Q: How did you spread the word?
A: I flyered every college in foot and talked to every parent that I sat for in the beginning. We launched in
Boston on 2001. I had found 600 sitters on foot, and thirty parents.
Q: Having started in Boston, Massachusetts, how long did it take for your company to grow and reach other cities and states?
A: The site grew virally, at an incredible pace! By 2002, we were in three cities. By 2003, ten cities. By 2004, national, and today, we have more than a half a million users nationwide!
Q: Do you get repeat customers often? And how do you get feedback?
A: Yes! Parents always come back once they use us because sitters usually graduate, move, or change careers within a year of being hired. So we generally see parents several times, and always make them welcome when they come back. As for feedback, parents send it to us every day, and we post it. We also ask parents and sitters to leave feedback on each other, and this is becoming a popular site option.
Q: What has been the most challenging part of being an entrepreneur?
A: Learning to let go. In the beginning, you want to control everything, and it’s small. Learning to hire and trust my amazing team was hard, but now I am in heaven! It’s an amazing group of people, all with their own talents.
Q: Would you have done anything differently in the beginning with what you know now?
A: Actually I think that I was incredibly lucky. When I tried to launch Sittercity, I went to VC’s and angels, and tried to get funding. They laughed me out of the room. So, I launched the site alone, on foot, with a little money and a ton of sweat. We have made it this far growing on revenues—it’s an incredibly healthy way to grow. When you work with VC’s, you usually lose control, and then anything can happen.
Q: What do you owe Sittercity’s success to?
A: My team, my fiancé Dan Ratner, who is our VP and seasoned entrepreneur and taught me a lot of what I know, and blood, sweat, and tears!
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