More than ever, families today keep a hectic schedule and often need to call on the services of a reliable nanny to help with childcare. Nanny businesses are heavily in demand and can prove lucrative and rewarding, as long as the venture is well planned. Here are the steps needed to establish a nanny business of your own.

1. Define your business: prepare a business plan and decide on the name of your business, the nanny services you intend to provide, your marketing plan and your pricing structure.
2. Gather your resources: to start a nanny business, it is usually necessary to have a fax and phone line, a printer, a place to screen potential caregivers, a website, an Internet connection and a computer.
3. Contact the authorities: you should inquire about tax payment requirements in your area for a childcare business and ensure that your business is properly registered and licensed to provide nanny or nanny placement services.
4. Get licensed: ensure that you have all the necessary legal certifications and licensing in order. You may also wish to  join professional associations like the International Nanny Association and the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies.
5. Insure your nanny business: purchase business insurance for liability protection and consider any other insurance your agent recommends.
6. Accounting: work out a system of creating accounting records so that you can keep track of client invoices, payments and all other financial transactions.
7. Advertise for nannies: the more nannies you recruit, the more childcare business you can supply. You should have an initial screening system in place that all caregivers should undergo before ever being recommended to a family. Once a family is ready to offer a nanny a job, a thorough and comprehensive background screening should take place.
8. Create contracts: you will want to create contract for use with your family clients. It should outline your services, pricing structure and guarantee. You may also wish to provide families and nannies with a work agreement template that they can use to solidify their working arrangement.
9. Network with industry service providers. develop relationships with nanny payroll and tax service providers, background screening firms, health insurance providers, nanny support groups and local educators so that you can provide resources to nannies and families that you service.
10. Professional image: you’ll want to have a professional looking website, stationary, business cards and logo to help brand your business and establish it as a reputable one.

By building your reputation, you will grow your nanny business and gain satisfied clients who will request your services again and again.