5 Mistakes New Doulas Make… And How to Avoid Them
The Doula Darcy is a Doula Business Coach who helps doulas get more clients.
5 Mistakes New Doulas Make… And How to Avoid Them
As a Doula Business Coach, I see five common mistakes that new doulas tend to make.
Here’s what they are, and how you can avoid them!
The early days of a business can be overwhelming for anyone, and doulas are no different. Between training and certification, trying to find clients, and gaining confidence in your business, the first steps are critical in laying a solid foundation for the long-term.
When I work with new doulas, I see a lot of amazing passion and ideas, but also some common pitfalls across the board.
These mistakes are ones I’ve made myself and seen in so many other doulas - but what is most important is how we avoid them or overcome them down the line.
1. Imposter Syndrome
Without a doubt, the most common mistake I see is the failure to move forward with a business out of fear. Once training is done and it’s time to attract clients, so many people freeze up and feel like without experience, they can’t get started. While this logically doesn’t make sense – everyone starts somewhere! – it is so easy to feel like you aren’t ready for the job.
The good news is: training means you are ready! Certification programs are designed to prepare you to start right away and give you the tools to help a client. You will certainly gains skills as you work with more clients, but you have everything you need from the start. I also know this can be easier said than done and that gaining confidence doesn’t come overnight.
There are two pieces of advice I find the most helpful when it comes to this challenge.
One: Never lose sight of the passion that drove you to start training and pursue becoming a doula. The reasons that you took steps to find and complete a doula training can also drive you to start working and finding clients. Whether you’ve been working for one week or twenty years, this passion should be the core of your business.
Two: No matter how many doulas there are in your area, there are more babies born each year than there are doulas. It can be easy to get discouraged if there are other doulas in the area, especially more established ones. But the chances that every birth that year will go to them, or that they could take on that much work, is slim. There is always room for more support in the community, and you can fill that gap. Families who need support deserve doula services and your own fear shouldn’t get in the way of providing that to your community.
2. Delaying a Web Presence
There is often a period of time between when your training ends and you are fully certified that can feel like a bit of a limbo. This is the perfect opportunity to set up your early social media and website, and it’s not too early. Even if you aren’t seeking clients yet, having a formal page can make you appear more established for networking and even seeking out certification births. You don’t necessarily need to start with a website or every social media platform- start with a Facebook business page and build from there.
Websites are one area where I recommend an investment early on. You will eventually want to have one and they can be a huge benefit when it comes to clients finding you and other marketing activities. Even without the intricacies of website design and SEO, having a website alone lends credibility to your business. Think about anything you would be looking to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on- what is the first thing you would do? Probably Google it and look for reassurance. Your website provides that reassurance to potential clients and collaborators.
Need help getting a website? Check out the beautiful, functional & affordable doula website templates that my web design team created for you!
Ready to start getting more doula clients?
Watch the free webinar “How to Get Doula Clients” - on demand!
3. Not Showing up On Google (Optimizing SEO)
A huge part of your success as a doula will rely on people finding you through Google and other search engines. Being sure you show up on these lists can sound complicated, but there are also tools that you can use to help. The platform you use for your website makes a huge difference here, and is one reason I recommend an investment. Free websites like Weebly and Wix do not have as much integration with Google and often come up later in searches. Squarespace and WordPress are generally the leaders in this field, and not only do they tend to rank higher on Google, they make it easy to fill in your website in a way that assists with SEO.
You don’t need to start out with complex analysis and keywords. Knowing some basic words someone may find you through (“doula near me” is a big one!) can be enough to complete an initial website that boosts your presence.
Join My Doula Village and get a personalized website audit from me. AND learn ways to better your SEO.
Need help getting a website that has good SEO? Check out the beautiful, functional & affordable doula website templates that my web design team created for you! These have the SEO you need already built in!
4. Choosing a Complicated Name or Logo
Branding your business is one of the earliest choices you will make and can be one of the most impactful. When it comes to choosing a name, think about meeting someone during an errand. You have no business cards on you and they’re interested in your services. Your name should be something you could tell them and they would remember clearly enough to type into Google or Instagram when they get home. This means something easy to remember, simple to spell, and hard to confuse. It’s also good to avoid very common business names that may pull up other doulas in other areas.
Keeping it simple is also the best advice when designing a logo. Rather than an intricate and striking piece of art, your logo should be simple enough that it is visible on a small business card. Think of some of the most recognizable logos, like Nike or Target- very simple and to the point, which makes them easy to remember. Your logo can be the same.
5. Missing Out on Networking
Meet as many birth professionals in your area as you can, as soon as you can. This means seeking out everyone from OBGYNs to midwives to prenatal yoga instructors who may interact with pregnant and postpartum families. The best outcome will be them directly referring your services, but you can also ask them to display your material or keep you in an index of providers. Use email and social media to reach as many people as you can, or stop by their offices to make a great impression.
You can even network with other doulas in the same field as you. Finding a backup doula, or someone to be a backup for, is a great step in your business and will mean you have automatic colleagues. One of my mottos is “collaboration not competition” and this is a great foot to start out on!
