Creation Station gives children free rein to express their creativity in structured workshops – rather than on the wall at home – thereby relieving parents of the burden of being entertainer for a while.
Founder Sarah Cresswell explains how her children’s franchise is suited to mothers in franchising.
FS Blog: Why should mothers be interested in this franchise...
Sarah Cressall: It’s not too difficult to run, it’s fun, it’s flexible.
One part of your day is running workshops and meeting people, another part is on the computer, doing marketing – so there’s a lot of variety.
And it’s designed specifically around a mum’s busy life. And it’s relatively low cost with start-up help and ongoing support.
FS Blog: And what exactly does this support entail?
Sarah: We support you in growing your business at a rate that suits you.
We help people get contracts with soft play areas and other commercial organisations to promote what they do.
FS Blog: What do you get in return for your money?
Sarah: You get arts and crafts materials, copyrighted , specifically designed session plans, a full, branded uniform, a branded admin pack, files, folders, bags, innovative menu signs, outdoor leaflet holders and a web page optimised to your area.
There’s also a franchise forum to share knowledge. We run a conference, Inspiring Imaginations Across the Nation, seminars and training groups where we share ideas.
You get the benefits of wholesale purchasing systems and we equip you with the skills, knowledge and confidence to run a successful business.
And we tailor the training to each and every person, to fit in with their lifestyle and needs.
FS Blog: Do you tailor their hours too?
Sarah: It’s up to them how long they choose to work. You can work part time or full time.
It’s predominantly term time only, with extra income from evening workshops and holiday sessions.
The business allows time for family life. As they grow and get more confident, franchisees can employ people to run the business.
Each franchisee has the option to tailor their business to what suits them. If they’re more interested in working with government projects, for example, we can help them develop that part of the business.
FS Blog: Describe some of the activities...
Sarah: We run different types of workshops. Exploration, which is for one to five year olds and predominantly takes place in term time – although there are holiday sessions – has won a Practical Preschool Award.
We also run art and craft birthday parties, events for organisations like the brownies, events and fetes for charities, etc.
Birthday parties are good. Every child has a birthday, and every parent struggles to think of something to do for their child’s birthday.
FS Blog: You said it’s not too difficult? How so?
Sarah: We provide all the session plans, all the products to their door and all their programmes at wholesale price. We provide all the training and equipment.
If they’re sociable and are mothers, it should suit. It obviously helps if they enjoy working with kids.
The session plans are structured and easy to follow, but they can develop their own ideas and share them at our franchising forums.
FS Blog: It’s great that there’s a platform for franchisees to share new ideas. Any examples of franchisees developing their own ideas?
Sarah: Someone had an activity where they turned the Christmas lights on for the council. We also ran arts and crafts activities at the event.
A charity called Making Chatter Matter approached the Nottingham franchise. They wanted a specialist arts and crafts provider to engage families in the largest shopping centre in the city.
And we’ve got a weekly contract with the biggest soft play area in Leicester. Our arts and crafts activities have increased their numbers to the point where we’re looking at booking people in.
FS Blog: We’ve heard about the mothers that run Creation Station franchises – how valuable is the business to mothers that take their children?
Sarah: Creativity isn’t always something that parents know how to nurture at home, whereas children get loads of ideas from my workshops.
The reality is that paying for glitter glue and a variety of materials each week isn’t within the reach of most parents. One parent said to me: “when I added up how much it would cost to buy the materials I realised I actually saved money by coming.”
We did a survey a couple of years ago, and all the parents we asked said their child’s concentration had improved after just five lessons. And you see it.
It’s relaxed and comfortable for the parents, whether they’re pregnant, a grandparent... whatever.
FS Blog: What kind of franchisee are you looking for?
Sarah: No experience is required, but social skills are essential. They must be organised and self-motivated.
And they should want to nurture children and have a great time together.
You don’t need to be creative. People sometimes think they have to be and it puts them off – but they really don’t need to be.
