We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joleigh Sherwood a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Joleigh, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with something countless entrepreneurs have had to figure out on the fly – how have you dealt with the rise of remote work?

Creating Connections was Founded in June of 2018 and really started as a side gig because I was still working as a nanny myself. Toward the end of of 2019, I dropped down to part-time in my nanny job and got serious about growing my business. And then, as we know the pandemic quickly followed. For the first year and a half of business I made it a point to meet my clients, the families, in person. I also interviewed nannies in person. After a pause in business for many of us, I began offering clients and nannies the option of meeting virtually. That quickly became the desired way to do business for both clients and nannies. The convenience factor played a big role. Initially, I was concerned that it wouldn’t feel as personal and connected, which was important to me. I discovered that because we were still face to face and covering the same important topics, I could build that connection. And most importantly trust, which is vital, when dealing with the most important part of life, our children.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Thank you for the opportunity to share about Creating Connections! I am the proud Founder of this Nanny Referral Service.

My name is Joleigh Sherwood and I was a nanny and childcare provider for 20 years. Most of that time was spent as a nanny for two families, one for 6 years and one for 10 years. Within both of those families, I became a “bonus” family member. These are wonderful relationships that will last a lifetime.

I started Creating Connections 5 years ago with a commitment to matching nannies with families in a way where both the family’s needs are met and the nanny is valued for the care she is providing. Mutual respect for both the parents and the nanny, as well as the children, is vital for these long-term relationships to be possible. I know from personal experience that this benefits all parties involved.

When a parent hires me to support them in finding a nanny for their family, my commitment is always to find them their last nanny. They may only be looking for care for a year or potentially for several years, either way I do my best to provide them with the candidate who will fulfill those needs.

I often compare this matchmaking process to dating. There are a lot of great people out there in the world however that doesn’t mean that all of those great people are a match for you! It is my job to not only find experienced and qualified nanny candidates for your family, but also to discover those qualities that are specific to your family’s unique set of needs. This can be as simple as schedule requirements to more detailed aspects like personality fit. There are many variables to discovering a good fit for your family as well as the candidate experiencing that you are a good fit for them. I take time to get to know your family. I also take time to get to know the candidates. Ultimately, it is your choice who you choose to hire (or be hired by) however, I take all of the “work” out of the process and only present you with candidates who I truly feel could be a good match for your family.

Another thing you can count on me for, is clear, consistent and transparent communication. I will share with you the current market standards, including pay range. I will listen to your needs and share when I think an expectation could be outside of a nanny’s role. I will work with you to make sure that you are going to have your family’s needs met as well as provide a position that is desirable and will attract the type of candidates who you are looking for. I will be there to answer questions and support you throughout the process. And I will be as excited as you are when we find who we are looking for, make the offer and it is accepted!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe that having been a nanny myself for 20 years, gives other nannies peace of mind. They trust that I am going to make sure their needs are taken care of and that the match is a good fit for them as well as for the family.

Parents like working with me because they know that I have an insider’s perspective. I know the questions to ask nannies as well as their references to be sure that we are interviewing the experienced candidates that we are looking for. New parents especially appreciate my support as this is all new for them. They appreciate my point of view and coaching on what to look for in a nanny and how to go about the process of interviewing, trialing and ultimately hiring a nanny for their family.

It really is all about Teamwork. Working together with both the nanny candidates as well as the parents to ensure a good fit for all. My commitment is always to do my best to find the family the last nanny they will ever need, Whether they are looking for someone to commit for a year or their hope is their nanny will stay for years to come and grow with their family,

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Over the last couple of years, the best source of new clients for me has definitely been previous clients referring their friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, etc… I take it as the biggest compliment when I get a call from a parent who was referred to me from a previous client. It affirms for me that I am doing my job well and fulfilling my commitment of making a difference for families.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.CreatingConnectionsNannies.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creatingconnectionsnannies/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089435395428
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joleigh-sherwood-ma-18306377/
• Other: Google: https://g.co/kgs/SLsqGH