As the year draws to a close, I'm taking a moment to reflect on what a fantastic year it has been for Pyjama Drama, both Head Office, and our franchisees. If you're someone who might be considering joining us as a franchisee, I hope it gives you an insight into the innovative, passionate and dedicated team you would be joining!
This year, we saw the launch of a new partnership with Trustpilot which enables us to showcase the incredible reviews both franchisees and Head Office regularly receive from customers, increasing customer confidence, and therefore sales. We're so proud to be rated 5* Excellent!
In June, we partnered with Pebble and introduced a brand-new booking and payment system which is integrated into our website. Pebble gives franchisees greater control when managing their classes, and gives customers a simple and secure way to pay.
In July, we welcomed new franchisee Rachael Blackburn - our first ever franchisee from the Netherlands! Here she is at her in-person training doing an incredible job of teaching Pyjama Drama to children for the very first time!
July also saw us hosting our 13th annual seminar in Welshpool - the birthplace of Pyjama Drama. Franchisees travelled from around the UK to enjoy a day and an evening of refresher training, guest speakers, business planning, and socialising. We have the BEST team!
The annual seminar gave us the chance to introduce a new income stream for our franchisees in the form of practitioner training. At the seminar, we trained franchisees how to deliver our award-winning course, 'An Introduction to Early Years Imaginative Play' - enabling them to market this to settings in their area.
In September, we welcomed our first franchisee in India - the brilliant Shweta Shankla. Shweta is making great waves in Mumbai, and proving that (as we know!) children are the same the world over.
In October, we delivered our first online training sessions to teachers from 25 Cambridge Montessori Nurseries in India. Over 100 early years teachers have joined our programme, and are learning how to deliver our 'Dip into Drama' curriculum!
October also saw us welcome another new franchisee, the lovely Lydia Overton. Lydia is working part-time initially, moving to full-time from April, as her family grows. Here she is in territory after training, networking at a local fete!
November saw us being recognised in the Teach Early Years awards for the fourth year in a row! Franchisees benefit hugely from our reputation as industry leaders in the early years, helping them to make contacts and sales with nurseries and schools.
November also saw us becoming approved suppliers for Banana Moon nurseries, and to date, we already have five settings signed up to deliver our preschool curriculum, 'Dip into Drama'!
And finally, December sees the launch of our 'test drive' opportunity - enabling potential franchisees to try being a franchisee for free, from the comfort of their own home! Test Drive us here!
It's been a brilliant year, and we're looking forward to 2024. If you're considering joining the team, we look forward to talking to you soon!
Best wishes,
Rachel