Skip to main content

Confirm opening of the external link

Our hearts go out to those affected by the recent wildfires. If you need help, SCORE mentors are here for you. You can also apply for disaster assistance at SBA.gov.
Alicia Goldy
Balia Nanny Referral Agency

Balia Nanny Referral Agency, Alicia Goldy

Title / Role: Owner
Location: Cochranville, Pennsylvania
Formed in: 2019
www.baliareferralagency.com
SHARE THIS SUCCESS STORY
My successes.

For many families, finding reliable, consistent, quality childcare that meets the needs of the family is extremely difficult. Trying to hire and retain a nanny can be a daunting experience. Alicia Goldy, having worked as a nanny, preschool teacher and executive administrator, realized that by creating a boutique nanny referral service, she could provide a comprehensive and personal approach to finding the right nanny for a family. In addition to identifying nannies, she handles the background screening, interviews and also provides support to the families with regards to them going through the hiring process, including workload expectations, pay, benefits and legal requirements.

The business started in 2019 as a part-time endeavor and Alicia decided to name it “Balia” which means nanny in Italian, in honor of Alicia’s family background. In 2021, Alicia saw an opportunity with the pandemic to take the business to the next level and went to work in it full time. During this time, there was a major shift to employees working from home who still needed childcare. Simultaneously, daycares where closing. In Alicia’s words, she “had an idea and went for it.” As others did during this time, she pivoted and took her business virtual.

The path to success.

The market for nannies ebbs and flows with the economy. As a referral agency, Balia Nanny Referral Agency LLC needs to gain new clients constantly. With her experiences as a nanny, preschool teacher and business administrator, as well as a new mother herself, she set up processes with a vision of what she wanted the business to be. As Alicia put it, “all nanny agencies are alike in many aspects, but they are all different as well.” She believes with her unique perspective based on her experiences, Balia Nanny Referral Agency LLC engages with nannies using a positive communication approach, understands the hiring processes while managing the details of the day-to-day business. The boutique aspect of her referral agency allows her to look at each family individually. She works to understand what the family expects from a nanny as well as their communication and parenting style. This allows her to match clients with appropriate nannies.

How SCORE helped.

Alicia originally contacted SCORE in April 2023 to improve the marketing of her company and met with Lisa Bussom, a SCORE mentor. Although Alicia had completed a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis and business plan when she first launched Balia Nanny Referral Agency LLC, things had changed since COVID. SCORE Subject Matter Expert, Dave Gerhardt, was brought in to discuss her marketing strategy and web presence.

Dave helped to provide an objective view of her website. While traffic was getting to the site, which indicated that her external marketing was somewhat effective at driving traffic to the website, visitors were not spending much time browsing the content. To increase attention and interest on the site, Dave helped provide a view for Alicia to see her site from a prospective client’s perspective, focusing on what the business could do for the client. At the same time, he helped her to improve the website experience to be more accessible and more interactive. Key changes included adding clear messaging, placing a call to action on every page, and increasing nanny testimonials.

Lisa was able to help Alicia to improve her processes, provide an expert perspective, and act as a sounding board. SCORE was there when she realized that her existing website platform was not providing her with the capabilities she needed. By knowing what she needed in a website, it allowed her to change platforms to one that worked for her. The new platform provides her with more flexibility and more analytics. With Dave's marketing guidance, Alicia was able to think beyond the standard tools that many other nanny referral agencies were using. Working with her SCORE mentor, she continues to grow her boutique agency as she looks for new ways to expand while still remaining focused on the personal touch.

Today.

Alicia has followed SCORE's advice and changed her CRM (customer relationship management) software to something that lines up with how she wants to run her business. Now that she has her internet presence updated and has a much more engaging website, she feels she is at a turning point in her business. In 2024, she is increasing her marketing efforts and has expanded to South Jersey. She became a paid vendor (and is the only nanny agency listed) with a Mom Advice group of 14,000 members. She is also networking with other small businesses, participating in a local town event and expanding her representation at local career fairs. She will also be adding an overall household staffing placement service; providing services for personal assistants, chefs, house managers and more. Her updates are working with her revenue surpassing total revenue in 2023 in just four months.

As she approaches her five-year mark, her goal this year is to begin to work with small companies to offer employee discounts for nanny services. She is proud of the business she has created on her own from the ground up.

Paying it forward.

Alicia has these key take aways for other entrepreneurs:

  • “If everyone is doing it the same way, and they are the only ones you are talking to, it is difficult to do something different. It is important to get an objective outsider’s view.”
  • “Don’t give up, keep going. Have a solid plan and believe in your business.”
  • “Emphasize the positive about your company and how you can solve a problem for the client.”
  • “Doing Research is key. Don’t compare yourself to other industries, every industry is different.”
  • “Recognize that you cannot control every situation.”
  • “There will be quiet and down time, utilize it by focusing your time on other aspects in your business.”
  • “ If it’s not working, you can change it. This includes pricing, website design and more; since it’s your business you can do what you want.”
My mentors
Lisa Bussom

I can help you to make sense of all of the processes involved in owning a business. By carefully...

Read full bio
CONNECT
601 Westtown Rd Suite #281
}
West Chester, PA 19382
(484) 356-8624

Copyright © 2025 SCORE Association, SCORE.org

Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.

In partnership with
Jump back to top