Tag: collaboration

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Standing out from the Crowd in your Birth Work Business

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1655208046361{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]One of my favourite aspects of getting to know more doulas is hearing everyone’s “Why I became a birth worker story”. While there are common themes, every doula’s story is unique and visceral. Our motivations are often connected to our own experiences of birth trauma or the traumatic experience of a loved one. Others want to disrupt the systemic injustices of the medicalized birth model that have impacted them and their community directly. Others are “birth nerds” who are just fascinated by all things birth and baby. Others remember their own experience of wishing they had had more support and more information and want to provide that for others.

Our specific reasons are as unique as we all are. Yet, many of us struggle to communicate this innate individuality to prospective clients. It can be hard to know how to make what you offer clients sound different from the standard list of doula services: “continuous labour support, informational support, assistance with establishing a good latch, emotional needs during labour, non-medical comfort” etc. All of those services are invaluable, but we also know that parents looking for a doula are not just looking for another clinical person with certain skills. Creating marketing materials that clearly convey how you will deliver those services in a way that is different from any other doula can be very elusive.

This is where brand identity comes into play. To be honest, when I hear the word “brand” the first thing that pops into my head is that shoe company’s swoosh. But branding is actually much more complex than an eye-catching, memorable logo. When we see that iconic swoosh, we have specific feelings and perceptions about who wears those shoes and who we would be in them, as compared to any other athletic footwear.

Similarly, our brand as birth workers needs to make it intuitively clear to prospective clients who we are in the birth room and who our support will affirm them to be. When we connect with our audience using a strong brand identity, our business name, logos, shapes, and colours all fit together seamlessly to tell the story of who we are and how the way we do what we do is different from any other doula in our community.

Another thing I have observed about doulas is that the birth worker community is collaborative rather than competitive. Stemming from our deeply personal reasons for taking up this labour of love, we want our clients to find the best fit for their needs. We want a consistent stream of clients without having to haggle with each other for our share of the market.

On Tuesday, June 14 at 7 PM ET, Business Consultant Gaileen Flaman will be supporting us to ensure that our public presence stands out from the crowd. Using a mix of self-reflection, visualization, and storytelling exercises we will emerge with the ability to market with precision and cohesion. This is an invaluable opportunity for anyone building their business who wants to know how to tap into the clients that are looking for you. You can register for the Building your Brand Webinar here!

 

The webinar will be close-captioned. Ticket holders who are unable to attend the webinar live will receive a recording of the session within two business days.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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birth Business Childbirth Educator collaboration community connection Labour Doula Postpartum Doula

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]

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2018, a year of connection – A message from our Director

2018.  A year of connection.
A message of reflection from our Director.

When the last light switch is turned off on our yearly trainings I like to sit back and reflect on the growth, the hiccups, and the bounty of support we have created at Doula Canada.  Were our 2018 goals achieved?  What were the lessons we learned?  How can we make this better for our members in the year to come?  

365 days of continuous trainings and member support can feel like a daunting task at the turning of the new calendar year, but 2018 leaned towards healthy growth via the streamlining of our online learning centre and the dedication of our expert training staff.   In short, this past year was a year of vibrancy and commitment by our growing membership, our hardworking team, and the community of networking partners we set out to encompass.

It was also a lot of fun!  We made videos, held webinars, and we increased our communitas for members who wished to take part in our online check-in’s, social media platforms, monthly newsletters, and closed community forums.  

But fun wasn’t the only focus of this past year.  2018 was about making connections and beginning the work on collaborations both with and for our Doula Canada members.  The year allowed for us to ask and to receive.

In Canada we found incredible partnerships in The Gabriel Dumont Institute and the onset of our Indigenous Doula program.  We set the groundwork for our doula programs to be offered bilingually through Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB).  We continued to strengthen our relationship with Douglas College in New Westminster, BC, and we began discussions with multiple national partners to increase access to doula support through increased funding, alongside obstetrical partnerships, and increased awareness of maternal and infant mental health.  

We are grateful to have held space and made plans with First Family Wellness (Regina), Beausoleil First Nation (Christian Island), BirthMark (Toronto), Hon. Min. John Haggie (Newfoundland) and his community partners, Canadian Mental Health Association (National), and a number of hospital administrators and boards.  We look forward to continuing our discussions and plans in 2019.

Connections were also made outside of Canada as our team worked to create bridges between the maternal support needs of International communities and the strength of our Doula nation and its trainings.  Many of our members volunteered in countries like Honduras, Costa Rica, and Haiti, and in early 2019 a number of Doula Canada students will travel to Tanzania with Wombs of the World to work as alongside obstetrical support, and to increase access to safe water and sustainable job opportunities.  We will continue to support these initiatives as we make plans for future retreat and learning opportunities held abroad by Doula Canada in 2019.  

Lastly, 2018 was a year of growth.  As an organization we saw our membership increase by over 38% from the previous fiscal year, and we expanded our certifications and workshop offerings to include expansive programs such as Infant and Pregnancy Loss, Sex and Birth, Rock Your VBAC, and the announcement of our Fertility Support and Menopause Practitioner trainings. 

So, 2018, you were kind to us, and for that we are grateful.  Our organization at Doula Canada grew and created beautiful connections that we look forward to nurturing in 2019.   As the Director for this organization I am continuously grateful for the opportunities to learn from each of our members, for those who put forward their best intention to help our Learning Centre get off the ground, and for all the individuals who continue to show up for our profession and our communities.   I am also grateful to the Doula Canada team, who work 24/7, 365 days a year to support our growing membership and their professional needs.

This New Year’s Eve we will ring it in with many new friends and colleagues, and for that we say…

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