We all know how much hard work goes into being a doula. Lots of multi-tasking, quick thinking, problem solving, patience, and even physical labor sometimes! To be a doula, you have to be somebody who isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty. But for a lot of us, all that hard work and those difficult conversations are still easier than dealing with the administration side of running a business.
The fact is, running a doula practice of any size is going to take some admin work. Even if you work on your own and only have one client at a time, you are almost guaranteed to reach a point where you’re going to have to keep track of more information than you can easily keep in your head.
Lucky for you, you happen to be a part of the IDLM community and we are always on the lookout for tools and systems that can help doulas work more effectively—and one of our favorites is Doulado, a software made for doulas to help them keep their business organized so they can focus on the care of others.
Doulado was founded in response to the growing doula movement, in both natal care and death care. Recognizing the value that doulas bring to their clients and the postive impact they bring to major life events, Doulado’s founders came up with the idea of developing a business software program tailored specifically to the unique needs of doulas. The program they designed allows doulas to keep track of patient info, keeping it private when appropriate but also making it easy to share info when necessary. It also helps doulas keep track of the business side of things, like billing, expenses, and scheduling. You know. All the stuff that needs to be done but that might be a little less exciting than actually working with patients. If you’re the type of person who is great at patient care and advocacy but not so good with spreadsheets, Doulado may be exactly what you need.
As a relatively new company, Doulado is still growing, constantly adding new features to their product and always excited to hear feedback from doulas about what works for them and what else they would like to see. They have been working with IDLM since 2022, so the two programs have had a chance to develop together over more than two years. This week on the Honest Conversations podcast, Anna speaks with Bridget Parke, a member of the Doulado team who is a doula herself, about the objectives of Doulado and how their software can help doulas optimize their business and stay sharp in the midst of chaos.
There is never a bad time to get more organized, but right now we are moving into the new year, which is traditionally a popular time for sitting down to work on getting your act together. Doulado might be exactly what you need to get on track and stay there. It’s a great tool, so check it out!
