Meet Rosalind Prather of Trusting Connections Nanny Agency in The Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rosalind Prather.

Rosalind, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My business partner and I are childhood friends. In college, we were roommates and also worked as nannies and sometimes joked that we should start our own agency someday. Now that we are going on eight years of business, managing a multi-million dollar agency in three cities, I look back and realize that our history together was no accident. I really believe that Caroline was put in my life for the purpose of building this business and I was also destined to be a part of her entrepreneurial journey, too.

In 2011 we decided to go for it. We had no money and opened our Tucson location without a loan and managed our small team of nannies out of an office the size of a tuna can with no windows. I made less than minimum wage that first year and learned quickly that business ownership wasn’t nearly as glamorous as I thought it would be. At least not in the beginning. I found out I was pregnant with my first daughter the month we opened. I think Caroline was a bit peeved and I was totally scared. How was I going to pull this off? I remember driving home every three hours to nurse her and then rushing back to the office. She refused to take a bottle, making business ownership coupled with motherhood even more of a juggle.

After the birth of my second, I convinced Caroline that we were ready to bring our unique model and perspective to another city. She thought I was nuts. It felt like it was a bad omen that when we tried to purchase plane tickets to go scope out our second location, the site kept timing out. We decided to try one last time and put everything in the hands of what we called fate and said, if it goes through this time, we are going. If it times out again, we are scraping this idea. Our submission went through and with two tickets to DFW, we were on our way with our journey of expansion.

Dallas-Fort Worth opened in 2015. Last summer, we opened our Phoenix location. Next August, we plan to open our 4th location, also out-of-state.

Today, Trusting Connections employs a team of 150+ exceptional people who have made Caroline and my dream a reality. We couldn’t have done it without our amazing staff and team of nannies. This year, Caroline also had a daughter, making our ongoing mission to support and encourage other female entrepreneurs even more meaningful. Our daughters are our why.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We have been very lucky…oftentimes, landing just the right client or opportunity at just the right time. Sometimes our journey has seemed serendipitous. We have met incredible people who have helped us along the way and taken us to the next level.

But of course, our journey hasn’t been without struggles. Being a mom and a business owner is hard work. There have been many a tear shed and when things have gotten really rough, we have even been tempted to just walk away. But it’s all been worth it in the end.

Aside from having to learn how to juggle motherhood with business ownership, building our office team was a difficult endeavor. I always tell people that hiring the right help for yourself is the hardest thing sometimes. It took us a few years to learn what to look for in our office staff, build a culture and create a unified, high-performing, happy team. Now that we have one, it’s made all the difference.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Trusting Connections Nanny Agency – what should we know?
For families who struggle to juggle it all, we provide exceptional nannies and sitters and customized childcare solutions so families can thrive.

We help families looking for a long-term, full-time nanny find the “perfect fit.” We use innovative matching methodologies to connect families to truly compatible candidates.

For parents who just need part-time care, a back-up childcare solution or the occasional date night, our Flex Membership is a lifesaver for busy families. Members have access to our team of fully-screened and agency-employed nannies and sitters, 24/7, 365 days a year event at a moments notice. If it’s 5 am and you are in a bind and need a sitter fast, you can call us and we can typically get someone to your door in 90 minutes.

With one of the most rigorous screening processes in the industry, our nannies are truly the “best-of-the-best.”

What really sets us apart is our model of agency-employed caregivers. What most families don’t know is that nannies and sitters are always considered to be employees- never independent contractors- which means, someone needs to be paying the employers’ portion of social security, medicare and unemployment taxes. Most agencies put this responsibility onto the family. But because we employ, we take care of everything so our clients don’t have to worry about all the legal and financial responsibilities of employment. We don’t just send a nanny in a database. Our team is very much a part of our culture, is required to attend employee meetings and ongoing trainings and they are working with our families week after week so we know them well.

We are really proud of the reputation we have built and the awards we have received including Service Firm of the Year…these recognitions are such an honor to us and we believe that they are a reflection of our relentless pursuit of excellence.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Resilience. Determination. Fearlessness. Just doing it.

So many women have great ideas but their visions get lost in a sea of self-doubt, worry, excuses….

If you have an idea for a business and you’re confident it can work, GO FOR IT. And don’t let anything hold you back.

Pricing:

• $240 – 12-Month Flex Membership (gives you access to our team of nannies and sitters, an in-home consultation so we can get to know your family, member hourly rates and 24/7 emergency back-up care. Members don’t pay a premium for last minute requests for care.

Contact Info:

• Address: 1490 S Price Rd, Suite 210D
  Chandler, AZ 85286
• Website: trustingconnections.com
• Phone: 480.745.5762
• Email: info@trustingconnections.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tcnannies/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/trusting.connections.agency

Image Credit:
Purchased on iStock.

Suggest a story: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.