Like most business folk, childcare owners are looking to get organized and ready for next year. So how do we do that alongside running our day to day biz?
Here’s my 7 tips to help you get organized this winter!
Let’s do this, Ninja!
1. Brain Dump your To Dos
I highly recommend taking 5 or 10 minutes just to simply write down all the things you need to do. Get it all out if your head! Then organize everything into categories and prioritize them as high or low urgency.
This is a fabulous way to get a plan in place for your “get organized” day.
2. Say no to multitasking
Guilty of trying to do all the things?!
However, when you decide you want to declutter a room, it’s best to set a concrete goal, outline a timeframe and stick to it. Only do things that help you finish what you set out to do, rather than getting distracted with other side projects that can come up while decluttering.
3. Let go of old stuff!
Now you’re in the right headspace, one of the things you can do to get organized is throw away everything you don’t need to keep.
Because I’ve always believed the less stuff you have to organize, the easier it gets! So that’s why the first step of organization project is to reduce (and then recycle!).
Make sure you include all those old printouts of documents that you’ve got digital versions of! Then tackle stacked up piles of mail, ancient dried-out pens (you know you’ve got ‘em!) and put the curled up post-it notes into the recycling bin!
4. Organize Your Workspace
Now that you’ve thrown out the unnecessary clutter, it’s time to organize your workspace! Doing this drives you to a more productive 2023 and help you feel much happier while working on growing your childcare business.
First, grab a dust cloth and wipe down your desk and any surfaces. A clean space helps you get organized.
Use a specific container for your stationery. Put all your pens, pencils, scissors, tape, paper clips, etc. all in one place! No need to scrabble for something to write with when that client or supplier rings you with info! I love this rose gold desk tidier.
Get yourself an in tray for papers, bills, and other mail, and dedicate time twice a week to clear it. File things appropriately to avoid getting disorganized again!
5. Declutter Digitally!
Hands up if you’re guilty of putting files on your Mac or laptop desktop so you don’t have to search for things?! Now is the perfect time of year to sort it out.
Delete any unused apps, old photos, and files, but don’t forget to refresh your playlists and contacts. Also take time to uninstall programs you’ve not used in the last year on your computer.
Of course, your social media needs a declutter too! Unfollow any people you don’t align with any more. Remove or block users who don’t bring you joy or serve you well.
While you’re in the zone, delete all non-essential emails. Unsubscribe to newsletters you never open!
6. Create a Life Map or Vision Board
I’m talking about this again, but visualizing your life is powerful! Sit down and see if you can picture it in your head. Where will you be this time next year? How do you want to feel? Use old magazines to create a visual representation of it! Write it down as if it’s already taken place.
7. Work Faster and More Efficiently With Great Tools
It’s super essential to have the right organizational tools to help you stay on top of things throughout the year. And remember, mental organization is important, too: A planner gives you a place to write down your daily or weekly to-do list so you can stay focused and on task.
With this in mind, we created an AMAZING tool especially for you, Ninjas!
Our Digital Planner transforms getting organized! Instead of carting round a heavy bound planner, you can access your organizational tool from your device! A much more streamlined process and so easy to use!
Enhance your productivity RIGHT NOW by effectively organizing your day and streamlining your workflows. Take notes, keep track of meetings, set your priorities, and quickly accomplish your goals like the Childcare Ninja you are! Unleash the tools you need to plan ahead easily and effectively with our new digital planner.
Our exclusive planning system is designed with you in mind. I want to help fellow childcare professionals get organized! It’s time to take the faff out of planning. Quickly and easily plan curriculum, menus, social media scheduling and so much more. Create your vision for next year with the awesome vision board section! This will inspire you to take daily action to grow!
Let’s get you all set up for 2023!
So if you’re looking to reduce overwhelm, get organized and achieve your goals next year this is EXACTLY what you need! It’s time for your action! Get your 2023 CHILDCARE BUSINESS PLANNING SYSTEM!!
Find cheerleaders and support to get organized for 2023
Even with the best planning system in the world, being a home daycare provider can sometimes feel lonely and overwhelming. Don’t forget that you can find strategies and tips to move your childcare business forward by joining our community! Hang out with like-minded and aspirational day care owners in there. Plus I go live regularly to talk about topics that help you grow.If you prefer Instagram, we share ideas and tips there too. Or maybe email is your thang…JOIN OUR MAILING LIST HERE. 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! Join us for more tips on how to make your childcare business the success it deserves to be!
Like every single adult with kids in their midst – whether they’re your own or your grandkids, or the ones in your daycare – the last couple of months have been all about Encanto. Am I right!? It’s EvErYwHeRe! There’s so many themes running through it that are hard resonating with grown-ups, not just kids.
So when I was talking to a friend about it, I was thinking about how there’s a few lessons in there to use when it comes to running our childcare businesses too.
Curious? Read on to discover the 6 things I’ve learned from Encanto.
1. You can’t carry the weight of everything yourself
This is a lesson that’ll help you build a sustainable childcare business. It’s very easy for us to forget that help is available. We get caught up in controlling everything and being independent. After all, it’s our business and the buck stops with us, right?
However, Luisa in the movie has a whole song about how much pressure she’s under. She’s trying her hardest to protect her family and feels like she’s worthless if she can’t be of service. It’s super important, however to remember that you don’t always have to be the problem solver, and you don’t have to be strong all the time.
Don’t forget that you’re not weak if you show vulnerability. It’s absolutely normal to admit you’re struggling. No one is let down by you sharing the burden of running a business and being honest about it. I know from my own experience that honesty and authenticity will bring your people closer.
So remember: when you’re finding things challenging, you’re allowed to ask for help. You don’t have to do it all alone.
2. Nothing’s ever going to be perfect
Urgh. Perfectionism, be gone! People pleasing, disappear! Something many of us struggle with – especially in the early days of growing our businesses.
In the movie, Isabela tries her hardest to make her family proud. To the point where she’s considering marrying someone she doesn’t love in order to please her grandmother. Yikes.
However, the take away here is learning that you’ll never be good enough for some people. No matter what you do or how perfect you are. Instead of letting that get you down, let it inspire you to do your own thing! In setting up your childcare business, you need to limit whose advice you seek and stop caring so much about people’s opinions. At the end of the day, they’re not the ones who you want shaping the direction of your business.
Lesson? Do your own thing, Ninja!
3. Don’t compare yourself
Oooof comparison is often lurking nearby isn’t it?! You open up your Instagram and there’s the business woman from down the road who’s “smashing it!” Or the entrepreneur you met at networking a while back who raves about their new car. What you’re not seeing is the other side of things. We only see a snapshot on there. That business woman? She’s on depression meds. That entrepreneur has just lost his kids in the divorce.
In Encanto, Mirabel sings about how she’s unable to heal what’s broken and how she can’t move mountains. She’s got a severe case of comparisonitis. She’s seeking some signs to show her which path to take for her life to have some sort of meaning, looking to others. But she can’t see her own magic. Mirabel constantly compares herself to others.
As the old adage goes, “the grass is always greener on the other side”. So the lesson here is stay in your lane! Mind your business and focus on you.
4. Try not to be defined by just one thing
Number 4 on my list of things I’ve learned from “Encanto” you can use in your childcare business is particularly relevant! It’s so hard in this day and age not to get tied down to just one thing. By all means be memorable, but give yourself the flexibility to pivot if you need to.
This movie is a reminder to us all that humans are complicated beings! We can’t be defined by simply one thing. Your previous career doesn’t define you. Or your family name. Neither do your talents define you. And it’s the same for your childcare business. There are so many brilliant things you could do!
Don’t be afraid to stand for more than one thing!
5. Listen to your heart
All the characters in Encanto are trying far too hard to please Alma – the matriarch of the story. However this behavior makes them feel utterly miserable. It was only when they started listening to their own hearts not all the “shoulds” that they found happiness.
In our businesses it is easy to get caught up in the expectations of other people. Whether it’s investors or pressure from the community, or even your family members, it’s important that you try to focus on w
My takeaway? You shouldn’t feel pressured to do what is expected of you and instead do what feels right to you.
6. You can always bounce back
Right towards the close of the movie the family home falls apart. But it’s not the end of the world because the characters are able to rebuild. I believe it’s a reminder that you’ll be able to bounce back, no matter what you’ve been through.
And this is so relevant to us as biz owners! Running a business can be outright hard. There’s no getting away from that. Sometimes we face real challenges that knock us right down. But you are strong, Ninja. You are resilient. You will persevere. If something doesn’t work, it might just be the wrong time. Don’t give up, try again.
Final lesson – Don’t always assume that one setback means it’s not meant to be.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog! Never thought I’d be writing about 6 things I’ve learned from “Encanto” or any Disney movie, actually!
Ninja, while you’re here, I wanted to make sure you know all about the free resources I’ve created especially for you!
I’ve been creating these to help both start up owners and those further down the road. You can sign-up for them here.
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 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!
Just because you’re full at the moment, doesn’t mean you can forget about your enrollment. In this blog I’m going to give you some hacks to supercharge enrollment! Let’s make sure you’ve got a wait list of keen families who’ll snap up a spot as soon as you have a vacancy!
After 15 years running my childcare business, I’ve learned tons of hacks along the way to keep my daycares buzzing! Read on for some of my awesome expert tips!
Don’t slack because you’re currently busy
Right now it might seem super easy to get enrollment. Lots of families are headed back into their workplaces and trying to navigate this post-Covid world. This means that our daycare centers are open to support people! In fact it’s making us all incredibly busy.
However, we don’t want to slack off purely because we’re busy. Therefore we’ve gotta be like the ants in the story of the ants and the grasshopper (you’ve seen A Bugs Life, right!?). Work solidly all year round and don’t sit on your laurels or rest completely while the sun is shining!
Let’s keep in mind that families aren’t always sat waiting for a space. Remembering numbers on your waitlist might drop sometimes, so we must be proactive about enrollment.
Why you need a waitlist
It’s vital that you have a waitlist for enrollment so that you don’t have to worry about where you’ll find your next client when someone moves on. You know how it goes, the childcare’s enrollment goes up and down! So I definitely want you to be prepared for when enrollment potentially drops.
If you’re bearing enrollment in mind all year round and have systems in place, you can build a waitlist for those quieter times. Ultimately, you want to keep relevant and top of mind with your local families.
Enrollment hack #1
A super easy win for letting people know you’re there is getting some signage up! You’d be surprised how many times I’ve walked past daycares with no idea they’re even there! Make sure you’ve got a sign of some sort up! No matter what size of business you have, people need to know you exist.
I’m not saying you have to have a gigantic sign that dominates the street. You could even just place an easel out the front, with some branded balloons! Having your business name on the balloons and a simple notice stating that you’re open for enrollment is all it takes.
Depending on where you’re based and any residential rules (if you’re a home daycare), you might want to go bigger! Perhaps you could even have something custom-made with your childcare biz name and a flashing “join the waitlist!”
So whether you’re a home daycare or a large facility, pop up some signs!
Enrollment hack #2
Sometimes it’s easy to forget how valuable the local community can be when it comes to enrollment. Not only is word of mouth helpful, but you can utilize the online space too!
I highly recommend joining some local Facebook community groups. Engaging in these kind of spaces, demonstrates your standing in the real world and reminds people that you’re an expert! Often it’s tricky to post adverts or be salesy, due to rules, there’s no harm in you offering tips and advice. Sometimes you can pop a link under “any recommendations?” posts from people (if it’s allowed). Plus you can absolutely have a link to your business website in your profile.
By being helpful in the groups and engaging with potential clients, you’re keeping visible and reminding people that you’re open and ready to serve.
For more hacks, here’s my recent YouTube video! Watch so you don’t miss out on the things that have helped me and hundreds of other childcare business owners I work with!
So please keep enrollment and visibility in mind for the whole year, not just when your numbers drop! That way you’re always ready for the quiet periods and never have to stress over low numbers!
Speaking of being visible and proactive for the whole year…have you started planning for 2022 yet?! I’ve got just the thing to give you a head start! This is no ordinary paper planner. It’s specifically designed with Childcare Business owners in mind. Because I got sick of having to tweak the ones aimed at other industries!
And because I know a planner is zero use without accountability, I’ve added an accountability piece to my new and improved Nyckie B’s 2022 Childcare Business Planner System!
Even with all the planning in the world, being a home daycare provider can sometimes feel lonely and overwhelming. Getting connected with other childcare owners is a game changer! Gain strategies and tips to move your childcare business forward by joining a community! That’s why I set up my Facebook group, where you can hang out with like-minded and aspirational daycare owners. 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!
MAILING LIST HERE. 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! Join us for more tips on how to make your childcare business the success it deserves to be!
