Every October we’re celebrating our birthday! Woo hoo! And this year is 15 years! And that’s a pretty long time to be in business. So, what lessons have I learned during my 15 years of childcare ownership?!
Oh my goodness…so so many! And I wanted to share the top ones with you, so you can learn from them too.
Get stuck in, Ninja! I’m all about helping you grow, so read on!
15 years of childcare ownership
Some days I wake up and I cannot believe it’s been a whole 15 years since I set up my first childcare business from my home. I’m so proud of how far I’ve come on my childcare ownership journey! Not to mention the all star teams I’ve brought along with me for the ride…
And along the way I’ve made some epic mistakes that have helped me grow as a childcare business owner. I see every hurdle and challenge as a lesson, and I think that’s the key to being a successful entrepreneur. We learn from every mistake we make. And I’m sharing some of these lessons with you because I was out on my own back in the day and wish someone had told me a few of these!!
It’s a marathon not a sprint!
This one is a key lesson, Ninja! If you don’t take it seriously, you’ll burn out and you’ll struggle to succeed. Running a childcare business isn’t the way to overnight success. Trust me. I’ve seen childcare owners come and go because it all seems like too much hard work. And do you know what?! It is hard work! It’s certainly not a get rich quick scheme.
Owning a childcare business is more than just babysitting! It requires stamina and an understanding that success will take time – just like a marathon.
Always look forward!
Yup. I said it. Reflection is all well and good – we learn from our past after all! But the key to being a successful childcare business owner is constantly looking forward. Don’t spend so much time looking back that you forget about the present and where you’re headed.
You’ve got to have goals that stretch you, that help you grow. You should be aiming for them and you can’t do that if you’re facing backwards, can you?!
Commitment is foundational!
The only reason I’ve managed to grow my business year upon year is that I have remained committed! I have never given up, even when things looked bleak. Knowing that showing up everyday and putting in the work WILL eventually lead to growth is so important. Sometimes it can feel like an uphill battle, but the view from the top is awesome!
Build the foundations of your childcare business by committing to it. Know that the work you put in now is going to make a solid beginning for your empire to come!
Done is better than perfect!
Well I certainly wish I’d learned this one in the early days. I used to waste so much time worrying about things not being ready and then never offering that particular service or advertising a type of class…all because I was being a perfectionist! It had to be perfect or it wouldn’t happen. And do you know what?! It was never perfect. So things never happened.
My advice to you, Ninja, is to remember that perfection isn’t always possible and therefore if you have an idea JUST GO FOR IT! This is a daily challenge for me and I am often reminding myself and the rest of my team: done is better than perfect!
Think BIGGER!
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know I LOVE the bang on about this one! It’s all about mindset and going for gold. You’ve got to aim high and think bigger when it comes to the goals you have for your childcare business. I’ve written about that more here.
It reminds me of this quote: Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star. Meaning that you should have an ambitious goal and truly go for it. Remembering all the time that, should you miss the goal, you might still achieve something special. Because sometimes, even when things don’t go as you’d planned they can still turn out to be a success!
What you do matters!
Oooooooofffff. This one means so much to me that I’ve just had a whole batch of team t-shirts made with “What I do matters” sewn onto them!
Your job, your business, your passion… they all matter to your families AND to your community! It’s so helpful to remember the bigger picture, especially when you’ve had a bad day (as we so often do!). Every single day you are out there making a difference in the lives of others. What you do absolutely matters. And this is also a great reminder for the kids in your care too.
And there are more lessons I’ve learned in 15 years of being a childcare owner…
So I’ve put together a celebratory video for you here!
Every week I share a video on YouTube especially for you, Ninja! Join me every Monday when I release a new video for you to make moves in your home childcare business to make your childcare ownership journey Simple. Fun. & Successful! Subscribe here.
I hope you enjoyed the essential lessons from my journey of 15 years of childcare ownership! My mission is to help you minimize the amount of time in learning these lessons so that you can reach success much faster than I was able to!
If you’ve loved this post, please leave me a comment below, or share the lessons you’ve learned so far!
That’s why I set up my community over on Facebook, 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!
Do you sometimes feel like some sort of prison warden inside your childcare business? If you’re nodding, I’d imagine it’s because you are lacking in robust Staff Policies. Yikes!
So this week’s theme is all about how you can create policies that help your business but also ensure that your All Star team are supported.
What’s happening in your childcare business?
Instead of focusing on being the best leader you can, you’ve more often than not found yourself wagging your fingers or yelling orders at your team because you’re too busy.
And sometimes you’ve done the polar opposite – being such a “friend” that nobody on your team is listening to a word you say. Neither of these situations is sustainable, or practical and I very much doubt that they’ll produce the positive results you desire for your childcare business to thrive.
Where are you at on this scale? What policies do you have in place already and where are the gaps?
Think about the behaviours of your team
What are the behaviours you’re seeing in your daycare that you’d like to see less of? Have you got policies in place to deal with this? Have you discussed the issue? Make sure you officially address the behaviour you don’t want to see in the workplace. Be matter of fact. This is not about laying blame, it’s about looking for solutions. If this is an expectation that keeps falling behind, you probably need to have a proper policy in place. You might even need to do some training.
So when you’re starting to write your staff policies, think about which behaviours would you like to see. And when you publish your policy and hand it out to your team, ask for feedback about whether they feel they might need training on any of the points that come up. Do they want individual conversations or a whole team training?
Create staff policies that work for everyone
I know it might be controversial, but I don’t believe the staff policies you put in place should be about control. For me, it’s about developing policies that ensure my business can thrive. But it’s also about putting measures in place that help my team understand and feel understood.
Have you got really clear job descriptions for each of your team members? And have they all seen what their role requires (since their interview!)? Do they know what they should be doing when the children are having naps? Have they got all the info they need to perform to the best of their ability? Or are your policies all a bit muddled? Let’s make sure there’s clarity all round!
Do an environment audit
Is the daycare space impacting on your staff behaviour? Take a look around the whole space. Are there particular places where the behaviours you’re not a fan of are happening? Is there anything you can do to change the room around that might help improve behaviour?
It sounds silly but sometimes it can be something as simple as creating a more open space so that your team know you can see them. Or perhaps they don’t feel they can leave their belongings anywhere safe. Meaning they carry their phones in their pockets as it makes them feel more secure. Could you invest in staff lockers?
Why you need to hold space for your staff
It’s the goal of most childcare business owners to grow an all star team and we want to build teams who follow our policies so we don’t have to be a warden in our centers. Sometimes we have to also consider the emotional aspect of working with others and use that to help our staff feel and be their best.
Imagine one of your team members keeps checking their phone a lot. This goes against your policy but behind the scenes they’ve got a challenging situation going on at home. By getting to know your staff and knowing a bit about them and their interests outside of the workplace will help you have a better understanding of what’s happening.
This means you’ll be able to treat them as a whole human not just as an employee. We do tend to bring our home life to work – it’s the nature of the game! So by creating an environment where your team feels supported is the best strategy. That way, they can talk to you about what’s going on in their personal life because that something may be having an impact on their job.
So as you create your staff policies, while also serving your clients and protecting your business, do make sure you hold space for your team too!
Watch this weeks Nyckie’s Monday Moves Youtube where I’m diving into the process of creating childcare staff policies. Ones that will help you get the results needed for that ALL STAR TEAM your childcare business deserves. Check it out here:
As promised here is this week’s FREE resource to help you create staffing policies that produce the desired results from your All Star Team. ENJOY… 👉🏽 👉🏽👉🏽 CLICK HERE FOR THE FREEBIE
Listen, I know that sometimes being a home daycare provider can feel lonely and overwhelming. Getting connected with other childcare owners can really be a game changer to help you gain strategies and tips to move your daycare business forward.
That’s why I set up my community over on Facebook, 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!
As if it’s nearly halfway through 2021 already?! And this month is a great time to celebrate your team and yourself! We had International Workers Day on May 1st, Mother’s Day is coming up, and it’s soon to be Teacher Appreciation week. All of which are relevant to you and your staff. So why not celebrate the progress you’ve made so far this year!
At this point in the year, I like to take some time to reflect on how far I’ve come, and to assess where I’m at in relation to the goals I initially set in Q1. I know how easy it is to get swept up doing the day job, so much so that the wins can slip by unnoticed. Or the dreams we had at the start of the year are forgotten.
It’s time to take stock and celebrate the steps we’ve taken!
May the Joy be with you
Every year, May seems to be a month of celebration. Singing the praises of teachers and moms and workers! Yay! But I wanted to shout out all the brilliant things you’re doing too! As childcare business owners we step into our families’ parenting shoes and we do quite a lot of teaching as well.
You are amazing community leaders, supporting parents to do their jobs in difficult times, and nurturing their babies! You’ve helped keep your country’s economy going. We are superheroes! Where’s your cape!? Let’s celebrate the last few months together!
Where did you begin 2021?
We all had high hopes for 2021 after 2020 and the Covid-19 drama…we thought we’d have moved on by now. But the reality hasn’t been as great as we’d hoped maybe. In January I remember me and my teams all sat down and went through plans for the next few months. Not just the day-to-day learning and care stuff, but I wanted to encourage them to be a part of my vision.
It’s easy to get caught up with the business of life and the Childcare Business but make sure to take stock of all those amazing plans we made at the start of the year. So what did you set as your goal earlier this year? Revisit your vision board and your goals list. Are there any bigger goals that got left behind? Because there’s still enough time to do them, choose to go all in!
Did you have a foolproof strategy in place to ensure that you took action? I’d love for you to reflect on the goals you set yourself. Where are you at in your journey towards them? Have you been meeting your SMART targets?
Where are you at now?
We’re almost halfway through 2021! Can you believe it? It’s like I blinked and FebMarchApril happened! Anyway, time is flying! So as we approach the midpoint, now’s a good time to reflect and check in and assess where you are.
Check your progress in detail. Imagine your goal as a destination; Whereabouts are you on the road to it? Reflect on some things like what’s working? Where have I gone wrong? What changes do I need to make? We need to look at all these things and push forward and put in place the things that need to be done so we can accomplish our dreams for 2021.
Make a note of the steps you’ve got left to take. Perhaps as we’re almost 6 months in it’s time to buckle down and zoom in on the bigger goals. Let’s take those dreams – the ones we are passionate about – and shout out: “Yassssssssssssss!! I’m going to finish it this year, I’m going to smash it!” Now we’ve got to get laser focused, give it 110% and throw everything we’ve got at these goals and go for it!
What can you celebrate?
So please use this month as a time to give yourself a pat on the back for making it through such a weird year, for being a shining light in the darkness! Clink a glass or two to celebrate how far you’ve come since January. Even if the wins seem small, it doesn’t matter!
I also want to celebrate and thank all the Childcare Business owners with it being Teachers Appreciation Week and Mother’s Day coming up!
As day care and childcare providers we definitely teach like teachers and care for kids just like moms do! SO this is my big thank you for EVERYTHING you do for your families and for the community you serve.
One of the ways I say thank you is via my freebies! So please head over and download resources that you’ll find useful. I think you’ll love my Weekly Planner – so you can stay on track to achieving your goals!
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!
Last week I was talking about financial systems, but this week I’m focusing in on the general ones you need to have in place for your childcare business. I know I have mentioned systems before, but there’s a reason why I’m a huge advocate—THEY WORK!
When I implemented systems into my day cares, I was able to take a breath, and then begin to up my game! We’re halfway through quarter 1, and there’s still plenty of time to get around to organising your own so you can have your best year yet!
Hands up if you’re ready to get systematizing for a super successful 2021? If you’re in, read on!
What’s so great about systematizing?
What isn’t there to love about getting systems in place?! Who doesn’t want to have processes that will help you get organized and help your staff become more independent?!
Nailing your systematizing means you can take time off to relax, to follow your passions, all without guilt. No longer will you spend days out of office worrying about how everyone’s coping without you, leaving your cell phone on just in case. You’ll be able to take a deep breath and walk out of the day care center knowing that you’ve got things covered!
It’s good for everyone if you can de-stress — your staff will feel more empowered and valued and your business is bound to flourish! I’d love to encourage you to plan and brainstorm around creating your systems for a successful 2021.
Why start now?
We’re mid-February which I know is only a short month, but we’ve still got plenty of time! This really is the best time to start putting systems in place if you haven’t yet got around to it because we’re still early on in the year.
So I’d love to encourage you to start the year strong, you’ve probably already created your vision for the year and set your goals so systems come next to turn those into action steps. It’s an ideal time to do it at the beginning of the year as we have other planning going on as well so it makes sense to take some time and brainstorm.
Assess what you’ve already got in place
Look at what you have in place right now, what’s not working, how you’d like to see it work in 2021 and begin making changes.
Break down all the steps and processes that you have in place, adding in the things you’d like to improve. Now you’ve got a plan and a sort of flow chart to guide you through each area of your business. If you need a guide to help you with this process, download your free childcare business map here and get started building your systems.
So let’s take a step back, get some perspective and look at the systems we have in place. Note down all those little tasks – cleaning toys, writing a menu, invoicing clients…everything! What’s working? What’s not? Dig in and start making some changes.
Once you’ve got your systems all laid out, it’s time to call a staff meeting and get everyone singing from the same hymn sheet!
Up-level your organization NOW!
The systems are what’s going to help you reach your goals in 2021, the earlier the better. It’s already February, so let’s do it now! Let’s up-level those systems to create success in our Childcare business this year.
And there are so many brilliant ways you can get organized nowadays. From apps to incredible planners, you can get everything sorted out and in order! Systems don’t have to be stressful. But they can help you take your business to the next level!
So what’s stopping you from getting systems in place?
Would you like to chat with me about taking your childcare business to the next level? I’ve been where you are and I can help you grow much faster than I ever did, because I now have the road map. I’ve been coaching women like you and I have seen the progress they’ve made in a short space of time. You can too! All you have to do is book a free discovery call with me, Nyckie B here!
Come and let us know over in the Childcare Ninja Facebook group! I’m sharing tips on setting those systems up so you can actually grow your childcare business.
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!
This week my blog post isn’t so much about strategy, but reflecting and sharing on the freedoms of being a Childcare boss. This is certainly one of my most favorite perks of being a Childcare Business Owner!I’m guessing that you wanted to become a childcare business owner because you dreamed of helping families but I bet there’s another key reason – you wanted freedom and flexibility!
I want to share with you what I mean by “freedom” and why it matters, and how I got to a place where I had room to breathe and space to fill with things other than work!
It started with a chat…
Last week I was talking with some of my girl friends, and we were all sharing how things are going for us. You know, the kind of chat where everyone has a little boast but usually backs it up with something silly that’s happened? And we were all laughing about whatever it was my friend said. Along the lines of how busy the store was and how she wishes she could go at a different time. She doesn’t want to do it when every other working mom is in there buying her groceries!
I grimaced. It’s fair to say that sometimes I really do tease my friends that I have the luxury of freedom when it comes to making my own schedule. I can do what I want, when I want. At least most of the time, anyway! So I piped up, “You probably oughta start a Childcare, because I get to go to Walmart or the grocery store early in the morning, when everyone else is on their daily commute!”. I got a couple of eye rolls and a “maybe I will!” hollered back at me!
How is it possible?
Having my Childcares all running smoothly, with my team in place – like a fine-oiled machine! Which has given me the freedom that my old 9-5 didn’t. Gone are the days where I needed permission to take my mother to a doctor’s appointment! I no longer have to wait for my holidays to come before I can take a day off. So when I’m in need of some time to myself, I can just note it in my calendar and things carry on without me for a day.
I don’t need to be “on” 24/7
One of the major blessings I’ve been given is that I’m not always needed in any of the facilities nowadays. I can make my own schedule. I don’t always have to be hands-on deck, and I don’t need to be in the office all the time – they’ve got that covered!
It’s truly one of the best perks about being a Childcare boss, I’m very appreciative and very grateful. However, I also know that I’ve worked hard to get to this point and it didn’t start out this way!
Freedom works both ways
When we’re thinking about freedom, we tend to think about freedom to have time off. But on the flipside, it means we’ve got the capacity to be the helping hand to others when it’s needed. Recently, one of my team members needed to take time off short notice for an appointment. I had the freedom to cover her, so I said, “no biggie”, and was able to pop into the facility while she was out. When she got back I headed off again to do my own thing.
How did I get to this stage of freedom?
This perk of being a childcare business owner didn’t come immediately. Don’t be fooled into thinking that overnight I created a crazy successful business and suddenly took days off and long lunches and spa trips. Nope.
Freedom has come about with hard graft. It’s been possible because of the systems I’ve put in place (y’all know I love a system!). Creating freedom through the investments I made when it came to training my staff. Now they can run the day care centers without me. And you’d better believe that I’ve also taken time, energy and spent money on coaching. Mostly to fix my mindset around controlling every little thing! (Clue: you don’t have to!)
Put the foundations in sooner rather than later
Taking those steps early on in your business will give you freedom to do other things later on. What will you do with all that freedom? Maybe you’ll develop a second childcare center or perhaps you’ve got hobbies you’d like to pursue? I can think of thousands of ways you could use that flexibility! I bet you can too!
Now, I didn’t write this blog post to show off (although I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and have the audacity to say so!). I wrote it to show you how it’s possible for you too! I’m so thankful and grateful for the freedom being a childcare business owner gives me. And I want you to have that freedom as well!
In case you’re looking to grow as a childcare business owner, I thought I’d let you know about my latest program! The doors are open to my group coaching program “The Simple Childcare Ownership Program”!
This 10-week coaching program is perfect for you, if you…
🟣 Believe working with children is fulfilling, and there’s no other job in this world that you would rather do!
🟣 Are ready to step into your power and develop your leadership skills.
🟣 Want to make the ultimate change and start the childcare business of your dreams, so you can live life on your terms.
🟣 Are fed up on the 9-5 rat race and want finances and flexibility
🟣 Are tired of getting in your own way and READY to start your Childcare boss journey
The first 2021 Program kicks off Monday, February 15 @ 8pm EST. We’ll be having weekly training with me Nyckie B in my private Facebook group with 2 weeks for implementing everything you’re learning. On the program I’ll be covering:
✨ MINDSET & GOAL PLANNING ✨ LICENSING & REGISTRATION ✨ FABULOUS FINANCES ✨ PROGRAM & CURRICULUM ✨ OUTSTANDING OPERATIONS ✨BUILDING A TERRIFIC TEAM ✨ MARKET LIKE A NINJA ✨ BUILD YOUR LEGACY
Sound good? You can sign up right now! Just click here.If the program isn’t for you, I’d still love to invite 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!
