How to Start Your Own Doula Business After Becoming a Doula
Business Overview:
If you are a compassionate person who loves working with women and babies, you should consider becoming a doula and starting your own business. A doula is typically someone who takes care of a pregnant woman before, during and after delivery. A birth doula takes on this support role through labor and delivery; and a postpartum doula supports the new mother through the first few weeks of motherhood. If you have a special place in your heart for new moms and for babies and are generally a positive supportive person, you should learn how to become a doula. More and more women are choosing doulas to assist in their labor and delivery and the demand for this type of caretaking will continue to rise. But before you get new business cards printed up, you should thoroughly research this business idea and craft a solid doula business plan. This plan will help you focus your business and answer questions about what types of services you will provide, what your services will cost and how you will market your new business. Word of mouth will be the most important advertising for your new business since nervous first-time parents are grateful for the recommendations of trusted friends. The majority of your clients will likely be referrals but you still need to work out a marketing plan and decide where and how to tell people about your new business. Some doctors’ offices and hospitals will have a list of doulas for those pregnant women who are interested. Try to get on every one of those lists in your area. Find out where pre-natal yoga classes are held and leave your business cards there. Spas that offer pre-natal massage are also great spots to market your services. Basically, any place expectant mothers are likely to gather is a prime target for your marketing efforts. Once you have a few clients, the word will spread and you won’t have to spend as much time advertising. You then can concentrate your efforts on keeping your clients relaxed and help them experience the joys of birth and motherhood.
A Day in the Life of a Doula Business Owner:
You will spend a portion of your day marketing your new business, whether it be in local magazines or leaving business cards at various locations around town. The main focus of your day will be your meetings with your clients. You will travel to their homes (if they are not yet at the hospital) to discuss any questions or concerns they may have and to review their birth plans. If a client is in active labor, you will meet her at the hospital and help her relax through labor and eventually delivery. If you offer postpartum doula services, you will travel to new moms’ homes to assist with any issues they may have taking care of their new babies. If you have doulas working for you, you will coordinate their assignments and check with them periodically to monitor the progress of their assigned clients. At some point in your day, you will need to review your finances to ensure all payments have been made and everything looks good.
About Your Customers:
Your customers will be pregnant women or new mothers needing comfort and reassurance through their labor, delivery and first weeks of motherhood.
What You Need to Start:
- Compassionate demeanor
- Business plan
- Marketing plan
- Doula training (certification if desired)
- Computer and finance software
The Good:
- It is highly rewarding to help women through the process of labor and delivery.
- You can become a doula with just a small amount of training.
- You can charge quite a bit for high quality services.
- You can scale up your business and hire doulas to work for you.
- You don’t have to be in an office from 9-5.
The Bad:
- Getting your first few clients can take some time.
- The hours will be odd; babies come at all hours of the day and night.
Resources:
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