Today we’d like to introduce you to Christen West.
Hi Christen, can you introduce yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My story? I took a leap of faith in 2016. I was working a full-time government job that I was unhappy at. I knew all I wanted to do was work with children for the longest time, so one day, I had a huge and unexpected argument with my supervisor, and I just knew from that day forward I had to do what I wanted to do; BECOME MY OWN BOSS! That night I went home and had a heart-to-heart with my fiance and just expressed to him how much I hated the job. He knew I wanted to work with children, which was a huge dream of mine. We stayed up for hours talking about me getting licensed and working with children,we talked about how we could start a business working with children, and still make ends meet with me leaving my job that was contributing to the bills. I had $0.00 dollars in my savings and $0.00 in my checking. My fiance was very supportive of my decision and for that I am forever grateful to him. All I had was a dream, a prayer and a confirmation that I could leave my job, and it would work out. Living in a 2 bedroom apartment, we agreed to flip it into a small childcare space. Furniture was moved around; toys, books, pencils, crayons, calendars, wall borders, cots, etc were purchased and put up. It was super colorful and kid-friendly! Contracts were made, and business ads were posted. I took a LEAP OF FAITH! Within two weeks, I had a total of 16 children. Babysitting was awesome. I was in love with the business; I was happy! But there was one slight hiccup. I wasn’t licensed and granted every parent whose child I cared for knew from the start, and the ball was always left in their court; to leave their child in my care. The children were loved and cared for like they were my very own. The parents would drop their children off, and the children had a ball with learning and overall having fun with each other. The parents were comfortable and pleased with the services and childcare provided. Things were great! The business was booming! Money was flowing like water! Bills were paid in advance, savings accounts were building, and credit scores increased. I loved what I did; working with children was amazing! I even had one parent ask me to officially adopt her son, that’s how much services were enjoyed! That one leap of faith was love. The business was great for about 6 months, but then it went downhill. My dad passed, and I was extremely lost. I started making changes to the business I regret entirely and have learned from. The business came to an end, and I went back to work. From there, I finished childcare classes and found another job working at a co-ed boarding school. I was back in love, working with children again. After about 2 years, I transferred over to another school. This time to a school working with special needs children. Love wasn’t even the word to describe the children. I was complete being able to work with them. My heart was so full working with children. I knew I had to finish out my dream. This particular school was definitely an experience. In my first year things were amazing, but then once I hit my second year things went downhill. My supervisors became very uncompromising and ill-mannered, and hurtful. I knew I had to make a move, take another leap of faith, and start my business. I kept telling my fiance that I wanted to work for myself! I had to work for myself! My fiance had already started his own business and that was the inspiration and motivation I needed to as Nike would say “JUST DO IT!”. I couldn’t take the disrespect and mistreatment from my previous employer. Fast forwarding to August of 2022, I was let go from my job. I was extremely stressed; rent was due, my car note was due, my daycare bill was due, groceries were needed, and I didn’t know what to do. So I prayed and prayed and prayed, talked with family, aligned things up between my fiance and I and once again I took a leap of faith. I told myself, “Christen think, you love working with children; you have childcare credentials and a business plan; what can you do?” I knew there was a bus driver shortage for schools. But I thought, school is about to start, I am not licensed for childcare, I can’t have many children in my home, what can I do to start my business, make money, and still work with children? I’ll start a school transportation service!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting my business was a challenging road, but it was a road that I would take again. My biggest struggles were saving money, advertising, and hiring trustworthy, dependable, and reliable employees to work with children and represent my business.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Precious Pumpkins Daycare, LLC?
Precious Pumpkins Daycare, LLC is a school transportation service based in Baltimore, Maryland. PPD currently provides transportation between Baltimore County and Baltimore City to 12 local schools and is looking to expand! PPD is a mobile home away from home, where safety, customer service, and customer satisfaction are our top priorities. Kid-friendly, reliable, dependable, and trustworthy service is important to us. We can be found on Instagram and Facebook at Precious Pumpkins Daycare. PPD stands out from all other transportation services because we are affordable, client satisfaction is a top priority, fast and timely, and we show constant love to all our tiny pumpkins. PPD, in the future, will branch out to work with transporting senior citizens and evolve into a childcare center. Follow us!
What characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to if you had to?
Faith Dependability
Affordability
Honesty
Trust
Love
Pricing:
- $150.00 per week/per child (sibling discounts)
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/preciouspumpkinsdaycare/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/3021233674840473/?ref=share_group_link
