Free doula business checklist
Becoming a birth doula requires a lot more than just practicing hip squeezes and counter pressure with your clients! Of course you have to find those clients willing to receive your hip squeezes in the first place! At HelloBirth we're passionate about providing a supportive community for our hypnobirthing instructors. And we know so many doulas out there who can benefit from this too. So without further adieu we present to you the Free Doula Business Checklist. Enjoy!
1. Set up your doula business voicemail greeting
You might choose to do this on your personal cell phone which is fine. But you have to be OK with the fact that all of your friends and family will hear your business greeting whenever you can't pick up. (This can be a good thing as it reminds them of what you're up to.) Frequent reminders in your personal network jogs their memory about spreading the word to their contacts who need your support.
2. Set up a basic website
Your website can be a true work horse in terms of bringing clients to you. You'll need the help of search engine optimization (SEO) if you want to expect organic Google searches to turn up your doula business above others. We highly recommend both The Website Doula and Love At First Search as smart investments when you're ready to take your website and your SEO to the next level.
But for now, it's totally OK to have your website set up as a basic landing spot to showcase who you are and what you offer. (Your business card can list it! See: Step 3.) Even if you don't have a business name finalized yet, you can purchase a website hosting plan. We recommend Websavers or WP Engine. From there, you'll be able to search in the hosting company's domain area for your web address. You could choose something like www.yournamedoula.com or www.yourcitynamedoula.com if it's available. For instance my name is Jenny Bennett so I could look for doulajennybennett.com or northernvirginiadoula.com and see if I can score one of those. (They usually cost around $20 annually.) Try not to get your heart set on something too specific, because if someone else has already snatched it up they might have it "parked" and are trying to get some poor fool to pay them big bucks to sell it to them. Don't fall for it! Just go through your hosting plan. And your plan will also have super customer support. They can walk you through how to install WordPress and how to get a basic web template set up so you can start plugging in your content! (The Website Doula can also help tremendously with this process!)
3. Print some basic doula business cards
This might seem a bit old school, but you'd be surprised how many other small business owners want an easy way to refer their clients or patients to doulas. Many complementary service providers such as massage therapists, mental healthcare professionals, or holistic healthcare providers such as chiropractors or acupuncturists are thrilled to put your doula business cards in their lobbies. So of course this means you already know your Step 4: connect with other local business owners! Download the checklist below to get going! (By agreeing to our mailing list, we may send you a little information about what hypnobirthing is and what the HelloBirth instructor training is all about, if that's OK with you. If not, you can always opt out!)