So we had this idea to start a babysitting business. That is we would provide babysitters to parents who could not or did notknow whereto reach a qualified babysitter. My question is where can I find out what we have to do to cover our liability? Does anyoneknow. It would sort of be like an Aupair service except it would just be a babysitting service. Any help or ideason where to turn would be appreciated.

Try the free download at this website: www.innoventum.com It's a start up guide for new businesses. I believe it covers some sources for where to look for the legal side of owning your business.

Good luck!

Thanks I will check it out.

Are you talking about legal or insurance liability?

You should definately pay a visit to an attorney. You can get plenty of info from a free consultation visit.

And you should consult an insurance broker for proper insurance coverage.

There are franchises that specialize in the service you want to offer. They offer complete background checks on their babysitters. I would imagine your customers would be looking for that type of service.

While some lawyers will give you a free consult, many won't. Heck anyone worth their experience charges for their services. And even if they are free, they won't give you substance -- they'd be crazy to do that.

If you want free info, start with your local SBA or SCORE office.

Your service business is much more like someone posted- a day care place. See what your state recommendeds for you, in regards to licenses, etc. too.

>While some lawyers will give you a free consult, many won't.
>Heck anyone worth their experience charges for their services.
> And even if they are free, they won't give you substance --
>they'd be crazy to do that.
>

I'd have to disagree with this statement. The attorney I used when I bought a franchise gave me one of the best pieces of little known information regarding incorporating during the initial free consultation. Because of that, I continued to use his services. He turned out to be terrific.

Sylvia
http://smallbusinessstartup.biz
Startup & Biz Plan Help
http://smallbusinessstartup.biz/blog

I also disagree with the statement that lawyers will not do a consult for free. Most lawyers will, particularly if you're going to use them as your counsel. I'm not suggesting that it's a good idea to pick their brains for free and not have any intention of using them, (since even lawyers deserve to make money from their skills) but it happens all the time...

Here's my $.02 on your question:

First, you should make sure that you've set up your business form to protect you personally from liability. Look into S-Corporations and LLCs....

Second, you need to contact the State that you live in to find out the requirements for a babysitting service (this might be where having an attorney is helpful) to find out if a babysitting service falls within the state's definition of a "daycare" situation. I'm guessing that it does not. However, you need to check (both with the state and locally) about what you'll need to run the business.

Third, you need to decide how closely you're screening your "sitters". I would certainly suggest a full criminal background check and fingerprint search. (Sorry, that's from the mom part, not necessarily from the lawyer part of me).

Fourth, you need liability insurance. Heaven forbid you have a problem, you need it.

And now you've picked a lawyer's brain for free... LOL!

If you have any other questions, let me know...

Deena Burgess, Esq.
www.ebusinesslawgroup.com
_____________________________________________________________________

Any opinions are offered without knowledge of the specific law of your jurisdiction and with only the limited information provided in your post. No advice given here should be reasonably relied upon by you or any third party without consulting an attorney who is aware of all of the facts and law surrounding your situation. Any advice given here is not intended to creat an attorney-client relationship in any way.

Thanks so much for the advice. I really do appreciate it. It turns out that there are many services already in play in my area so I am going to look into another venture. Thanks though for the advice.

The easiest way is to start with your local Small Business Development Center. They will be able to point you in the right directions!

Good Luck to you!!

I also suggest talking to people who already are in the same line. Even if its just a daycare center. But chose someone doing it for a few years.

Joanna Swank
Marketable Concepts
www.jswank.com
info@jswank.com

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