Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun?

That age-old saying certainly applies to the last 19 years I have spent running Perform. On Tuesday January the 8th, it’s our birthday and what a whirlwind it’s been. I started out back in 2000 in Primrose Hill with four children (with whom I’m still in contact with today) and we now have almost 8000 across our 300 venues!

So, as I’m now a “golden-oldie” in the world of extra-curricular activities, just before Christmas, I was invited to be a panellist for the brilliant children’s app company Hoop. If you aren’t already using the Hoop app and you have children – I’d recommend downloading it as it’s excellent and also run by the nicest people.

Hoop invited me and other three children’s business owners to talk to the panel about our experiences and the practicalities of running a tuition-based business. There was a room of about 100 people running workshops from art to cookery and from mandarin to coding. The wonderful thing that united us all was that we all had a passion for what we do. You could see that, although we were all running a business, it really was much much more than just a job to everybody.

I’m sure that no one starts a business unless they love the product they’re selling but working with children and seeing them develop and grow through your classes is particularly special.

If you are reading this and you run your own business, you will know that it can be very hard. I have learnt so much over the past 19 years and I still do every day. There are ups and downs like any job but when you see a child enter the class having clung to their mum crying on the first lesson and then, three weeks later, you go back and watch them sing their heart out without a care in the world, you see that what we do really is a bit magical.

So thank you to all Perform parents out there for entrusting me and my team with your wonderful children since 2000. And here's to the next 19 years!