by Helena Rigby
by Helena Rigby
For the past few years diddi dance has worked with Smith & Henderson to have a Franchise Satisfaction Survey delivered to our franchisees so we can obtain anonymous responses from our current franchisees to help improve our franchise network. Now, for the 4th year running we have achieved a Satisfaction percentage in the 90s and have been awarded the 5 Star Franchisee Satisfaction Award once again!
Smith & Henderson describe the survey process as:
We invite your existing franchisees to complete our confidential online Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark survey. We guarantee that franchisees’ responses will be anonymous, so they can provide honest feedback. On average 77% of franchisees complete the survey.
We use this feedback to help you benchmark your training and support against other franchisors, identify key priorities and over time, strengthen your relationships with franchisees and your support package.”
Just some of the feedback we got about our franchise from our current franchisees included:
Cannot ask for any more support than we already get”
“Very professional business. A strong blue print for success. All taken incredibly seriously which speaks volumes in the brand being delivered. Gives a huge amount of confidence for the business I am promoting.”
“I love the new system that is in place and do struggle as a newer franchisee but love what diddi represents and am really enjoying the process. The support is great and I wouldn’t be able to do it without the continued guidance. It’s really inspirational being part of a great team.”
“I love being part of diddi dance…. It is hard work and you get out of your franchise exactly what you put in. I love my job and not everyone can say that. My work life balance is perfect and you can’t put a price on that.”
Top franchisors, based on the feedback, are then shortlisted for the Best Franchise Awards – which we won for the last two year running!
This year we achieved a score of 91%. To see the full breakdown of our survey just click here.
by Helena Rigby
diddi dance South Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Ayr & Surrounding, email Wendy for further information:
diddi dance Lancaster, Preston & Kendal, email Nicola for further information:
diddi dance Wirral, email Suzie for further information:
diddi dance North Shropshire, Wrexham & North West Stoke-on-Trent, email Emma for further information:
diddi dance North & Central Leeds, email Julia for further information:
diddi dance Loughborough, Hinckley, Oadby & Surrounding, email Nicola for further information:
diddi dance Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket, Thetford, Ely & Surrounding, email Nicola for further information:
diddi dance North Essex & South Suffolk, email Charlotte for further information:
diddi dance Bristol, email Emily for further information:
diddi dance Reading & Wokingham, email Andrea for further information:
diddi dance North London, email Anuschka for further information:
diddi dance South East London, email Anne-Marie for further information:
diddi dance Mid & East Surrey, email Nadine for further information:
diddi dance Winchester, Alton, Cranleigh & Surrounding, email Emma for further information:
diddi dance South East Hampshire & Chichester, email Liz for further information:
diddi dance Brighton, Worthing & Horsham, email Laura for further information:
diddi dance Plymouth & Surrounding, email Liz & Rachael for further information:
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by Helena Rigby
Joanna from diddi dance Eastbourne, Tunbridge Wells & Hastings has just been announced as a finalist in the 2017 East Sussex Women In Business Awards. These awards are dedicated to recognising, rewarding and celebrating local businesses and the women who run them.
Joanna has been nominated under the “Woman in Arts/Music/Dance Media” category alongside some wonderful other women she knows and has worked with. To see who she is up against and the other finalist click here.
We asked Joanna how she felt about being not only nominated but then recognised as a finalist for these awards and she said:
I am absolutely thrilled, and equally shocked, to have been shortlisted as a finalist in this years East Sussex Woman in Business Awards. The Art/Music/Dance Media category is so diverse and it’s an honour to be included representing preschool dance. I am truly passionate about what we do and getting little ones active from an early age in a fun and positive way. I get to share in the joy and happiness dance can bring to little ones (& their grown ups!) every day that I really can’t think of a better job – this sort of thing just makes it even better!”
We are thrilled for Joanna too at Head Office and can’t wait to see if she wins! The awards will be announced on 15th September, so watch this space to see what happens. Either way, we are very proud of Joanna and her nomination 🙂
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by Helena Rigby
Earlier this month, 8 & 9 July, diddi dance held its annual Conference where all franchisees come together to network, share best practice and take part in workshops & listen to presentations from industry experts to help them better their diddi dance business.
A highlight of the conference for founder Anne-Marie, and we think the rest of the diddi dance network, is the diddi dance Awards which recognise those franchisees that are excelling in certain aspects of the business. Both a winner and highly commended are given in each award and here they are:
Anne-Marie commented on the awards:
We love doing our annual awards recognising those franchisees in our network that go above and beyond with their diddi dance. We find the motivation and inspiration our fun awards invokes is of great benefit to the all the franchisees and really helps them drive their business over the next year. We can’t wait to see who wins next year!
diddi dancer for the most enthusiastic and “en pointe” teacher as nominated by their franchisee:
Higly Commended – Charlotte who teachers from Nadine from diddi dance Mid & East Surrey
Winner – Dedee who teaches for Charlotte from diddi dance North Essex & South Suffolk
diddi debutante for the fastest growing franchise from a franchisee who launched in 2016 (based upon overall business growth):
Highly Commended – Rebecca from diddi dance Wigan & Leigh
Winner – Liz & Rachael from diddi dance Plymouth & Surrounding
diddi developer for the franchisee who has taken over a territory (through resale or transfer) and developed the business in all aspects:
Highly Commended – Liz B from diddi dance Woking, Guildford & Farnborough
Winner – Anuschka from diddi dance North London
diddi diva for the biggest growth by a franchisee from June 2016 to May 2017. This year the race was so close for 2nd and 1st that we had to have two winners:
Winner – Natalie & Dawn from diddi dance Cannock Chase, Lichfield, Sutton Coldfield & North Walsall
Winner – Emily from diddi dance Bristol
diddi discusser for the franchisee fully utilising and actively using social media & online resources to their best ability:
Highly Commended – Rebecca from diddi dance Wigan & Leigh
Winner – Nicola R from diddi dance Loughborough, Hinckley, Oadby & Surrounding
diddi driver for the most motivated and driven franchisee doing their best to drive and progress their business:
Highly Commended – Julia from diddi dance North & Central Leeds
Winner – Charlotte from diddi dance North Essex & South Suffolk
diddi dude for the franchisee that is most supportive and active amongst the network – as voted for by the other franchisees:
Highly Commended – Emma from diddi dance Central Warrington & Central Cheshire and North Shropshire, Wrexham & North West Stoke-on-Trent
Winner – Mona from diddi dance London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
diddi doer for the franchisee with most innovative marketing & promotions:
Highly Commended – Caroline from diddi dance Swindon, Cirencester, Chippenham, Tetbury & Surrounding
Winner – Suzie from diddi dance Wirral
diddi deliverer, a new award this year, for the franchisee who is running the best business overall:
Highly Commended – Andrea from diddi dance Reading & Wokingham
Winner – Nicola B from diddi dance Lancaster, Preston & Kendal
And lastly our biggest award each year is diddi dame which goes to a franchisee who has made an outstanding contribution to diddi dance in the last year:
Winner – Caroline & Jennifer from diddi dance Essex
Caroline & Jennifer our one of our longest running franchisees with diddi dance Essex now having be open for over 6 years. Just this month they to receive their Gold Accreditation through us and the Children’s Activity Association, has been working very hard to make their diddi dance business continue to thrive as they have every year. You can read more about them by clicking here and read about their recent accreditation by clicking here.
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by Helena Rigby
diddi dance Franchisees Caroline & Jennifer who runs diddi dance Essex recently became the 2nd diddi dance franchise to be fully accredited by the Children’s Activity Association. To read all about their recent achievement just click here.
Because of this success, we at diddi dance wanted to take the time to tell you all about Caroline & Jennifer and diddi dance Essex here!
How long have you been with diddi dance?
We have been with diddi dance for 6 and a half years now, launching our first class in January 2011. It has gone so fast!
What did you do before joining diddi dance?
We both followed the conventional paths of school, university, jobs in the City and then marriage and children. diddi dance has been quite a change of direction for both
of us, but a fabulous one!
Our sons had become best friends at school and we had too. We spent many hours discussing how we could regain our old working lives but still be there for our children. There didn’t seem to be an answer.
Suddenly, diddi dance came out of the blue to us and seemed quite a crazy idea, way out of our comfort zones at the time but the more we thought about it the more intriguing and appealing it seemed. We are both so glad we took the opportunity.
What do you love most about diddi dance and running your own business?
diddi dance has provided us with something that we probably did not feel was achievable when we first became stay-at-home mums. The concept of running our
own business with control of our own hours, workload, etc seemed an impossibility. However, diddi dance ticked many of the boxes we had been struggling to tick after having children.
Every day is different, we are in control of everything we do, the hours we work – even if that means we are still emailing each other at midnight! Every day brings something new yet we are still able to attend every Nativity, School Trip, Sport’s Day and there’s no guilt. There’s a balance to our lives which six years ago felt like an impossibility.
We love running diddi dance and the opportunity to work together on something we both care for equally. We have been through so much together, discussing, supporting and laughing together every step of the way! As well as the flexibility, it’s a truly rewarding job. We had no idea how amazing and fulfilling dancing and working with children could be.
What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of diddi dance?
We get to meet all sorts of new and interesting people and some amazing children who really hold a place dear in their hearts for us and will hopefully continue into their adult years with a love of dance which we have helped to instil in them! How many people really get to make a difference to so many little people’s lives? That is the kind of job satisfaction that we never could have pre-empted when we said yes to this crazy idea six years ago. We are very, very proud of the little company we are creating and the reputation and relationships we have built with parents and their diddi one’s across Essex.
What has been a highlight for you since taking on your diddi dance?
Gosh there have been so many!
Holding sessions at the largest pre-school festival in the country – the 3ft People Festival in Chelmsford, for the last 5 years has involved some amazing and very memorable moments. We get to dance with literally hundreds of toddlers when we are there!
We have worked a lot with little one’s with cancer and many children with Cystic Fibrosis, supporting them in our dance sessions, as consistent movement is so important in keeping them well. We have also entertained at lots of fund raising events for CF. Making a difference in these little one’s lives is so poignant and rewarding.
To be honest though, every day at diddi dance has a highlight that we can’t wait to share with each other after class:
- Some of the fancy dress outfits at our Christmas and Easter themed sessions are so gorgeous!
- Tales from parents regarding how their little one’s have been pretending to be us and have been holding their own diddi dance classes at home.
- When the little one who has been hiding behind their grown up for weeks, painfully shy, suddenly appears with their ribbon and blossoms in their own little world of creativity – there is really nothing like it and we get to witness these moments nearly every day!
What is something you are looking forward to as you continue with your diddi dance franchise?
We are really looking forward to expanding further across Essex. We would love to be able to provide more Saturday sessions over the course of the next year for families with working parents.
What does the CAA accreditation mean to you?
We have worked very hard and are so delighted to have achieved our Gold Children’s Activities Association (CAA) Accreditation. There are literally hundreds of children’s
activity groups out there and it’s really important for us to be able to say to parents, that with our Gold Accreditation, they can be assured that by choosing our classes we have all the relevant insurance, DBS, Health & Safety policies and equipment checks in place as well as having undergone rigorous assessment of our teaching methods and techniques. Being able to offer parents that peace of mind regarding our activity provision puts us above the rest!
And finally, what is your favourite diddi dance theme and why?
Ooh that’s a really tough one as we have 16 fantastic different dance themes to choose from and they all have something special about them that we love but Jennifer has a particular soft spot for our Country theme. It really gets everybody up and moving; children, parents and grandparents too. They all love to gallop on their horses and shout ‘Yee-haa’. We have so much fun together with this theme and it’s especially bonding for the grown-ups and their little ones, which is the loveliest thing to see.
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by Helena Rigby
The team at diddi dance, the brand behind the much-loved preschool dance classes, are extremely proud to announce their franchise diddi dance Essex has achieved Gold accreditation from the Children’s Activities Association (CAA). The CAA is the only not-for-profit, industry-led association to set and raise standards in all organised children’s activities across the UK and this achievement clearly showcases the team at diddi dance Essex’s passion for excellence.
Set-up by leading industry experts in 2015, including diddi dance Founder Anne-Marie Martin, the establishment of the CAA (a Community Interest Company) has revolutionised the children’s activities sector. After Anne-Marie completed the accreditation process for diddi dance in 2016, she decided to offer the same accreditation to each diddi dance Franchise. This past month Anne-Marie & diddi dance were thrilled to personally accredit diddi dance Essex.
Over 200,000 children a week now attend a CAA member activity and it is a truly fantastic endorsement for diddi dance Essex to be part of this ground-breaking national initiative. Their commitment to achieving Gold shows their dedication to demonstrate to their industry peers and their fellow diddi dance franchisees that they excel at what they do as well as giving parents the reassurance they deserve when selecting the best classes for their little ones.
Caroline Gunn and Jennifer Storey opened diddi dance Essex in January 2011 and have gone on to grow it into one of the most recognisable diddi dance brands in the nation. Becoming a Gold accredited member of the CAA is the latest achievement in the brand’s 6-year success story supporting dancing toddlers weekly.
It is staggering to learn that before the CAA, there was no national, independent association in the UK for the children’s activity sector as a whole. Through the development of the CAA Code of Practice and via their thorough accreditation, for the first time, parents can now easily make simple, informed decisions when choosing from the wealth of children’s activities out there. Just by asking whether the provider is a CAA member, a parent or carer can get reassurance on important issues such as insurance, health and safety, criminal record checks, training, qualifications, class content and much more.
As one parent said regarding the CAA –
With so many clubs and classes to choose from it’s so hard to know which are the best and what I should be asking when I leave my children in the care of a class leader. In the past I just wrongly assumed kids’ activities must have to be regulated. Knowing that the CAA has asked those important questions to help keep my child safe is fantastic – so now I just look for their logo!”
Having achieved Gold CAA accreditation means that diddi dance Essex has been independently verified as having met or exceeded all the necessary elements of the CAA Code of Practice. Assessed by Dr Amanda Gummer PhD, one of the UK’s leading experts in child development and Founder of Fundamentally Children, the CAA’s official independent accrediting organisation, this accomplishment offers parents peace of mind when selecting an activity from the myriad of providers out there.
Anne-Marie commented on the accreditation process and Caroline & Jennifer’s success:
Using the CAA accreditation system to ensure all our franchisees are performing to not only our high standards but also a nationally recognised association too is so important to us. It’s fantastic seeing our second franchise gain gold accreditation. Caroline and Jennifer have always run a fantastic franchise and this just validates it to their customers, giving them peace of mind.”
Adding to this Caroline & Jennifer of diddi dance Essex said:
We have worked very hard and are so delighted to have achieved our Gold Children’s Activities Association (CAA) Accreditation. There are literally hundreds of children’s activity groups out there and it’s really important for us to be able to say to parents, that with our Gold Accreditation, they can be assured that by choosing our classes we have all the relevant insurance, DBS, Health & Safety policies and equipment checks in place as well as having undergone rigorous assessment of our teaching methods and techniques. Being able to offer parents that peace of mind regarding our activity provision puts us above the rest!“
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by Helena Rigby
We here at diddi dance HO would like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest franchisee, Wendy, who will be running the new franchise – diddi dance South Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Ayr & Surrounding.
Wendy’s first classes are starting in August 2017 and will be:
To book your toddler onto any of the above classes fill in our Book a Free Trial form and address it to Wendy, or you can email her directly by clicking here 🙂
A little bit more about Wendy:
Tell us a bit about yourself:
Hi. I’m Wendy and have recently moved to Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. I have the pleasure of sharing my life with my partner Stephen and my little dog Pepe. Family is the most important thing in my life and I love spending time with my nephew’s, Ruan and Finn, and my little niece, Ruby. I have always loved sport and come from a very sporting family, and my interests continue with taking part in sports activities and watching them live and on the TV. I love my holidays and have recently come back from my first ever ski trip.
What did you do before diddi dance?
For 13 years I have worked in my father’s financial services business at St. James’s Place Wealth Management. It’s been an interesting time and I have gained lots of valuable experiences from it, but I have always wanted to work with children, so now is the perfect chance to move into my chosen field with his retirement on the horizon. Most recently, I have also attained my Certificate in Montessori Pedagogy, where I studied as a distance learner through the London College of Montessori.
Why did you choose a diddi dance franchise?
I have wanted to work with children for a long time, but have never found the right avenue to go down with it. I also want to be self-employed and run my own business, so when I was told about diddi dance, it really did tick all the boxes. The ethos of diddi dance is exactly why I wanted to go into the teaching profession, and now I have an unbelievable opportunity with diddi dance. Exciting times ahead!
What are you most excited about for your new business?
Giving children the chance to explore with their own bodies, feel the freedom we should all feel with dance and music, and for them to have as much fun as possible to the funky styles of dance. I am looking forward to meeting new people and getting the grown-ups having as much fun as the children do!
And finally, which diddi dance theme are you looking forward to the most and why?
Irish, as people always think I’m Irish as I have red hair! Need to work on the accent though 🙂
Wendy’s classes will be starting with our Bollywood theme so don’t forget to book your FREE trial today!
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by Helena Rigby
As of today, diddi dance Camden, Crouch End, Finchley & Surrounding and diddi dance Islington, East Haringey & Surrounding will be merged back together under the management of Anuschka Socher.
The newly combined franchise will now be called diddi dance North London again and we couldn’t be more excited!! 🎉
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diddi dance Islington’s previous owner, Charlene Dinger, had this to say about her recent sale of her diddi dance:
Bittersweet feelings today as I say goodbye to my ‘diddi dance’ franchise! Have officially sold my business and am moving on to the next chapter. It’s been a 7 year journey that has shaped me and made me grow in ways I never would have known! Thank you to everyone that supported me & encouraged me – you were all an important part of that process and I couldn’t have done it without you! Lots of diddi love!
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Anuschka initally took over the North West London franchise in December 2015 from Charlene when she first moved back home to Canada and had been running it very successfully ever since. When the opportunity arose for Anuschka to take on the rest of the original North London franchise she jumped at the opportunity. We can’t wait to see what she does with her new extended business and how it continues to grow.
To find out more about diddi dance North London click here and to book a FREE trial in one of Anuschka’s classes click here.
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by Helena Rigby
Earlier this month diddi dance attended the 2017 NatWest EWIF Awards as we were finalists for 5 awards out of the 8 award categories.
We were then even more thrilled when Emily Norman, owner of diddi dance Bristol, took home the award for Young Woman in Franchising of the Year. This marks the first industry award for a diddi dance franchisee to date, and we couldn’t be any more ecstatic that it was Emily who received the recognition.
We asked Emily what it meant to her to win this award, and here is what she had to say:
It is an honour to have even become a finalist for an award like this but to win is incredible! I haven’t been part of the franchise world long but I couldn’t be happier, with all the support I get from diddi dance Head Office I have been able to grow my business to what it is today. I do what I do because I love my job but I am so happy that my hard work has been recognised by not only by Head Office, who nominated me for this award, but EWIF as well.”
At diddi dance, we have always been very proud of what Emily has accomplished in just her short time as a franchisee with us. Emily took on her franchise in 2014 at the age of 22 and since then has helped it grow to one of our more successful franchises at diddi dance. She has achieved her Silver CAA accreditation, expanded her territory twice, worked closely with local schools to provide PPA cover and been nominated & won multiple preschool activity awards during her just over 2 years running the business including the diddi Developer award at the 2016 diddi dance Conference.
diddi dance Founder, Anne-Marie, had this to say about Emily and her achievements so far:
[She] is one of our youngest franchisees but her age hasn’t hinders her drive or ambition at all. She works with great maturity & attention to detail and has grown her business with huge success not only through the usual channels of promotion given but through her own initiative and creativity. She’s driven, determined and a real asset to our network.”
For those unfamiliar with the awards they were created by EWIF to provide a boost for franchisors, franchisees and employees. It boosts their brands and gives them an extra accolade to help promote their businesses and give them an edge over their competition. Clive Sawyer, the Founder and CEO of EWIF, said of the awards:
The EWIF awards are a fantastic way to help women in the franchise industry come together and celebrate and recognise both their own and each other’s achievements. Many of them don’t even realise that most of their achievements are so good because, for them, it’s just part of what they do every day. Many of them dedicate their working lives to supporting others in their businesses and we want them to be celebrated and recognised for this.”
Once again, well done Emily for everything you have achieved this year!
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