"Get started! Take imperfect action! Don’t wait another day" with Julia Jones

Julia Jones is a postnatal doula leading a worldwide renaissance in the way we care for Newborn Mothers. She has created a new paradigm for postpartum care by merging traditional medicine and culture with cutting-edge research on hormones and neurology.

Julia is the author of both Nourishing Newborn Mothers - Ayurvedic Recipes to Heal your Mind, Body and Soul after Childbirth and Newborn Mothers - When a Baby is Born So is a Mother (www.newbornmothers.com/books/). Julia is also the creator of the worldwide leading education resource for postpartum professionals: Newborn Mothers Collective (www.newbornmothers.com/training)..

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I started out as a postpartum doula when I was only 24 years old, and not yet a mother myself. I came to postpartum care through my love of Ayurveda - traditional Indian medicine - and cared for new mums in their homes with meals and massage. Now more than a decade later I’ve moved into the training space and have taught postpartum care to 700+ doulas in 30+ countries around the world. I’m also a bestselling author with my book Newborn Mothers reaching number 3 on Amazon, right after Michelle Obama’s book!

What inspired you to start your business?

The leading cause of maternal death is suicide, and 2 out of 3 mothers don’t meet their own breastfeeding goals. These numbers can be scary and overwhelming, but there are simple and effective ways we can make a huge difference in the lives of new mums. That’s why I began training postpartum professional around the world so that together we can have a bigger impact.

Where is your business based?

Online. Everything I do now is online as I recently made a commitment to stop flying for my business as my personal action against climate change. I work from my garden office in North Fremantle and it’s a kind of magic today how we can reach the world from our own backyards!

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

After I finished my own postpartum doula training, I quit my job and planned to start my business. At the same time, my husband’s wages were cut in half because of the global financial crisis and we had a baby under one, so suddenly things got urgent. I invested in a business coach and it was the best thing I ever did! I learned about email marketing (even though my business was local services at the time) and content marketing. I started running free pregnancy workshops at my local midwifery centre every month and things snowballed from there.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Definitely still content marketing and email marketing! It worked when I was running a local service-based business and it works now that I have a 6-figure online business. Every week I release a blog post or podcast, and every week I encourage people to sign up to my email list. This means I now have a very large audience to sell too.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Patience! Everyone wants to be an overnight success, and all the stories you hear about are the unicorns. But the truth is it takes time and perseverance to build and grow a business. I’ve developed a good mindset over the years, I stay focussed on my dreams and make sure they are always bigger than my fears, and that way I can overcome my fears. This has taken time to cultivate!

How do you stay focused?

I actually find this really easy! With three young children, my work is a respite from my chaotic home life! I have built myself a beautiful tiny office in my backyard so I can step away from the housework and I LOVE my job. I feel very lucky that I get to speak to inspiring people every day and create a better world for mothers.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Our culture is very focussed on birth, most of it based on fear. Postpartum gets completely overlooked and many parents don’t even realise it’s a thing till they get home from the hospital and realise they have no idea what they are doing! It’s easy to be different when there is such a gaping hole in the market!

I also differentiate from other postpartum resources because my work is never information or advice-driven. I teach mothers to tune in to their babies their bodies and their intuition. I can explain the brain changes and personality changes that they are going through so they can feel confident instead of confused. I focus on the birth of a mother, from her perspective, not baby care or breastfeeding advice.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

I created my “signature talk” a decade ago when I first got started. I’ve tweaked and updated it over the years, but it’s essentially the same core message. I used to deliver it monthly to pregnant parents in my local area, now I have online videos and webinars with the same key messages available all over the world. And then I invite people to take the next step. One really important aspect that women forget about with content marketing is actually asking for the sale! Sometimes we are so tense with money blocks that we feel uncomfortable bringing up our product. Sometimes we are so scared of being rejected that we never close the sale. So actually asking directly for the sale is essential.

What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Get started! Take imperfect action! Don’t wait another day!

What’s your favourite app, blog, and book? Why?

I adore the book “What Mothers Do - especially when it looks like nothing” by Naomi Stadlen.

What’s your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Simplero! It does so many things for my business, keeps things streamlined and simple and all in one place.

Who is your business role model? Why?

Denise Duffield-Thomas. She is a self-made millionaire who teaches women about the money mindset required to take their life and business to the next level. She is ambitious and driven but also balances her work with family life.

What is your beauty routine? What are some of your favorite products?

Uuuummmm... don’t have much of a beauty routine, I’m an au naturel kinda gal! I use a homemade vitamin c serum on my skin and Ayurvedic oils for just about everything. One of the best things I’ve done is to hire a stylist - Alma Barrero - to help me with my colours and capsule wardrobe so getting dressed and looking fabulous every day is easy and fun.

15). How do you balance work and life?

I never work from my phone, even though that means I’m not on Instagram and probably missing out! I work school hours only and never travel for work. I spend lots of time in nature and love hiking and camping. I also love gardening and food. I play circus and piano... so many things! I have found things outside of work that I love so that I keep coming back to them again and again.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Definitely hiking! My youngest is only three so a bit young to hike very far with me, but we take the older kids out on the Bibbulman Track - a 1000km hiking trail that starts near my house. When my toddler is old enough we plan to do an end to end together as a family which takes about 6 weeks.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

I’m about to re-launch my newest course about building your village and creating space in motherhood for your dreams. It’s based on the idea that you can do anything, but not everything, so if you want to make your dreams come true you will have to let go of something else - like being a good housewife for example!!! I’m so crazy excited about this course. We’ve been seeing some amazing results already

How can our readers connect with you?

www.newbornmothers.com