How a mum of two transformed her career and built a successful children's language education business with Lingotot.
When Abigail Curtis first took her two young sons to Lingotot classes, she had no idea that the experience would eventually change her career. At the time, Abi was a process engineer preparing to return to work after maternity leave. She wasn't looking to start a business, and she certainly hadn't imagined running a children's language education franchise. But watching her children enjoy learning another language gave her an idea.
From Lingotot parent to franchise partner
Abi had always wished she'd learnt more languages as a child. When she discovered Lingotot, she wanted to give her own children the opportunities she'd missed.
She was impressed by how naturally they responded to the classes. Her three-year-old was already picking up French words and phrases, while her younger son could understand simple instructions even before he could speak. So when Lingotot founder Angela Sterling announced an opportunity to join the growing franchise network in 2011, Abi decided to explore it.
There was just one rather important detail: she didn't speak French or Spanish herself.
But that didn't mean she couldn't build a successful language education business. Abi recognised that her strengths lay in developing the business, building relationships and creating opportunities for talented language tutors to deliver engaging classes.
Building a business without previous sales experience
Starting a business was a significant change from engineering, and Abi has never pretended that the early stages were effortless. During her initial franchise training, she found the prospect of selling to schools particularly daunting. With encouragement and support from Angela, she began to build her confidence.
Initially, Abi continued working three days a week as a process engineer while developing her Lingotot business. She promoted classes through local advertising, leaflets, newspapers and conversations with people in her community. Those conversations also helped her recruit her first tutor. It was hard work, particularly while balancing employment and family life, but the business began to grow.
Three school contracts in six months
One of Abi's early breakthroughs came from a simple email to her local MP. That connection eventually led to an opportunity to speak to headteachers about language education. It was exactly the sort of situation that had initially made Abi nervous, but she seized the opportunity.
Within six months of opening Lingotot Teesside, Abi had secured three schools as customers.
Her story demonstrates how building local relationships, recruiting the right people and developing confidence can help a new franchise partner establish a business.
From new business owner to award winner
As her business developed, Abi became one of Lingotot's standout success stories. By the time Elite Franchise interviewed her in 2018, she had been recognised as Lingotot's most successful franchise partner for four consecutive years. She had also begun mentoring newer franchise partners, sharing the experience she'd gained while building her own business.
In 2017, Abi won the Workingmums.co.uk Franchisee of the Year Award, recognising her achievements in business. For someone who had once felt overwhelmed by the prospect of approaching schools, it was a remarkable journey.
Building a business around family life
Although the awards and business achievements were important, Abi told Elite Franchise that the greatest rewards were the opportunities her success had created for her family. Her business had helped provide experiences, activities and travel opportunities for her children, alongside the satisfaction of building something herself. Her journey wasn't without challenges. But it showed how someone from a completely different professional background could build a successful business around children's education.
You don't have to teach to run a Lingotot franchise. Hear Abi explain how she manages sales, marketing and her team of tutors while continuing her engineering career and enjoying flexibility around family life.
Could you follow in Abi's footsteps?
You don't need to have run a business before to explore becoming a Lingotot franchise partner.
Founded in 2010, Lingotot offers children's language education across nine languages: Arabic, English, French, German, Irish, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish and Welsh. Our screen-free, play-based programmes bring language learning to life through songs, stories, games, movement and interactive activities.
Franchise partners receive comprehensive business training, teaching programmes, marketing resources and ongoing support. They can develop their businesses by working with schools, nurseries and families, and by recruiting language tutors as their businesses grow. Whether you're looking for a flexible business that fits around family life or an opportunity to build and lead a larger team, Lingotot offers different franchise packages to suit your ambitions.
Explore Lingotot franchise opportunities
Independent coverage: Read Abigail Curtis's original interview in Elite Franchise.