Agency Spotlight: My Girl Friday

Each month we highlight one of our agency partners, and get to know a little more about them and their insights into the household employment industry. This month we spoke with Margaret “Austin” Macfarlane, owner of My Girl Friday.

Agency Vitals

• Founded in 2012
• Serves the greater Triangle area of North Carolina, plus clients in the medical community in various cities around the country
• Specializes in full- and part-time nannies, mannies, household managers, personal assistants, tutors, and chauffeurs

How did your agency get started?

I was working as a nanny in the Raleigh-Durham area. There were times when I’d get sick but felt pressured to come to work anyway because my employer did not have backup care available for their own children. A lot of families in this area are transplants from other states, and have no family of their own in the area who can step in during a situation like this. I was an indispensable person in their homes and lives, and human things were occurring without any support for those occurrences. I decided it didn’t need to be that way- and built a solution. I built the agency very slowly, deliberately, and carefully. I needed to make sure that I could provide back-up for all our clients, should they need it. It was a learning experience. We’ve perfected our systems and are proud to say we serve 500+ families (a good bit of these families are in medicine- which has become our specialty) in the Triangle and across the US.

What is your biggest challenge?

When you grow a business, you have to learn to train great people so that you can delegate tasks to them and take on more and more growth. I have had to miss out on getting to know our nannies on the level that I used to be able to- and I miss holding babies and getting the one on one time with all of our clients. My team is amazing though, and we’re a big family. I still know what’s going on, and I am always looking out- but I just get seen a lot less because I am behind the scenes.

What strategies do you use for recruiting candidates?

My agency is focused on attracting the best nannies. We put a huge importance on community. Our hyper-local presence is very important to us. We love our nannies, advocate for the them and the balance in this industry and hold trainings throughout the year to support everyone who is a part of our agency. My motto has always been: good people attract good people. We focus on being good people, and a lot of the best nannies in this area stay very loyal to us as an agency because of this. Our nannies also enjoy the lack of stress regarding needing time off. We have their back- and our floaters step in to alleviate pressures and stresses that come with needing to get off early for a doctor’s appointment or taking a sick day. We’re also working towards a system that helps cover maternity leaves as well!

How do you advertise/market your agency? / How do you find new families?

Our biggest marketing tool is our reputation. A lot of our business comes from our happy clients discussing us with their friends. We stay present in our community, stay on top of our emails, and stay available to everyone in our network with our call-line. Our nannies and clients love sending people our way.

How do you distinguish yourself from online agencies and show your value?

The difference between agencies and online sites is all about community. People come to us for a personal experience, not a tech-based one. That personal connection is very important to families when it comes to child care. Our agency provides a great value with our family-like approach to helping with these hires. I firmly believe that when it comes to our children- tech just doesn’t cut it. People and relationships make all the difference.

How do you help your families understand legal pay?

We always recommend that our clients pay their employees legally. We mention the tax benefits of doing so, as well as the risks of not paying on the books. We let them know that paying legally protects not just them, but their nanny as well. We share GTM’s materials with them and point them to GTM for more information. It helps that we have a great contact at GTM who always puts our clients first and is readily available by call and email to answer any questions.

How do you help nannies/employees understand the benefits of being paid legally?

I’ve found that when a nanny doesn’t want to be paid on the books, it’s because she doesn’t understand the benefits of doing so. We give our nannies all the info we can and encourage them to educate themselves on those benefits. But taxes are complicated, so we rely on GTM to help provide guidance. We encourage our nannies to attend events and continue that education there.

What changes have you seen over the years in the household employment industry?

A big change I’ve seen in recent years is the increase in the number of mannies – male nannies – in our industry. People are becoming more open-minded about child care options, and men are often overlooked as quality caregivers. So many men in my life are GREAT fathers, uncles, and friends to the kids that surround them. Why not create a space in this industry for male role models and caregivers? Technology has allowed more people to promote the awareness of mannies, so there’s more awareness of them as a child care option. It’s like a glass ceiling, with the roles reversed – if we’re for equality for women in male-dominated industries, we should be promoting the equality of men in this female-dominated industry. Having placed many mannies, I know there is much to be learned from the positive experiences families have with mannies. This will take time. The west coast is booming when it comes to mannies, and we are making sure the east coast isn’t too far behind!

How has GTM helped your families and your agency?

The best part about working with GTM is Robert Lee, the Channel Partner Manager. He’s always helpful, kind, connective, and thorough. Other  agencies that I’ve talked with agree! It’s great to have a trusted partner like GTM, with Robert working to help our families get the info they need. We’re always proud to partner with humans who are passionate about what they are doing- and he is so passionate about helping our clients and nannies. It’s all about showing people that they matter.

What are some fun facts about you or your agency?

I take great pride in being a female entrepreneur. In addition to the agency, my partner and I own a kombucha brewery (one of the largest on the east coast!), a frisbee company, and we’re launching a new project in health and wellness as well. We’re all about helping people- on an individual level and a familial level. We like curating and helping to promote a peaceful lifestyle. I find entrepreneurship so amazing and have learned so much about business through these projects. Our agency is very focused on blending health and wellness into our yearly trainings and encouraging our nannies to be the best versions of themselves through a healthy, balanced lifestyle. In addition to that, we have an amazing (and rather rare) dog- a Lagotto. He’s such a cutie pie. We don’t have kids- so he’s my stand-in kiddo for now. His name is Arlo and he hikes, camps, and travels with us all the time. He’s the My Girl Friday and Tribucha mascot (unofficially).