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Have you been thinking about starting a teacher business, selling resources on Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT), or trying a new business idea, but feel like you need to have everything figured out before you begin? What if you didn't? In this episode of Online Business for Teachers, we're talking about giving yourself permission to experiment with new business ideas without immediately turning them into a full-blown business. I'm sharing a conversation I had with an accountant who dreamed of trying woodworking, along with lessons from my own experience starting a health coaching business. I invested thousands of dollars into courses, advertising, and building a business before I had really given myself the opportunity to explore whether it was something I wanted to pursue. Looking back, I realize that not every idea needs a business plan, a website, or a big financial investment. Sometimes you just need to try it and see what happens! In this episode, we're talking about: Why you don't have to go all in when starting a business The importance of exploring and testing business ideas before making big investments What I learned from starting my first online business Why not every hobby or interest needs to become a business How giving yourself permission to experiment can change the way you approach entrepreneurship Whether you're a teacher thinking about starting a side hustle, a TPT seller considering a new product line, or an established teacher entrepreneur exploring your next business idea, this episode is a reminder that you don't have to figure everything out today. You can start small. You can experiment. And you're allowed to change your mind! Here's something to think about this week: Is there a business idea you've been wanting to try but haven't because you think you need to go all in? What would it look like to just try it on first? ❤️ Want more conversations about teacher entrepreneurship, business mindset, and building a business that works for you? Join my email list! 🎧 Follow Online Business for Teachers for more honest conversations about the thinking behind the business. And if you enjoyed this episode, I'd love for you to leave a review!

I'm back! ❤️ After taking a few months away from the podcast, I'm excited to be back behind the microphone. And this time, we're doing things a little different. In this Start Here episode, I'm sharing why I stepped away, what brought me back, and what you can expect from Online Business for Teachers moving forward. Running a teacher business isn't just about creating resources, making sales, and figuring out marketing strategies. There's a whole lot of thinking that happens behind the scenes. The decisions, the obstacles, the self-doubt, and those moments when you're trying to figure out what to do next. That's what I want to talk about. I'll be sharing real stories from my own business, lessons I've learned, ideas I'm working through, and the mindset shifts that have helped me along the way. Because when you're running a business by yourself, sometimes you just need another teacher seller who gets it. So grab your favorite drink, and let's figure this teacher seller thing out together! Let's Stay Connected! Want a little inspiration and motivation for your teacher business delivered straight to your inbox? ❤️ Join my email list! 🎧 Follow Online Business for Teachers so you don't miss our weekly conversations. And if you enjoy the podcast, I'd love it if you left a quick review. It helps other teacher sellers discover the show!

Have you ever felt like you're constantly starting over in your teaching career or online business? Maybe you've tried different business ideas, changed direction, or wondered whether all those experiences were actually getting you anywhere. As a teacher entrepreneur, I've been there! In this episode of Online Business for Teachers, I'm sharing my journey from classroom teacher to Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) seller, online business owner, and membership creator. For a long time, I looked at all the different things I'd tried as separate experiences. But recently, I started seeing them differently. What if every career change, business pivot, and new idea was actually another step on a staircase leading you toward the business and life you want? We're talking about: Why changing direction in your teacher business doesn't mean starting from scratch How your past experiences help you grow as an entrepreneur Why even the business ideas that didn't work out can teach you something valuable How to stop questioning every pivot and start recognizing how far you've come Whether you're just starting a TPT store, building an online teaching business, or exploring what's next in your entrepreneurial journey, I hope this episode helps you see your progress in a new way. Here's something to think about this week: What if you were never starting over? What if you've been moving forward this whole time? ❤️ Want more conversations about teacher entrepreneurship, business mindset, and building a business that works for you? Join my email list! 🎧 Follow Online Business for Teachers for more honest conversations about the thinking behind the business. And if you enjoyed this episode, I'd love for you to leave a review!

If you have ever sat down to work on your TPT store and ended up doing nothing because you could not decide what to do first, this episode is for you. Today I'm getting really honest about something I have struggled with myself. Overthinking. Indecision. That spiral that keeps you stuck even when you know what you need to do. I talk about why AI and Google are not going to fix this for you, why teachers are especially prone to overthinking, and the real tools I personally use when my brain just will not stop going in circles. I also share a very personal story about a fear I carried for two weeks that was completely taking over my life and the exercise that finally got me through it. In this episode: Why ChatGPT keeps you average and what to do instead Why teachers are the biggest overthinking rule followers on the planet The "and then what" exercise that will change how you handle fear Four decision making tools that actually work, including my personal favorite nap trick When you need more than a walk and a journal to get unstuck Links mentioned: 👉 Episode on How to Use Canva Without Breaking Any Rules 👉 Schedule a Coaching Call

If you've been telling yourself you're lazy or you just don't have enough time — I want to offer you something different today. In this episode, we're talking about what is actually going on when TPT sellers stay stuck. And it usually comes down to three things: fear, overwhelm, and decision fatigue. The tricky part is that most of us don't even recognize it when it's happening. It's not something we do on purpose. It's more like a subconscious self sabotage that keeps us from taking action on the business we actually want to build. We also talk about the difference between thinking like a creator and thinking like a seller — and why that shift is one of the biggest things holding teachers back on TPT. In this episode: Why "I don't have time" is usually not the real problem The teacher giving mindset and how it conflicts with running a business Why so many TPT sellers have products sitting in a folder they've never listed The what-if spiral and what it's actually doing to your business What it looks like to get real support and finally move forward Not sure where to start? Grab the free mini course: 👉 www.yourteacherbiz.com/free-mini-course Ready to stop overthinking and actually start? I work with teachers one on one to help them get clear, get focused, and take action, whether you are starting from zero or you have products but are still stuck. 👉 Book your coaching session here: www.yourteacherbiz.com/coaching And if this episode helped you, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps other teachers find the show, and it means the world to me.

You already have the idea. You already have the resources. So why haven’t you uploaded anything yet? In this episode, I break down the exact process I use to turn a simple classroom activity into a product that earns money on Teachers Pay Teachers, step by step, no fluff. From opening your store to writing your product description, I walk you through everything. And I get honest about the real reason most teachers never start: it is not strategy. It is mindset. I even share the story of a friend who had a great idea, got stuck on clip art, and still has not opened her store to this day. If you have been sitting on an idea and telling yourself you’ll get to it later, this episode is for you. In This Episode Why I always ask if you’re a premium or basic seller — and why it matters for your profit The one file format rule every new TPT seller needs to hear How to design a product that looks professional even if you are not a designer What your cover, thumbnails, and preview actually need to include How to write a product description that shows up in TPT search The real reason teachers never start (and it is not what you think) How I built my business while teaching full time — and exactly when I found the time What to do in the next 30 minutes after listening to this episode Resources Mentioned Free Mini Course: com/free-mini-course — covers, thumbnails, Canva setup, and more. Episode 5 — Tools I Use and How to Avoid Copyright Issues 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey Not sure where to start? Grab the free mini course: 👉 www.yourteacherbiz.com/free-mini-course Ready to stop overthinking and actually start? I work with teachers one on one to help them get clear, get focused, and take action, whether you are starting from zero or you have products but are still stuck. 👉 Book your coaching session here: www.yourteacherbiz.com/coaching And if this episode helped you, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps other teachers find the show, and it means the world to me.

Stop Overthinking and Start Your Teacher Business: How to Go from Idea to Action You have had the idea. You have thought about it, researched it, and maybe even had a full conversation with ChatGPT about it. But you still have not made anything. In this episode we talk about: Why teachers stay stuck before they even start The real cost of waiting to feel ready How comparing yourself to other sellers is keeping you broke My own story of starting over and what finally clicked The truth? You already have everything you need. You just need to get out of your own way. Not sure where to start? Grab the free mini course: 👉 www.yourteacherbiz.com/free-mini-course Ready to stop overthinking and actually start? I work with teachers one on one to help them get clear, get focused, and take action, whether you are starting from zero or you have products but are still stuck. 👉 Book your coaching session here: www.yourteacherbiz.com/coaching

I just hit one year of podcasting… and I didn’t go viral. In this episode, I’m sharing what actually changed and why it matters if you’ve ever felt like quitting something you started. Whether it’s a podcast, a TPT store, or any kind of online business, this is the part we don’t talk about enough. Because most of the time, it doesn’t look like it’s working. But something is happening. I didn’t see massive growth. I didn’t make a ton of money. In fact, I invested more into my podcast than I got back. But what changed the most wasn’t the numbers. It was me. My message is clearer. I understand who I want to help. I’m not afraid to be seen or heard the way I used to be. And that only happened because I kept showing up. In this episode, I talk about: what changed after showing up for a year why clarity doesn’t come before action how your message and confidence evolve over time and why slow progress doesn’t mean it’s not working If you’ve been second guessing yourself or wondering if you should keep going… this is for you. If you’re brand new and need help getting your TPT store started, I have a free starter mini course. You can get it here: Free TPT Starter Mini Course And if you’re in that in-between stage and you’re trying to figure out your next move, you can book a strategy call with me and we’ll map it out together. Book a Teacher Business Clarity Call 📧 Got questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]. I read every message and would love to hear from you.

If you’ve ever stared at your email like… what am I even supposed to say? Or you’ve avoided emailing your list because you don’t want to sound salesy… this episode is going to help you so much. Today, I’m talking with Liz Wilcox, and she breaks email marketing down in a way that actually feels doable—especially for teachers. We’re talking about how to connect with your audience, what to say in your emails, and how to make sales without overthinking every word. And the best part? You don’t need to be a “great writer” or tell long stories to make this work. In this episode, we talk about: What to say in your emails when you don’t know where to start How to connect with your audience without oversharing Why you don’t need long storytelling emails to make sales How often you should really be emailing your list How to sell in your emails without feeling pushy or annoying The mindset shift that makes email feel easier (and actually work) Connect with Liz: Liz has a freebie that gives you: a full welcome sequence newsletter examples and 52 subject lines for the year 👉 Grab it here: https://lizwilcox.com Want direct access to her super cool membership?  👉 Grab it here: Liz's Membership   If you’re brand new and need help getting your TPT store started, I have a free starter mini course. You can get it here: Free TPT Starter Mini Course And if you’re in that in-between stage and you’re trying to figure out your next move, you can book a strategy call with me and we’ll map it out together. Book a Teacher Business Clarity Call 📧 Got questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]. I read every message and would love to hear from you.

Thinking about leaving the classroom… but not sure if you’re financially ready? In this episode, I’m sharing what I learned after leaving teaching and trying to figure out how to replace a full-time salary with business income. This came up after a teacher friend (and mom of three) asked me how to actually make the transition. And I get it. When you have a family, especially young kids, the decision to leave teaching isn’t just emotional… it’s financial. I thought I was prepared when I left. My business was growing, I saw the numbers going up, and I assumed it would continue. It didn’t. So in this episode, I’m walking you through what I would do differently and what I think every teacher should think about before leaving the classroom. What You’ll Learn in This Episode Why business income is not the same as a teaching salary How to figure out where your money is actually going A simple way to separate needs vs wants in your budget Why I started paying myself based on my lowest income months What to look at financially before you leave the classroom Why giving yourself time to build your business matters Who This Episode Is For – Teachers thinking about leaving the classroom – Teacher moms trying to balance work and family – Teachers building a TPT or online business – Anyone wanting to replace their teaching salary with business income Mentioned in This Episode 48: How I Manage the Money in My Teacher Business (Taxes, Profit & Paying Myself) (go back and listen if you haven’t yet) If you’re brand new and need help getting your TPT store started, I have a free starter mini course. You can get it here: Free TPT Starter Mini Course And if you’re in that in-between stage and you’re trying to figure out your next move, you can book a strategy call with me and we’ll map it out together. Book a Teacher Business Clarity Call 📧 Got questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]. I read every message and would love to hear from you.

In this episode, I’m walking you through exactly how I manage my business finances, not as an accountant, but as someone who has learned through experience. I’m sharing what I did when I first started, what changed when my business started growing, and the simple systems I use now to stay organized. What You’ll Learn in This Episode What I did when I made my first $500 in my business The moment I realized I needed better financial systems Why I opened an LLC and a business bank account How I keep my business and personal finances separate The simple spreadsheet system I use instead of QuickBooks How I track income, expenses, and deductions each month How I estimate and save for quarterly taxes (without surprises) How I organize my money for: taxes business expenses profit owner’s pay The difference between profit and paying yourself Tools I Mentioned I use a bookkeeping spreadsheet created specifically for TPT sellers. It helps me: track all income and expenses calculate deductions estimate quarterly taxes You can check it out: 👉 Emily Bryant Bookkeeping Remember: The goal is to create a simple system that works for you Even small changes like separating your accounts or tracking monthly can make a huge difference.   If you’re brand new and need help getting your TPT store started, I have a free starter mini course. You can get it here: Free TPT Starter Mini Course And if you’re in that in-between stage and you’re trying to figure out your next move, you can book a strategy call with me and we’ll map it out together. Book a Teacher Business Clarity Call 📧 Got questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]. I read every message and would love to hear from you.

Many people start a TPT store or teacher business feeling excited about the possibilities. But after a while, some of them get discouraged when their store grows slower than they expected. The beginning stage of a business requires a lot of time, energy, and learning. You’re figuring out how to create resources, how to design them, how to list them, and how to explain them so teachers understand how they can use them. In this episode, I share the way I think about those early stages of business. I often describe it as the “baby stage” of a business. At the beginning, your business needs a lot from you before it can really start producing consistent results. We also talk about a mistake I see many new sellers make — trying to build everything at once. Creating products, starting an email list, blogging, Pinterest, social media… all while their store only has a small number of resources in it. Sometimes the most helpful thing you can do early on is simply focus on creating resources that genuinely help teachers and continue building your store. If your teacher business feels slower than you hoped, this episode is meant to encourage you and help you understand what growth actually looks like in the early stages. In this episode: Why many teacher sellers stop working on their business The early stage of a teacher business and why it feels hard Why your store needs time and energy in the beginning The mistake of trying to build everything at once Why building a well-stocked store matters If you’re currently building your teacher business or TPT store, this episode will help you understand why patience and consistency matter so much in the early stages. If you’re brand new and need help getting your TPT store started, I have a free starter mini course. You can get it here: Free TPT Starter Mini Course And if you’re in that in-between stage and you’re trying to figure out your next move, you can book a strategy call with me and we’ll map it out together. Book a Teacher Business Clarity Call 📧 Got questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]. I read every message and would love to hear from you.

Have you ever wondered why some businesses work while others never really take off? Before I started my TPT store and my teacher business, I actually tried several other business ideas. Looking back, I truly believe those businesses could have worked. But they didn’t… and the reason might surprise you. In this episode, I’m reflecting on what finally made my teacher business work and how starting a Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) store helped me build the confidence I needed to grow something much bigger. If you’re a teacher who has been thinking about starting a business, creating resources online, or building a TPT store, this episode will help you think about your next steps a little differently. I also talk about some ideas I’ve been learning from Alex Hormozi about having a clear offer and a clear niche, and how those principles showed up in my business long before I even knew what they were. You’ll hear the real story behind how my teacher business started and the three things I believe every successful teacher business needs. In this episode, we talk about: Why my first business ideas didn’t work The fear of visibility that holds many teachers back from starting a business How starting a TPT store helped me build confidence as a business owner The importance of having a clear niche and a clear offer Why niching down can help your teacher business grow faster How to know if there is a real market for your resources or business idea Why building a teacher business is a long game Resources Mentioned $100M Offers by Alex Hormozi $100M Leads by Alex Hormozi If you’re brand new and need help getting your TPT store started, I have a free starter mini course. You can get it here: Free TPT Starter Mini Course And if you’re in that in-between stage and you’re trying to figure out your next move, you can book a strategy call with me and we’ll map it out together. Book a Teacher Business Clarity Call 📧 Got questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]. I read every message and would love to hear from you.

What I Learned After My TPT Sales Flatlined: Funnels, Traffic, and Facebook Ads If you’ve ever looked at your TPT dashboard and wondered, “Why are my sales suddenly… not moving?”  this episode is for you. For months, I blamed everything for my plateau: the algorithm, SEO, the saturated market, AI, promoting my membership, even the season. But the real reason my sales flatlined? It wasn’t any of those things. It was something much simpler  and something I didn’t even notice until I sat down and compared my numbers. In this episode, I walk you through the exact moment I realized what changed, the product line that suddenly tanked, and how turning off one small part of my funnel impacted my entire business. I’m sharing what I found inside my TPT analytics, what happened when I stopped running Facebook ads, and why traffic matters way more than we think it does. If you’re in a season where things feel slow, or you’re not sure why certain product lines aren’t performing anymore, this episode will help you look at your data in a totally different way. What you’ll hear today: Why my sales plateaued for several months The assumptions I made (and why they were wrong) The moment the data finally made it clear How Facebook ads were quietly feeding my best-selling product line What I’m testing next with a brand-new funnel A reminder to go back and look at what actually changed in your business If you’re brand new and need help getting your TPT store started, I have a free starter mini course. You can get it here: Free TPT Starter Mini Course And if you’re in that in-between stage and you’re trying to figure out your next move, you can book a strategy call with me and we’ll map it out together. Book a Teacher Business Clarity Call 📧 Got questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]. I read every message and would love to hear from you.

If you’ve been staring at your TPT store, your ideas list, or that half-finished product thinking, “I just don’t have the time or the energy right now,” this episode is for you. We’re in testing season. It’s the end of the year. And teachers everywhere are exhausted. Today, I’m breaking down the 4 steps that helped me grow my TPT business while teaching full time, raising kids, and juggling all the real-life responsibilities we don’t get paid for. These steps are simple, realistic, and designed for the teacher who feels like they have zero time left in the day or zero brain cells left at night. Inside the episode, we talk about: How to organize your workday so you’re not giving all your energy to school. How to protect your after-school time so you can rest and reset without guilt. How to schedule focused business time (and what to do when you’re drained). How to own your calendar so your goals and your rest both have space. Mentioned in this episode:  Episode 36: Why More Time Doesn't Make You More Productive Leverage the time you already have with intention so you can build a TPT business that supports your life instead of draining you. If you’ve been feeling behind, stuck, overwhelmed, or just too tired to even think about TPT right now… this episode will help you take a breath, get grounded, and see a clear path forward. Book a Free Teacher Business Clarity Call If you’re ready to grow your TPT business but don’t know where to start, I offer free consult calls to help you get clarity on your goals and your next steps. 📧 Got questions or want to share your story? Email me anytime at [email protected]. I read every message and I’d love to hear from you.