Anne-Marie Martin is founder of diddi dance – funky pre-school dance classes for girls and boys aged 18 months to 4 years. 

diddi dance runs nationwide with 40 franchisees. As if that wasn’t enough, Anne-Marie also masterminded the creation of  Under 1 Roof, a venue which hosts a wide range of services for young families in South East London.

We met this inspirational mum of two to find out about her journey and how she juggles her businesses alongside family life.

Where did the inspiration for diddi dance come from?

I sort of fell into it to be honest. I was a trained dancer and in the back of my mind had always wanted my own dance school. In between my dancing jobs, I started working for Gymboree and got introduced to Under-5s. I thought – oh, this is a really fun age! I LOVED it – I was in my 20s and doing a lot of jumping around. I had a lot more energy then!

They [mums and nannies] booked a venue and told me to turn up!

Mums and nannies were saying “there’s lots of ballet classes but we want something a bit funky – you’re a dancer, you start something!” I resisted at first. But those mums persevered. They booked a venue and told me to turn up! That’s literally how it started.

diddi dance has come a long way since then! You were thrown in at the deep end. How did it develop into what it is today?

I’d learnt from working with that age group that repetition was key.  I’m not a very girly girl myself so it was all about action, energy and being totally over the top. I was getting lots of boys in the classes too, and realised I was on to something.

I was getting lots of boys in the classes too, and realised I was on to something.

It took me years to fine tune the lesson plans and get that repetition just right – for it to be familiar, but not boring. We now incorporate props, have a different style every half term, and also support stages of Early Years development. We also have three albums of music that we’ve had written for the programme!

Anne-Marie Martin, founder of Diddi Dance

Did you ever imagine it would become such a large nationwide franchise?

By 2006, I’d spent 3 years developing the programme and decided to teach it to other people. I tried a couple of pilots with dancer friends, testing outside of London. But in 2007 I fell pregnant and all my plans had to go on hold. It took a backseat whilst I found my feet as a new mum.

I knew what it was I wanted to do and that it had potential, though in those early days people thought my business was just a ‘nice little hobby’!

We grew from 7 to 14 franchises in that first year and went on from there.

Things had been quite disorganised with the first pilot franchises. I didn’t have any business experience at all – my degree was in Contemporary Dance. So in 2010 I took on a franchise consultant with a business background to help rewrite the franchise agreements, disclosure packs – everything. We grew from 7 to 14 franchises in that first year and went on from there.

What was the most difficult aspect of growing your business?

Letting go of my ego. I’d created this from scratch. It was my baby and I knew exactly how I wanted it done. Part of the reason I wanted to franchise rather than license the brand was to keep control.

It was really hard letting someone else run with the business. But I had to learn to accept that I’m not superwoman!

It was really hard letting someone else run with the business. But I had to learn to accept that I’m not superwoman! I didn’t have a great structure of teachers at the time, so within 2 months of having my baby I was back taking classes because teachers were letting me down. And at the weekend I was off doing parties. So I was trying to teach, trying to entertain, trying to be a mum and trying to build this business. There is a lot to be said for bringing in the experts and realising you can’t be a master of all.

And what about Under 1 Roof? It’s quite a unique venue!

Under 1 Roof has been 6 to 7 years in the making and was a passion for me. I wanted a place where parents could come to as a one-stop shop.  There are places in South West London, but nothing around South East London and they tend to be quite exclusive. I wanted something accessible to all. We have a nursery, soft-play, a kids’ hairdresser on-site, and we host a large number of pre-school activities.

How do you balance work and family life?

Before we opened Under 1 Roof, I’d pretty much found that perfect balance. I worked from home, my daughter was tiny and I felt quite smug and content! But starting another business tipped me off balance again. Some days can feel out of control and the anxiety kicks in. Things are starting to settle down now as we’ve been open 18 months.

A small regret is that I didn’t manage my needs as a mother all that well with my first child – mostly because I didn’t have the right business structures in place. I thought babies just eat and sleep, so I’ll work when he’s sleeping! But I wasn’t getting much sleep at night and I should have been resting myself.  If I’m honest, there was a bit of postnatal depression going on. There was too much to cope with. I thought I was a failure if I wasn’t doing everything myself.

Nowadays I realise how brilliant it is that I don’t have to commute. I do get to drop the kids at school every day. I do get to pick them up. I’m always there for them, yet I’m able to earn a living through something I’m passionate about and enjoy doing.

Diddi Dance classes

Trying to do everything yourself is a common challenge for working mums. How have you coped with that?

By the time my second child came along, I’d accepted I needed experts so that I could focus on my own strengths. Getting a great team in meant I could focus on my newborn knowing that things were being handled, rather than beating myself up with mummy guilt and business guilt the entire time.

I don’t think you can ever eradicate that guilt entirely, but you can try to ease it

I have a good routine now. On Friday evenings my husband picks the kids up from school. Even though he’s a great dad, it’ll get to 7pm on a Friday night and I’ll feel guilty that I haven’t seen them and rush home. There’ll be a mountain of emails I haven’t replied to yet, so I’ll feel guilty about not having given the business enough time today! I don’t think you can ever eradicate that guilt entirely, but you can try to ease it; getting the right people in place in your business is key to that.

What have been your biggest wins?

It’s always amazing taking on franchisees and seeing them find that work-life balance for themselves. One of our franchisees, Emma, posted on our forum recently showing herself working in the garden with her kids. It’s really rewarding that I’ve helped facilitate that – I love it!

It’s always amazing taking on franchisees and seeing them find that work-life balance for themselves.

On a personal level, it’s when you see children in the class come out of their shell for the first time – when they hold your hand, join in with a gallop, or whatever it is. That’s something I’ve created – it’s a lovely feeling.

What keeps you sane?

Not a lot! I have a great team behind diddi dance and I really love technology. I do everything I can on my phone. It means I don’t have to wait to get home to do all my emails in the evening and I can be productive between classes.

I really love technology. I do everything I can on my phone.

I try to put my phone down at home, and if I need to catch up on something I’ll do it when the kids are in bed. Sometimes I use the laptop in the kitchen whilst I’m making dinner. Emails with sticky fingers and everything else!

What’s your top piece of advice for anyone thinking of starting a business?

If you’re going to run your own business, find something you’re really passionate about. It’s not like the daily grind of a job where you can do your job, go home and switch off.  As a business owner you never switch off. Even when you’re in bed! If you don’t love it, it ends up being a chore and that would be so hard.

Find something you’re really passionate about … If you don’t love it, it ends up being a chore.

Secondly, research. Especially when it is your passion! You might not have a business background and there are so many things you have got to check. And if that means investing a bit of money into an expert to help you – then do it. Trademarks, contracts, health and safety, HR, all of that. It can really get you in hot water later down the line. In the early days it’s so tempting to cut corners, but that can really come back to bite you in the ass!

Who would enjoy running a diddi dance franchise?

There are so many elements to the business and it’s really flexible. We do children’s parties, work with nurseries and schools, and also SEN settings. We even have lesson plans with the Wheelchair Dance Sport association. Classes typically take place between 10am and 3pm so you can still do your own school run. It lends itself so well to a flexible approach because your market is parents who understand where you’re coming from and it naturally suits the hours you want to work.

There are so many elements to the business and it’s really flexible.

To get the most profit you want to be delivering the classes yourself, but jumping around for 45 minutes with toddlers is not everyone’s cup of tea! The business is so much more than that though. You can also run a franchise and hire other teachers in.

Finally, who is your Happity Hero – a class provider you would recommend? (Apart from diddi dance!)

My daughter loved Boppin’ Bunnies! Anna Mellon is fantastic and runs classes throughout South East London. Because I was running a business I wasn’t able to do a lot, but Boppin’ Bunnies was one class I always tried to attend because she loved it so much. They have real musicians so they’d be experiencing cello one week, flute next, guitar another. Anna who runs it is completely inspirational and such a strong woman – a proper Happity Hero!

Diddi dance offer free trials for classes and some are available as a drop-in. Visit Happity to find diddi dance classes near you and for Under 1 Roof’s timetable for baby and toddler classes. Head to diddidance.com and under1roofkids.com for further info and follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Thinking about a career change? Discover how to become a diddi dance franchisee.