In this eScalate Case Study, Jake Motion, founder of House of Fun holiday camps, shares the story and the vision behind the business, and how it has benefited from the eScalate business support programme. >>
How did House of Fun start?
House of Fun didn’t start to make a profit; it started to make a difference. I started House of Fun out of my firm belief that every child deserves the chance to have fun. The idea is to supplement the fantastic work done by schools, by providing extra-curricular and holiday activities that help children to increase their self-esteem and confidence through fun, diverse activities.
What is the purpose and vision of House of Fun?
House of Fun is a children’s activity provider with a social purpose. We believe that every child deserves the chance to relax and just have fun. Having fun builds self-esteem and confidence in children and helps them become more well-adjusted throughout their childhood and adolescence, which benefits society as a whole.
What support did you receive from eScalate and how has it helped you?
I have participated in three peer to peer networks over the past three years, which have helped to shape our marketing and growth plans, and have also supported me to develop my leadership skills. In addition, I have attended a range of workshops targeted around specific business issues such as effective networking, innovation collaboration and thinking like your customer.
What are the most rewarding moments you’ve had with House of Fun in Oxfordshire?
The summer of 2022 was our busiest period since the genesis of House of Fun, and we were incredibly proud to be able to offer the equivalent of over 300 days of free or subsidized activity camps to disadvantaged families in Oxfordshire. From a business perspective, we are seeing a 123% increase in revenue year-on-year, which is testament to the hard work and care taken by our fantastic team to deliver high-quality activities to families.
What are your plans for the future?
Having met and in most cases exceeded our previous growth goals, we are working on a new 5-year plan to increase the activities we offer within Oxfordshire and beyond. One exciting new project we started in late 2022 is ibrick Lego in-school and after-school workshops and holiday camps for 5-15 year olds, which teach core engineering skills and theories through building mechanised Lego models. These workshops, alongside our existing multi-activity camps and Sports Leader qualification programme, mean that we are now able to offer activities for 2-15 year olds all year round, plus employment opportunities for 16+ year olds.
Find more eScalate case studies on OSEP blog, and explore upcoming eScalate events on Eventbrite, supporting social enterprise, purposeful business and trading charities in Oxfordshire.
