Tell me about you and your family and where you live

I am primarily mum to my beautiful girls, and wife to my very lucky husband (!), but I also
run Baby College classes in the South Buckinghamshire area.  We moved to Marlow just over three years ago, so we were closer to my husband’s work and consider ourselves extremely fortunate to live in a beautiful place like Marlow.

 

What's so good about the local area? Where are your favourite places to go?

We moved from another Thames-side town, but Marlow has a real sense of community, which
I haven’t experienced before. I love the river and all the walking – we have a large dog – but it’s also great to have a town with some lovely independent shops and cafes as well as amazing restaurants. Our most favourite place to go is Cliveden – I cannot believe how beautiful it is throughout the year, and it keeps the whole family entertained. However, we do also love Ray Mill Island, which is a real hidden gem and great for an ice cream in the summer.

Tell me about your business, Baby College...  

Baby College was one of my favourite times of the week with my daughter. We lived outside Oxford when my children were born and Baby College quickly became the highlight of my week. The class offered a variety of activities – singing, signing, dancing and lots of things we could do at home, as well as an opportunity to learn a little bit about how my daughter was growing and developing. The small class and the termly bookings meant I made some real friends too, who helped me through some of those difficult early days as a new mum. When we moved to Marlow, I started to look for a job that fitted around the family. I realised that
if I could bring Baby College to Marlow, not only would it work for me, but it would be giving local parents an opportunity to experience all the fabulous things I loved about Baby College too. It was a done deal!

 

Have you always been interested in doing this? What do you like about it the most?

My previous life consisted of being a PA, a project manager and a marketing manager before running my own business as a virtual PA. Lots of what I do now is related – I’m running my own business, and responsible for all my marketing – but I have never been in a teaching role before. In fact, that has become what I enjoy the most. Seeing the children enjoying the class, and seeing how they develop during the course of a term is amazing. When they come back again the next term and they are pleased to see you, it’s so rewarding! It’s been a real eye-opener and I never realised how much I would enjoy that aspect of it. Seeing the parents making friends too is also a real benefit, as I know how much I got out of the network
I created whilst I was at Baby College.

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Did you have to do any business courses or training for your business?

I have completed a franchisee training course run by Baby College UK, which all franchisees complete before they can begin running classes. I also have a Diploma from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, which has been really helpful in knowing the best way to market
my business.

 

What is the best part of it? And the worst? 

One of the best parts of running my own business is the flexibility it offers me. Of course,
I have to be at classes, but I can decide which days I work, where and when. The worst bit is the constant niggling worry that you should be drumming up more business. 

 

Who is your idol?

I’m not big on idols – but my mum is pretty amazing.  She was always around for us, and
I hope that my children will remember their childhood in the same way.

 

Anything else we don't know about you?

I used to run a cub pack!

 

What's in your handbag?

Tissues, nappy sacks (for dog-walking purposes!), my purse, lip balm and probably a
hair clip and a sweet wrapper…

 

What's your ideal weekend?

Friday evening dinner at home with my husband and our friends, a Saturday walk on the beach with the dog and then Strictly with my girls. A Sunday lie-in would be amazing, but
if it’s not the children it’s the dog, so I think we’re a long way from that yet!

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http://babycollege.co.uk/south-buckinghamshire/5312332

Classes are on a Monday in Penn, Tuesday in Amersham and Wednesday in
Beaconsfield and Marlow.