Sarah Cressall is the Founder and Managing Director of The Creation Station and talks to us about the opportunities that the franchise has to offer:
We award our franchise to people who share our core values;
Typically our franchise owners want flexibility and the freedom to choose the working hours to run their own successful business. Typically but not always our franchise owners are parents, and are looking for a second income for their family.
Our franchise owners come from a a range of backgrounds including solicitors, Human resources managers, teachers, stay at home mums or dads, graphic artists, retail managers and most recently a Crime Scene investigator. So a wide range of background but all with the desire and drive to run a successful, flexible and fun business.
The skills required are first a foremost being a people person! You have to friendly and approachable and enjoy being with children and adults. You also have to be proactive, adaptable and have a positive attitude and outlook on life.
Just so you know, you don’t have to be creative, and you don’t need any experience of working with children, or teaching as we provide the training and all the plans and resources to help you run your business.
Franchise owners have said that they feel more empowered and their confidence has grown. Many say they have made lots of new friends and love being the go to person for creative fun in the area.
We talk a lot about goals in our business and people have set and achieved not just work goals but also personal goals as well.
These have included taking their children to and from school every day, being in control of their working hours, paying for fantastic holidays.
Most of our franchise owners have never ran a business before, so there is a lot training, hand – holding and support available .
This includes a dedicated support team at Creation hub, as well as Business development managers who also run their own Creation Station business, templates for all business needs and press releases, weekly top tip newsletters, Treasure Trove or resources , exclusive trade account on Art & Crafts supplies, all tried and tested session plans, national conference and much more.
We gained the award for the best franchise marketing support which is a testament to our commitment to support franchise owners.
We have 100 V.I.P ( Very Inspirational People ) Creation Station franchise owners across the UK. Their exclusive territory size depends on the size of the franchise they invested. Due to demand we do still have areas that we are looking to award a Creation Station franchise.
Our franchise owners run the award winning art & crafts classes, parties and events in their own area- they choose their hours and decide how many classes they want to run to fit around their own commitments. Those with children often take their own children to their classes which sees a significant saving on child-care costs.
As their business grows there is scope to take on staff. For the out of school cubs this can be developed into a management franchise where the franchise owners employs others to run the out of school clubs. We help with all aspects of employment when the time is right.
Firstly I would understand why you are looking to run your own business? What are you key drivers and what is most important to you.
Secondly, you will be working, probably, work harder running your business that in any other previous job, so think about the sector that you enjoy working in and
Check out what the day to day activities will involve, will it give you what you are looking for?
Finally, do your research, what can you find out about them online? Are they easy to find do they have a good digital presence – if you can’t find them easier neither will you prospective customers? Once you have identified the franchises that you feel could work, get their info pack and go along to a discovery event and meet them. Bring your partner or a friend so you can have someone else that you trust to give you their perspective as well.
Franchising is a two way relationship you have to feel confident that they have the systems and capacity to support you and to help you grow your business.
Katie is running her Creation Station classes in Renfrewshire as she wanted to improve her quality of life.
Lyn's award-winning arts & craft classes are sparking curiosity in Watford and Rickmansworth!
Deirdre has recently joined The Creation Station and now runs art and craft classes for all ages in Chesterfield.
Meet Tracy the new 'Head Of Inspiration' at The Creation Station Yarm.
Reshma was a chartered accountant who had a dream of being self-employed so she started a Creation Station franchise in Eastbourne.
Hayley's passion to achieve a flexible work balance and encourage children to ask questions and solve problems creatively has led her to an exciting new career!
Eleanor runs successful, award-winning, classes for all ages in Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Stalham and Wroxham.
Sarah Dunn runs successful, award-winning, fun, creative art and craft classes, after-school clubs, parties and events for all ages in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
Claire Darnley runs 5* award-winning creative art and craft classes in Halesowen, Birmingham.
Jo runs award-winning, fun, creative art and craft classes, after-school clubs, parties and events for all ages in Lancaster and Kendal.
Jen runs award-winning, fun, creative art and craft classes, after-school clubs, parties and events for all ages in Hove, East Sussex.
Abby Newall runs award-winning, fun, creative art and craft classes, after-school clubs, parties and events for all ages in Chichester and Arundel.
Louise was looking for a new challenge and the freedom that flexibility could bring to her working life.
Sarah is inspiring the children and adults of Bury North with classes, parties, events, and more!
Sharon Keirle runs award-winning, fun, creative art and craft classes, after-school clubs, parties and events for all ages in Cranbrook, Dawlish, Topsham and Exminster areas.
Jann Thorpe runs award-winning, fun, creative art and craft classes, after-school clubs, parties and events for all ages in the Macclesfield area.
Chantal Craig runs her Creation Station franchise providing creative workshops for adults, kids classes, parties and events to Hitchin, Letchworth and Stotfold.
Claire Lyon is making Doncaster super sparkly with her award winning creative workshops.
Vanessa Whitehouse is making a difference with award winning Creation Station workshops.
Kate Knubley is running award-winning Creation Station art and craft classes in Wimborne, Verwood and Broadstone.
Emma Winterbourne now runs her own award-winning Creation Station franchise in Thame & West Aylesbury.
Vicky Whitwell is running award-winning, fun, creative art and craft classes, after-school clubs, parties and events in the Coventry West area.
Emma McCalla-John invested her twenty years of expertise in teaching music into her dream of being her own boss.
Lisa Hagg tells us about her six years with her Creation Station franchise and her highlights from 2016 so far.
Find out how Cathy Huston changed career and now runs her own Creation Station business in Preston.
Sara le Roux gives 10 insider tips that you need to know about running a franchise!
Shobhana Sankar inspires imaginations with The Creation Station in Surrey.
Ruth Morris, owner of The Creation Station Aberdeen and winner of the Best New Franchisee 2014, shares her story of her first year running her own successful business.
Tracy Hull who runs her Creation Station business in Basingstoke says "I live being a role model to my children.....".
Kirsty Hickson says that running her own successful Creation Station business has been the making of her.
Sarah Finan has taken control of her working life and now inspires children's imaginations with her own Creation Station business.
Liz Cairns passes on her reasons for joing the The Creation Station.
Karen Carnsen says that The Creation Station has given her the confidence to be her own boss and she is very positive about the future.
I wanted to have the freedom of choosing my work hours to fit around family life. I knew I wanted to work with children and be my own boss.
Running my own franchise with a nationwide brand that shared my family and personal values was the obvious choice for me.
Jackie wanted to ensure she had time with her pre-school children but wanted to steadily build a rewarding business that could grow further when they started school.
Lavinia decided she didn’t want to work for someone else but didn’t want to start a business from scratch.
Lucy wanted to give something back to her community and found the values of The Creation Station could help her achieve a fulfilling and rewarding business opportunity.
Following the birth of her twins, Hayley Sugden wanted to go back to work and The Creation Station franchise provided everything she wanted.
I've bought my franchise from a lady, who has been running it for 18 month at the time and I am now in my 3rd year and am LOVING it!Alexia Ispani
Who wouldn't love the flexibility of this business! I have been running my franchise for just over four years now and I can honestly say it has ticked all of the boxes I had set down from the beginning with making sure the work/life balance fit in around my family.Penny Gilbert
I invested in my Creation Station franchise just over a year ago and haven't looked back since!Sara La Roux
Perfectly designed for a Mum who wants a family friendly financially rewarding future.
You can run your own flexible business and help inspire children's imaginations with the UK’s leading art & crafts activity company, Us!