Sisters Day 6th August - Surrey based sisters running neighbouring businesses
Sibling success: the sisters who built their dreams together
Rachel Crouch, 40, and Jennifer Jones, 37, are sisters with a difference. Like many professional women, they work hard to provide for their families and love nothing but a good gossip and a shopping spree (or two) in their free time. Unlike many siblings though, Rachel and Jennifer willingly spend most of their time together.
Sibling rivalry just isn’t in the sisters’ vocabulary, as they owe much of the success of their separate businesses to each other. Rachel, Principal of Stagecoach Epsom - a performing arts school specialising in theatre, dance and singing - started her business just three years ago. She had previously owned and operated the Sutton-based franchise for nine years but sold it to her younger sister in 2011.
“I wouldn’t have been half as successful without the support of Jennifer. I decided to sell Sutton to her, as she knew the school inside and out. Being a Principal and a franchisee had been some of the happiest years of my career, so I continued working with Stagecoach and started my Epsom-based school,” Rachel says.
Two sisters, two neighbouring territories, and two flourishing Stagecoach franchises. Rachel and Jennifer have yet more in common – they even share teachers!
“Between our Epsom and Sutton Schools, all our staff have full-time jobs - working full time in one school, or part time in both. We share marketing materials, costumes, and we bounce ideas off each other regularly. We add to each other’s success, and we certainly work well as a team. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” says Jennifer.
Before becoming Stagecoach franchisees, both Rachel and Jennifer saw unquestionable success in the world of musical performance. Both attended the prestigious Laine Theatre Arts School in Epsom, with Rachel going on to perform as part of the UK tour of ‘West Side Story’, before moving onto the glamour of the recording studio with a successful girl band. Younger sister, Rachel, is no stranger to the bright lights of the stage, embarking on a worldwide career as a lead vocalist with P&O Cruises. Twenty years later, and with six young children (and two supportive husbands!) between them, both women are looking to the future.
“I’m always looking to see where my Stagecoach journey will take me and exploring options to expand my franchise but, for now, I’m investing time into my existing school and developing my wonderful students as much as I possibly can. Thanks to Stagecoach, not only am I able to afford my new, beautiful ‘forever’ home, I actually have the time to spend in it too! I live just a few doors down from Jen, so we’re always in and out of each other’s houses and our children are really close,” says Rachel.
And as for younger sister, Jennifer?
“Concentrating on my current students is my number one priority right now. Who knows? I may go on to expand in the future but I’m happy with how my business is going at the moment. I gave birth to a baby girl only a few weeks ago so time with the family is high up my list of priorities too.”
-Ends-
Editor’s notes:
More about Stagecoach Performing Arts School:
For almost 30 years, the Stagecoach model has been proven and refined to become one of the UK's leading performing arts opportunities. Franchisees build a team of equally passionate and enthusiastic teachers, qualified to bring out the very best in their students. Stagecoach schools provide a thriving, nurturing and supportive environment for creative learning. That’s just one of the reasons why 40,000 children every week flock to classes nationwide.
Today, a network of more than 300 franchisees operate over 680 schools offering 1,780 classes in eight countries. Through an exciting and varied framework of teaching and development, franchisees have helped to unlock the potential of more than one million students since it opened in 1988.
franchiserecruitment@stagecoach.co.uk
0800 915 0199
@Stagecoach_GBR
For more information:
If you would like to speak to Rachel or Jennifer, please contact Rev PR.
kelly@revpr.co.uk
07895 876745
Images available: Rachel and Jennifer Jones (including images of them as children, as performers and present day)