How to Maintain Your Sleep Consultant Business Postpartum
The weeks following the birth of a child are amazing and exhausting at the same time. Not only are you physically healing from labor and bonding with your new baby, but your body is mentally processing the experience and trying to balance your hormones. Postpartum usually lasts between six to eight weeks after giving birth, but this period can be longer for some mothers—and that’s OK! Everyone heals on their own time.
However, if you’re a sleep consultant, you’re probably realizing that your business passion and motherhood overlap. That may make you eager to use your knowledge in your own life as well as pass on all the magic you’re learning as a new mom. It’s an exciting time… but are you really ready to go back to work? How can you maintain your sleep consulting business while you adjust to your new life?
It can be tricky, but like all things motherhood, you’ll find you’re capable of doing just about anything. Here are a few tips to manage this transition in a manner that protects your physical, emotional, and mental health.
Start Slow—Even Slower Than You Think
One of the best parts about being a sleep consultant is that you can choose your own hours. You decide how long you work each day and when you clock in to meet with clients. As you return to work postpartum, limit the number of clients you take on. Consider returning to work for a few hours each day or even a few hours alternating days until you build a routine.
You definitely don’t want to take on more than you can handle, so it’s better to accept a limited number of clients as you return to work and add more later than to feel overwhelmed as both a sleep consultant and a new mom. Returning slowly will also help you devote your complete attention to your clients, giving them the best support possible.
Develop a Marketing Plan Announcing Your Return
Once you are ready to ramp up your client base and take on more calls, let people know that you are back. Develop a marketing plan that promotes your sleep consultancy and reminds people who you are. Here are a few ways to get the word out:
Write a blog post announcing your return and sharing what postpartum life has been like.
Create graphics for your social media channels highlighting how you are taking on new clients.
Reach out to partners in your industry, like doulas and nannies, letting them know you are open for referrals.
Set aside a few hours each month to attend networking events, taking full advantage of the opportunity to get out of the house!
It might take a few months to bring your sleep consultancy back to the level it was before you went on maternity leave. If you aren’t seeing the results you want, continue to invest in promotional efforts to grow your business. And you know what? You’ll discover that one of the joys of working with new parents is that they completely understand what you’re going through!
Create a Childcare Plan
When you first return to your sleep consultancy, you might be able to balance childcare with client meetings. You can build calls around feedings and set aside plenty of time to bond with your baby. However, as you return to full-time work, you may need to hire a relative, nanny, or childcare provider to help out as an extra set of hands.
Look at the monthly income from your sleep consultancy and consider how you could scale your business if you had regular childcare. Then consider the cost of childcare in your area. Hiring someone to help could empower you to grow your business by focusing on your sleep consultancy. This person can also lower your stress levels because you don’t have to choose between time with your baby and hours allocated to your clients.
Ask for Grace
Sleep consultants work with families who are trying to find balance in their households. They support kids and teens of all ages but often work with new moms who are trying to establish healthy habits with their infants. This is great news for sleep consultants returning to work postpartum. No one understands what you are going through more than your clients.
It’s OK to ask for patience and grace when meeting with your clients. Your newborn might become fussy during a call or need a feeding at the worst possible time. Most people will forgive minor meeting delays because of your baby.
Don’t forget to thank your clients for their patience with any rescheduling or meeting interruptions, and if you have an extra five minutes to give back in a future session, make sure you offer it. Acknowledging their support can go a long way toward building a client base that’s durable and flexible.
Check In With a Sweet Sleep Academy Mentor
Fortunately, you don’t have to return to work as a sleep consultant on your own. You can always meet with one of the incredible mentors and couches at Sweet Sleep Academy to talk through the post-partum process and confirm that you are ready to take on clients again. If you experience stumbling blocks during your return, these coaches can help you overcome them.
New moms have enough on their plates and don’t deserve to return to the office on their own. Turn to Sweet Sleep Academy for guidance and support so you feel confident when scheduling meetings with clients again.
