From Caregiver to Agency Owner: Rethinking the Way We Care

There’s something uniquely personal about building a business in an industry you’ve experienced firsthand. Before becoming a nanny agency owner, I worked as a nanny, preschool teacher, and infant care provider. Each role offered a different perspective on the responsibility of caring for children, the relationships that develop with families, and the often invisible work that makes quality care possible. I also experienced the challenges firsthand. Caregiving is deeply meaningful work, yet the people who dedicate themselves to it are often expected to navigate inconsistent schedules, limited professional protections, and an industry that doesn’t always recognize the value of what they provide.

Transitioning from childcare into agency ownership gave me an opportunity to look at those challenges from an entirely different perspective. Families aren’t having an easier time. They’re navigating rising childcare costs, demanding careers, unpredictable schedules, and the overwhelming responsibility of finding someone they can trust with the most precious thing in their lives. Caregivers, meanwhile, are looking for fair compensation, stability, professional respect, and opportunities to build sustainable careers. Too often, these needs are framed as competing interests, as though improving conditions for one side must come at the expense of the other. I’ve never believed that has to be the case.

That belief has shaped much of my approach to entrepreneurship. As the owner of Lifetime of Love Nannies’ Orange County and San Diego locations, I’ve had the opportunity to develop and grow my branches within an organization committed to rethinking traditional domestic employment. My work involves creating structured, professional opportunities for caregivers while helping families navigate the complexities of hiring childcare. It’s not simply about matching a family with a nanny. It’s about recognizing caregiving as legitimate, skilled labor worthy of the same consideration and protections we expect in other sectors of childcare and family support. It’s also about acknowledging that families deserve dependable support without having to become experts in payroll, employment regulations, and workforce management overnight. Creating a more equitable system means taking both perspectives seriously, even when finding that balance requires difficult conversations and unconventional solutions.

What I’ve learned is that meaningful change rarely comes from choosing one side over the other. It comes from asking better questions about how the entire system operates, who it serves, and where it falls short. I believe that businesses have an opportunity, and a responsibility, to rethink the standards they inherit. My transition from caregiver to agency owner has been about more than professional growth. It’s been about taking the lessons learned through hands-on experience and applying them to the development of my own branches, contributing to a larger effort to build an industry where families are supported, caregivers are valued, and quality care is sustainable for the people on both sides of the relationship.