After my own dark season of hibernation over the past few months, I finally feel ready to shift into a new phase of my coaching business with Inspired Birth Pro. I’m considering it a re-birth.

I had a pleasant surprise in my inbox today. I received the latest newsletter for childbirth professionals from my friends at Natural Baby Pros (you are a member there too, aren’t you?), and part of the heading caught my eye – “…Don’t Make the Same Mistakes in Your Business as…” So I clicked on it and scrolled down, and lo and behold, the Biz Tip of the the month was from ME!

So what’s the number one rule? Your potential customers are really not that interested in what you do and how you do it. What they really want to know is, what’s in it for them?

I’ve been exploring a better-defined niche for my doula business. It’s evolved over the two years of my work with women, and it’s about to be transformed again pretty shortly. Today I’ll share with you what a niche is and why you should consider one for your birth business.

So you’ve worked on your cocktail line and you have a great statement about what you do for your ideal client. How do you know your cocktail line is effective? When the response you receive is “Tell me more”? So, what will you say next?

We each have 24 hours in a day, in which we have to fit in eating, sleeping, exercise, working in and on our business, taking care of our family, and the other responsibilities we have in our lives. In every moment we have choices – staying present in the moment and working mindfully based on our values and goals, or tending to the fires that have to be put out throughout the day.

For today’s post, I’ll be revisiting an old one I wrote a few months ago regarding business expenses. I thought I’d share a list of deductible expenses today for your business. It’s by no means comprehensive, but maybe there are some items that you haven’t thought of:

There are many ways doulas set their prices and even whether or not to charge. Different doula organizations suggest different methods of whether, when and what to charge. I will go out on a limb (and may be disagreed with vehemently, I know) and discuss some ways that others I’ve spoken to have structured their pricing. Hopefully that will help you to decide what works best for you.

When you have a business it’s important to keep accurate financial records. Here are some ways to help:

If you love your birth work, chances are you’ve got books. Lots of them. And what about organizing handouts for clients? Then there are the nifty tools we take to births. Here are a few tips to keep it all straight.