This is an interview, giving the personal experience of a franchisee with MAD Academy.

MAD Academy offers fun and funky music and dance classes to children from 3 months to 4 years old. They are a mixture of high-energy action combined with carefully structured learning and give children the opportunity to develop motor skills, co-ordination and confidence, whilst exploring different rhythms, musical instruments and musical styles. MAD Academy is a franchise business. click here for info on franchise businesses.

Lynne Roxbee Cox runs MAD Academy in Wokingham, Berkshire. This is what she had to say…

Did you start out looking to run your own business?

No, not initially; I was really just looking for a new career with added flexibility. I had taken a career break after Emily and Ben were born and was due to return to work 4-days a week, however this didn’t give me any flexibility over school holidays. I sat down and tried to figure out my ideal job and realised my priority was working within school hours and term time only. I also considered the experience I had which I was not using in my current job, such as my sporting background (I was a gymnast) and my experience of working with kids.

So what did you do before?

I was a senior research scientist in plant bio-technology for Syngenta.

And what made you want to join MAD Academy?

It was really the dance combined with the music that attracted me. My husband came across MAD when looking for something to do with Ben, so I approached the Head Office to see if I could start up classes in my area. It is a relatively new organisation so I thought it would be fresh and contemporary and particularly exciting to be part of a growing brand and business.

What’s the best thing about running your own business?

Flexibility, definitely! Independence. And having something that is your own for which you are responsible and that you created and built up yourself from nothing. That’s very rewarding.

And what about the challenges?

It’s quite hard stepping away from it at the end of the day – you need to get the balance right and be clear about what’s home-time and what’s work-time. And financially there is always a risk so you need to be aware of the fact you are taking a risk and be responsible for it.

So what’s a typical week like for you Lynne?

The week really begins on Friday afternoon when I run though the next week’s lesson plans and organise props etc for the following week. I run classes 4 mornings a week, plus I do a class at a local nursery on 1 afternoon. I always do all the administration for classes and prepare for the next day straight after the last class of the day. This means I have the time after school and in the evening with my family. On top of the general class admin, there are often phone calls to return – on average, 2 or 3 a day, which takes half hour or so. We also run parties at the weekend but these can be booked flexibly around the family.

Running the classes must be great fun?

I absolutely love it! It’s interacting with the children and seeing them learn and develop which gives me a buzz. It’s also being able to dance about for your job - I actually enjoy doing that! And of course interacting with the parents too – they are a nice bunch of people.

Do you feel that there is a good balance between being your ‘own boss’ and being part of a larger organisation?

Yes – this is one of the big things. Day to day it is my classes, my children and my business, but hey look!...I’ve got all these people (the franchisor and other franchisees in the network) helping me when I need them.

So, what qualities does a MAD Academy franchisee need?

They need to be reasonably outgoing, and have a fair bit of energy. It definitely helps if you are quite organised as you need stay on top of the admin. It’s a ‘people business’ so you have to like being with people, children in particular, and being sociable.

Would you recommend it as a ‘mum friendly career’?

Absolutely – cos it’s good fun! Plus it offers that balance of responsibility for your business whilst at the same time having the fun and excitement of running classes. It is intellectually stretching but is a job you can fit around the family. Perfect!

For more information about MAD Academy classes and becoming a franchisee, see their website: www.muda.co.uk.