Meet Smadar - a twin specialist supporting new parents with overwhelm and double the fun!
Smadar Zmirin started her business Twinful Life after being a twin nanny, and is now a specialist supporting parents of twins across the world. She says that having a strong and authentic why is critical to business success.
What’s your biz?
I'm a twin specialist, and I support twin parents from pregnancy through age 5, at my business Twinful Life.
Who do you work with?
My ideal client is an expectant twin parent, or parents of twins under the age of 5. Twin parents are usually, and very understandably, quite overwhelmed with the prospect of raising twins. They have a lot of concerns and questions, and finding the support they need in these moments can be hard to come by.
After working with twins for over 15 years, I have a lot I can offer these wonderful families. As a twin specialist, I offer a variety of services for twin parents, including antenatal classes, postpartum support, sleep consultation, and parental guidance. All my hands-on experience and studies have focused on the unique needs and challenges of twins and their parents, ensuring that the support I offer is tailored to their family.
What sparked the idea behind your business?
I remember vividly the specific moment that I knew something had changed inside of me. I just left a great interview for a twin nanny position for 6-month-old twins, and the parents asked me to read a few articles about supporting twin identities and individuation. I have never heard about any of this, and I wondered what it was all about. The article was the turning point for me. I realised how important my role was as their caregiver, and how my choice of words, attitudes, and actions impact these little ones’ well-being.
I don’t like to be compared to my siblings. No one does. I started reflecting on how acute this must be for twins, and their experience. It really moved me, and I knew I wanted to do right by them. I loved my job with this family, and wanted to learn more about the role of twin caregivers in supporting their emotional well-being. I kept working as a twin nanny from that moment onward, and also started studying extensively to enrich my knowledge and understanding of children’s development.
Then, about 3 years ago, I felt the urge to take things to the next step. I wanted to help more than just one family at a time. I had so much to give, and wanted to reach more families who needed support. That’s how Twinful Life came to be. A place where I can share my knowledge, skills, and passion for twins.
What does a typical day look like for you as a business owner?
Every day is a bit different. I work with families all over the world, which means business hours and days aren’t really a thing. I start early in the morning, and sometimes finish the day after 9pm. There is a lot to do for online clients. I prepare sleep plans and parenting action plans, offer Zoom consultations, and spread follow-up calls throughout the day and evening (you have to adapt to different time zones).
When I have home consultations or postpartum support visits, I spend a good part of the day with families at their homes. And when I don’t have one-on-one clients, I create social media and website content, write articles for magazines, and prepare or deliver classes. I provide antenatal classes for Multiples NZ (which are offered every other month, on Saturday morning), as well as classes for Multiples of America, and a twin club in Canada.
Part of the day is usually also dedicated to admin chores. So each day is constructed differently, depending on appointments and classes. Balance is still hard to come by some days. I try to priorities breaks, family, friends, and me time. But I don’t always manage to turn off the business mode.
What are some of the key milestones in your business journey so far?
There are two big milestones that come to mind. The first is building connections with world-renowned twin experts, whose work I have been following for many years. I reached out to several of them for interviews, and they all said yes. And one of them, the one I have been following from the very beginning, has asked me to review her latest book. She sent me a signed copy and even included me in it. That has been a truly terrific moment personally and professionally.
The second is the twin antenatal classes. I didn’t realise just how much I love teaching until I started offering my twin classes (sleep, postpartum, raising twins, and antenatal). But the feedback and reviews I receive from the families who attend the antenatal classes are the most rewarding for me. My vision has always been to support twin families, and help them get as much information and resources as early as possible. I want to alleviate stress and empower them to embark on the twin parenting journey with more ease and confidence. The twin antenatal classes are exactly that. Parents share with me how they felt before and after the classes, and the impact they had on them. I can see the change in them, and it fills me with joy.
What have been some of the biggest challenges you've faced so far - and how have you overcome them?
By far, all the logistics behind running a business. I love what I do, but I had no idea how many hats I’ll have to wear and how many new skills I’ll have to learn to run a business. From coding, SEOs, and website designing, through marketing and ads, to social media presence and brand building. All these took time, studying, and trial and error.
Because I’m a one-woman show, I needed to personally learn all these to be able to implement the changes myself along the way. I wanted to know how everything works, because if you pay someone to create something for, then you rely on them to change, tweak, or fix it too. Learning to do all of these myself was tedious, but very empowering too.
Another challenge I had to overcome as a business owner was public speaking. I still don’t love it, but I am so much better at it. Learning how to talk about myself, my skills, and my services, and running seminars and classes has boosted my confidence and helped me to truly own my role as a twin specialist with pride.
What are you most excited about in your business right now?
I envision Twinful Life continuing to expand globally. I have a clientele base in Europe, and I would love to provide classes for them too. I would love to keep collaborating with twin experts around the world, and attend conferences to raise awareness of the beauty and uniqueness of twinships and twins.
And, I want to finish and publish my book about raising twins with peace and joy.
What’s worked best for you to build brand awareness and get customers?
Collaboration with twin clubs and organisations, as well as social media presence and SEOs.
What is one of the important lessons you've learnt as a business owner? What advice would you share to someone starting out?
You have to be true to who you are. It takes time to find your voice and the courage to stick to your message. But it is worth it. The moment you aren’t authentic in your work, the misalignment inside impacts everything that follows. So if you love what you do, and you know WHY you do it, the rest will follow.
It might take time, it might get messy, and the path can get blurry. But the compass inside will keep directing you to where you need to go
How does being a part of She Owns It help you in your business journey?
I feel that it reflects the real process of the journey, without the glamour and makeup. These are real people who worked hard and built something of their own, and they are here to show up for it. It isn’t a miracle that they one day woke up to. Seeing their journey and learning from their successes and trials is really inspirational.
So being a part of this community has added a human and genuine touch that can be so often detached from the business world. It is sort of a bridge between our personal and business personas.
And it is great to be able to take the business hat off, and still be in a professional environment that is supportive and embraces the elbow grease that owning a business takes.
⚡️ FAST 5:
1. One thing you’d tell your younger self starting out?
Believe in yourself. This is going to be better than you can imagine.
2. Your favourite biz or personal development books or podcasts?
"Start with why"
3. How many tabs do you have open right now?
12
4. What's your go-to power song?
It’s tacky, but “That’s not my name” gets me going every time.
5. A quote you love and why?
“What you teach is yourselves." - Magda Gerber
Magda Gerber developed the RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers) childcare philosophy, which has transformed my work with children. The quote reflects my journey in the past 20 years of working with children, and the inner work I had to, and still need to, do to best support their needs and development. It is true to my work with babies and children, and with their parents, as self-reflection is a key ingredient for good teaching.
How can people connect with you and your business?
https://www.facebook.com/Smadar.TwinfulLife
https://www.instagram.com/twinful_life/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/twinful-life/
Upcoming classes and seminars: The next twin antenatal class is starting on 25 Oct. It is online, and it is FREE!
There are also four online twin seminars in Sep-Oct: Three sleep seminars: Newborns, 6-12 months, Toddlers. And Mastering Twin Toddlers. They are all online and recorded, so if the time and date aren’t suitable, you can sign up for the recording.
These seminars are offered throughout the year, and SOI members enjoy 15% off!
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