6: Evolving Your Online Teacher Business with Kelsey Sorenson
After having a panic moment when she showed up to substitute teach a class and realized there was nothing for her to do, Kelsey Sorenson had the bright idea to create her own substitute teacher resources and sell them on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Tune in to hear Kelsey’s journey from teacher to now a successful online business owner of Wife Teacher Mommy.
This conversation discusses the importance of learning as you go and not letting a lack of knowledge hold you back from trying new things, getting creative, and evolving in your business.
Kelsey also shares tips for other teachers looking to start their own online business and emphasizes the importance of taking things one step at a time instead of trying to do all the things!
About Kelsey Sorenson:
Kelsey is a former third-grade teacher and substitute teacher. She is now a homeschool mom to three kids and owner of Wife Teacher Mommy, where she and her team serve Pre-K through sixth-grade teachers. She is also a certified life coach with The Life Coach School.
Wife Teacher Mommy has been featured on We Are Teachers, Teachers Pay Teachers, Jane, Etsy, Food Network, CBC, Fox, and NBC.
Kelsey and her team have helped hundreds of thousands of educators cut down planning time and balance the many roles in their lives with her time-saving resources, blogs, teacher life coaching program, Educate & Rejuvenate events, and Wife Teacher Mommy: The Podcast.
Kelsey is addicted to Coke Zero and loves reading and listening to audiobooks.
Key Takeaways:
- (03:28) The journey into online business
- (06:32) Creating an event from scratch
- (16:31) TPT vs selling things on your own website
- (18:26) Building a team
- (20:29) Work and Mom-life balance
- (26:21) Teacher skills used as a business owner
- (32:08) Educate and Rejuvenate
Listen on:
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Evolving Your Online Teacher Business with Kelsey Sorenson
In the latest episode of the Teacher Biz Podcast, host Heather sits down with the accomplished entrepreneur and educator, Kelsey Sorenson. Kelsey shares her journey from being a teacher to building a thriving online education business, highlighting the importance of building a strong team along the way.
In this blog post, we’ll delve into the key insights and lessons shared by Kelsey in this episode, offering valuable guidance for aspiring education entrepreneurs.
Fostering a Core Team
Kelsey emphasizes the significance of cultivating a reliable core team rather than hiring multiple virtual assistants for different tasks.
By hiring employees and training them to handle multiple responsibilities, she ensures that her team members are versatile and capable of adapting to different challenges.
This approach not only fosters a sense of ownership and accountability among team members but also streamlines communication and improves efficiency.
Aligning Team Values
Kelsey’s team members are not just contractors; they are dedicated employees who share her business’s core values and goals.
This alignment allows them to work cohesively towards a common mission, eliminating the need for Kelsey to function as a middleman for all communication.
This not only empowers her team but also allows her to focus on other crucial aspects of her business.
Creating Work-Life Balance
As a teacher-turned-entrepreneur, Kelsey understands the challenges of maintaining a healthy work-life balance when working from home. She acknowledges the difficulty of creating a clear divide between work and home life in the same physical space.
Kelsey shares her experience of finding support from her family, especially her supportive husband, who allows her to be both a dedicated mom and a successful business owner.
Leveraging Creativity
Kelsey’s experience as a teacher highlights the power of creativity in both teaching and business. She exudes a passion for coming up with unique lesson plans, and she has carried this creativity into her online education business.
Kelsey emphasizes the need for thinking outside the box and finding ways to stand out and grab attention in a competitive market.
Transitioning from Resources to Coaching
During the discussion, Kelsey reveals her transition from being resource-oriented to a more coaching-focused approach in her membership program.
Recognizing that teachers need more than just resources, Kelsey has become a certified life coach and aims to provide ongoing support and mentorship to her members. This change reflects her commitment to meeting the evolving needs of her audience.
Strategic Marketing Approach
Kelsey shares insights into her marketing strategies, focusing primarily on Facebook ads and SEO. These methods have proven to be successful for her, helping her grow her business effectively.
She also emphasizes the importance of celebrating milestones and not comparing oneself to others, encouraging listeners to take their entrepreneurial journey at their own pace.
From fostering a core team to leveraging creativity and transitioning from resources to coaching, Kelsey’s journey offers inspiration and practical advice for educators who are venturing into the world of online entrepreneurship.
Remember, success doesn’t come overnight. Take it one step at a time, celebrate small victories, and watch your business flourish.