Books and Resources to Start Strong
Before you invest in equipment, invest in knowledge. These books cover the business fundamentals, hiring practices, and operational strategies you’ll need to build a nanny placement agency that attracts quality candidates and retains clients. Reading through at least two of these will give you a realistic foundation for your first year.
The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Hiring and Building Your Team by Alison Wolf
Hiring the right people is your core business. This book walks through vetting processes, red flags to catch, and how to assess reliability and trustworthiness—essential skills when you’re placing caregivers into homes. Wolf covers background checks, reference verification, and interviewing techniques that directly apply to nanny placement.
Shop The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Hiring and Building Your Team on Amazon →
The Service Business Handbook by Stephanie Chandler
Your nanny placement agency is a service business, and this handbook covers pricing strategy, client acquisition, operations, and scaling. You’ll learn how to position yourself against competitors, set rates that reflect your value, and build repeatable systems before you’re drowning in administrative work.
Shop The Service Business Handbook on Amazon →
Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
Negotiation happens constantly in placement agencies—with candidates about rates, with parents about fees, with insurance providers. Voss teaches practical negotiation tactics that help you close more placements and maintain relationships while protecting your margins.
Shop Never Split the Difference on Amazon →
The Small Business Administration’s Hiring Employees Guide
This free government resource covers compliance, background check requirements, tax withholding, and employment law basics. Since you’re vetting people who work in private homes, understanding your legal obligations and liability is non-negotiable. Download it free from sba.gov.
Equipment You Need
A nanny placement agency doesn’t require heavy equipment, but you do need reliable office infrastructure, secure systems for storing sensitive data, and tools that make matching candidates with families efficient. Here’s what actually matters for running the business day-to-day.
Computer and Office Setup
- Laptop or desktop computer: Your central tool for managing candidate profiles, family requests, scheduling interviews, and tracking placements. You’ll spend most of your workday here.
- Second monitor: Increases efficiency when reviewing multiple candidate files or comparing family profiles side by side.
- Printer/scanner combo: You’ll need to print agreements, scan background checks, and file documents. A multifunction device saves space and money.
- Desk and ergonomic chair: You’re sitting for hours. A good chair prevents back problems that derail productivity.
Shop printer/scanner combos on Amazon →
Communication and Scheduling Tools
- Desk phone or VoIP system: Parents and candidates will call. A reliable phone line with voicemail is essential. VoIP (like Google Voice or Vonage) is cheaper than traditional phone service and works from any device.
- Video conferencing setup: A webcam, microphone, and headset for interviewing candidates remotely. Most initial screening happens over video.
- Calendar and scheduling software: You could use free Google Calendar, but paid platforms like Calendly or Acuity Scheduling let candidates book interview slots without back-and-forth emails.
Shop webcams and headsets on Amazon →
Document Management and Security
- File cabinet with lock: Background checks, references, and family information are sensitive. Physical files need secure storage.
- External hard drive for backups: You cannot lose your database. Cloud backup is good, but an external drive for daily local backups is essential.
- Password manager: Services like 1Password or LastPass store login credentials securely. With multiple platforms (email, client portal, accounting software), you need one source of truth.
Shop external hard drives on Amazon →
Furniture and Office Supplies
- Filing cabinets: Two or three filing cabinets handle candidate files, family agreements, and contracts for your first 1-2 years.
- Desk organizer and supplies: Pens, notepads, folders, labels. Keep them organized so you’re not wasting time searching.
- Shelving unit: Reference books, binders of templates, and archived files need a home.
Shop filing cabinets on Amazon →
Background Check and Verification Tools
- Background check service subscription: Services like Checkr, Sterling, or GoodHire integrate with your workflow. You’ll run checks on every candidate. Budget $30-50 per check; this is not optional.
- Reference checking software: Services like RefCheck or Knowify automate contacting references, saving you hours on phone calls.
What to Buy First vs Later
You don’t need everything on day one. Prioritize tools that directly impact your ability to match candidates with families and keep you legally compliant.
- Month 1-2 (essential): Laptop, desk phone or Google Voice number, basic filing cabinet, external hard drive, background check service access.
- Month 2-3 (needed soon): Webcam and headset, scheduling software like Calendly, password manager, second filing cabinet as you accumulate files.
- Month 3-6 (improves efficiency): Second monitor, reference checking automation, ergonomic chair (if you haven’t already), shelving for organization.
- After 6 months (scale-up): Dedicated CRM software designed for staffing agencies, upgraded phone system, additional storage as your candidate database grows.
New vs Used Equipment
Buy new computers and security systems. Used electronics are risky when handling sensitive data—you don’t know the history or condition. A used laptop could fail at a critical moment or have hidden malware. Used filing cabinets and office furniture are fine and save money; check Facebook Marketplace or local office liquidation sales.
Phones, cameras, and microphones are also worth buying new. Audio quality matters when interviewing candidates, and a cheap used headset creates unprofessional impressions. Spend $80-150 on a decent USB headset instead of gambling on a $20 used option that cuts out mid-interview.
One smart middle ground: refurbished monitors and printers from manufacturer outlets. These have been tested and often come with warranties. A refurbished printer from Dell or HP is safer than an unknown used model from a garage sale.
Where to Buy
- Best Buy or Newegg: Computers, monitors, peripherals. Good return policies if equipment arrives damaged.
- Staples or Office Depot: Filing cabinets, desk supplies, office furniture. Price match against Amazon.
- Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist: Used filing cabinets, desks, chairs, shelving. Inspect in person and test before buying.
- Local office furniture liquidation companies: When offices close or relocate, they sell desks, cabinets, and chairs at 50-70% off retail. Google “[your city] office liquidation.”
- IKEA: Affordable desk furniture and shelving. Quality is decent for the price if you’re just starting.
- Direct from software providers: Background check services, scheduling software, and CRM platforms sell directly. No middleman means better pricing and support.