Nannies As Needed.....Then & Now

Posted by: Bob Marcinuk

Nannies As Needed was launched from a make shift desk in Margie’s first floor kitchen on January 5, 2004…It proved to be the natural migration from her successful, 10 year home childcare business in Easton to now caring for children on a bit larger scale. After over 25,000 sittings later,  just see how we have grown!   

In the Beginning of NAN Time

  

  The original launch pad (left) was a desk close to the refrigerator, dog bowls and of course, the coffee! This was soon followed by the "assignment center & billing station" (right)...an IKEA special.  OMG...that meant Margie had her first employee...her name was Care (I kid you not!)

  

As families in Fairfield county began to learn about Nannies As Needed, they seemed to appreciate our personal, hands on touch ....and that meant that we kept growing and had to give up Margie's living room for two more desks! All of our early staff were comprised of part time babysitters who wanted to be involved in Margie's vision...their enthusiasm was so addictive!

  

Margie finally got her own work station (left)...Woo Woo!  Now, when she talked to herself, no one would notice...much.  And soon, word of mouth just kept bringing in new families. The corridor outside of her laundry room was the next to go for a work station (note the dryer vent). It was always cold in the winter and sweltering in the summer and whoever worked in "the outer region", had to tip toe around space heaters or fans with great agility.  

The earlier organization ran on it's stomach! There was ALWAYS 4 or 5 trays of sweets left out to nibble on...And the conversation was always the same..."I really shouldn't but I guess one won't hurt".

Only Margie ever did the dishes or cleaned up...call it pride in her own house er...office. And, yes...Margie finally got her own private office! OK, so it was a desk in her bedroom but ever the opportunist, Margie loved to be able to spread out her work on top of her mattress. Besides, at the end of some very long days, she only had to walk 5 feet to collapse onto her bed...and sometimes, she even remembered to file those papers first!

Breaking Out!

This was the way of life until February 1, 2010 when torn between wanting to "reclaim" her home, creating a clear separation between work space and home space and to further establish her presence in the business community, Margie moved into her 1st "out of home" office, on the Green, in Milford Center but....the transition was. let's just say...a bit challenging.

 

Going from a whole floor in her home to a one room office was an adjustment to say the least! It was on a second floor, assessable only by an incredibly steep, narrow stairwell.  Much of the furniture would either not fit in the office or up the stairs to get there. But, it was easy to get to, close to everything, particularly her clients and most importantly, comfortable on Margie's cash flow...an expense that she did not have to deal with before now. The office team fast learned that morning showers and effective deodorants were just as important as answering the phones on the first ring!   

Well, all good things must come to an end, (thank God!) Twenty months later, on November 1, 2011, Margie found her perfect location.  It's where we all now call home!  And, it was just 3 block away from our original location, at the top of the Green in Milford!  

Welcome to Nannies As Needed, 2017! 

 

This is our welcoming reception area...The lighted area in the back is our Operations Center, affectionately referred to as "The Pit". This is the very heart beat of Nannies As Needed. Incidentally, the design, décor, accessories and colors all came from Margie and....she takes great pride in having prepped and repainted every wall, ceiling, trim and window herself!

In the first shot, the office on the left is our Human Resources location for activities such as sitter interviews, reference checks, quality control, sitter support to name but a few. The office on the right is our Finance site ...for account maintenance, billing, collections, communications and maintaining the "books".  Our kitchen, unlike in the beginning, has virtually no sweets available but, lots of bottles of water and a better selection of coffee... though consumption is down by 60% from the early days.

From the kitchen, it's is a straight shot to "the Pit"...close enough to snatch a water bottle between phone calls. Taking a left out of the kitchen, leads you past the bathroom, directly into our Marketing office. There is one more huge office on the right that is off limits for now while it is being repainted.  It's Margie's office.  And, yes, she's the one doing the painting!  Stay tuned for the unveiling...shortly?  

 

For some inner views, the Marketing office is on the left.  It is kept intentionally Spartan by our marketing manager who claims that simplicity promotes clarity of thought.  On the right, is a view of our Human Resources space... more warm and inviting and certainly more soothing for those sometimes nervous sitter interviewees...

So, this is Nannies As Needed...Then & Now !

  

Thanks for being Part of our Journey!

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