The clients are out there - you just need to let them find out about you!

Get creative in your advertizing ... aside from online do not forget your local groceries 'community board, church community boards, make up a sign for your front lawn (check your local bi-laws on this), go to your local schools and ask the secretaries if they can pass on your info, in Ontario the Early Years Centres have 'home childcare binders' we can advertize in.

I started out in 2007 doing home childcare with 17 years experience in 'centre' care - I was advertizing 'new program opening in September' and explaining I had experience and so forth and was getting NOTHING ... I took out the 'new program' and just focused on when the 'start date for the opening' was and my program highlights and that I had 'first aid, CPR and childcare experience' ... and I got inquires out the wazoo and was full within a month after sitting there for two months with 'not a bite'. However once they came into my home and MET me being 'new' to the field was not an issue at all

So based on that lesson another suggestion I would make is do not advertize you are NEW ... just focus on 'now accepting inquires for a full time client for June 2012' ..... unlike a car where NEW is a selling point in this business NEW is a red flag for clients ... they worry is she going to change her mind and quit on me ... in your ads focus on all the awesome things about your program, when you book an interview and have them into your home once you have made your awesome first impression, shown them how much you have invested into your new business in your playroom and so forth .... but wait for them to ASK how many other children you have or how long have you been doing this than that is the time to tell them that you are just getting started out and have your child plus one other or whatever....generall y by then they are over that red flag because they have fallen in love with you!