Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sabia Wade, CEO of The Black Doula, Inc., located in Atlanta, GA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
In 2018, I founded For the Village - a non-profit community doula program providing free and low-cost doula support services to the BIPOC and low-income communities of San Diego.
In 2019, I created Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings (BADT), a doula training program centered on inclusivity and accessibility. I also run The Black Doula, an organization through which I provide Full-Spectrum Doula support, Anti-Racism & Inclusion Workshops, Business Mentorship, and Executive Coaching.
In 2021, I founded Loads of Pride, Logistics - a BIPOC and Queer-focused trucking company, with the goal of providing career opportunities that break the barriers to employment and financial security for marginalized communities.
My businesses are many - but every part of the work I am involved in points back to Reproductive Justice as the solution to building systems, patterns, and defying expectations in ways that allow possibilities for shifting the dominance of capitalism and racism within the ways we exist as a society.
Tell us about yourself
I am a Black, Queer CEO with a mission of building bridges for a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable world through Reproductive Justice, distribution of financial wealth to BIPOC communities, and investing in emergent and innovative businesses.
I was called to birth work after witnessing variance in the quality of treatment and outcome across different races of people while working in hospitals and across the medical industry. This shifted my career path from a desire to support people through nursing to advocating for reproductive justice as a Full Spectrum Doula. It was then that I worked with The Prison Birth Doula Project supporting incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people with substance abuse disorders at birth. During my time as a volunteer there, I discovered that reproductive justice touches everything from the water we drink to the medical systems available to us to the education and incarceration system and beyond.
My goal is to be an example of how things can be done differently. I operate my businesses in a way that feels good for me, incorporating anti-capitalist business practices, ancestral healing, and somatic and trauma-informed modalities in the way I show up professionally.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner has been to provide paid opportunities for others.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The hardest thing that comes with being a business owner is the pressure that comes with it - the level of responsibility that is on you. Even when things don't make sense financially, you have to deliver.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
There are so many things. But here are 3:
- Know the difference between a founder and a CEO & work with your leadership style.
- Be clear about your values & what you need to stay in alignment.
- Set boundaries for personal and business life.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Don't be afraid to start!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.sabiawade.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doulasabia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sabiawade/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sabia_wade
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabiawade/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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