In The Club - The Kids' Activity Business Podcast

Hosted by ClassForKids

Business Sports Education

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Latest episode

Oct 2026

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EN-US

About the show

In the Club is your go-to podcast for growing a kids activity business . Whether you run a dance school , manage a football academy , or operate a gymnastics club , we share practical strategies to help you thrive. Hosted by the team behind ClassForKids —the award-winning class booking system trusted by 4,500+ children’s activity providers —each episode delivers expert advice, marketing tips, and real success stories from across the industry. Discover how to boost bookings, streamline kids club management , and improve parent communication with insights on everything from dance school marketing tips to holiday camp software and gymnastics waitlist management . Tune in monthly for actionable ideas, inspiring interviews, and answers to your burning questions. Subscribe now and join thousands of providers transforming their businesses with smarter systems and strategies. Click to discover more about ClassForKids: Website - https://classforkids.io/clubs/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/classforkidsuk/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/class4kids LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/classforkids YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@classforkidsuk/featured

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 9, 202620 min

EP53: How DanceFVR Gives Dance Studios Time Back

Get in touch with us directly today Admin can quietly take over a dance school until the thing you love most teaching, choreographing, building confidence in kids becomes the smallest slice of your week. We sit down with Katie Dodman from Dance FVR (pronounced Dance Fever) to talk about what it looks like to take that time back with virtual admin support built specifically for dance studios and performing arts schools. Katie shares how she went from teaching dance to launching a business from her bedroom, then scaling to a team that supports 50+ schools across the UK and beyond. We get specific about the work studio owners often drown in: day-to-day admin, parent emails, event prep for shows and competitions, forms, programs, and the endless “small tasks” that add up. We also talk dance school marketing and social media content creation with a key lens many studios miss: parents are the customer, and community visibility beats chasing viral trends. We also dig into how a virtual admin team can function like real staff without the cost and time burden of hiring and training, plus why fit matters and when it’s smart to use short-term support while you recruit. If you’re looking for dance studio management help that understands the industry’s pace and pressure, this conversation offers a clear path forward. Subscribe for more practical stories from the business side of dance, share this with a studio owner who needs breathing room, and leave a review if it helps. What’s the first admin task you’d delegate if you could? Find DanceFVR! Instagram - @dancefvradmin Email - dancefvr@outlook.com Facebook - @dancefvradministration Get Social with Us: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

August 27, 20261 hr 7 min

EP52: From Team GB Gymnast To Gladiators Champion

Get in touch with us directly today He won Gladiators, represented Team GB, and still says the real victory came long before the trophy. Joe Fishburn joins us to unpack what people never see behind “overnight success” in gymnastics: the years of slow progress, the injuries, the mistakes, and the moments where quitting would have been easier. If you coach kids, run a gymnastics club, or you’re simply trying to stay motivated through a hard season, Joe’s perspective hits with honesty and real warmth. We talk about coaching philosophy and retention, including Joe’s simple but surprisingly powerful approach: fun is the first skill we teach. From balancing multiple sports to keeping kids engaged through the awkward stages of growth and confidence, he shares what actually helps young athletes stay in the game long enough for things to click. We also explore how social media and athlete personalities are changing the way kids discover gymnastics, and what that means for the coach as a weekly role model. Joe also opens up about kinship care and adversity after losing his mum at just two years old and being raised by his grandmother. He explains how grief can shape behavior, how resilience is built over time, and why he now brings that message into schools across the UK through talks and active workshops that normalize failure and teach kids how to take the next step. Plus, we share details on our Train Like a Champion competition for gymnastics clubs in the UK and Ireland, including a visit and workshop day with Joe and a £500 Quatro voucher. Subscribe, share this with a coach or club owner who needs it, and leave us a review with your biggest takeaway. Get Social with Us: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

July 30, 20261 hr 5 min

EP51: Tots United | A PE Teacher And A Lawyer Build A Kids' Football Academy

Get in touch with us directly today You can feel it when a kids activity brand is built for families instead of vanity metrics, and Ajay and Yusif from Tots United are a perfect example. We talk through how they’ve grown their Glasgow-based football classes from a small start into 20+ locations, with hundreds of children taking part every week, while keeping the sessions fun, structured, and genuinely welcoming for parents and kids from 18 months to 8 years old. We get specific about what makes their model work: a dual-program approach combining football and a fresh take on children’s gymnastics, plus a values-led culture rooted in care and love. Ajay shares the coaching and curriculum side from his PE teacher background, while Yusif brings the legal and systems lens that supports partnerships, contracts, and big expansion moves. We also unpack their quality-first franchising strategy, why they start with trusted internal coaches, and how they onboard franchisees with hands-on support so the experience stays consistent. The conversation goes wider too: winning Entrepreneur of the Year recognition, a detailed brand refresh process, building a stronger team, and a candid debate about AI tools versus “RI” real intelligence. We finish with what’s next, including international ambition and what they hope the brand becomes over the next year. If you like thoughtful small business growth stories, kids sports coaching insights, and practical franchising lessons, subscribe, share this with a fellow club owner, and leave us a like. What part of scaling would you refuse to compromise on? Get Social with Us: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

June 26, 202642 min

EP50: How To Grow A Performing Arts School Without Burning Out

Get in touch with us directly today Fifty episodes in, we’re celebrating and getting practical about what it takes to grow a performing arts school in 2026 without losing your weekends, your margins, or your mind. Caitlin sits down with Joe Greenslade, aka The Arts Business Coach, who’s lived the full journey: performer, teacher, school owner who scaled from zero to 500 students, and now coach to performing arts and after school club owners across the UK. Get Social with Us: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

May 21, 202652 min

ITC SPECIAL: Building A Dance School Brand That Scales

Get in touch with us directly today Your dance school can be amazing in the studio and still struggle to grow online, in new towns, or in your own bank account. We talk with Amy, founder of Dance Concepts in Ireland, about what actually changed when she stopped treating branding like a logo project and started treating it like a parent experience. Her business has grown to 15 locations by bringing ballet, jazz, contemporary, and acro to rural communities that are often overlooked and by making sure every touchpoint says the same thing: confidence and creativity through movement. Get Social with Us: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

April 24, 202627 min

EP 49: Dance Work Deserves Credit

Get in touch with us directly today A dance school can look effortless from the outside. Behind the scenes it is planning, payroll, safeguarding, parent messages, class schedules, staff cover, marketing, and the emotional load of caring about every kid who walks through the door. That’s why we invited Hazel, founder of Glasgow Dance Academy, to talk about the Scottish Dance Awards and the bigger mission underneath it: giving Scotland’s dance teachers and dance business owners real visibility and recognition for work that too often gets dismissed as “just a hobby." Get Social with Us: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

April 10, 202641 min

EP 48: If Your Business Looks Small Online Will It Ever Grow?

Get in touch with us directly today A dance school can be full of talent and still look “small” if the brand is unclear, the marketing is inconsistent, and the owner is buried in admin. We sit down with Lauren, owner of Avenue Dance Company in Hampshire and the newer Shining Star Performing Arts, to unpack the exact mindset and execution shifts that help her go from a basic logo and scattered posts to a professional identity parents trust and a business that can actually scale. Get Social with Us: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

February 3, 202619 min

Win The Ultimate Grassroots Coaching Boost

Get in touch with us directly today Want your grassroots team to play with clarity, confidence, and joy? We sit down with Stuart, the founder of Football DNA, to unpack how a coach-built platform is helping thousands of volunteers and community clubs transform guesswork into great sessions. From Brisbane to your training ground, this conversation maps the real path from chaotic drills to age-appropriate learning, engaged players, and calmer sidelines. Get Social with Us: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

December 16, 202514 min

EP 47: 2025 Wrap And What’s Next

Get in touch with us directly today Get Social with Us: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

November 4, 202542 min

EP 46: From Gymnast To Founder

Get in touch with us directly today Ever wonder how a world inside the gym translates into a brand that actually understands athletes, coaches, and parents? We sit down with Joanna, founder of Quattro Gymnastics, to trace the leap from training 30 hours a week as a kid to steering a company through market swings, supply challenges, and family life. The story starts at a chaotic moment—new baby, new business—and evolves into a masterclass on flexibility, empathy, and customer‑driven growth. Joanna breaks down how lived experience across the sport—athlete, coach, judge, and gym staff—shapes smarter products and more honest marketing. Instead of pushing features, she designs for feel: protective wear that supports women, leotards that move with real bodies, pricing that respects tight budgets and big dreams. We talk about running contingencies as a habit, keeping plan B and C ready for everything from rain at events to inflation that hits parents first and clubs next. That mindset connects with our own approach to booking software: the best tools serve clubs by serving parents, reducing friction at every step. Get Social with Us: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn