Anna Rodney of Chicago Household Doulas

Anna Rodney by no means got down to begin a doula company. It grew to become a necessity when her one-woman birthworker operation attracted extra inquiries than she might accommodate.

As we speak, Chicago Household Doulas is without doubt one of the largest doula businesses within the nation and has an schooling department known as Delivery & Child College, which Rodney based to satisfy the necessity for self-paced, distant start courses throughout the pandemic.

We spoke with Rodney about how she realized she wanted to kind an company, the enterprise of managing doulas and the payoff and suppleness of working for herself.

Anna Rodney of Chicago Household Doulas

SUCCESS+: Inform me about your journey beginning Chicago Household Doulas.

Anna Rodney: After I had my first [child], I noticed [that] being gone [for] set hours is actually exhausting. Then I had my second 20 months later, and I used to be like, ‘Oh, yeah, baby care is actually costly.’ So when [my first] was 6 months outdated, I took a doula coaching, however like many individuals, I simply couldn’t determine make that right into a enterprise, and I used to be actually nervous about taking that leap.

However then after I had my second, I used to be educating at a college that I actually was having a tough time with. It was actually an intense job, and I used to be coming house and feeling so depleted and never appreciated in any respect at work. So I used to be like, ‘ what, I don’t assume I’ve the capability to do that anymore. I don’t need to do it anymore.’ So I simply type of took child steps. I took a part-time job educating on-line whereas I constructed up my enterprise. And I grew to become a hypnobirth teacher and a postpartum doula. I used to be already a labor doula. And I took a enterprise class.

[When I started the business], it was simply Higher Delivery Chicago. After which, it was simply going to be me, and I constructed the web site with simply me. Inside about three months, I used to be realizing that it was changing into an company, so I rebranded as Chicago Household Doulas fairly shortly, after which it simply type of took off from there. I nonetheless have the core crew that I employed again then, they usually’re nonetheless working with me.

S+: How many individuals did you convey on at first?

AR: [For] my first rent, I truly hosted a coaching at my home, and I employed about, I consider, six individuals: some labor doulas, some postpartum doulas and a few that did each. And it was a sluggish begin. I stuffed my schedule first. After which I stuffed up the doula schedules.

I bought pregnant with [my daughter]… [and had] to present away all of my start shoppers, all of my postpartum shoppers that I had booked. So I actually turned it into a real company the place I used to be the administrator. I had individuals working for me, and I used to be not taking any of the hands-on work. My enterprise exploded once I did that. [I kept] my doulas busy, which saved them loyal to me.

S+: Why did you resolve to convey your doulas on as contractors?

AR: I believe in all states besides California, doula work is contractor work. Folks have an excellent assorted schedule. Some months they may have six births, [and] some months they may have three.

There’s loads of flexibility with it, which I believe [is] one of many causes individuals change into doulas. A postpartum doula would possibly do a live-in job and work 100 hours per week, after which they may take two months off.

S+: Once you rent doulas, what do you search for?

AR: One of the best doulas are the individuals that actually care about different individuals. So that’s [the] greatest [quality I look for]. It doesn’t matter to me what number of years of expertise someone has. Someone will be tremendous skilled, but when they don’t have that take care of different individuals, they’re not going to be wonderful.

S+: What companies does Chicago Household Doulas present?

AR: The 2 that we provide… are start doulas and postpartum doulas. Delivery doulas’ households can rent us in being pregnant at any level, [whether] they’re newly pregnant or [it’s] later in [the] being pregnant. We help [them] in being pregnant [by] answering questions, serving to them make decisions, discovering courses, discovering assets, getting ready them for start, getting ready their companions for labor… then we go together with them to their start and help them… [so they] have an empowering and optimistic start expertise.

I all the time say [postpartum doulas] take over the place the start doula leaves off. So they begin supporting households instantly postpartum or at any level postpartum. We offer daytime and in a single day help. Our focus [is on the baby]… but in addition [at] the middle of our help is [the] mother. So we take care of [the] mother. That hierarchy is [the] mother, child, household, family. So we handle all of the issues they need to handle, or normally handle, in order that they will relaxation, get better and bond with their child.

S+: How does having your personal enterprise repay?

AR: I so recognize the flexibleness of proudly owning a enterprise. I get to be current for [my kids], and there’s positively an power that comes with proudly owning a enterprise. Each accomplishment is mine, and it feels huge and thrilling.

I used to be all the time afraid of enterprise as a result of I… [thought] I must not be true to myself. That has been most likely one of many greatest classes: I get to be true to myself on a extremely huge stage and [have] a optimistic influence on individuals.

This text initially appeared within the September 2024 situation of SUCCESS+ journal. Picture courtesy of Anna Rodney