The Birth Boot Camp Noncompete
My name is Donna Ryan and I am the founder of Birth Boot Camp. I’ve taught childbirth education since 2003 and have seen couples transformed with the birth of their babies. I am honored to bring Birth Boot Camp to the world with an amazing team of women.
When Birth Boot Camp was just an idea, I contacted an attorney. I had been previously teaching a different curriculum. She asked if I had signed a noncompete agreement. I checked through all my paperwork, etc. and never found a thing. She promptly told me that I should have a noncompete/nondisclosure for my company with the writing of curriculum and publishing materials. This made sense to me. I had the agreement drawn up by an attorney.
As you can imagine, it is confusing language, as legal documents are. The language is not meant to intimidate or mislead, but is the language of our legal system. Trainees sign the noncompete during the training process, prior to attending training. We want people to understand what they are signing.
We have created an incredible community within Birth Boot Camp. We sincerely care about our instructors and doulas and want them to succeed. We focus on building relationships with each and every one of them, training them in a professional manner and teaching them to be professionals themselves. The noncompete/nondisclosure protects everyone, including the many people who are now part of Birth Boot Camp and work very hard to help other families have amazing births.
Noncompete/nondisclosure agreements are standard in MANY businesses in which those involved have inside access to copyrighted materials and “trade secrets,” if you will. When this is done in other industries, it is considered good business and rational protection of the business and employees. I acknowledge that I am reshaping how business is done in the birth world and that it can make people uncomfortable.
It’s not standard to have a noncompete in the birth industry, true. We have created an amazing program and have the best materials in the industry. Doesn’t it make sense to protect them? It does not make good business sense to allow people to come to training, take our entire curriculum, and then create their own down the road. Allowing this hurts the company as a whole and each and every instructor and doula who has invested their time, money, and passion into this amazing program.
Birth Boot Camp uses two separate non-compete and confidentiality agreements depending on the certification you are seeking. Below are highlighted points from these agreements, but you can read the Birth Boot Camp instructor noncompete here and the Birth Boot Camp doula noncompete here.
* Birth Boot Camp Instructors agree to not write childbirth education curriculum, train instructors, record online classes, or work for a competitor doing any of the above, for a period of 2 years from the time they leave Birth Boot Camp.
* Birth Boot Camp Doulas agree to not create a doula certification program, train doulas, or work for a competitor doing any of the above, for a period of 2 years from the time they leave Birth Boot Camp.
* Birth Boot Camp Doulas and Instructors agree not to solicit, encourage, or persuade other Birth Boot Camp instructors, doulas, customers, clients to leave Birth Boot Camp.
* Through the certification process, Birth Boot Camp Doulas and Instructors will be provided valuable resources and information to help them succeed as Instructors and Doulas. Birth Boot Camp Doulas and Instructors agree to never use any confidential or proprietary information that belongs to Birth Boot Camp once they have severed ties with the company.
The mission of Birth Boot Camp is to help couples have amazing birth experiences through education and fabulous doulas. The agreements, signed by our instructors and doulas, serve to help us in this mission by keeping the company sound and protecting all those who have invested their time, money and lives into our program. We truly love our instructors and doulas and work tirelessly to defend them and their ability to make a living.
This post was altered to reflect current practices in January 2020.
As a BBCI and a BBCD that owned a previous business in the past, I was happy to see the non-compete as part of the BBC business. When I purchased my former business, I had the seller sign a non-compete as per my lawyer’s suggestion. It is good business sense. Good business sense is why I chose to become a BBCI and a BBCD. The backend support for all of the instructors and doulas is really great. The focus on positives and collaborating with each other is the other benefit. I am not a single instructor/doula. I am part of an organization that is supported not only by the board but my fellow peers. The higher we lift each other, the better the view. I’m saddened that such malicious intent has been directed towards a company that truly has built itself upon building others.
Thank you so much for addressing this, Donna. I love that Birth Boot Camp cares enough about its instructors and doulas to follow sound business practices that protect the “little guys” and our organization as a whole. I appreciate that you have always been open and honest and that I can always count on you for professional communication.
I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of Birth Boot Camp. We are helping families all over the globe. I have enjoyed seeing how Birth Boot Camp has impacted my students and helped them achieve better birth outcomes! Thank you for protecting your instructors and doulas who have taken a leap of faith with Birth Boot Camp. We may be a newer program, but we are changing the face of birth education and labor support for the better.
Thank you BBC for protecting your instructors and doulas and the investment they make in their training. We all benefit from this and I’m proud to be associated with this company!
I am so PROUD to be a Birth Boot Camp instructor. I have never seen a company be so supportive of it’s members. Donna always strives for transparency and I appreciate it so much. Thank you for taking such great care of us!
Thank you Donna and the rest of the BBC board for taking the time to address this publicly. As a BBCI, I know first hand the heart and soul you all pour into BBC, and I am proud to be part of the wonderful group of women you have brought together. The support, positivity, and professionalism is more than I ever expected when I learned about the amazing curriculum you all put together, and decided to certify. It’s the delicious icing on the cake!
Outrossim, familiares e demais especialistas envolvidos com as crianças poderão se beneficiar da
plataforma, constituÃda na forma a rede social.