Report Becoming a nursery owner

Original Post

by: hillika

Hi Hayleybeale
Opening a nursery is not for the faint hearted, but for the dedicated, determined & strong willed. You can open your own nursery even if you do not have the qualifications, but you must have a qualified manager in place.
It took me 2 years from looking for a place, to getting planning for change of use, buying, renovating, going through building control & finally getting registration from Ofsted. During this time you will be constantly spending money! In fact, you will be spending money before you even get the keys to your nursery! The location has to be right, there is no point in opening a nursery off the beaten track where you will not attract clients & then you will most likely find the perfect location but the local planning department will be sucking through their teeth trying to give reasons to refuse this. After you have fought through all the red tape, don't expect this to be an easy, nice little earner because you will have to work your butt off for at least the first year without taking a salary for yourself/selves (unless you are very lucky to find a place where there are no other nurseries near & a line of potential families wanting to use your services from day one)
For a nursery to sustain 2 owners, you will be looking for a building that will hold many children. Although you can have a high monthly income, monthly outgoings can be equally as high & become capped when you reach your maximum of places taken.
I,m sorry that I sound so negetive, I don't mean to be, but, this is something that you have to go into with your eyes wide open. Having all said & done, it is the most rewarding thing you will ever achieve if it is done right.
Please don't let me put you off, I would encourage anyone to do it, it's fantastic! & I wish I had done it a lot sooner than I did. Your reputation plays a vital part in the success of your nursery, so go out of your way to provide that something special that other nurseries do not provide. Above all, make sure that you do your research & plan your advertising in advance ensuring that families know that you are opening & when, then try your best to keep to this dead line. Oh, & allow time for your registration to come through. Ofsted are a bugger when it come to sending your certificate to you!

Wish you the best of luck, follow your dream!!!

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