Suzy Olivier
Nov 15, 20182 min
London's first fully-flexible, Ofsted-registered nursery with integrated workspace for parents and children under two. Born of a passion to support families, we help bridge the gap between work and life.
The idea for Cuckooz Nest came from personal experience after I struggled to find affordable and flexible childcare when returning to work. Realising that, in a city where 1 in 7 freelancers are working mums, I was not alone.
Everything!
Finding the right building, securing planning permission, finding the right staff to run our nursery, getting Ofsted registered...thankfully it was all worth it.
Give ourselves more time!
Seeing how much we are helping people. Seeing my daughter thrive in the nursery around other children. The opportunities that are coming our way to grow the business and being able to support more working parents!
With difficulty!
My husband is amazing, same for my business partner. Both let me rant when I need to and make this all possible. Obviously Cuckooz Nest helps me too.
When the BBC asked us to comment on a story about the rising costs of childcare and then being featured on the news, TWICE! To be taken seriously means a lot to me.
Word of mouth.
I think being able to separate work and life. I work pretty long hours in the week, but the weekends are family time to be with my daughter.
Lean In :-)
Find a mentor. Speak to as many people as possible to get advice before you do it and understand what a commitment it is.
If you want to get in touch or see more of Charlie's adventure, head over to her website or social media:
Cuckooz Nest
Instagram @cuckooznestLDN
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