Episode 9: The Power of One: Building A Small But Mighty Boutique Nanny Agency: Featuring Renee Madden, Owner of Nay’s Nannies

Danny – Enginehire: Hey, Renee! Thanks. So much for joining me on the podcast, how are you doing today?

Renee: I’m awesome. Thank you for having me.

Danny – Enginehire: This is my guest, Renee Madden, of Nay’s Nannies, and you know honestly I’d love to learn more about like how you even just got started into the childcare world before having an agency.

Renee: Yeah. So, I feel like my story is very similar to many nannies where I grew up an only child. I always loved kids. I started babysitting at age 12, and I absolutely loved it from the very start. Then I started teaching performing arts when I was a teenager, because I was a singer and I worked for the Recreation Department in Philly for a while. So that was really fun. I run theater camps and all that good stuff. I started giving singing lessons, and then the natural segue was nannying. So I started Nanny in. Philly moved to La. And really that became my career. So for the last 12 years, almost 13 here in La, I’ve been nannying in fact, kind of my childcare story.

Danny – Enginehire: That’s amazing. So when it came to like being a nanny. What kind of like was the impetus to go? (Did you just say to yourself) I should just be running an agency now? I should do that?

Renee: It’s funny. I was walking down the street with my partner. This was quite a few years ago. And he we passed to the storefront of an agency, and he just turned to me, and he said, You know. Rene, you could be doing that.

You could totally run your own agency, and I was like, no, no, I couldn’t and then I was just mulling it around in my head. I’m like, maybe I could, and I’m gonna be honest, it took me a while to really get the confidence to do it. I told myself I was going to do it, and then I put it on the back burner for 2 or 3 years and then finally, I just was like, you know what it’s now or never like. You gotta do it. Just just try and see what happens. And worst case you fail. And so I went for it. And it’s been 3 years now. So.

Danny – Enginehire: Well, still, like confidence, wise like. What was it that was like holding you back.

Renee: I honestly don’t know. I think I was definitely afraid of failing and I was just sort of thinking, how how can I do such a. It felt like a very big thing, and I think I just had to break it down into like a smaller sort of you. Help one family. Just help one family and see how it goes, you know, and like you don’t have to be a giant agency. You can just be you, and maybe people will actually like that.

And, it turned out that that’s exactly what people actually like is that it was just me. And it still is just me. Whenever I talk to a family that’s potentially going to be using my service. That’s what I explain is I’m the person not only meeting the Nannies and obviously meeting with you. But I’m the person speaking to the references, and I’m the person who’s always doing all of the follow ups. And people really seem to like that. So it worked in my favor.

Danny – Enginehire: That’s actually really insightful.
Often I think a lot of people go, It is me. I’m a person of one, but I’m not going to disclose that. It’s just me running this whole operation, I’m gonna pretend, you know, even if they don’t do it like hourly like where they’re like. You’ll talk to Susie, and something like they’re not doing any of that.

They are like not sharing that it’s really just them. And what you’re saying is like, there’s actually a lot of power and being like, Hey, it’s just me and that transparency. I think it goes really far.

Renee: People seem to really like it, especially when you explain to them that you only work with a few families at a time, you know, so I will never make you feel like a number.

And as a nanny myself, I’ve worked with the big agencies in the past, and some of them I absolutely loved working with, and some of them I did kind of feel like a number, you know, and I think that it happens. And it’s not intentional, you know, but when you’re only working with a handful of families at one time, you’re really getting to know those families. You’re really getting to know the nannies that you’re placing with those families, and I think it’s special.

Danny – Enginehire: Yeah, are you able to do that same type of thing like with all of your like candidates? I think it’s really easy to make those.

Renee: Actually, yeah.

I think. Obviously, if I’m just meeting with a candidate one time, and it turns out that they’re not a fit for whatever reason, I probably won’t get to know them as well. But for the candidates that make it to like the trial phase, we’re texting every day, you know. Sometimes I get really friendly, maybe a little like to not professional, friendly. A few of them are like, let’s go get coffee, which I love. I feel like, why not like I’m still a nanny myself, so I would love to go get coffee with all the nannies that I place. I think that would be really fun.

Danny – Enginehire: I think that’s awesome. And I think that probably similarly like that, you know, you still, being a Nanny keeps your mind in that place, possibly of like where you you really do understand what’s going on. And you’re not too far away. I think even a lot of the agency owners who were, you know, they were a nanny, but now they’re a little bit further away, and it’s it’s hard to remember all of those nuances of that just that, you know. Situation.

Renee: I think that’s the important thing to remember. Even when you know you’re no longer being a nanny. You have to keep yourself in that mindset, and you have to advocate for everybody, and that, I think, is what has made me successful, you know, beyond everything else, is just remembering and explaining to every family that comes to me that if I’m not advocating for the Nanny, I’m actually doing them a disservice, too.

Renee: because both sides need to be happy. All the needs need to be met on both ends. Otherwise it’s gonna fall apart. We’ve seen it happen time and time again, right where an enemy might take a job, and then 2 months in. Be miserable and leave. And now you’re back at square one, so that actually doesn’t help anybody.

And I’ve I’ve just seen the successive where I get the text messages from families and nannies 2 years later, and they’re just still so happy together. And that’s because at the very beginning we met everybody’s needs.

Danny – Enginehire: Yeah, does being. Do you think?

Like, I think it’s really also empowering to that, like, you’re like, I am a nanny. I have a nanny agency, and you’re not also doing that thing of like again. Kind of like pretending like you’re not still like you are very open. I ha! I’m doing both right now, do you? Is your goal to just do the agency, or do you kind of like doing both, or like, where is your mind at with the business.

Renee: I kind of feel like wherever it takes me is where it takes me. I am in love with the family that I’m with, but my charged Nanny kid is 15, you know, so I fully realize this will not be forever. I’ve known her since she was 3. My other family the kids are.

Oh, one of them just turned 13, and the other one’s 9 going on 10. So it’s look, it’s not gonna last forever. So either I find a new family, which obviously I would be happy to do. Or maybe I do do this full time. I think it’s I’m not sure yet to answer your question. I’m really not sure yet I would be happy either way.

Danny – Enginehire: I think you know, there’s a natural progression for being a nanny to like having a nanny agency when you’re you know, you just kind of get to a level where you’re like. I think I could be doing this too, like there’s no reason that I’m not. And you see what it’s like on the other side. But I think there’s a lot of power in you kind of being like

I’m gonna let this take me where it takes me like there’s there’s not a lot of pressure, I think, that you’ve and I don’t want to speak for you, but it does seem like you’ve taken that pressure away by just being super transparent about it to yourself and to everybody else where it’s okay to be a nanny. It’s okay to have a nanny agency at the same time. You don’t have to do one or the other. You don’t have to be like. I don’t do that anymore. It was really great when I did it. Now, this is what I do. I I mean like it. I think it just builds like some instant trust.

Renee: Yeah, I mean, the truth of the matter, though, is that I couldn’t be doing both if I didn’t have a great support system. So you know I have a wonderful partner. The family that I’m working with. They supported this from the start. Both of my la Nanny families gave me my 1st clients.

I just feel I feel super supported, which just gives you that certain level of confidence to be like, yeah, I can just sort of see what happens. There is no pressure. So I think that’s a huge part of it is making sure that you feel like you have that support system in place, whether it’s from your nanny families, or, you know, personal life. It helps a lot.

Danny – Enginehire: So when you were saying that, you know you had to build up the confidence and everything to start like the agency.

Were you like your 1st steps of actually starting the agency like business? 101 stuff like, what? What was your mind on figuring that out.

Renee: So listen, my degree. I have a bachelor’s. In early childhood education. I definitely am not a business person. I never have been. And again, I think, Nanny Agency. Yes, you do have to have a certain level of business savviness, but I think it’s actually helpful to not be a super business minded person, because sometimes I think it can take the heart out of it.

So to answer your question, the 1st step was for me just coming up with a name because I felt like that would just make it real and exciting and more fun. And I sat with my partner and we mulled around a bunch of names, and then, you know, the kids have always called me Naynay, so he just was randomly like Nays Nannies. and I was so excited and so that was very inspiring for me, just having the name and from there, obviously just sat down with a word document and started, bring for me like, how do I want my pay structure to be? And in my case I knew right away I didn’t want to do the percentage based. I wanted to do lap rate. I wanted to be affordable because one of the reasons that I was doing this was, I wanted working families to also be able to use an agency to find an Annie and I feel like some of the big agencies. They’re super expensive, which I totally get like it is a lot a lot of work.

But it does definitely make it so that a lot of families can’t utilize a service that maybe they really do need in order to vet someone and hire someone so they can continue going to work.

So I figured out the the fee structure. And then I started just again. I do not have a background in law or any of this, but I started just kind of writing out contracts.

And then I had. This is the incredible thing.

All the families that I’ve worked with. I’ve gotten really friendly with like other moms and other nannies. And so I really utilize the community. Obviously, there’s, of course, a lawyer in the group. So I asked her to go over the contracts, you know, and there’s one of my old bosses is also an attorney, so he was able to give me some advice, and it’s it was just.

I took it slow and when I was ready, and I had all of my ducks in a row and I had my license and all of that obviously insurance, as you know, is important. So once all of that was taken care of.

I put myself out there, and my very 1st client was my last. Nanny, Mom’s sister’s coworker. So that’s how it started. And then from there it just kind of grew and word of mouth, and it took off from there.

Danny – Enginehire: I feel like a lot of people pretend like their business is doing well from the get go, and they don’t want to tell anybody. But like, really, you have to be like, Hey, I have this business and tell everybody not be embarrassed about it. Just.

You know, share it, and like, tap into that network. That’s everybody, you know. There’s no reason, really, why you shouldn’t let your friends know that you’ve started a business. They probably are. Gonna be like very enthusiastic for you.

Renee: Totally. There’s no reason to be shy, and I feel like

Renee: I get the whole. Fake it till you make it thing for sure, but it’s like at a certain point, like you already have a certain level of knowledge, especially if you’re starting as a nanny.

So I don’t. I didn’t feel the need to take anything. You know I was like. This is the knowledge that I have. This is how I feel. I can help you find someone like me. To help you.

And yeah. So I think that, like the honesty is definitely something that I think people like as opposed to the whole, you know false confidence. I’d rather I’d rather be honest and and clear with where I’m starting, and I’m new, and I’m still learning. And now I’m 3 years in. And I can tell people I’ve been doing this 3 years, and I’m still learning, you know. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.

Danny – Enginehire: I again like your level of transparency is so. Key, I think there’s that part.

For if I’m going to be a psychiatrist for everyone where there’s a level of nervousness and natural embarrassment that keep people from sharing information. Maybe very actively done this, or naturally, where you’ve just put that out there, and it just builds this again like this instant bond of like, Hey, I actually know this person, this person. It’s it’s easy to be like. What is it that they’re not telling me when you pretend, like you have a bigger staff, or that there’s something mysterious about it. But if you’re like, I’m a nanny, so I can find you a nanny. That’s just like me, if you you know. And that type of thing. Yeah, just putting it out there. That transparency is.  I guess I can’t underrate it.

How important that really is. And I I wouldn’t have necessarily thought that 5 min ago.

Renee: Build a lot of trust that way. And I think just showing a family that you’re really in this for the right reasons trumps any level of professional experience in a lot of ways, because it’s like, okay, maybe I could go with an agency who has been doing this for 10 years, and they tell me that they have a hundred nannies in their database, or I can go with this agency, where she clearly really cares about both her nannies and her families and making solid matches, making personality matches, not just checking off boxes.

And I tell people, listen. I have a solid 5 families that I’ve worked with over the past 15 years. I’m still close with every single one of them. And I found them on my own for myself.

So I’m like I did something right for me, and I feel like I can parlay that and do the same thing now to pair other nannies and family together, and I want to do it, and I want it to be successful.

Boutique, I love that word.

Danny – Enginehire: It’s very true. 

Do you think your price point is also one of those things I think about that all the time, just like even when I’m scrolling Amazon.

Renee: You know I have had people come to me and say, aren’t you worried that by charging less people are going to automatically assume that you’re a lesser service.

Danny – Enginehire: Right.

Renee: And maybe at the beginning that was true.

Renee: And maybe there were some people who didn’t use these names, because, you know, they weren’t going to be forking over

Renee: thousands and thousands of dollars, and they felt like you get what you pay for. I completely understand. It’s sort of a natural way to think. But now that I have developed a reputation, you know, I have a bunch of reviews online. And I even have families who are like, Hey, feel free to send a potential client my way, and I’ll talk to them for you. And these are families that I literally met blind, you know, and now they’re offering to speak for me. I think that sort of speaks for itself, and so if they do a little bit of research into me. I don’t think they would have that same fear that maybe they would have had at the beginning when I 1st started, and obviously I had no reputation, and you’re literally just looking at the price point, being like, wait a second. She’s only charging this amount like that. Can’t be right.

Danny – Enginehire: I think that’s that’s genius right there, too, of like being like. Here’s some things that I can point to your, you know, in your direction of why, I’m a valuable service. So it it removes that worry about Price Point, and it just shows them like, Hey, you could talk to this person. There’s reviews online. I’m a boutique. I also still, like, you have a lot of those things that I think anyone listening to this is gonna have to start thinking like, what are those like valuable things that I offer that actually like isn’t represented in the price.

Renee: Great. And I also feel like it’s important to note that it’s not just the number, because my number has changed, you know, obviously over the past 3 years I have raised my prices. I think anyone would, but I just want to go back to like, I’m not percentage based. And I do feel like there’s a huge difference there, too, in mentality. Because when I’m quoting a Danny’s rate, I’m quoting what I’ve talked to the Nanny about how we both agree, based on their education, based on their experience based on what the job is asking.

But I’m not even in the back of my mind thinking of my own commission, and I do feel like that makes a difference when I explain it to families that you are going to be paying me the same amount, whether you’re paying your nanny $30 an hour or $50 an hour. So if I tell you that a nanny is $40 an hour, it has nothing to do with me. I’m literally just telling you what I think it’s going to cost to land you this fantastic Nanny. So I do think that makes a difference, too.

Danny – Enginehire: That’s fantastic.

What are some of maybe the the challenges that you feel like you’ve faced in having your agency.

Renee: I think the biggest one for me is, I am a people pleaser and so I have definitely learned over these past 3 years that you really can’t please everyone. There’s going to be that one person that no matter what you do, they’re not happy. And it’s okay. I think I just, I’ve had to learn that. That’s okay.

Danny – Enginehire: Renee. I love that again. It’s kind of just comes with that like that transparency part like your confidence in that is just been like, you know what it? It’s okay. How do you handle those like hard conversations?

Renee: With the clients.

Danny – Enginehire: Yeah.

Renee: There are times when it may appear that my service is not a fit for someone.

And I will say it in the most respectful way that I possibly can.

I may offer a refund, depending on what the situation is.

Sometimes I just have to kind of bite that bullet as a business owner when I realize that maybe it’s not the fit that we thought it was

And so that’s just sort of I feel like a personal choice that you have to make in the moment.

 But I always lead with respect. So, no matter what, even if I feel like this client is really not treating me the kindest

I just have to remember that we’re all human, and they’re trying to find a nanny for their children, and they’re probably really stressed out. And I don’t know their life.

So I need to just kind of take a breath and just be like, okay.

I think you might be better off with another service.

You know, and I wish you the best of luck, and 9 times out of 10 people do appreciate that if you don’t lose their cool with them.

You know. That’s that’s really all that you need to do. I think in those situations is, stay calm and and collected, and remember what you’re there for. In the 1st place.

Danny – Enginehire: I used to think, it’s really wonderful that it seems like you listen to your gut a lot in this, and you keep.

Danny – Enginehire: Your communication. You’re like personalized. Approach your boutique approach to this front and center all the time. So like you’re saying, like, you know, maybe refunds are often who wants to give a refund to this. But you’re like, if that’s what this takes like, I’m gonna go ahead and do that like. That’s the right thing to do in this situation for everyone, and that’s

I think, I guess, in the way that I’ve pictured agencies and what I know about them, you know you. You want to come up with like other solutions. But if you’re just like you know what I really strongly, I feel like that. This is the solution in this. It’s not the most businessy solution. Personal solution.

Renee: Human solution. Sometimes, you know. And it’s not often that it happens like, it’s actually very rare that it happens, which is great. But yeah, sometimes I just feel like it’s the fairest solution for everyone.

I’m a small service. So again, sometimes it’s just a matter of the expectations are that of a larger agency with more people working there who can make this happen in 2 days and like send you 15 candidates. All you know. That’s not me. And I really do try to make people aware of that from the start. I’m not trying to mislead anybody, you know, and there’s a place for every sort of agency. There’s there’s room in the market for all of us.

So I wouldn’t try to down talk. The large agencies who can meet that need.

You know, it’s just a matter of we’re different.

Danny – Enginehire: Yeah, you’re you represent yourself authentically. And if you were a giant agency you would still be doing that.

Renee: Exactly.

Danny – Enginehire: There’s no difference to you in. However, you know you do things. If that’s how you represent yourself, then that’s perfectly the way to go. If you were starting over again today, is there anything you would do differently?

Renee: I think I just would have started sooner, you know.

When my Partner said you should start your own agency. I would have been like, Yeah, I should. I’m going to do it, and I should have just gone for it then, because, you know, now I’d be saying I’m celebrating my 7 year anniversary, and who knows where I’d be? But you know it takes time. It’s okay. It’s all learning.

Danny – Enginehire: That’s amazing. Renee. It’s been such a pleasure to connect with you.

Where can people learn more about you and Nay’s Nannies?

Renee: Well, I have my website naysnannies.com. And I’m also, of course, on social media Facebook.com/naysnannies or Instagram at @naysnannies.

Danny – Enginehire: Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with us. We really appreciate it.

Renee: Thank you for having me, Danny. I appreciate you.