End-of-Year Doula Reflection: Let’s Be Honest: You DO Have an Ideal Client
-
Unknown speaker 00:04
Welcome to Doula Tips and Tips, the podcast where we cut through the noise and get real about what it takes to build a sustainable doula business. I'm Kaylee Harad. I've been a doula informally for 14 years and full-time for seven.
Unknown speaker 00:20
Around here, we don't sugarcoat stuff. We talk autonomy, owning your worth, creating a business that works for you, no fluff, no burnout, just the honest truth on how to be your own best boss. Let's get into today's episode.
Unknown speaker 00:37
Welcome back to Doula Tips and Tips. Today I'm going to talk about how all of my clients who are ideal clients somehow love the color teal and all other dual tones. So I was having a chat with Adoula the other day who I've been coaching and she said like, I don't know if I have an ideal client, but also maybe I do have an ideal client.
Unknown speaker 00:58
And I'm like, oh no, you definitely do. But as doulas, again, we have that energy of want to be all the things for all the people. And so we tend to be taught, we tend to be trained to actually take on any client and not need an ideal client.
Unknown speaker 01:15
And I would say both as a doula and as a business owner, that's a bad idea. And the reason that's a bad idea is those clients that aren't a great fit for you aren't a great fit for you. And you are not a great fit for them, right?
Unknown speaker 01:28
Like that's the other side of it is they could have someone else who is a good fit for them. You could have someone else who is a good fit for you. Ultimately, trying to take on people who aren't a good fit is almost always from a place of desperation.
Unknown speaker 01:44
I'm going to let that sink in for a second. It's almost always from a place of no one else is going to hire me. If this couple wants to hire me and I don't let them, no one else will. That's just not true.
Unknown speaker 01:56
It's just not true. So fast forward to fast forward. I don't know why I'm saying that. I wasn't telling you a story, but in my head, I was telling you a story, but I'm not. So back probably, gosh, five years ago now, I had a client who was like the best fit I've ever had.
Unknown speaker 02:18
And she actually now is one of my besties. So she was a perfect fit. Like we are like so similar. It's the best thing ever. Like, you know, when you have that, the girl in your life that's just like, yes, you, you and I, we are aligned, right?
Unknown speaker 02:32
That is who she is. And her partner as well. And her family is glorious. And I adore them both. And I remember learning that she loves jewel tones. And I was like, oh, I also love jewel tones. Like I love dark navy.
Unknown speaker 02:48
I love teal. Like my bedroom sheets are like a deep green with like all kinds of bright colors in them. I have a mustard color like throw on my bed. I have navy curtains. I have teal, everything, right?
Unknown speaker 03:02
I mean, my whole business is teal. And then I, so like we joked about it, you know, but then over the years, it's been kind of hilarious that almost all of my clients that I'm like, we are deeply aligned also love jewel tones.
Unknown speaker 03:20
And I'm like, is this really a thing? Like I used to joke about ideal client avatars, that the whole exercise of like, where do they shop and what do they like and what do they eat and where are they hanging out?
Unknown speaker 03:31
And I'd be like, uh, whatever. Like I really poo-pooed it. And then this year I was like, wait, do my ideal clients all like jewel tones and teal is their favorite color? Is that, is that my ideal client avatar?
Unknown speaker 03:44
Like just like, do you love deep tones and also bitching about the patriarchy? Well, then yes, we're aligned, right? But but actually, I do have an ideal client. My ideal client is someone who wants evidence-based care, like is not so married to one idea that they think that they can do that no matter what else happens.
Unknown speaker 04:06
They actually want to know the variabilities that might be part of it. They want support through the potential twists and turns, but they also want someone who's just going to be incredibly straightforward with them, who's not going to bullshit them, who's not going to flu flu it, like who's just going to be like, listen, in this scenario, your kid is super stressed out.
Unknown speaker 04:27
And that is why they're talking about doing a vacuum. Not because you can't push the baby out of you, but because your kid's heart rate looks like absolute shit. And maybe we can rectify it, right? We're going to try to do some stuff to get this girl out of there before we have to do that.
Unknown speaker 04:41
But in the meantime, you need to know that the vacuum is on the table because your daughter does not love the process of being shoved out of your body right now. Right. And so that, that is my ideal client.
Unknown speaker 04:54
I know that, right? I know that I resonate with people who are like, yes, tell me why. Like this thing matters and why does it matter? This thing doesn't matter to me and this is why it doesn't matter to me.
Unknown speaker 05:08
Right. And what's the evidence tell us? Do we actually have a good reason to believe that this is a thing to do? Yes or no? Maybe we don't. Maybe we do. Right. But also, most of those people love jewel tones or like nudes because I like either one of those.
Unknown speaker 05:27
Like I like like neutral, you know, colors, like different grays and browns and like creamy, like, you know, put the neutral things all together sort of thing or deep dark jewel tones. Like why, why am I opposite personalities?
Unknown speaker 05:44
But I think as doulas, we so frequently do not want to have an ideal client because we feel the scarcity of that, meaning we're turning people away. And you know that I think a doula should always, always have the intuitive ability to say, you are not a good fit for me and it would not be a good thing for me to support your birth.
Unknown speaker 06:12
Right. And I will tell you, every time I've had that feeling and I have not listened to it, it has not been a good thing. It has not been good. Every time I've been like, yeah, we're not a good fit. And I've been like, you can hire me anyway.
Unknown speaker 06:26
I have regretted it every single time. Now, do I think like your ideal client is definitely getting Starbucks drinks or definitely like only eats this particular kind of kale? No, I don't think that because there is variety in these folks, right?
Unknown speaker 06:43
So it doesn't have to be that they all live in a certain part of town and they all live in whatever. It can be that like the things that at the core are the most important things for your ideal client come with a variety of other things with them.
Unknown speaker 07:00
Right. And so what I want you to do as an exercise. So today you have some homework. I want you to choose your top three to five clients from this year. So from 2025, top three to five clients and decode what you loved so much about them.
Unknown speaker 07:16
Like, was it how they interacted with you? Was it their like sense of humor? Was it what they wanted from you? What they were asking of you? What they were like trying to engage with you about? Like what was it that was helpful to you and like was well aligned, right?
Unknown speaker 07:32
What was it that was like the thing that made them stick out to be in that three to five? Right. That's kind of what I want you to think about so that you can see what is your, how do we kind of use that information to go forward, right?
Unknown speaker 07:49
And in what way do we attract those people? Because then that goes back to like, how are we talking to the people that are reading our website? How are we interacting with people on our intake calls, right?
Unknown speaker 08:00
Like or our consultation calls. Like how are we making sure to be so authentic about who we are and what we do and who we work with that we can clearly and bravely communicate that with people. So they also self-select in or out, right?
Unknown speaker 08:18
Like they can select that they are not a good fit for you just as much as they can select that they are a good fit for you. Okay. So do your homework. Three to five of your best clients, favorite clients, most aligned clients, however you want to write it of 2025.
Unknown speaker 08:35
What about them made them make that list, right? Decode it. Who are they? What is it about them that's so helpful? Do they all have navy couches? Right. That's kind of what you're going for. And then use that to build in 2026.
Unknown speaker 08:54
How are you communicating to those people to draw more of them in? Okay. All right. I will see you in the next episode. Thanks for joining us for this episode of the Doula Tips and Tits Podcast. If you learned something today or had an aha moment, we'd love for you to share that on Instagram and tag us at Haradoula so we can celebrate alongside you.
Unknown speaker 09:18
If you found this podcast helpful, we would so appreciate you taking a second to leave a rating and a review on your favorite podcast app. That helps other doulas find us as we do this work together.
Unknown speaker 09:30
This podcast is intended as educational and entertainment. It is not medical advice or business advice. Please consult your own medical or legal team for your own needs around your health and your business.
Unknown speaker 09:42
We'll see you again soon.
ASK A QUESTION!!! My plan is to start Friday Q&A (we need a new name, I know!) but first I need your questions! Submit them using the form below:
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/ask-me-a-question
Continuing on our end-of-year review today we are talking about ideal clients. The Ideal Client Avatar is a thing that gets tossed around in business circles constantly. Where do they shop, what do they wear, what kind of person are they? Doulas are often resistant to have an “ideal” but the reality is WE DO! And that’s a good thing! When you’re talking to EVERYONE as your ideal client you’re actually talking to no one! Tune in to get some ideas and inspiration for figuring out who your ideal client is.
Quote from the show:
“I think as doulas, we so frequently do not want to have an ideal client because we feel the scarcity of that, meaning we're turning people away. And you know that I think a doula should always, always have the intuitive ability to say, you are not a good fit for me and it would not be a good thing for me to support your birth…. I want you to choose your top three to five clients from this year. So from 2025, top three to five clients and decode what you loved so much about them. Like, was it how they interacted with you? Was it their like sense of humor? Was it what they wanted from you?”
CONNECT with Kaely on TikTok or Instagram
https://www.tiktok.com/@doulacoach
https://www.instagram.com/Harroddoula/
If you like this episode, don't forget to share it to your Instagram stories and tag me @harroddoula
Doula Tips and Tits is produced by Kaely Harrod of Harrod Doula Services
It is sponsored by The Doula Biz Blueprint Self-Paced Class for Doulas Launching Successful and Sustainable Businesses!
Music by Madirfan: Hidden Place on Pixabay
