Why More Hypnobirthing Teachers in Your Area is a Good Thing (Yes, Really)
You’re thinking of training as a hypnobirthing teacher. You’re mind is whirling with ideas and your heart is full of excitement. You can’t wait for that first message saying “I did it. Hypnobirthing helped me so much. Thank you.”
Then, you make the “mistake” of opening Instagram.
And there they are- other hypnobirthing teachers. Not just one… but several. All within a 20-mile radius of you.
Beautiful websites. Gorgeous graphics. Classes that look so polished and you start to wonder:
“Do I even stand a chance?”
“Why would anyone choose me?”
“The market is saturated”
Let me stop you right there.
That feeling? Totally normal. Every single one of us, even the ones who now run sold-out courses have had those thoughts.
But here’s the thing…
Having more hypnobirthing teachers in your area is not a threat- it could be a HUGE opportunity
Let me take you back a few years.
I was sitting in the car park before a Baby Sensory class with my youngest. She was asleep in the back and I had ten minutes to kill so obviously I opened my phone for a little scroll.
That’s when I saw it.
Yet another hypnobirthing teacher in my area.
I’d never seen her before. Her branding was stunning, her business name was clever, and her posts stopped the scroll.
Instantly I went into meltdown mode. “That’s it for me. She’s going to take all the clients. My business is doomed.”
Within about 30 seconds, I’d gone from “chilled mum with a sleeping baby” to “my future as a Hypnobirthing teacher is over.” All because of one Instagram post.
Now, let me tell you what Actually Happened next…
-She didn’t steal all my clients.
- My business didn’t collapse.
-In fact, my classes continued to thrive. And she thrived too.
In my area with many other Hypnobirthing teachers there are PLENTY of expectant parents out there. And not all of them will want the same teacher.
Some will be drawn to her personality, style and approach. Others will feel a stronger connection with me. And that’s exactly how it should be.
Why Competition Can Be a Good Thing
During my carpark meltdown, I reminded myself that business competition can be a very good thing. I knew that because I’d experienced it right at the start of my hypnobirthing business.
When I first trained as a hypnobirthing teacher over a decade ago, I lived in an area where there were no other Hypnobirthing Teachers.
I thought this was the dream- no competition meant I’d get all the clients, right?
Wrong.
Do you know where most of my first clients actually came from? Leeds. 20 miles from where I was.
Why? Because in Leeds, there were lots of Hypnobirthing teachers. And because there were lots of teachers, there was awareness of Hypnobirthing.
People had heard of hypnobirthing. Their friends had done it. Midwives were recommending it. It was normalised.
In my own area? I had to start from scratch explaining what hypnobirthing even was. It was slower, harder work.
So, here’s the what I want you to remember- when other Hypnobirthing teachers are working in your area, they’re not “stealing” clients, they’re working with you to educate the market.
They’re helping people understand and trust hypnobirthing so that it becomes the thing that so many mums-to-be are searching for. They are googling ‘Hypnobirthing classes near me’, they are asking in Facebook groups for recommendations for Hypnobirthing instructors and they are searching Instagram for Hypnobirthing classes.
This is what we want! More clients for everyone.
More families doing Hypnobirthing.
More women having empowering births.
Often, those “competitors” even become collaborators. There will be times when your course dates don’t work for someone or your diary is full and you can recommend another teacher. And guess what? They’ll do the same for you.
How to protect your mindset
Now, I’m not saying you should ignore other teachers completely but please be intentional about how you engage with them. Your energy is precious.
When that car park moment happened to me, one mistake I made was clicking “follow” on her account.
Sounds like no big deal, right? But the problem is when you follow someone, you’ll see their content at random times like late at night when you’re tired or when you’re already feeling wobbly.
That’s when comparison hits hardest.
Instead, avoid following every competitor account. Check in on them intentionally-when you’re in a good headspace and ready to connect or view their offerings strategically.
Make a conscious effort to remember why you’re different.
Even if someone else has the same qualification, runs the same length course and teaches in the same area, they are not you.
Your personality, your way of explaining things, your humour or straight talking, your ability to put people at ease- that is your magic!
Over the years, countless clients have told me:
“I booked because of you.”
They could have chosen other teachers. They didn’t.
And you’ll have clients who feel exactly the same about you.
And let’s face it, if they don’t find you, they may not even do Hypnobirthing altogether as they just don’t connect with it when they hear the others talk about it.
“There aren’t enough clients”
Now, this being said, we are only human, and it only takes a quite spell to make us think “there aren’t enough clients,”. This is where you need a physical reminder that the potential is huge. We can’t argue with the facts! So, pull up local birth statistics. Can’t find those? Look nationally. (around 600,000 babies born in the UK each year, 3.6 million in the USA and 300,000 Australia)
You only need to teach a miniscule percentage of them to run a thriving business, right?
Even with other teachers around there are more than enough expectant parents to go around.
And let’s face it we only need to chat to a group of new mums to remember how many women go into birth unprepared, scared and not knowing they have choice.
They need Hypnobirthing.
They need you!
And competition keeps always improving, motivated and it’s proof that your service is valued in your community.
So, if your dream is to become a hypnobirthing teacher don’t let “someone else is already doing it” stop you. There is room for you. There are parents right now looking for exactly your approach, your teaching style and your support.
You just have to start.
Take my quiz to see if you’d make a great hypnobirthing Teacher www.loveyourbirthtraining.com/quiz
I’d love to support you in starting on this rewarding path.
Abby x
