Many people that work in the childcare field consider it more of a calling or a talent than a moneymaker. Entrepreneur Joy Maxwell points out that you’ll never hear a childcare provider say that they got into the industry to make loads of money. As a veteran of the field who now assists others seeking financial and professional success in the field, she knows the feeling well.
“Most people start businesses for income,” she said. “I started for the impact.”
But, she says, it’s not only possible, but it’s also easy. That’s why she set up Joy Maxwell & Co.
Her firm assists entrepreneurs, creatives, and business owners working in service fields that are looking to take further steps toward financial success with their businesses.
Through a combination of coaching, motivational speaking, and consulting, she can provide insight into your specific business and provide step-by-step guidance on how to reach your financial goals.
“I’m here to tell you that by changing your mindset, you can change your destiny,” she said. “Together, we can make your visions and dreams a reality!”
The positive-thinking coach teaches other business owners how to open, operate and scale their childcare centers so that they are making profits in the six figures. The multi-streaming entrepreneur is a certified leadership coach with over 20 years’ worth of experience in the education field.
The visionary strategist not only helps people scale their existing child care centers but also helps aspiring owners to start their own childcare business the right way through her Joy of Childcare platform and events.
A Joyful Background
Maxwell’s education journey began when she was a student herself. Because she had a love of children, finding their joy and peace a salve in the modern world, she began volunteering at a HeadStart program in her native Philadelphia.
Though she wanted to pursue childcare full-time after graduation, her advisor talked her out of it, citing her high level of intelligence and the low pay at many available jobs in the field. Taking the advice despite her feelings, she ended up teaching in the classroom for eight years – a time that she remembers as among her most depressed. She recalls feeling overwhelmed, depressed, underpaid, and gaining weight due to stress.
She found her advisor’s long-gone words were not even true. The year she left she was making $40,000 per year, barely enough to pay her rent and car loan. Her last year in the classroom, in 2012, she opened a childcare center in her basement. In its best month, it made $50,000.
In addition to her credentials in coaching and education, Maxwell holds dual master’s degrees in Child Psychology and Multicultural Education. And, because she believes that learning is a never-ending process, she is currently working toward her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership.
Her coaching today extends to everything from securing business funding to providing hands-on knowledge of classrooms, teaching, and childcare protocols.
“I cut red tape to help people open their own childcare businesses because I have a passion for children and child care,” she said. “I can help to put you at the front of the line and guide you.”
She began offering assistance to childcare professionals over seven years ago. Among her biggest success stories is one of her first. An owner contacted her about scaling her home-based childcare center that served just a handful of families. Today, that center has a brick-and-mortar location and 112 students.
A Range of Offerings
The learn-at-your-own-pace course, which Maxwell dubs ‘Childcare Uni’ offers college-level education at a fraction of the cost. In fact, graduates earn a certificate from Prof. Joy Maxwell.
She encourages her students to look deep within themselves to be able to verbalize, very simply, what their unique childcare vision is, what kind of leadership they want to offer and what they think needs to be improved in the education field.
“I ask them ‘How do you help children own knowledge?’ ‘How do you help the WHOLE child?’ Emotions, physical spaces, all of that is so important in childcare,” she stated.
Maxwell hopes to produce strong leaders that are working toward overall industry improvement, intentional program founders, and service to communities that help them for years to come.
In more practical business, she can advise on the creative business funding, legalities of childcare centers, industry best practices, and goal-setting that lie behind every top-earning childcare center. So far, the small class setting and personal attention from Maxwell are working well for her students.
What graduates like most about the programs are that they learn tips they can start using immediately and Maxwell’s obvious dedication to the field. They also rave about the fact that she includes lots of little things that no other educator teaches – the hard-won lessons she learned about childcare through trial-and-error. And this is the true education, insight, and selfless sharing that is Maxwell’s true signature offering.
About Joy Maxwell
Joy Maxwell is an inspirational childcare consultant and former professor with over 20 years of experience in the education field and dual master’s degrees in Child Psychology and Multicultural Education. She founded Joy Maxwell & Co. as well as numerous childcare coaching courses dedicated to serving child care professionals and helping them achieve their dreams. Find out more on her website: https://www.joymaxwellandco.com/ or email: [email protected]
