42: Making a MUCH Greater Impact Beyond the Classroom (24,000+ Students) with Carlin Liborio
As an experienced educator, Carlin Liborio has been teaching grades K-6, coaching teachers, and writing curriculum for 17 years in 3 different countries. She specializes in helping teachers improve their students’ writing skills and has worked on numerous TEA & Pearson anchor committees, item development, and standards setting for the new RLA STAAR test.
Carlin’s goal is to help teachers feel empowered and prepared during these challenging times and to grow ALL students to become avid readers and writers.
In this episode, Carlin shares her journey from being a fourth-grade language arts teacher to creating a thriving online business focused on helping teachers improve their students’ writing skills.
She discusses how she identified a gap in the market and developed digital resources to support teachers in preparing their students for standardized tests. Carlin also talks about the importance of being authentic and being true to yourself when creating content and building an online presence. She shares her strategies for balancing in-person professional development (PD) workshops with digital products and offers so much advice for teachers looking to start their own online business.
This is such an inspirational episode that you don’t want to miss!
Connect with Carlin Liborio
Key Takeaways:
- (02:40) Carlin’s background as a teacher and her transition to online business
- (04:15) Identifying a gap in the market and creating digital resources
- (09:55) Utilizing virtual assistant work to gain experience
- (13:45) Establishing a work schedule and balancing home and work life
- (19:50) Creating a digital course to reach more teachers
- (25:40) Advice for teachers starting an online business
- (29:35) Diversifying your income and exploring different possibilities
- (34:35) Carlin’s future goals for her business
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Leveraging Your Teaching Skills for Impact
Carlin’s story is a testament to the power of combining expertise with a real need in the market. She took her own experience as a language arts teacher in Texas, along with her deep understanding of the state’s STAAR test, to create digital resources that skyrocketed in demand.
This success allowed her to transition from the classroom to impacting teachers and students on a much larger scale.
Identifying a Niche and Cultivating Expertise
For educators like Carlin, finding a sweet spot where their knowledge meets a market need has been key to entrepreneurial success.
Carlin combined her classroom experience and understanding of the curriculum with the evolving demands of education, particularly in the area of standardized testing, to create resources for a niche group of educators grappling with the same challenges.
Her shift from a 4th-grade language arts teacher to a sought-after expert in helping students conquer the Texas STAAR test is a testament to the power of specialized knowledge.
Embracing the Entrepreneurial Skills within Teaching
Good teachers, by the nature of their work, are already equipped with the entrepreneurial skill set required to navigate the business world.
Adaptation, communication, and a natural inclination towards continuous learning are just a few of these transferable skills.
As Carlin stepped into her new role, she found that these attributes, along with a steadfast service mindset, were instrumental in building connections, trust, and ultimately, a customer base in the online space.
From Small Beginnings to Diversified Income
Transitioning from traditional teaching doesn’t happen overnight, and Carlin’s initial steps into the online business were marked by experimentation.
She embraced the power of starting small, from offering professional development sessions to creating targeted workbooks and hosting workshops.
Over time, Carlin’s side hustle eclipsed her teaching salary, validating the potential of a diversified income derived from various educational products and services.
The Personal Touch in Professional Development (PD)
While expanding her digital footprint, Carlin maintains a strong commitment to PD. The impact of personal interaction cannot be overstated, and while her digital resources cater to a wide audience, she emphasizes the value of customized PD.
Aware of her own limits, Carlin wisely invests in her business’ growth while not losing sight of her personal well-being and the importance of balance.
Authenticity and Engagement: Key to Digital Success
Carlin emphasized the significance of authenticity in creating her online course, opting against polished edits in favor of real, raw teaching moments. This approach resonated with her audience, highlighting the importance of genuine engagement over slick production.
Moreover, her decision to provide her course at a presale discount attracted a surge of sign-ups, demonstrating how perceived value and strategic marketing can go hand in hand.
Carlin Liborio’s story is more than a tale of entrepreneurial success; it’s an invitation for teachers to explore their potential outside of the traditional educational setting.