Musical Minis Outstanding Franchisee of the Year Is Leena Thakker

Musical Minis named Leena Thakker, owner of Musical Minis Oxford, Buckinghamshire and South Northants as their ‘Outstanding Franchisee of the Year’ at their annual conference.

The conference, held in Birmingham and attended by all Musical Minis franchisees, was centered on the theme ‘How understanding your business can increase your revenue’.

Leena bought her Oxford franchise in 2009 and purchased the adjacent territory of Buckinghamshire and South Northants when it came up for resale at the end of 2015.

Leena first discovered Musical Minis when she attended with her own children Anya and Alaina. Leena runs 17 classes in six venues with her Oxford franchise and five classes in five venues in her Buckinghamshire franchise. She frequently has top-performing figures across the Musical Minis franchise network.

Karen Sherr, founder of Musical Minis said, “We were delighted to give Leena the ‘Outstanding Franchisee Award’ at our recent conference, as she has demonstrated consistent hard work over many years. Her willingness to help with PR matters and to support head office when recruiting new franchisees is exceptional, as was her contribution to the making of our corporate franchisee recruitment video. At the end of 2015 Leena demonstrated her further commitment to Musical Minis by purchasing the adjacent Buckingham and South Northants franchise.”

Leena was asked the following questions and gave these replies:

Q. What did you feel at winning the award?
A. Really surprised and extremely ecstatic – I did not expect it at all and I feel honoured that all my hard work and perseverance has been recognised and acknowledged by head office. So many people have congratulated me and commented on the fact that I deserve it for all the hard work I do which is lovely as a lot of them are current members and ex-members.

Q. Why do you love running your businesses?
A. There are not many jobs which offer the flexibility and lifestyle that Musical Minis offers. Getting that work life balance has taken me a long time but now I feel I have achieved it and can have more quality time with my children and also spend more time on marketing the business. I still love running classes and doing parties but for me having a good team running the majority of classes has been fruitful. I find it so rewarding to see children develop and it is lovely when parents comment on how much their children enjoy the sessions and how much they get out of the session.

Q. Why did you buy the Buckinghamshire franchise too?
A. I bought the Oxfordshire 7 years ago and when we moved to Buckinghamshire I had always wanted to own the neighbouring counties too. So when the Buckinghamshire franchise came up for sale it was too good an opportunity to miss. I am confident that with my experience and knowledge of running the franchise in Oxfordshire, I can rebuild and grow the business successfully in the Bucks and Northants area. I love a challenge and I certainly have taken on a new exciting challenge!

Q.What are your hopes for the future of your business?
A. I would like to grow both businesses slowly and steadily and ensure that I don’t lose sight of my work life balance, which is of paramount importance to me and which was the reason for buying the business initially. I have very good teams in both areas which for me is so important and the backbone of a successful business. So with their commitment and enthusiasm and with my leadership skills, I believe that this is the perfect mix to achieve my objectives.

A Special Appreciation Award was given to Caroline Docherty, owner of Musical Minis Teesside and South Durham, in recognition of the huge support she gave to the franchise during the implementation of a new online booking system. Caroline consistently helped head office to iron out teething problems experienced, reacting to problems with a calm and ‘can do’ attitude.

If you would like to know more about attending a class or running your own Musical Minis business, please visit the website www.musicalminis.co.uk