Many people exploring franchising in the performing arts sector assume it comes with a familiar trade-off: rewarding work but at the expense of their weekends. The image of a franchisee teaching for long hours every Saturday and Sunday can be enough to deter anyone who wants both meaningful work and time with family.

But the reality of modern performing arts franchising often looks very different. For many franchisees, the role is less about standing at the front of a classroom and more about leading a business, building a team and creating a positive environment for young people to thrive in. With the right systems in place, it can offer a level of flexibility that many traditional careers simply can’t match.

Here, Lisa Stead, CEO of Stagecoach Performing Arts, explores how that model gives franchisees far more control over their time than many expect – and why “owning your weekends again” is more about working differently than working less.

It starts with a different kind of role

One of the biggest misconceptions about performing arts franchising is that you’re buying yourself a teaching job. In reality, you’re building a business.

The model is designed so classes can be delivered by a team of trained teachers, while the franchisee focuses on running the operation – managing people, maintaining standards, ensuring safeguarding and building relationships with families.

That doesn’t mean stepping away from teaching altogether. Some franchisees choose to remain hands-on in the classroom, others focus purely on the business and many find a balance between the two.

What matters is that the structure gives you that choice. Your time isn’t automatically tied to being in front of a class every weekend.

And that role can change over time

For many franchisees, how they spend their time naturally evolves as their business grows.

The team you build is what creates real flexibility

What really changes the shape of the working week is having the right people in place.

With multiple teachers delivering classes, responsibility is shared rather than sitting with one person. The business is no longer entirely dependent on the franchisee being present at all times.

That’s when you start to gain real control over your time. When the business can run well without you needing to do everything yourself, you have the freedom to decide when and how you work.

Time becomes more structured – and more flexible

The idea of “losing your weekends” often comes from imagining a business that runs all day, across both Saturday and Sunday, with no let-up.

In reality, most performing arts schools operate within a much more defined structure. Classes are typically delivered within a concentrated window – often a single day or part of a day – creating a clear, predictable rhythm to the week.

Outside of that, much of the work involved in running the business – planning, communication and organisation – can be done flexibly. It doesn’t have to sit within rigid hours or fixed locations. Work becomes something that can fit around life, rather than something that dictates it.

It’s not about working less – it’s about having control

Perhaps the most important distinction is this: performing arts franchising doesn’t remove work – it changes your relationship with it.

With the right systems, team and structure in place, franchisees are no longer trading time for output in a fixed way. They can delegate, prioritise and shape their involvement around what matters most to them.

At Stagecoach, franchisees are supported with many of the systems, tools and processes they need from the outset. This means less time spent building everything from scratch and more time focused on growing the business, developing a team and deciding how involved they want to be day to day.

For some, that means building a business that runs largely without them. For others, it means staying close to the parts they enjoy while creating space elsewhere.

Either way, the outcome is the same – more control, more choice and a way of working that feels sustainable.

Building a business that fits around family life

For Rob Garrett, Principal of Stagecoach Gravesend and Stagecoach Strood, that shift has been transformational. “The vast majority of my role is organising everything in the background. You’re coordinating the business, supporting your team and being the face of it for parents, rather than teaching every class.”

With a team in place, his work is no longer tied to a fixed schedule. “Outside of the core class time, I have the flexibility to work when it suits me. I can prioritise both my business goals and my personal goals, which wasn’t something I had before.”

Having previously worked in a demanding retail environment, the difference is most noticeable in the time he now has with his family. “Being able to be there for the little things in my children’s lives has made a huge difference. That’s what everything now works around.”

His approach to work reflects the flexibility the model allows. “I tend to work around my day, rather than sticking to fixed hours, but still keeping a clear structure of what I need to achieve. Sometimes that means answering messages while I’m out with my kids or fitting work around the day, rather than the other way round.”

For Rob, that’s what the role ultimately offers. “Working weekends is still part of the role, but it becomes something you own – with the flexibility to shape it around your life.”