We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Janice Ingram. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Janice below.
Janice, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
When I decided to launch my business, it came from determination and an urge to do what was needed of me. I initially started by speaking to a mentor of mine and consulting with her about how to go about getting the skills I needed to pursue becoming a doula. I was given a pathway of learning to kick start my journey, and within that pathway I decided to research all that would entail me in finding all the information that I thought I might know, but not really know enough to build a business. I applied for a grant to first become a community health worker as suggested. This took me about 14 weeks to complete while I flexed my hours on my full-time job to keep money coming in. Once this was completed, I searched around to the many different programs that could get me trained as a doula and offer a scholarship to take the burden off a bit since I knew I was not making enough money to pay almost $1000 which is what most programs were charging at the time. Once I found the program in which I wanted to pursue, I reached out and was approved for a scholarship. After a week of being fully immersed in what it meant to be a doula, I knew this was a bit of a learning curve. Much of the terminology was new to me and needed to become second nature to be able to reciprocate to clients. I had already somewhat started building the business before the training by coming up with a business name, hiring a graphic artist to make my logo, constructing handouts, and building my contract and service offerings. With the background I carried from having my master’s in business and leadership the behind-the-scenes work seemed like a no brainer. Pricing out insurance coverage for businesses such as mine, getting registered within my state as an LLC, and having a registered agent who was within my budget was a tedious but necessary process. I attended workshops on everything business and built my business plan. Once completed with doula training is when the real work would come. My instructors encouraged me that once I got back home from Texas, where I did the training, I should start marketing myself for clients. I thought to myself I’m not ready, I have no business cards, or slogan, but they were adamant that this was what I needed was to jump in and learn as I go. So, I got back home and finished building my website so that I could at least let people know about my services and advertised on social media which is where I landed my first client within a week. Exciting and scary, yes it was, but I knew that I could make it happen if I just focused on my purpose and motivation for why I wanted this in the first place. I had reached out to another doula who helped me build my contract and other paperwork for consultation visits. I developed package options to fit most any budget and found payment options for clients that would be suitable for my business and its makeup. Before my first client visit, I had my business cards printed, a folder with all my paperwork and a spiel ready to go. I was hired on the spot and from there I built out more and more as the needs would come. I have consistently maintained learning and staying certified in any service that I offer that relates to maternal health and wellness. As I learned in building my business word of mouth reaches multitudes, but consistent marketing on the right platforms is mandatory also. Finding my target audience and outreaching to partner with other organizations has been critical in reaching the areas that need the services and the reason for my launching this business. I have been in this business going on 4 years now and each day I am able to pick the direction I want to take my business and how I am going to build it up even more. Having a sound financial plan has been a huge benefit and which has helped me get farther than I imagined with being able to consistently contract as a community health worker separately to afford any business needs without going into debt with loans. A business is constant work and being innovative and creative is a must unless you hire a marketing company to do the work, which are not financially sustainable with the income I bring in currently, but the work I do I thoroughly enjoy and there is never a dull moment or regret that I took this journey, because it is my life’s work and I am honored every time a client chooses me to take the their journey with them.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am a God-fearing woman of color, wife, mother, daughter, and friend to everyone I meet. I am an advocate for anyone who needs to find their voice. I started back in college with helping senior citizens and evolved from that to foster children and now to maternal health for BIPOC. I have made my business into a one stop shop by offering in person full spectrum doula support, which could be for birth, postpartum, miscarriage, and fertility support. All birth situations are welcome, and I maintain providing a safe space for clients to share their trials and tribulations with no judgment. Aside from the basic doula services I am a childbirth educator and instruct courses for expecting parents monthly. I recently began offering pregnancy and labor meditation, due to societal climate we live in, I noticed that many of my clients were needed decompression to focus on their inner selves during labor. As part of postpartum services or as a separate package, meal preparation and meal planning is offered. Meals are adjusted to a clients’ dietary needs. Last, but not least sibling care and car seat inspections which are the only services that cannot be virtual, while my other offerings are flexible, was developed when a nurse informed me of the great need for military families to have someone to assist with other children during labor. I believe what makes me different is my personality and the empathy I bring when clients are faced with difficult decisions during their pregnancy. Afterall, I am not hired to change their life, but support them in being informed and comfortable with the decisions that they do make. I do not birth babies, but I support before, during, and after the labor process. The brand that I have built is a reflection of relaxation and strength all wrapped in one and empowering, as my email states, to have both.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson I had to unlearn was to not take my clients’ decisions personal. There are times where clients make decisions even after asking my opinion but become adamant that it is the right decision for them, and it all goes wrong for them. I feel that even though it was their decision to make that maybe I didn’t do my due diligence in persuading them differently. but I had to learn that it is not my decision to make it is theirs and only theirs to make. I’ve done my part by giving the information and letting the ultimate decision be theirs to own no matter how I feel about the situation afterwards. I don’t lead with the “I told you so,” attitude, but I lead with a move forward attitude and let’s conquer the next goal in line. If I try to make everything go my way, it is now my birth and not theirs, and I want it to be fully theirs.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Funding my business was very organic in a sense that I continued to work full-time to get to a launching point of my business. I applied for a business credit card and bought materials that were necessary to start, but with the first year used all profits and income to pay the credit back as I spent. During Covid I took out a small loan and this year was able to pay it back fully. Currently to maintain time in between when I am not servicing a client I contract with flexibility as a community health worker which keeps my skills and resources up to date to assist clients in a maternal health capacity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.blissfuldoulaservices.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blissfuldoulaservices
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janice-ingram-8419681b9
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/blissful-beginnings-doula-services-blue-springs?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=%28direct%29