How I Started A $120K/Year Sleep Coaching Business
Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?
My name is Jayne Havens and I am the owner and founder of both Snooze Fest by Jayne Havens and the Center for Pediatric Sleep Management. I launched my business in 2018 after taking an online course to become certified to work as a pediatric sleep consultant.
Sleep consultants support parents through the process of establishing healthy and independent sleep habits for their children. We work with families that have children between the ages of 0-6 years old, and our goal is for their children to learn to fall asleep independently and sleep through the night! This process can sometimes feel stressful and overwhelming for parents, which is where they sleep consultant comes in. Sleep consultants provide a solid plan and a whole lot of support through the process.
What was intended to be a side hustle very quickly morphed into a very lucrative career within the first year I was operational. In my very first month in business, I supported five families and earned about $2000/month. By the end of my first year in business, I was supporting 20-25 families a month and earning between $8000-$12,000 monthly!
Not too long after launching my sleep consulting business, I decided to create and offer my own sleep consultant certification course. Why did I do this? Well, I saw a major gap in the certification courses being offered at that time, which was that they did not offer enough mentorship and support to their students. More than that, they did not arm students with the tools to launch, grow and scale a successful sleep consulting business.
Center for Pediatric Sleep Management graduates are positioned to support families at the highest level and are provided with the mentorship, support, and training necessary to grow a successful sleep consulting business.
Less than four years after launch, our monthly income is averaging $40,000!
What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?
Before I had kids, I was an account executive with a leading catering company in Washington, D.C. I planned weddings, corporate holiday parties, graduation celebrations, etc. I loved my job but had always dreamed of being a stay-at-home mom. When my son was born in 2012 I gave up a lucrative career to stay home with him.
I poured myself into parenting the way I had previously poured myself into my event planning job. I spent so much time researching and reading everything I could get my hands on, especially related to the topic of infant sleep. As a new parent, this was a top priority as I was TIRED.
While many of my friends struggled to get their babies to sleep through the night, I got it figured out pretty early. I started helping friends with their kids’ sleep and this led to referrals. I wasn’t charging for this service, but rather helped people because I loved it, and I was good at it!
Fast forward a few years later, my daughter was born. Same story. She was a great sleeper, not because sleep just happened, but because I had done my research and established healthy and independent sleep habits from the start.
While I loved being a stay-at-home mom, I started to feel that something was missing. I needed a project to exercise my brain and to give me the sense of accomplishment I had previously known from working in catering. I decided to turn my hobby and passion into a career by enrolling in a sleep consultant certification program and launching a sleep consulting business.
Take us through the process of designing, and executing your sleep coaching business.
When I first launched my business I only had one offer: A two-week sleep consulting package valued at $425. In those two weeks, I would deliver a customized sleep plan and offer phone calls and text message support. In my very first month in business, I had five paying clients, and I was thrilled! My five clients were all successful in getting their children to sleep through the night. This gave me the confidence to keep plugging along.
Start-up costs for a sleep consulting business are pretty minimal in comparison to many other businesses.
My initial expenses were:
Sleep consultant certification course: $2400
Website design: $1000
Business cards and thank you notes: $300
Acuity scheduling program: $150
Due to low start-up costs and a few months of steady income, I was able to get a complete return on investment pretty quickly, I think within about two months!
After being in business for only three months I decided to raise my prices, and my monthly client load steadily climbed as well. Each new milestone in my business was thrilling and exciting. By mid-year, it became clear that this venture was going to be more successful than just a side hustle. I just kept rolling with the positive energy and kept providing each new client with the highest level of support possible.
With quick success, I realized I needed to make some changes to the way I conducted my business. I needed to refine my sleep plans so that they were extremely thorough. This meant less time explaining myself on the phone. I also needed to put boundaries around communication. When I first launched my business I offered unlimited phone calls as long as they were scheduled. I quickly realized this policy was going to keep me from being able to grow. I now offer a kickoff call at the start of the consultation and a wrap-up phone call at the end of our two weeks together.
I also used to write all of my sleep plans on my iPad! It took me several years to come around to writing sleep plans on my computer, but when I finally made the switch it allowed me to work faster and stay organized. I still can’t believe it took me so long to make that change!
Describe the process of launching the business.
As a brand new entrepreneur, I had never launched a business before. My strategy was to outsource, outsource, outsource! Rather than trying to figure out how to make a website, I hired a professional web developer. When I was struggling with the copy for my site, I asked my husband for help! My good friend even came up with the name for my business.
I think the most overwhelming part of getting started was announcing to the world that I was going to be starting this new venture. My entire identity had been wrapped up in being a stay-at-home mom for so many years that it felt strange to announce that I would be working. Luckily my friends, family, and community were all very supportive. It was word of mouth from friends that helped me to secure those first few clients!
Once I had supported a handful of families, it was the word of mouth that helped my business grow. I would receive inquiries from families that had heard about my services from their friends (who were my former clients).
Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?
My primary strategy for growing my business has always been to simply network and connect with anyone willing to connect. No one can hire you if they don’t know that your business exists! In the beginning, I spent a lot of time connecting with moms in Facebook groups as this is where new parents tend to search for advice.
I quickly established myself as an expert and an authority on the topic of infant and toddler sleep which made securing clients pretty easy. Once I had a handful of happy clients under my belt it became clear that my business would thrive on referrals. Now almost all of my clients come my way because a former client shared my name with their friend.
For my sleep consultant certification program I applied the same strategy. I spent lots of time networking and connecting in Facebook groups until I had a steady stream of students enrolling. Now that the program has some name recognition we get referrals from students enrolled in the program and various affiliates.
Invest in yourself. Take a course, and hire a VA to help you with tasks that feel outside of your zone of genius. When you invest in yourself, it’s a little bit of “putting your money where your mouth is”
I have never really spent money on any type of ads or marketing. All of my efforts have been very organic and grassroots. As my business has continued to grow, I have gotten more purposeful with my marketing efforts. I now have a Facebook group called Becoming a Sleep Consultant which is a great place for those interested in the field to learn about the work and Center for Pediatric Sleep Management. I also have a presence on Pinterest and Youtube in addition to Facebook and Instagram Accounts.
Most recently I launched a podcast called Becoming a Sleep Consultant. This has been a great way for me to reach a wider audience and it’s been really fun putting out shows once a week. I interview graduates of our sleep consultant certification program and allow them to share their stories. This helps prospective students see that they too can be successful in this field.
Our three most popular episodes:
Growing a Sleep Consulting Business While Working Full Time
Leveraging Social Media to Grow a Sleep Consulting Business
Growing a Sleep Consulting Business During a Pandemic
How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
My business is and always has been profitable. Expenses are only about 10-15% of gross income. Since the launch of the CPSM sleep consultant certification course, most of my annual income is coming from course sales, but I still very much enjoy supporting families one on one.
Annual Income Year Over Year:
- 2019: $65,000
- 2020: $229,000
- 2021: $454,000
Day-to-day business operations always look different. I am still very much a one-woman show! I have a virtual assistant that lives overseas and he helps me with SEO, updating my website, and making sure all of my content is making it onto various platforms.
I also hired a Pinterest Manager and a blogger to help drive traffic to my website. I spend my time connecting with prospective clients and prospective students, posting on social media, networking with other professionals in the parenting space, and of course supporting the families that have hired me as well as the students that are enrolled in the course.
In addition to working, I still make plenty of time for myself. I play tennis twice a week, I play Mahjong with friends once a week, and I try my best to be present for my two kids from the time that they come home from school to the time they go to bed at night.
Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?
I think the biggest lesson that I have learned from launching a successful business is that the key to success is to just keep going. Some days it will feel like you are on top of the world and other days it will feel like your business is in the dumps. The ebbs and flows of business are normal and taking them in stride is crucial.
When it feels like nothing is clicking, get out there and find someone to network with and connect with. Meaningful connections will always point you in the direction of success.
When I decided to create my own sleep consultant certification course, I had never created a curriculum before. This felt very much outside of my wheelhouse. Instead of staying stagnant, I sought out support. It turns out that there are course creators that can help you to write a curriculum! I connected with a course creator inside of an entrepreneurial Facebook group called Boss Moms. She and I got on Zoom and outlined the entire course together. Then I sent her books, told her which chapters to reference, talked her through all the details, and she turned out a fabulous curriculum for me. Had I not hired a professional, I don’t think the course would have ever gotten written.
Surrounding yourself with like-minded professionals is also crucial as there is so much to be learned from those that are also deep in entrepreneurship. Finding “business besties” or at least a community can be so helpful in keeping you inspired and motivated.
What platform/tools do you use for your business?
My favorite tools that I use for my business are:
My favorite tool that I use in my business is my Acuity calendar. This calendar allows people to hop onto my schedule for a call without having to email back and forth to coordinate a time to speak. The calendar syncs with my Google calendar so I don’t double book myself. When I first launched I just had one calendar link, to a free 15-minute discovery call. Now several years into my business I have eight different links that lead to different types of calls. I have a paid “Ask Me Anything” call, a link to a Zoom networking session, etc.
Thinkific- which is where my online course is hosted. It’s SO user-friendly and my students love it. If I know how to use it, anyone could use it!
Acuity- for scheduling calls. I love that I don’t need to message back and forth several times to coordinate a time to speak. Acuity saves me time and energy.
Showit: My Center for Pediatric Sleep Management website is on Showit, which I love. It’s very intuitive and user-friendly. It also attaches to a Wordpress blog which is great for SEO.
Canva: This program makes making graphics so easy. I have my brand colors and fonts all saved within the platform so all of my graphics have a similar style and feel.
What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?
I have learned so much about business building and entrepreneurship from other entrepreneurs in Facebook groups. I have connected with others that are working in the online space, joined their Facebook groups, and scooped up whatever knowledge I can gather along the way.
I love listening to Podcasts, especially where I can hear others share their entrepreneurial journey. Some of my favorites are:
Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?
My best advice for entrepreneurs that are just getting started is to invest in themselves. Take a course, and hire a VA to help you with tasks that feel outside of your zone of genius. When you invest in yourself, it’s a little bit of “putting your money where your mouth is” and this will help you to take yourself more seriously as you are getting started.
When it feels like nothing is clicking, get out there and find someone to network with and connect with. Meaningful connections will always point you in the direction of success. Continue to talk about your business, and share with anyone who will listen. The more people that know what you do means the greater chance for a referral.
Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?
We are not currently hiring, but we are always interested in connecting with others that can help the business grow. We recently hired a blogger when we didn’t even know that we needed a blogger! He reached out when he heard one of our podcast episodes and explained how he can help us achieve stronger SEO. After a 30-minute networking Zoom, we were sold and he now blogs for us weekly!
Where can we go to learn more?
- Snooze Fest Website
- Center for Pediatric Sleep Management Website
- Facebook Group
- Podcast
- Youtube
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