For Founders
Thinking of opening your own early years setting?
You may be here because you feel deeply called to work with children — and at the same time, you are overwhelmed by everything that comes with turning that vision into a real school.
Opening an early years setting, whether a nursery or a day care, is not just an educational decision. It is a financial, operational, emotional, and personal one.
Very quickly, what begins as a passion can become a maze of questions:
- How do I find the right premises?
- What does Ofsted actually expect?
- How do I structure fees, staffing, ratios, and hours?
- How do I build something ethical and sustainable?
- How do I budget?
- How do I avoid costly mistakes in the first year?
Many founders walk this path feeling alone, trying to learn everything at once, while holding the pressure of regulation, finances, leadership, and responsibility for children and families.
You do not have to walk this path alone.
Why work with me as a Founder advisor
I am not a consultant who has only studied early years education from books or training programmes.
I founded and ran my own Montessori school in London for seven years.
I have lived the full reality of opening and running a nursery:
– Finding premises and negotiating with landlords.
– Hiring, managing, and supporting staff.
– Handling parent relationships and complaints.
– Managing cashflow and financial pressure.
– Navigating inspections and regulatory stress.
– Balancing values with survival.
– Dealing with burnout, doubt, and decision fatigue.
I know first-hand how hard it is to translate beautiful educational philosophy into a real, functioning school.
Before founding my school, I worked in corporate finance and held senior leadership roles across large international organisations. That experience gave me a deep understanding of systems, structure, budgets, operations, and what happens when systems are either well designed — or poorly thought through.
Over the years, I have also invested heavily in professional development. Much of it was inspiring. Much of it was difficult to implement in a real nursery with real staff, real parents, and real constraints.
This is why my support is different.
My guidance is not theoretical, idealised, or aspirational. It is grounded in what actually happens when you try to build and run a nursery in the real world.
I help you think clearly, avoid common traps, and make decisions that are aligned with both your values and your reality.
Learn more about my background here.
What I support founders with
Opening a nursery is not a personal development project. It is a regulated business, an educational institution, and a leadership role combined.
My support is not only about motivation or mindset. It is about helping you make better decisions, faster, with fewer costly mistakes.
I support founders in the early and middle stages of creating a nursery or early years setting. This includes thinking through both the educational vision and the operational realities — not just the dream.
Areas I commonly support founders with includes:
– Clarifying your concept and philosophy.
– Translating your values into a workable school model.
– Choosing the right size, age range, and operating hours.
– Avoiding common startup mistakes.
– Aligning ideals with financial and operational reality.
– Preparing for the realities of staffing and parent relationships.
– Building something sustainable, not just launchable.
I do not promise guaranteed success. I help you shorten the learning curve, reduce unnecessary mistakes, and move forward with more clarity and confidence.
When I was opening my own school, this kind of support did not exist. I learned through mistakes, stress, and trial and error, often alone.
Looking back, I know how much time, money, and emotional energy I would have saved if I had someone beside me who had already walked this path.
This is the support I wish I had. And this is why I now offer it to founders who do not want to build their school in isolation.
How I Work With Founders
All founder work begins with a short enquiry form. After our conversation I will suggest the most appropriate format based on your stage and needs.
This is founder-level advisory support for people making real decisions about opening and building a nursery.
One-off
£390
Founder Clarity Session
A focused, grounded advisory session to help you understand where you truly are and what matters most next.
This is for founders who are:
– At an early idea stage.
– Feeling overwhelmed or stuck.
– Unsure if their idea is viable.
– Wanting to avoid early costly mistakes.
– Needing an experienced, honest perspective.
Format:
90-minute one-to-one session.
Online (Zoom).
Pre-session questions so you come prepared.
This session is often the fastest way to save months of confusion and unnecessary work.
Structured Advisory
£1,200
Payment plans available
Founder Strategy Package
This is a structured advisory container for founders who are making real, irreversible decisions.
A single wrong decision can cost more than this entire programme.
It supports you with:
– Clarifying your school model and concept.
– Translating values into a workable structure.
– Thinking through premises, staffing, fees, and regulation.
– Avoiding common founder traps.
– Making decisions with more clarity and confidence.
Includes:
3 × 90-minute advisory sessions.
Light between-session support.
Continuity of context.
Support with real decisions as they arise.
Premium
Founder Launch Support
Six months of close advisory support while you build your school. This is for founders who want a steady, experienced thinking partner alongside them during one of the most demanding phases of their professional life.
This support is for:
– Navigating complex decisions.
– Holding emotional pressure and uncertainty.
– Avoiding expensive mistakes.
– Accelerating learning and implementation.
– Not building in isolation.
Option A — Standard
• 6 months duration
• 1 × 90-minute session per month
• Priority email / voice-note support (up to 5 messages per month)
• Continuity of context
• Support with strategy, decisions, emotional pressure, and operational thinking
£3,000
Option B — Premium
• 6 months duration
• 2 × 90-minute sessions per month
• Priority email / voice-note support (up to 8 messages per month)
• Deeper involvement and continuity
• Support with strategy, decisions, emotional pressure, and operational thinking
£5,000
How This Work Starts
Support for founders begins with a short enquiry form. I review all founder enquiries personally and usually reply within 48 hours.
If your enquiry is time-sensitive, please include “Urgent” in the subject line of your message.
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