Doula Business Basics: Tips from Your Doula Trainer

One of the key elements of the ABG doula training is education around running a business. While we want all doulas who complete our training to feel confident in their newborn care skills and companionship abilities, we also want them to be able to market, sell, and fulfill incredible and much-needed services. Furthermore, we want them to feel that their business is sustainable. 

If you are new to entrepreneurship or small business ownership, we hope that these tips will offer you a starting point for building a business.

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8 Tips from Your Doula Trainer

1. Spend time networking. While we sometimes find that term annoying, this practice is truly important for building a community. This will benefit you AND your clients along the way. We talked about networking in our last blog, too, so check it out for some ideas!

2. Build a landing page for clients. While you don’t need to have everything done in order to start this work, we notice that doulas who have at least an Instagram/Facebook page or a simple website are able to connect with more clients. Families want to get to know you and understand your services; these digital spaces are some of the first ways they can do so. Also, a small pro-tip about websites: don’t start a free website with a weird URL, if you can avoid it. Buy the domain in order to keep it clear, memorable, and accessible. (The cost of your domain is a tax write off too).

3. Determine your rates and services. This is a starting point! You can always edit them along the way, so don’t worry about these being “forever.” Do research in your area, practice saying your rates outloud, and settle on a number that you feel comfortable and confident about. Additionally, we also recommend keeping your service offerings simple. There’s no need to have several different packages. Instead, start with 1 or 2 packages or an hourly rate that you feel really good about.

4. Register your business. This is helpful for legal protection. A limited liability company or LLC, for example, protects the assets of its owners from lawsuits and creditors concerned with the company's business debts. Having an LLC also enables you to open business bank accounts, and overall, this structure is extremely helpful for keeping clean lines between your business finances and personal finances, which is crucial!

5. Figure out a bookkeeping system. There’s a free app called Expensify that can help you track expenses, which is important for deductions–and small business owners need to take these, when they can get them! You can track mileage (yes, each drive to and from a client visit can be tracked) and business expenses for easy categorizing for tax season. Some doulas who have trained with us have set up and enjoyed QuickBooks Online, which requires some basic accounting knowledge or a training to learn how to use all of its features. In any case, you need a system for tracking both income and expenses.

6. Collect client feedback and testimonials. Your clients’ words can be so helpful in giving future, potential clients a glimpse into what your care is like! Additionally, feedback can inspire learning, shift, and change along your growing business journey.

7. Seek mentorship. Some experienced doulas offer paid mentorship or group meet ups, which can be invaluable in supporting you along the way. It’s like having a business doula for your growing business!

8. Market in ways that you enjoy. There’s a lot of icky marketing info floating around. We suggest only using strategies and methods that actually feel authentic to you. This could be utilizing Facebook parenting groups that have weekly marketing opportunities, offering free monthly workshops, or posting regularly to social media. Sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error to figure out what you enjoy and how you feel the best when marketing your services.  

Join Us for Postpartum Doula Training

ABG offers both online (self-paced) and occasional IRL trainings for folks who are interested in becoming postpartum doulas. We’d love to be a part of your journey in offering crucial care to postpartum families. Learn more and sign up here!

*Photo by Photo Tirachard Kumtanom

Thanks for reading ABG Postpartum Doula Blog! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.