Have You Checked In On Your Agency Lately?
You’ve adapted your business practices, nanny team, work routine, your budget, and maybe even the agency services you offer because of the pandemic. All these changes may have been necessary to keep your agency running, but one thing doesn’t have to change.
You can still stay true to your business and your original vision for the agency you’ve built. However, you might need to do a “business check-in” to see if anything has gone off-course.
Reevaluate your mission and vision
To start, go back to the basics. Revisit your mission statements and vision statements (if you have any). If you’ve never done this sort of exercise, it’s pretty simple: a mission statement talks about what you do now and how you achieve it. A vision statement focuses on the future and what you ultimately want to become.
So, what was your original mission when you launched your agency? If you don’t have one, ask yourself: Why do you do what you do? Your mission statement drives your agency; it’s the core of your business. If the people you serve and how you serve them has changed, so has your mission.
Has the pandemic also changed where you want to take your agency in the future? What are your hopes and dreams for your agency? Do you want to expand your service area, or offer a wider variety of caregiving services?
It’s okay if parts of your mission and vision have changed. Maybe you make flexibility and shared family care more of a priority now, for example. What hasn’t changed is why you serve your clients and how you make yourself valuable to them.
Think about your clients' and nannies' needs
If you’ve lost focus during the pandemic (haven’t we all??), go back to your clients’ needs. Don’t forget that your agency primarily exists to help families with a problem — child care.
Your clients’ needs have probably changed during the pandemic, just as your business practices have! Ask your clients and nannies/care team for feedback. What problems — new and old — do they have? Are your services and resources helping them? If not, how can you help?
Prioritize your clients’ needs and be open to feedback. You’ll gain valuable information you can use to maintain and even grow your agency. You’ll also continue to build trust and customer loyalty with your audience.
Talk to your nannies
Another valuable source of information at your disposal? Your nannies and other child care professionals! Your nannies know how your agency runs day-to-day. They also know the needs of your agency’s clients very well. If you need help refocusing on the business’s direction, ask them for their input.
How would they describe your agency’s work or values? How do you serve your clients that are different from other agencies, or if they worked for a family by themselves? Has any of that changed during COVID-19?
You don’t have to take on the task of re-evaluating your business alone. Don’t be afraid to ask your nannies and other professionals for their insight.
Stay true to yourself
It’s important to be aware of what your clients need and adapt to changes when they come up. But your business check-in doesn’t have to mean a massive overhaul; it’s just seeing where things are and what you need to be aware of. If you find that a specific need keeps coming up, you can find a way to address it over time. This is how you stay relevant, and how you and your team stay happy with the business you’ve built!
For more tips on operating and growing a nanny agency, follow the Megan Metzger Consulting blog.
