Go Gold with Katie Cannon

This episode is a recording from Day 1 of our recent Enrol 30 Students in 3 Days workshop, which we ran last week for children’s activity and sports entrepreneurs who want more consistent enrolments and stronger cash flow. In this first session, Katie breaks down the foundations of sustainable student growth, from ads and content systems to CEO thinking and the role mentorship plays in building long-term momentum.Session 2 is coming next week, so make sure you tune in for the next part!Key TakeawaysConsistent enrolment is a skillYou are the CEO from day one even if you are still doing every job in the business.Stop reacting, start systemising. Sustainable growth comes from foundations, not random bursts of effort.Facebook and Instagram ads only work when you treat them consistently. Stop switching them on and off.Track the right metrics so your marketing decisions are based on numbers, not emotion.Organic content should support your business, not drain it. Build a content library and campaign system.Mentorship matters because self-study alone rarely creates the accountability, strategy, and implementation speed needed for real growth.Katie Cannon is the founder of Gold Medal Business, a mentoring company that helps children’s activity and sports entrepreneurs build profitable, scalable, and sustainable businesses. A former five-time British Gymnastics Champion and now a seven-figure entrepreneur, Katie brings nearly 20 years of experience building businesses in the children’s activity sector. She is known for practical, experience-led coaching that helps owners strengthen foundations, improve enrolment, and step fully into their CEO role.If this episode has shown you where your enrolment and cash flow need tightening, go and check out our Silver Mentorship. It’s designed to help you build the systems, strategy, and accountability you need to grow with confidence - https://goldmedalbusiness.org/silver-mentorshipStay Connected With Gold Medal Business and Katie Cannon:Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group | LinkedIn |YoutubeWebsite: https://www.goldmedalbusiness.com/Intro and Outro Background MusicMain Street by AudioCoffee | https://www.audiocoffee.net/Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Shelley Otway Wood shares the real story behind building a performing arts school for 15 years including the career highs, the business lows, and the personal chapters that shaped her leadership. This episode is a masterclass in resilience, rebuilding, and what changes when you stop “winging it” and start running your business like a CEO inside mentorship.Key TakeawaysThere’s never a “right time.”Your first team won’t be your forever team (and that’s normal).A business can survive anything… if the owner has a plan. Delegation without oversight is expensive. You can rebuild fast when you’re decisive. Mentorship isn’t just business strategy, it upgrades your standards. The shift affects who you hire, who you keep close, and how you lead.Success isn’t only revenue.Guest Bio (Shelley Otway Wood)Shelley Otway Wood is a performing arts business owner with 15 years’ experience in building her business and a professional theatre background. She’s built Steppin' Out Stars of Tomorrow through major personal and business challenges and is known for fast action, high standards, and deeply inclusive culture. Shelley is also Gold Medal Business’ in-house Performing Arts Expert, supporting performing arts owners to scale sustainably with systems, team, and CEO leadership.If you loved this episode, subscribe to Go Gold with Katie and visit our website to learn more about Gold Medal Business mentorships,  and if you’re a children’s performing arts school owner and want to book a call with Shelley, click here: https://link.goldmedalcoaching.info/widget/groups/book-a-call-with-gold-medal-teamStay Connected With Gold Medal Business and Katie Cannon:Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group | LinkedIn |YoutubeWebsite: https://www.goldmedalcoaching.info/Intro and Outro Background MusicMain Street by AudioCoffee | https://www.audiocoffee.net/Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In this episode, Katie shares the Top 10 mistakes she made in her first decade as a children’s activity business owner, from hiring too fast to overcomplicating the model and ignoring cashflow. If you’re building towards consistent six figures (or beyond), this is your shortcut: steal the lessons, skip the pain, move faster with fewer setbacks.Key Takeaways If you’re not failing, you’re not pushing hard enough.Pick ONE core offer and nail it before adding extras. Complexity kills, simplicity scales.Choose your business model early so you stop spreading your team and quality too thin.Don’t recruit just because someone is available or cheap.Growing too fast can slow you down because you spend years cleaning up the mess.Delegate, but don’t abdicate. Stop overspending on branding early.Mistake #1: The wrong kind of mentor (not niche-specific)Mistake #2: Business too complicatedMistake #3: No clear modelMistake #4: Hiring without a real processMistake #5: Scaling too fastMistake #6: Delegating the numbersMistake #7–#8: Eye off the foundations + wrong rolesMistake #9–#10: Cashflow + overspending on brandingHost Bio (Katie Cannon)Katie Cannon is the founder of Gold Medal Business and a former five-time British Gymnastics Champion turned seven-figure children’s activity entrepreneur. With 20+ years in the industry, she helps children’s activity and sports business owners grow their teams, students, and venues and build scalable, sustainable businesses with strong systems and leadership.Subscribe to Go Gold with Katie for weekly scaling strategies, and visit Gold Medal Business to learn more about our mentorships and book your free business audit! Stay Connected With Gold Medal Business and Katie Cannon:Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group | LinkedIn |YoutubeWebsite: https://www.goldmedalcoaching.info/Intro and Outro Background MusicMain Street by AudioCoffee | https://www.audiocoffee.net/Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

What happens when a non-entrepreneur buys a children’s activity franchise… weeks before COVID hits?In this powerful episode, Emily Little shares how she went from performer to business owner, navigated lockdown, motherhood, and her partner’s cancer diagnosis — all while launching and scaling performing arts territories.If you’ve ever thought “it’s not the right time”, this episode will change that.Key TakeawaysSpeed of action is often the difference between steady growth and stalled potential.There is no perfect time to scale.Systems create freedom.Your identity must shift from operator to owner.Hard seasons can fuel growth. About Emily LittleEmily Little is a performing arts entrepreneur and franchise owner with Jigsaw Arts, running two territories across South London. Originally trained in performing arts, Emily transitioned from performer to business owner in 2020 — navigating COVID, motherhood, and personal adversity while building a fast-growing children’s performing arts business. A Gold Mentorship client, she’s known for one thing above all: decisive implementation and bold action.If you’re serious about scaling your children’s activity or sports business, subscribe to Go Gold with Katie and visit Gold Medal Business to learn how our mentorships help you build structure, scale confidently, and step fully into your CEO role.Learn more about our offers here - https://goldmedalbusiness.org/Stay Connected With Gold Medal Business and Katie Cannon:Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group | LinkedIn |YoutubeWebsite: https://www.goldmedalcoaching.info/Intro and Outro Background MusicMain Street by AudioCoffee | https://www.audiocoffee.net/Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In this episode, Katie shares her full journey from five-time British Gymnastics Champion to building a seven-figure children’s activity business, including the mindset, discipline, and hard-earned lessons that shaped it all. If you’re building your business while juggling life, family, and big ambitions, this is for you!Key TakeawaysDon’t learn from someone who’s “successful” but has the opposite lifestyle to what you want (time, freedom, family presence).Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster—plan for it.Investing in your business (coaching, team, marketing) fuels growth.The reason you’re building has to carry you through the hard days.Passion first, money follows.What got you here may not get you there. Scaling often requires tough decisions and a new structure.About Katie CannonKatie Cannon is the founder of Gold Medal Business and a former five-time British Gymnastics Champion who went on to build a seven-figure children’s activity business. With 20+ years in the children’s activity industry, Katie now coaches business owners to grow profitable, sustainable businesses with strong systems, teams, and scalable models without sacrificing their family life and freedom.If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Go Gold with Katie and visit the Gold Medal Business website to learn more about how our mentorships help children’s activity & sports business owners grow and scale with confidence. Stay Connected With Gold Medal Business and Katie Cannon:Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group | LinkedIn |YoutubeWebsite: https://www.goldmedalcoaching.info/Intro and Outro Background MusicMain Street by AudioCoffee | https://www.audiocoffee.net/Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

What does “having it all” actually look like when you’ve got three children under five and you’re scaling a children’s activity business? In this episode, Katie Hillcoat shares the real behind-the-scenes of building a business with a young family. What she’s dropped, what she’s protected, and the mindset shifts that keep her moving forward. If you’re a children’s activity or sports business owner trying to grow without burning out, this one will hit home.Key Takeaways:How to stop chasing “balance” and start choosing your seasonA clear vision cuts through the noiseBuild a business model that rewards effortMentorship matters early. One belief-filled conversation can change your trajectory, especially when you’re doubting yourself.Don’t wait for perfect timing. The key is momentum, not perfection.Work with your personality, not against it.About Katie HillcoatKatie Hillcoat is a performing arts professional turned children’s activity business owner, now running four territories within the Jigsaw Performing Arts franchise. After training in acting and musical theatre and working in performance roles, Katie chose a more sustainable path—building a business model that matched her long-term vision of family life, stability, and growth. She shares candidly about leadership, expansion, and what it really takes to run a thriving children’s business while raising three young children.If this episode gave you a reality-check and a boost 🙌, subscribe to Go Gold with Katie and visit our website to learn how our mentorships help children’s activity & sports business owners like Katie Hillcoat scale with confidence and sustainability. 🎙️💪Stay Connected With Gold Medal Business and Katie Cannon:Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group | LinkedIn | YoutubeWebsite: https://www.goldmedalcoaching.info/Intro and Outro Background MusicMain Street by AudioCoffee | https://www.audiocoffee.net/Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/