I am over the moon to have been selected as a finalist in the Young Entrepreneur of the Year category of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards for the region of Wales.
Founded in 2013, the Great British Entrepreneur Awards acknowledges the hard work and inspiring stories of entrepreneurs and businesses in the UK.
The Awards have celebrated some outstanding entrepreneurs who have gone on to become household names. Previous winners include the founders of BrewDog, Tangle Teezer, The LAD Bible, Clearscore & Hangfire Southern Kitchen.
Judges of the awards include Hayley Parsons, who founded Go Compare, Cath Kidston, Lord Bilimoria of Cobra Beer and Kanya King, the founder of the MOBO awards.
It's wonderful to know that big names like the above think that Flame is as special as I do. I know and experience every day that we have created something special together at Flame Dance Studios. This has only been possible because of every one of you. The parents, students, hirers, host teachers, customers, every family who has walked through our doors and of course my wonderfully supportive family. Whether you've been with us from day 1 (hi OG's 👋🏼) or you've only ever joined us virtually via Zoom. Thank you to each and every one of you for your positivity, commitment, recommendations, talent and smiles that you bring to us every day.
It is purely through your recommendations and word of mouth that we have grown to what we are today and I will be forever thankful to you for that.
While building a business is difficult and there is a lot of work done behind the scenes, I have loved every single moment! In my opinion, mine is the best job in the world, especially when I teach. I get to teach the most wonderful children every week, whom I've loved seeing grow in age and confidence and develop their dance and performance skills. Lockdown has also made me realise another highlight of my job is talking and catching up with you, the parents.
I'm also lucky to be able to provide the space for other businesses to thrive and have loved watching them develop. I see the most wonderful teachers come in to share their passion, knowledge and incredible choreography with dancers who come from far and wide to learn from them and I experience the joy and drive of all those who come to us for their favourite fitness classes.
I have missed being able to run the business as normal and see you all in person. As soon as it's safe to do so, I'm incredibly excited to be able to get back to the studio and continue the wonderful work we have started.