Jacquie Walker-Kemp, age 30, lives in Sandwich, Kent with her husband, young son and baby daughter. Jacquie has been the Principal of Razzamataz Sandwich since April 2012.

Jacquie Walker-Kemp, age 30, lives in Sandwich, Kent with her husband, young son and baby daughter. Jacquie has been the Principal of Razzamataz Sandwich since April 2012.

Q. How did you hear about Razzamataz?

Jacquie: My husband was looking to buy a franchise after redundancy and it was through general research that we found Razzamataz.

Q. What’s your background?

Jacquie: I started performing at the age of six and working professionally from the age of 18 till 23. I then decided to retrain and took various courses to be qualified as a general manager, events manager etc

Q. Have you always wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Jacquie: I’ve always wanted my own theatre school but decided that being able to have an established brand through a franchise would be my best option. Marketing is also not my background so this is an area where I felt that I also needed more support.

Q. How did you finance your business?

Jacquie: Savings

Q. What are the best things about being a Razzamataz Principal?

Jacquie: Being able to do a job that I love around my young family. I feel that I’m in a very privileged position that I can have my own business but also be there for my children.

Q. What are the most difficult aspects of running your own business?

Jacquie: There never seems to be enough time to do all that I need to do. However, because I can schedule the work around my life I can sit down at 10pm to finish off if needs be as I’m not restricted by regular office hours or having to commute.

Q. What advice can you offer other people going into business?

Jacquie: Running your own Razzamataz means you can balance your family and work life but be aware when leading up to your launch and taster days it is incredibly time consuming so have a really good support network around you. When setting up, it is natural to always do what interests you first and leave the areas which are your least favourite on the back burner but when it comes to your accounts, make sure a system is in place on day one.

Q. What’s a typical day like?

Jacquie: Every day is different and I tend to focus on what needs doing a day at a time. I’m on four different committees, which really help me promote my school locally so I also have to set aside time for this.