by admin | Jan 1, 2021 | Blog, Uncategorized
If 2020 has taught us anything at all, then surely it’s that we need to be prepared for the unexpected and be as adaptable as we can be. So how can you use this knowledge to organize your finances to make you more secure?
So what I’m sharing with you today is things we can do to cover ourselves. Making sure we cover all the bases and essentials, plus investing in our childcare businesses and us. Because investing in ourselves is key to growth.
Does the word “finances” fill you with dread?
Since I’ve been running my own business, I’ve got a lot more comfortable talking about money. The ins and outs, the profit margins and invoices. I’ve written about it before over here, and in other places too!
It’s strange, because although we know how important money is, and how finances impact our lives daily, it seems that we don’t like to talk about it much. There’s definitely a touch of taboo when it comes to discussing the green stuff.
Recently, I posted about finances in my Facebook group and it turns out that not many Childcare Ninjas are feeling the topic! But what I want to change is how we view money. Because it is super clear that to become successful in your childcare business, you’ve got to get comfy with finances and the talk that comes with it.
Excuse-proofing your finances
Last year, it was very easy for many of us to make excuses around not investing in our childcare businesses, and putting off investing on ourselves. But now 2021 has arrived, and we should be able to start off on a good foot, covering ourselves so we have the finances we need to grow our businesses. This includes money for investing in ourselves and investing in our childcare businesses.
Now is not the time for excuses! So what can you do to change the way things have been going? Have you made a plan for alternative income streams? Have you got ideas for saving money?
Challenge yourself to up your finance game
Developing your childcare business this year means you’ve got to stop using the old excuse “I can’t afford it”. Take the opportunities that you’re given in 2021 to grow your business. Lean into the fear and get stuck in. Stop putting off investing. Take money as an excuse of the table. And to do that, you’ve got to set yourself up to be more secure. You need to get comfy looking at your finances. To know exactly what you need to have coming in, and some extra for investment.
I want to challenge you to sit down and create some plans on different ways you can make some extra income next year. Set a timer and write down all the possible ways you could make money. E-bay? Babysitting? Make a cup of coffee and really go for it with that list!
Think outside of the box!
What are you good at that could bring you in some side hustle money? Could you teach piano lessons or do dog walking? Could you offer odd job skills to neighbors? Perhaps you’re a dab-hand at baking and might offer your services to busy moms who haven’t got time to make that all-singing all-dancing birthday cake?
Don’t let worries about what other people might think get in the way of you trying ideas out. Marie Forleo waited tables and taught dance classes while she worked her way up to the top of her game! She talks about money myths many of us women fall into here. And doing something other than running your childcare business, so that you can have enough money to invest doesn’t make you a failure. Trust me!
Still stuck on how to excuse-proof your finances?
I have a great resource that can help you out. It offers a number of different ideas to help you get the cash you need to start your in home business, hire that coach, or purchase that course to help move you along on your journey to success.
I designed this for you because I want you to get the tools you need to get to the next level of your success quickly and I don’t want you to keep putting your success on hold because of limited funds. And I want to help you reach your success as quickly and as simply as possible because it’s about time that you started living life on your own terms! Are you with me!? Download you free ideas list here.
How do you feel about finances? Is it something you shy away from talking about? Or are you at ease in that kind of conversation?
Come and let us know over in the Childcare Ninja Facebook group! We’re an army of childcare professionals who are sharing ninja-sharp skills to transform our businesses into childcare empires! This is Childcare Ownership all Grownup! Interested in becoming a part of the community? Join us for more tips on how to make your childcare business the success it deserves to be! And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
by admin | Dec 11, 2020 | Blog, Uncategorized
One of the things I hear on a daily basis from other childcare business owners is that they “don’t have time”. What’s the common denominator of successful entrepreneurs and CEOs? It’s that they’ve honed excellent time management skills and are great at prioritizing. So this blog is focused on why it’s important that you up-level yours!
I want to share my tips for getting better at managing your time, including an app I use that has transformed the way I prepare myself for the day ahead. How we use our time can be a total game-changer in becoming successful in Childcare Business Owners.
Read on if you’re ready to find more time and get more done!
Where are you wasting time?
First things first, you need to look at where you’re spending your time at the moment. Track what you’re doing, hour by hour, minute by minute. How long to you spend in the shower? Putting on your make-up? Getting your kids ready for school? Making pack-lunches? It’s important that you can look at where there’s time going to waste.
Note all your activities down, trying not to be too hard on yourself. Is there anything that you’re doing on the daily that could be batched? Or perhaps you’ve noticed that you’re scrolling for too long and your smartphone time is getting silly. Maybe you’ve realized that you need to spend less time watching TV. This isn’t about judging yourself harshly. It’s about noticing and making positive changes.
Time for a change in routine
Mornings are frequently where we can make changes with our time. So often it’s a time of the day when we’re rushing around like headless chickens, trying to make sure everyone is doing what they’re supposed to be doing. Mornings can be so hectic, it’s super easy to get caught up with rigmarole of the day and get ourselves overwhelmed. So if you make a single change after reading this blog post, let it be this one: allow yourself to have a morning routine.
I really want you to make a morning routine sacred in your day. When you carve out that time in the morning it helps get your day started off right and really helps you to hone in on what matters most to you.
You’ve got to give time to make time!
I know what you’re thinking, Ninja! You’re sat there, eye-rolling at this blog, right? Wondering where you’re going to find the time to plan out your time management. Oh the irony! I hear you. We’re all busy and we’ve all got mental To Do lists that are longer than the washing line. But I’m not messing around when I say this is life-changing. When you nail your morning routine, and track your time, you’re onto a winner!
Block out time as soon as possible – even if it’s over the weekend – to map out and plan your mornings. What do you want them to look like from now on? Where do your priorities lie? What kind of schedule will you set up? Can you categorize activities to make it easier? As soon as you start your new routine, you’ll quickly claw back any time spent planning, because your focus will be better and you won’t be as easily distracted because you’re sticking to a schedule.
There’s an app for that
I’m using this brilliant tool at the moment called “Seconds”. It’s an awesome app that really helps you get to grips with how you’re spending your time. It allows you to track how long you spend on different activities.
By tracking your time you can see where it’s going and you can assess whether your time is being used on priorities or being frivolously frittered away. I promise you, it’s a real eye opener! And you won’t necessarily like what it tells you…but it’s truly helping me to see where I need to spend less time and where I need to increase it. Tracking my time means I can focus on the things that are actually going to help me grow my business.
An added bonus has been that I now place more value on my time, therefore I don’t waste time doing things that won’t help me achieve my goals.
Timing your activities
The “seconds” app is helping me so much with time management, but especially when it comes to my morning routine. Each activity is allocated a set time on the app. For example, I set it to give me 15 minutes to workout, 20 minutes to shower, 15 minutes for reading and I allow myself a much needed 30 minutes of meditation and prayer.
Sticking to a time for every task and being mindful and motivated to follow your routine means you begin to see things differently. You’ll discover you aren’t as laid back about what you’re spending time doing and become more intentional and protective of your time. When I started attaching tasks and time together, that time became more important to me as it was now scheduled in.
Other ideas to up your time management game
As well as the “seconds” app and creating a morning routine, there’s plenty of other things you could try. I’ve heard great things about this book by Laura Vanderkam, and Marie Forleo talks about how to stop wasting time and become more productive here. You could try out what Silicon Valley execs do with their wardrobes – simplify to save time! Use the Pomodoro method for your daily tasks.
Hopefully you can see that it’s not rocket science. Time management is all about learning where you can use your time more effectively and being committed to a routine and prioritizing well. Furthermore, when you master time management, you create more time for doing the things that bring you joy and happiness!
I’d love for you to join us in the Childcare Ninja Facebook group where we’re all sharing ideas and learning from each other. We are an army of childcare professionals who are honing ninja-sharp skills to transform our businesses into childcare empires! This is Childcare Ownership all Grownup! Interested in becoming a part of the community? Join us for more tips on how to make your childcare business the success it deserves to be! And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
by admin | Oct 30, 2020 | Blog, Uncategorized
Those of us who’ve been in the childcare industry for a while will be well-acquainted with the frequency of emergency situations that occur for us on a weekly basis! However, we still struggle to cover ourselves for every eventuality. So what can we do to improve our ability to handle pressure? How can we relieve some of the stress we feel when it comes to dealing with the situations we face?
In my decades of experience in handling pressure, I’ve learned from all my mistakes so you don’t have to! Let me share with you some things that keep me cool calm and collected – even when the pressure gauge rises to the max.
Keeping up appearances
As for how we handle things that are thrown our way, we’re somewhat different from other industries. This is because a) there’s kids involved, and b) we can’t just drop everything when we’re faced with an emergency. We’re expected to keep up appearances while handling situations. We’ve got our businesses to represent, after all!
So when an emergency situation pops up, we have to maintain a level of professionalism that people in other industries can let slide. And that can be tough when you’re under pressure.
This week I’m focusing on dealing with the pressures we may have when an incident arises, such as kids needing first aid, but handling that in a professional manner and still being able to help deal with the issue, but also keep all the other kids safe.
Don’t panic!
The last thing you want to do is panic in an emergency, because your concern will cause a ripple effect. First, your staff will freak out and then the children in your care. Neither of these potential disasters is ideal! So, what you need to consider is what will keep you calm and how you can maintain a sense of serenity that the others will pick up on.
It’s really important we stay calm whenever we’re facing a tricky situation. And remaining calm is altogether much simpler when you’re planned and prepared.
Always have a plan to handle pressure
We all know how much I love planning, right?! I can’t emphasize enough how vital it is to plan – in detail – every little part of our businesses. But it’s even more important to ensure that we’ve got plans for emergency situations.
Take time out at the beginning of setting up your business to plan out how you (and your team if you’ve got one yet) will deal with situations that are likely to arise. Really look closely at various possibilities and figure out how you’ll handle them.
It’s a good idea to start putting plans together as soon as you can, so that you’re able to handle the pressures of childcare ownership when circumstances come to challenge you.
Roles and responsibilities
One part of planning out how you’ll deal with emergencies is looking at what role each member of the team would be allocated. Someone needs to be in charge of dialing 911, another can take responsibility for a head count of the kids. Another role might be keeping the kids calm and distracting them from any upsetting situations.
Making sure each team member has set roles for these worst case scenarios is an essential part of your planning. Do you regularly update the responsibilities, bearing in mind that your children will change over time, your plans also need to be adjusted accordingly.
Does every member of your team know what role they play in an emergency?
Plan ahead of time
This is all about being preemptive and proactive. It’s a key part of planning for emergencies! Take action before a situation arises. Get a break down laid out for every potential challenge. And plan well ahead so that you’re not side-swiped by things.
That’s a key thing, to get steps and protocol all organized so that everyone knows what to do if and when something happens.
Much of how we handle the pressure of a developing disaster often depends on whether or not we’ve taken that time right at the beginning to plan out how we’ll address situations and emergencies. And whether our staff are well-informed and aware of their roles.
How they can handle pressure when you’re not there
These steps will also empower your team, because there might be the odd occasion when you’re not in the building to get them ship-shape. But you still need them to know what they’ve got to do and how they’re going to handle the situation.
And because you may not always be there when the situation happens, it’s a good idea to have things written out and accessible so that your team can reacquaint themselves with their roles whenever they feel like they need a refresher.
Ask your team: Do you know what to do if we had an emergency?
Happy emergencies
It’s also worth remembering that emergency situations aren’t always negative. It’s not all doom and gloom! Occasionally we come across a situation that can be exciting in a positive way too.
Recently, me and the team were faced with just this kind of emergency! A member of my staff team went into labour a little earlier than we had anticipated. However, because I’d taken the time to plan out how we would cope, and because we’d had a run through early enough, when this actually happened we were more prepared for it!
It wasn’t nearly as stressful because we actually had plans in place! We were able to handle the situation calmly and with grace! Things just ran so much smoother. The team came together so well!
I know I like to talk about it all the time, but there’s a reason for that! I totally believe in empowering your staff and making them rockstars in your business. Yes, I truly do believe that. So I urge you to build a team that feels like family!
Time to take action…
When are you going to make a start on crisis planning? Now you know how to handle pressure well in your childcare business, it’s time to take action!
Let me know when you’ve implemented some emergency planning protocols and had some team training to sort out roles. Leave a comment or head to the Childcare Ninja Facebook group to chat about your plans and how you handle the pressures that come with being a childcare business owner. Join us for more tips on how to make your childcare business the success it deserves to be!
In case you were wondering, there are even more resources and ideas for being a childcare owner over in my Childcare Ninja membership – are you in there yet? We’re an army of childcare professionals who are sharing ninja-sharp skills to transform our businesses into childcare empires! This is Childcare Ownership all Grownup! It’s full of exclusive materials and support to help you grow your Childcare Business.
by admin | Sep 17, 2020 | Blog
Marketing your childcare business in this day and age is pretty overwhelming. If you’re new to all this, where do you even start? There’s so many places to be interacting…should you be on all of the platforms? Just digital or print too? And who are you talking to? You’d better make sure you’re marketing to moms!
I’ve been in this arena for a long time, and marketing has changed dramatically since I first started out. It was mostly word of mouth and flyers through doors to spread the word. But now you’ve got other ways to reach the moms and dads you want to work with.
So how do you figure out what to do with your marketing?
Here’s some of my top tips for nailing your marketing strategy when it comes to getting your childcare business seen and heard.
Client Perspective – marketing to moms
As childcare business owners we tend to lead from the front all the time…but on this occasion I want you to take a step back. There’s an important reason for doing this, because – believe it or not – you don’t always know the answers. We so often assume we’re doing a good job and are too busy to do things another way, or can’t see that there’s need for another perspective.
So take a step back from being the leader and take off your Childcare Ninja hat. Put on a parent one instead. Try and see the world through their eyes and at their angles. Doing this will make your offerings more relevant and give you an opportunity to visualize things differently.
Freshen up
Now you’re wearing their hat, I want you to imagine you’re looking for a daycare center for your child. Head to your website with these fresh new eyes. Without berating yourself, look at your childcare business site and consider if it’s what you’d be looking for if you needed somewhere to send your babies right now? Would you buy from you?
It’s time to get real. Be honest with yourself. Is it good enough? Does it need an update? Is it all linked up to your social media channels? Could you be adding content to help your marketing? Blogs are an easy, engaging and fun way to do this.
Have you listed all the features that they might want to know about? Do you explain how you’re different from other childcare providers in your area? What are the benefits of booking into your childcare provision – how will they feel? Focus on the freedom that knowing their kids are safe gives them. Reassure them!
Where do your moms hang out?
Now you’ve freshened up your website, it’s time to think about where your moms hang out. Depending on where you are in the world, or the demographics of your area, it might be different for you to where mine meet up online! Social media is so huge now! Some moms are all over Facebook and Twitter, others are dancing all over TikTok and networking on Instagram. And there’ll even be some on LinkedIn.
Look at who your moms follow and share content by online. You can piggy back off this by creating similar – but childcare related – content. Read the ads and blogs they’re seeing on the daily, and build your marketing around similar topics that your moms will find engaging.
Also take time to view what activities they do with their kids. Where are they frequently visiting? Do they mix up their day trips or are they creatures of habit? List potential future collaborations or places you could advertise while you’re doing this research.
Being useful in your marketing to moms
When it comes to marketing to your audience it’s not just about selling. Much of what you’re sharing online ought to be useful. Factor this into your content planning. If, for example, you’re in an area where the schools are currently closed due to lock down, why not share some play ideas or some free printables to keep small people busy and entertained. Parents will remember how helpful you were when they were stressed out!
Again, this is about switching hats. What would you have found useful as a mom now? Some recipe ideas? Top ten educational movies? 5 best books for toddlers? Some freebie word searches or puzzles? These things will get shared among your online community, wherever they hang out! Create a buzz around your brand by supporting potential future clients now.
Non-mom Childcare Business Owners
I haven’t forgotten you, you awesome bunch of humans! If you’re struggling to take your biz hat off and put on a mom one, make the most of any mom friends you’ve got. They might not be able to join you at happy hour any more, or pull all night dance sessions like they used to, but they sure as heck know where moms hang out online for advice, a moan, and to have virtual fun!
So ask ’em! They’ll be super happy you asked them for ideas and will hold a plethora of information, so don’t be afraid of tapping into their knowledge! Marketing to moms is pretty key to your business, so find out how to captivate them!
Wanna know more about marketing?
If you’d like to learn more about marketing and how to grow your childcare business, I’ve got a coaching program that is perfect for you! We’re diving into all elements of getting the word out about your business, including how to market effectively. “The Simple Childcare Ownership Program“ starts in October.
It’s a 10 week program that offers you so much! Join like-minded women in a private, exclusive community where you can share experiences and support each other to grow. In creating this especially for you, we’ve taken great care to ensure that the program is content-centered, offers you results-driven experiences that will inspire and motivate you to challenge yourself and grow into who you were born to be! Find out more here.
If you’d like to see more like this and chat with other childcare business owners, I wonder whether you’d like to head over here: Childcare Ninja Facebook group! Join us for more tips on how to make your childcare business the success it deserves to be!
While you’re here, are you in the Childcare Ninja membership yet? We’re an army of childcare professionals who are sharing ninja-sharp skills to transform our businesses into childcare empires! This is Childcare Ownership all Grownup! It’s full of exclusive resources and support to help you grow your Childcare Business.
by admin | Aug 21, 2020 | Blog, Uncategorized
Being a childcare boss isn’t for everyone. So how do you know if you’ve got what it takes?
I’ve been in the business for a long time and I have seen people come and go. Sometimes, they think running a childcare is easy and they have a shock when they realize that it’s quite different from other types of businesses. For one, there’s tiny people to think about, not just the profit margins!
Other times, they’ve got no experience running a business at all and despite a huge love of working with children, it becomes overwhelming and they’ve given up.
Just as you don’t start on the line of a marathon without hours of training, you also have to begin the race with the right mindset. And the same goes with being a childcare business boss. We’ve got to be prepared and in the right head space to be successful.
Anyway, here are a few things I’ve learned about whether you know that being a childcare boss is right for you and how to get into the childcare boss mindset…
So have you got what it takes?
Truth of the matter is, only you can answer this question honestly. This is an opportunity for you to think about your why. What motivates you to run a childcare business? Why do you want to be a childcare boss?
However, you just need to take some time to meditate over and contemplate these questions. Lean into the fear. Is there anything holding you back? How do you prepare for challenges you face? Is there a pattern? How could you bring that to being a childcare boss?
Achieving what you put your mind to
In my experience people have the ability to do whatever they set their minds to. Therefore, if your mindset is ready, you’re ready!
Think about the people you know who’ve run marathons – they start preparing months in advance. They train hard, and most of them will tell you that it’s not about the physical prep, it’s about breaking the mental barriers. Once you’re able to show your brain that you can run 18 miles, it doesn’t take much to convince it that another 6 miles will be okay.
Same goes for mountaineers. Months of preparation and the right gear, but at the end of the day, it’s ultimately down to their mindset.
Another example is Paralympic athletes. They compete in the face of adversity. Some of them have lost legs in battle, yet they come out fighting! It is all about mindset.
Getting into the right mindset
Hopefully you’re getting the idea that so much of this is down to having the right mindset! So how’s yours?
First, check how your mindset is towards being a childcare boss. And once you’ve looked at that, it’s time to begin taking steps towards creating or
growing your childcare business.
Journal about your fears around leadership, your motivations for running a childcare business, think about your soul goals and where you see yourself in five years. Really get to grips with where you feel you’re at in mindset terms.
I hope this blog has got you thinking about whether this is right for you, and I hope the answer is, “For sure, Ms. Nyckie!” I know you’ve got what it takes.
I have a 3 day challenge coming up that dives into this. Taking part in the challenge will allow you to gain freedom from your fears of childcare ownership. You’ll be given simple steps to reignite your fire & make you the passionate and proud childcare boss you know you can be. This challenge is going to get you laser focused and give you the clarity you need to move your childcare business from bleak to booming!
Click here to register and get my FREE tool to help you get into the right mindset!
And if you’re not already over in the Childcare Ninja Facebook group, come and say hi! We’d love to welcome you into the space and find out how you’re getting on. We’re an army of childcare professionals who are sharing ninja-sharp skills to transform our businesses into childcare empires! This is Childcare Ownership all Grownup! If you’re interested in becoming a part of the community, join us for more tips on how to make your childcare business the success it deserves to be! And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
