Babysitting Business

Interested in starting a babysitting business? Look no further. By using this page, you'll create a unique and specialized plan to help clients remember you and emphasize your professionalism and creativity.

This page will answer questions ranging from babysitting taxes to babysitting business cards and help spark creative ideas to grow your business.

*This guide is intended for sitters who are past the guidance sitting stage and have had at least 20 - 30 hours of experience.

Get out your pen and paper (or open a new Word document)—you're going to make a babysitting business plan! The reason this is important is (1), to give your business direction, (2) to set financial goals, and (3) to stay organized.

1. Start with your objective. Is there a particular financial goal you want to reach by a certain time period? How many hours per week, at what price per hour, will you need to babysit to reach that goal?

2. Describe your business and target customer. Are you running the business alone? What skills do you bring to a family in need of a babysitter? Will you babysit all numbers and ages of children? How far will you travel to take a babysitting job? Add up your start-up costs.

3. Lay out your marketing plan. Oftentimes babysitting jobs come by word of mouth, but can you rely solely on that? How will you advertise your service? Do you need business cards, or is a vCard embedded in an email a better option?

4. Financial housekeeping. Keep tabs of how much you make from your business. If you are 18 or younger and someone else can claim you as a dependent on their taxes (parents, caretakers, etc.) then you must report babysitting income after you've made $5,700.00. It is important to pay attention to the rules for babysitting taxes just like you would the taxes for any other job.

Creative Concepts

Once you have laid out your business plan, you may need help on some of the action points and marketing, (like crafting a compelling email to target parents); figuring out your babysitting rates; designing cool business cards; etc. It may even make sense for you to start your own Web site, depending on your marketing plan and business goals.

Business Names

One of the most fun parts of creating a business is determining what to call it. For something as personal as childcare, it may be a good idea to keep your name in the title of your business and include a short tag line to make it catchy.

"Laura Moore Sits the Kids"; or "Sarah Westburn Sits For You." While simple, the name recognition is important. Play with your name and alliteration to come up with ideas.

From Here to Home Babysitting Business