You are passionate about the clinical work you do but sometimes you can get so focused on your clients that you forget you need to nurture your business also. You didn’t become a lactation consultant because you wanted to be an entrepreneur - but here you are!

We didn’t start out with a business mindset, both of us were just excited about the opportunity to help more families. It was a hard lesson to learn that we can’t just serve our clients, but that we also need to run a business.

Treating your business and yourself as the business owner the same way you’d treat your clients means that your whole focus is on providing care. That energy builds and grows and radiates outward. You can’t care for someone else unless you are being cared for yourself. 

That’s where the circle of care comes in. Listen in as we discuss how to build and maintain a strong business so that you can bring your full-self to your clients’ care.

“What I put into my business, my business is going to give back to me”

In this episode, we will cover:

• How looking at your business as something that needs to be cared for shifts your focus from thinking of your business as just a bank account (3:00)
• The importance of treating your business and yourself as the business owner the same way you’d treat your clients (9:48)
• Why treating your practice as a business is not just good for you but for the clients you serve (16:50)
• How as a lactation consultant you are the beginning of the circle of care for your clients (19:33)

Like this episode? Want more?

The LBC podcast is ALWAYS free, thanks to contributions from supporters. 

Every contributed dollar counts and so do our contributors — as a thank-you gift to our top-tier members, we offer monthly LIVE Deeper Dive sessions with experts and access to all previous Deeper Dive sessions — check out our upcoming Deeper Dives and become a member! 

Links and Resources

• Register for Clinical Complexities in Private Practice: https://paperlesslactation.com/course
• 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.

In this episode, we answer that age-old question: what did you wish you knew when you first started out?

When you’ve just launched your practice, you don’t know what you don’t know. Every entrepreneur learns valuable lessons along the way, and it’s helpful to think of mistakes as opportunities to learn. 

We’re here to share what we wish we’d known when we started our journeys, what we implemented to solve the problems that came up along the way, and how our businesses have evolved. In this episode, we touch on three main areas that we feel are absolutely essential to building and growing your business. As always, our goal is to help you grow an amazing practice and make a living doing what you love!

From operations to organization, from communicating your value to cutting the paper from your practice, from HIPAA-compliant digital options to keeping your consult bag ready for anything, you’ll learn some great time- and headache-saving tips that will help you streamline and optimize your practice from day one!

“Learn from our journey! Skip all the hard stuff, and get to the good stuff!”

In this episode, we will cover:

• Amazing digital options that can help you run an efficient and compliant paperless practice (06:38)
• What we keep in our cars and consult bags to make sure each appointment runs smoothly (07:54)
• How to market yourself (15:28)
• The best ways to market yourself when you’re first starting out — and how to make a great first (or second) impression (21:11)
• The importance of ongoing training (27:56)

Like this episode? Want more?

The LBC podcast is ALWAYS free, thanks to contributions from supporters. 

Every contributed dollar counts and so do our contributors — as a thank-you gift to our top-tier members, we offer monthly LIVE Deeper Dive sessions with experts and access to all previous Deeper Dive sessions — check out our upcoming Deeper Dives and become a member! 

All contributions count; join at one of our starter levels here!

Links and Resources

• Launching Your Lactation Business (includes a Free Workbook: Lactation Consultant Private Practice Journal Prompts) https://paperlesslactation.com/blog/5-strategies-to-spend-less-time-on-charting-lactation-visits
• Acuity https://acuityscheduling.com
• Lactation Private Practice Essential Course https://learn.anniefrisbie.com/grow
• 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. You can email us questions and comments at [email protected].

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

Many lactation consultants are used to working solo, and it can be hard to surrender certain aspects of your private practice to others. When you wear many hats, like most private practitioners, it can be hard to recognize when you need to delegate a task to someone else who has more time or expertise in the area. 

But if you’re spending too much energy on tasks that you’re not proficient in or passionate about and they take you away from the clinical work you love, it may be time to bring on people who can share the workload.

Time is just as finite as money… and when you have more time for the things you’re passionate about, you might actually make more money! Finding support for clinical, administrative, or even personal tasks can free you up to focus on serving your clients and expanding your private practice to fit your goals.

You can start by writing down your weekly and monthly tasks outside of your IBCLC responsibilities and then assessing which tasks might be a good fit for outsourcing. You can hire out work for your personal or business life: billing, scheduling, clinical assistance, taxes, cleaning, laundry, school pickups, childcare, elder care — these are all great areas where you can free up more time for you to work within your own zone of genius and take better care of your clients.

“Identify your own zone of genius and stay there.”

In this episode, we will cover:

• Why social media is a great place to start when you’re looking to delegate — and where to find a great social manager (11:28)
• When it’s fine to brush up on your proficiencies and do it yourself, and when you should take the leap and outsource (14:13)
• What are some low-cost options for outsourcing (29:36)
• How time-tracking apps can help you figure out where your capacity issues lie (31:16)
• The importance of taking inventory of your time (37:28)

Like this episode? Want more?

The LBC podcast is ALWAYS free, thanks to contributions from supporters. 

Every contributed dollar counts and so do our contributors — as a thank-you gift to our top-tier members, we offer monthly LIVE Deeper Dive sessions with experts and access to all previous Deeper Dive sessions — check out our upcoming Deeper Dives and become a member! 

All contributions count; join at one of our starter levels here!

Links and Resources

• Alyssa Schnell (sponsor) https://www.alyssaschnellibclc.com/book
• Interview Question Swipe File https://annie-frisbie-ibclc-inc.ck.page/9b6f3d406c
• Incorporating Lactation Interns, Subcontractors, and Employees into a Paperless Workflow https://paperlesslactation.com/blog/expanding-lactation-practice
• G Suite https://gsuite.google.com
• Lactation Private Practice Essential Course https://learn.anniefrisbie.com/grow
• 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. You can email us questions and comments at [email protected].

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

For IBCLCs, being able to do things faster and with less stress translates to a better job done. That’s why we’ve dedicated this entire episode to discussing life hacks designed to introduce more ease into your private practice.

Through our time building and growing our private practices, we’ve identified a number of areas where we’ve been slowed down, distracted, disrupted, or ignored our physical needs… but we’ve also come up with simple daily solutions that keep us on track and working at our best (many of which take under five minutes). 

As an IBCLC, there are several key aspects where life hacks shine—from taking care of your body to managing your business logistics to nurturing your emotional and spiritual needs, there are small, powerful ways to get around the overwhelm while still making sure you tick off everything on your To-Do list.

“I always like a good hack. As a busy mom and a business owner, hacks are where it’s at.”

In this episode, we will cover:

• Life hacks for meeting your physical needs (05:35)
• Life hacks for meeting your logistical needs (22:10)
• Life hacks for meeting your emotional & spiritual needs (32:43)

Like this episode? Want more?

The LBC podcast is ALWAYS free, thanks to contributions from supporters. 

Every contributed dollar counts and so do our contributors — as a thank-you gift to our top-tier members, we offer monthly LIVE Deeper Dive sessions with experts and access to all previous Deeper Dive sessions — check out our upcoming Deeper Dives and become a member! 

All contributions count; join at one of our starter levels here!

Links and Resources

• Get Your Lactation Private Practice Organized https://paperlesslactation.com/blog/get-your-lactation-private-practice-organized-once-and-for-all
• Daily Burn https://dailyburn.com
• G Suite appointments https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/9308875?hl=en
•  Lactation Private Practice Essential Course https://learn.anniefrisbie.com/grow
• 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. You can email us questions and comments at [email protected].

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

What does it mean to be a small business owner and a compassionate lactation consultant? 

We got into this business because we love caring for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. But excellent clinical skills don’t always coincide with business and financial savvy. If you can relate, we’ve got you covered.

Money can be a really personal and intimidating topic, and many of us grow up without learning how to talk about money or deal with our own personal finances, let alone business finances. But understanding your business numbers is vital to creating a sustainable, profitable private practice.

In this episode of Lactation Business Coaching, we share our advice, tips, and experiences for creating a successful business and staying on top of your finances. From business expenses to liability insurance to tax planning and what it means to pay yourself a living wage, we’re diving in deep for this Financial Real Talk.

“As a small business owner, you’re both the employer and the employee.”

In this episode, we will cover:

• The mindset issue that will cause you to undervalue your worth and undercharge yo
• How to plan for taxes and automate your preparation so that you avoid unpleasant surprises (10:57)ur clients (09:15)
• The major difference between the ‘cost of doing business’ v. ‘business expenses’ (14:55)
• The benefits of hiring a CPS or bookkeeper (24:19)
• How to overcome the fear of spending (32:04)

Like this episode? Want more?

The LBC podcast is ALWAYS free, thanks to contributions from supporters. 

Every contributed dollar counts and so do our contributors — as a thank-you gift to our top-tier members, we offer monthly LIVE Deeper Dive sessions with experts and access to all previous Deeper Dive sessions — check out our upcoming Deeper Dives and become a member! 

All contributions count; join at one of our starter levels here!

Links and Resources

• Setting Your Fees So You Can Achieve Your Goals (free PDF) https://annie-frisbie-ibclc-inc.ck.page/8435e370bc
• This episode is sponsored by MilkNotes, an all-in-one lactation charting tool. http://milknotes.com
•  HIPAA Compliance https://www.hippa.com
• Jane https://jane.app
• ChARM https://www.charmhealth.com
• Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere http://www.breastfeedingrose.org
• Nikki & Nikki Lactation Career Consultants https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySgoTbyiCpREfGELEoeCKQ
• Lactation Private Practice Essential Course https://learn.anniefrisbie.com/grow
• Have an idea for a podcast episode or a Deeper Dive? Let us know! https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/form/collaborate
• Subscribe to the Deeper Dive Membership: https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/subscription/deeper-dive-membership

If you like what you heard today, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram and leave us a review on iTunes. You can email us questions and comments at [email protected].

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

How do you set your fees so that they’re fair and compassionate to your clients… without undervaluing your worth? Money is an uncomfortable topic for many people, especially women. And it can be difficult to ask for what your work is actually worth (or even realize your worth in the first place). But you’re not truly serving anyone when you set a low bar for your pricing. To run a business, you need to have money.

When it comes to choosing a number for your pricing, nobody wants to be in a race to the bottom — including your clients! Undercharging not only prevents you from making the type of income that your work deserves, but it can hurt the profession as a whole… as well as your clients. 

Charging too little can lead to demotivation, resentment, and “calling it in” during your client visits. Your fees and revenue goals should challenge and motivate you to be the best lactation consultant you can be, and provide you with a living. 

It’s important to know your worth as a business owner and to represent that fairly within your specific market. For this reason, market research is a must when figuring out your fee system. The next step? Learning how to effectively communicate your incredible value through your marketing.

In this episode, we talk through the tough topic of setting your fees for your private lactation practice. Once you’ve set your rate, you can begin working towards long-term goals for your business as a whole. So, let’s get started.

“We’re talking about money — and money is scary to talk about.”

In this episode, we will cover:

• How to overcome the fear of fee-setting (05:04)
• The danger of underpricing (08:10)
• How to come up with your fees — and what your fees say about your business (11:22)  
• Why a sliding scale system is the most ethical, professional way to offer lower rates (23:14)
• How to communicate your value — and where to make your best client-attracting connections (26:28)

Like this episode? Want more?

The LBC podcast is ALWAYS free, thanks to contributions from supporters. 

Every contributed dollar counts and so do our contributors — as a thank-you gift to our top-tier members, we offer monthly LIVE Deeper Dive sessions with experts and access to all previous Deeper Dive sessions — check out our upcoming Deeper Dives and become a member! 

All contributions count; join at one of our starter levels here!

Links and Resources

• Setting Your Fees So You Can Achieve Your Goals (Free PDF) https://annie-frisbie-ibclc-inc.ck.page/8435e370bc
•  Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine by Mike Michalowicz https://profitfirstbook.com
• BABE Lactation Consultants https://www.bayareabreastfeeding.net/blog
• 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. You can email us questions and comments at [email protected].

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

The Lactation Business Coaching Deeper Dives feature experts from inside and outside of lactation sharing their wisdom, insight, and practical hands-on tips. Enjoy this free 10-minute sample with our June guest, Shelly Taft LPN, IBCLC, CBE, ISE.

Shelly runs a busy practice just outside Boston, MA. She created and is the host of The Baby Pro Podcast and founder of The Baby Pro Bistro, a unique membership site for new and expecting parents. 

Shelly also crawls through mud under barb wire for fun and I bet she'll answer questions about that, too.

The recording will be available a few days after the event.

In this episode, we will cover:

• Balancing growing Baby Pro while juggling a busy client load + working in the hospital
• Shelly's strategy behind creating and repurposing social media content
• How she's using podcasting to reach families

Like this episode? Want more?

The LBC podcast is ALWAYS free, thanks to contributions from supporters. 

Every contributed dollar counts and so do our contributors — as a thank-you gift to our top-tier members, we offer monthly LIVE Deeper Dive sessions with experts and access to all previous Deeper Dive sessions — check out our upcoming Deeper Dives and become a member! 

All contributions count; join at one of our starter levels here!

Links and Resources

• Register at https://learn.anniefrisbie.com/shelly21

If you like what you heard today, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram and leave us a review on iTunes. You can email us questions and comments at [email protected].

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

As a lactation consultant, you keep track of so many things on a daily, weekly, and even hourly basis. Client care, business operations, keeping up with social media, and staying current with your clinical training can become overwhelming… and sometimes important things can slip through the cracks, both in terms of your professional practice and your family life. 

Tasks you hate and projects you love can both pose challenges to productivity, but implementing the right productivity hacks can help you stay on track, prioritize effectively, and maintain a healthier work-life balance.

Time blocking is a great way to focus on one task at a time while allowing yourself some mental rest within the structure, and it’s especially useful for content creation. Bullet journaling is a freeform way to keep up with tasks — and it can take whatever form or function works best for you.

In this episode, we dig into these and other productivity techniques that allow us to keep organized, increase productivity, and get everything done… with breathing room to spare. Hop in and be ready to take some notes!

“We really want to have the space, energy, attention, and compassion for our clients. When our brains are clogged up… that eats into our ability to give to our clients what we want to give to them.”

In this episode, we will cover:

• Time blocking techniques to improve focus and reduce interruptions (03:57)
• How to prioritize urgent tasks vs important tasks (10:00)
• What is the Pomodoro technique (12:50)
• Bullet journaling tips to stay on top of daily, weekly, and monthly goals (19:01)
• How identifying your strengths and your areas of struggle can help you choose the best productivity strategies (29:14)

Like this episode? Want more?

The LBC podcast is ALWAYS free, thanks to contributions from supporters. 

Every contributed dollar counts and so do our contributors — as a thank-you gift to our top-tier members, we offer monthly LIVE Deeper Dive sessions with experts and access to all previous Deeper Dive sessions — check out our upcoming Deeper Dives and become a member! 

All contributions count; join at one of our starter levels here!

Links and Resources

• Alyssa Schnell (sponsor) https://www.alyssaschnellibclc.com/book
• Keep Track Of Your IBCLC CERPs With A Spreadsheet https://paperlesslactation.com/blog/5-strategies-to-spend-less-time-on-charting-lactation-visits
• 5 Strategies To Spend Less Time On Charting Lactation Visits https://paperlesslactation.com/blog/5-strategies-to-spend-less-time-on-charting-lactation-visits
• Medical Terminology for Charting (free PDF) https://annie-frisbie-ibclc-inc.ck.page/06c1da6b75?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=medicalterminology
• Pomodoro technique https://science.nichd.nih.gov/confluence/display/newsletter/2020/05/07/The+Pomodoro+Technique%3A+An+Effective+Time+Management+Tool
• Full Focus Planner https://fullfocusplanner.com
• Tailwind Instagram Scheduler https://www.tailwindapp.com
• Lactation Private Practice Essential Course https://learn.anniefrisbie.com/grow
• 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. You can email us questions and comments at [email protected].

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

‘Sparking joy’ became a nationwide sensation after clutter consultant Marie Kondo’s show Tidying Up landed on Netflix in 2019. Her de-cluttering KonMari method is based on the idea that you should throw away anything that doesn’t bring you joy —and this method isn’t just effective for de-cluttering your home, but your private practice workflow as well!

Are there aspects of your private practice that don’t bring you joy? Do they leave you feeling overwhelmed or burnt out? Are they taking up space that could create room for exciting new opportunities? Is there literal clutter in your office that distracting you from staying focused?

It’s important to regularly take a moment to reflect on what we have and what we use in our private practice, whether that’s our tools, our software subscriptions, our systems, our commitments – even down to the language in our intake forms!

If your plate or your consult bag is too full, you need to stop and consider what sparks joy… and what you should consider setting aside.

“I’m often in the situation where I’m trying to stop myself from letting go of something in order to replace it with something else… I get that shiny object syndrome.”

In this episode, we will cover:

• The KonMari Method and how it can help your private practice (02:00)
• How to figure out what’s serving you in your business and what’s weighing you down (03:10)
• Creating space for new opportunities (08:13)
• The right and wrong way to set up systems in your business – illustrated by a practical example (10:49)
• The importance of reaching outside of your business to get a new perspective (14:18)

Links and Resources

• 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. You can email us questions and comments at [email protected].

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

Life is stressful enough. As you may know, life as a business owner is even more stressful.

While many people think of self-care as spa days or long yoga classes, effective self-care doesn’t have to take up an entire afternoon or cost you any money. There are many small things that you can fit into your schedule each day to maintain a healthy balance and keep you calm and centered.

This episode is all about reducing (and preventing) stress through easy-to-implement self-care hacks. We share our top tips and habits for stress reduction and prevention — we talk about how to set and maintain effective boundaries, the importance of honoring your energy levels, how to tap into what your mind and body truly need, and the vital role of your community in self-care.

As a bonus, you’ll get a sneak preview of the topic of our upcoming Deeper Dive — see the link below to learn how to register.

“I know that my mood and my energy and my sleep and everything is improved when I’m exercising.”

In this episode, we will cover:

• Our top 6 self-care hacks for achieving a healthier work-life balance especially in a pandemic (00:59)
• The topic of our upcoming Deeper Dive and how you can join the community (01:51)
• How scheduling and goal-setting can help you fit self-care into the busiest schedule (10:48)
• The importance of setting boundaries (13:01)
• The importance of listening to your mind and body to figure out what you actually need on any given day (17:45)

Links and Resources

• 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
•  Daily Burn: http://dailyburn.com/invite/jyDPe

If you like what you heard today, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram and leave us a review on iTunes. You can email us questions and comments at [email protected].

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