“I didn’t feel scared to launch during a global pandemic”

Felicity Clifton, principal of Razzamataz Romford & Hornchurch, explains why she went from fashion buyer to franchisee

“I adore children and communicate with them better than adults most of the time! I want to make a difference in their lives by building their confidence. I also love to sing,” she says.

“Music has really helped me navigate tough times in my life and I found so much love for the theatre as an adult. It’s magic and I want to be part of creating it. I’m also very much over the London commute and lack of work-life balance. I knew that all of my experience of management in big and small companies would be the right foundation to run my own school but being part of the Razzamataz network is more than I could have imagined.

“I’m honestly amazed and inspired. You never have to feel alone and are always being pushed forward to try new things. From the moment I saw Denise on Dragons’ Den I thought she was an absolute inspiration but never in a million years did I think I would be lucky enough to represent Razzamataz in Essex.

“The way that she led us through the pandemic so confidently with such a clear strategy meant so much to us. I didn’t feel scared to launch during a global pandemic. There is always someone to reach out to with any questions.

“I have learned so much from the Zoom trainings, especially for social media. Sometimes it’s the small touches like getting a Razzamataz goodie box through the door for the conference that makes you feel so connected.

“I was stuck indoors for my day job with little interaction from my colleagues and things like that really picked me up when I felt quite lonely. I would say to others to assess your skills honestly and learn as much as you can before you launch. I’m good at coming up with processes and implementing them to make things more efficient. I can look at a process and figure out how to do it differently to save time.”