clients – Doula School Canada

Why YOU matter in business.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1647449189768{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Birthwork is personal. Everyone comes to this work with some level of personal investment. Clients may be drawn to your logo, website, or social media but who they hire is you.

Imagine you are following a company on Instagram and Facebook. The images are warm and cozy feeling. The person in the images is wearing relaxed clothing and a big smile. So you set up a meeting. You are excited to connect with the person you see every day online.

When you arrive to meet with this person you walk into an office with modern décor and are greeted by a person in a business suit. How do you feel? Do you stay? Do you continue to want to work with this person?

This person’s marketing was not representative of who they are. For whatever reason, they were trying to be someone else in the marketing of their business.

Finding your voice in this business can be hard. You want to stand out, you want your ideal client to find you. The best and most effective way of finding your market is by showing up. Be vulnerable and honest about who you are.

Does this mean baring your soul on social media? Not necessarily. Authenticity is more important than transparency. Clients are not looking for every detail of your life. They are however wanting to meet you, not who you think you should be.

So what is authenticity? It means staying true to who YOU are, what YOU do, who YOU serve and, most importantly, why YOU do what you do. To quote Simon Sinek of Start with Why, “It means that the things we say and the things we do are things we actually believe.”

Authenticity is the basis of the trust clients develops in your business. A client wants to have some sense that the beliefs and values you express in your business, align with theirs. People are drawn to others who are similar to them in certain ways. What it means is finding your voice. Finding your people and letting them get to know who you are.

Where do you start?

Confidence (even if you have to fake it till you make it)

This means believing in the power of you. Trusting that what you offer is so much more than the number of births you have attended, clients you have supported, or classes you have taught. That who you are is unique, and your clients are excited to meet you.

Connection

Getting yourself out there matters, but what matters most is relationships. Relationships with clients, caregivers, and other professionals are what business is built on. Through relationships all things are possible. Who you are matters in these relationships. Your business depends on your integrity of self.

Find a way to position yourself as the expert in your field. Find where your ideal clients hang out, what groups they are in, where they go to the shop, and build those relationships. Talk to the business owners, organize speaking events, be visible.

Clients are seeking connection. They want interaction, transparency, and relevance. They want to feel special. If a client likes your Facebook page or gives you their email they are saying “hey I like you!”. How can you say that back? How can you connect with them? Maybe that is as simple as shout-out on your social media platform or maybe that is a gift with purchase.

Consistency

This is more than just regularly posting on social media. This means that who you are and what images and ideas you are sharing align. All the time. That your brand is consistent. Being authentic doesn’t mean you have to post every day and rack up 1000 likes. It just requires you to deliver a consistent, compelling identity that gets clients talking.

It also means that if you are changing your marketing materials you need to be transparent as to what is to come. People have a hard time with change. Something as simple as a new haircut that makes you appear different from the headshot shown on your website can affect a client’s trust in your business.

Collaboration

Going back to speaking to other business owners. We have a saying here at Doula Canada. There is no such thing as competition. WHAT?! Shocking I know. Here is the thing. Competition breeds contempt. Collaboration builds business. Your market, your clients are unique to you. Visibility matters. The more birth professionals out there (in a small town or big city) the more clients there are out there looking for service.

Find like-minded individuals and collaborate. Put on a talk, share space, and find ways to build a market through and with each other. When you collaborate, you build connections. Connections bring clients. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Bringing Your Whole Self into the (Birth) Room

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1623409186714{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]It’s June, which means it’s Pride month here in Ontario as well as many other places across Canada and the world. For many of us who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and/or Two Spirit, (LGBTQ2S) that means an opportunity to celebrate our identities, our relationships, our families, and our whole fabulous selves. But even as we take to the (virtual) streets, we might wonder about bringing our identities into our work with clients.

You might be wondering, “Why do you have to bring your identity into your work? Why can’t you just keep the two things separate?” Bringing your identity into your work doesn’t necessarily mean beginning every introduction with, “Hi, I’m a doula and I’m gay!” (Though it can!) It means being able to use your pronouns, talk about your family, and share stories without having to edit yourself. It means not just seeing your clients, but also being seen by them.

While everybody has different ideas of professionalism, our work as doulas is deeply personal and relational. Sharing between doulas and clients is rarely one sided, and doesn’t have to be. Straight and cisgender doulas share their identities all the time, whether talking about their husbands or posting a family photo on social media, it’s just not seen as coming out because those identities have already been assumed.

You might also be wondering how moving through the world as an LGBTQ2S doula might impact your business. It’s a real fear: homophobia and transphobia exist everywhere, and there are families who might choose not to hire you because of how you identify or present yourself. There are also families who will hire you exactly because of these things.

This doesn’t mean that you have to come out: it’s a deeply personal decision. LGBTQ2S doulas navigate their identities in many different ways. You can incorporate your identity into your business mandate and name, and choose to work primarily with LGBTQ2S communities. You can market to a broader audience but share how you identify in your bio or on social media. You can plaster your website with rainbows. You can ask and expect your clients to use your name and pronouns. You can come out in your meet and greet, or as your relationship with a client builds, or when they ask you about your family. You can come out to some clients and not to others. It’s up to you.

Whatever you choose to do, we’re proud of you.

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