Business Spotlight: Making Rainbows

We all know how important it is to support small business owners, so it was an absolute no-brainer to feature them in some form when I started The Marketing House. The first to be featured is local business owner Chantelle McNeill, who owns and runs Making Rainbows Gold Coast, an award-winning, multi-sensory program for children from birth to 5 years.

Having had both my children attend Making Rainbows for many years, I know first-hand how important music and movement are to early childhood development and I could not recommend Making Rainbows enough! Apart from being one of the loveliest people I know, Chantelle is also one of the hardest working and her success comes as no surprise. I recently sat down with Chantelle to chat about her business journey so far and how she managed to build a successful business from the ground up.

Q: Chantelle, tell me a little bit more about Making Rainbows and what you do.

Making Rainbows Gold Coast is an award-winning Music, Movement and Sensory play program! Parents are able to participate with their children in the program, singing and playing instruments and other fun props. As you know, it’s a lovely way to bond with your child and excite their natural love of music in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. We offer community classes, baby classes, toddler classes, daycare programs, shopping centre activities and individual play therapy classes for children with additional needs

Q: What has been your biggest achievement so far?

One of our biggest achievements is that we're now offering the opportunity for families who self-manage or plan their NDIS funding to access our program. We give children the best opportunity to develop their individual NDIS goals using the activities they enjoy and we now operate from Robina Paediatric Clinic where we offer our classes to children with additional needs.

Q: What has been your biggest struggle?

Like most small businesses, the biggest struggle for us was during the Pandemic. The uncertainty, shutting down and restarting all over again was extremely challenging. However, we remained determined, restarted and got everything up and going again, stronger than ever!

Q: I remember when that all happened and you were so quick to adapt! How did technology help you during the pandemic?

We had to think quite quickly about how we could work around the lockdowns and still provide the service to our families. Of course, being a sensory program, we would see many families over the course of a week, so we quickly adapted to run our classes online where families could utilise household items as 'instruments' and still have that normalcy within their household for their kids. It was just a matter of keeping our families informed and that we were there for them in that time of craziness!

Q: Being a business owner and a mum and wife, how have you been able to manage your time effectively?

I write many lists on a daily basis! I always find when things are written down it is motivating to achieve them. I constantly joke that I have three diaries and I still never know what's going on! On a serious note, I aim to be constantly prepared, lots of planning and prioritising is key for me.

Q: What has been your best marketing hack?

My best marketing hack is you! You are an absolute genius when it comes to anything related to computers and social media. I am very much old school and unable to keep up with constant changes and trends, so you've been a massive help with this. I am also very lucky to be surrounded by a lovely team of ladies who also bring many talents to the table.

Q: You know I am always here to answer your tech questions (day and night)! Do you feel like you've achieved your marketing goals?

I constantly feel like I am learning and growing in regard to my marketing goals. I believe marketing is definitely something I will continue to outsource as I am so time-poor in relation to balancing family life and running a business. It really is quite time-consuming and takes even more of my limited time when it's not an area of expertise for me.

Q: What has been your biggest source of generating new business?

I find word of mouth or social media are the two main sources of generating new business.

Q: What is something you'd try if you had infinite resources and/or time?

I would love to put myself online a little bit more, again something I will be working with you on! Connecting with clients is something that I would love to continue to build on.

Q: What is next for Making Rainbows?

I would like to continue to grow my client base, expand across the Gold Coast and employ more teachers. Our award-winning program receives fantastic feedback in regards to children achieving their developmental goals so I would love to not only grow the business and employ but also deliver the program to even more children to improve their quality of life. I am also currently studying Yoga Teacher Training, specialising in children and teenagers, so my aim is to embed yoga and all its benefits into the services I offer children in the near future when I qualify at the end of this year!

There is no doubt that hard work and determination have been key factors in the success that Chantelle has seen in her years of operating Making Rainbows. I can personally vouch for the amazing program that Making Rainbows runs and am the first to tell other parents about how beneficial it is for their little ones. If you are thinking about attending a community class, a one-on-one session or would like to find out more about Making Rainbows, visit their website here or take a look at their Facebook page.