From Humble Beginnings to Industry Leadership
Twenty years ago, with nothing but a $3,000 loan from my family and an unwavering belief in my vision, I launched what would become Seaside Nannies Inc. in San Diego. What started as a small local operation has since blossomed into a respected national brand in the domestic staffing industry. The journey has been anything but straightforward, filled with challenges unique to both the industry and being a woman entrepreneur.
Building from the Ground Up
In the early days, grassroots marketing was our lifeline. I networked at every playground, preschool, and parenting group I could find. I remember spending countless evenings addressing envelopes for mailers and cold-calling potential clients. Every placement felt like a small miracle, a validation that we were filling a genuine need in the community.
As we gained traction, opportunities expanded from local visibility to television appearances, guest blog contributions, speaking engagements at national conferences, and eventually, a seat on the board of the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies. Each step forward was earned through persistent dedication to excellence and authentic relationship-building.
The Hidden Costs of Nurturing a Service Business
What outsiders often fail to see is the immense investment of time, energy, and emotional labor that goes into each placement. Domestic staffing isn’t simply matching resumes to job descriptions; it’s understanding the intricate dynamics of households, the personality traits that foster harmony in intimate working relationships, and the unique needs of both families and staff members.
People sometimes take advantage of this care-intensive approach, expecting endless consultations, multiple candidate presentations, and continuous support without recognizing the value of this expertise. There were times when clients would walk away after weeks of customized searching, or candidates would accept positions only to change their minds days later.
Yet, through it all, nothing could diminish the profound satisfaction of facilitating the perfect match; watching a family find their ideal nanny or seeing a qualified professional secure a position where they can thrive. This joy consistently outweighed the difficulties and reminded me why I built this business in the first place.
Staying the Course When Others Falter
Year after year, I watched other agencies appear and disappear, often undone by the same challenges we faced. The domestic staffing industry has a deceptively steep learning curve and requires a resilience that many entrepreneurs underestimate. Witnessing these failures only strengthened my resolve to build something sustainable.
Setting clear annual goals became my north star. Whether it was expanding to a new region, increasing our candidate pool in specialized areas, or implementing better systems, these concrete objectives kept us moving forward even during difficult periods. The discipline of reviewing these goals regularly prevented distractions from derailing our progress.
The Irreplaceable Value of Intuition
If there’s one lesson that twenty years in this business has taught me, it’s to trust my gut. Intuition isn’t some mystical force, it’s the cumulative wisdom of experience speaking through your instincts. When something about a candidate profile doesn’t add up, when a client’s requests raise subtle red flags, or when a business opportunity seems too good to be true, that flutter of hesitation is worth heeding.
This intuitive compass extends beyond placements to every aspect of running the business: from branding decisions to budget allocations, from partnership opportunities to marketing strategies. The times I’ve ignored that inner voice have invariably led to costly lessons.
The Elusive Work-Life Balance
Perhaps the most challenging aspect of entrepreneurship, especially for women, is establishing boundaries between professional dedication and personal well-being. As someone who spent forty years in the service industry before founding Seaside, the urge to be perpetually available runs deep in my professional DNA.
The domestic staffing world is rife with “emergencies”, families whose childcare falls through unexpectedly, staff members facing personal crises, last-minute interview cancellations. As a natural people-pleaser, I found myself emotionally entangled in these situations, sacrificing my own time, energy, and peace to resolve others’ urgent needs.
It took nearly two decades to acknowledge that sustainable service requires sustainable self care. The work-life balance I now treasure wasn’t accidentally discovered, it was intentionally created through difficult boundary-setting and the recognition that serving from an empty cup serves no one.
The Only Thing That Matters
After twenty years building Seaside and forty years in the service industry at large, I’ve distilled my professional philosophy to this: doing right by others, especially yourself, is the only thing that truly matters.
This means honesty, even when it costs you a placement. It means recommending a competitor when they’re a better fit for a client’s needs. It means fair pricing that reflects the value you provide while respecting the market. It means treating your team with the same care you extend to clients.
And most importantly, it means recognizing that you cannot pour from an empty cup. Self-care isn’t selfish, it’s the foundation of sustainable service.
To the women entrepreneurs building businesses in domestic staffing or any service industry, your intuition is your superpower, your boundaries are your lifeline, and your integrity is your legacy. The path isn’t easy, but few worthwhile journeys are.
Dara G. Yates is the founder and CEO of Seaside Staffing Company, a national domestic staffing firm headquartered in San Diego. She serves on the board of the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies and is a frequent speaker on entrepreneurship, domestic staffing best practices, and women in business.
