You’ve decided to join the world of entrepreneurs. Congratulations! We’re here to give you the best and most straightforward advice on how to start your own day care business. Don’t have a lot of time? Here’s a basic run through of the eight things you need to start your day care business.

Step One: Have A Plan. What type of daycare will you putting up? Will it be for kids, an adult day care? How will you run it? Where will you put it? Start thinking about what you are going to do. Do some research (like checking the rest of this website out) and think of what you want to do to make your day care the best one around. Make your own business plan and stick to it.

Step Two: Fix your requirements. This include state and government licenses for day care centers. These vary from state to state. Make sure that you have all that you need to prevent yourself from running into trouble in the future. These include following the rules and regulations set by law. Insurance falls under here. Research on your possible tax deductions and government grants.

Step Three: Find your capital. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need money. It’s a business; you need to sink some money into it before you can start making money. But think of the money you can make! There are many ways to jump-start your capital if you don’t have enough saved. Hold fundraises, find a potential investor or take out a loan. You can also turn your day care into a partnership by finding someone you trust. Get a silent backer or a government grant. Speak with your local business associations.

Step Four: Location. Location. Location. Where will you set up your day care? Will you run it from your home or lease? You need this to know what licenses are necessary, as well as to give you an idea of your expenses and possible income flow when you open the business. This will determine what type of clientele you will have. Find a great spot with lots of traffic—the kind of traffic you need. The perfect spot? An area where there are lots of families nearby, or an area where lots of families go to eat shop and spend time together.

Step Five: Spread the word. Tell people you’re opening a day care center. Advertise. Tell them what your center is going to be like. Harass—ahem, contact potential clients. Use your connections, your friends. Place ads. Stand in the street and hand out flyers. Place a flyer on your car rearview and drive around town. Try to get potential clients to sign in even before you open. You’ll breathe a sigh of relief on that first day, instead of anxiously watching the door.

Step Six: Set up your day care center. Here comes the hard part. This is the part where you buy your furniture, supplies and renovate (if you need to). This is the time clear out that basement that nobody uses or that apartment over the garage that you’ve been planning to convert into something. Paint, sand, child-proof your electric sockets.

Step Seven: Hire. If you’re planning on a big enterprise, now is the time to conduct interviews and begin hiring.

Step Eight: Be patient. Remember, you’re just starting out. There will be ups and downs before your business stabilizes. You can’t expect to be fighting off droves of parents on your first day open. Patience, determination and our helpful tips will help you turn your day care into a rip roaring success.

For more info: How to start a daycare business