Small Business Owner!!!

I'm on my way to becoming a small business owner! I cannot believe that I'm here, but it seems like I was meant to go this route...for now.

I've been a stay at home mom for almost a year now, and wanting a second income is huge right now. When I left New York I thought it was going to be soooooo easy to make extra money and still be able to stay home with Brianlily, but that has NOT been the case. I wanted to take on a few little ones in to care for, sitting. But after Sittercity.com, Care.com, Craigslist, and flyers all around town including PSU, with no luck I had to think of going back out into the work force and placing Brianlily into daycare. DAUNTINGGGG! It just didn't make sense in the end. The income I would need to cover the cost ($1000/mo the cheapest), plus enough to save and enjoy ourselves was way more than I could make without my degree.

A woman responded to my ad on Craigslist, came to visit, was interested but in the end went with someone licensed. total bummer. So I thought, why can't I get licensed? I know that by law I would be exempt from licensing if I only care for three children, not including my own. But wouldn't being licensed be a great way to get business?! So I called and started the process. It's crazy to think it'll be a full fledged BUSINESS! It's great though, it's everything I love...work for myself, organize, be detailed, teach, children, and activities!!! hahahaha I'm such a geek! I want to run a Martha Stewart Daycare! lol Crafts, crafts, crafts!

It's going to be a load of work, but the benefit is being home with my daughter! And that's more than enough reason. Maybe I'll just do it until she's in school. Either way, I'm on my way. Another great thing is my location. Turns out there aren't any registered family child care providers in my area!!! Woo Hoo for me!

Here is a quick breakdown of the process here in Oregon:

1. I visited The Oregon Child Care Resource & Referral Network and The Child Care Resource and Referral of Multnomah County. They give you all the training and helpful information you need for licensure.

Training consists of:
a. Overview of licensure process
b. CPR/First Aid
c. Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect
d. Food handler certification
e. Enrollment in the Central Background Registry

2. After completing these trainings, you will send in photo copies of certificates along with the application for becoming a Registered Family Child Care Provider.

3. Once your application is processed, including listing in the Central Background Registry, you will have an in home safety and regulation inspection. Upon satisfactory evaluation, your license is active the following day.

4. Naming your business. You can search here for business naming information.

5. After you are officially licensed and naming is done, you will then need to apply for a business license; get more information at your local City Hall.

It's a lot of work, but it's all worth it! All of the information here was shared with me during my Overview course at CCR&R of Multnomah County. The people there are amazingly helpful, kind, super informative, and answer ALL your questions (and I have a lot!). There is so much more information, and still more to come, so I will continue updating the process.