Ep. 235 — How Childcare Business Owners Can Give Themselves…

About this episode

In this solo episode, Jennifer gets personal about the invisible rules so many child care owners carry without ever realizing it. Rules telling you that you have to be everything to everyone, that you can't let people see you struggle, and that things should always be perfect and look a certain way. Nobody actually handed her those rules, but for years, she lived like they were written in stone. Jennifer shares what it took to slowly unlearn them, from letting go of control and trusting a leadership team, to realizing she did not have to become a polished version of herself to be respected as a leader, to finally believing that profit and purpose can live in the same business. She also talks about the trip to Mexico that showed her the center could survive without her for a week, and why sometimes the permission you need in one season is completely different from the permission you need in the next. Key Takeaways: [2:35] Jennifer shares why permission is not something we learn once, because every new season of life seems to require a new kind of it. [4:07] Many owners are living by rules nobody ever actually gave them, from doing everything themselves to putting the business ahead of their own needs. [6:59] Jennifer looks back on the season when necessity turned into control, and she convinced herself she had to personally protect every part of the business. [9:00] Being needed by everyone may feel important at first, but eventually it can start to feel like being trapped by everyone. [9:32] Learning to delegate meant accepting that someone else did not have to do everything exactly the way Jennifer would do it. [10:40] Sometimes 80% done by someone else is far better than 100% done by an exhausted and resentful owner. [13:20] None of Jennifer's later opportunities would have opened if she had stayed in the belief that she was the only person who could do things right. [16:07] Jennifer shares how living under other people's expectations slowly turned her into a more acceptable version of herself that did not actually feel like her. [17:50] Moving to Mexico helped Jennifer realize the freedom was not about becoming somebody new, but finally being able to be herself. [24:03] Jennifer shares how putting herself last became such a habit that she sometimes wore exhaustion and self-sacrifice like a badge of honor. [25:16] A week away in Mexico showed Jennifer that her leadership team could handle the business without needing her to control every detail. [26:57] A difficult season may require sacrifice, but it cannot become the permanent price of being a business owner. [27:27] The permission you need changes as your life changes, from permission to delegate to permission to lead, simplify, grow, or pivot. [32:52] Changing your mind does not always mean the old decision was wrong; sometimes it means you have more information, and you are in a different season now. Quotes: "Eventually being needed by everyone starts to feel a whole lot like being trapped by everyone." — Jennifer [9:00] "80% done by someone else was sometimes better than 100% done by an exhausted, sometimes resentful, very tired owner who could not keep carrying everything and doing everything herself." — Jennifer [10:40] "The freedom was, I can finally just be me." — Jennifer [17:50] "Profit and purpose are 100 percent not enemies. They actually go hand in hand." — Jennifer [22:53] "I had built a business because I wanted it to help me build a life, not the opposite." — Jennifer [26:30] "A hard season cannot become the permanent price of ownership." — Jennifer [26:57] Sponsored By: Procare Solutions — Visit Procare Solutions and find out what running your center feels like when you finally have the right tools. Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray @iamkrismurray Jennifer Conner The Child Care Success Company The Child Care Success Academy The Child Care Success Summit Grow Your Center Childcare Education Institute: Use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal