Going Solo: Anna Fiorentini Theatre & Film School

Had you asked me 25 years ago if I saw myself as running my own enterprise, the answer would certainly have been ‘no’. I had trained to be an actress and I didn't want anything to get in the way of that dream – not boyfriends, social life, other jobs etc.

Then at the age of 27 I had an idea to turn a little drama club that I was running on Saturdays into a slightly bigger venture to include singing and dance classes. The notion was to give myself a job that gave the flexibility to still pursue my acting career while at the same time giving something back to the local community. I went to the Prince's Trust for some guidance on how to write a business plan, and three months later the first branch of the Anna Fiorentini Theatre & Film School opened in Hackney with 72 students aged 7 – 16.