54: Slowly Transitioning from Teacher to Full-Time Business Owner with Laura Kebart
Laura Kebart leverages her 20+ years of classroom teaching experience and instructional coaching systems to serve busy middle school English Language Arts Teachers through her online presence at languageartsteachers.com.
Through her educational consulting, realistic instructional strategies, hands-on workshops, and back-to-school MSELA Summit each July, Laura helps educators teach with confidence while reducing their overwhelm and increasing student engagement.
Laura shares her journey of (slowly) transitioning out of the classroom to become a full-time online business owner, utilizing her teaching skills and knowledge.
From starting without any prior knowledge of online business to now hosting successful webinars and summits, Laura gives insights into her approach to building a thriving teacher biz.
Gain inspiration and advice for starting your own online business with intention and determination!
Connect with Laura Kebart:
Key Takeaways:
- (03:00) Laura’s background as a teacher and the start of her online business
- (08:15) Building an email list and starting a scrappy membership
- (13:40) Organic growth through a Facebook group and a blog
- (17:30) Balancing teaching and building an online business
- (23:30) Leveraging webinars and summits grow your following
- (30:10) Choosing one person to follow and learn from
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Growing a Teacher Business: Lessons from Laura Kebart’s Transition from Teaching
Transitioning from a stable teaching career to an online business can seem like stepping into uncharted waters. Yet, for Laura Kebart, this journey has been nothing short of transformative.
From using a simple PayPal button to launching comprehensive membership curricula, Laura’s story is a testament to perseverance, ingenuity, and a willingness to evolve.
Starting Small and Dreaming Big
Laura Kebart’s journey began with simplicity at its core.
Without relying on sophisticated platforms, she used a PayPal button to send educational files to her customers.
This unpretentious start allowed her to validate her idea and understand the market without heavy investments.
The takeaway here is clear: You don’t need all the bells and whistles to start. Just an idea, willingness to take the first step, and understanding your audience’s needs can set the foundation.
Entering the Membership Space
As her customer base grew, Laura recognized the need for more robust solutions and transitioned to using platforms like Teachable and Thrivecart.
This move streamlined her services, allowing her to focus on creating a comprehensive lesson plan curriculum membership for middle school English language arts teachers.
It’s a powerful reminder that incremental improvements and adapting to changing needs can significantly impact business growth.
Diversifying Revenue Streams – More Than Just Memberships
Understanding that not everyone wants to commit to a membership, Laura diversified her offerings.
She introduced one-off products, workshops, virtual summits, and webinars, providing valuable resources through different formats.
This strategy not only broadened her revenue streams but also catered to varying customer preferences.
Incentivizing and Pricing
With her membership priced at $397 per year, $47 per month, and an occasional quarterly option at $127 for 90 days, Laura ensured multiple entry points for different budgets.
Keeping her membership open all the time, she effectively incentivizes potential customers with bonuses, discounts, and sales, urging them to take action.
Building an Audience – Leveraging Facebook and Blogging
Laura initially attracted her audience through a Facebook group and blog.
She strategically used join questions in her group to understand audience needs and offered free resources, which helped her develop trust and authority.
For teacherpreneurs, this highlights the power of community-building and authentic engagement.
Summits and Webinars as Game Changers
Webinars and summits became pivotal in Laura’s marketing strategy.
Inspired by Amy Porterfield’s course, Laura’s first webinar brought nearly five figures, bolstering her confidence.
She found summits to be the next level up, providing significant traction for her business. Hosting summits not only built her email list but also promoted her membership extensively.
Challenges and Perseverance – Balancing Teaching and Business
For years, Laura balanced her full-time teaching job with her burgeoning business by compartmentalizing her roles.
She worked on her business during early mornings and evenings and eventually made the leap to focus solely on her business, prioritizing family stability and gradually transitioning.
Mindset and the Long Game
The initial stages were fraught with doubts and unfamiliar terminology like “opt-in,” “lead magnet,” and “funnel.”
However, Laura dedicated a year to learning through podcasts and resources, emphasizing the importance of building an email list over social media.
Her willingness to play the long game, evolving her offerings based on customer needs, highlights the importance of patience and steady progress.
Advice for Aspiring Teacher Entrepreneurs – Follow One Expert
Laura advises new teacher entrepreneurs to choose one expert to follow and ignore other distractions.
This focused approach allows for deep learning and application of strategies before moving on to another expert.
Perseverance in the Face of Challenges
Laura’s narrative underscores the importance of perseverance. Despite facing difficulties and fears about leaving a secure job, she managed to overcome and build a successful business.
Heather and Laura both agree on the impactful value of webinars, despite initial fears, underlining the need to step out of comfort zones.