With the economic problems so many of us are experiencing, saving money as a birthing professional is vital. It keeps us in business and keeps us helping expectant parents.
Want to start private childbirth education classes but the cost of videos and equipment has you hesitating? Contact other childbirth educators and doulas to see if they’ll loan or rent you the equipment you need. You could also consider splitting the equipment with other birthing professionals and only partially paying for the supplies.
If you’re purchasing anything, inquire about bartering or trading. Other businesses are struggling in this economy and many will offer trades or barters to help them stay in business. Want to advertise on a website? Ask if you can help them with promotion or article writing. When dropping your business cards off at a local baby shop, offer to take some their cards for your clients. You could also ask for discounts—many businesses will give you discounts if you pay in cash rather than by credit or check.
Build your own website, logo, business cards and brochures if you don’t have money for another company to do it for you. Many places such as Webs.com, Weebly.com and Wix.com will help you build your website for free. If you don’t want a free website, check GoDaddy for affordable options.
While it’s annoying to get daily newsletters from companies like VistaPrint and GoDaddy those newsletters offer great deals on many of their products. Just be choosy about which newsletters you sign up for. You should also sign up at Childbirth Graphics, Injoy Videos, ICEA, DONA, CAPPA for their monthly newsletters. Many of their newsletters contain coupons and notifications about sales.
Go to used book stores and yard sales for the books you need for certifications. If you prefer new books, shop at discount places like Amazon. Now’s a good time to check out eBay and Craigslist for deals; many birthing professionals are going out of business and liquidating their supplies. Check out those places once a week.
Everything you spend money on for your business is tax-deductable. Every book you purchase, every training, every business card you buy counts and saves you money when you do your taxes at the end of the year. Note everything you buy in an excel spreadsheet and save your receipts. You’ll be happy you did at the end of the year.
Any other ideas? Let us know and we’ll add them to this article.