Experience in practice
I founded The Nursery Business after working in the nursery sector since 2005. My experience includes creative, operational and board roles at Pennies, and later area responsibility for seven Bright Stars settings. I now help owners across the UK with the business decisions behind their nurseries.
The roles behind the advice
The nine years as Operations Director at Pennies were one part of a longer nursery career. The roles below separate nursery experience from my work outside the sector.
Creative Director, Operations Director, Executive Director and Non-Executive Director
My roles covered creative direction, group operations and board responsibilities. The operating experience below explains the growth from one setting to four.
Chief Executive Officer
A community leadership role outside the nursery sector. I keep this separate from my nursery experience.
Area / Operations Manager
Area operations responsibility across seven nursery settings.
Founder and nursery business consultant
Independent commercial and operational support for nursery owners and growing groups across the UK.
Pennies World
During nine years as Operations Director at Pennies, I worked through the shift from a single nursery to a multi-site group. That meant far more than opening extra buildings.
The work included group budgets and P&L responsibility, staffing and labour cost, management information, procurement, an acquisition and integration, and delivery of a purpose-built new site through planning, registration preparation, recruitment, fit-out and opening.
As the group grew, the management structure and operating disciplines had to grow with it. That experience is why my advice focuses on the business behind the setting: the parts that determine whether growth is controlled and whether the organisation can function without everything coming back to the owner.
These figures come from my operating role before I founded The Nursery Business. They are not client results.
Historic recognition during my time at Pennies
These are dated achievements from Pennies settings while I worked within the business. They are part of my operating background, not current ratings or consultancy client results.
Ofsted judged the overall quality of the provision at Pennies Day Nursery, Hockers Lane, to be Outstanding.
Read the 2011 Ofsted report ↗︎Hockers Lane was named one of daynurseries.co.uk's Top 20 Nurseries in South East England.
View the Hockers Lane listing ↗︎During my time leading group operations, Hockers Lane, Newnham Court and Mark Cross received repeated Eco-Schools, Eco Green Flag and Wilder Kent recognition. These were setting and team achievements within the group I helped lead.
During my time as Operations Director, Pennies Day Nursery Newnham Court was shortlisted as a finalist in the Community Nursery of the Year category at the National Nursery Awards.
View the 2023 finalists and winners ↗︎What that changes
A recommendation can look sensible on paper and still fail when staffing changes, cash is tight or an owner has twenty competing priorities. I tend to start with what can actually be implemented and what information the owner needs to make a better decision.
Discuss your business ↗︎TNB client result
This is feedback from a nursery or childcare organisation that commissioned The Nursery Business. It is separate from the LinkedIn recommendations below, which relate to previous professional work.
TNB client testimonial
We approached The Nursery Business to stress-test our financial scenarios and assess the commercial viability of our proposed project. The work provided us with robust and calculated forecasts grounded in real world industry knowledge which gave us greater clarity and confidence in our decision making. We were really impressed with the approach and the depth of Dominic’s knowledge and the practical recommendations he provided. We would highly recommend the Nursery Business to any nursery or childcare provider looking for expert insight and reliable financial planning.
Independent recommendations
These are short excerpts from recommendations written by people who have worked with me across nursery operations, leadership and business.
LinkedIn recommendation
Some people give advice. Dominic Scotton gives you a reality check, a strategy, and a better business plan!
From evaluating acquisitions to structuring deals and understanding what investors actually buy, Dominic cuts through the noise and gets straight to what matters. His advice goes beyond numbers, offering practical, experience-driven insights into evaluating teams, understanding regulatory challenges, structuring acquisitions, and building sustainable businesses. What stood out most was his emphasis on founder credibility, realistic timelines, and making decisions based on long-term potential rather than short-term profitability.
Dominic has a genuine passion for the early years sector and a refreshing ability to simplify complex decisions. I would highly recommend speaking with him to anyone looking to build, acquire, or grow a nursery business.
LinkedIn recommendation
“His commercial understanding, strategic thinking and practical approach to nursery operations made for a genuinely insightful conversation. Dominic brings a refreshing combination of industry knowledge, clarity and openness to new ideas.”
LinkedIn recommendation
I have had the pleasure of informally mentoring Dominic over the last 5 years.
Dominic has a fantastic growth mindset. This has allowed him to transform his approach through formal and informal learning and adapt his leadership to every environment he finds himself in. Combined with his natural empathy and focus, this enables him to quickly understand the inherent challenges in an organisation. His experience in the nursery sector sets him up well to then discern appropriate solutions for that specific situation.
I look forward to supporting Dominic and watching him thrive!
LinkedIn recommendation
“He brought strong operational knowledge and commercial awareness, but never lost sight of the people behind the numbers.”
LinkedIn recommendation
“Dominic is someone who understands nurseries on a deeper level. He knows the pressure, the detail and the importance of getting the business side right while never losing sight of the people involved.”
LinkedIn recommendation
“Ideas did not just stay as plans or conversations. He pushed projects forward, followed things through and made sure actions turned into real improvements.”
LinkedIn recommendation
“He sees the whole picture, spots what others miss, and gets things done without drama.”
LinkedIn recommendation
“He communicates clearly, asks the right questions and brings a grounded, constructive approach to business conversations.”
LinkedIn recommendation
“Time and again, I’ve relied on Dominic’s expertise to provide insightful, professional, and comprehensive perspectives on various challenges I’ve encountered.”
Dominic Scotton at The Nursery Business
Explore the free tools built around nursery operating decisions, or learn about Dominic’s speaking and training work.
Start with a free 30-minute business call. I will explain whether there is a useful next step.