This week, I was able to sit down with my best mate, Hannah, and talk about how she is taking the children’s activity sector by storm (my proud best friend phrasing, not hers). Hannah and I have known each other since we were mere little six-year-olds – her version of the story is that I approached her on her first day of school and asked if we could be best friends which sounds horribly needy and demanding…so actually probably quite true. We’ve bumbled through life together since then and now, at the ripe old age of 31, we live together, work together and spend a lot of our free time together. Some might say we need to widen our social circle. To those people we say…yes, want to be best friends?
Hannah and I sat down for a cup of tea and talked about Music Squad, why she thinks it’s important to never have a Plan B and her take on work hard, play harder for 2024.
Hannah has played the piano since she was five years old, taking it all the way to her undergraduate degree where she studied Music at Sheffield. Hannah received outstanding awards for her compositions and performances at University, she has toured Europe playing piano and she’s been a rehearsal pianist for many productions in the UK.
Music was a big part of your life growing up – a lot of time and dedication in lessons and practising – but you were working in procurement before Music Squad was born. What led you to starting the company?
Well, my first job out of Uni was a fulltime piano teacher – a bit like Music Squad – but they did it terribly for everyone – the kids, the parents, the schools and me as a teacher. They don’t exist anymore. Since doing that, I realised that music tuition in schools was generally regarded as lesser quality than private lessons – generally because it was – so I wanted to make it better. I didn’t know anything about anything so I got a ‘proper job’ for a bit, learnt some stuff about the world and business and then Covid happened!
Hannah, like many in their late twenties who are in search of something more, had a ticket to Australia booked for early 2020 until Covid forced the borders to close. She moved back to her childhood home – sold all her belongings to a friend in need (me) – and worked out a way to pursue her passion and turn it into a career.
It takes a lot of guts to break into a new industry, especially as a young female. What do you think your biggest barriers have been?
It’s difficult to leave a secure life for the unknown, isn’t it? Turning my back on Premier Foods was hard but I’m so resolute and passionate about what Music Squad stands for and why it exists, that there is no Plan B in my mind, you know?
No fallback?
No! No fallback. It will work. I think if you have a Plan B, it shows that you aren’t as passionate or as resolute about it. And if you don’t believe in it as the sole custodian for the business then how can you expect anyone else to?
Do you find the children’s activity sector is predominately female led? Do you notice any differences in approaches to business between male and female owners?
It depends, there are lots of female teachers in primary schools - although a lot of the headteachers are men. The children’s activity sector has a lot of women and I think sometimes people expect women to be less direct and take their time when actually, in business, men and women are the same. I think women can have more emotional intelligence – they can still be direct but perhaps more sensitively.
I, personally, get a bit riled by Women in Business or awards for women. I don’t know why and obviously I enter them but I’d rather they were for everyone.
Cost of living – we’re in a climate where everything is more expensive. You are still forging a way for children to have these lessons. What do you think it is that retains your customers?
I think spending money on children is the last thing to go. I find that parents and families will make other cut-backs before they cut spending on their child. Our retention rate is 95% and it’s because it’s learning that the children love. It’s not stuffy, it’s really silly – our three buzz words are fun, silly and joyful. If parents can literally buy their children joy and help them to feel joyful then that’s the dream!
It’s all about making children feel good. It’s not about finding the next Mozart or the next Einaudi, it’s about making children feel really good about themselves and firing that life-long passion that they can take with them through the rest of their lives.
Hannah was the winner of Independent Business of the Year in 2023 from the Club Hub awards. An achievement that she is very proud of, recognising the impressive, established and successful businesses she was up against. Hannah largely puts this down to the progressive, forward thinking of Music Squad that stands out against the other incredible children’s activity businesses.
So, Chief Squadder. What is your proudest moment of being in the Squad.
Ooh I don’t know! I think – aside from the big things – it’s the little things. This month, a parent rang me out of the blue for nothing other than to tell me that she was really grateful for Music Squad and the impact that the lessons were having on her child. Obviously, turnover and profit and all that stuff is important but, actually, the reason Music Squad exists in the first place is to help children feel good about themselves so to get that feedback – especially when everyone is so busy – I thought that was really kind.
The government has recently released a national plan for music and you obviously feel very strongly about music – Hannah drops something that twangs a nearby guitar and we laugh – just another instrument in the house!
What role does music squad play in making music accessible to all?
Music is often less accessible to non-musical families; parents can sometimes feel a little intimidated by their child learning an instrument as they don’t know how to support them or understand it. There is a lot of jargon with music. We cut out the jargon, we make the lessons fun and we are building an app at the minute to help children practice at home.
Our lessons are highly personalised. Any needs of any child can be met through the individualised lessons.
We try to keep costs down as much as possible but lessons do cost money. It’s a priority of mine for Music Squad to support more families that can’t afford lessons. It’s not something we are doing at the moment, and I don’t know what that would look like, but it’s a huge priority of mine to tackle more disadvantaged areas to make music accessible to underprivileged families.
Do you ever wake up in the morning and think “oh god, I own a business?” I guess that’s imposter syndrome – do you ever feel that?
Oh all the time, yeah. I feel like I’m just making it up every day. I don’t feel like an adult that runs a business – do I look like an adult that runs a business?! When I infrequently meet up with the full team, I look around the table like ‘who’s in charge here, surely it’s not me?!’.
I think that’s good though. If you’re walking around like ‘oh, I’m totally in control I’ve got this’ – she says like cockney geezer – then there’s no room for growth there.
So, yes, I do have imposter syndrome. I didn’t think I did because I am an expert at teaching piano – not at running a business – but recently I’ve started comparing my business against others and compiling this secret case as to why Music Squad isn’t a real business. We’ve not had funding – it’s not a real business. We don’t have a difficult cash flow to manage or it’s my best mate that does all the head office stuff – it’s not a real business. But, actually, any business with one happy customer is a real business.
Now, you personally are going on a journey this year…
She laughs – lots of journeys this year!
My 2024 goal is to not drink for the whole year and, while that might seem like an easy target for some, for me it’s like not drinking water.
It’s worth noting that when Hannah and I went on our last night out of 2023, we got to the take-away at the end of the night and were greeted by the staff member telling us our order before we’d even spoken. We asked him how he knew and he told us that “you order the same pizza, then you argue a bit, then she orders the chicken poppers”. If that doesn’t tell you it’s time to take a break, I don’t know what will.
What do you think that will unlock for you this year?
Oh, loads of stuff; business and personal. I’m really ambitious with music squad and want it to be positively impacting as many children as possible which requires a lot of hard work. I can’t work to my full potential when I’m spending one to two days a week hungover or lethargic or with a lack of clarity, so I’m hoping it can increase my productivity and focus.
But! It’s not just for me to work hard because that’s not balance. Not drinking will help me to work harder and smarter and more productively when I do work, but it will also give me more time, energy and freedom to relax better. I’ll be able to go and see my Grandma or see my friends in London instead of just binge watching The Office.
Hannah is a diehard Office fan and will regularly quote, re-enact and rewatch the show. I thought we’d called our office Mega Desk because we had a really big desk. Turns out that was an Office reference, too.
I’m quite resolute when I decide to do something and I’m not saying it lightly, it is the result of a lot of reflection and thought and consideration and I do actually believe in the Why, which is the key to the success of any goal.
Any other personal goals this year, outside of Music Squad?
Yes! I want to play better – as in work and play. I’ve booked to take the summer holidays off this year and I’m going to spend the whole six weeks in India! It’s actually not a great time to go to India weather wise but it’s the only time I can go so I’m doing it.
I absolutely love travelling but have had to massively deprioritise that over the past few years – because of Covid to start with, but the business has required me to put my time and finances into it.
I’m also going to Rome in half term!
And I’m also learning a new skill! I did a tandem skydive on my 16th birthday and loved it. I love adrenaline-y stuff – paragliding in Nepal, swimming with sharks, camping on a canopy suspended off a cliff edge in Anglesey – but I’ve just spent the last ten years getting pissed. I’ve smashed that and I’m on my new path of work hard play harder so this year I’m going to learn to skydive solo. My parents are particularly supportive and on board…
The final three on Tea with G
A teacher who has inspired you:
My piano teacher Fenella. I think piano teachers are so weird, Fenella taught me from year 8 to year 13 for an hour a week. That’s a lot of time! We didn’t necessarily develop a friendship but she was a massive part of my life for a really long time. I actually saw her in Waitrose the other day! And when I set Music Squad up, I rang her and she’s been really supportive – one of my teachers came on a recommendation from her!
A book that you love:
Why We Sleep – Matthew Walker
I am very obsessed with sleep and it all started with this book. I cannot underestimate to you the value of high-quality sleep. Sleep is a debt that cannot be repaid – I’ll say it louder for the people at the back…sleep is a debt that cannot be repaid.
Hannah has a very particular night-time routine. She turns down the bed while we take our makeup off, spritzes her spiritual negative-banishing room spray and a separate linen spray. She then climbs on top of her heated blanket and under her weighted blanket, plugs her ears and pops her eye mask on. She is not taking these to India with her so God knows how the poor girl will sleep for six weeks.
A song:
Rachmaninoff – third piano concerto
It isn’t even a song but it’s my favourite piece of music.
I love Rachmaninoff so much…maybe more than I love sleep.
We recount a story about being in Lidl at uni where we found a bottle of Rachmaninoff vodka and had a lairy outburst of calling it Hannah’s vodka. We couldn’t possibly leave the shop without any, like we’d found some unique souvenir shop in the deep depths of Cardiff and had to take our one opportunity to purchase such a rare find. It was Lidl. It wasn’t even in the middle aisle.
If you want to find out more about Music Squad, you can visit her website at www.musicsquad.co.uk
Comments