I Love Her Job! Stacy Claflin – Grow With Stacy

Stacy Claflin earned her B.A. in Psychology because the desire to help people achieve their very best had always been an aspiration of hers. She also loves working with children and had the opportunity to learn more about children through her studies.

Stacy decided to first pursue her love for teaching and opened a home child care and preschool long before she had children of her own. Nine years later, she is still running that business and has added some other entrepreneurial endeavors. Her blog, Grow With Stacy, is primarily focused on personal development and she loves interacting with her readers and receiving their feedback.

Stacy’s goal is grow her entrepreneurial endeavors to the point that she can retire the daycare and home educate her children full time.

How did you discover your current position?

When I was growing up a friend’s mom ran a preschool from her home and that planted a seed which later blossomed into my own career years later.
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What was the path you took to get you where you are today?

As a teenager working in daycare centers, I decided that if I had to work when I had children then I wanted to open a home child care so that I could be home with my kids. It was only natural for me to open it before I even had kids of my own. As far as my entrepreneurial “position,” I decided on that after making the decision to home educate, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to have the full educational experience for my kids with the preschool in my home.
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Was there any one person or situation that has helped you along your way?

My husband was a big help in getting the daycare started. He went with me to the orientations and classes that I needed, and he did a lot of painting and other physical labor to get the room in order. He also encouraged me to get started in my current entrepreneurial business.
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What would you say is the most rewarding part of your job?

Being able to spend so much time with my family.  The great thing about having a home child care when your children are young is that you get to be there with them and watch them learn and discover all the little and big things in life. It’s also a lot of fun and rewarding to teach other kids too.  It’s always a joy to watch children learn something for the first time.
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What have you found to be the most challenging?

With a home daycare you can feel very limited because you are at home for so many hours, up to twelve hours a day at times. It is difficult to make a lot of appointments that are needed, get your kids involved in sports, and other activities that happen before 6:00pm during the week. The profession is not as isolating as it once was thanks to the internet. Message boards are a great place for support and ideas.
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Though you make it look easy, what is the biggest personal sacrifice you’ve made because of your job?

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As I mentioned above, my time has been a big issue. I look forward to having more time freedom when my entrepreneurial endeavor takes off.
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What are the top lessons you have learned about life and/or business that sticks with you?

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I have learned to be more assertive. I used to be a major conflict avoider, but I’ve learned that I can stand up for myself or my family and remain kind and nice. Have a good contract and stick to it.
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What would you say are the rules you live by?

I always want to do the right thing and keep a positive attitude. I am not one of those people who believes that rules are made to be broken or skirted. I want to treat others as I would have them treat me. I believe that good things come to those who give good to others.
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What do you feel is the biggest challenge for work at home moms today, particularly those in your industry?

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I think that balance is a real issue for work at home moms. Finding a way to balance family and work, which are both located under the same roof, can be challenging.  It can be too easy to focus on one when you need to focus on the other.
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What advice do you have for other work at home moms who want to be in your industry?

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If you are looking to start up a home child care business, be sure to do your homework. There are a lot of laws that you must follow and every state is different. There is also stiff competition right now due to the economy. With so many people unemployed, many are keeping their kids home with them. Also there are more people opening daycares combined with less kids needing care.