A chance advertisement caught Emma’s eye. Emma had been in Travel for 15 years, the last few as a regional manager, but since having IVF and the birth of her son was thinking about the possibility of something new.
“Given the gift of an IVF baby, I wanted to have a role that allowed me to spend time with him and hours to fit around my new lifestyle’ says Emma. ‘Debutots seemed to tick all the boxes, giving me an opportunity to build a business of my own whilst maintaining a healthy balance. I loved the idea of working with children and was captivated by their beautiful marketing, ethos and stories.”
Since launching Debutots in 2015, Emma has never looked back and now has another colleague running a franchise in West Hull alongside a team of three brilliant practitioners delivering our award winning classes across the area.
“Every day is a joy,” says Emma, “to spend time with so many little ones at Nursery or School; especially our extensive work with SEN children, is so rewarding. The addition of our intergenerational classes in 2019 (taking children into residential homes) has been life affirming.”
It hasn’t all been plain sailing though, Emma and her team have been through some extremely tough times. “Keeping the business going through the pandemic was tough,” says Emma, “But the support of our fantastic head office team and colleagues around the country was inspirational. I then tragically lost a wonderful practitioner, Emily, in a car accident and wondered if we would recover. But we did and we have gone on to deliver to even more children and I know she would be proud. This 10 year celebration is for Emily too, who loved Debutots and will always be remembered by us all with love.”
Emma’s happy customers speak for themselves. Clair Burn, the owner at Butterflies Day Nursery and aclient for ten years, said: “Debutots is brilliant and like nothing else we’ve seen before. All the children thoroughly enjoy Emma’s visits to the setting and always remember the stories she tells. Also with the links to the EYFS it gives the practitioners in the setting new ideas to further enhance the children’s learning once the session is over.”
Anna Rimmer, owner at Wild at Heart Nursery in Driffield, said: “Debutots have been attending our nursery weekly. It started as two classes but had to extend to three! Our children ADORE their weekly session, eager to go and come back full of chatter about the main character and their story. They love their stickers and celebrating the drama star of the week. It often comes up in conversations with parents how much they love it. On top of that we have had staff training by Debutots which was also outstanding. We’d feel lost without them now. Emma and Claire certainly add to what makes our nursery so special.”
Hannah Brown, Head of Upper School at St Anne’s School and Sixth Form, added: “Emma and her team provide wonderful sessions that are absolutely fantastic! They are inclusive and interactive so that all children can join in. Thank you!”
80% of small businesses fail in their first 18 months as reported by Hiscox. Business expert, Bernard Marr, cites the main reasons for failure; these include: No Plan; Lack of Clear Value Proposition; No Marketing Platform and No Performance Data. How can you make sure you’re getting this right? You need a proven platform – something tried and tested that you can make your own.
That is just what Emma did. She took a risk 10 years ago to invest in a tried and tested business with proven success and a proven track record: and that was a franchise from a company called Debutots.
“The decision to franchise was probably the biggest decision in the history of Debutots,” explains Charlotte, Debutots Founding Director, “Debutots had evolved into a successful and much needed product for parents, nurseries and schools as a result of years of research, planning and trial and error. Blood sweat and tears had produced something to be truly proud of and entrusting someone else with this was a big call, but without doubt it was the right one! It’s incredible to welcome Emma into the Debutots 10 years club! Emma operates a fantastic and thriving business, supporting so many schools, nurseries, children and teachers. I am very proud of all she has achieved and she is a hugely trusted and respected colleague. Here’s to the next 10 years!”