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Lianne & Cheryl | Starz Academy UK Rebecca Moore speaks with Lianne Weston-Mommsen and Cheryl Dodd, to find out more about their Starz Academy success… Lianne Weston-Mommsen and Cheryl Dodd set up Starz Academy three years ago, starting off with a dance school in Whiteley with only three pupils. Expanding beyond their belief, they now have around 50 classes across Hampshire and Dorset and regularly run Starz Academy parties. While searching for ballet classes for their daughters, who were born just a week within each other, Lianne and Cheryl struggled to find anything locally to them. Both are avid dancers and this sparked an interest. They soon realized there may be scope for a business. “Our girls were just nine months old at the time, but with a lot of hard graft we created our own syllabus and launched Starz Academy beginning with one set of classes,” reminisces Cheryl. The duo have developed their syllabus over the last three years based on their customer feedback and supporting the Early Years Foundation Stage. Both are incredibly proud of what they have achieved, Lianne only wishes they’d thought of the idea sooner, “We believe we give the customers exactly what they want and what we, as mums, would have looked for in a group.” It’s much more than just a business to Lianne and Cheryl, and being mums themselves they know that flexibility is key. “We offer personal touches exclusive to Starz, like offering
‘make up’ classes if a child is absent, complimentary refreshments and, importantly, no joining fee,” says Cheryl. Whilst watching the pair in action, I found their enthusiasm so inspiring.
“We feel very privileged to be the first to introduce children to dancing and we often experience a lot of their ‘firsts’” “We’re very grateful to do what we do, and to us it doesn’t feel like an effort or a chore!” explains Cheryl. “We feel very privileged to be the first to introduce children to dancing and we often experience a lot of their ‘firsts’ like walking, their first plié, even first finger wiggles or pointed toes!” And although they admit to having a very full-on job, they’ve found a good balance. They now employ ten Ballet Babes teachers all sharing their passion who, like them, fit teaching around their family lives. “We teach and manage the business while our children are at school and pre-school, and also after our children are in bed so nobody misses out.” Being the closest of friends and business partners it’s not unusual for their families to spend time together on the weekends too. “Our husbands and families are also very supportive,” adds Cheryl, “and we have a very loyal
following of Ballet Babes mums… we’re like one big Starz family!” The Starz Academy duo can certainly tick Hampshire off their list, but according to the ambitious pair their mission is far from over. “We want to be in every county throughout the UK,” explains Cheryl, “ but we must be confident that we’re offering a fully planned, quality business for potential franchisees.” While they continue to solidify their franchise launch, Lianne and Cheryl are confident their packages will be ready for 2014. And whilst I watch all the happy Ballet Babes leave their class, it reminds me that this can only be a good thing. Starz Ballet Parties Based on the Starz ethos of fun and enjoyment, their Ballet Parties are run by their qualified and experienced CRB checked dance teachers - offering the perfect party solution for all ages. Starz Ballet Parties include: • 45 minute fun ballet session •D ress up box for pirates, fairies and princesses •P arty props: instruments, wings, wands and bubbles • Balloons and stickers for all children • Gift for the birthday child And all you have to do is provide the venue… it’s party time! www.starzacademyuk.com
Betty Bramble
Gentle Baby Things
Emma Hansford www.stelladot.co.uk/lovejewellery
Abigail Halpin www.bettybramble.co.uk
Gavin and Charlotte Matier www.gentlebabythings.co.uk
Emma Hansford has always had a passion for jewellery and after meeting a stella & dot stylist at an event she fell in love with their jewellery. Emma made a purchase and booked in to hold her own Trunk Show and her passion soon developed into a source of income when she became a stella & dot stylist.
When Abigail was looking for a stylish footmuff for her pushchair she soon realised there were very few available. Seeing this apparent gap in the market she set up Betty Bramble, which creates distinctive luxury footmuffs and pushchair accessories in a range of fabrics from fun and bright designs to more delicate, vintage inspired patterns.
Gavin and Charlotte had always wanted their own business and after daughter Elodie was born, the desire to launch a business grew. When searching for the right clothes and products for Elodie, they saw a prime opportunity to create an online boutique for high quality stylish clothes and gifts for 0-3 year olds, all organic or ethically sourced. This coincided with the opportunity to relaunch the Gentle Baby Things brand which perfectly summed up the couple’s values: gentle to your baby and gentle to the planet.
What makes stella & dot unique? As soon as I was introduced to the stella & dot collection I instantly loved their range. The differing designs and quality of the jewellery was so beyond anything I’d worn or seen before. After hosting my first Trunk Show my friends shared the love too. When the stylist suggested that I should consider becoming a stylist myself I didn’t think I had the time to spare but the generous commission soon swayed me! In terms of an income stream it’s great, I spend a few evenings a week meeting new friends and showing them beautiful jewellery. How does running a business fit around family life? I have a 3 year old daughter and my stepchildren are 7 and 11, so life is pretty busy. I’m also a partner in a HR consultancy company so it’s not easy balancing it all - but we make it work. Only working a few evenings for stella & dot means I don’t miss out on spending precious time with my family. What plans have you got for the future? I’m only 3 months into this venture and our family holiday for next year is close to being booked, so financially it’s working well. I hope to encourage others to become stylists too, to see just how enjoyable and fun it can be.
What makes Betty Bramble unique? Betty Bramble makes premium footmuffs using the best quality fabrics and lovely cosy, thick wadding. We source high quality fabrics from around the world to create beautiful, exclusive footmuffs at an affordable price - all designed and manufactured in Britain. We are passionate and committed to the future of British manufacturing. How does running a business fit around family life? Betty Bramble was inspired by my family; my father has worked in the textile manufacturing and retail industries for over 40 years, and my children inspired me to launch the business. Challenges and opportunities can arise at any point. I therefore need to be incredibly organised, pedantic about time management and have great childcare. Ultimately, though, it is very satisfying and rewarding being able to do both. What plans have you got for the future? We will continue to find new and exciting fabrics for our luxury footmuffs. We’re currently developing coordinating pushchair hoods and buggy liners for the summer months. We know mums want their buggies to look stylish and will continue to create a range of fabulous products for them!
What makes Gentle Baby Things unique? It’s often hard to find clothes that are stylish but also fairly made and kind to the planet. We believe being gentle to the planet isn’t just being eco-conscious; inspired by Charlotte’s background in International Development, we give 10% of our profit to charities that aim to make the world a gentler place for mothers and children. How does running a business fit around a busy home life? The great thing about starting a business is with the internet you can work any time of day or night... it’s much easier to fit around family life now and although there is a lot of juggling and multitasking we enjoy the variety. We also have amazing family who have helped us out tremendously. What plans have you got for the future? Expanding our collection of popular British brands and exciting new ranges from Europe. Ultimately we hope to reach further afield to support artisan co-operatives in the developing world.
Hampshire Special
stella & dot
Molly & Monty
Lulu and Flo
Ruby and Ginger
Emma Craddock www.mollyandmonty.com
Lucy Williams www.luluandflo.co.uk
Liz Rhodes www.rubyandginger.co.uk
Just before Emma’s second son was born their family decided to relocate closer to her husband’s job. She gave up her job to focus on her family and to do something she’d always dreamt of, running her own business. Inspired by the lack of organic baby clothes at affordable prices, Emma looked into it further and found a gap for good quality, affordable organic clothing.
When Lucy’s daughter, Florence, was little she always bought her charming frocks whilst on holiday in Provence. Lucy admires the way the French dress their children. Florence is now fourteen and Lucy missed opening her wardrobe to a row of sweet floral dresses so decided to design her own collection and share the delights of ‘la robe’ with other parents and their ‘petite filles’.
Ruby and GINGER started from a ‘if only there was a...’ moment when Liz was out with her husband and 9 month old daughter Ruby who needed changing. Liz had shoved nappies and wipes into her handbag but it meant her husband couldn’t do the change without taking her beautiful handbag, Liz and her good friend Brenda decided to come up with a changing set that would fit inside her bag so they created the nappy purse.
What makes Molly & Monty unique? Firstly, it is our beautiful and original prints and the excellent quality of our clothes. Secondly, we have worked hard to keep everything produced locally as there are many advantages including environmental benefits, helping to build and maintain a better relationship with our suppliers and helping support our local economy. I’m very proud that all the processes, from the cotton fabric production through to the baby friendly screen-printing, are all done within 50 miles of our base in Oxfordshire.
What makes Lulu and Flo unique? I’m involved with every tiny detail. I design each piece, carefully choose my fabric and hunt for beautiful vintage buttons to match. The seamstresses at my atelier are really talented, experienced and dedicated to perfection, therefore the quality of our dresses is exceptional. The combination of both allows us to produce dresses to treasure forever.
How does running a business fit around family life? When you decide to run your own company and have children you choose to dedicate nearly all your spare time to work. In the day, I answer emails and speak to suppliers but I set aside the evenings, once the boys are in bed, to dispatch orders. At busy times, it’s tiring but I have fun with my boys!
How does running a business fit around family life? It’s all about balance and self discipline. I have three children and adore the noise and general chaos that family life brings. I often get up early to send any urgent emails. I work mostly when they’re at school and spend the odd evening in my studio at home adding finishing touches. Children grow up too quickly so working from home allows me to enjoy these precious years.
What plans have you got for the future? Hopefully we’ll keep growing and making more families aware of the benefits of organic clothing and that they can be affordable. I’d love to get to the stage in the next year or two where we are able to have our clothes available on the high street.
What plans have you got for the future? I’ll always maintain the style of Lulu and Flo and continue to source beautiful fabric, buttons and trims. I’m planning to introduce hand knitted cardigans and perhaps little coats next winter, overall I want to continue creating beautiful, timeless dresses.
What makes Ruby and GINGER unique? We have designed brand new innovative ideas like the nappy purse and car seat cover from our experiences - but we have also put our design spin on it by creating fabric patterns. We wanted our products to fulfill a need alongside being gorgeous and affordable too. All mums like to feel stylish but we also felt that it was important that our products were within reach of mums financially too. How does running a business fit around family life? The real answer is it just does, we make it work and if that means working in the evening so that we can do the school drop off or be at the assembly that’s what we have to do - fortunately Brenda and I have superstar husbands who have supported us every step of the way both practically and emotionally! What plans have you got for the future? We continue to grow the existing range into new shops and new countries every week. We’re always developing the products and fabrics! We’ve just relaunched in new gorgeous packaging which looks amazing on the shelves and they’re all water and dirt resistant too!
Cocobaci Linda, Nel & Sarah www.cocobaci.com
Sassy Beau Makeup Academy Pamela Moss www.sassybeau.co.uk
Pamela launched her training academy in response to countless requests for private makeup lessons. She soon found that she held a natural ability for teaching others the secrets of being a Makeup Artist and the Sassy Beau Academy evolved from there.
What makes Cocobaci unique? From our own experience we knew that finding the perfect baby collection under one roof was near on impossible. So we decided to create our own personal edit of the most beautiful clothing brands and unique gorgeous handmade gifts we could find. In addition, we’ve created a range of fabulous newborn gift bundles. We’ve also collaborated on beautiful exclusive jewellery and furniture collections. We believe we have created a simple but exquisite boutique where shopping is made effortlessly easy and enjoyable.
What makes Sassy Beau unique? After retraining from a career in HR to a makeup artist I completely appreciate what it takes to begin a new career. Each of our intensive courses include a business skills unit and can be studied full time, part time or in the evening. Course sizes are also kept small (maximum of 4) to ensure our students get personally trained and all the support they need.
How does running a business fit around family life? We’re certainly kept busy, but the beauty of having your own business is that you can be flexible and work around your children and family life. If anything we’ve all had to discipline ourselves to get a work/life balance as when working from home the work temptation is always there to keep going! We do everything in the business ourselves and thankfully we all have very supportive other halves. What plans have you got for the future? Having just launched, our priority is to ensure we understand our customers’ needs. We’re also in the process of developing our own Cocobaci baby range so watch this space!
How does running a business fit around family life? I’m lucky that I mainly work from home, which allows me the flexibility to spend lots of time with my daughter, however I have to be incredibly organised and disciplined. I write endless lists and some days feel like a military operation! But for me it provides the perfect work/life balance and I feel very privileged to have that. What plans have you got for the future? We’ve just introduced a range of beauty courses, and we’ll be introducing more hair courses soon. The aim is to make retraining as a make up artist or beauty therapist affordable and accessible. I want people to realise that retraining and following their dream is not something to be feared, but should be relished and enjoyed.
Collette Hague www.lydiaroseboutique.co.uk
Collette had always dreamt of owning her own shop, and it was only once her daughter Lydia arrived 15 months ago when she decided the baby industry was what she wanted to go into. Struggling to find any beautiful baby clothing locally this was the perfect opportunity for her to fulfil her dream, and provide something Fareham couldn’t offer. And in June Lydia Rose Boutique became a reality. What makes Lydia Rose unique? We’ve put a lot of effort into the environment of the shop, making sure the layout is accessible and that it’s a generally inviting boutique. We also stock fabulous brands that you can’t find nearby, including no added sugar, Emile et Rose, Hatley and Kissy Kissy. There’s also parking outside which can be a godsend when shopping with children or a big bump. How does running a business fit around family life? It’s a family business, joint with my husband Adam, so we support each other. In the day my mum and dad look after Lydia, which is a huge help. We close the shop on a Sunday, so we make sure that this is purely a family day. What plans have you got for the future? We’re looking forward to the word getting out about Lydia Rose. Our website is launching imminently, which will allow customers who cannot come into the shop to order online – I’m really excited about getting that up and running! We’ll also be holding special preview events in the evenings, where people can look at the latest collections.
Hampshire Special
By a twist of fate Linda, Nel & Sarah were all made redundant in early 2012. Linda and Nel, both with backgrounds in buying, joined forces with Sarah, a former merchandiser at the same company as Nel. They all shared the same passion to launch their own business.
Lydia Rose Boutique