From one of our newest recruits…

Just an email  we received recently that I thought too lovely to not share with you:

Hi Nicole, I just want to say thanks for the interview yesterday. I found your agency much more interested and helpful than previous agencies I have been to. You guys are really great. I look forward to joining your team. Have a great weekend. Siann

Thank you Siann, Welcome to the team and have a fantastic weekend!

March…Already!?!

So you have probably been wondering, why so quiet lately? Well I have been extremely busy on our updates for Sitters4U’s major website update coming to your PC in what will evidently be no time at all ( seeing how fast the year has moved).

So much has happened, I have spent extensive hours working out all the kinks with our current system and finding what works for our clients. Well apparently what everyone has been loving the most is our application forms and request forms being online, no need for faxing or emailing, unfortunately this is a very expensive update which we will be applying to all of our services soon with new forms online for every service we offer. However this means an increase or a slight change in a number of our policies, the number one being our registration fee for services. It is sad how so many clients have taken advantage of this system over the last year, filling in the form, we find the candidates we have available who are appropriate and interested in the position and we never hear from them again or if we do its months later when all of those staff have already been placed and we need to start from scratch! We need the clients interest as much as they need ours, if they do need it that is. So the saying is true, a few bad apples spoil the lot.. and we will now be requesting an administration fee instead of a registration fee before a client is assisted, how else are we going to afford the convenience our clients crave?

On a lighter note though, its been an amazing hard month for many especially my family and I, we moved homes and our offices all in one go, my daughter finally started swimming (which makes me want to jump up and down and shout “Hooray!!”), we welcomed a number of new staff to our listings and they are working well, and 2 close friends of mine welcomed their new bundles of joy into the world ( a boy and a girl), most of the written updates for the website have been completed (well, now its just the technical side, which apparently could take until the end of March or longer) and even with all this I can say I feel good giving myself a pat on the back for sticking to the Taebo Kick boxing!

Bring on March 2009! Im ready to make this month the best yet! Having stuck to almost all of my New years resolutions thus far is definitely leaving with the sense of accomplishment I have been craving!

Inspiration, the power of intention

About two years ago I received a piece of paper from a stranger . She looked at me and said, “This will help you”. It was a completely random occurrence that changed my life. I now believe she was definitely a guardian angel or had one working through her. Today I look back and realise how much that piece of paper assisted me, stuck to my fridge and although almost impossible to live up to,  trying to do so, has definitely assisted. I would like to share it with you today, so please take a few moments to view the wise words of the Dalai Lama that changed my attitude and perspective. Perhaps you will glance over it and have a wonderful day, or print it out and make it your Mantra, whatever you do, whether you take it seriously or not, I am positive, that just by reading it, it will assist you in making a great success of your life. It stays in the corner of your mind, hidden and slowly but surely new connections are made in the mind, altering reaction and action alike:

Instructions for Life by The Dalai Lama

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R’s:
   -  Respect for self,
   -  Respect for others and
   -  Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and
    think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
20. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

So there it is, I now try to run my life and business according to the wise statements above, and it has assisted me greatly. I hope it will assist you to in all areas of your life.

Ringing in 2009…

Wow, its amazing how time seems to pass so quickly these days.. Why just yesterday I remember feeling this way about 2007 and now its already 2009!

Ive done my tally of new year resolutions as most have, knowing full well that most are somewhat out of reach, but that’s what drives us all at the end of the day, the possibility that dreams will and can come true if we believe they can! For what is life without dreams ?

I have a dream for this year, some personal and many professional. The personal ones take nothing but will power to achieve, which I tend to have a lot of. The real challenge lies with my Passion, Sitters4U and making it as successful as possible.

So as always the goals are very similar to those of previous years gone by. Expand,  grow and give. I think that’s simple enough to achieve but the finer details include so much more. We are looking to expand our services to Durban in the near future and from the inquiries we receive from Durban, I am looking forward to assisting new clients and candidates alike! Then, FrailCare4U a division of Sitters4U will be launching its own new website, www.frailcare4u.co.za  in April 2009, something I have been looking forward to for a while. We are also planning on adding a few very unique features to this side of our services which I know our clients are going to love. Another very exciting project to be launched at an undetermined time as yet, and this is a biggy folks; PremiumAupairs.com, its an international site for au pairs who want to be placed locally in their home town and parents who want local mature capable candidates. I have been working on this project for almost an entire year already and am no where near completed yet, but this is a project I am so looking forward to! The anticipation is almost killing me. So there is my “expand and grow” goals taken care of, but what about giving back, at the end of the day, ‘giving’ is the real reward isn’t it.

To start off with, as always I will be bringing you new articles, from advice on how to potty train your child, ( I took 2 weeks to train my daughter) to how to develop a routine in collaboration with your au pair. Other than that, and this has long been a pet dream of mine, yet to come to fruition, is to really give back to the community which needs our services and really just cant afford it. I am seeking non profit and other similar organizations who need volunteers to help them for a few days here and there. Currently we have over 300 staff, they are all well experienced and qualified and due to one of our motto’s and infact one thing we like to pick up on in our candidates, is the inate need to help others who help themselves to help others, I am sure our candidates would love to assist as well. So if you know of anybody who needs our assistance. Let us know!

So thats it for now and wow, after actually seeing my plate in black and white for this year, I see nothing but fun, challenges and growth for 2009  and wish all our clients and staff the same, not too mention a prosporus and exciting New Year!

Our Mission, Our Vision, Our Goals!

Our Mission

To provide you and your family with Professional, Consistent, Reliable, Trained Staffing Solutions for private, child, home and elderly care.

Our Vision

To be the company that our clients think of first, when they need staff to help them with child, home or elderly care.

Our Goals

To create long term relationships with our clients and staff by:

• Ensuring the quality and reliability of our service is consistent to our Mission and Vision.
• Providing support, training, motivation and workshops that can be attended by both staff and clients.
• Carefully identifying both the clients needs and the needs of staff, and to ensure these needs are closely matched.