From a childhood passion to a franchise empire
Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2025 6:56 am
Since a young age, Denise Hutton-Gosney has loved the performing arts
Her passion for the arts has allowed her to travel the world on cruise ships and dance at the famous London Palladium and the West End. She has even performed as a trapeze artist at the iconic Millennium Dome.
In 2000, Denise decided to put her passion australia rcs data into action and founded Razzamataz Theatre School. Fast forward to today and the business has over 50 franchisees across the UK and Ireland.
At the heart of Razzamataz is the drive to provide kids with exceptional training in dance, drama, and singing.
We spoke to Denise about her business journey, taking on the Dragons in the BBC’s Dragons’ Den, and how she built a franchise business empire.
Where it all began
Denise was born in a small town called Renfrew, just outside of Glasgow, Scotland. Since she was a child, she has always thoroughly enjoyed performing.
Denise says: “I was brought up in a two-bedroom council flat. My parents didn’t have much money. There were four children. I laugh about this now because for the first 10 years of my life my bedroom was a tiny airing cupboard that I shared with my sister.”
Denise didn’t do dancing from a young age, because her parents just couldn’t afford it. But an advert in the paper for dance classes caught young Denise’s eye and her childhood passion for performing ignited. “As my siblings got older, my mum managed to scrape together enough money to get me into a dance class.”
Then, after landing her first professional dance job, it all spiralled from there.
At the age of 26, Denise began to consider her future. It wasn’t clear exactly what she wanted to do, but she knew she would like to start giving back. Performing arts had changed her life and Denise wanted to help other children reap the benefits as well.
Her passion for the arts has allowed her to travel the world on cruise ships and dance at the famous London Palladium and the West End. She has even performed as a trapeze artist at the iconic Millennium Dome.
In 2000, Denise decided to put her passion australia rcs data into action and founded Razzamataz Theatre School. Fast forward to today and the business has over 50 franchisees across the UK and Ireland.
At the heart of Razzamataz is the drive to provide kids with exceptional training in dance, drama, and singing.
We spoke to Denise about her business journey, taking on the Dragons in the BBC’s Dragons’ Den, and how she built a franchise business empire.
Where it all began
Denise was born in a small town called Renfrew, just outside of Glasgow, Scotland. Since she was a child, she has always thoroughly enjoyed performing.
Denise says: “I was brought up in a two-bedroom council flat. My parents didn’t have much money. There were four children. I laugh about this now because for the first 10 years of my life my bedroom was a tiny airing cupboard that I shared with my sister.”
Denise didn’t do dancing from a young age, because her parents just couldn’t afford it. But an advert in the paper for dance classes caught young Denise’s eye and her childhood passion for performing ignited. “As my siblings got older, my mum managed to scrape together enough money to get me into a dance class.”
Then, after landing her first professional dance job, it all spiralled from there.
At the age of 26, Denise began to consider her future. It wasn’t clear exactly what she wanted to do, but she knew she would like to start giving back. Performing arts had changed her life and Denise wanted to help other children reap the benefits as well.