The Doula Darcy Podcast: Episode Summary
Episode Title: A Doula’s Guide to Strategic Outsourcing and Work-Life Balance
Host: Darcy Sauers
Release Date: October 20, 2024
Introduction
In this enlightening episode of The Doula Darcy Podcast, Darcy Sauers delves deep into the crucial topics of strategic outsourcing and maintaining a healthy work-life balance for doulas. Drawing from her extensive experience in both advertising and doula services, Darcy provides actionable insights and personal anecdotes to help fellow doulas scale their businesses effectively without compromising their personal lives.
Setting the Stage: Preparing for Growth
Darcy begins by sharing her excitement about an upcoming retreat for her Doula Village in York, Maine. This retreat serves as a backdrop for her discussion on business growth and the necessary mindset shifts required to achieve it.
“I’m always talking about growing your doula business, but I want to tell you the story of a mindset shift that really helped me have a lot more growth in my doula business.”
— Darcy Sauers [02:15]
The Challenge of Scaling a Doula Business
Five years into her career as a postpartum doula, Darcy faced the common dilemma of scaling her business. Despite having an agency with a couple of doulas working under her, she found herself overwhelmed with client work, leaving her with no additional hours to expand further.
“I was really busy and I was trying to figure out how to... I was spending all my time working, which is fine, but I was also bumping up against... there weren't any more hours in the week.”
— Darcy Sauers [03:00]
Initial Struggles with Outsourcing
Darcy recounts her initial struggles with outsourcing, primarily due to her self-perceived control issues. She believed that her meticulous nature was the barrier preventing her from delegating tasks effectively.
“At first I thought I was struggling with it because I'm a self-proclaimed control freak.”
— Darcy Sauers [04:10]
However, she soon realized that the real issue wasn't her control but the lack of sufficient tasks to justify hiring help. This revelation was pivotal in shifting her approach to outsourcing.
Mindset Shift: Integrating Business and Life
The turning point in Darcy’s journey was a significant mindset shift. She began viewing her business and personal life as interconnected rather than separate entities. By assessing her entire life, she identified non-business tasks that consumed her time and energy, which could be outsourced to free up resources for her business.
“I started to just think of my life. Me as a mom, me as a person, my house, all the things I do, and my business, my life.”
— Darcy Sauers [07:30]
This holistic approach allowed her to identify areas outside her business that could be outsourced, thereby creating more time to focus on growing her doula services.
Practical Examples of Outsourcing
1. Household Chores and Childcare: Darcy hired individuals to handle household cleaning and childcare. This not only reduced her stress but also freed up substantial time that she could redirect towards her business.
“I hired someone to clean my house. I started to hire my friend's kids... to drive my kids around.”
— Darcy Sauers [09:45]
2. Administrative Tasks: Recognizing that administrative duties like invoicing and contract management were time-consuming, Darcy transitioned from manual spreadsheets to using specialized software.
“I chose Edula Biz, but there's Honeybook, Dubsado, Dulotto… freeing up the five or six hours a week I was spending on invoicing and contracts.”
— Darcy Sauers [06:50]
3. Meal Preparation: To save time on daily meal preparations, Darcy invested in meal delivery services, allowing her to allocate more time to revenue-generating activities.
“I started to pay for one of those meal delivery services... I can spend my time into some task for my business that actually brings in revenue.”
— Darcy Sauers [13:20]
Tools and Resources for Efficient Management
Darcy emphasizes the importance of leveraging technology and services to streamline business operations. She highlights several tools that can aid doulas in managing their businesses more efficiently:
- Edula Biz, Honeybook, Dubsado, Dulotto: For invoicing, contracts, and overall business management.
- Meta Business Suite (Facebook): For scheduling and managing social media posts.
- Pre-written Content Packages: Such as her "Instagram for Doulas" bundle, which offers ready-made posts to save time.
“If paying 30 bucks a month is going to free up more than one hour of your time, that is so worth it.”
— Darcy Sauers [07:50]
Balancing Personal Life and Business
A key takeaway from the episode is the importance of balancing personal life with business demands. Darcy shares how outsourcing personal tasks not only improves her business efficiency but also enhances her overall quality of life.
“Cleaning my bathrooms, yes. Making dinner every day, yes. Those are draining to me.”
— Darcy Sauers [17:10]
By delegating these tasks, Darcy can focus on what she loves and what drives her business forward, ensuring both personal satisfaction and professional success.
Maintaining Authenticity in Business Operations
While outsourcing is beneficial, Darcy stresses the importance of maintaining authenticity, especially on social media. She advises doulas to personally manage their social media to preserve their unique voice and personality, which are critical for attracting clients.
“I really, really encourage you to write your own social media so that your own flair is in there and that helps you attract in those dream clients.”
— Darcy Sauers [18:45]
Strategic Investment of Time and Money
Darcy discusses the strategic allocation of resources, emphasizing that doulas must decide whether to invest their valuable time or money based on the nature of the task and their personal enjoyment of it.
“As business owners we have two resources, time and money. So it's really important to look at those things and decide which one you want to invest in something.”
— Darcy Sauers [19:30]
Continuous Reassessment and Adaptation
The episode concludes with Darcy encouraging doulas to regularly reassess their outsourcing strategies as their businesses evolve. This ongoing evaluation ensures that doulas continue to optimize their workflows and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
“This is something to come back and look at again and reassess and as your business grows, looking at ways that you can spend your time and your money wisely and get the most bang for your buck.”
— Darcy Sauers [20:10]
Conclusion and Key Takeaways
Darcy Sauers wraps up the episode by reinforcing the importance of a holistic approach to business growth. By strategically outsourcing both business and personal tasks, doulas can achieve greater efficiency, higher income, and a more fulfilling personal life. Key takeaways include:
- Integrate Business and Personal Life: View your time and resources holistically to identify areas for outsourcing.
- Leverage Technology and Services: Utilize software and external services to handle repetitive or draining tasks.
- Maintain Authenticity: Personally manage aspects like social media to retain your unique voice.
- Strategic Resource Allocation: Decide whether to invest time or money based on task enjoyment and business impact.
- Continuous Improvement: Regularly reassess your outsourcing needs to adapt to business growth.
“We get to design our businesses, we get to design our lives too, and we get to design a business that works really well with our own life.”
— Darcy Sauers [16:55]
By implementing these strategies, doulas can not only grow their businesses but also enhance their overall quality of life, ultimately allowing them to better support the families they serve.
Join the Conversation
If you found this episode valuable, join Darcy on her next podcast or engage with her community:
- Instagram: thedoulaDarcy
- Facebook Community: The Doula Marketing Group
Don’t forget to rate and review the podcast on your favorite platform to help more doulas discover these valuable insights!