Finalists announced at the EWIF Awards
With a mission to educate, inspire and empower more women into franchising, EWIF has just announced its 2019 finalists, including two entries from Razzamataz Theatre Schools.
The annual Awards ceremony celebrates the achievements of women across the franchising industry. Razzamataz has been announced in two categories: MD and Founder of Razzamataz Denise Hutton-Gosney is a finalist in the Inspirational Franchisor and Charlotte Young, who has been working for Razzamataz since 2005, is a finalist in the Woman Franchise Employee of the Year.
In the written entry, Denise explained how the network has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds over the years via the company’s own charity and the partnership with The Stage newspaper offers hundreds of scholarship places and grants to talented young people at Razzamataz. This desire to give back as a business has empowered individual franchisees to make a difference to the lives of those in their local areas as well as improve young people’s welfare through performing arts. As part of the Award’s submission, Denise spoke about the many partnerships that Razzamataz build to not only help with business growth, but to also offer wonderful experiences for the students.
“Customer satisfaction and creating special memories for the students and their families is the foundation of Razzamataz,”
“In 2018 we wanted to offer some magical experiences. These included performing at the Indigo at the 02, appearing on the red carpet at The Kid Who Would Be King premier and regional masterclasses with West End and Broadway star Kerry Ellis to name just a few. There are many more planned for this year.”
A long-standing commitment to Razzamataz Theatre Schools has enabled Charlotte Young to thrive in her job as a Creative Director and Support Mentor. 2018 was a significant year for Charlotte and saw her working on a high-profile assignment; project managing a large-scale show at the Indigo at the 02, which involved a number of the Razzamataz schools. “This was the first time that Razzamataz had the opportunity to perform at the 02 and it involved a number of new challenges,” explains Charlotte. “When you put on a show such as this with a large number of children, there really can be no room for error so it was imperative that we got everything right.”
Charlotte spends much of her working day mentoring the franchisees. Through her knowledge and support, Charlotte has been able to significantly improve results. After a number of meetings with the franchisee at the Plymouth school, her growth shot up to 93.75%. “I’ve been involved with Razzamataz the best part of my whole working life,” adds Charlotte. “This isn’t just a job to me, it’s a way of life and it’s important that I can be a part of making other people’s Razzamataz journeys as successful and rewarding as mine has been.”
The EWIF Awards highlights the many benefits of franchising, especially to female entrepreneurs, which is something that Razzamataz is passionate about. “One of the most rewarding aspects of my work is seeing other women flourish in their business,” adds Denise. “We have lots of working mums who are franchisees and to see them build a profitable business around their commitments to their children is wonderful.”
2019 is already looking to be another exciting year for Razzzamataz. Last year, Hayley Limpkin, Founding Principal and now co-owner of Razzamataz Medway, was awarded two Awards in the British Franchise Association (bfa) Awards. She won the ‘Lifestyle Franchisee of the Year’ category and took the title on the night, beating off stiff competition from the likes of Costa. The judges and everyone who attended the Awards, including other franchisees and franchisors, were so impressed with Hayley, that they also chose to give her the title of ‘People’s Choice Franchisee of the Year 2018.’
On Tuesday April 23 at 8pm, Hayley will host a live Discovery Den to share her incredible success story and inspire others to take control of their own futures.
“I’m incredibly proud of what our franchisees are achieving and delighted for Charlotte who is so deserving of this Award,” adds Denise. “Charlotte’s commitment to Razzamataz is outstanding and I’m so pleased that this has now been recognised by an independent judging panel.”
The winners for the 2019 Awards will be announced at a prestigious Awards ceremony in central London on Wednesday May 1 at RBS Building.
To find out more about joining our Award-winning team of franchisees or securing a place on the live Discovery Den, chat to Head of Recruitment Steve on E: [email protected] or call 07585 709 136.
There are currently opportunities to take over existing schools in Hackney and Reading. There may be a potential to purchase our Wimbledon school and territory.
