The 4 Biggest Challenges You Face As A Childcare Owner

by admin | May 20, 2021 | Uncategorized

On my own childcare business journey I have faced many obstacles along the way! And in helping other childcare owners for the last decade or so I’ve been able to observe what the four biggest challenges are that get in the way of success.

I’m going to share them with you in the hope that, because you have a heads up, you can overcome these challenges more effectively and efficiently!

So what exactly are the 4 biggest challenges you’ll face as a childcare business owner?

Read on to find out what they are and how you can successfully deal with them!

Challenge #1: FEAR

One of the biggest challenges I faced when starting my childcare business was F.E.A.R. Not just your average “oh no, I’m scared of the snake” kinda fear. I’m talking about what F.E.A.R. actually is! And that’s: False Expectation About Reality.

You see, Ninja, what happens with FEAR is your brain magnifies it. Imagine blowing something up, totally out of proportion! That’s EXACTLY what our brains are hard-wired to do. It’s how we survived as a human race! This makes the “risk” feel so much bigger than it actually is and you get more anxious, more concerned and more scared. It does this to protect you.

And I get the fear too. Perhaps a fear of the unknown, the uncertain. Fear of failure, and fear of judgement. But when that niggling little voice raises its ugly head, this is when you need to trust yourself, believe in yourself and have the courage to take the uncomfortable action. Because the other side of fear is magnificent.

Take that one teeny tiny step. By doing that, you can move to the other side of fear… and let me tell ya – the view is glorious!

Challenge #2: SELF-BELIEF

This challenge is one I come across all the time. Self-belief is something we all need to nurture within ourselves. No one else can give it to you. It’s like a muscle that needs flexing. You’ve gotta warm it up to get the most out of it!

So, you’ve been thinking about starting a childcare business…Actually, you’ve been more than thinking about it: you KNOW deep down that you WANT to do this.

For me, it wasn’t just about wanting to, I had to. I was an unemployed single mom who had no choice but to provide for my children. But I was scared. I wasn’t sure if I could do it. However, I made a promise to myself, and that promise was that I would never again work for someone else. I had to make it work and I had to believe in myself.

You need to make that promise to yourself, Ninja. In order to live up to that promise you need to BELIEVE in YOU.

Take a moment right now…ready? Close your eyes. Imagine you start your childcare business. Really visualize it! It’s amazing, right?! And then picture yourself opening another daycare centre. Suddenly you’ve got multiple childcare centres…are you feeling this?!

Now you have the flexibility and freedom you’ve been craving. You’ve got the success, and it’s all down to you. Because you’re AWESOME. Are you seeing this? This is you, and you can do this, I know you can. You have to believe in yourself. You got this, and I got you!

Challenge #3: MONEY

One of the biggest reasons I hear from ambitious women about what’s holding them back is: “I don’t have the money”. Ninjas, this is a safety excuse. I get it, I do. This helps you to protect yourself. Sometimes it’s a genuine problem – putting food on the table and a roof over our heads comes first, right? However in most cases this isn’t what’s actually going on.

So I want to ask you something. Remember the last time you downloaded something free? It might’ve been a free e-book, a course, whatever it was. Did you complete it? Did you give you it 100% of your efforts? NO!

I can tell you the very simple reason why. It’s because you didn’t invest in it.

Now let me ask you something else: what is NOT GETTING STARTED costing you? Ninjas, I had no money when I first set out as a business owner. Nada. Zilch. Zero! I learned all the tricks to get this thing going from home on a shoestring budget. I made small investments and made sure I got a good return on my money. The old adage, “you’ve got to speculate to accumulate” is famous for a reason, after all!

As such, investing in myself now has become the single most important place my money goes these days. You’ll see. For now, just remember you get in life what you focus on. So I highly recommend starting to focus on abundance, learning and taking action. You got this!

Challenge #4: IMPOSTER SYNDROME

Have you heard about this buzz word? Imposter Syndrome? In nutshell, it means: I don’t think I’m QUALIFIED or CREDIBLE or GOOD ENOUGH to do this. Are you kidding Ninja?

Are you a go-getter? Do you love and have a passion for children? Perhaps you’re a mom too? Then you can absolutely do this! Imposter syndrome happens when you spend too much time looking around you at what everyone else is doing. Stay in your lane. In fact, SLAY in your lane!

And sometimes it happens when you’re trying to reach everyone and as a result don’t actually connect with anyone. So narrow down your target focus. Think about who you’re trying to reach to grow your business. In your daycare, which kids do you want in there? Where will you find their parents? How can you help these parents? What problem are you solving for them? What will make your childcare centre unique and stand out? By narrowing this down, you’ll feel more confident and passionate to do this!

Another thing you can do to combat the imposter syndrome, is join our Club Membership. When you’re walking this journey alone it can be very overwhelming. But when you’re in a family with women on the same road as you, you will feel confident and empowered! Let’s do this! Sisterhood for the win!

I’d love to know which of the 4 biggest challenges you’ve found the hardest so far?

If you are ready to get to the other side of fear and get your childcare centre started click here and join The Club membership – a place for childcare business owners to come together, be inspired, learn and get empowered!

Join The Club now!

Interested in becoming more involved in the community and to grow your business? Join us for more tips on how to make your childcare business the success it deserves to be! Or if you prefer Instagram, we share ideas and tips there too! 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!

Fear: How I pushed through to reach childcare success

by admin | Jun 19, 2020 | Blog, Uncategorized

Fear is huge. It can be massively overwhelming. The terrifying thought of putting ourselves out there takes over and stops us from showing up. So what can we do about it?

One thing I’m often asked by people just starting out is, “how did you push through your fear to get to where you are now?”.

They’re right I did push on through! So I thought it’d be good to share some of the strategies I have in place.

If you’re just on the beginning of your childcare business journey, I see you. I understand the fear. I was there too. Let me take your hand and guide you through with some tips on showing the fear who’s boss.

Stamp on any negativity

Right from the start, I told myself I needed to recheck my negative thoughts. I didn’t know at the time, but this is actually a cognitive behavior therapy technique, commonly known as “Stamping on your ANTS” (Automatic Negative Thoughts). While we’re talking about negativity, ditch the friends who cast doubt on your dreams. If they were true friends, they’d be supportive and not fill your head with fear. Get rid of the “judgy” energy sappers!

I focused on the positives and every day I told myself I was capable. That I believed I could achieve my goals. Positivity attracts positivity. You call in what you put out. By believing in myself, other people believed in me too. They could see I had the determination and character to succeed, and I began to feel more confident in myself because I was telling myself each morning that I’d get there!

Also, I’ve written a blog about getting into the right mindset that you might find helpful.

Make fear an outsider

Above, I wrote about changing your friends. I mean it! As a childcare boss, you’ve got to surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed! After a few years I realized this is what I needed to do in order to be successful. I actively seeked out my own cheer leading squad. They have got my back, and I’ve got theirs. I can ask their advice, I can tell them when I’ve achieved a goal, I can celebrate! All without fear of judgement. Best thing I ever did.

Not only do I now have a squad, but I’ve kicked fear to the curb. I don’t need to feel afraid about trying new business ideas out, or worry that I’ll be judged. Fear no longer plays a part. There’s no seat at the table for it. Bye Fear!

If you’re not sure where to find your squad, I’d recommend joining the free Childcare Ninjas Facebook group. Here you’ll find like-minded women who want to grow, learn and celebrate your success! It’s full of amazing childcare business owners at various stages of their careers and they’re waiting for you to join them…go on! What are you waiting for?

Baby steps

After you’ve worked on your mindset, you’ve got to make plans on where to go. The way to do this is baby steps. I started with one step, then another and another. It’s not as overwhelming when you’re moving in small steps!

Make a plan for each week and break it down into little chunks, you will be able to conquer those tasks. And every time you do tick something off or reach a milestone, the fear slips further and further away. It can’t get to you any more.

These are just a few of the ways I’ve pushed through the fear to achieve success. I’m now 13 years into running my business, I now own multiple childcare facilities, and I’m bringing in multiple six figures. I don’t say this to show off, I’m saying it to demonstrate that YOU CAN TOO! We’re made of the same stuff, you and I. And I can’t wait to see you achieve it.

I wonder if any of you have strategies for overcoming fear when it comes to your business? Feel free to leave a comment, I’d love to hear what you do!

If you’d like to know more, I have created some helpful videos and resources for you in my Childcare Ninja membership, to make your life a little easier, and to enable you to grow your childcare business into your own little empire.

Are you in the Childcare Ninja Facebook group yet? We are 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!