Learning made fun

Musical Minis – Work and Earn, With Time For Yourself

Musical Minis provides an opportunity to work and earn an income whilst still having time for yourself. The Musical Minis franchise allows franchisees to balance work and home life. Franchisees have a choice in the exclusive area they establish, they choose how many hours they want to dedicate to the franchise and what targets they want to set themselves. This flexibility together with the opportunity to work with children are some of the main reasons why I believe our franchise is one of the leading part time franchises for women in the UK.

Musical Minis Merseyside Work Experience Programme

Merseyside Work Experience Invitation

Coffee Morning Friday 10th Feb 2012 10 am to 12 pm at Stoneycroft Children’s Centre Scotia Road L13 6QJ. Learn more about Musical Minis Work Experience Programme

Musical Minis Merseyside in conjunction with Stoneycroft Children’s Centre and kindly sponsored by Liverpool Mutual Homes is delighted to offer training and work experience based on the popular music group for babies and toddlers. Participants will be invited to attend a day’s training followed by work experience at weekly one hour sessions lasting ten weeks. The final session will include a graduation where participants will receive a certificate of attainment.

The course will offer people the chance to gain valuable, transferrable skills such as interaction with children and families/presentation skills. It will also cover aspects of health and safety and inclusion. We hope that participants will gain confidence whilst also having fun with activities based on child development through music.

To find out more contact Cathie Flynn on 0151 486 4735 e-mail cathie@musicalminis.co.uk

Nativity Plays - Fond Memories from the Mum Of A Donkey!

MY children's nativity plays were always one of the year's highlights. They were something I wouldn't dream of missing and luckily being my own boss I could gear the Musical Minis term around my own children. I suggest to our franchisees that they should finish classes early at Christmas time so they make sure they have time to watch their children's plays. This is a great advantage of having a flexible business.

I have enjoyed all the school plays my children have ever been in but a few stick out as being really memorable. My all time favourite was when Alex, my middle child, was 3 years old and he was a donkey in his nursery's nativity. Alex was guarding the crib in the stable with a boy called Bruce who was a sheep. The 3 wise men came and left their gifts, which apparently were left in a position slightly different to the one expected. This resulted in the sheep and donkey having a fight on stage struggling to put the gifts in the exact correct place! Alex won and the sheep was so fed up that he went to sleep and had to be woken up at the end. Little did we realise then, that Alex would end up studying drama at University and obviously exact staging was extremely important to him!

Matthew, my eldest, when he was 3 years old was Joseph in the nativity. The cast then performed the Christmas Alphabet and he and Mary (a girl called Imogen) had 'M is for the mistletoe where everybody kissed'. It was really sweet watching these two 3 year olds kiss on cue. I still love the song and made sure it is on our Musical Minis Christmas lesson. Another one of my favourites when was Matthew was at primary school, aged about 6 years old. They were performing a rock nativity and Matthew managed to lead his whole class off stage at totally the wrong time - they all followed him!

The nativity that sticks out in my mind with Emily, my youngest, was when she was about 3 years old and at nursery. One of the scenes was with a girl, called Georgina and a boy, who I can't remember, doing 'I'm a Barbie Girl' with the rest of the nursery dancing around. I still have no idea why they were doing this but it was really sweet. At primary school, when Emily was 5 years old, she was given the task with a few others of playing percussion instruments to accompany the play. Her years of Musical Minis training paid off!

I would love to hear your nativity play stories with your children. They are a very special part of being a parent and I appreciate all the teachers' hard work in putting on a performance, with such young children, that can be remembered for years to come.

 Photo by Flickr jrwi

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.

 

Top 10 Ideas if you want to start a family friendly business by Antonia Chitty

At Musical Minis, we know what it's like to work on a business while supporting a young family, as well as encouraging and helping our franchisees who, in many cases, have chosen flexible working around their children.

Around three in four mums would love to start a business, but it can be difficult to know where to start. Antonia Chitty is the author of several books to help you including The Mumpreneur Guide’s Start Your Own Business Book and Start a Family Friendly Business: 129 Business Ideas for Mums. Read on for Antonia’s advice on how to get started:

1. List your priorities such as earning money, or finding work that lets you stay home with your children. Then, write down your skills, and ask others what they think you're good at.
2. Think about the hours you can devote to work. Be realistic if you plan to work around the kids, as children may not understand "mummy's working". 
3. Research the market for your business. Will people buy your product or service? Is it unique enough to be appealing? Look at your competition and work out how your business could be different or better.

Would you send a sick child to school? Me neither

Guest post by Linda Jones

I've been scratching my head this morning - again. I'm quite often perplexed, baffled or incredulous -- and this is very likely to have been brought on by news of yet another survey connected with working mums. According to the media, you could think of many of society's ills and you would have to look no further than a mother attempting to hold down a job as well as raise a child for the cause.

Obesity, rioting, laziness, you name it, there's probably a poll somewhere that says working mothers (especially single ones of course) are to blame.  There's no mention of the dad of the household. Perhaps he is completely oblivious or blame-free, who knows? Whatever the reason, the papers don't tend to mention him, whether he has scarpered or not.

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.

How confident are you?

Guest post by Linda Jones

Do you consider yourself a naturally confident person, or work hard to maintain an air of knowing what you are doing?

At work, do you find yourself shaking on the inside while everyone tells you how wonderfully confident you appear?

People who know me, say they can't believe how confident I am. Sometimes I can't believe it either. I think back to my childhood and how shy I was when I was really young and wonder how on earth things changed.

Sarah Jessica Parker? I don't care how she does it

Guest post by Linda Jones

I can't be the only mum to be irked by Sarah Jessica Parker in a seemingly relentless publicity blitz surrounding her latest film, I don't know how she does it.

Based on the book by caustic former Daily Mail columnist Allison Pearson, it's inevitably being marketed at mums - oh can't we all identify with the *hilarious* antics of the working mother? She wants to be the best at everything but ends up in a pickle...with rib tickling consequences.

I can't begin to tell you how patronised I feel at the thought of sitting through this critically panned film.

The book? I hated it. To now see a pampered Hollywood A lister being held up by TV interviewers as some sort of role model? Don't get me started. I care as much about what Sarah Jessica Parker has to say about being a working mum as I do about what Ryan Giggs can offer on long term relationships.

Volunteering At The London Olympics 2012

AT the beginning of the month I was invited to attend a selection event and interview as part of the application process for volunteering at the Olympics in 2012.

As a bit of background, people were invited to apply to volunteer at the Olympics and had to complete an application form by October 2010. 240,000 volunteers', or 'Games Makers' as they are called, applications were received. 100,000 people will be interviewed and 70,000 volunteers are needed.

I was excited to be selected for an interview but have been surprised by the response from others. I can understand that some people are against hosting the Olympics due to the cost, disruption etc. associated with them. However, I can also see the pro Olympic argument as to how it can boost the economy etc. Whether people are for or against the London Olympics I think everyone needs to accept they're happening.

The element of my Olympic application that has surprised me is the fact that a number of people, including close friends and family, think I'm mad to volunteer. I actually find it exciting to think that I could be part of the Olympics and see it as a once in a lifetime experience. I don't mind giving a few days of my Summer to help out in whatever area it is felt I would be most beneficial to. The role they are considering me for is Olympics and Paralympics Family Services - whilst I'm not sure exactly what this entails I'm sure it will be both hard work and fun.

As franchisor of Musical Minis I do have experience of both running a business and supporting a team. During the Summer Musical Minis is quieter for me as regular classes on the whole stop during the holidays. If my volunteer application is successful, any Musical Minis work I have to do can be fitted into the hours when I'm not working, be postponed for a few days or delegated to others.

I'm interested in your views. Do you think I'm barmy in hoping I'm successful and giving up some of my holiday to volunteer? I wouldn't be paid, although I understand a London Underground pass and meals are provided so I won't be out of pocket. The hours could be long and at unsociable times. None of this bothers me though. I'd be happy to do a small part to help make the London Olympics a huge success and something that the Country can feel proud of.