The Teacher Business School podcast is officially here!
Before we dive into strategy, marketing, and building a business as a teacher, I wanted to start at the beginning – how this all happened.
Because a few years ago, I was just a high school math teacher trying to find better resources for my students.
This isn’t a “look how amazing I am” story. It’s a “this started small and grew one decision at a time” story. And if you’re a teacher wondering whether you could build something outside the classroom, I hope this gives you clarity and inspiration.
It All Started With a Problem in My Own Classroom
When I was teaching in the classroom, I spent countless hours searching for resources that fit exactly what my students needed.
Spoiler alert – I couldn’t find what I was looking for most of the time. So I started creating my own.
In 2017, I uploaded a few of those resources to Teachers Pay Teachers. At the time, it felt like a small side hustle. I wasn’t trying to build a business. I just thought, “If this helps my students, maybe it’ll help someone else’s too.”
I had no idea that decision would completely change my life.
The Moment Everything Shifted
In 2019, I found out I was pregnant.
It was one of the happiest moments of my life and also one of the most sobering.
When I realized I would only have six weeks of maternity leave, something didn’t sit right. The idea of leaving my baby that quickly felt impossible.
So my husband and I made a bold decision. I would take a year off from teaching.
But I also knew I still wanted to contribute to my family financially. And by that point, my TPT store was growing. Teachers had started asking how I created my resources. They were curious about design, organization, and the systems behind it.
That’s when the idea hit me: what if I taught teachers how to create and sell their own resources?
So in the summer of 2019, I created my first online course. There was no big launch. No email funnel. No fancy strategy.
I basically said, “Hey, I made this. Do you want it?”
A handful of people bought it – and I made about $1,000. It wasn’t massive. But it was proof that it was working.
I have obviously learned a lot throughout the years, so if you’re looking for tried-and-true strategies to create and launch an online course, make sure to listen to this podcast.
Taking the Leap From Side Hustle to Real Business
That first launch showed me something important: I could make this grow.
So over the next year, I treated it like a real business. I studied course creation, email marketing, social media strategy, and launches. I invested time in learning what actually works – and what doesn’t.
Then in summer 2020, I did my first intentional launch. In one week, I made $47,000.
That was about what I used to make in an entire year teaching.
That week wasn’t just about money. It showed me that teachers are capable of building scalable income streams – not just trading time for money.
And it gave me the confidence to officially step away from the classroom
From Course Creator to Becoming a Mentor
As I continued launching, people started asking questions.
Teachers wanted to know how to build a TPT store. Others wanted to create courses or memberships of their own. I found myself meeting people for coffee, answering DMs, and explaining systems over and over again.
What surprised me most was how much I loved those conversations.
I didn’t have a business degree. I didn’t come from an entrepreneurial family. I simply learned by doing – testing, adjusting, and trying again.
Eventually, that grew into mentoring and programs designed to help other families build income online. And now, it’s evolved into something even bigger with the launch of Teacher Business School.
Why I Created Teacher Business School
This podcast isn’t about overnight success stories. It’s about practical strategy.
Inside Teacher Business School, I’ll share:
- What’s working in my business right now — and what isn’t
- The real numbers behind launches, revenue, and expenses
- Different income streams teachers can build
- Honest conversations about faith, family, balance, and generosity
- Mistakes I’ve made so you don’t have to repeat them
I believe teachers are incredibly skilled, but we’re rarely taught how to turn those skills into scalable income.
You Don’t Have to Be “Special” to Build Financial Freedom
If there’s one thing I want you to take away from my story, it’s this:
I wasn’t uniquely qualified.
I was willing to learn.
I was willing to try before I felt fully ready.
And I was willing to treat my side hustle like something that could become real.
Financial freedom didn’t happen overnight. It happened because I kept building – one resource, one lesson, one launch at a time.
And if you’re a teacher sitting on ideas, skills, or resources, you have more potential than you think.
Not sure what you could create an online course about? You can start with my free 100+ Profitable Online Course Ideas!
If you think creating an online course is too big to start with, you can start with opening a Teachers Pay Teachers store. If you want or need a step-by-step roadmap, I have a free training that walks you through exactly how to set up your store, create your first resource, and build sustainable income without burning yourself out.
Inside, I share the strategy I used to grow into a top 1% TPT seller – and how thousands of teachers are using the same framework to create consistent sales. It’s practical, beginner-friendly, and designed specifically for busy teachers.
