Today I want to share with you the story behind NLP4Kids—how it started, how it’s evolved, and how it became a successful and sustainable children’s franchise for professionals who want to make a difference in the lives of young people.

It all began back in 2004 when I was taking my NLP Trainers Training. During the course, my friend Kay gave me a piece of advice that would completely shape my future. She suggested that instead of just doing what everyone else was doing—offering the same NLP courses to the same adult audience—I should consider finding a niche.

At the time, I was still working as a nanny, having previously been a nursery nurse and part of the NHS health visiting team. Her suggestion to use NLP with children made perfect sense, and so that’s exactly what I did.

We began delivering workshops for children, teaching them NLP skills in fun and practical ways. I also integrated NLP into my one-to-one therapy sessions with young clients, and while I worried that specialising in children might put adults off, it actually had the opposite effect. People saw the specialism as a sign of professionalism and credibility.

Eventually, I started getting asked how I was adapting the techniques for younger minds. That’s when I began building what we now call the NLP4Kids Silver Level Training—a programme designed specifically for working with children and young people.

Even from those early days, I knew I wanted this to be more than just a course. I wanted to build a children’s franchise—something with structure, standards, and ongoing support. Too often, people were attending NLP trainings who either shouldn’t be there, or who had no intention of putting the skills to use long-term. I wanted to work with people who were serious about creating a business and who were ready to be held accountable.

In the beginning, I didn’t know much about franchising, and I attracted a lot of people from the self-development world. They had passion, but often lacked the business mindset to succeed. I gave them websites, mentoring, marketing resources—you name it—but many didn’t follow through.

Then along came Mark, a business mentor who had experience in the franchise world. He scouted me out and we met to talk through the problems I was facing. At that point, I was running a model that offered lifetime support in exchange for a one-off training fee. Unsurprisingly, that wasn’t sustainable. Practitioners weren’t paying me anymore, but they were still calling for support, asking for marketing, and expecting website hosting—all while contributing nothing financially.

Mark encouraged me to return to the original idea: a monthly fee, ongoing accountability, and the tools needed for business success. Most importantly, he told me to stop marketing only to the NLP community and start advertising in children’s franchise directories.

The impact was immediate. We began attracting a new wave of practitioners—people who genuinely wanted to build a business helping children and were willing to take the necessary steps to do so.

These days, we track practitioner performance closely. We know how many hours they’re working, how much income they’re generating, and if things start to dip, they get booked in for a mentoring call with me to discuss what’s going on. That’s part of why our franchise works—because we care about results, not just feel-good moments.

And I’m pleased to say, the model is working. We rarely lose practitioners. Those who leave tend to do so at the end of their licence, usually because they’re retiring or moving into a new therapeutic path. The vast majority renew, and there’s no resistance to paying the monthly fee—because they know what they’re getting in return.

So, if you’ve ever thought about being part of a children’s franchise that offers real support, measurable outcomes, and a chance to make a lasting impact… this might just be the sign you were waiting for. 😊

By Gemma Bailey (with the help of Ai)

Becoming a Licensee