It is with great pleasure to announce that today, our amazing franchisee, Miss Laura, in Romford Central, Chelmsford, Billericay and Brentwood celebrates her magical milestone birthday of 10 years!

Miss Laura has built a thriving dance school business to be exceptionally proud of and as a result of her unwavering devotion, attention to detail and dedication, she has brought her passion for teaching dancing to thousands of babyballet stars throughout that decade.

Before she embarked on buying her own babyballet franchise in 2012, she was already a babyballet teacher. The opportunity arose to buy the franchise and she jumped at the chance, excited at the prospect of having her own business.

I clearly remember chatting with Miss Laura at her franchise training at our Head Office in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Young, focussed, ambitious and bold, she came with a plan to bring babyballet to as many children as she could in her area, and there literally was no stopping her!

Her incredible drive and ambition really made an impact on me and I was certain she would make a great success of her new venture. It’s safe to say, all her ambitions and my expectations were well and truly en pointe. Her tenacious attitude towards building the franchise quickly resulted in busy classes and extremely happy customers.

When it comes to business, Miss Laura has it all and is a natural entrepreneur. As well as having a talent and joy for dance, she is also an extremely naturally talented business owner and leader. Miss Laura is dynamic, driven, has a keen eye for detail and has exceptionally high standards, which is why her babyballet business has grown and expanded exponentially since she began.

On the journey of growth and because she deeply cares about perfection, she identified the importance of self development and learning, which dramatically enhanced her success. One thing that has always struck me about Miss Laura is that she continuously strives to improve and enhance both her self and her business.

Building a business at such speed and to such a high level, brings challenges but Miss Laura always rises to the challenge and I feel her success is also down to her solution based outlook and problem solving ability. She really is one in a million!

Given the rapid rise in the number of classes and expanding her franchise area several times, she has recruited, built and trained a team of like minded, passionate dance teachers to help satisfy demand and she has been a great leader and mentor to many over the years.

She has also been a pillar of strength and support to her fellow franchisees across the UK, always willing to lend a hand or help out wherever she can so they too can be successful. Whether that be in person at shows and events, or sharing her technical and system expertise behind the scenes, her generosity and kindness to help those around her is beyond endearing.

That exceptional kindness has also extended to myself, Head Office and the brand as a whole over the decade for which I am eternally grateful. She has proudly driven her pink ‘Kitty’ the babyballet car and has always represented the brand with the highest of standards. She is an exceptional brand ambassador who has always gone the extra mile

Her input and care for others stepped up to another level during the pandemic as she eagerly jumped in to help whoever and whenever she could. Without hesitation she assisted with systems, procedures and videos, all to help the wider franchise network and customers, not just her own business.

I will always remember when we were approached by ITVBe to take part in the hit series, The Mummy Diaries, Miss Laura immediately offered her help and she quickly became instrumental in the organisation, planning and filming to ensure impeccable standards and outstanding professionalism throughout.

Incredibly, alongside running her successful babyballet franchise, she also opened a dance shop with her husband, John, or ‘Mr John’, as he has become affectionately known as over the years, to provide uniform and merchandise to her babyballet stars and to supply the wider local dance community.

Outside of her classes, Miss Laura has provided birthday parties, produced several stage shows, hosted multiple events and festivals, and raised thousands for charities.

She has scooped two finalist accolades, one for the Business Person of the Year in the ‘Havering Business Awards’ and more recently, the Most Loved Music, Dance or Performing Arts Activity Franchise or License Territory category at the prestigious ‘Whats On 4 Kids Awards’ in 2021 at Harry Potter World.

Miss Laura is tenacious and resilient, much more than she gives herself credit for and I greatly admire how she has managed and grown her business. I am also hugely appreciative for the love and commitment she has shown to the brand and company as a whole. She is greatly valued and admired by everybody around her.

Although she takes her business very seriously, she has the best sense of humour and she makes me laugh a lot when I am in her company. She has contributed enormously to the franchise conferences over the years, both during the day and the parties at night too! I am so grateful for her love, support, loyalty and friendship that has developed over the years.

Getting to ten years is an amazing achievement – even without the pressure of navigating through a global pandemic- but you have done it Miss Laura and you should be so incredibly proud!

Congratulations on all your success, and enjoy all the celebrations because you thoroughly deserve them!

Thank you for everything you have brought to babyballet and your babyballet stars over this past decade and here’s to many more.

It’s been an absolute pleasure, Miss Laura, you are a star.

Miss Claire xx

If you would like to find out more about our babyballet dance classes in Romford Central, Chelmsford, Billericay and Brentwood, please click here where you can learn more, book online and shop for babyballet uniform and merchandise.