It’s Our Birthday!
This week Drama Tots is 6 years old!!
Let’s hear from Leanne, the founder and franchisor of Drama Tots, as she reflects on her journey over the past 6 years.
Why did you create Drama Tots?
There are 2 main reasons that I created Drama Tots. These reasons are still hugely important to me:
Firstly, I had 2 young children and I was determined to find a job which allowed me to be there for them. My eldest son had just started school and my youngest was in pre-school and I knew that I wanted to do every school run, to be there after school and to spend the school holidays having adventures with them.
Secondly, I wanted a career that I LOVED, could be successful in, and where I could make a difference. I wanted to wake up every morning and be excited by my work.
That was the dream.
So I created Drama Tots!
What did you do before Drama Tots?
I trained as an actress and spent my early career touring around the UK. Performing in a huge variety of shows, from Shakespeare to pantomime and musical theatre.
In between acting jobs, I worked as a children’s entertainer. I was the jester at Warwick Castle, I performed at birthday parties and even entertained the children at Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s 80th birthday celebrations!
I also worked in schools taking workshops and providing Theatre In Education performances.
Do you remember your first classes?
Absolutely! I was full of nerves and excitement as well as hope that my local families in Coventry would love the lessons that I had spent months lovingly preparing.
Thankfully they did!
In fact, some of the families who joined me 6 years ago still attend classes with their third children now! I will always be so grateful to those first few families who signed up to attend my classes!
Why did you franchise Drama Tots?
Drama Tots grew quickly in Coventry. Word of mouth spread and my classes were full with waiting lists so I added in extra classes. Within a few months I didn’t have any more days in the week to teach so I took on my first amazing teacher, Helen. She is still with me today and takes an incredible 22 classes in Coventry every week!
Helen allowed me to see that I could reach more children and give them the benefit of our Drama Tots program without me needing to teach every class! I realised that if we were able to give joy to hundreds of children through our classes each week locally, then we could also do it nationally! Individuals had also started to contact me with an interest in franchising and so my journey into becoming a franchisor began!
How has Drama Tots grown?
In 2016 I launched my classes in a church hall in Coventry.
In 2017 our first franchisee Kate came on board. Kate runs Drama Tots Basingstoke and has recently celebrated her 5th business birthday!
Today we have a network of 23 incredible individuals each teaching Drama Tots in their own areas.
We are fortunate enough to teach thousands of children across the UK and beyond every week.
What do you love most about your job?
I love the positivity and energy that I feel every day for my job.
I still love teaching classes and seeing first hand the joy that Drama Tots brings to families.
I love working with my amazing network of franchisees. I love to see them achieving their dreams.
I feel incredibly lucky and privileged to love my work so much.
Biggest achievements?
Take a look at some of our biggest achievements in the photos below, including the songs we’ve produced, awards we’ve won, our amazing team of franchisees and teachers, and entertaining the nation’s children throughout the global pandemic!
What are you most proud of?
The impact that Drama Tots has had. On my life, on the life of the children and families that we teach and the impact it has had on our franchisees and teachers.
For me, it has allowed me to do exactly what I hoped. I have a career that I LOVE, I make a difference to people's lives and I am able to have a work/life balance that allows me to be there for my children as they grow.
I am incredibly proud of the positive impact that Drama Tots brings to children. On a daily basis we see confidence grow in the children we teach, we see the pride in parents as their child accomplishes new skills, we see families bond and share in magical moments. The memories made in our classes last forever.
I am proud of our franchisees for the love, care and dedication that they have for the children that they teach as well as the pride that they take in their businesses.
Drama Tots is joyful for all involved and I am immensely proud of that.
Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our journey over the past 6 years. Heres to many more!