Picture this:
You are making extra income on the side by selling your very own learning materials.
People are reaching out to you willing to give you money to buy the lesson plans and learning materials you made.
You’re getting out of debt and can afford the occasional splurge thanks to the new income flow on top of your current business.
Sounds like a dream?
Well, that dream turned into reality because I could achieve all that in less than three years thanks to my e-commerce business: selling my lesson plans and other learning materials online!
Here’s my 2023 income (screenshot from the analytics dashboard of my online store):
As of this writing (April 2024), I’ve already made 60% of the sales I made in 2023 so there’s a high chance I’ll double or even triple my earnings this year (God willing). I’ll let you know when I did it. lol
So, if you haven’t achieved earning your first $12k selling lesson plans and other learning materials…
And you want a no-holds-barred, relatable, true-to-life advice…
Read on. You’re in the right place.
First things first, let's talk numbers. Did you know that e-commerce sales in the US alone topped a whopping $843 billion a year? Yup, you read that right!
But here's the kicker: while big corporations like Amazon and Etsy are swimming in cash, us smaller fish seem to be missing out on a piece of that pie!
How I wish sometimes that somehow, I can have a shot at the money the Big Corpo executives are swimming in right now.
Not for myself, but for my 2 little angels.
Ja’shawn right now is in high school. Mya is in middle school and like any other parent, I want to prepare for their future. I want to save money for their college education so they won’t be burdened with student loans after graduation. They can achieve their dreams without the burden of college debt.
I own Tiny Tigers Learning Center, a 58-children capacity childcare center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. But as you know, owning a childcare center takes a looooot of your time and the profit you get is not big enough to save money to sustain college expenses for two in a few years.
I told myself if I ever will have another business to raise funds for my children’s education, it should fit the following criteria:
- It should be related to childcare
- It should NOT be as time-consuming as having a center is
- It should be ALMOST PASSIVE (meaning it should not require me to be hands-on 100% of the time)
CLICK TO GET THEM HERE
I got attracted to e-commerce selling.
E-commerce selling is like opening a store online, which can provide you with lots of benefits!
It’s cost-effective compared to a physical store. You don’t need to pay for rent, utilities, or physical inventory, and you can operate as a one-woman show or a very small team.
It increases your exposure and allows you to expand your reach beyond your local area, exposing your products and brand to a much bigger market compared to your city.
It is available 24/7 which means customers can make purchases any time, day and night, even when you’re sleeping.
And with an online store, many of the functions like inventory management and order fulfillment can be automated, which can help you save time and reduce the risk of human error.
Online shopping is convenient for customers, and study shows more and more people will shop online in the near future.
Now, I won't sugarcoat it – starting an online store wasn't all rainbows and butterflies. I dove in headfirst, right smack dab in the middle of a pandemic, no less!
I sold the ONLY items I could sell during that time – childcare lesson plans and learning materials, something I already had in my vault as a daycare teacher 10 years ago.
Starting a business clueless of everything has its drawbacks. I wasted a lot of money hiring contractors online who did not deliver as they promised.
But despite the challenges, I persevered, and boy, did it pay off!
created my online store, I was able to earn $603.11 in almost passive income.
I know it’s not big for others, but it was money coming in! People are buying from my online store with very little effort on my part!
Fast forward a year later (2022), and I've 8x'ed my revenue from when I first started. And the best part? I did it my own way, without joining the overcrowded marketplace like TPT, Etsy and Amazon.
Why am I not in Amazon, TPT, or Etsy?
The reason is simple – there is a LOT of competition in TPT, Etsy, Amazon, and other big learning materials marketplaces on the internet these days.
If you sell your products on these platforms, that’s like a fresh grad trying to get a job in a saturated job market…it’s really difficult to stand out!
So I chose not to fish in the overcrowded ocean.
I looked for a pond instead. Smaller compared to the ocean, yes, but at least only two or three of us are fishing there 😉.
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Set up and Forget
A lot of entrepreneurs are afraid to sell online for some reason.
Here are 3 myths that I’ve debunked so far when I ventured into e-commerce.
Myth No. 1:
You need to have a huge following to sell your products.
Nope. Not true! I started my online store as a “nobody” in childcare. I wasn’t a coach, I wasn’t a celebrity or an influencer in childcare and I wasn’t an ECE leader. I was simply a center owner who decided to
have an online store! If I was able to make it work as a nobody, I am sure you will do, too.
Myth No. 2:
Creating a product to sell takes time.
Absolutely not.
Trust me when I say that when you are in a childcare space, you can have something you can sell in as fast as 24 hours!
You already have products people would love to buy, trust me. You just have to know how to look. 😉
Myth No.3:
Selling is “easy”.
It isn’t.
It takes work especially at first because you’re trying to gain momentum.
If you’re reading this because you’re looking for an income stream that can “easily” give you money, then this is NOT for you.
HOWEVER…
If you’re here because you are DETERMINED to own a thriving e-commerce business, then you’re in the right place.
So… how did I earn my first $12k selling lesson plans and other learning materials online? And how can you copy what I did?
There are five steps:
1. Narrow down your target market:
Identify your niche within the education sector, whether it's daycare, STEM, Science, or Math etc.
For example, if you choose STEM education, consider narrowing it down further to a specific age group or subject area within STEM as your target market.
Conduct market research to understand the needs and preferences of your target market. Look for gaps in the market where your products can fulfill a demand that isn't currently being met.
Don’t be afraid to narrow down. You can always expand to a bigger market in the future once you have consistent sales. For now, your goal is to validate your product/s and get started ASAP so starting small is the best way to go.
2. Start with 10 products:
You don't have to sell all the products you can think of at once. Start by creating 10 products and you can increase it as you go.
Begin by creating a diverse range of products
Your initial product offerings could include printable worksheets, educational games, themed kits, and instructional videos.
You don’t even have to create something from scratch. Look at your own vault. What worksheets/workbooks/ guides etc. have you created in the past that requires little improvement and is sellable?
You’ll be surprised by the treasures you already have that're just buried in your boxes and or computer.
3. Find the item in your collection that they like and expand that:
Analyze your sales data and customer feedback every twenty sales you make to identify which products are resonating the most with your customers.
For example, if your themed kits are selling particularly well, consider expanding your range to include more advanced kits or themed sets.
Utilize social media platforms to engage with your audience and ask for their input on product development. Conduct polls, surveys, or Q&A sessions to gather insights into their preferences and interests.
4. Document your journey:
Share behind-the-scenes content and personal stories to humanize your brand and connect with your audience on a deeper level.
You could create video tutorials demonstrating how you develop your lesson plans or share anecdotes about your own experiences as an educator.
Short videos are a rave these days so you really have to be on Tiktok, Reels, and or Shorts. Marketing is very important in business. So there’s no other way to do this unless you have thousands of bucks you can burn spending on paid ads.
Engage with other users in the education community by liking, commenting, and sharing their posts.
5. Become a vendor at events local and national:
This is the fun part!
Participating in educational conferences, workshops, and trade shows showcase your products to a wider audience of educators and parents. Consider offering exclusive discounts or promotions to incentivize attendees to make purchases.
You can also network with other vendors and industry professionals to establish mutually beneficial partnerships. For example, you could collaborate with an education organization to co-host a webinar or contribute content to their blog.
So, there you have it!
The journey of earning my first 12k over the past few years and starting this business during the heart of the pandemic has been nothing short of exhilarating.
If you're considering taking the leap into the world of e-commerce, selling your own educational materials, remember this: it's not just about making money, it's about making an impact and creating opportunities for yourself and your loved ones. And guess what? It's entirely possible!
Whether you're a seasoned educator looking to share your expertise or a parent with a passion for creating educational resources, know that with determination, creativity, and perseverance, you too can turn your dreams into a profitable reality.
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