In Parts 2 and 3, we explored the spiritual and emotional aspects of the Inner Work of building your birth business. In this final article, I’ll talk about the Outer Work of growing your practice.

The Mental Aspect of Business

Once you have done some of the Inner Work of building your business, you are now ready to move into the mental aspect of the Outer Work. Here, you synthesize your values, beliefs and emotions and begin to create goals. When you begin setting your business goals, use the acronym SMARTER:

Specific, and the more specific they are the better.
Measurable. That which you measure will be treasured, so think about what will be the measurement of your achievement of your goal.
Accountability. Who or what are you accountable to for the goal? Being accountable to something or someone other than yourself will tend to encourage you to keep your promise to complete the goal.
Realistic. It’s good to think big, but setting unrealistic goals will lead to discouragement. Start with smaller goals that are easily within your reach, then begin to challenge yourself more.
Time based. Decide your time-table for completion, and stick to it. Make sure whoever is holding you accountable knows your deadline.
Exciting. Exciting goals will be met far sooner than boring, bland goals.
Recorded. Write down your goal and post it in a place where you can look at it every day.

In addition to creating your goals, you will determine the areas that need your attention and mentally work through how you will achieve results. Resources may include:

• Books
• Web sites
• Seeking advice from experts in the birth business
• Enrolling in workshops to learn more about business topics
• Consulting professionals such as attorneys and accountants for business guidance

It is likely that since you have done some Inner Work, as you work on the mental aspect of your business, you will find it easier to identify goals, prioritize your tasks, and organize yourself, your schedule, and your space.

The Physical Aspect of Business

The physical aspect is the culmination of all you have worked towards in the first three aspects of building your business. By starting with the Inner Work, you were able to clearly determine the necessary steps so you are able to take action in your business. You will find that this process is continual. As your business grows, you will find yourself going back to the Inner Work aspects of your Spirit and emotions. These serve as an internal compass for you to recharge and redirect yourself so you can return to the mental and physical aspects with more clarity, intention and inspiration.

Many people find that when they have done their Inner Work, they spend less time spinning their wheels in the mental confusion that often occurs when starting a new venture. By really defining who they are and what they want in their lives and business, they set a vision, or a mission of what they are about.

If you’ve read anything about the Law of Attraction, it is said that that which is focused upon is drawn. When you allow yourself to dream and visualize your unique and authentic doula practice and keep those pictures forefront in your mind, you will find that the resources you need will appear when you need them, your ideal clients show up in your lives, and the people who help you move towards success are around just about every corner.

I encourage you to take the time to reflect and get clear about what you want for your business, and explore some of the questions that were asked in the previous articles. I’d love to hear about your successes as a result of implementing the Inner and Outer Work into your birth business.

These posts may also inspire you:

1. The Inner Work of Building Your Birth Business – The Emotional Aspect – Part 3
2. Building a Business Based on Values – Part 1
3. The Inner Work of Building Your Birth Business – The Spiritual Aspect – Part 2
4. Be SMARTER with your goals
5. 5 Steps to Summer Sanity: Goal Setting (Part 3)