From Messy Play to Tech Support: Why Kelly Reynolds Is Helping Class Business Owners Simplify Their Businesses

One of the things I love most about the class business industry is that people’s journeys rarely stay the same forever.

Businesses evolve.
Families grow.
Priorities shift.
New opportunities appear.

And sometimes the next chapter still keeps you connected to the industry you love – just in a completely different way.

That’s exactly what happened for Kelly Reynolds, founder of Kelly Reynolds Socials and one of the sponsors at this year’s Class Business Awards 2026.

Kelly joined me on the Class Business Podcast to talk about her transition from running children’s activities into supporting class business owners with tech, systems, social media and email marketing. And honestly, I know so many providers are going to relate to parts of her story.

When Your Business Reaches a Turning Point

Before launching Kelly Reynolds Socials, Kelly ran children’s activities herself and absolutely loved what she did. But eventually she reached a point many business owners quietly arrive at:

The business needed to scale further or evolve into something different.

At the same time, life outside of business was changing too.

Her children were getting older, becoming more active with hobbies and no longer wanting to attend classes with mum every week. The workload of running messy play alongside family life was becoming harder to sustain long-term.

During the interview, Kelly reflected on that turning point and said:

“I wanted to hand the messy play off now to somebody that’s got the passion and wants to drive it forward.”

And honestly, I think that’s such an important conversation within this industry.

Because sometimes growth doesn’t always mean scaling bigger. Sometimes it means recognising when it’s time for a new chapter.

Turning Existing Skills Into a New Business

One of the reasons Kelly’s transition worked so well is because she already had valuable skills she could bring into the sector.

Before running classes, she worked in corporate roles and had strong experience with systems, tech and organisation. What she struggled with originally was marketing and visibility, particularly on social media.

That experience became the foundation of her new business.

As Kelly explained:

“I wanted to kind of start helping children’s activity providers fast track the bit that I struggled with when I first started my business.”

Today, through Kelly Reynolds Socials, she helps business owners simplify the back-end of their businesses so they can focus more on the parts they actually enjoy.

Her services now include:

• Social media support and strategy
• Website updates and WordPress support
• Email marketing systems
• Sales funnels and landing pages
• Canva templates and branding support
• Tech training and memberships
• Automation and backend systems

And what I particularly love about Kelly’s approach is that she understands the realities of the industry because she’s lived it herself.

She knows what it feels like to juggle classes, children, admin, laundry, equipment and constant social media pressure all at the same time.

That understanding matters.

Why Email Marketing Is Still One of the Biggest Missed Opportunities

One of the most interesting parts of our conversation was Kelly talking about the gaps she consistently sees within class businesses, particularly around email marketing.

And honestly, I completely agree with her.

So many providers spend huge amounts of time posting on social media while completely overlooking the value of building and nurturing an email list.

Kelly explained:

“People are probably just a bit scared about what system to use. And it’s just really daunting.”

But she also pointed out that most providers are already collecting customer email addresses through bookings and enquiries. The opportunity is already there.

The businesses consistently growing and filling classes are usually the ones staying visible between bookings too.

Not just through social media.
But through direct communication and relationship building.

Kelly shared some of the biggest reasons providers struggle with email marketing:

• Feeling overwhelmed by the tech side
• Not knowing which platform to use
• Booking systems not integrating easily
• Fear of getting things wrong
• Thinking social media alone is enough
• Feeling too busy to set systems up

And honestly, this is exactly why support businesses within the sector matter so much too.

Because not every provider wants to become a tech expert. Sometimes they simply need someone who can simplify the process and help them save time.

Why Kelly Chose to Sponsor Team-Led Business of the Year

One of my favourite parts of the conversation was hearing why Kelly wanted to become involved as a sponsor for the Class Business Awards 2026.

Kelly is sponsoring the Team-Led Business of the Year category, a category that celebrates businesses growing beyond just one person and creating strong, supportive teams behind the scenes.

And honestly, it fits so well with Kelly’s own journey and experience within the industry.

Having built and evolved businesses herself, Kelly understands first-hand how difficult it can be to move from doing everything alone into creating systems, support and structure that allow businesses to grow sustainably.

Even though she no longer runs classes herself, she still deeply believes in the impact the sector creates for children and families.

Kelly said:

“I think what we do in the sector is so valuable to families and young children.”

That’s exactly why she wanted to support the Awards.

Not just to sponsor an event.

But to support the visibility, recognition and storytelling happening across the industry and celebrate the businesses building strong teams and sustainable models behind the scenes.

Because businesses that successfully grow teams aren’t just creating opportunities for themselves. They’re creating jobs, developing people and increasing the impact they can have within their communities too.

Watch the Full Interview

🎥 Want to hear how Kelly went from running messy play classes to building a business helping class providers simplify their tech, systems and marketing?

Watch the full interview with Kelly Reynolds where we talk about business pivots, email marketing, social media overwhelm, memberships, systems and what life after classes can look like.

If you’re a class business owner trying to save time, simplify the back end of your business and stop feeling buried in tech, this conversation is packed with practical insights.