Sean Harper, shares how PR took his business to the next level

Hosted by Fiona Scott, today’s podcast welcomes Sean Harper, co-founder of Just For Fun Holiday Club which provides childcare services through their clubs across the Swindon, Wiltshire area.Sean joins Fiona to share with PR Not BS listeners on the ins and outs of running a holiday club business and shines a light on how he fell into becoming a business owner.Fiona kicks off her chat with Sean by asking about Just For Fun and his experience of co-founding a business for 9 years.“Year on year we’ve just got bigger and, hopefully, better,” Sean said.Sean begins his conversation with Fiona by talking about his career history and experience working in the education and childcare sector and how Just For Fun emerged as a business venture in his late 20s/early 30s. Sean looks fondly back at the first ever Just For Fun holiday club.“I always say that summer was the best summer since we started because we were naïve to what was to come. It was easy and free flowing.”Knowing their first club was a success, Just For Fun ventured into wrap-around care and more holiday clubs at multiple sites across Swindon. Sean chats about the day-to-day life of managing a holiday club and how Swindon’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme has changed how he approaches inclusion at his clubs. Sean delves into how his passion for working with children and young people developed over time, discussing how his upbringing and personality informed his choice to enter into this field.“Being a role model felt like a natural step for me and I moved into education at 20 or 21.”Sean speaks about always working in this sector and having a full-time job alongside his business. He speaks candidly about his realisation that running both was having a detrimental impact on his life. Therefore, Sean details leaving his job to focus on Just For Fun full time, but he felt stuck.“There was no clear direction [for the business] for how to market and who we needed to reach out to,” he said. “We just got through every month but we didn’t really know what we were doing and we reached out to you.”After noticing where he needed help, Sean contacted Scott Media for support and advice. Sean shares the importance of PR and being active on social media. He also speaks about how his focus on PR has fuelled him to keep developing.“It enabled me to look at people to connect with I had never thought of. I always thought it would be parents, but I didn’t think to reach out to companies,” he said “PR opened my eyes to opportunities of where we could take the business and expand relationships.”Sean comments on how he thrives on ‘the chase’ in business, as he’s got a hunger to develop which pushes him forward. “I am not a good businessman! The decisions I make are more emotionally led than financially led.”“I think you absolutely are,” said Fiona. “Good businesspeople always know that they have something to learn, once you think you’ve become perfect, that’s the day you stop.”Sean discusses what the future holds for him and his business. That his next steps towards merchandising and commitment to PR will be his focus.“If you see someone with your logo on, you’re not just a quick one or two year business, you’ve been around for a while and seeing kids with a t-shirt, jumper, or bottle - they’ve bought into our brand.”Whilst Sean divulges how he doesn’t know what the future holds, listeners can expect to her the reality of running a holiday club, not the BS!Tune in now to hear all the details.To contact Just For Fun, visit their website: www.justforfunholidayclub.co.ukFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/justforfunholidayclub.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/justforfunholidayclub.comTo get in touch with Fiona and the Scott Media team, visit www.scottmedia.ukJoin our free Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe