Growing Your Sleep Consulting Business While Working Full Time with Jamesa Bailey
Jamesa Bailey is a Center for Pediatric Sleep Management graduate, and the owner and founder of Suite Sleep Co. In this episode Jamesa shares her experience growing a sleep consulting business while working full time and raising her nine month old son Camden. You’ll hear her share what a typical day looks like as she juggles all of these equally important responsibilities. I asked Jamesa what she thinks is the key to success. You won’t want to miss her answer!
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Transcript
Jayne Havens: Hello, I’m here today with Jamesa Bailey. Jamesa is a certified pediatric sleep consultant and the founder of sweet sleep coach. She is a wife and first-time mom to an adorable little nine-month-old baby boy Camden. And she works full-time at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Jamesa, thank you so much for being on the show.
Jamesa Bailey: Thank you for having me, Jane.
Jayne Havens: I am so excited to chat with you today. So the reason I wanted to have you on the show is that you are a certified pediatric sleep consultant and working full time. You have a nine-month-old baby boy. Obviously, you have a full and hectic life. What prompted you to want to become a certified sleep consultant?
Jamesa Bailey: Yes, so you mentioned my son Camden, he is a little unicorn baby. He got his first tooth at three and a half months. He went through four monthly progressives. I was one of those moms that did not want no sleep to be my life. So from day one, We were following wake windows, and my mother-in-law thought I was not thinking straight because I put Camden down to sleep every 45 minutes. When he turned four months, I didn’t know what to do anymore. I had been a part of different Facebook groups about sleep training. But none of them were really tailored to my child. Because they sound like a one size fits all approach. And eventually, I found a sleep consultant named Steffi, who was also a graduate of the CPSM sleep consultant program. We had a discovery call and her personality was so infectious, that I knew that I needed to hire somebody and hire her in particular. We work with Bethany and she really changed our lives and Kevin really became such a rockstar sleeper. He’s pretty adaptable. If you kind of you know, a couple of things with him, and for a few days, he picks up on it pretty quickly. I think that night four or five, he was like going down with minimal crying. We did have a couple of challenges with not and he was just so great. So at the end, during our success call, Steffi said, you know so much about this already. All I needed is to tailor a program for candy. But have you thought about becoming certified yourself? I don’t know, but I like talking about baby sleep. But I’m not sure if I can do it. I’ve at the time was a continuing to work full time., as well as had a balloon decor business. But COVID had slowed that down. I knew that I really need to add something to my plate. And she suggested that I talk to you. And so we talked and I just really enjoyed the fact that you were a straight shooter. She has said such wonderful things about you. And that’s you know what it really brings me joy to kind of like help people. That’s what I like to do and decided but, to be honest, that I talked to you well that night because I booked the same afternoon when we chatted, but I had serious impostor syndrome after I paid the money. I was to myself, Oh my God, why am I doing this? I don’t know that I can help other families. You know what, you can do this, you can do it and this is your time. It really has been such an amazing journey. And I really find so much passion in helping these families, especially with these little people. It’s really difficult to say to see you later after our two weeks of work.
Jayne Havens: I love that first of all, you said so many things that I want to touch on. First of all, I love that Steffi, who helped you is a certified sleep consultant that took my program Center for Pediatric Sleep Management. I love that she calls the final call a successful call. I love that she found you. And she sort of like plucked you and said you’re going to be good at this. I’m sure and I know. You said that you had felt like you had impostor syndrome. First of all, we all have that. Right? But with the fact that she knew that you would be good at this and she put you in touch with me. I think that’s all so great. And I love that you’re getting so much. It seems like you’re getting a lot of joy and a lot of satisfaction out of the work which for somebody who, which for somebody who works full time has an infinite home. Like you have to love what you do if you’re going to add something extra to your plate, right? It can’t just work. It has to be something that really lights you up I think Absolutely, yes. So one of the objections that I hear all the time from prospective students is that they just don’t have enough time. And this is why I wanted to bring you on today because there’s no way that you have enough time, right? Like nobody. if anybody doesn’t have enough time, it’s you. But yet you figured it out. So what does that look like for you working caring for your little one? You know, just being a present member of your family, and then also getting this small business off the ground?
Jamesa Bailey: Yes. it’s a lot. But as I mentioned, I’m used to juggling things. So even before I got certified, I had a full-time job, wife, mom, and decor business. So I always want my co-workers to call me the queen of side hustle because I’m always finding something new to do. And I’m a strong believer that people make time for what they want. You said it perfectly. I don’t think of the sleep consultant, business as solely my business, right? I’m so passionate about it. And that’s what makes me find time for it. I think two things helped me tremendously. One, I have an extremely supportive husband, he’s also working from home. So we’re extremely privileged to be able to work from home during this pandemic and my son is a rockstar sleeper who fits so great. So I typically start my day at seven, which is when I wake him up. And he’s so funny and bubbly. He’s in a lot of my social media content. So I pretty much spend the morning kind of hanging out with him and doing social content. So I recently learned how to do tick-tock, I’m the worst millennial and used to be on tick-tock during the pandemic because people would tell me that they would be on for hours, and Ok, this is trendy, that I have to do tick-tock, and then I log on for work. And I’m at work all day. And then at five o’clock, I have my discovery calls, success calls the consultation. And I stopped that for a brief pause around 6:30. So that, we could have dinner as a family. Then we put Camden down for bed at seven 7:30. He is in his crib, and as am back online, and doing discovery calls or consultations until about nine. And then after that, I try to stretch my bedtime, because I am used to going to bed around 9:30. But now I’m closer to 10 to 10:30. My husband and I just kind of relaxed because it’s really important for me to remember us. I also remember myself, a lot of times always, I overly emphasized my time, that doesn’t include showering because that’s basic Id like that’s not my time. That’s really important to me, too. So I make sure that I have any time after I put Camden down, and then I have kind of heavy, lovey-dovey time. And again, I’ll do my tech talks after Kevin is asleep. And like my husband, he gives pieces of advice on the content. And then I start all over again, it says it seems like a whole lot. But because I do it every day, it all falls in place. It doesn’t feel like a lot, especially because I really enjoy working with the little people in their families so much that it doesn’t feel like an extra job.
Jayne Havens: Yes, so what about all that time in the middle of the day when you’re working? When you are working your full-time job? Do you have the flexibility? Actually, I’d love to hear a little bit about what it looks like for you to support your clients because that might look different than what it looks like for me. Because this is my full-time job. So I am in touch with them as necessary. During the nine to five business hours. Are you available via text message or email as necessary for your clients during the day? Or are you really having to draw a more firm boundary from like your full-time job to you know, your side hustle?
Jamesa Bailey: Honestly, It depends on my client, checking every morning before nine and I check in around bedtime. A lot of my clients do go to daycare and they all fall asleep at the daycare in the instance that someone needs me if they’re home and they can talk to me. Absolutely. My job is not where we have to be on it from nine to five every day. If I have to step away for 15 minutes and it’s totally fine and flexible. To where I am able to take the time to answer any emails or hop on the phone to do it. I’m so quick troubleshooting. They do give us that grace for sure.
Jayne Havens: That’s awesome. I think it’s what it sounds like hearing you talk and I imagine that your setup is similar to mine, I find that if you send a really thorough and thoughtful discovery at not discovery, sleep plan, if you send a really solid sleep plan, and you get on a phone call with the family to answer all of their questions, and really get them to a place where they’re comfortable with the strategies, then they’re not texting you all day long. They’re not needing so much input during the day, because you’ve set them up for success in the beginning, do you find that? Is that the case?
Jamesa Bailey: Absolutely. I am extremely detailed with my sleep plan monthly plan which is about 18 pages long. I am not all tech and obviously graphics and things, but I try to explain everything. And I try to go over what they can expect or what may happen. During there’s our time working together. I even like to explain to a different class, I like to try to mimic them. The number one thing that folks need troubleshooting on since I’ve started is not for always more challenging, bedtime sleep, you know, they showed and I’m so tired, I think about the end of the day, they’re going to be alright. Ok, go, I’m going to sleep. But the naps are where most of those kinds of troubleshooting emails and texts come from, which is not the easiest fix, but also a pretty easy fix. But that’s where most of the troubleshooting comes from. But like I said, I don’t try and do an hour for the consultation. I don’t watch that hour. I want to make sure that they understand exactly what it is that I’m recommending, I want to make sure that they feel comfortable. If they have the tools to be able to do the thing. I don’t know if they actually read the plan, making sure they do. So I just make sure that I go through every little detail and make sure that I answer any questions. But still, I do offer troubleshooting calls him up in both packages as well, just in case there is something that happens that is outside of that package, just so that they feel comfortable moving forward.
Jayne Havens: Yes, so let’s shift back to the business side of things. Because that’s really that’s what I’m super focused on. I love supporting families. And I think that’s why we get into this work, right is because we have we have a passion for supporting families through the stuff that feels really hard. But at the end of the day, we’re not doing this completely for fun, right? We’re doing this because we want to turn a business, we want to turn it into a business and earn a living, right. So that being said, I know you’ve only been in the business for about what is it like four months? It hasn’t been too long. But do you have any goals that you’ve set for yourself? For the next 6 to 12 months? Or even beyond that? What do you envision your business looking like down the road?
Jamesa Bailey: Yes, I actually set an intention for myself that I would have 7 to 10 clients a month. But I felt that lowballed myself, because as of January 10, I already had my fifth client.
Jayne Havens: Fabulous, that made me so excited. I love that.
Jamesa Bailey: So, I think I may need to bump that number from 10 to 15. I do not plan on leaving my full-time job just yet. Because I really do love the work that I do and the job provides great benefit, That they just out of this world but a bit.
Jayne Havens: It doesn’t need to be all or nothing, right? You can have your full-time job and you can get joy and financial success and all the things that you want to get out of this and still keep your full-time job. I think a lot of people think that it has to be all or nothing. It doesn’t, I think that we have certain compartments in our life that are for certain things. And even if you were staying in your job, it sounds like you actually like your job. But even if you were just staying in your job for the benefits, that counts for something, right?
Jamesa Bailey: Yes, for sure. There are moments, when I don’t feel as fulfilled at work, especially during the work that I do, We’re constantly under attack and always in defense mode. And so while my sleep consulting company is a business, it also is that passion that fuels me outside of when I don’t find the joy at work because some days are really hard. And that’s not to say that I don’t have challenging days with the sleep consulting business but the reward words are so much more, you know, there’s so much quicker. It’s so gratifying to one of my moms this week, she texts me, I never thought I could do that. And this is so amazing. She almost had me in tears. She said, Oh, my God, I’ve never seen him do that. So that is a joy, that kind of keeps me going. I am a big fan of the word. Two things can be true at the same time and I work full time. I can have a really successful sleep consulting business. That is the goal for this year, is to take it as far as I want it, I also really want to partner with brands. So I’m actually about to take Pete, there’s the author of our children’s book called “brilliant brown baby”. She and I are going to be partnering on a giveaway for Black History Month. So I’m really excited about that. I’ve been tagging all of the big baby brands, and I like trying to do more partnerships with them to obviously, grow my business, and also gather more social media presence. So I’m really excited about growing the business this year, that’s really the goal.
Jayne Havens: That is really exciting. I am so proud of all of the things that you’re doing and you’ve done it in such a short period of time. It’s inspiring and it’s awesome. I love it, which actually leads me to my very next question. You know, I was thinking about before getting on this interview with you, I was thinking about all the questions I was going to ask you. The one big question that I have for you is that, Well, I knew, the second I met you and got on Zoom, I knew that you were a star, I knew that you were going to be successful. I can see it coming from a mile away. I know who the star is, and you’re one of them. But what is that? Like? How do we pinpoint that? What is the difference between somebody that’s just going to make it and who won’t make it? What figures it out? Do you know, I don’t even know. I just can see it, but I don’t know what the answer is.
Jamesa Bailey: I thought about this, as you were asking, the only thing I can say is I am a hustler. If I have my mind made up about something, I’m going to do it. Even if, I was going to bed at nine 9:30. One night, I couldn’t sleep and was just scrolling on Facebook, and I am always in mom groups like those are routed most of my clients. I noticed that right around that 9:30 to 10:30 timeframe, most of the post-earthquake-related. So I’m messaging folks, every new follower that I get on Instagram, I message them if I see that they have a little one, or if they have liked my bio, and I immediately say thank you so much for the follow. Are you in need of sleep support for your little ones? And people, I don’t even wait for them to reach out to me, I’ll reach out to them and say thank you. And I’ve gotten so many comments that way too, They didn’t message me or they didn’t click the link in my bio to schedule a free discovery call, I do message them. So for me, it’s just listening. I’m really passionate about this. At the end of the day, it brings money into our home, that will help us to grow our home and take care of my child, and set him up for a future. I have to do any and everything that I can to make this really successful, even with the children’s books I did have a reality where we highlighted some of our favorite books. It’s been playing over 7000 times. And I’ve made sure to tag you. “Do you want to do a giveaway?” I think, obviously, I do believe in the word no, because I have a child and I want him to know that no means stop. But when it comes to business, I don’t want to hear the word “No”, I would do it. I’ll tell you a funny story. One of the other food consultancies and I was talking about the hatch machine and how we love hats. How they pretty much don’t share your stories or anything like they don’t engage as much on social. I thought a local spark from the news week. And I was so excited because I don’t want to hear that. They don’t do this. I’m going to wear them down. I’m going to keep going until I get the result that I want. And I think that really is what the secret is. I’ll also say that I will really like to tell my potential clients that I’m a mom to a little person. And so they can see with this kind of weight lifted off their shoulders when I share that with them. Because I’m not just talking to talk, I’m walking the walk as well. And I’m really proud of that. And I think that’s another reason behind that success is that I do have a tiny human, who I’m active, and going through this sweet journey with and I think that that makes me a little bit more relatable to most parents.
Jayne Havens: Yes, I think you know that when you were talking about the hustle, I think you’re right. At the end of the day, We think that things should come easily. I see this and both in my journey that I go on with my clients, They pay me to help them sleep train a baby. And I think that they think, because they paid money to an expert, that it’s just going to be no big deal. Spending the money is the hard part. And that’s actually not true, right. It’s the actual work that has to go into it. That’s the hard part. I see it also with those that are interested in becoming sleep consultants, I think that sometimes, I don’t know if it’s a generational thing. But I come across a lot of people who have sort of like shiny object syndrome, is that what it’s called, where, you just get excited about an idea. And you think just having the idea is good enough. But having the idea, and let’s just say to become a sleep consultant, that’s not good enough, right? In order to be successful, you have to get out there and talk to people. I love that you said that you reach out to everybody that follows you on Instagram, if they look like they’re a mom, they have little kids in their pictures. I think that that’s so brilliant. You know, I do that. Maybe not even to that extent, but like good for you. Maybe I should start, I’m learning from you today. No, I do that in my world. When it comes to connecting with those that are interested in becoming sleep consultants, When somebody joins my Facebook group becoming a sleep consultant, I reach out to them, and I send them a message like, “Hey, thanks so much for joining this community”. “Is this something that you’ve been pondering for a while?” “Is this something that just looked interesting to you, right?” Starting a conversation, getting to know that person on a personal level, and figuring out what it is that they need? So that you can support them? Right? It’s impossible for us to show our value if we don’t know what that person is looking for. So sometimes it’s so simple, just to reach out and say, “Hey, what is it that you’re struggling with?” And then here’s how I could help you. Right? It sounds obvious, but I think for a lot of people, it just maybe doesn’t come naturally. And for you, it clearly does. And I think that what sets you apart from a lot of others is that you make that personal connection, you reach out to people and let them know how you can support them and help them get to the other side of the mountain that they’re on. Right?
Jamesa Bailey: Yes. I’m walking the aisles of the target. And when I see little children, I’m just like, wonder how they’re sleeping. And then you know, I always have my son and target and we get to talk and I’m just like, “Hey, you know, how are they sleep said I’m going to be a sleep consultant.” And my husband, he bought me this little dot card. It’s a card, and you basically like to preload all of your information on this website. Folks can literally take the car and tap it to the back of their cell phone. And it takes them to your social media page, and your website to book a call. Because I know that everyone is not into business cards, right? They get lost. But I literally just go around tapping people’s phones, whenever they want more information, and all of my information is at their disposal. They can download me as a contact like there are so many things to get your business out there.
Jayne Havens: That is fascinating. I’ve never heard of that. Ok, I guess I’m living under a rock. But I’m going to look into that as soon as we get off this call. Before we wrap up, I thought I would ask you just a couple of quickfire questions. Are you up for the challenge?
Jamesa Bailey: Absolutely. Like so.
Jayne Havens: Yes, exactly. What’s your favorite app that you use for your business? Do you have one?
Jamesa Bailey: Honey book and Sam. I love honey book so much.
Jayne Havens: Ok, that is very interesting. So many sleep consultants, especially in our community are using the Honey Book platform. I don’t use it but everybody talks about it. I feel maybe I should get on board. Finally, one day right
Jamesa Bailey: It really is a one-stop shop. It’s awesome. Ok, love that.
Jayne Havens: What about for client calls? Do you zoom? Or do you just use the phone?
Jamesa Bailey: Zoom? I love getting a peek at the little people. I love zoom for sure.
Jayne Havens: That’s really nice. I bet it helps to make a personal connection. When they can see your face, they can see that you’re like this nice, friendly person that’s going to help them. Yes, I think that really helps. I agree. Do you have a favorite age for sleep training?
Jamesa Bailey: four to six months, because they just get it so quickly. naptime can be tricky around that problem. But overnight sleep is really great. So 4 to 6 months is my favorite age.
Jayne Havens: Ok, Do you have a favorite mantra or saying that you often share with your clients to help them through the journey?
Jamesa Bailey: Yes, I always tell my clients that I write the plan, it’s up to them to work it. And if they do it, it will work. I like to say that because I’ve had so many people like, “Hey, you know, do you have like a guarantee that this work.” and replied, “well, I can’t guarantee it because I’m not in your home.” “But I guarantee that if you do what I say or what I recommend, then it’ll work for you.” So I always like to say that and also like to remind them that not only am I going to be their cheerleader and the motivator, but I’m also going to hold them accountable because they’ve made an investment in me because they want to change and I want to make sure that they actually see a return on that investment and see real change for their families. So those are the two things that I often tell my clients and then my business model is good this week for one equals good sleep for all because I really do believe that when we get these little people sleeping, the whole family was pretty much the moms I had this running joke that they should not say sleep like a baby they should say sleep like a husband. So if you and your baby will start to sleep like your husband.
Jayne Havens: Yes, totally. I’ve always thought that whole sleep like a baby thing is funny. I totally agree. Sleep like a husband 100% Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today. This was really fun. Before we sign off, would you share with everybody where they can find you if they want to follow you on Instagram? So they can check out your website.
Jamesa Bailey: Absolutely. So please follow us on Instagram at Sweet Sweet company. You can also find us on Facebook at Sweet Sweet company and our website is suitesleepco.com
Jayne Havens: Perfect. Thank you so much. It was great chatting with you and I am going to follow along and cheer you on I can’t wait to see all that you do in the next year and beyond.
Jamesa Bailey: Thank you so much for saying and thanks for having me. Bye bye.