From Stockbroker to Studio Owner: How Amanda Built a Business She Loves

She spent 20 years in stockbroking. Now 60 children a week come to the bottom of her garden to make art. 

The moments she used to miss with her kids? She doesn't miss them anymore. 

She works the hours she chooses, around the life she wants. 

She had no teaching experience, no studio, and no guarantee it would work. Here's how she built it anyway.

 The Moment Everything Shifted 

Lockdown gave Amanda something her corporate career never did: time to think.

With her two daughters at home and the nine to five on pause, she started asking herself harder questions. 

Did she want to spend the rest of her life at a desk? 

Did she want her girls in breakfast clubs and after school care so she could commute to a job that bored her?

The answer was no.

She found the Creative Crafting Club, got stuck into the roadmap, and Little Made Studio was born.

 Building the Business 

She started above a shop with a handful of children and one after school session a week. It was a small space and a slow start, but it was enough to begin.

CCC's message was clear from the start: you don't need a Pinterest-perfect studio to get going. So she didn't wait for perfect conditions. She just started.

That scrappy beginning above a shop eventually led to something she couldn't have imagined at the time. 

Her husband converted the space at the bottom of their garden into a dedicated studio. 

No more renting.
No more setting up and packing down in someone else's space.
Everything is there, it's hers, and the children come to her. 

Children from their neighborhood book Little Made Studio for birthday parties, and sometimes her daughters get a party invitation to the bottom of their own garden.

She runs classes in the afternoons every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and parties on Saturday mornings and afternoons. 

Sixty children come through her studio every week.

It took time, but she's matched what she left behind financially and feels secure. 

 From Nervous to Natural 

Amanda had never taught before. No training, no classroom background.

Those first sessions took her well outside her comfort zone.

"All of the little eyes looking at me and the parents were there. I was so nervous, thinking: will they like what I'm teaching? Will they come back?"

She kept showing up anyway, and kept improving. Now it comes naturally.

She credits one piece of advice for carrying her through: seek discomfort.

"If you're not going to seek that discomfort, you're never going to do what you love to do in life."

 The Life She Built 

Amanda doesn't sit at a desk anymore. 

She's at every sports day, every school event, every moment that used to slip past her when she was commuting.

She works the hours she chooses, around the life she wants. 

She's built a community around where she lives, made friends with the parents, and wakes up genuinely excited to start her day.

Her daughters are part of it too. They come to her after school sessions, and watching her eldest grow in confidence has been one of the unexpected joys of the journey.

"Mummy, can I teach the step-by-step drawing this week?" She'll stand up and teach the whole class.

Amanda sees the same confidence blooming in the children she teaches. It's one of the reasons she loves what she does. Kids walk in, create something, and walk out standing a little taller.

 Her Advice 

She left a stable career, a steady paycheck, and nearly two decades of experience in a world she no longer wanted to be in. Most people never make that call.

Amanda did.

Her advice: 

"Just do it. Definitely do it. Your life will change. It will take a little while to get there, but just do it. It's amazing."

 Are You Ready to Build The Craft Club of Your Dreams? 

You've just read about what's possible. Now it's your turn. 

  Join our FREE Get Started Workshop! 

We built CCC because we wanted to show people that running a kids craft club is one of the most joyful, flexible, and genuinely profitable things you can do.

(You could be running a fully booked club six months from now, wondering why you didn't start sooner.)

That's exactly why we created this workshop.

In just 60 minutes, you'll discover:

• Why craft classes are the easiest, most fun way to earn extra income

• How to find your first students without spending money on marketing

• How to price your classes with confidence from day one

• How to build a business that gives you full control, freedom, and flexibility!