We were lucky to catch up with Simone Reynolds recently and have shared our conversation below.
Simone, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
Great question! The idea came to me when I was writing my personal statement for my application to graduate school. They asked me what short-term goals I wanted to pursue. At the time, I didn’t have many nanny friends nor did I know of many people who looked like me in the industry. I craved connection, community, and relatability. As I was writing the statement, it came to me organically in real-time. The structure and summary were general, but specific enough to where the idea felt like it could become a reality. A month went by and I’d been accepted into my program. I was very excited and realized that this short-term dream that I had didn’t have to begin after I graduated, I could begin the process of building the brand as soon as I pleased. I called my friend Tahirah, who is the founder of ClothesPetals, and asked her if she’d be open to meeting to connect and lend some advice. When we spoke and as I was describing my vision for the brand, Tahirah looked at me and told me “Start today!” and so I did. I created a private Meta group called The Black Nanny Network and created its Meta business page, as well as its Instagram. I then typed out a brief introduction and summary about myself and the brand and posted it on all of my platforms hoping to gain momentum. Once I had the platform, I needed to build a community. In my head, I always think of a line from Field of Dreams that my dad would always tell me, “Build it and they will come.” So, I just kept creating, searching relevant hashtags to find more like-minded women, I joined Nanny groups on Meta, spruced up my LinkedIn page, and made a website for The Black Nanny Network! The hard part was wondering if it was a good idea or if anything would come of it. I remember a call I had where someone had mentioned that what I was doing was nothing new, and at that moment, I had such a steadfast sureness about myself and the network. The opinion of another or even the opinion of my inner critic had to be turned off. I doubled down on believing in myself and continued to create because I knew this was bigger than me, this was for every brown and black woman working in childcare who needed the community just as badly as I did. A community that has conversations outside of childcare and focuses on nurturing the nurturer. Though we are less than a year old and still expanding and finding our footing, the exciting part of it all is knowing that it is all coming together the way it should on its own timing.
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 background and context?
Of course! I am a full-time Nanny here in Los Angeles, California. I began my professional career senior year in college in San Francisco, California. Between classes, track & field practice, and working at Sephora part-time, I pursued babysitting as a side hustle. How I found time to balance all of these things while maintaining excellent grades and showing consistent commitment to each endeavor is beyond me, but I definitely learned a lot about work/life balance that year! I babysat for a handful of families throughout the year, but one lovely family whom I’ll always remember remained consistent until I graduated and moved to Paris, France for one year as an Au Pair. I seriously fell in love with the two boys I looked after and quickly realized that this was something that didn’t feel like work, I was happy assisting in the growth and development of these tiny humans. Moving to Paris was a time that I will forever remember and have the most gratitude for. I looked after a set of twin brothers. Their family was lovely and I think about my time there every day. When my year was nearly over, I began wondering what I wanted to do. I thought I would move back to the Bay area and work for Sephora and continue to work in beauty, but of course, God had other plans and I trusted Him! My cousin was a Celebrity Nanny in LA and essentially became the blueprint for my journey in childcare. She connected me with a couple of incredible nannies and agencies and boom! I was on my way to Los Angeles, with the typical hopes and dreams of landing a job. After a few months, a couple of bumps in the road, and many blessings I found my footing and began my career.
Fast forward four months and the Pandemic hits – Isolation strikes but work continues. I felt a deep sense of loneliness and lack of connection, as I feel we can all relate. I knew at that moment I needed a community, but didn’t know where to look. I didn’t even think to search hashtags or look for private Meta groups to join. I just got through it the best I could. Honestly, I also felt a little ashamed of my career, so I never spoke up about it. I only felt shame because of the comments people would make like, “You just watch kids for a living”, “Easy money”, or the best one… “It doesn’t even seem that hard.” Well – this industry is much more than it seems. So much so that the motto truly is “If you know, you know.” So! With all of this being said, The Black Nanny Network was birthed from the desire to find a community of women in the same field who looked like me that I could connect with. It may have taken 3 years to find clarity about the concept and build it, but I did it and I am so elated to have consistently met women from all over the country and the world. I am inspired by every one of them and I am so proud of the work we’re doing in the world. The brand is bigger than me, it is for all of my fellow melanated childcare providers, as we strive together and honor our power in this industry.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
This may seem a bit off-topic, but I will tie back into the relevancy of this interview as it relates to business: Throwing the javelin was something that I was naturally good at. I picked it up my freshman year of high school and had no idea what I was doing. Even though I hadn’t the slightest clue, I continued to PR and break records. Out of my 4 years in High School, I went to State 3 times and broke the school record, which I believe I still hold. Through these successes and victories, javelin had embedded itself in my identity. When someone asked who I was I responded “I throw the javelin.” That was exactly how I described myself up until my junior year of college where I undoubtedly had the worst season of my entire career that also ended in reconstructive surgery on my shoulder. I just transferred to the university from junior college where I was a 2x All-American and a top competitor. Their expectations of my performance were high. I didn’t perform well due to an injury, which resulted in my scholarship being cut in half and my coach thinking I wouldn’t come back the following season if I got the surgery. To say I hit rock bottom was kind. My identity had been completely and utterly shattered. I didn’t recognize myself; I didn’t feel the same in my body, and I was embarrassed. Because of my poor performance and struggle, I felt like less of a person because my ego was solely wrapped up in sports. There was no separation between my true self and the sport that I played. After my surgery, I came to terms that my body and my health mattered more than sports. This is where the pivot comes in… I literally broke up with Javelin. I had to detach myself from the notion of thinking my adequacy only relied on my performance. I had to figure out who I was as a person and how I mattered beyond the spear. The summer of my recovery from surgery was the most transformative experience. I became a completely different person in mind, body, and spirit. When I returned to my Senior year to compete no one recognized me. Coaches, peers, and even I couldn’t believe what happened. The art of detachment is a beautiful thing. I was so connected to the sport it almost felt like a trauma bond that had suddenly been broken. That year, was a great year because I gave myself grace and I knew that I was more than an athlete. When I let go of control, God/Universe saw that I now trusted them, so what they had planned for me they could finally do! I lost the weight I’d been carrying, my acne went away, I was doing exceedingly well in school, I ended the season placing in the conference championships, and I was genuinely HAPPY!
The point of this story is – There is power in pivoting and by trusting this notion, you will birth beautiful outcomes and results that always land in your favor.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
The most effective strategy for growing my clientele is creating authentic and vulnerable content, which is something I should actually do more of. It can be scary sharing yourself with an audience of people that you barely know, but I think the consumer responds positively to relatability. I know for myself as a consumer relatability is what persuades me to convert. So, I think I need to take my own advice and be comfortable with pivoting constantly to follow the community’s desires and needs! Another effective strategy is bringing other experts and women in the community onto the platform to speak and teach about their passion and expertise. I want the community to know that it’s not just me who runs the show, it is all of us!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theblacknannynetwork.com
- Instagram: @theblacknannynetwork / @simoneannalee
- Facebook: The Black Nanny Network
- Linkedin: Simone Reynolds
Image Credits
Mary Yemen