The flexibility to work to my schedule is joyous

“The flexibility to work to my schedule is joyous.”

Meet Gill Cooper, mum of two who has been running Jiggy Wrigglers in the Vale of White Horse in the south west of Oxfordshire since November 2023.

Background

I have a degree in musical theatre and have had several different roles within this industry including theatre management, performing and backstage roles. After several years I decided that I wanted a complete change which is how I ended up as a planning enforcement officer and then working as an environmental health officer for the local authority. It was after having my second child that I realised that I would be working full time to pretty much just cover childcare costs, which is when I understood that I would need to make another career change.

Why Jiggy Wrigglers?

My daughter who is coming up to four was a covid baby and it was a very difficult time being stuck in the house. Jiggy Wrigglers was one of the first activities to reopen and I remember going along to my first session and just absolutely loved it, we both did. It was so energetic and fun, and I just simply fell in love with it. After having my second child and moving to a new area, I realised that there were so few places that I could take both children and they both would get something out of it, I thought why not fill the gap in the market.

 Challenges

I have freelanced before, and I have a good business mind, so I was ok with that side of things but what I’ve personally found challenging has been the social media marketing. This has been a huge learning curve for me and although it doesn’t come naturally, we’ve been given lots of support and different workshops around this, which has been hugely beneficial.

Growth to date

I’m currently in six different towns offering seven classes a week. It’s lovely going into different areas and forming communities. It’s hugely satisfying seeing the same faces coming back every week because we offer pay as you go classes, so these people are making the choice to come back and continue to enjoy the sessions.

A lifechanging business

I think I would sum up being a Jiggy franchisee by saying it’s so much fun. It’s lovely because although there is a lot of work happening away from the actual classes, I can do it in my own time, which really suits my family set up. Moving to a new area, it has also been very social and its opened me up to meeting lots of new people. Having a young family, community has become very important to me and through Jiggy’s, I’m really building something special.

Life/work balance

I don’t work 9-5 anymore, which makes it feel more balanced. I don’t feel the pressure of deadlines either as I can create my own schedule to fit my lifestyle. It has taken a huge financial pressure off in terms of childcare costs because I can take my children with me. Although this can have some challenges, overall, it has many positives and I’m very grateful to be doing something I love which fits around my family.

The joy of running Jiggy’s

I love that we can accommodate children of different ages and they all get something unique out of the sessions, along with the adult that comes with them. I’ve very proud that we are as inclusive as possible and the children with special educational needs really get a lot out of it. I can see their mums take a breath and relax and know they get an hour where someone can take over and they can enjoy just being with their child.

Coming to a Jiggy’s class gives parents and guardians the opportunity to have fun with their child, relax, have a cup of tea that’s still warm, chat to others about their children and find some supportive and reassuring advice about child development.

Training and support

The training and support that I’ve received has been amazing. I had no real expectation as to what I was going to get but it’s been wonderful. The franchisor Katie is hugely supportive and always has time for everyone. When I was getting the classes off the ground, there was constant video calls, systems and templates to follow, and Katie came to my first few classes. The rest of the franchisees across the country are also very supportive and we share success, challenges and info to help build our businesses.

Future goals

I want to continue to provide sessions where families can come to have fun while ensuring the classes continue to evolve and stay relevant. The Jiggy Wrigglers brand offers lots of different products that I can offer, and this is something that I would like to establish in the future, which will help maintain a strong brand name in the community.

Advice to others

You don’t need to be the most confident public speaker, but you do need to feel happy about speaking in front of a room of people. If you can do that, then you can definitely run a Jiggy Wrigglers with all the training and guidance you will be offered. There are so many different props, toys, puppets and music that we use that you will never be at a loss as to how to run a class and the best thing is, the children don’t judge because they are too busy having fun.

Join the Jiggy Wrigglers franchise

Katie will be running several virtual Discovery Den sessions where you can find out more about joining the Jiggy Wrigglers network.

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 07966065643

Web: www.Jiggywrigglers.com

To enquire about attending the classes, contact Gill on the details below.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552456227485

Instagram: jiggywrigglersvaleofwhitehorse

Email: [email protected]

Mobile: 07830 093575