Property by Rochelle Announced as Sponsor of Powerhouse Business of the Year
With the finalists for The Class Business Awards 2026 now announced, the excitement is building as we move closer to Awards Day in October.
I’m delighted to welcome Rochelle Gilburn, founder of Gilburn Investment Group and Property by Rochelle, as the official sponsor of the Powerhouse Business of the Year category.
This award celebrates the businesses in our sector that have built something with serious scale, reach and impact. These are the franchisors, large licence networks and multi-site independents leading from the front, building strong teams, growing recognised brands and creating opportunities far beyond one class, one location or one community.
Why This Category Matters
Powerhouse businesses are often the ones setting the pace for the wider sector.
They are not only delivering brilliant sessions, but building the structure, systems and leadership needed to support growth at scale. They are creating jobs, developing teams, supporting franchisees or licence holders, reaching more families and proving what is possible when a class-based business is built with vision.
The Powerhouse Business of the Year category recognises businesses demonstrating:
- Strong leadership and brand authority
- Effective team management
- Clear business scale and reach
- Sustainable systems and growth
- Significant impact across their communities
This year’s finalists are:
- BabyBeats UK
- Football Fun Factory Ltd
- Kidslingo Ltd
- Popcat’s Music Time Ltd
- Rascals Ltd
- Strike Back Self Defence Ltd
Each of these businesses has shown what it means to grow with ambition, leadership and purpose. They are not just building bigger businesses. They are building platforms that create opportunity, consistency and long-term impact.
Why Rochelle Gilburn Is the Perfect Fit
Rochelle Gilburn is the founder and director of Gilburn Investment Group, helping business owners turn their hard-earned profit into passive income through property.
Her work is rooted in helping entrepreneurs think beyond day-to-day business income and build long-term financial security. Through property investment, Rochelle helps business owners create passive income, build generational wealth and create a financial safety net around the businesses they have worked so hard to grow.
After losing her husband unexpectedly at 29, Rochelle learned first hand how short life can be and how quickly everything we rely on can change. That experience reshaped her understanding of freedom, purpose and financial stability, and became the catalyst for building a different future for herself and her family.
Since then, she has completed more than 50 property renovations, built a six-figure portfolio business and created a hands-free model that allows busy entrepreneurs to invest safely and sensibly without the overwhelm.
That message feels especially relevant for powerhouse business owners. When you have built something with scale, team responsibility and serious momentum, the next question often becomes: how do you protect what you have built and make your profit work harder for your future?
Building Beyond the Business
Rochelle’s work challenges business owners to think bigger than turnover alone.
Because business income matters, but long-term security comes from having a plan beyond the day-to-day. Her approach helps entrepreneurs understand how mortgages, equity and profit can be used wisely to create wealth without high-pressure tactics or unnecessary complexity.
At the heart of her mission is a simple belief: property should not feel intimidating or reserved for high net worth individuals and large companies. It can be a realistic, accessible path to freedom and security for everyday business owners too.
Why The Class Business Awards Exist
The Class Business Awards were created to celebrate the people and organisations shaping the UK’s class-based business sector.
These businesses are not simply delivering weekly sessions. They are building brands, creating jobs, supporting communities and showing what is possible when passion is backed by strong business foundations.
The Awards provide a year-long platform for visibility, storytelling and recognition, celebrating both the impact delivered in every class and the leadership happening behind the scenes.
Now that the finalists have been announced, the focus turns to sharing their stories and building towards an unforgettable Awards Day.
Rochelle and Property by Rochelle are a brilliant fit for this category because her work speaks directly to ambitious business owners who are thinking about scale, freedom and the future they want to build.
To learn more about Rochelle’s work here or follow her on Instagram at @property_by_rochelle.
You can also visit The Class Business Awards website to meet the 2026 finalists and book your ticket for Awards Day on Saturday 10 October 2026 at the National Conference Centre, Solihull.
