If you love kids and you want to spend your days looking after them, starting your own nursery business is a great option. People will always need childcare, so it’s a fairly stable business once you get established, and it’s very rewarding because no two days are the same. However, there are a few steps you need to take if you want to get your new business up and running. Here’s how to start your own successful nursery business. 

Qualifications 

You don’t need any specific qualifications to start a nursery business in the UK, but if you want to get involved with the management and interact with the children, it’s a different story.  You need to have specific training in childcare and nursery management and you will also need a CRB check before you are able to work with children. The same is true for any employees that you hire to work at the business. 

Finding The Right Location  

Picking the right location is important for any business, and a nursery business is no exception to that rule. You need your premises to be in a place where parents can easily access it, but it should also be in an area where the rent is affordable. When you are looking at different places, don’t forget that you have the option of modifying the building, so it doesn’t need to be perfect. You can purchase a modular nursery building and extend the premises should you need to. This is a good option if you find the ideal location but the building itself doesn’t meet your needs. It’s also an effective way to extend your building in the future as your business grows. 

Safeguarding  

It’s important to have a safe environment for the children in your care. Part of that is having premises with a high standard of safety features, but you also need to meet certain regulations and standards yourself. You need to be trained in safeguarding, first aid and health and safety before you can open your business. You also need to make sure that your employees understand the rules around safeguarding too. When hiring new employees, always ensure that you do thorough background checks. Parents need to know that their children are safe in your care, so safeguarding measures are crucial. 

Marketing  

Once your premises and staff are in place, it’s time to get the word out. Start with friends and family, then move on to local community groups, churches etcetera. Most people who are looking for a childminder or nursery will ask around before they go anywhere else, so if you gain local recognition straightaway, you will have a good customer base in no time. Once you have your marketing plan in place, look at your online presence too. You can create an impressive website with just a few tools and host it for free on sites like WordPress. Don’t forget to consider social media either when you are marketing yourself – Facebook groups are great ways to connect with parents who are looking for childcare.

It takes time to build up a reputation for your nursery but as long as you are patient, you can generate plenty of business and create a thriving childcare company. 

It doesn’t matter how many safety guidelines and practices you have in place; they won’t be of any benefit if your workers do not know them. The safest workplace only happens when your workers at all company levels work in collaboration and stick to the safety guidelines put in place. As an employer, you have the legal duty to ensure that all your workers are safe, but as earlier stated; workplace safety is not a responsibility for one person.

The following are some of the essential tips that can help you create a safe working environment. These should also be communicated with your employees frequently to develop a culture of safety at work:

Know the risks

Every work environment varies from one industry to the other and from one job site to another. It is, therefore, important that your employees understand the potential risks that come with a specific job. This will allow them to take the necessary steps to protect themselves from injuries. Having your workers know the risks associated with a particular job also means that you will be avoiding an accident at work claim against your company.

Report unsafe conditions as soon as possible

Fixing hazardous work conditions and preventing injuries from happening begins with you. You must make the necessary step by reporting any unsafe conditions to your supervisors as soon as you notice them. Your employer is legally liable for creating a safe work environment. Therefore, if you report any potential risk, it should be fixed as soon as possible.

Ensure that you speak up whenever you notice a potential hazard like wet floors, bent ladders, and more. This will help you create a safe work environment for you and your fellow workers.

Take frequent breaks

This is not just required by the authorities, but taking breaks is common sense too. You cannot work without doing so since it will put you at a greater risk for injuries. This is mainly because the awareness of your surrounding is hindered by fatigue. So, taking regular breaks will help you stay alert and fresh.

However, if you are having a hard time taking breaks from your hob, consider using a scheduling application, that way, you can set reminders to take a break. Remember to include stretching, getting some fresh air, and drinking water as part of the schedule.

Safety gear is a must

Wearing the proper safety gear is a must when it comes to safety at work. It doesn’t matter whether you are working with dangerous materials or operating heavy machinery; you must wear protective gear. Gear like proper footwear is very crucial as it prevents falling or slipping.

So, make sure your employer provides you with the safety gear whenever you are handling a particular job. Besides, your employer must put up signs that indicate you need to put on special gear to do a specific task.

Always follow emergency protocols

Emergencies are unpredictable, and just like floods, fire, or tornadoes, you can never see them coming. Therefore, you must prepare for anything that can happen in your region, anything that can interrupt the safety of your workplace. And as far as security is concerned, emergency practices are a no-brainer.

Your employer must have the following safety precautions in place for whenever something unpredictable happens to the company:

• Ensure that they have insurance
•  Pinpoint the risks to the company
• Have an emergency plan
• Make sure that all employees complete an evacuation and emergency response training
•  Expect natural disasters by checking weather channels and social media warnings

Follow ergonomic rules

Regardless of the type of job you have, it is very crucial to maintain a proper posture. Ergonomics means adjusting the position to meet your physical needs, such as office ergonomics, work environment, and workplace designs to assist you in maintaining a safe and productive work environment.

The machinery you use at work must be at a proper height to prevent neck strain. If you work at an office, the keyboard or computer must also be at the appropriate height to avoid back and shoulders pain and wrists strains.

Limit workplace stress

The American Psychology Association has shown a significant link between job stress and fatigue, workplace accidents, and many other health problems. Employers must therefore make sure that they take the necessary steps to prevent stress from interfering with their employees’ work. It is also essential to note that stress can significantly impact the employees’ productivity and well-being.

Make sure you identify any threats that can expose you to emotional and physical stress as an employee. This will allow you to create a safe work surrounding.

Summing Up

Workplace safety is not a one-person job; employers and employees should work together to create a safe culture at work. Make sure that you do your part in following the above safety tips. Wear the proper safety gear, understand the risks, limit workplace stress, follow the ergonomic rules and take the necessary training for fire safety, emergency response, and evacuation.

Your business will run on your ideas and your ability to bring them to life. But in order to do that, you’ll need to have the tools and resources to make things happen. They can come in all shapes and sizes; some will be in the form of your staff, others in the companies that you outsource tasks to. And then there’s the whole matter of your technology. While it was once possible to develop a successful venture with only minimal assistance from tech, today, it’s an essential component. It’s just not possible for a company to reach its full potential without tech because of the many advantages that it brings. 

But it’s not just about having any old technology. You need to have tech that works for your business. In this blog, we’ll look at some useful ways that you can ensure this is the case.

What Do You Need?

To begin with, you’ll need to conduct an assessment of your company and what, in particular, it needs. Every business has its hurdles that it must overcome — the good news is that these days, there’s more or less a solution for everything. If you don’t know what you need, then it can be worthwhile partnering with an IT company. They’ll be able to take a look at your company as a whole and make recommendations.

Efficient Systems

Of course, it’s not just about having the right hardware. You’ll also need software. When we talk about tech, we usually just think in terms of things like computers, printers, things like that. But it’s usually the software that you use that’ll make the biggest impact. If you’re printing a lot, then the printer you use will be important, but you’ll also need to ensure that you have the right printing solution. The same principle applies to your computers. They’re just the vehicle; it’ll be the industry-specific software you have on your computers that’ll determine how well you can work. 

Unleash The Potential

Most people that own the latest iPhone don’t fully understand just how powerful it is. There are so many tips and tricks that will allow you to unleash the full potential of the tool. The same principle applies to your business tech. In all likelihood, you’ll have hardware and software that’s extremely powerful — but you may not know it. So take the time to learn. The company that produces your software will have tutorials on how to get the most out of it.

Regular Updates

You’ll have invested a lot in technology for your business. However, that doesn’t mean that it’ll last forever. There’s an upper limit on how long tech can last, and on how long it can last before it’s just not advantageous to your business. From time to time, you’ll want to look at what else is out there. It could be that there’s better or more modern tech or software that’ll help you — and this will be especially important if your competitors are using the latest tools.