A Doula‘s Guide to Staying in Business | Patty Brennan

Today we talk to Patty Brennan, founder of Lifespan Doulas, and author of The Doula Business Guide. She offers doula education, training, and certification through her program, as well as the business training needed for independent workers to establish a stable practice. Over her 40 year career, Patty has personally trained over 2000 doulas, in addition to being a doula and a midwife herself, running a company and nonprofit, and authoring vital business resources for doulas around the world.

We talk about the struggles that recently certified doulas face when they are first trying to establish a practice, and how the right type of guidance and support can help them to avoid an early burnout. We also talk about some things new doulas can use to establish themselves, and what they should avoid when getting started, as well as when they should be willing to serve on a volunteer basis and when they should avoid working for free. We discuss what to do as a doula when you are burning out or losing your passion for your work.

We discuss some of the business models that doulas can establish their practice under and some of the benefits of each, as well as the importance of being aware of the way that you personally work best when determining how you will approach your business and payment model. We also talk about how to get started as a doula and which states require licensing, as well as some of the potential issues with governmental regulation versus the benefits.

Finally we talk about how doulas can overcome the aversion to "selling" their passion-based work rather than giving it for free so that they can sustain themselves while doing what they love. We discuss authentic ways of marketing yourself as a doula, as well as the effect that underselling yourself has on the ways potential clients think about your service. We talk about differentiating yourself from other doulas operating in your area to draw in attention of clients, and how to advertise to the community of people that you most want to focus on serving.

To Learn More Visit: https://lifespandoulas.com/

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