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Do you remember the moment that you walked into your classroom for the first time ever? You’d just finished earning your certification and were super excited to have a new job. Your heart was full of joy, hope, and positivity about the impact that you would have on the lives of your students.
Then the school year started and yes, you absolutely LOVED your students, but let’s be honest… It was all downhill from there.
Your life became filled with -
Meetings that could have been emails…
Parents that drove you crazy...
Evenings and weekends spent grading papers and planning lessons…
And that was BEFORE Covid-19!
All of the insanity made you begin to question if you’d made the right choice and then the craziest thing of all happened…
You got your first check!
In 2003, I entered the profession with a master’s degree and a $35,000/year salary to match, but that was almost 20 years ago so hopefully, the pay scale has increased for first-year teachers.
Even if it has, I’m willing to bet that it’s still not the best. Wouldn’t you agree? Back in my day the only options that were available to supplement a low teaching salary were to coach or sponsor a club, but thankfully times are a changing!
Fast forward twenty years and teachers that are looking to supplement their income can do so right from the comfort of their homes by starting a side hustle.
While powering up my laptop and deciding to start an online business was one of the best decisions of my life, it most certainly didn’t feel like that in the beginning. When I first started my side hustle, I approached it much like I did everything else. I decided to teach myself what to do by letting Google direct my path and whatever the Google gurus told me to do, that’s exactly what I did.
Create a WordPress website… Check!
Start building an email list… Check!
Post 3 times on Instagram every day… Check!
Follow and engage on popular posts every day… Check!
Create 20 new pins per week… Check!
Check!
Check!
Check!
And after I checked everything off the Google guru list, I looked up to discover that I’d spent the first year of my side hustle doing a lot of stuff that wasn’t earning me any extra money.
Shoot! I should have just sponsored a club!
Truth be told, I closed my laptop and quit! I walked away from side hustling, but the dream was still in my heart. I wanted to create a life that I absolutely loved waking up to on Monday mornings and I knew that no matter how high up the education ladder I climbed, I’d still have the Sunday night blues.
I was determined not to let the Sunday night blues define my life so I opened my laptop back up, but this time I approached edupreneurship with a different strategy. Rather than spending all of my time following the Google guru advice, I invested in my vision, and out of the ashes, Classroom to CEO was born.
Rather than checking off a million and one boxes, I focused on what I like to call the Power of ONE. I used ONE freebie to target ONE customer to enroll in ONE product all while posting on only ONE social media platform. In other words, I became laser-focused on empowering educators to start a profitable online business.
Once I gained clarity on who I wanted to serve and understood exactly how I would empower them to achieve success in their lives, all of the other pieces fell right into place.
Since I was no longer doing ALL of the things and was laser-focused on only doing ONE thing, I had much more time to serve my community. I had time to provide 1-on-1 coaching and create courses and programs that helped educators to create multiple streams of income. In less than 6 months after I rebranded as Classroom to CEO, I experienced the first five-figure month from my side hustle and have continued to experience what I like to call COMMA Money Months (i.e. $1,000+) every single month thereafter.
Implementing the Power of ONE is one of the secrets to achieving success as an edupreneur that I teach in my new book, Classroom to CEO in 30 Days: An Educator’s Guide to Start a Profitable Online Side Hustle.
In this book, you will discover a 30-day roadmap that empowers you to build your online business on a solid foundation that allows you to be profitable from Day 1. Since every book purchase includes lifetime access to the 30-day companion course, you will have the tools you need to create freebies and products, plus grow an engaged community without stress, tech overwhelm, or burnout.
If you desire to use your unique skills and talents to empower others to achieve success, while earning extra money from the comfort of your own home, then Classroom to CEO in 30 Days is definitely for you. Get your copy today at classroomtoceoin30days.com and DM me @ericaterryceo on Instagram to let me know that you’re ready to start your edupreneur journey. I can’t wait to meet you and witness you achieve success as an edupreneur!
Erica Terry
Instagram: @ericaterryceo
Clubhouse: @ericaterry
Erica Terry is a 19 year educator, who currently serves as an educational consultant that’s committed to empowering co-teachers to build collaborative relationships and transform instruction to meet the needs of all students, including students with disabilities.
In addition to her role as an educational consultant, she is the author of Classroom to CEO in 30 Days and host of the Classroom to CEO Podcast, where she equips educators with actionable tools and resources to turn their classroom knowledge and experience into a profitable online business by creating multiple streams of income.
While inspiring educators to create a life they love embodies her professional passion, her husband, Melvin, and daughter, Eva are the driving force and greatest blessings in her life. You can find her hanging out on Instagram @ericaterryceo or Clubhouse @ericaterry