Several months ago I was visited by a business coach who claimed he could help me turn my nanny agency into a much bigger and more profitable company. When he had asked how long I had been running, and what were my long-, short- and medium-term projections, I realised I had obviously been lacking serious, timetabled objectives. I knew I was not likely to be on the Rich List by next year and he seemed glad to get away.
When I interviewed Sanchia Hampson, a nanny who started 'First for Swimming', and whose lessons have become so popular in a very short time that she now has expanded to work out of a second venue, I expected to see a sharp-suited, laptop-toting superwoman who would talk about her life plan and how many millions she expected to earn before she was 30. It was tremendously refreshing, then, to meet a young nanny who just gets great enjoyment out of what she does and, in spite of her success, never had a particular 'life plan'. Instead, she followed her instincts and turned her setbacks into opportunities.
Sanchia grew up in Rockhampton in Australia, where children get quite involved in sport and swimming is very popular. After school she did an Early Childhood Teaching degree, then went traveling and spent some time working as a nanny in England.
The trouble with plans is that real life does not always accommodate them.
Sanchia arrived in England before the Childcare Approval Scheme had started, at a time when most parents were rushing to take up heavily subsidised nursery places and, like many nannies, she could not find a full-time job. She took work in a day nursery but needed a larger income, so she did babysitting for the nursery families. So many parents asked her to work for them part-time as a nanny that she was able to take on three families and quit the nursery. When she was still getting requests to work, Sanchia started to refer people to her friends, then decided she might as well do it officially. After taking some courses with Business Link, she started the agency 'First for the Child'.
Besides her teaching qualification, Sanchia had also done a foundation degree in 'infant aquatics' and was a member of the Swimming Teachers'
Association for Baby and Pre-School Infant Aquatics. In her spare time she had worked for a company giving swimming lessons to children and babies.
Sanchia says, 'Growing up, I enjoyed being active and was very aware of the physical well-being and confidence sport can give children. Running the agency had taught me the basics of managing a business, so I decided I would start my own swim teaching company which I call 'First for Swimming'.
I was able to do part-time childcare and run the agency until my classes were established.
'My main task was to find a venue and I decided on a local hotel which is on the edge of town with plenty of parking space. I did not have an enormous advertising budget, but my first classes filled up on recommendation from people who knew me and parents who already used the hotel pool.'
Had Sanchia asked my advice, I would have pointed out that Huntingdon already has two town centre pools that offer a full timetable of swimming lessons for all age groups of children and adults, so she would have to provide something very special to compete. Judging by the way her classes have filled up, she obviously does.
'I can only think that the popularity of my classes is due to my philosophy of swimming. I am not a swimming teacher who patrols the pool encouraging children to swim further and faster. I am always in the water with the children and never have more than seven in a group. Each child is treated as an individual. While some may take to water like the proverbial ducks, others are absolutely terrified.
'I utilise my nanny skills and work at the child's own pace. It may be through singing or playing or just getting them to trust me so that I can give them confidence so they are happy in the water, then build their strength and finally work on their technique.'
Just as life seemed to be going swimmingly, Sanchia's marriage ended. She says, 'I could have just dropped everything and gone home to Australia, but I get such incredibly positive feedback from the parents and children that, not only did I decide to stay here, but my business had to grow to support me. I am now looking for nannies who enjoy swimming and have spare time to come and work with me and I will pay for their training.'
A lot of nannies bemoan the fact that fewer full-time jobs are around.
Sanchia has managed to turn this to her advantage by using the time to develop her other abilities.
She says, 'Had there been full-time work for me in the beginning, I would have been content to be a nanny. But having spare time and needing to earn more money pushed me into developing my other skills. Ultimately I am just as happy and better off having made something I really enjoy doing into a business.'
Nannies in the Peterborough, Huntingdon or Cambridge area who are interested in working for Sanchia can phone 0797 9965450
