Just 12 months after leaving a career in biomedical science and pharmaceuticals, Laura Mullen has turned a career change into a fast-growing Basking Babies franchise in St Albans, with four venues, consistently full classes and plans to recruit her first instructor.
Mullen was looking for a business that would offer greater flexibility around family life while giving her the opportunity to work more directly with people. She discovered Basking Babies and decided to make the move despite having no previous experience in baby massage or running a business.
The franchise’s established model, training and ongoing support helped give her the confidence to make the transition.
“I was ready for a change and Basking Babies provided all the training and support I could need,” said Laura. “It was reassuring to know that was there when you’re starting something new, it made that leap a little bit easier being part of the franchise.”
Mullen initially launched from a single venue, but demand quickly prompted her to expand into additional locations. Her classes are now delivered across four venues, with word-of-mouth recommendations helping to drive continued interest and regular full bookings.
For Mullen, the first year has involved more than delivering classes. Moving into business ownership has required her to develop new skills in areas including accounts, marketing, customer management and forward planning.
With demand now established across her locations, her next step is to recruit her first instructor. The move will allow the business to increase its capacity without requiring Mullen to personally deliver every class, creating a path for further growth while preserving the flexibility that attracted her to franchising in the first place.
“Growing my business is important but what really matters to me is reaching more families and by investing in team members, I can also still protect the precious time with my own family,” Mullen said.
The first year has also exceeded Mullen’s own expectations for what the business could achieve.
“I’ve done better than I thought I would in my first year,” she said. “I knew what I wanted to achieve but I’ve exceeded all my expectations, I’m really proud of how far the business has come.”
Her experience highlights how a franchise can provide a structured route into business ownership for people moving from entirely different professional backgrounds, while still giving franchisees scope to build a local operation around their own priorities.
