The Third Way – Becoming Self Employed

It’s exciting times at Tots Play HQ just now. As our first franchisee continues to go from strength to strength (we are very pround of her!), we are ready to open up the business opportunity to a wider audience.

A single post on our Facebook page to this effect brought an immediate flurry of interest, which seems to suggest that there are a large number of people out there looking for a  new way to balance work and family life, and with the desire to take control of their lives, to design a future for themselves that fits their unique goals and aspirations.

As I have been speaking to people about the franchise over the last couple of weeks, the conversations seem to have all gone in a similar direction. They start off with a specific or technical question about the business but move quickly into a discussion about the kind of lifestyle they want to acheive for themselves and their family, about their dreams and aspirations for all aspects of their life, not just what they need to do to pay the bills.

Many are facing the same dilemma that I did a few years ago, wanting to be at home to raise a much loved child or children, but needing to work for both financial and personal reasons. Not that it is always a straight choice. I hear lots of stories about how the job they did before having children is no longer practical now they have a family, and this desire for a “third way” leads them to consider self employment. From personal experience I know that running your own business can be the ideal solution, providing the flexibility and also challenge that many, mums especially, are seeking. This is not to say it is the easy option. Beind self employed requires dedication, commitment and a lot of hard work, but for the right person the rewards it can bring, far outweigh the negatives that go along with it.

As for me, my perfect lifestyle is continuing to evolve. Having built a business that works around my family I now want to use the knowledge and experience I have gained to help and support others who are brave enough to take the plunge into the world of the self employed. Through the Tots Play franchise programme I will be on hand to not only train our franchisees on how to get their business up and running, but to guide and encourage them when needed, and to be their cheerleading team as they head towards their goals, celebrating with them the success that I know will come for them.

I understand what a new and scary journey it is into unknown territory, not just because I have been there before, but because I am also there now. Stepping into the role of franchisor literally means stepping up to new challenges, many of which are, and will be, way outside my comfort zone. But I am excited to be embracing them, and as I talk to those women considering the franchise option, and we begin to build a picture of the life they want, and that I know is possible for them to acheive, I know I am exactly where I want and need to be. Everyone’s needs are different and I know that not everyone I speak to will end up joining the Tots Play family, but even if they don’t, if I have opened their eyes to the possibility that there could be a different future, and alternative to the either/or scenario they are perhaps facing, a third way, then I am happy that our paths have crossed, and who knows where that the path may lead them – perhaps even back this way in the future.

If you too are looking for a “third way” and would like to find out more about whether the Tots Play franchise programme could be the right solution for you, email franchising@totsplay.co.uk for an information pack, and start designing the future you want – today!

 

 

Tots Play in Pictures

We recently had a visit from talented photographer Marie Palbom to one of our play sessions.

Here are a few of the fantastic images she took of our Tots in Action, to give you an idea of just some of what we get up to at Tots Play classes.

Want to come and join in the fun – or find out how you could run your own Tots Play classes?

Visit us at www.totsplay.co.uk and see what it’s all about!

 

Letting Your Baby Grow Up

It has been an important week in the history of Tots Play –
our very first franchise holder ran her very first class!

She had a good turnout, enjoyed running the session and got
great feedback too. We are very proud of her, and there is no doubt that her
business will go from strength to strength.

This milestone, though, has brought up mixed emotions for
me. I am certainly proud of how far Tots Play has come in less than three
years, and of the great job our new franchisee has done to get her business up
and running. I am excited too, thinking about where my little business is
heading, and the many more mums and babies we will be able to reach, both with
classes and with the opportunity of running a business around a growing family.
Aside from all that though, there has also been some apprehension.

Having conceived and brought Tots Play to life, I, like many
other business owners, think of it a bit like a second child, and this week was
the equivalent of its first day at school.

So far I have been able to “keep it at home with me” where I
could keep a close eye on everything that happened, but  the time has now come where I have to start to
let go, entrusting part of its care to someone else – in short to let it start
to grow up.

The worries are there just like with any child, will it know
what to do, will its new carer take care of it properly, will people like it,
how will it manage without me!  But
having nurtured it, and prepared it as well as I can and I know that if it is to
grow and reach the potential I know it has then I can’t keep it all to myself
forever, and this is a step on that journey.

Of course the journey is one that all parents have to go
through. Seeing new mums (and dads) bring their tiny babies to Tots Play classes
and watching them develop and grow over the months and years they are with us
is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do,  and one of the great things about this is
witnessing the journey that all our children have to make towards independence.

Those first, small, but important steps might be as simple
as reaching out for the bubbles for the first time, crawling away from mum or
dad to explore a sensory toy that has caught their eye, or leaving mum’s side
to return their song sheet to the front of the class, but each step builds on
the one before and the each time the step is repeated it becomes a little
easier. The crucial part of the process for our Tots, is that mum, dad or
another important person in their life is there to support, encourage and
celebrate with them. This is what gives them the confidence to take those
steps, to try new things, to follow what interests and excites them, to develop
and grow.

As both a parent and a business owner I see that this is now
my role – supporter, cheerleader, someone to celebrate with, and also a place
to turn and come back to when things don’t go quite as planned! There are, of
course, many more steps to take on this journey for all of us who are parents.
Perhaps the path will not always take the direction we imagine, and there are
bound to be setbacks along the way, but our babies are going to grow up whether
we like it or not, and learning, one step at a time, to let go and adapt our
role to what they need it to be is perhaps how we grow and develop too.

Inspiring your baby to follow in the footsteps of Steve Jobs.

Such sad news about the loss of Steve Jobs last week. I can’t imagine that any entrepreneur or business owner could fail to be inspired by his vision and leadership.

One of the things that inspired me most about him was his call for each of us to embrace our individuality and not be afraid to stand out in the pursuit of excellence – something I need to keep in mind as I step out of my comfort zone and prepare to launch Tots Play to a wider audience in the coming months. In his Stanford Commencement Address in 2005 he talked about how following his “curiosity and intuition” as well as “following his heart” had given him the ability and freedom to create the many products and companies we know him for, forever changing the world of technology, communication and entertainment.

For babies and toddlers their natural instinct is to explore, create and discover, and they know nothing other than the desire to follow their “curiosity and intuition” in all that they do. As a parent you have a huge role in encouraging this process, and play time is one of the most important times that your child’s individuality and creativity can shine through. While it is important to be there to support them during play time, make sure you are not always taking the lead but spend some time letting your child direct the game without intervening – unless they invite you to play too of course.

By having a variety of activities on offer at Tots Play classes, one of the aims of the play programme is to recognise and encourage each child’s unique personality, allowing and honouring their choices around how they approach each activity and situation. From the babies exploring each different texture in the fabric box, to the toddlers moving between the slide and the building blocks each has their own approach, and it is always interesting to see the variety of ways that different children find to play with the same object of piece of equipment.

Encouraging our children’s unique and individual approach in this way helps them build the confidence to be themselves, exploring and creating their world by following their interests, and who knows what inspiring leaders of the future are being created in the process.

Beach Ball Fun for your Baby

As we have been using beach balls at class this week, and
inspired by a mum’s at one session who told us that the beach ball was the best
play thing she had bought for her daughter, I thought I would share with you
some of the ways this simple, inexpensive item can be used to help boost your
baby’s development, as well as providing hours of entertainment!

Tummy Time Fun on the Beach Ball

I’m sure it goes without saying but do take care to always hold your baby securely when doing any of the following activities on the ball.

Massage and Relaxation

• Lie baby on his or her back over the ball with
  it partially deflated.
• Bring baby’s arms above the head and stretch out
  the spine.
• Gently bounce baby on the ball, move the arms
  and legs up and down, and side to side.
• Hold baby’s hands and pull up a few centimetres,
  then release. Do this slowly and gently, supporting the head if needed.
• Gently massage baby’s hands, feet and face if
  they enjoy it. You can also place baby over the ball on his or her tummy and
  massage the back.

Tummy Time

• Lie baby over the ball on his or her tummy.
• Encourage baby to keep their head lifted as you
  rock the ball forwards and back, and side to side. This helps to strengthen the
  neck and back muscles and improve head control.
• Rock baby all the way forward until his or her
  hands touch the floor. Place a toy in front for baby to reach out for and pick
  up.
• For older babies, encourage them to put weight
  on their hands, and build up to forwards hand walking, letting the body roll
  forwards on the ball.

Balance

• Sit baby on top of the ball, and holding them
  securely, rock the ball in different directions. This will help to strengthen
  baby’s core muscles as they naturally move to regain balance.
• Hold baby’s hands and gently move them forwards
  and back a few times, then pull further forwards until their feet touch the
  floor. Let them take their weight on their legs as you pull them up to
  standing.
• Sit with your baby and give them the ball to
  play with as they wish. You may want to show them how to roll the ball, and how
  to shake it or bounce it, and if it is made from clear plastic like the ones we
  use at the play sessions, how to look through it to see you on the other side.

For more activities like these to stimulate the development of your baby’s body,
brain and all their senses, sign up for our free weekly Tots Play Bulletin at www.totsplay.co.uk, or even better, come
and join us at a class very soon.

A New Routine

I love the holidays, waking when I want to not when the
alarm says and having the freedom to just see what the day brings. Often
though, I find that if I don’t have a plan for the day it can just slip away
with a feeling of not having done very much at all, which for me is not such a
great feeling.

So now September is here and I am back into my “work”
routine, which as well as my lovely classes includes school runs, taxi service
to various after school activities and all those other numerous things needed
to keep the family running, I find myself feeling more settled, more focused
and more relaxed because I know better what to expect each day.

It’s well documented that our little ones too benefit from
familiar routines and activities.  They
help them to feel secure in their world, giving them the confidence to explore
and discover new things, because they know the familiar things, like mummy and
their favourite teddy, are there if they need them. But what about parents and
particularly new parents?

When I was at home with my daughter when she was small I
always liked to have something planned for each day. I disliked facing each
morning with that “what shall we do today” feeling (once in a while is fine, but
not every day!). It can be quite a transition from working full time and having
the day planned out for you to having numerous empty hours stretching ahead with
just a newborn for company, so I needed some routine.

Sometimes our plan was simply a coffee with a friend, but I
also liked to have something planned for my daughter too, and we did a whole
range of regular activities and outings together. Not only was it nice to get
out and meet people do different things, but I also feel that we both benefitted
from having that focused time for and with each other and that things that we
did were also helping to boost her development.

Even at a very young age she would recognize a familiar place
where we did a regular class, and I am sure that the recognition and familiarity
of some of our routines helped her to enjoy and get more out of the activity
than she would otherwise have done.

Running Tots Play now, I love to see that same look of
recognition and excitement on the faces of many of the children who come along
each week. I am always amazed at how quickly the older babies and toddlers
start to join in with the warm up activities that they come to know because we
do them the same way at each class, and love the pride they have in themselves
at what they are accomplishing.

But the benefits are not just for the children. At the start
of each of our Baby Development courses, when asked to tell the group why they
have come along to the classes, getting out of the house is always one of the
answers that our new mums give, and even those parents with slightly older ones
tell me that one of the reasons they look forward to their weekly class is that
they know it will get them out and enjoying time with their child.

So leaving aside the benefits gained from the activities
themselves, I hope that Tots Play, and other classes like it can help those who,
like me, need a bit of routine when their world has, in all other ways, just
been turned upside down with the arrival of a new little one. See you same time
next week!

New Beginnings

So new school year, new term of classes, so why not a new place for all things Tots Play!

To complement our classes and weekly play ideas (not signed up for those yet? Go to www.totsplay.co.uk and enter your details for instant access), this will be a place where I will be sharing thoughts, ideas and whatever I else I find that I think you might like, about the ways in which play time activities help your little one’s development, and help you to remember to have fun too, especially on those otherwise not so fun days!

Tots Play is also entering a new phase as we start to expand, bringing our brand of fun and learning to more Tots through our new licence scheme. I am sure this will bring with it a variety of ups, downs and learning opportunities(!), so will be spilling the beans on all this too, plus what life is really like when running a pre-school classes business.

To reflect both these things I decided to call the blog – Playing to Win, as the more we learn about and spread the message of the importance of play the more, I believe, everyone will win – children, parents and, of course it doesn’t hurt those who run a play class business either!

I would love to know what you would like to hear about on here, so please leave your comments and suggestions so I can do my best to oblige, and so I know you’re out there!

Have fun playing everyone. xx