Founder spotlight: In conversation with Caroline Sparks of Turtle Tots

What were the biggest challenges you faced in the early stages, and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge was ensuring we had the foundations in place to grow the business quickly and effectively. This meant investing in a robust franchise agreement and other legal documents, trademarking our brand, producing lesson plans and an operations manual, and then having a comprehensive and achievable business and marketing plan.

We overcome the challenges by working with recommended professional advisers and seeking as much advice as possible from indirect competitors, industry bodies and conducting market research.

What are the key factors that have contributed to your company’s success?

Turtle Tots’ success has been driven by a clear purpose: helping children develop water confidence and essential swimming skills through safe, enjoyable and child-led experiences. This is a combined with us always gearing the business up for the future.

A key factor is the quality of our programme. Our lessons are designed not only to teach a vital life skill, but also to strengthen the bond between children and their parents and create positive, lasting memories.

Our people are equally important. We invest heavily in training, ensuring our teachers deliver consistently high standards.

Our franchise model has also been fundamental to our growth. Turtle Tots businesses are locally owned by people who understand their communities, supported by the expertise, systems and recognition of an established national brand. At head office we have a mature team and experienced team to support the network.

What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs looking to start a business?

Don’t underestimate the value of spending a lot of time writing a business plan and cashflow forecast and getting all your words and figures down on paper (or a tablet!).

Believe in your idea and don’t wait until everything feels perfect – confidence often grows by taking action. Build a strong support network, seek advice from people who have experience, and never be afraid to ask for advice. There is a huge amount of free information and advice out there.

Know your numbers, stay focused on the problem your business solves, and always listen to your customers. There will inevitably be challenges, but resilience, adaptability and a clear sense of purpose will help you keep moving forward.

Finally, trust your instincts and recognise the value you bring. There will be ups and downs, so it’s important to celebrate every milestone!

How do you balance work and personal life as an entrepreneur? 

Exercise plays an important part in my life. I try and do an exercise class every morning and build that into my calendar which promotes my mental and physical fitness. Although we have offices I often work from home and always keep my laptop and work in our study. I used to work at our kitchen table and then found I was constantly checking emails in the evening.

Finally, although I do take my laptop on holiday, I take emails off my phone so that I’m not distracted by work. An even better solution would be to have separate phones for personal and business use!

What benefits do networks like BEntrepreneurial offer female entrepreneurs?

Networking at any stage of your business is invaluable and you always come away with new contacts and at least one nugget of information or an idea to implement in your own business. Often female entrepreneurs face similar challenges despite working in different industry sectors and it can be very cathartic to share experiences, learn from one another and ask advice.

Like a lot in life, the more effort you put into events such as BEntrepreneurial, the more you will benefit, and it’s just a lovely way of meeting other like-minded female entrepreneurs; each at different stages of their business journey.

Caroline’s reflections underline how purpose, preparation and community can help build a successful business. Through the Founder Spotlight series, BEntrepreneurial will continue to share the experiences of female entrepreneurs and founders, helping members learn from one another, build new connections and draw inspiration from different routes to success.