A JOLLY GOOD BUSINESS 

 One of the fastest growing sectors within the global franchising industry is the provision of educational and   entertainment services to children. Indeed this was one of the reasons that Monique Jolly, a Dutch woman living in Bray, Co Wicklow was attracted to the Kids Party Club franchise which has its headquarters in Shannon, Co Clare. Married to an Irish man, Andrew, Monique had always harboured the idea of going into business herself but never really got around to it. Her own background was in childcare but she later went on to specialise in social care, working with children from a wide range of social backgrounds, ages and abilities. "I love working with and for children and have always dreamed of having my own business. Over the years I have organised different camps including summer and Halloween camps, arts and craft camps and in my free time, I dressed up as a clown and did children's birthday parties. When working as a manager in a indoor play centre I talked and listened to parents, parents are very happy with the play centres but after a couple of years doing the same thing they were looking for something different for their children's parties. Many of them wanted to organise something in their own homes."

When it came to seeking out some possible alternatives, Monique she did some research online where she stumbled upon the Kids Party Cub franchise. "The website caught my eye because it was colourful, professional, customer friendly and they had something different to offer. What also caught my eye was the fact that while Kids Party Club is primarily a children's party entertainment business providing professional puppet shows and a kiddies disco, they also combine educational puppet shows with the SPHE curriculum on sensitive subjects such as bullying and healthy eating which I am very interested in. The shows are all prerecorded so I didn't need to have experience or be an entertainer. Most important to me was that they were looking for franchisees in my area." After talking to her family about the possibility of becoming a franchisee she arranged a meeting with Alan Sheehan, the general manager of the Kids Party Club. "He was the one who convinced my then sceptical husband. We were both sold after we had a meeting at their head office in Shannon where we met the team."

"We signed the franchise agreement at the end of August and, we were then comprehensively trained at their head office, received our operations manuals, show equipment, a starter pack of all the advertising and promotional material we needed . We are now up and running and in the process of building up our new business. Since we started we have become quiet busy." She adds that her franchise territory covers Dublin 18, South county. Dublin and North Wicklow. "My family is a 100% behind me, my daughter Tara even joins me at a party sometimes when she needs extra pocket money and enjoys every minute of it. Sometimes it's a bit hectic but it is worth it especially when you get have a satisfied customer. I am happy I made the choice to buy a franchise rather then going into business by myself, because at the end of the day when you're out there on your own, you are alone! With this business, I can operate it from my own home and it keeps the overheads low. From the start we were well informed, we got everything we could expect from Kids Party Club, the product has been tried out, the training and the follow up is done all very professionally. I have to say, it has been a very positive experience so far."