1988.

Newcomer of the year

Since September 2016, James’s dedication and passion for his business has seen him open and fill not one, but four schools in his territory. At Stagecoach’s annual conference in early 2017 he was awarded Newcomer of the Year in recognition of his achievements.

While he’s proud of his financial success, James says it’s the personal rewards that make his business even more valuable.

He adds: “I was delighted with my award. I have a 10-year plan for my business and this gave me an extra vote of confidence that I was heading in the right direction.

“I get much more than financial rewards though. ‘Creative Courage for Life’ is a phrase used in our marketing, but anyone involved in Stagecoach can see it’s not just a slogan. I’ve seen our students grow in confidence and when their parents tell me how they have transformed at school and socially, it’s something special.

“On a personal level, I’ve achieved that flexibility I was craving. I work around the school run and Sunday is reserved as family day - and nothing gets in the way of that.

“We’ve just had holiday number one at Butlin’s, we are away for holiday number two in the coming weeks and have booked our summer vacation too.”