Doula Business Chat - 2015 Planning

December 17, 2014 was our first Doula Business Chat.  We spent one hour through Google Hangouts On Air and chatted live with 8 doulas from around the US.  Our topic of discussion was business planning and goal setting for 2015.  

For my doula business planning, I use and highly recommend this business planner.  If not this planner, I do think a planner that guides you through the planning and goal setting process can make this process so much easier. 

My four MUSTS for successful planning and goal setting:

• MUST schedule time to fill out the plan and try to FILL OUT THE PAGES
• MUST schedule time each month to follow-up
• MUST take an honest look at last year and not let it affect your motivation for this year
• MUST be realistic, but give yourself an opportunity to dream too

Doula planning comes with the following unique challenges

• Schedule can be booked out 8ish months
• Requests are often not steady. Tend to come in waves
• Income often comes in months before work is done

When looking back of the closing year it is important to look over your goals from that year.  

Questions to consider include:

• Were there any goals that were not achieved
• Do any of these goals they need to be kept, reworked or thrown away?

Personally, I have had the goal on my list to add Henna art to my services for the last 3 years. I have decided that this year I will throw this goal away. I don’t have the time. Other priorities come first.  I would rather spend my time focused on my most important goals.

When looking forward to the new year it is important to consider the following questions:

• What is your schedule currently like?
• How many clients would be ideal?
• Where are there holes in your months that you would like to fill?
• Are there services that you would like to offer? Or services that you need to market more?

 What are the absolute most important goals for the year? Your top 3 is where you should focus the majority of your time and effort. Please share one or more in the comment section!