In this episode of Lactation Business Coaching, hosts Annie Frisbie IBCLC and Leah Jolly IBCLC talk about the unique challenges of starting a business as a private practice lactation consultant. 

They go into how hard it is to charge money for something you’d do for free and how to make peace with the inevitable expenses involved in starting a business. Leah and Annie know how much you want to be both compassionate and financially viable because they face this tension in their own private practices.

“No one is going to take you as seriously in your business as you take yourself”

In this episode, we will cover:

• How starting a business has challenges, especially when you’re coming from a volunteer background, but they’re nothing you can’t handle, with the right guidance and resources.
• The importance of investing the time and the money now to create a solid foundation because that’s what’s going to bring you financial viability and joy.
• How you can have it all: a business that works and the deep satisfaction that comes from helping families meet their breastfeeding goals.
• How to turn downtime into marketing time
• Why you shouldn’t just put yourself out there and hope for the best. Your future self will be much happier if you take the time now to lay a firm foundation.

Links and Resources

• Advice For Starting Out In Private Practice As An IBCLC
• Why You Shouldn't Use A Free Gmail Account And What To Do If You Are
• Subscribe to the Deeper Dive Membership: https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/subscription/deeper-dive-membership
• Have an idea for a podcast episode or a Deeper Dive? Let us know! https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/form/collaborate

If you like what you heard today, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram and leave us a review on iTunes.

About Us

Leah Jolly is a private practice IBCLC with Bay Area Breastfeeding in Houston, Texas.

Annie Frisbie is a private practice IBCLC serving Queens and Brooklyn in New York City and the creator of the Lactation Consultant Private Practice Toolkit.

Many thanks to Stephanie Granade for her production assistance, and to Silas Wade for creating our theme music.