Category Archives: Learning opportunity

The Joys of Self Employment – A Guest Blog by Anna Wilk

Our guest blog comes from Anna Wilk, who offers one to one business training for Birth & Baby Professionals. Anna is a Doula and Maternity Nurse who now coaches others in the profession, on how to market themselves properly, and reach their potential.

Anna has kindly provided members with a discounted rate. (see the Members Discount Codes page)

The joys of self-employment

Attending a course and getting the assignments done is very exciting. You know there is career development ahead of you, which keeps you motivated and happy for a while. Everything feels possible.

It might mean that you will get more/extra money so you can pay off your debt, go on dream holiday or treat your family to nice things.

But, after a short while, it gets a bit tricky, like after great night out with your girlfriends when you need to wake up to reality: you need to write your profile, find agencies or places where you can advertise, figure out what to put into the contract and how much you should charge for your services.

But the real struggle hits you when you get a less than ideal client, or someone is late with payment, or when work doesn't come as easy as you would wish for. Suddenly your dream work of supporting new mums and their babies at this precious time of their lives, turn into something you never wished for, and you can only hope it will get better.

And I wish I could say like in a lovely fairy tale that it does. But it doesn't. Because as December comes, so to does tax self assessment season. It's hard to know what you can and can't claim, it takes time (that you don't have) and you're doing it half asleep wishing to wake up from this Freddie Kruger movie. How can I have worked this hard, to earn so little?

After going grey nearly overnight, I was on the edge of saying: I am done with this, I need to go back to being employed. I decided to invest in my business, refresh my MBA knowledge, learn some new things and tricks, attend some workshops and spend time with people who achieved more than me and who done it before. It paid off big time. I was back in the saddle, work coming from right and left, clients paying whatever I asked and appreciating my work and what I have to offer. My self assessment and tax bill and income were never a problem again, and most of all I enjoyed my work more than ever.

At this point, I had many other birth and baby professionals asking me for lunch to pick my brain, write their cv, look at their contracts and share with them my tips on how to market themselves.

Last year I decided to offer coaching sessions through which I help other birth and baby professionals. By sharing my knowledge I help Birth and Baby Professionals grow and nurture heart centred, rewarding and successful businesses.

There is so much to learn and understand but my main suggestions would be:

1. Get clear what you want to do.

2. Organise your work.

3. Present yourself as professionally as you can.

4. Set clear boundaries from the start.

I am very excited to be doing this work. I love seeing my coaching clients turn their business around. Taking them to the next level makes me very happy and I feel very privileged to be part of the journey of bring their dreams into reality.

If you have any questions and need help with your business, message me on link below, I am happy to help you.

http://www.annawilk.com/contact/

Anna x

Lecture Topics Confirmed

Dr. Jack Newman will present a breastfeeding lecture for us, on Monday the 3rd of March 2014. The lecture will take place at the Wolfson Education Centre in Hammersmith Hospital, London.

The topics which Dr Jack Newman will cover, have now been confirmed as:

What they didn't teach you about breastfeeding in your training.
Controversies in Breastfeeding - covering Jaundice, Tongue Tie and Nipple Shields.
Colic in the breastfed baby.
Effects of birthing practices on breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding the premature baby.

The day will start with registration at 9am and a prompt start at 9:30am. There will be a 15 minute break mid morning and mid afternoon, with an hour for lunch. The day will finish at 5:30pm.

Fo more information, please see our other blog posts, or email us - info@theabbp.co.uk

About Dr. Jack Newman

Dr. Jack Newman graduated from the University of Toronto medical school in 1970, interning at the Vancouver General Hospital. He did his training in pædiatrics in Quebec City and then at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto from 1977-1981 to become a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada in 1981 as well as Board Certified by the AAP in 1981. He has worked as a physician in Central America, New Zealand and as a paediatrician in South Africa (in the Transkei). He founded the first hospital based breastfeeding clinic in Canada in 1984. He has been a consultant for UNICEF for the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, evaluating the first candidate hospitals in Gabon, the Ivory Coast and Canada. Dr. Newman was a staff paediatrician at the Hospital for Sick Children emergency department from 1983 to 1992, and was, for a period of time, the acting chief of the emergency services. However, once the breastfeeding clinic started functioning, it took more and more of his time and he eventually worked full time helping mothers and babies succeed with breastfeeding. He now works at the Newman Breastfeeding Clinic and Institute based at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto. Dr. Newman has several publications on breastfeeding, and in 2000 published, along with Teresa Pitman, a help guide for professionals and mothers on breastfeeding, called, Dr. Jack Newman's Guide to Breastfeeding, as it's known in Canada (revised editions, January 2003 and January 2005), and The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers, as it's known in the US (revised edition, November 2006).

The book has been translated into French, Indonesian and Japanese and is in the process of being translated into Spanish and Italian (expected publication for both in the fall of 2010). In 2006, Dr.

Newman, along with Teresa Pitman, published The Latch and Other Keys to Breastfeeding Success (Hale Publishing) and this book is in the process of being translated into French (expected publication in the fall of 2010). He has also, along with Edith Kernerman, developed a DVD as a teaching tool for health professionals and mothers. It is available in English and French. As well, it is subtitled in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian.

Jack Newman's breastfeeding resource site is http://www.breastfeedinginc.ca/index.php.

Become a Sleep Angel with Jo Tantum

Jo Tantum - Author of 'Baby Secrets' is one of the UK's leading sleep experts for babies and toddlers.

Widely published in leading baby magazines, and prominent newspapers all over the world, Jo has also been part of many TV shows, including being the Baby Expert on Live with Gabby, spending a week with Doctor Hilary as a presenter on GMTV for Twins week, as an expert on ITV’S 'Baby House' and also on 'Richard and Judy' talking about her spaced soothing technique.

Jo is also donating an hour of her time for our December competition!

In February this year, Jo launched her Sleep Angels and Sleep Workshop Training Programmes. Throughout the training Jo reveals all her secrets and techniques, so that course graduates can feel confident in helping Sleep deprived parents in their area.

If you would like to learn Jo's techniques and Secrets , and help sleep deprived parents everywhere, why not become one of Jo's Sleep Angels Team. Training can also lead to exciting work opportunities.

The next Training Programme starts January 31st, there will be a meet and greet with Jo in London on the 19th December 1-4pm in Merino Kids (151 Northcote Road, SW11 6QB) a short walk from Clapham Junction station.

For more details contact- HelenPA@JoTantum.com