Doula Business Collaboration: How to Partner with Other Birth Workers for Mutual Success
Have you ever wanted to reach out to other local birth workers, but don’t know exactly how to approach them?
If you’ve been wondering how to properly introduce yourself and make friends in the birth community, then get out a pen and paper, this blog post is for you.
The 3 questions we answer in today’s blog:
How do I get my name out as a new doula in my local community?
What do I need to successfully design and launch my ebook to create passive income in my doula business?
Do you ever barter your doula services?
Every Friday, I answer your biggest questions right here on the Birthworker Blog AND the Birthworker Podcast.
To submit a question for next week’s podcast, click here.
Question #1: How do I get my name out as a new doula in my local community? Is it going door to door at local offices and asking for referrals? -Ashley
I do not recommend visiting OB offices because oftentimes, you’ll just be chatting with the front desk worker, who obviously isn’t an OB, and likely will not pass your information on. You won’t be connecting with the right people. It isn’t a good use of your time and energy - not to say it could never work.
I recommend you try connecting with other birth workers in your local area instead. Other doulas, midwives, birth photographers, and even mother/baby chiropractors are great people to connect with. Take them out to coffee or lunch and connect! A referral begins with a relationship.
There will be doulas and birth workers in your area that are fully booked and need to meet other doulas (like you) to refer clients out to. So don’t be shy, let them know you’re in their area, and make some connections! Collaboration is more beneficial than competition for everyone involved - especially the mothers you are all serving!
When I tell my students this, I always emphasize making it easy on the other birth worker. There’s a chance that they’re on call for 10 births per month, so make the entire experience seamless. Instead of saying, “Hey, I’m a new doula in your area! Wanna get coffee sometime?” Shoot them a very specific email saying something like,
“Hey [name], I have heard so many great things about you! My name is [name] and I am a new doula in the community, and I would love to take you out to lunch, my treat. How about [restaurant] on [multiple options for days and times]? Whichever time works for you, I would just really love to meet and get to know you!”
This way, the doula or midwife just has to pick a time and say, “Sure! Tuesday at 2pm, I’ll be there!” Rather than brainstorm a restaurant, pick a time, etc. And if they’re on call or unavailable, you can offer to do a quick phone call with them and send a Starbucks gift card afterward as a thank you! The important thing is to connect with local birth workers, let them know that you’re in the area taking clients, and if they ever need anything, you’ll be there for them.
Question #2: What do I need to successfully design and launch my ebook to create passive income in my doula business? -Beck
For design, Canva is my #1 recommendation. I think everyone should be using Canva Pro because it saves so much time to be able to organize everything in folders, upload your brand colors and logos, etc. You’ll also get access to more design templates than the free version.
As for launching the ebook, you don’t even need a course hosting platform. You can deliver your ebook in just a simple email! My favorite platform for email is Mailerlite. The platform is free up until a certain point, but if you’re using Mailerlite to sell and deliver an ebook, I’d recommend upgrading to the paid version. If you have the funds for hosting a website on Squarespace or Showit, I’d recommend that first, but Mailerlite also has the ability to create a website. Mailerlite also has payment integrations with programs like Stripe, so your email subscribers would be able to pay you directly from a button on the email they received.
That is just the tip of the iceberg, but Canva and Mailerlite are great places to start with an ebook.
Question #3: Can you barter your doula services?
When I became a doula years ago, they told us to NEVER barter, trade services, or give anything away for free. Back then I believed them, but now that I have bartered, I know that a blanket “no” statement is really inappropriate.
When I was a kid, my mom was a dentist and she bartered with a family-owned, local pizza business. They had a lot of kids, so she did everyone’s dental work for free and we got free pizzas whenever we wanted in return. Since dental work is usually so expensive, the infinite free pizzas were definitely justified. My mom was a single mom for many years, and it was amazing for her to be able to send us to get pizza whenever we wanted, completely for free because of her bartering.
Personally, I have never bartered my doula services, but I have bartered my courses and coaching quite a bit. The most important thing to consider when deciding to barter is if it’s a full-body yes for you. If there is any resentment being held, then the answer should be no. And of course, include the terms of the bartering in your contract to protect yourself and keep your boundaries clear.
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Meet your host, Kyleigh Banks, a side-gig doula turned CEO of a multi-six-figure birth-focused business. Her passion? Teaching birth nerds, like you, how to build an incredibly successful doula business that allows you to quit your day job, stay home with your kids, and most importantly, make a lasting impact on the world.