I’ve been keeping a little secret.

Not because I’m trying to be mysterious, but because when you’re building something with real substance behind it, you don’t rush to talk about it before the foundations are in place.

But 2026 is my Awards era. And it’s bigger than a one-night event.

This week I sat down with Savanna Madden on the Acting Coach Network podcast to talk about what I’m building next, and why it matters for class businesses. We got into the real stuff – sustainable growth, leadership, and what it actually takes to scale without losing your head or your mission. And yes, we talked about the Awards era too.

This isn’t just about celebrating class businesses. It’s about building a platform that finally reflects the impact our sector has.

From baby classes to building a platform

Like most people in the children’s activity world, I didn’t sit down one day and decide, “Right, I’m going to shape an industry.”

I had my first child, and started attending baby classes. I was a customer first. I fell into it through a messy play class, and when the business franchised, I became one of the first franchisees.

That “I can do this” moment turned into something much bigger.

I ended up buying the business, reworking the model, and scaling Mess Around into an event-based format because it simply made business sense. 

“If you run a messy play business, it takes as long to set up for 12 kids as it does for 40. So you might as well obviously go for the numbers.”

That’s the bit people often miss. Passion matters, but structure matters too. If you want something sustainable, you need a model that actually works.

The shift from franchising to class-based growth

People still love to label me as a franchise expert. But the truth is, marketing and sales have always come naturally to me. I’ve trained people who didn’t even use Facebook. I’ve taken business owners from “I don’t know what I’m doing” to confident, booked, and profitable.

Because when you’re running a micro business, you don’t need to be everywhere doing everything. You need to do the right things consistently.

“The online space is really, really noisy… but when you’re running a micro business, you actually don’t (need to be everywhere). You just need to do certain things in order to get traction.”

And that’s what the Children’s Activity Business Club has been built for: giving class-based business owners the tools, strategies and confidence to grow without burning out.

Building the Class Business Academy and a strategist network

In the last four years, I’ve helped thousands of business owners. But there’s only one of me.

So I’m building infrastructure.

We’ve launched the Children’s Activity Business Strategist course, CPD recognised, and we’re training a team of strategists who can go out and support providers everywhere. 

“I’m building basically an infrastructure to support children’s activity providers so they can get the education and the training and the mentoring and make it accessible to all.”

This is part of the bigger vision behind the Class Business Academy.

Because if we want the sector to grow, we need more skilled support in it, not just another inspirational quote and a “you’ve got this” sticker.

Why the Class Business Awards exist

Here’s the headline.

I’ve been asked for years to create an awards programme, and I always said no. Having entered, won and judged awards, I knew that if I ever did it, it would need to reflect the values and standards I believe the sector deserves.

Then I hit a point where I realised I’m not just building income, I’m building legacy.

“I’m all about… leading with impact. I’m building legacy. I’m 50 years old… and I want to leave a legacy. I want to build a legacy that I’ve made a difference to this sector.”

So now it’s time.

The Class Business Awards are happening on 10 October 2026 at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham.

But listen carefully: the awards night is not the main thing.

“The awards part for me is like the cherry on the cake.”

The real magic is the ripple effect.

A 12-month campaign, not a one-night show

I don’t want a one-off awards event where people apply, attend, and then it all disappears into a blurry photo album.

I’m building a 12-month campaign of visibility, storytelling, PR and relationship building.

That means spotlighting business owners throughout the year, interviewing judges and partners, picking entrants at random and sharing their story, and then interviewing every finalist.

Yes, you read that right.

“We’re then also going to interview every single finalist… which is going to be 100 people.”

Because the point isn’t just who wins. The point is who gets seen, who gets heard, and who realises they’re capable of more.

What makes a strong awards entry

If you want a fluffy process where you can sprinkle a few nice words and hope for the best, these are not your awards. I’m designing these awards to be business-focused and evidence-led.

“We’re not going for like fluff. Like as you know, so that I don’t do fluff. I want to know exactly what you’ve done, what impact you have, and you’ve had the stats to back it all up.”

That’s why I’m working with awards advisor Emma Hewitt to build the process properly, ask the right questions, and make sure entries reflect real results and real impact. Because I want fairness.

A micro business should not be “competing” against a million-pound business in a way that makes the smaller provider feel like they never had a chance. We’re building an awards process that recognises growth and achievement in a way that actually makes sense.

What happens next

The Class Business Awards are coming, and the build-up is going to be just as important as the big night itself.

This is about raising standards, raising visibility, and raising belief across the whole sector.

If you want to follow the journey, see the behind-the-scenes, and get the storytelling as it drops, the best thing you can do is this:

Subscribe so you don’t miss announcements, interviews and key dates and head over to my YouTube channel for the long-form content, insights and updates as the Awards era unfolds, and to watch the full interview!