Former sales exec now makes £65k running home daycare - here's the full story
A mother-of-three left her corporate career to start a home-based childcare business. Three years later she earns more than her previous £55k salary while spending time with her own kids
Three years ago Sarah Thompson made a life-changing switch - leaving her £55k sales job to become a home-based childminder (a decision that changed everything about her work-life setup)
Her previous role managing airport hotels marketing meant odd hours and weekend work which didnt fit with raising three kids. The breaking point came when childcare costs ate up £2‚500 of her monthly £3‚000 salary; making work almost pointless financially.
After completing a 3-month early-years course she partnered with Tiney: a child-care business platform that handles admin stuff for her. Converting her home office into a mini-nursery she started taking kids in late-2021; now caring for up to 4 children daily with a total roster of 10.
The demand is super-high in her commuter-belt area - parents book spots before their babies are born. “I have families signing up at 20-weeks pregnant“ she explains. Her business skills shine through as she keeps marketing year-round: using social-media local-events and community outreach.
Her daily schedule runs 8am-5pm (sometimes till 6) filled with activities like:
- Library visits and rhyme time
- Park walks and outdoor play
- Arts-and-crafts sessions
- Story-time and singing
- Seasonal activities like pumpkin painting
The physical work is harder than office life - constant lifting moving and rarely sitting down But the rewards are worth it. She charges £10.50 per-hour bringing in nearly £65k yearly before expenses and platform fees
The transition worked perfectly for her family situation: “Its more rewarding than signing multi-million pound deals“ she notes adding that helping develop young minds feels more meaningful than corporate work
