On Saturday 10 October, Jen and Sam swapped their yoga mats for black tie and headed to the National Conference Centre in Solihull for the UK’s first Class Business Awards.
The day started earlier, at Class Business Live, which brought finalists, judges and sponsors together before the evening celebrations began.
The awards were set up by Krissy Monaghan to shine a spotlight on class-based businesses across the UK. More than 400 entries and nominations came in this year, judged by a panel of 20 experts. Between us, the Happy Kids Yoga family had two finalist places:
- Scaling Business of the Year (Jen Hoe, Happy Kids Yoga)
- Content Marketing Award (Sam Elvidge, Happy Kids Yoga Leeds Bradford)
We didn’t bring a trophy home this time, but two finalist places across our network is something we’re really proud of.
From one class in Warrington
Being shortlisted for Scaling Business of the Year is a lovely reminder of how far we’ve come. Happy Kids Yoga started as one class in Warrington. Today we’re a national franchise network, with franchisees bringing yoga and wellbeing sessions to schools and nurseries in their own communities.
Ahead of the finalist reveal, Jen summed up what it’s all about: “At Happy Kids Yoga, our mission is simple: to help children feel calmer, more confident, and better equipped to navigate the challenges of growing up.”
Jen had good company on the night. Sam, who runs Happy Kids Yoga Leeds Bradford, was up for the Content Marketing Award.
“It was my first time attending a conference and awards event, so I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was blown away by the warmth, friendliness, and wealth of knowledge in the room,” says Sam. “Being a finalist was such a proud moment, but the highlight was being there with Jen. Being together as a team felt really special.”
“It was a really special night,” says Jen. “Being finalists at the very first Class Business Awards, and seeing Sam there as a finalist in her own right, made me so proud of what we’re building together as a network.”
A night for the whole Happy Kids Yoga family
This one belongs to all of us. Every franchisee who has taken Happy Kids Yoga into their area helped get us into that room, and so did every school, nursery and family who has welcomed us in. Thank you.
If you missed it, you can watch our reel from the night on Instagram.
If our night in Solihull has got you wondering what it would be like to run your own Happy Kids Yoga, you can find out more about joining the franchise.
And if you’re a parent looking for a class for your child, you can find your nearest Happy Kids Yoga class on our Find a Class page.
