Mairi Curle took on franchise business Boogie Beat for Edinburgh, Mid and East Lothian at the beginning of 2023, having taken a career break from her job as a primary school teacher in Dalkeith after becoming ill with long Covid.

Boogie Beat, which has over 20 franchisees in the UK, provides a range of children’s workshops and classes which bring music, singing, dancing and storytelling together.

Since launching, Mairi’s area has grown substantially, and she has taken on four teachers to support the delivery of classes in nurseries and at birthday parties.

Having never run a business, she made use of Business Gateway’s Planning To Start Tool to test out if moving into business was a sensible career move.

Mairi also benefitted from a suite of Business Gateway’s start-up services, including one-to-one support from a Business Gateway East Lothian business adviser, who provided advice on her business plan and marketing.

Through Business Gateway, she accessed a £1,000 start-up grant from East Lothian Council’s LA-CER New Business Start Up Support fund, which helped with the costs of equipment to get her classes up and running. The funding also went towards advertising in publications to reach a wider audience in her sector and the purchase of marketing items for use at events, including a pull-up banner, leaflets and posters.

In February, just a year after launching, Mairi was announced as the winner of the Federation of Small Businesses Franchise Award for Scotland. She then went on to win at the UK finals in May.

Looking to the future, Mairi now plans to develop intergenerational classes, which offer residents of care homes and children from the local community the chance to come together and engage in music, dance, storytelling and movement activities.

She also will continue her work with her charity partner, Love From Jamie, and will donate a portion of her profits to fund the work the charity does to support bereaved families.

Mairi Curle, owner, Boogie Beats, said: “I always felt like I was wearing the Boogie Beat teacher hat, and not the businesswoman hat, so it felt really surreal to receive an award for the business side of things.

“The support I’ve received from Business Gateway has been fundamental in helping my business start and grow. Their fantastic resources and networking events are fantastic. I wouldn’t be where I am today without their help.”

Irene Ramsay, Business Gateway East Lothian business adviser, added: “Taking on a franchise can be really daunting, but Mairi has worked tirelessly over the last 18 months to ensure her Boogie Beat region has been a success.

“I’ve no doubt her birthday party offering will continue to be popular over the summer months and look forward to watching the intergenerational classes develop.”