Lynn Perkins, CEO + Co-Founder of UrbanSitter — Glambition Radio Episode 156 with Ali Brown

Entrepreneurs with kids often underestimate the importance of good childcare to support our careers and our missions (not to mention our marriages)! And you can thank Lynn Perkins, CEO and Co-Founder of UrbanSitter, for creating an app that makes finding even last minute childcare easier and more trustworthy than ever.
What’s different about UrbanSitter than any other app or site is it plugs into your existing social networks to find sitters and nannies. So for example, you can link to your Facebook network, school, church, or other community organization, and you’ll instantly see the sitters that are being used regularly and recommended within. Even better, most sitters will respond to your job post within minutes, making it actually feasible you’ll find childcare last minute for that important meeting that popped up this afternoon.
On today’s episode of #GlambitionRadio, I have Lynn walk me through how she came up with this genius idea and began to test and scale the venture, step by step. (She now has over a million users in 50 cities, with the company facilitating over 700,000 babysitting jobs!)
Lynn (who is also a mom of twins, so we had a lot to chat about ;)) also shares how she went about raising $50 million in VC funding from top-tier investors including First Round Capital, Advance Venture Partners, and Canaan Partners. Keep in mind she was nearly always pitching to rooms of men who were not her target market, so Lynn shares on the show how she learned fast how to get their attention and take this seriously.
On the show, we also discuss:
*How she decided which features to start with and NOT to start with when launching UrbanSitter (those of you who are perfectionists have to hear this tip)
*Why UrbanSitter pays sitters their full rate and does not take a cut (this was an interesting part of their model I did not realize)

*How they started marketing UrbanSitter without paid advertising
*How her entrepreneurship has helped her marriage have “food for conversation” (her husband just started his own venture as well)

*The importance of carving out at least 3 hours every week for self-care when running a business
*And… her most personal embarrassing babysitting story (This is a classic! I couldn’t beat it.)
Lynn and I also discuss the importance of women selling the “big picture” when talking about your company, why you shouldn’t be afraid to launch your product or service in the beta stage, and why writing every morning and every evening can help clear your mind and prioritize your goals.
Lots of insightful tips and advice in this episode. Head over to iTunes and listen to this episode of Glambition Radio now (or download it for later).
Xo Ali
P.S. I would love your review! If you enjoy what I share in this episode, please leave a review and comment on iTunes. I would really appreciate it. Thanks!