LITTLE VOICES

I’m a classically trained opera singer, with a background as a singing teacher. I’ve also lived through the juggle of having a new baby and working as a single mum, travelling from school to school to do 1:1 teaching, then home to teach till 9pm, and the dreaded Saturday and Sunday teaching!

Little Voices all started one wet Wednesday evening back in 2007, with just 12 pupils in a local church hall in Blackburn, Lancashire.

I had two ambitions: to work with young people to enhance both their vocal skills and life skills within a unique framework; and to create a family of like-minded, passionate individuals who positively impact children’s lives.

And we’ve achieved both.

My own daughter was just 3 months old when I launched those first lessons. She started her Little Voices journey when she was about 4 and has now completed her LAMDA grade 8 exam (we’re big champions of the highly respected LAMDA syllabus).

Whatever a child’s abilities or motivations for joining us, we’ll do everything we can to help them reach their full potential, because at Little Voices, we see the potential in everyone – not just the talented few.

As of January 2024, we have a network of 27 franchisees and over 150 tutors across the UK who’ve helped us bring the magic of Little Voices to over 80,000 children and young people.

We’re fully accredited members of the Children’s Activities Association, as well as the British Franchise Association (BFA), and have grown to be LAMDA’s second largest customer globally with 100% exam success rate.

We also have a number of awards and accolades to our name – most notably, winners in the national BFA HSBC awards 2022, and in 2023 were awarded our 5 star Franchisee Satisfaction Award in Workbuzz’s Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark with our best results ever!

You don’t need any specific experience in the performing arts to join us, but you do need a genuine love of drama and music and a passion for child development.

You also need to be talented and creative, and share our values (which run through everyone involved with Little Voices like a stick of rock!).

We’re looking for people who are driven, super-organised, and committed to building a successful business – which takes dedication and hard work. You need to have excellent communication skills, be a strong team player, and able to wear lots of different hats.

You also need to be good at dealing with parents, have an amazing rapport with children of all ages, and be an effective people manager.

The initial cost varies depending on the territory you’re interested in, but funding and payment plans are available from £290 + VAT.

We can introduce you to the high street banks that support franchising and have a history of working with us, and support you through the government-backed start up loan application process.

Our initial franchise fee covers everything you need to hit the ground running, as well as ongoing training and support (we’ve been told more than once that the level of support we offer our franchisees is second to none!).

Thereafter, you’ll pay ongoing royalties plus a monthly fee for our Little Voices Connect System, which includes all the IT systems you need to run your business on the go!

When it comes to earning potential, like any business, you get out what you put in.

And in the words of one of our franchisees: “The business model works – all you have to do is implement it – and it can be as big or as small as you want it to be.”

To give you an idea of your possible earning potential, our franchise prospectus includes an example of what you could earn based on just 1 venue, 1 night per week.

You’ll be able to build your business around your work or family commitments so that it works for you.

All our lessons take place mid-week – which means you’ll be free to spend weekends however you choose.

And you can choose whether to manage your business and teach lessons yourself, or work with tutors to teach for you.

You’ll receive 5 days’ initial training, including finance, HR, how to recruit tutors, sales and marketing – and of course, how to plan and run your weekly Little Voices lessons.

You’ll also get additional externally accredited training on things like safeguarding, first aid, GDPR, infection control, and fire marshalling.

All your training will take place online, and as well as making sure it’s fun and interactive, we’ll also tailor it to your individual needs.

You’ll then enjoy regular ongoing training to keep your skills & knowledge up-to-date, alongside full day-to-day support as needed.

In addition to our annual franchise conference, we have a number of avenues that keep our franchisees connected, such as hubs, collaboration stations, and a dedicated social media group – you’ll never feel alone!