Our Board of Directors works very hard all year to not only bring you at top-notch conference experience but to run the 34 year old association. We want you to get to know these industry leaders a bit more and learn a bit more about what they do within the industry.
In this Spotlight, we will be talking with Caroline Wesnitzer who is our Board Secretary.
A little about her. Caroline is a Trusting Connections (TC) Co-Founder. TC is a full-service agency with locations in Tucson, Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona and Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. She has been in the childcare industry for over 13 years- first as a professional nanny and later became a Certified Postpartum Doula. She has also shared her knowledge and expertise as an instructor and group facilitator and has taught numerous classes. Caroline is TC’s Chief Operating Officer overseeing the agency’s office staff team and ensuring that the agency is running at peak performance. Caroline is also TC’s Chief Financial Officer, overseeing financial affairs for all three locations. She has been an INA member since 2011 and joined the Board of Directors in 2015. Please see the Committee Appointments list for a list of committees for which Caroline is the chair.
We asked Caroline what motivated her transition from caregiving to the business end of the nanny industry and she told us:
“I really enjoyed my work as a nanny, throughout my career I developed a strong desire to be able to have a bigger impact on the industry. My business partner and I wanted to create an agency that took care of the nannies yet also provided impeccable customer service to our clients. I knew that if we created a business with that foundation, we would touch so many more lives than nannying one family at a time.”
We asked her what she finds to be the most challenging or most rewarding about overseeing an office staff. Caroline shared:
“I cannot do it myself. Delegation has always been a huge challenge for me and the more my business grows, the more I have to delegate. It’s easier accepting responsibility when you make a mistake and being able to resolve it yourself. It is another story when someone else makes a mistake and have to guide them through resolving. Rosalind and I are beyond blessed with an amazing staff though. It took a long time to find the right people that fit in with our culture and really embrace our vision.”
When we asked, what she finds most challenging about managing finances for several business locations Caroline said:
“Having the right technology to track it all. Our most cumbersome task is billing clients and tracking payroll. We are currently developing technology that will greatly reduce human error and time.
Having the right bookkeeper and accountant on your team is critical. Because we are multi-state there are different laws and tax filings that we need to follow and hiring someone that is knowledgeable in those areas makes the job easier.”
We asked what advice she would offer to someone looking to transition from caregiving to founding a business and she told us:
“Just because you are a good caregiver, does not mean you will be a good business owner. It’s important to bring your passions and past experience but really at the end of the day, you are a business owner, not a caregiver. Surround yourself with other business owners in the service industry and focus on professional development to build your skill sets.”
When we asked what skills she uses from her time as a caregiver to managing a business Caroline shared:
“Understanding that every individual is unique. Just like when one approaches a family and a child they are caring for, it’s important to have that same approach with client and employee relations. Really valuing one’s uniqueness can bring more understanding and ability to provide the best care for that client or employee.”
Thank you, Caroline, for sharing with us your experience and for your service to the industry through the INA Board of Directors.