Not raking in the big bucks in the babysitting biz? Then maybe you’re doing it wrong.
Ahhhh, the noble teenage profession of babysitting.
Sure, most of us made a few quick bucks in our youths watching other people’s children (and televisions) but turns out we were all suckers. Forget $5 an hour, we could have been making millions.
FOR MORE: They earn $33 per hour, plus perks for tasks you do for free every day.
And that is exactly what 15-year-old Noa Mintz is set to do. Three years ago she founded her own babysitting business Nannies by Noa and it was such a success, she’s recently hired a CEO to take it to the “next level”.
Mini mogul Mintz told the New York Post she made the decision to hire someone to manage the day-to-day business matters because she simply couldn’t handle the “excruciating hours” and “hundreds of emails” she had to deal with. Actually though.
Grown with the help of her father — who works in private equity — Mintz’ business now provides part-time babysitters and full-time nannies to 190 clients in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. And according to some estimates they’re already making the equivalent of nearly half a million dollars each year.
So just why are her services so sought after? Mintz prides herself on quality. The oldest of five was never satisfied with the nannies who came through the family’s her Upper East Side home during her childhood.
Keep reading: The top five most outrageous stories that involve a nanny.
“For what you’re paying, your kids should be more stimulated,” she told the New York Post. “At 7, I would tell my mum, ‘You need to get more bang for your buck.’ It would drive me insane!”
That’s why all of her staff a subjected to a rigorous screening process. She wants “engaged nannies who don’t sit on the side at the playgrounds on their phones.”
The company’s new CEO Allison Johnson is a licensed social worker. The 26-year-old initially applied for a nannying role and admits it can be tough working for a teenager more than ten years her junior.
“It was a little bit of a challenge at first,” she says. “She was 14! [But] I’m a feminist, and I really support women who do things for themselves and get their visions out there.
“We’re in touch every day — phone and email,” she continues. “She’ll get back to me during study hall. She can’t shut off.”
A photo posted by Nannies By Noa (@nannies_by_noa) on Feb 10, 2015 at 12:32pm PST
Mintz’ mum Meredith Berkman is unsurprised by her daughters success and says she is a born entrepreneur.
“She’d reach out to my friend and ask to be a consultant for birthday parties. There are kids whose lives are absorbed by tennis or acting — but this is her baby, her startup. It’s not a hobby for her. This isn’t a lemonade stand.”
Top Comments
Oh the memories of the Babysitters Club books are flooding back! I read everyone!
Ahhh.... The good old days!