12/09/2026
I really loved this chat with Krissy, and her input and sharing of her marketing expertise has been invaluable this year.
Starting a business is hard, really hard! Has my personal experience been harder than the average? Maybe. What is certain is that through the difficulties I have found a new sense of determination and ambition that I didn’t know I had, and I know that I have the tools to make my business a success if I can just get in front of the right people.
If you have been to my classes it would mean so much for you to leave me a review, share, repost or recommend me to a friend with a toddler.
That one simple action could mean that I get a new customer, and might mean my little business could finally start making a profit.
🎙️ New episode of The Class Business Podcast is live
This one’s a must-watch if you’re:
✔ In your first year of business
✔ Building a children’s activity business from scratch
✔ Thinking about opening your own venue
✔ Learning how to navigate changing booking patterns
✔ Trying to build local collaborations rather than viewing everyone as competition
✔ Working towards the point where your business can properly pay you
In this episode, I’m joined by Abigail Couper-Douse, owner and class leader of Toddler Sense Gateshead and a finalist for New Business of the Year, sponsored by Popolo Ceramico, at The Class Business Awards 2026.
Abigail launched in December 2025 after spotting a clear gap for a Toddler Sense follow-on class in her area. Her Christmas launch took off almost immediately, with around 90 spaces selling and enough demand to add extra dates, before around 75 families booked into her first term.
But what makes this conversation so valuable is that Abigail is completely honest about what came next.
Year one has been a mix of huge validation, changing customer behaviour, reinvesting everything back into the classes, learning retention and working towards her next big milestone: being able to pay herself a wage.
We talk about:
✨ Moving from beauty retail into children’s activities
✨ Why customer trust is one of her strongest transferable skills
✨ Discovering Toddler Sense through her own parenting journey
✨ Spotting the gap in the Gateshead market
✨ Why having a permanent venue was non-negotiable
✨ Building anticipation before launch
✨ Selling out her Christmas sessions
✨ Launching during an incredibly difficult period personally
✨ The difference between special events and termly bookings
✨ Why every customer matters in year one
✨ Building the Gateshead Children’s Activity Collective
✨ Collaborating with other women-led local businesses
✨ Reinvesting into the customer experience
✨ The goal of paying herself a wage
✨ Building visibility and word of mouth
✨ Becoming a New Business of the Year finalist
✨ Finding a new sense of ambition at 40
One of the strongest lessons from Abigail’s story is that a successful launch does not mean the rest of the year suddenly becomes easy.
You still have to learn your market, understand retention, manage the quieter periods and keep building the foundations underneath the exciting bits.
👉 Watch Abigail’s full finalist interview here:
https://youtu.be/8cwv6oqaVf0?si=QPZG8p0tOGuNtUWf
💬 What has been the biggest reality check in your first year of business?
