Babysitting Jobs and
A Babysitting Business

Babysitting jobs can be your first opportunity to earn money. They offer the chance to work with others and still have some control over your schedule. Plus, it might even be with kids that you know already. If that's not the case, don't worry. Make your first babysitting jobs easy with these simple tips.

• Get prepared by reviewing good babysitting techniques, that will help you not only with the kids but with the parents. After all, no matter how much fun the kids have, the parents are really the employer.
• Be up to date on safety tips to help ensure that everyone (including you) stays safe.
• Have some fun babysitting ideas to keep the kids entertained. You may find plenty of entertainment at the place you will be babysitting - or you might not. It works best for everyone when there are babysitting activities to keep the kids busy.

Basic babysitting business info
The babysitting business is just like any other business in certain ways. The keys to success are:

• Advertising. Word-of-mouth is a good way to get started, but real business success comes with getting customers that don't know you yet. Great ways to get started are with a babysitting flyer and business cards.
  • Need a babysitting flyer idea? Check out this example. This can be printed on a home computer and then copied at either the library or a local copy store.
  • Business cards are a smaller version of a flyer. They include just a few key pieces of information. Here is an example of the information to put on your card.
• Doing the job well once you get hired. Our babysitting techniques and safety tips will help in this area.
• Getting referrals. These are a direct result of doing your babysitting jobs well - in fact, that is the only way to get them.
• Keep track of your schedule. And not just your babysitting jobs. Make sure that any jobs don't conflict or interfere with other obligations. These could include schoolwork, family commitments and other jobs. Don't overbook yourself!

Other business tips
Now that you have the background, here are some other things to keep in mind. These are very much a part of your business success, but they are not directly tied to it. Things to keep in mind:

• Don't widely distribute flyers by putting them on cars at the mall or leaving stacks of them at a local business. You are looking for quality customers that both you and your parents are comfortable with.
• Call anyone who makes a referral to you and thank them. This helps them know that you appreciate their effort as well as helps you know that the referral was real.
• Businesses can start out slow. Parents can have trusted babysitters that they are already using. It may take some time to get customers since people are very picky about who they leave their children with.
• It's better to turn down a job for the right reasons than to accept one just to get the job. If you are uncomfortable with the potential customer or have other obligations (such an important paper due at school), you should politely thank the prospective customer and let them know you are not available. If you would like to work for them in the future, say so. People cannot give a bad referral based on an honest response, but they can for a job poorly done.
• Consider babysitting coupons for repeat customers (after 3 or 4 sittings for the same family). These could be something like an hour free when two additional hours are booked. This is a nice "thank you" to your customers while not costing you much money.

Getting into the babysitting business can be a little overwhelming. By the tips above, it doesn't have to be. Just keep your focus on doing your babysitting jobs well - that is the most important piece. And have fun!