Meet Neel.
Neel is our newest franchisee, taking over the running of our flagship Cricket tots franchise in Northwood, Harrow & Uxbridge earlier this year.
He’s an accountant by day, and a dad to 2 young boys.
And when he’s not swimming, or playing badminton or tennis, he loves nothing more than spending his time on all things cricket – whether that’s as captain to his local cricket team, organising events at his local cricket club, teaching little ones cricket at his Cricket tots classes, or playing cricket himself.
We asked Neel how he manages to fit being a franchisee into his action-packed life, and what advice he’d give to anybody thinking of joining Cricket tots as a franchisee.
When did your interest in cricket first start?
My love of cricket goes right back to my childhood days when I first started playing – and in the summer months, I still play for Old Merchant Taylors Cricket Club in Northwood.
What made you decide to buy a Cricket tots franchise?
My son attended Cricket tots classes for 2 years – he loved it, and it’s where he learned all his basic cricket skills. For me, it seemed the perfect way to combine my passion for cricket with generating some extra income.
Its flexibility also means it fits nicely around my current commitments – I have coaches who teach for me so currently only teach classes myself on Saturdays, and I look forward to it during the week.
But I love knowing that there’s potential to scale up in the future, which will give me options to re-shape my career if that’s the direction I choose to take.
Describe a typical working day when it’s a “Cricket tots” day
A Cricket tots teaching day largely involves mentally preparing for the sessions, and making sure the kids have lots of different skills and drills that will excite them and keep their interest.
In between teaching days, there’s a certain amount of admin and marketing tasks to do, such as dealing with new enquiries, emailing updates to current clients, and posting on social media.
But the great thing is that there are systems in place from day 1 to make your booking process extremely easy.
How does running a Cricket tots franchise fit around your other commitments?
The flexibility of a Cricket tots franchise means you can run classes in your spare time, such as weekends or weekday evenings, and take care of the admin and marketing side of things when you get some free time during the week.
What sort of support do you get?
The setup was seamless – I’ve had plenty of support and guidance from Lucy and the wider team every step of the way, and Lucy is always at the end of an email and prompt to respond to any queries.
What’s the best thing that’s happened to you as a Cricket tots franchisee?
Without a doubt, the flexibility that being a Cricket tots franchisee has given me means I now feel I have options to shape my life in a way that works for me and my family.
What’s the one thing you’d tell somebody who’s thinking about buying a Cricket tots franchise?
I would say if you’re passionate about cricket, enjoy working with kids, and want to earn some extra money, then a Cricket tots franchise is the perfect business opportunity for you.
You can read more about franchise opportunities with Cricket tots here, or get in touch for an informal chat.