Midlothian primary school teacher enjoys franchise success with pre-school classes after Long Covid battle

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, Mairi made use of Business Gateway’s Planning To Start Tool to test out if moving into business was a sensible career move. 

Mairi Curle, who won the national Federation of Small Businesses Franchise Award just a year after launching Boogie Beat. | Submitted

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 inter-generational 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 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.”

One of Mairi's Boogie Beat classes. | Submitted

Through Business Gateway, Mairi 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. 

Irene Ramsay, Business Gateway East Lothian business adviser, said: “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 inter-generational classes develop.”