He taught in Barnsley since 2006 in similar schools in Rotherham and Huddersfield, but the equipment was falling apart and the working conditions weren't great. Whilst teaching he decided to go back to University to gain his PGCE and decided to open up his own teaching studio in Wakefield so that when he finished his course he could fully concentrate on the business.

He mainly chose Wakefield because there were too many drum teachers in Barnsley.

Mike initially approached Wakefield First to get support with finding a new property as his previous one was no longer serving his requirements in terms of space, facilities or location.

As a drumming school, Mike was receiving pushback from prospective landlords due to concerns of noise levels which was preventing him from securing a new premise and meeting his growth goals of taking on freelancers to increase his capacity for new classes and grow the business.

Following a diagnostic with Paige from the business support team, Paige was able to feed back Mike’s soundproofing measures to the Invest team so Millie was able to negotiate with letting agencies/landlords. With Wakefield First advocating for Mike we were able to secure a premise that perfectly meets Mike’s requirements.

Now Mike has the space he intends to grow his team, and provide freelance opportunities for younger Wakefield musicians, to increase his capacity and meet his ever-growing demand for new clients.

He is also in talks to increase his offer and add additional services to better utilise the space he has available.

If your business could benefit from free, curated support, like that which was given to Mike's Drumming School, please reach out to businesssupport@wakefield.gov.uk

To find out more about Mike's Drumming School, please visit: Mike's Drumming School