Coaching for doula agency owners.
Beyond your own personal birth work, you're ready to think big. Is it time to start a doula agency? Or maybe you already own an agency but it's time to get bigger, better, more organized. I can help.
Beyond your own personal birth work, you're ready to think big. Is it time to start a doula agency? Or maybe you already own an agency but it's time to get bigger, better, more organized. I can help.
Imagine supporting not just your own clients, but your entire community and other doulas and educators too. I love agency life.
I’ve owned Michigan’s first and longest-running doula agency for more than a decade. I started Birth Kalamazoo when I was getting too many doula service requests to handle on my own. So I thought, “Why not bring on contractors to help manage that demand?” I didn't know what I was doing in the beginning, and there were very few models for me to learn from. So I knuckled down, got expert support as I could, and figured out how to grow a thriving agency.
For a lot of years, I helped other startup agency owners for free. I’d offer a phone call here or there to tell them about what I was doing, and what I knew of other agencies.
A FORMAL AGENCY COACHING PACKAGE.
After a decade of running my own doula group and helping other agency owners, I've developed a formal coaching program to help you start a doula agency or grow the one you're already running. I’ve worked with group owners around the world, from Australia and Ireland to the United States and Canada. That means I can tell you more than just how we do it in my corner of the world. I can share best practices, options and opportunities.
Are you ready to launch?
"My partner Jen and I booked time with Jessica to get guidance on how to set up a doula agency. We were both excited, but not sure how it would all work. Jessica could not have been more supportive, and we learned so much from her wisdom and knowledge. She answered all of our questions and gave us so much practical information. Her experience is so evident, Jen and I knew we really needed that when we were starting completely from scratch. We would have never gotten our agency set up without her.
We also loved her compassion! For Jessica, while this is a business, it is also a labor of love (forgive the pun), and that shines through in her conversations. She is ethical, and the type of business woman that we would naturally be drawn to. Even though we were an ocean apart for our Skype talks, it never felt that way. Jessica never made us feel hurried or rushed to get through all of our questions, and we’ve returned to her several times for quick questions that have come up. She still gets back with us so promptly. We have so much appreciation, and we couldn’t recommend the coaching package highly enough.
Without Jessica’s guidance, we might still be talking about Doulacare Ireland becoming a reality. Instead, with her support, we’re now running an active, thriving doula agency."
Mary Tighe (and Jen Crawford) • DoulaCare Ireland
"Quite simply, my doula agency would not exist without Jessica's mentoring & support! After working as a full-time doula for a few years and becoming so busy that I was giving clients away to other doulas, I reached out to Jessica to see what my options were for expanding my practice. With her guidance & encouragement, I took the step into agency owner life, and I've never looked back.
Jessica answered all my questions and shared with me the processes and structure for my business that I still use today. She helped me think through any potential issues that I might face, and provided accountability in the early phase to keep me on track. She gave me answers to questions I didn't even know I had, and I'm so thankful for her. My agency has grown exponentially since then, and I attribute much of that growth to the foundation that Jessica helped me set from the beginning. Her experience & expertise are invaluable to a new agency owner, and her love for this work infuses everything she does. Do yourself a favor and hire Jessica to help you realize your doula agency dreams!"
Andrea Hewitt • East Nashville Doulas
"When my partner and I decided to begin a doula agency, we were excited and overwhelmed! We are so happy that Jessica became part of our business building journey. As established doulas, we had a good working knowledge of the industry, but when it came to bringing other doulas on as part of our team... we had a lot of questions!
Jessica is so knowledgeable and straightforward. She is the ultimate doula cheerleader! Jessica thought of things that had never crossed our minds, and clarified things we were cloudy on. We still reach out to her occasionally with quick questions, and check in with her to show off our progress that she helped get rolling. We are grateful and proud to have invested in our business by hiring Jessica."
Renee Forred • Transitions: Doula & Life Services
"Jessica has been absolutely instrumental in helping me build a successful agency here in Salt Lake City, UT over the past year. When I was moving from a solo doula practice into an agency, I literally googled 'how to start a doula agency' and her website popped up. I devoured every morsel of info on the website and immediately sent her a request to have a consultation. From there, we’ve connected several times over the last year as I’ve tripled the number of doulas on my team and served more than double the clients I served the year prior.
During our meetings, Jessica is clear with her suggestions, asks really thoughtful questions, and words things in a way that makes daunting business tasks feel manageable. I always appreciate her kindly saying, 'Well, have you thought of doing this,' or 'Hmmm…that’s an interesting idea, but let me offer another suggestion….' when I share some of my frantic-new-agency-owner-just-trying-to-figure-this-out thoughts and ideas.
I’m so grateful for the fact that Jessica has taken her years as a successful agency owner and dedicated time to helping newer agency owners to thrive. I can’t wait to see what growth the next year will bring to my agency, and I look forward to continuing having Jessica as my mentor along the way."
Beth Hardy, Heart Tones Birth Services, Salt Lake City, UT
YOUR MARKET. YOUR COMMUNITY. YOUR VISION.
We’ll customize our time together based on exactly what you need, but here are some of the topics agency owners usually want to explore:
- choosing doulas and outlining contract expectations
- build a service and product strategy (current and future)
- building your business structure
- systems to manage day-to-day tasks
- the details of working with contractors (including exclusivity issues)
- mentoring and support offered to your contractors
- tailoring your agency's approach to your unique market
- financial investment and return, including pricing of services and the agency's cut
- creating packages based on your market, your resources and sales psychology
- identifying do-it-yourself tasks vs. those that require a professional resource
- developing paperwork and contracts (key points to cover)
- liability insurance
- building your brand (and engaging your team in support)
- identifying your market niche and strengths
- networking and strategic relationships
- social media strategy
- identifying resources for additional support
- review of your website and materials for editing and strategy
- the biggest mistakes new agency owners make and how to avoid them
We can talk hourly (great if you just have a few questions and really like to DIY from the ground up), but most people opt for a four-hour coaching package. And most of our conversations are by FaceTime or Skype. I've found that seeing each other face-to-face raises the connection factor and helps us get more done.
Who benefits most from our agency coaching?
In my experience, the four-hour coaching package would be a good match for you if:
- you’re ready now to move ahead now with starting or expanding an agency or group (a one-hour session works well if you just want some basic info for a “someday” project)
- you understand the basics of doula work, have some experience under your belt, and you’re ready to scale up
- you could use encouragement and motivation to stay on a timeline and keep the project moving
- you want insights, recommendations and options so you can choose your own best path
- you want to benefit from my experience and also everything I’ve learned from the other agency owners I coach
- you have a heart-centered approach to birth business
- you want to create a sustainable business model that will offer real value to your doulas and families in your community.
Who might not be a good match?
Our support isn't right for everyone. The four-hour coaching package is not a good match for people who:
- want to know the “one right way” (I don’t believe in one right way for birth, and I don’t believe in it for agency owners either)
- are just toying with the idea of maybe starting something in the future (let’s do a one-hour exploratory session together instead of the four-hour package)
- don't have much experience yet as a doula themselves
- need legal advice — I can refer you to a lawyer but I can't give legal opinions
- are all business and no heart — we like to work with people who truly care about their doulas and their community
- are all heart and no business — you won’t last as an agency owner (and you won’t be able to do good in your community) if you can’t be at peace with earning a living.
Does it make sense for us to work together?
PRICING FOR AGENCY COACHING
(for new agency owners + those who want to grow)
Hourly Coaching
- This is a great option if you're just exploring the possibility of an agency or have a specific issue to problem-solve.
4-Hour Coaching Package
- This option allows us to really go deep together to launch or structure your agency for long-term success.
The agency package can be purchased multiple times — most of our clients start with one package for startup and then purchase a second for monthly or quarterly check-ins as the business grows.
If you're ready, let's connect.
I'm here to help you build — can't wait to talk.
-Jessica
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