UR YO Looking for fun, creative ways to earn a little extra cash?
Name: Noa Mintz Age: 15 Hometown: New York, NY Three years ago, Noa was making $12 an hour babysitting. One day, after talking with her friends’ nannies, she realized that she wanted to play matchmaker for sitters and families, and launched her own childcare agency, Nannies by Noa (nanniesbynoa.com). What was the inspo to turn your babysitting gig into something big? I have three siblings, and our house is always filled with chaos. My mom would hire lovely sitters, but they weren’t energetic and just didn’t mesh with our family. They were great—just not for us. And I saw it with my friends and their nannies, too. So I wanted to create an agency that didn’t just go off what’s on a résumé but that focused on chemistry and personality when placing a nanny with a family—sort of like a dating service. I also love kids and I used to babysit a lot, so it made sense.
SHE’S THE BO$$
Noa may just e be a sophomor in high school,s but her biz ha helped over 150 families.
How do you juggle work and school and not freak out? For a while, I made the mistake of thinking I didn’t need help. I used to think it was admirable to overwork myself. I would run to take a client call right after a math test. It was a crazy situation. But I wasn’t doing my business
How to Launch Your Dream Career Now! Birchbox cofounder Katia Beauchamp gives you the rules she lives by.
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If your business plan isn’t flawless— that’s okay.
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Be smart about how you spend your cash.
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“Many people spend so much time trying to make everything perfect—the best thing you can do is start and learn as you go.”
“Creating a Web site is pretty easy—you can do that yourself. Put your money toward something you can’t do that well.”
“It’s totally okay to grow out of something and want to pursue something else. A short-term business can still be valuable.”
Your company doesn’t have to last forever. (Jaw drop!)
any favors by trying to do too much. I realized it’s more impressive when you can take other people’s opinions and help—that’s when my company really grew.
What about keeping your grades up? I have to be honest—I’ve always struggled a lot in school. Sometimes I have trouble focusing, and I’m not a straight-A student, even though I always give my best effort. When I started my company, it made me realize that you don’t need a perfect report card to show you’re smart and successful.
How did you know you were ready to make the jump from babysitter to boss? Every time I hear the word nanny, my face lights up. I think if something sparks an interest, that’s the first step toward knowing it’s worth taking seriously. I started my business because I had a passion. I didn’t do it to get cash. If you’re going to start a business, don’t do it just because you want money to come instantly. If that’s your goal, just stick to babysitting!
What’s your secret for how to totally crush it? I think it’s really important to have two mentors. Find a businesswoman to look up to— someone you probably won’t be able to actually talk to but someone who you can follow along and learn from. I think Sheryl Sandberg is amazing. And then also find someone who you can realistically reach out to when you need advice.
MINTZ: ALEX ANDRA WOLF. SECOR: TIFFANY WAYNE. BEAUCHAMP: CINDY ORD/GET T Y IMAGES. TAYLOR: SHANA ANDERSON PHOTOGRAPHY.
Babysitting
