It’s time to pay it forwards as the MD and Founder of a successful theatre school franchise is going back to where it all began and supporting the important work of The Prince’s Trust.

Denise Hutton Gosney reached out to the charity when she was setting up Razzamataz Theatre Schools back in 2000 and was assigned a business mentor. Denise was encouraged to attend many events, including The Prince’s Trust Cumbrian Young Entrepreneur of the Year, which she won.

“As a business owner, I know how important it is to have someone that believes in you and can offer support when you need it, so the work that The Prince’s Trust does in encouraging young entrepreneurs is very special,” says Denise. “I’m excited to be going on this journey with The Prince’s Trust and helping to support young entrepreneurs by sharing my own experiences with them, both challenging and rewarding.”

The courses offered by The Trust help young people aged 11-30 to develop their confidence and skills, get ready for work and access job opportunities. Over a period of ten years, the impact of the charity’s work returned £1.4 billion in value to society and, so far, it has helped more than one million young people since it was founded in 1976.

Denise was just 27 when she was directed to The Prince’s Trust to help her set up Razzamataz and the training and support she was offered was invaluable. “As a former professional dancer and choreographer, I didn’t have any business experience or training so although I had a big dream, I had a lot to learn to make it a reality,” says Denise. “At Razzamataz, we now offer other people with no business experience all the support, training and mentorship that they need to be successful business owners and I remain ever thankful for the help I was given by The Prince’s Trust. As a young businesses-woman, The Prince’s Trust gave me the skills and importantly the confidence I needed to face the challenges that launching a business can bring. I’m so proud to be an alumni of The Prince’s Trust and now it is time to give back to many more young ambitious woman like myself.”

Denise and the Head Office team will be announcing each new event that they will be involved with including getting behind initiatives such as ‘Women supporting Women’. Razzamataz is particularly excited that their newest franchise partner Kimisha Lewis, who will be launching Razzamataz Coventry in April this year, has applied to The Prince’s Trust and been accepted on the Enterprise programme, which helps 18–30-year-olds turn their big ideas into a business reality.

As well as all the on-going support and mentoring with Razzamataz, Kimisha can access experts from The Prince’s Trust to help her think about her personal goals, skills, finance and many other aspects of running a business. There’s also additional start-up finance support if needed including low interest personal loans for business purposes between £500 to £25,000 per co-founder, offered through the Start Up Loans Company.

Sharon Arbuckle, Senior Head of Corporate Partnerships at The Prince’s Trust says: “We are thrilled that Razzamataz are supporting The Prince’s Trust. It is a source of great pride to see a Prince’s Trust-supported business thrive and to now choose to give back to more young people. The support from Razzamataz will enable us to continue our work building the confidence and skills young people need to fulfil their potential.” 

Within the Razzamataz network, there are many young people that run very successful theatre school businesses. Amber Gibney, age 24, is the youngest franchisee in the network and has already surpassed projections having reached 100 students in just one term. Amber is the franchise partner at Razzamataz Stockton-on-Tees and says: “The 100 club was my end of year one target so to reach it more than six months early, is wonderful. I’ve always wanted to work for myself, but I didn’t envisage it happening so quickly and on this scale. But when I looked at all the Principals within the Razzamataz network, there are many from different backgrounds and ages and I thought there is no reason why I can’t achieve the same as everyone else. I love the fact that Razzamataz allows me to be my own boss but with support of the network and a framework that gives me the tools that I need.”

For teachers and team members, there is an additional opportunity for them to progress in their careers with the launch of the new Razzamataz Training Platform and Diploma. This is free to all Razzamataz staff members and will enhance their learning activities to engage, develop and enhance their abilities. 

Join our team

We are looking for dynamic partners to own a Razzamataz Theatre School as well as teachers and assistants. If you are looking to make a difference in your local community to the lives of young people and you have a passion for performing arts, we would love to hear from you.

Secure your place to find out more

Join us NOW for a 2023 launch and make the most of the last few weeks before our fee increases to £12,995 plus VAT from April 2023. Or ask us about our zero upfront fee payment option! 

Training starting Monday 27th February to Saturday 4th March 2023 for a September 2023 launch! 

Contact us to secure your place on our next short informal virtual Discovery Dens

To book contact 07821 122242 or click here to book your place:https://www.razzamataz.co.uk/franchise-opps/book-discovery-den/