Member Spotlight: Tracy Abney of Rocket City Doulas

Welcome to another edition of our Member Spotlight Series on the Madison Mompreneur blog! This series will help you get to know the members of Madison Mompreneur as we ask them questions about their personal and professional life as moms who own businesses in Madison, Alabama.

We are continuing this series with the spotlight on Tracy Abney, Owner of Rocket City Doulas!

Introduce yourself!

I’m Tracy Abney and I own Rocket City Doulas.

How does your business help people?

Reducing anxiety and instilling confidence in expectant and new parents

How long have you lived in Madison County?

19 years

What inspired you to start your business?

My own birth experience – I felt alone, scared, and like I had lost agency over my own body. I wanted to BE with people so they wouldn’t feel what I felt during birth and postpartum.

What sets your business apart from others in the industry?

Other than our standard of providing unbiased, non-judgmental support, we run as an agency model. We have shared birth teams, greatly reducing the risk that a client will end up with a backup they don’t know. We have a team of postpartum doulas that can handle any size of contract – big or small!

What do you consider to be your biggest success so far?

I’m so freaking proud of our team! To have so many doulas who are continually learning and growing in a community is so special!

How does your business contribute to the local community?

We partner with organizations in our area to support bereaved families. We offer bereavement doula support to our clients at no cost.

How do you see your business evolving in the next 5-10 years?

I am hopeful that we will grow even more into our role as the area’s top postpartum and infant care doulas! My long-term plan is for us to be known in the community who you call when you need postpartum support!

Who are your typical customers, and how do they find you?

Our clients are overall looking for evidence based care and support that is unbiased and non-judgmental. Our clients tend to want a doula to work cooperatively with the care team they’ve carefully created. They usually contact us on our website to set up a free call!

What do you enjoy most about running your business?

It depends on my mood and energy level (chronic illness gang here!) but often it’s networking and speaking at events/expos.

How do you stay up-to-date with industry trends and changes?

We offer our Doulas continuing education by bringing in area experts to speak and teach at our monthly team meetings. Our training organization also sends out important updates monthly that I then pass along to our team.

What advice would you give to someone interested in starting a business in your industry?

Make sure you have your business ducks in a row before starting AND charge your worth! Many doulas think that less experience means they shouldn’t charge for their services. But, your time and education/training should be valued!

Any product/service you would like to highlight at this time?

Many people don’t realize that we provide education services! So, even if they aren’t up for hiring a doula, they can learn from them! We offer Newborn care classes, Childbirth education, Comfort measures classes, and Infant Feeding classes.

Do you involve your kids in your business? If yes, how so?

Yes! I may send my children to gather things I’ve printed, help me pack swag bags, etc. (I usually pay them a little bit, and only if they’re interested.)

What do you find is the most difficult part of balancing motherhood and business life?

Figuring out when to say “yes” and when to say “not yet. I need a few minutes”. I don’t want them to always remember me working, and I want them to know they’re important to me. However, I know that there’s benefit in them seeing me put time and energy into my work because it matters.

What business in the Madison area is your favorite?

Right now it’s Piper & Leaf in Madison. They allow one of our doulas to run our free monthly meetup/support group in their location!

Who is your business bestie?

It’s Jamie from Count It Joy!

Anything else you would like for us to highlight?

Our free monthly support group at Piper & Leaf in Madison. First Thursday of the month, at 6:00pm.

Where can people find you?

Website, Instagram, and Facebook

If Tracy’s experience as mom and business owner resonates with you, we would love to hear from you in the comments. And if you are a mom and business owner in Madison, Alabama and would like to be featured in a future Member Highlight post, email us at madisonmompreneur@gmail.com.