Franchise | Interactive storytelling and dramatic play sessions

About Debutots

Debutots is the UK’s multi award-winning children’s franchise opportunity.

Build a successful lifestyle business for yourself with huge potential and scale the business in a way that suits you. Take control of your own work / life balance and build a secure and rewarding business delivering a programme that makes a huge difference to the lives of children, families and teachers. With a small initial investment, government backed financing, a six-figure turnover potential and low overheads, Debutots could be the opportunity you’ve been looking for!

Our unique interactive storytelling and dramatic play classes are for children aged 6 months – 7 years. With a new original Debutots story each week our classes promote skilful communication, develop cognitive skills and grow a child’s positive sense of themselves and of others. Debutots is a wonderful opportunity to take a life changing step into a rewarding career.

With a Debutots franchise, you’re buying into a ready–made product, with all the systems in place. There’s continued support and training, leaving you free and confident to get on and grow your business.
Jen, Franchisee – Finchley, Hampstead and Muswell Hill

Our franchisees benefit from the security of a carefully crafted product, and are able to grow their business with the ongoing, personal support of a diligent Head Office team.

We created Debutots because we felt passionate about learning through story and drama in the early years. Debutots’ popularity has soared with nurseries, schools and parents and our franchise provides the ideal platform for other dedicated people to share in our work and business success. Each Debutots franchise is an individual business that we wholeheartedly invest our time, knowledge and enthusiasm in.

Why a Debutots Franchise?

Debutots is a multi award-winning business with a diverse and stable customer base

We work with a wide age range from 6 months right up to 7 years. Our franchisees deliver a range of products based on how and when they want to work.

Products include:

Classes in Nurseries and Pre-Schools
After School Clubs
Holiday Clubs
Intergenerational Debutots (our highly regarded programme: Joining Generations with Imagination)
Classes in Local Venues (with parents and carers)
Workshops in Schools
Birthday Parties
Local Authority Classes with Targeted Families
Classes in Children’s Centres, Libraries and Local Authority Venues and at Local Events

This offers flexibility as to how you want to run your business and from where you generate your income stream. Our franchisees have a lot of autonomy and control with the security of accessing the plans and support they need to deliver each product.

Debutots is a relevant curriculum: children are our future and we always need to invest in developing their communication, social and emotional skills, which makes Debutots a highly rewarding and fulfilling career!

Debutots classes tick a lot of boxes – they’re educational and fun – parents want to spend their money on the activity and schools and nurseries wanting to enrich their curriculum or provide Debutots as an after–school club certainly keep me busy!

Do you want to be your own boss AND enjoy the security of a supportive, experienced network?

With Debutots you choose how you organise your work – from your timetables and staff to your holidays and lunch breaks! If you’ve taken a career break, want a meaningful career change, always had a dream that you could make a real difference to the lives of children, then our franchise could be the supportive, successful and confidence–building business for you. Our comprehensive training and friendly network ensures you can boldly take that step back into the workplace and fearlessly leap into self–employment. You’ll develop your current skills, learn valuable new ones, and have support and advice, not only from Head Office, but also from other franchisees who love to share their experiences on our forum.

Build a successful lifestyle business for yourself with huge potential!

You scale the business in a way that suits you as you take control of your own work / life balance. With a small initial investment, government backed financing, a six-figure turnover potential and low overheads, our successful and ambitious franchisees build and expand their business with a team of staff as well as having the opportunity to own multiple territories.

Quality family time is at the very core of our philosophy here, and if we couldn’t make this business work around our family commitments, then we certainly wouldn’t have the time to tell you about it! Most of our franchisees are parents. But, parent or not, we know that your business has to be flexible enough to work around your life and successful enough to bring in that much–needed income to your home.

Benefits

Benefits include:

Access to a proven model that has been in operation for over 17 years
Full training is provided including CPD accredited and certified modules
Security in knowing the Debutots Franchise is a top national children’s franchise^*
Many different revenue streams leading to a diverse business with lower risk
Award winning continued product development, most recently including: Debutots Online to keep franchisees in business during Covid-19.
Access to the premium end of a market: you can charge in excess of £175p.h. for your services
A chance to make a lasting difference to the lives of young children in your community
Recognised by the major high street banks: financing is available
Government funded finance available with low interest rates and low monthly repayments
Franchisees earn considerably higher hourly rates than their previous roles
Excellent value: everything you need to launch and grow your business for a very competitive fee
Diligent, personal mentoring and support to enable you to launch and grow your business successfully
Flexible working hours designed around your life
The security of a carefully crafted product that is both creative and innovative
Immense job satisfaction watching children develop invaluable life skills with your help
Fantastic on-going Head Office training, support and mentoring, along with peer to peer support throughout your lifetime as a franchisee
A chance to do something you’ll love that both fits around your life and is a great business opportunity

*Work Buzz National Best Franchise Awards 2017, 2018 and 2019 sponsored by Lloyds Bank

N.B. The figures detailed are based on figures that have been achieved by Debutots Franchisees for illustrative purposes and do not constitute a forecast nor a guarantee for potential sales, prospects, returns or earnings which may be realised by a franchisee.

Case Studies

I became a Debutots Franchisee in February 2021 and I have to say that I have loved every minute of it. After 17 years working in Retail, this has been a massive change for me, but in so many good ways. The sessions with the children are so much fun and watching the little ones progress each week with new little skills and watching them grow in confidence has been just amazing and so rewarding – it doesn’t actually feel like work! Just four months in and I run weekly sessions in three different venues and I have been overwhelmed with how many of the sessions have booked out. None of this would have been possible without the constant support form Charlotte and Clare, they have honestly been amazing since day one, through all of my training and still on-going. Both the practical and business training set me up so well and gave me the confidence in myself and it is so reassuring to know that there is always someone at the end of the phone should I have any questions or just want to talk something through. Thank you so much Charlotte and Clare for all your help and on-going support, you have no idea how much I appreciate it.

Avril Loughlin, Debutots West NI

I am so proud to be a part of the Debutots brand and with the support from Head Office I put the foundations firmly in place throughout the start up three months of my franchise and by December I was already working with 15 nurseries and schools. From the moment I first spoke to Charlotte at Head Office, her enthusiasm and passion for her business captivated me and made me want to be a part of Debutots.

The level of support from the beginning was outstanding in every way from the quality of the product and support tools, level of training and especially the ongoing support on a one to one basis that my mentor provides. I do not believe there can be many franchises out there that still have the ability to pick up the phone freely and speak to a mentor with any kind of issue from how to complete accountancy and marketing to how to deliver a particular story in the most effective way. Everyone I speak to is amazed I can contact Head Office so freely and even my accountant said he thought the value for money on the franchise and level of support was excellent.

Emma Booth, Hull

I was looking for something that would suit my interests, experience and strengths – Debutots ticked all the boxes. My business has grown year on year and I now have 4 members of staff delivering up to 40 classes per week – my holiday camps are so popular that they are booked up months in advance. I do have some admin to catch up on in the evenings when my children are in bed, but otherwise my work is based around my family timetable! My family are proud of my business and I love that I’m setting an example for my kids – it really is possible to enjoy your job! I love working with children: telling stories, dancing, popping bubbles, dramatic play; any stresses or craziness that may be going on in the world of adults melt away…it makes for a very simple and joy-filled life!

Jennifer David, Finchley, Hampstead and Muswell Hill

My decision to sign up to Debutots was down in no small measure to the passion, vision and commitment demonstrated by one of the founders of Debutots, Charlotte Salter. We communicated directly and Charlotte was quick to put me in touch with existing franchisees. The willingness of those initial franchisees and every other franchisee who works with Debutots was incredible. The support and the openness of colleagues to answer all and any questions was amazing and incredibly powerful. There was nothing but support from all quarters and that continues to this day.

Debutots is an amazing set up and there is a tangible Debutotsness to all the franchisees across the country. I felt that I had met my tribe and Charlotte helped me over the line by recognising the skills that I brought to the table and giving me the confidence to believe that I could actually do this. There is a lovely undercurrent of mischief throughout all that we do which is coupled with professionalism and passion everywhere. It wasn’t a hard decision to make to become a business owner with Debutots.

Steve Rawlings, Brighton and West London

Having been a primary school teacher, then an Assistant Headteacher and SENCO for 15 years I found that I was struggling to maintain a good work/ life balance and give enough time to my two young children.

I researched a number of different franchises but when I came across Debutots their whole philosophy and ethos just blew me away. I had many very long conversations with Charlotte at Head Office and found her passion for Debutots infectious. She was also very much in tune with my approach to teaching and education and believed so strongly in the power of imaginative play as a tool for child development. I had an interview and there was no hard sell or pushiness at all and the fact that they spent so long questioning me too, making sure that I was the right person to be part of Debutots, showed me that it wasn’t just about getting as many franchises sold as possible.

Becoming a Debutots franchisee was a game changer for me and my family. It allowed me to be the mum I wanted to be again, whilst pursuing my passion for education and making a difference to hundreds of lives.