Leaning Into Business Goals and Strategy
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00:04
Welcome to doula Tips and Tips. This podcast is a place where we answer one question about doula work, both to support you and to help you support your clients. I'm Kaylee harrod. I've been supporting families in this perinatal space since my oldest was born, 12, nearly 13 years ago.
00:23
I am a birth and postpartum doula childbirth educator, La Leche League leader and a doula coach. I love guiding and supporting doulas as they work out their doula business. It is a tremendous joy to be trusted in this way.
00:36
Thank you for joining us on this journey. Welcome back to doula Tips and Tips. I want to dive into a question that I get asked or think about on a regular basis because I think part of the primary issue in my mind behind the lack of strategy and business thought in doula businesses is that we neglect the traditional business goals and markers and things like that.
01:14
When we think about having a thriving business, we probably have an idea of what that means in our heads. And also, when we think about our own business and owning our own business, that might be a completely different idea in our heads.
01:32
And so I want you to take some time with me today to think about what it can look like for you to have business goals and strategy as a doula and how does it look to really lean into that and that be a part of your business that's really great and lovely and not a part that feels like I'm setting goals and then I have to hold myself to them.
01:57
So when I think about business goals, I want to tell you a story to get us started. When I was like, I guess maybe three years ago, or maybe four years ago, so I was a couple years into business, I have one of my best friends here in DC is also a business owner and owns a sleep consulting business.
02:22
And so she and I were sitting on her front porch talking. This was like the very earliest months of COVID, or like socially distanced on the front porch, and did that like once a week, like it was, it was honestly helped us both survive probably.
02:38
And I remember her saying to me, you know, oh, my goal this year was to have this many clients. And so my goal, you know, I'm like this far, I'm like this close to meeting that goal. And this was probably towards the end of the year, but maybe like October, November, like so this time of year, right?
02:59
And so I remember her saying, how many births have you attended this year? And at that point I was maybe at like 15 to 20 a year or something like that. So I was like, oh, you know, 15. And she was like, what was your goal?
03:12
And I'm like, I don't know. I was just like, as many as possible. Like, you know, part of me was just like, make as much money as I can, have as much clients as I can, like, survive, you know? And when you have a survival kind of mindset or you're just kind of like, I don't know how to set goals and I don't want to let myself down, then it is really common for you just to be like, oh, wow, look at me.
03:37
I attended 15 births. Isn't that amazing? Excellent job. But the reality is that if you are owning a business, then you really do need to have a sense of what your year could look like. And that is both financially important, but also just in terms of being a business owner, it's important for stamina, for having kind of a healthy ebb and flow of business pace, like not putting yourself into a pace of burnout.
04:12
Like, all of that really matters. And when you're newer, especially, but even when you've been in it for a little bit, it's really easy to put yourself unintentionally or like accidentally on a pace of work and life that is not sustainable.
04:29
And I will be honest with you, in business, and in dual work and in life in general, it is much harder to scale backwards from that than to start out in an intentional place. So I have been thinking about this a lot because it's early November, we're coming up on the new year, right?
04:49
And I want to really start to strategize in my own business. I have already started to strategize in my own business to be fair, this is not the first moment that I'm thinking about. about next year, but also I think when we think about our doula businesses, they're sort of broken up into nine months, right?
05:07
Like because people get pregnant and they book us and so we have like these seasons sort of with clients where it's like, okay, well, this client was this year's person and this other client is next year's person.
05:18
So naturally we start to kind of look towards the next year around this time because we're like, okay, now we have people do in January and February and March and April and May, you know, and so we're sort of looking at next spring and summer by force, by necessity because our clients are due then.
05:39
And I realize that might not be the case if you already don't already have people do at that point. But the nature of our work sort of points us in the future a little bit, right? And so one thing that I have just been thinking about is how we sort of are on our own to set goals and to strategize and to help us move forward.
06:02
And I want to change that. So I don't know, I think a birth sometimes gives me a burst of inspiration, which maybe sounds really silly, but I feel like that is the case. And so I was able to support a family yesterday when I'm recording this, not yesterday when you're listening to this.
06:26
And that family was not my client originally. It was a backup client and their doula was injured. And so I was able to go and support them and be with them and be a doula for them. And it was lovely and wonderful.
06:41
And also I think sometimes I get home and there's this rawness after a birth that's like, you gotta sleep, you gotta eat, you gotta shower, like just like survive. And then when you kind of move out of that time of survival after a birth, for me at least, I sometimes I'm like, hmm, what did I miss?
07:02
And I know that's kind of sounds silly, but like sometimes a birth is long, right? And so if a birth is long, you're like, oh, okay, I have to reschedule this and that thing had to be canceled. And even in a shorter birth, like this was a relatively short birth.
07:16
And I, you know, like I canceled a postpartum shift and another shift, they graciously were like, just don't come, you need to sleep, you know? So I had some shifts change in terms of postpartum work.
07:30
I had to reschedule a few things. I had to take a kid to the dentist today. And so I needed to make sure I was a week in time and all of that kind of stuff. But then I'm also sort of by necessity looking at like what needs to get done that I missed while I was focused on this person giving birth.
07:48
And today that meant thinking about the future, like thinking about next year, because I had a prenatal visit with someone who's due in 2024. And so I'm thinking about that. like, you know, as a doula and a business owner, it's really easy to feel like you have to constantly have the motivation to do your own goals, the knowledge to make your own goals, the like cheer leading to make your own goals happen, you know, like you're just doing every part of it, like you're the creative director and also the like strategy consultant, and also the CEO and the COO and like every possible position, right?
08:29
And you're also like going to births and seeing people postpartum. And so life can kind of roll in this way that is really hard and fast and doesn't give you time to be like, am I on the right track?
08:44
You know, so I'm going to give you a little sneak peek of something. I just thought of this today and I am going to be offering a special opportunity to connect with me and to do some brainstorming and to kind of do some planning for the year for people who are on my newsletter list.
09:04
I'm not, it's not going to be a public thing. It's not going to be a big like masterclass for the whole world of doulas. It's just going to be the people who like read my newsletters, listen to my podcast, like really my people, right?
09:18
Like you, you who's listening to this, you are one of those people. So if you are not yet on my newsletter, then there is a link in the show notes to be a part of that newsletter. And I would really recommend that you join because you're going to start hearing about this opportunity to hang out in early December.
09:37
And I would love for you to be a part of it. It's not something I'm going to offer to the public. So I want you to be able to do it if you'd like to. And it's free. So you know, hang out with some doulas, get to hang out with me, get to talk about business stuff, get to think about next year, celebrate yourself in this year, and have some motivation and some direction and some encouragement to keep you going.
10:04
Okay, so grab that link in the show notes to sign up for the newsletter or head over to Instagram. The link is there as well. And I can't wait to see you in that special exciting private secret meeting that we're going to have.
10:19
All right, see you in the next episode. Thanks for joining us for this episode of the doula tips and tips 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 heradoula so we can celebrate alongside you.
10:38
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.
10:51
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.
11:03
We'll see you again soon.
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We understand that running a successful doula practice involves more than just passion. It requires strategic thinking, business acumen, and a commitment to continuous growth. Let’s talk about leaning your business goals and strategy.
Quote from the show:
“But the nature of our work sort of points us in the future a little bit, right? And so one thing that I have just been thinking about is how we sort of are on our own to set goals and to strategize and to help us move forward. And I want to change that. So I don't know, I think a birth sometimes gives me a burst of inspiration, which maybe sounds really silly, but I feel like that is the case. And so I was able to support a family yesterday when I'm recording this, not yesterday when you're listening to this. And that family was not my client originally. It was a backup client and their doula was injured. And so I was able to go and support them and be with them and be a doula for them. And it was lovely and wonderful.”
CONNECT with Kaely on TikTok or Instagram
https://www.tiktok.com/@doulacoach
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If you like this episode, don't forget to share it to your Instagram stories and tag me @harroddoula
Kaely Daily is produced by Kaely Harrod of Harrod Doula Services
It is sponsored by The Birth Prep Blueprint Childbirth Class
Music by Madirfan: Hidden Place on Pixabay
