How does entrepreneur Megan Metzger ’05 manage hundreds of families in need of childcare in addition to the 185 childcare specialists with whom she contracts – all with a “you’ll have a sitter within 48 hours” guarantee?
The UNCG alumna and savvy, young business owner is founder and president of Preferred Childcare Inc., a babysitting referral service with an exclusive and trustworthy network of childcare providers from around North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad. She cites her organizational skills as one reason for her success.
A database designed by Metzger contains all of the sitters and their up-to-date schedules. Another database features her clients and their scheduling needs. She uses the two to create a personalized matching system that connects clients with ideal sitters.
The result? Metzger has the recipe for a successful start-up that meets community needs in a unique and enterprising way. Childcare is one less worry on parents’ minds. And job seekers – many of them college students in need of flexible scheduling – can earn money while doing what they love, working with children.
UNCG’s emphasis on entrepreneurship is wonderful.
Metzger incorporated the thriving business while she was a student pursuing a degree in Business Administration from the Bryan School of Business and Economics. The idea for her business took root during her teenage years when she was an avid babysitter.
“People began to share my name. Before I knew it, I had a rolodex full of 50 families – those 50 client relationships have now grown to a database of more than 500 families,” says Metzger.
Connected to students
Metzger is a proud UNCG alumna and supporter who serves on the Alumni Association Board and speaks twice a year to current students about the entrepreneurial experience. She also finds the majority of her childcare specialists right here on campus. In fact, more than 90 percent of her independent contractors are UNCG students or alumni.
“We’re very impressed with UNCG students, which is why we work with many education, early childhood development, and human development and families studies majors.” According to Metzger, the UNCG career fair is the only one she attends.
One of Metzger’s most popular sitters is Sarah Livengood ’10 (pictured above), a senior majoring in anthropology and archaeology with a minor in classical studies. She’s been working for Preferred Childcare for three years and puts in 10-30 hours per week. Although Livengood is a scholarship recipient, the ability to earn money through a flexible working schedule helps greatly.
“Mompreneur”
Metzger began her business as a young student, but she’s now a “mompreneur” because she runs much of her business while raising her infant son. Of course, she has great access to reliable sitters. Like many busy parents, Metzger needs support during work hours, especially since she wants to grow her business. “We plan to expand our reach to other cities and extend our offerings to include household managers, swim instructors and vacation assistance sitters.”
Preferred Childcare is also a philanthropic organization. In addition to offering discounts to local churches, Metzger donates childcare services to Greensboro’s Kids Path, local preschool fundraisers and Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy.
“UNCG’s emphasis on entrepreneurship is wonderful,” says Metzger. “I think a lot of students today are more aware of the many benefits of entrepreneurship and are willing to take a risk to achieve big results.”
To read more about UNCG’s entrepreneurship program, take a look at our April 24th story Mind Your Own Business.
Photography by David Wilson, University Relations
