Grace Elsner’s Dine & Drop

Last December I had the pleasure of interviewing Grace Elsner for the video shown below. Let me introduce you to Grace, a senior at Visitation Academy in the greater St. Louis Missouri area. Grace is one busy student and business owner. She’s the Founder and CEO of Grace Elsner Babysitting which officially became a business in high school. However she began babysitting at the age of 10. That’s right!! Grace has been working in the same job for eight years. One reason is most likely it’s not your average babysitting with taking care of one, two or three children on a weekend night. Grace has clients she works for on weeknights, weekend days and evenings, holidays and school breaks. Her summers include being a nanny during the weekdays.She’s also the Founder of Dine & Drop which is an offshoot of Grace Elsner Babysitting.

When I asked her why she decided to turn it into a full-fledged business her reason made perfect sense. “It truly was an accident. Once the babysitting jobs began to pile up,I knew that if I marketed it correctly and consistently I would reach new families. I could use this as my main source of income as a high schooler. Babysitting is a great job because it is not a set schedule.It is completely moldable by myself and the family I am working for. On average during the school year, I work 1-2 times per week, but sometimes it is heavier on any given week.”

 Dine & Drop

Dine & Drop is the brainchild of Grace. All of her previous and current clients agree Grace has provided exceptional childcare for over eight years. Four years ago she launched Dine & Drop after learning about a local country club hosting a monthly “Dine & Drop.” While she had no idea what the country club did with it, she liked the name and created her own idea for a program with children. The goal is for children to meet other children in the Saint Louis area while making all children feel at home at her house.”We believe that bridging connections of kids from different schools is one of our greatest offerings to families. It’s also sets me apart from a regular sitter. We try to make the transition into our house seamless by giving the children plenty of options from games to crafts, to video games. The children get to choose how to spend their time. I have found that giving these children these freedoms in a controlled environment can be beneficial because options like this are not always presented in a young child’s life.” What’s the favorite part of Dine & Drop? The glow stick dance party at the end of the night!

Grace’s Advice For Young Women Starting A Business

I asked her on advice for high school girls wanting to start a business in high school. Then for those already in business who want to grow their business beyond high school. “What advice do you have for GenZ high school girls wanting to start a business while in school? Advice for those who are already in business and want to grow the business perhaps beyond high school? “I would simply advise these girls to team up with each other, and if you feel like you must be independent, make sure that your friends can at the very least be your cheerleaders. You have no idea how empowering that is. Also go in with a plan. Have a marketing developmental program,a content calendar for all of your social media posts, and make projections of revenue—and where that revenue is coming from. Be sure to have have an adult that you can bounce ideas off”
If you have questions for Grace and want more information her website is a great place to learn about her services: https://www.graceelsner.com and her email is elsnergrace@gmail.com