Learning made fun

As Franchisor Am I Right To Turn Away Prospective Franchisees I Don't Think Will Be Successful?

I feel as franchisor of Musical Minis I have a duty to be honest with prospective franchisees and make sure they are realistic about the business they are hoping to buy into.

Prospective Musical Minis franchisees need to be aware that it is not only the classes they need to learn how to run but they also need to run a business. Some people just can't cope with being self employed and are much better as employees. Others can be mentored and although running a business is difficult for them, with guidance they will be fine after a while.

After 15 years of franchising I do think I can ascertain fairly early on when meeting a prospective franchisee if I feel they can run a Musical Minis franchise successfully. I also take note of comments existing franchisees say when a prospective franchisee visits them - they are keen to expand the network but only with suitable people.

I was sad to learn today that a prospective franchise I had declined, who was then accepted by another pre school music franchise, now has her franchise up for sale. It is hard to know who to blame, the franchisor or the franchisee. I knew the franchisee would seek another franchise to join and I knew another franchisor would accept her money!

Before I accept a new franchisee I insist they visit an existing class to make sure Musical Minis is the right franchise for them. Alarm bells always ring if:

• the prospective franchisee isn't interested in the programme,
• thinks it's very simple and easy to run so isn't at all concerned,
• think they've understood everything so don't need to stay for the complete class.

After the application form has been completed I can get a better feel for the franchisees' suitability. References often will give a glowing report, they have been chosen by the applicant so will act on their behalf. It is important to read between the lines and raise any doubts I have with the referees and hear their replies.

I have telephone conversations with applicants and during these can raise any concerns I have. Often the prospective franchisee will agree with me and we can discuss how I can mentor them and help them with the parts of the business that could be problematic for them. If we work together and they're prepared to accept help and guidance the success of their franchise will increase. Sometimes it's very clear that the applicant feels everything is fine but really doesn't understand the business side at all.  I have had one applicant who signed a draft contract and returned it with a cheque. It would have been really easy to pay in the cheque but I knew the applicant had no business sense and had no understanding of what she had done. It would have felt unethical to take the money when I didn't think the business could succeed as the prospective franchisee was too naive. I thought other franchisors would sign her up - unfortunately this was the case.

I am really keen to ascertain that an applicant really does understand what they are committing to in respect of the business before the Contract is drawn up. I feel it's unfair to take someones money if the business side of the franchise is something they are not suited to.

If you feel a Musical Minis franchise may be suitable for you please click here and enter your details to download an information pack. I'm happy to talk the franchise over with enquirers and rest assured I will tell you honestly where I feel your strengths and weaknesses lie. If I don't feel the franchise is right for you I will let you know. If both I and you feel it is suitable there are just 5 easy steps to become a Musical Minis franchisee.

How To Plan A Trip To Disney World

Guest post by Debbie Caygill, our Newcastle Musical Minis franchisee.

Easter 2011 my husband, our 2 children (4 years and 2 years), my parents and I set off for a holiday of a lifetime to Disney World Florida. I had my concerns over the ages of our children but we looked on various websites  and decided to just go for it. Before I became the Newcastle Musical Minis franchisee, I had worked as a business travel agent and have always loved booking and organising our holidays. The last time I actually went into a travel agents and booked a “package” holiday was over 10 years ago! Your holiday really does start from the moment you decide to go. The planning stage is so important, here are a few tips to planning your holiday to Disney World Florida.

Planning your holiday:

1. Visit http://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/tools . This website tells you everything you need to know about when to go, what days to go and waiting times for rides. It is $11.95 for a years subscription, but it is money well spent

2. Decide which parks you want to visit and buy your tickets before you go. You can buy your tickets at http://disneyworld.disney.go.com and find out all the information about the various different parks. Bare in mind age and height requirements for certain rides, you don't want to turn up at a ride that your child is excited to go on, only to discover he/she can't get on.

3. Decide where you want to stay. There are a number of hotels on site which have public transport provided to take you from your hotel to the parks. If you choose to stay in a villa off site, remember you will need to pay for parking everyday that you visit and parking is $14 per day for a car. The parking lots are huge & baring in mind we went over the Easter holidays (the 2nd most busy time of year) we didn't have any problems parking, never queued to enter or leave the park and only had to queue once to get on the connecting trams to the park from the car park.

We flew from Glasgow International Airport with Virgin Atlantic, direct to Orlando International. We stayed in a villa in the Davenport area, around 12-15 minutes drive from Disney World, and hired a car from  Holiday Autos. The roads are very good and we never had any problems with traffic jams or becoming lost. We did take our handy Sat Nav with us although you can hire them from most car rental companies too.


The last thing you want to be doing on your holiday is standing in queues for rides & attractions. Here are some things you can do to reduce your waiting times:

1. There are various apps you can get now for your phone which shows you the waiting times at various attractions & rides. If you did purchase a subscription for http://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/tools this will also tell you which days are early opening days. If you are staying in a resort hotel then you will have access to the park 1 hour before everyone else and 1 hour after everyone else on certain days. If you are not staying in a resort hotel these days are best avoided at certain parks as the early arrivers will have already had an hour to get their FastPass tickets.

2. Certain rides have “FastPass” available. You simply pop your park ticket into the machine and they will give you a ticket to return at a set time. When you return to your ride just look for the FastPass sign and go straight onto your ride.

3. If you have seen all the parades or don't wish to see them, then use this time to go on the attractions, the queues will not be so big.

4. If the weather is looking bad, don't be put off, others may be so lines will be less busy.

5. A child switch or switch rider pass avoids the need to queue twice. Dad can wait in line while mum watches the kids. When he has finished on the ride Mum can use her switch rider pass & go straight to the front of the line.

Disney World is made up of 4 theme parks and 2 water parks:

• Magic Kingdom
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Epcot
• Typhoon Lagoon
• Blizzard Beach

Hollywood Studios and Typhoon Lagoon were our favourite parks. I was going to list all our favourite attractions but I don't want to spoil it for you. All I would say is don't miss Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios and my children loved drawing Mickey Mouse at The Magic of Disney Animation, also Hollywood Studios. After the session be quick and ask for the animators drawing for a lasting memory to take home with you. We have ours framed in the hall. Go to as many of the shows as you can within the parks, they were all great, especially The Festival of the Lion King at Animal Kingdom.

We loved our holiday so much we are planning to go back in 2013!

Merseyside Musical Minis Work Experience Training Day

Guest post by Cathie Flynn, the Merseyside franchisee

I was delighted when the idea of using the Musical Minis Programme as a work experience scheme was accepted by Liverpool Mutual Homes. The opportunity to build confidence, whilst having fun with activities based on child development through music was quickly grabbed by six local people. This is what happened on their training day.

I arrived at Stoneycroft Children’s Centre to find the successful participants gathered expectantly in the meeting room. After a cup of tea and a quick introductory chat it was down to business. I gave a history of Musical Minis and then spoke about how I had taken my twin girls when they were about two years old and really loved the sessions. In fact I had loved them so much that I decided to buy the franchise for the Merseyside area. With over 10 years under my belt I was able to talk knowledgably about my experiences running the sessions and explained how the course would run through twelve classes over the next term and that how everyone would have a go at running all parts of the programme. I also explained that we would be able to split the lesson into sections so that people could try leading a smaller part of the class before being expected to run the whole thing. I made clear that I would be happy for people to go at their own pace and try things when they felt comfortable. Some things come more easily with experience and there was plenty of time for them to gain that experience over the next few weeks.

How Long Does It Take To Sign Up A New Franchisee?

THIS is a question I'm often asked and one there is no right answer to. It depends on the prospective franchisee's situation. Some have decided upon buying into a children's franchise and have investigated numerous options before coming across Musical Minis and know it's the right one for them. Others come across Musical Minis at the beginning of their search and then need to thoroughly investigate options.

Anyone interested in a franchise needs to first work out what franchise they're interested in. A Musical Minis franchise involves working with pre-school children and is based on child development using music. Obviously this category of franchise won't interest everyone.

Musical Minis is a part time franchise. This is ideal for people interested in flexible working and is particularly attractive for Mums, as it allows them to work around their child's nursery or school day and not work in school holidays. Anyone who wants to work full time is best suited to another franchise.

A Musical Minis franchise is relatively good value and low cost. Some prospective franchisees wish to invest tens or hundreds of thousands in a franchise, so want to find a higher costing franchise.

Musical Minis latest new franchisees in Gloucestershire and Dorset show how different the length of the journey can be from enquiry to signing the Franchise Agreement. Joanna Johnston in Gloucestershire, first enquired about the Musical Minis franchise in October 2010 when she downloaded an information pack from the Musical Minis website. At the start of 2011, Joanna downloaded the information again and requested more information. This was followed by a visit to an existing franchise to check that she was happy with the programme and to see that Musical Minis was the right franchise for her. By Easter she had completed the application form and seen the Franchise Agreement together with our Business Plan. Joanna had decided that Musical Minis was the right franchise for her and we had decided that we were happy to offer her the franchise and were confident that we could work together. Joanna wanted to make sure her old employer wouldn't be left short of staff and wanted a successor before she could commit to Musical Minis. With this in mind training started in June, however, the commencement date for the Contract was delayed until mid September 2011. The whole process from the initial enquiry to starting classes took Joanna about a year.

In contrast, Gill Turcan our South East Dorset and New Forest franchisee first learnt about a Musical Minis franchise in July 2011 when she read an article about EWIF, Encouraging Women Into Franchising, in Making Money Magazine. The article was about Amanda Perkins, our Buckingham franchisee, winning the EWIF young franchisee of the year. Gill, like Joanna, downloaded the franchise information from the Musical Minis website and quickly applied for further information and completed an application form. Gill visited 2 franchisees and met up with me before deciding she wanted to go ahead with the franchise. We were delighted as we knew Gill would make an ideal franchisee. Gills training started in August and by mid September she had classes running in her area. Gill had within 2 months seen the Musical Minis franchise opportunity, signed the contract, received training and had started classes.

The important thing to remember is that each franchisee is different and at a different stage in their and their families' life. It is crucial that they work to a suitable timescale for them and their situation. Musical Minis allows each potential franchisee time and fits in with their schedule, not vice versa. At the moment we have prospective franchisees who are waiting to hear if they have been made redundant so have money to invest in a franchise, others who are pregnant and are waiting for their baby to be born before committing to the business. Whilst there are others who are just at the initial stage of applying and who knows they could be signed up and starting classes after Christmas.

If you feel a Musical Minis franchise may be for you please fill in your details and download franchise information from our website by clicking here.

 

Say hello to Jo, our new franchisee in Gloucestershire

Joanna Johnston is a mum-of-three from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, and the latest addition to our Musical Minis franchisees.

We’re thrilled she’s on board – Jo is enthusiastic, energetic, and has a great understanding of children and what the Musical Minis programme can help them achieve.

She began running her classes around Gloucestershire in September.

Here, Jo tells us a little bit about how she came to join our team, and how she is looking forward to doing a job she loves, whilst still being able to spend lots of quality time with her family.

Flexible working - A Q and A with one of our franchisees

Moving on from the controversies surrounding working mums, and whether or not they can have it all, we've been catching up with one of our long-standing franchisees, and finding out that actually, here in the real world, it is possible to have a very fulfilling and challenging career and still have time for your wonderful family

Jo Weaving, our Musical Minis South Wales franchisee, who has been with us since 2003, explains how she has not just coped with running a business and having a young family, but thrived on it.

New franchisee for Herts crowns a busy start to the month

Wow – it's been all go since we started classes again, and we're off to a flying start, I’m pleased to say.

Having just told you about our two new franchisees, I am thrilled to say we also have Sharon Stephens joining the team, having taken over classes in Hertfordshire.

Sharon is well-versed in the Musical Minis programme, having been a customer in the past!

Her son Monty, who is now 19 months ( and is pictured below with Sharon and dad Paul) is a regular at Musical Minis, and will hopefully now be delighted that mummy is running the group.

Sharon is responsible for the Central and East Herts area, and classes are now up and running, so please get in touch with her to find out what’s going on.

Sharon had been working in the public sector, but since the arrival of Monty, had been hoping to find a career which better fitted around her family, and was thrilled at the chance to work with Musical Minis.

She has seen first-hand how much her son gets out of attending the sessions, and is now very much looking forward to helping many other youngsters benefit too.

Despite being very familiar with our classes, Sharon has been through extensive training, as running the sessions is very different to attending them, and is now delighted to be leading her own groups.

Sharon already has plans to expand further into the Hertfordshire area and open new venues to meet demand – I wish you every success with the venture Sharon, and can’t wait to hear how much you’re enjoying being part of Musical Minis.

We were all extremely sad to learn that Linda Williams, who had been running the franchise since April 2008, had to sell because her son had become ill – it is a terribly difficult time for Linda and her family.  Please know we are thinking about you, and send the whole family our very best wishes.

Two new franchisees for Musical Minis

Phew! Is it that time already?  The summer seems to have flown by - I hope you have all had a fantastic time.

That said, I’m sure lots of little ones are champing at the bit to get back into their normal routine, and we certainly had been looking forward to welcoming everyone back to classes this week.

Something else I’m tremendously excited about is the fact we have been joined by two new franchisees over the summer, which is wonderful news.

Jo Johnston (pictured below) and Gill Turcan (pictured above right ) are now running classes in Gloucestershire and South East Dorset respectively, and we are delighted to welcome them to the team.

Some beautiful images from a Musical Minis mum!

WOW, we'd like to say a big thank you to Nikki Rutley who captured some gorgeous images at Musical Minis and displayed them on her blog.

They are from a few months ago now, but they still look great. Modest Nikki points out that they aren't up to what she calls her "usual standards" but are snapshots. As you can see from her main photography website, Nikki is a hugely talented photographer.

And, in her post about Musical Minis, Nikki, of Spalding, adds:

 
Whilst the faces change as members come and go, one thing remains the same, it is always the best hour of Noah's week! He loves it! And so do I - It's nice to get out of the house, doing something different, and catching up with the other mums and dads who are always really friendly.

Each week we sing different songs and have activities such as musical statues with balls (Noah can barely contain his excitement when he spots the bin liner full of balls! He spends all his time trying to get Janie's attention to get her to release them!) In the middle of the session all of the instruments come out and they are free to bang away on drums, play on xylophones, shake bells etc.

It didn't matter when I first started going that Noah was too young to actually play the instruments or sing the songs, he still loved all the colours and noise and attention, and was taking it all in. Now on a Thursday morning he might be sitting in his beloved little tikes car that I usually have to literally prize him out of, but I only have to say the words "Shall we go to Musical Minis?" and he's straight out to the front door like a lightening bolt!

I honestly can't recommend this class enough. Children of all ages can benefit, there is plenty to learn and heaps of fun to be had.

So what are you waiting for? Find your local class with the link below and go along - you'll see that I'm right!

Thanks Nikki, it's lovely to see such praise!

 

Merseyside franchisee celebrates ten years and still going strong

We are thrilled that Cathie Flynn, our Merseyside franchisee, has renewed her Musical Minis licence for another five years.

Cathie took the Merseyside franchise in 2001, renewing for the first time in 2006 and for the second time last week. Over the ten years Cathie has put a great deal of effort into her business and seen it flourish.

Before becoming a Musical Minis franchisee, Cathie worked in the finance sector.  She was also a teaching assistant and involved with a community art and drama project before heading up the  Merseyside franchise.

When Cathie took on the franchise her twin daughters were just three years old and she was looking for something to fit in around her family life. The idea of running her own business appealed to her and she particularly liked the idea of a franchise, as everything she needed to get her business up and running was included, as well as the on-going support.

Since starting her franchise ten years ago, Cathie’s business has grown from strength to strength and she now leads several sessions throughout a busy six day week.   Cathie also finds time to  fit in a few hours a week of admin including banking, preparation of wages, answering phone calls and paperwork.  Musical Minis still fits in around her family life - she is able to take her daughters to school, pick them up and is usually off in the school holidays.