From humble beginnings sleeping in an airing cupboard to running an international franchise business, Denise Gosney has had a remarkable journey.
It has seen her swap Glasgow for Cumbria via the West End and a famous meeting in the Dragons’ Den.
Throughout, her passion for performing arts and determination to succeed have been the foundation of this Cumbrian success story.
Her business, Razzamataz Theatre Schools was launched in 2000 as a Sunday morning club for local children in Penrith.
The company now has 60 franchise partners in 55 locations all over England and Scotland and Denise is soon travelling to the UAE as part of a UK trade mission to talk to ministers and education leaders about exporting the Razzamataz brand to Dubai.
The theatre schools teach children aged two to 18 different styles of dance, musical theatre and performing arts, with a focus on ensuring the children have fun, make friends and enjoy being active.
Many former students have gone on to work in the West End, secure acting roles on TV and some have even become franchise partners themselves after graduating.
The firm has also partnered with brands including Mattel Toys, Disney, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros.
Denise began her career as a professional dancer, appearing in theatre productions and performing alongside the likes of Cannon and Ball at the London Palladium.
After narrowly missing out on a place in the cast of London productions of Starlight Express and Fame, Denise realised that while her dance skills were more than good enough, she didn’t have the experience or confidence in acting and singing.
“That’s when I got the idea for Razzamataz,” explains Denise.
“At the time, there were no theatre schools offering a mix of all three disciplines – dance, acting and singing – that were accessible to most families.
“Unless you were from a very wealthy background, it was very difficult to find a school or club where you could learn all three,” she said.
The youngest in a family of six, Denise shared a converted airing cupboard bedroom with her sister.
“We could just about fit bunkbeds inside, I can’t remember where we kept our clothes and things,” she said.
Beginning dance classes at the age of 11, Denise found a passion and purpose in her dancing, which she excelled at, moving to London after leaving school and gaining a scholarship to a leading performing arts school.
Unfortunately, the pressure and cost of living in London took its toll and Denise was unable to afford the rental payments and left after one term to pursue professional dancing – working on cruise ships, in pantomime, theatre and as a trapeze artist at the Millenium Dome (now the O2 Arena).
“I was always ambitious but a bit shy, performing arts changed my life and gave me so much confidence to believe in my passion and my creativity. That’s why I set up Razzamataz to help children discover their own passion and lose their inhibitions,” said Denise.
Originally coming to Cumbria to be theatre choreographer at Oasis Holiday Village (now Center Parcs), near Penrith in the late 1990s, Denise fell in love with the area and opened her first Razzamataz class in September 2000 at the Penrith Playhouse.
With huge demand from across the region, Denise started to offer Razzamataz sessions in Dumfries, Kendal, Carlisle and Keswick, but soon ran out of days in the week to do them all herself.
“When I realised how popular the classes were becoming in each location, I knew this could be a franchise business, and I sold the first three franchises before I went to Dragons’ Den in 2007,” explains Denise.
Still regarded as one of the most successful and impressive pitches in the Den’s history, Denise asked for £50,000 for a 25% stake in Razzamataz, securing the full investment from original Dragon Duncan Bannatyne.
The pair worked together for seven years, using the investment to build the business through recruitment, supporting franchise partners and installing processes that enabled significant growth and expansion.
Denise bought back Duncan’s stake for £70,000 in 2014, giving him a £20,000 return. It remains one of the most memorable and successful investments in the BBC show’s history.
Fast forward to 2023 and Denise now has 60 franchise partners all over the country, with the latest additions in Leicester, Manchester and London.
The week-long training course for new franchise partners enables Denise to get to know the people representing her brand.
“We say no to a lot of people, I need to have full confidence that people understand our values and share the aims and ambitions of providing the service in their local area.
“All of this stems from my love of dancing. Getting paid to do the thing you love is the best feeling in the world. You need a thick skin in business and I am a grafter, and I feel very lucky to now be planning international expansion,” said Denise.
The company has its own charitable wing, helping to raise over £500,000 for local causes, and a scholarship programme means that every year, over 60 scholarships are awarded to students across the country from lower income backgrounds.
“I am very grateful to call Cumbria my home. I do not think Razzamataz would have achieved this success had we started it anywhere else. The people, the sense of community, the pride people have for the region is just wonderful and makes it a fantastic place to bring up my children,” said Denise.
She feels that transport is crucial to help Cumbria continue developing itself as a go-to business destination.
“Get the airport opened, sort it out for goodness’ sake! We need better transport links and infrastructure. One of the things I hear most often from UK partners and contacts overseas is that Cumbria is too difficult to get to easily and affordably,” she said.
As the conversation draws to a close, with Denise preparing for another training session with her latest franchise partners, does she have any parting advice to those considering their own business venture?
“Be your authentic self, if you don’t believe in yourself, nobody else will.”
