How did I get here?
Meet Louisa Smith, mum of two boys and Operations Manager at Razzamataz Medway. Louisa’s route to her role was not conventional. She was a product development manager in baby fashion and after being blown away watching her son in his first Razzamataz show, she emailed the Medway team to express how much she enjoyed it and how she would love to be part of it, helping in the future. This is her story.
Before Razzamataz
I was in my previous role for thirteen years and it was the variety and great team that kept me there for so long. I was in product development that meant working with the design team, liaising with buyers and communicating with factories. I was involved in every stage from the initial conversations through to sampling and shipment. What I loved was that it was a small team and had a family feel to it.
How did you get here
My son Harry had been a Razzamataz Medway student for about six months before he took part in his first show. I knew from being a parent, how well run the classes were but it was the lead up to and the actual show that really blew me away. I was so impressed with the professionalism and on a bit of a whim, I emailed the Principal Hayley to say how impressed I was and that I would love to be a part of Razzamataz somehow. In my mind, I thought it would perhaps lead me to helping out backstage at the next show so I was initially taken by surprise when Hayley said that there was actually a role in the office that she thought I would be great for.
Key responsibilities
These have really grown since I started back in 2017. I had been very used to an office environment, so it was a bit of a learning curve to be front of house every Saturday because you don’t know what it going to come at you, and you must be great at multitasking. Although I was quite anxious about this part, I’ve come to love the customer facing aspect of my role and today I remain the first port of call for all parents and prospective customers. I’ve also taken on the Manager’s role so on a Saturday, the whole team will come to me with all different queries, as well as being responsible for student liaison and feeding back to parents. This all means I need to be a good problem solver.
Life skills needed
I’m fortunate to be able to see the job from both sides as Harry is still part of Razzamataz so I’m a customer also. On a Saturday, you need to be fast thinking and have an adaptable mindset because each week is different, keeping the job fresh and exciting. From my previous role, the skills of being organised and methodical helps to stay on top of all the different elements of the role. For customers, students and the team, I need to be a good communicator and approachable, which is something that we all strive for at Razzamataz Medway. It’s important to lead by example, which encourages everyone from the assistants to the Principal to follow the same ethos.
What do you love about your role
From a personal/family point of view, it is important that my role at Razzamataz is flexible. I love being part of a team who are all driven by the same goals, to see children develop and become the best they can be. This welcoming and supporting ethos has created a positive environment for us all to work in and over the years, I’ve seen students transform from very shy children who struggled to go into class, into confident young people who love what they do, surrounded by their friends.
Ambitions for the future
Both my boys will be in secondary school soon so there will be more opportunity for me to consider where I want to go in my career with Razzamataz. For now, I’m focussed on continuing to support the new Principal Emily in her role and ensure the growth of the school and continued exciting opportunities for students. I’m open to being involved with all opportunities that come my way with Razzamataz and just looking around the network, there are lots of ways that I can become more involved, which is very exciting.
