Penny Simkin

What Penny Simkin does

Penny Simkin, Inc. is a Seattle-based, privately held company that develops and distributes childbirth education resources and labor-support training content under the brand of its founder, the late Penny Simkin, PT. Founded in 1968, the company has built a content library spanning authored books (including the industry-standard The Birth Partner, currently in its 5th Edition), educational DVDs and downloadable videos, and practical teaching tools such as handout packets, question cards, and reference pads aimed at childbirth educators and doulas. Its product portfolio is sold directly to consumers through the pennysimkin.com e-commerce storefront, with books translated into multiple languages reflecting some international reach through third-party publishers.

The company also operates an in-person service offering — an eight-week comprehensive childbirth education class series for families planning hospital or out-of-hospital births, now taught by long-time assistant Katie Rohs following Penny Simkin's death in April 2024. Pricing across the catalog is modest and uniform: books are priced between $12.00 and $49.99, DVDs between $9.99 and $29.99, and educator/doula tools between $15.00 and $32.00, all sold on a one-time purchase basis. Classes are scheduled on a published calendar and serve two horizontal customer segments: expecting families and individual birth professionals (doulas, childbirth educators). Distribution is exclusively direct, with no third-party retail or wholesale channel documented.

Revenue mechanics are anchored on four streams: childbirth classes (professional services), book sales, DVD/video sales, and tools for educators and doulas (one-time purchases). The company has no institutional investment, no technology platform, and no app or digital infrastructure; its competitive position rests on the founder's 53-year reputation, an established content library, and co-founder status in DONA International and PATTCh — institutional ties that continue to channel demand from the professional doula community.

Name

Penny Simkin

Legal name

Penny Simkin, Inc.

Website

https://www.pennysimkin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Penny Simkin, Inc. publishes childbirth education books, DVDs, and professional tools and runs an eight-week in-person childbirth class series in Seattle, serving expecting families and individual doulas and childbirth educators directly through its e-commerce site and scheduled classes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Childbirth Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Educational & Curriculum Publishing (MPAJAFAF)

Keywords

• Childbirth education
• Birth preparation classes
• Labor support materials
• Doula teaching tools
• Birth partner resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Childbirth Classes: Eight-week comprehensive childbirth education series taught in-person for families planning hospital or out-of-hospital births. Classes are conducted by trained assistant Katie Rohs following Penny's signature curriculum.
2. Book Sales: Sale of published books including The Birth Partner (5th Edition), Pregnancy Childbirth and the Newborn, The Labor Progress Handbook, The Simple Guide to Having a Baby, and When Survivors Give Birth. One-time purchase model.
3. DVD and Video Sales: Sale of educational DVDs including Comfort Measures for Childbirth, Relaxation Rhythm Ritual: The 3 Rs of Childbirth, and There's a Baby. One-time purchase model.
4. Tools for Educators and Doulas: Sale of professional tools including Doula Handout Packets, Key Questions Cards, Labor Positions Coloring Book, Pregnancy and Labor Ice Packs, and The Events of Late Pregnancy Tear Pads. One-time purchase model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Penny Simkin, Inc. delivers an eight-week comprehensive childbirth education class series for expecting families and sells a curated catalog of childbirth-related books, educational DVDs, and professional teaching tools for doulas and childbirth educators. Classes continue to be taught by long-time assistant Katie Rohs following Penny Simkin's signature curriculum. Products are sold directly to consumers through the company's own e-commerce storefront.

Product overview

Penny Simkin offers a comprehensive portfolio of childbirth education resources and support tools. The product line consists of published books (including the flagship 'The Birth Partner' series and other guides for parents and professionals), educational DVDs and videos covering comfort measures and sibling preparation, and practical tools for educators and doulas including handout packets, cards, and teaching aids. Additionally, childbirth classes are offered for families. The offering is a curated collection of educational media and physical products rather than a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Classes for Families Eight-week comprehensive childbirth education series for families planning hospital or out-of-hospital births, currently taught by Katie Rohs.
• The Birth Partner – 5th Edition The bestselling comprehensive guide for birth partners, providing essential information for supporting someone through labor and childbirth; priced at $22.99.
• Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn: The Complete Guide (6th Edition) Complete guide covering pregnancy, childbirth, and newborn care for expectant parents; priced at $19.99.
• The Labor Progress Handbook: Early Interventions to Prevent and Treat Dystocia (4th Edition) Professional reference for childbirth educators and healthcare providers on labor progress interventions; priced at $49.99.
• The Simple Guide to Having a Baby Concise, accessible guide for expectant parents covering essential childbirth information; priced at $12.00.
• When Survivors Give Birth Resource addressing childbirth experiences for survivors of abuse or trauma; priced at $32.95.
• Comfort Measures for Childbirth – DVD DVD teaching comfort measures and techniques for labor support; priced at $29.99 (reduced from $60.00).
• Relaxation, Rhythm, Ritual: The 3 Rs of Childbirth – DVD DVD focusing on the three key elements of childbirth preparation: relaxation, rhythm, and ritual; priced at $24.99 (reduced from $50.00).
• There's a Baby – DVD Video resource for siblings-to-be, helping prepare children for the arrival of a new baby; priced at $9.99.
• Doula Handout Packet Resource packet for doulas containing handouts to share with clients; priced at $15.00.
• Key Questions Cards Set of 50 cards with key questions for childbirth education, available in physical or digital download formats; priced at $25.00 (file download) or $15.00 (set of 50).
• Labor Positions Coloring Book Coloring book illustrating labor positions for educational use with expectant parents; priced at $15.00.
• Pregnancy and Labor Ice Pack Therapeutic ice pack designed for use during pregnancy and labor; priced at $32.00.
• The Events of Late Pregnancy Tear Pad Tear-off pad of 50 sheets describing events of late pregnancy, for childbirth educators; priced at $17.50 per pad of 50.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 15,000 individuals, couples, and siblings prepared for childbirth
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DONA InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by Penny Simkin in the early 1990s, DONA International is the premier doula certification organization. Penny Simkin served as a co-founder, establishing standards for the doula profession globally. Following her death in April 2024, DONA International announced her passing and requested donations in her memory to continue her life's work.
• PATTCh (Prevention and Treatment of Traumatic Childbirth)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by Penny Simkin along with other researchers and clinicians, PATTCh focuses on the prevention and treatment of traumatic childbirth experiences. This organization represents her commitment to evidence-based approaches in reducing childbirth trauma.
• Katie RohscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPenny's long-time assistant who now teaches Penny's signature eight-week comprehensive class series for families. Katie Rohs continues the educational legacy following Penny's curriculum and methodology, maintaining the quality and approach of the in-person classes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Lamaze International: Lamaze International is one of the most established childbirth education organizations, offering structured classes, certified educator training, and consumer-facing publications — directly comparable to Penny Simkin's combination of multi-week in-person classes, books, and educator tools.
• The Bradley Method: Bradley Method provides a multi-week instructor-led childbirth education curriculum focused on natural birth, paralleling Penny Simkin's 8-week comprehensive class series in format, audience (expectant families), and direct-to-consumer enrollment model.
• Evidence Based Birth: Evidence Based Birth delivers childbirth education through courses, instructor training, and published materials for both parents and professionals — a direct peer given the overlap in evidence-based curriculum positioning, professional/parent dual audience, and book-plus-class monetization.
• Hypnobabies: Hypnobabies offers a structured multi-week childbirth education program with home-study materials, instructor certification, and supplementary books/audio — directly comparable to Penny Simkin's curriculum-plus-product-plus-class delivery model for expectant families.
• InJoy Health Education: InJoy Health Education produces childbirth and parenting educational materials including books, videos, and teaching aids sold to hospitals, educators, and parents — a direct peer in the childbirth education publishing and curriculum-tools category.
• CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association): CAPPA offers childbirth educator and doula training programs with associated curriculum materials, serving the same dual audience of expecting families and birth professionals that Penny Simkin addresses through classes and tools-for-educators products.

Broad incumbents

• DONA International: DONA International is the largest doula certification organization and was co-founded by Penny Simkin herself; while its primary role is professional certification rather than consumer publishing, it operates in the same childbirth-preparation ecosystem and channels educator demand toward curriculum providers like Penny Simkin.

Emerging players

• ProDoula: ProDoula provides doula training and business resources for working birth professionals — a comparable peer in serving the doula/educator segment with training content and professional tools, though more focused on business-of-doula support than childbirth curriculum.
• Birth Arts International: Birth Arts International offers doula and childbirth educator certification programs with associated curricula and materials, positioning it as an emerging competitor in the same childbirth-education professional-development niche Penny Simkin serves via her tools-for-educators line.

Regional players

• Simkin Center at Bastyr University: The Simkin Center at Bastyr University (named for Penny Simkin) trains childbirth educators and doulas through certificate programs and hosted the Celebration of Life event — a regional training institution operating in the same childbirth-education category with direct brand linkage to Penny Simkin, Inc.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/simkinchannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/PennySimkinChildbirth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/penny-simkin-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Penny Simkin