Teachers Make the Leap

Hillary shares her journey from teaching to signing a $20,000-a-month client. She discusses how her mindset shifted from setting small goals in the beginning of her business to dreaming bigger and expanding her vision. She recounts the emotions she felt while signing this client and the confidence she built up to send out such a high-ticket proposal. Hillary concludes by discussing her future vision for her agency and how she plans to reinvest the profits from this client into growing her business further.

Key Topics 

• Hillary reflects on the achievement of signing a $20,000-a-month client and how she never imagined this as a possibility when she started her business.
• Kristin and Hillary discuss the concept of expanding goals and dreams incrementally as well as the excitement that comes with reaching new milestones.
• Hillary shares how she built a team to initially help her reach other goals inside her business (like being able to take a maternity leave), but that process has opened her up to so many other opportunities like this one.
• Kristin and Hillary both share different moments inside their businesses they felt they had truly leveled up.

Quotes

• "The only way to not reach your goals is to give up before they come true." - Hillary
• "When you’re the most expensive person in the room, you are sending the message that you produce really high-quality work." - Hillary

Want to ask Kristin and Hillary a question? Click here to submit your question to the podcast. We'll answer it on an upcoming episode of Teachers Make the Leap!

To make sure you never miss an episode of Teachers Make the Leap, subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts.

And to stay in the know about all the exciting things we’re doing to help more teachers leave the classroom to become their own bosses, follow us on Instagram at @teachersmaketheleap or join our online newsletter by visiting www.teachersmaketheleap.com.

In this episode, guest Nicole Jackson Miller shares her journey from solopreneur to agency owner and coach. She discusses the benefits and challenges of growing an agency-style business and offers advice for new business owners who want to build a team. Nicole unpacks the importance of leadership qualities and community support in the process of scaling a business. She also provides insights on how to plan for time off and create a business that supports your goals.

Key Takeaways:

• Building an agency allows you to have support, take on more clients, and scale your business.
• Leadership qualities, such as communication, boundary-setting, and vision-sharing, are essential for managing a team and growing an agency.
• Planning and preparation are key when it comes to taking time off or going on vacation as a business owner.
• Teachers already possess many leadership qualities that can be applied to running a business and building a team.

Want to ask Kristin and Hillary a question? Click here to submit your question to the podcast. We'll answer it on an upcoming episode of Teachers Make the Leap!

To make sure you never miss an episode of Teachers Make the Leap, subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts.

And to stay in the know about all the exciting things we’re doing to help more teachers leave the classroom to become their own bosses, follow us on Instagram at @teachersmaketheleap or join our online newsletter by visiting www.teachersmaketheleap.com.

In this episode, Kristin and Hillary unpack the emotional roller coaster that comes with starting an online business. They emphasize that experiencing a range of emotions is normal and that many entrepreneurs give up early because of the emotional ups and downs especially during the starting months. They walk through what their own emotional rollercoasters looked like when they were first starting their businesses, including what felt scary, hard, and exhilarating 

Key Topics:

• Starting a business is an emotional roller coaster, and it's important to know that experiencing a range of emotions is normal.
• Doubt and fear are common emotions when starting a business, but it's important to push through and take action.
• Building a community of online business friends can provide support and help navigate the emotional roller coaster.
• High points in the journey can include getting paid, having new ideas, and delivering client work that receives positive feedback.
• Low points may include overbooking, undercharging, and losing clients.

Want to ask Kristin and Hillary a question? Click here to submit your question to the podcast. We'll answer it on an upcoming episode of Teachers Make the Leap!

To make sure you never miss an episode of Teachers Make the Leap, subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts.

And to stay in the know about all the exciting things we’re doing to help more teachers leave the classroom to become their own bosses, follow us on Instagram at @teachersmaketheleap or join our online newsletter by visiting www.teachersmaketheleap.com.

Kristin and Hillary discuss the strategies and mindsets necessary to successfully start an online business while still teaching. They emphasize that it is doable, but it requires setting boundaries and being strategic with time management. They share their personal experiences of building their businesses while teaching and offer practical tips for teachers who want to do the same.

Key Topics 

• Starting an online business while teaching is possible with proper time management and setting boundaries.
• It's important to prioritize and let go of perfectionism to make time for building a business.
• Being selfish with your time is necessary to focus on building your business and pursuing your dreams.
• Embracing the identity of a business owner and being proud of your venture can boost confidence and motivation.
• Building a business at your own pace is more important than trying to match someone else's speed.

Want to ask Kristin and Hillary a question? Click here to submit your question to the podcast. We'll answer it on an upcoming episode of Teachers Make the Leap!

To make sure you never miss an episode of Teachers Make the Leap, subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts.

And to stay in the know about all the exciting things we’re doing to help more teachers leave the classroom to become their own bosses, follow us on Instagram at @teachersmaketheleap or join our online newsletter by visiting www.teachersmaketheleap.com.

Kristin and Hillary discuss their personal journeys to sobriety and how it has impacted their lives and businesses. They emphasize that sobriety is a personal choice and not directly connected to entrepreneurship. They share their experiences of unmanageability with alcohol and their individual decisions to get sober. Both Kristin and Hillary express how sobriety has brought clarity, energy, and joy into their lives. They also discuss the (surprising) challenges of a sober social life and the benefits of sobriety, such as increased productivity and even financial wellness.

Key Topics 

• 0:53 | Why Kristin and Hillary have decided to talk about sobriety on this episode (with a note that they are not making a connection between sobriety and entrepreneurship)
• 2:43 | Kristin’s journey to sobriety
• 15:41 | Hillary’s journey to sobriety
• 22:17 | What being sober looks and feels like today
• 30:01 | How entrepreneurship influenced Hillary’s decision to become sober
• 31:43 | Hard parts about being sober (or lack thereof)
• 34:48 | Peripheral benefits to being sober
• 40:521 | How sobriety intersects with Kristin and Hillary’s identities as business owners

Book Recs

• The Wine O’Clock Myth: The Truth You Need to Know About Women and Alcohol by Lotta Dan
• Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed With Alcohol by Holly Whitaker
• Atomic Habits by James Clear

Quotes

• "Being sober actually allows me to be more creative and have more energy and clarity." - Hillary
• "I had to stop trying to surrender and just be surrendered." - Kristin
• "Sobriety is a place of freedom and choice, not restriction." - Hillary
• "I've never felt bored in sobriety. There's always something to do, learn, or explore." - Kristin

Want to ask Kristin and Hillary a question? Click here to submit your question to the podcast. We'll answer it on an upcoming episode of Teachers Make the Leap!

To make sure you never miss an episode of Teachers Make the Leap, subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts.

And to stay in the know about all the exciting things we’re doing to help more teachers leave the classroom to become their own bosses, follow us on Instagram at @teachersmaketheleap or join our online newsletter by visiting www.teachersmaketheleap.com.

In this episode, Kristin and Hillary explore some of the biggest mental blocks they had to overcome when they first started their online businesses. Overcoming these 6 mental blocks will help you set up a solid foundation for your online business—and some of them might surprise you. 

01:13 | Why mindset work is crucial in the beginning of online business 

03:22 | Overcoming the identity crisis of leaving teaching 

05:46 | Embracing the identity of being an entrepreneur 

07:51 | Challenging the belief that in order for work to be meaningful, it  has to be hard 

10:03 | Realizing that a degree is not necessary to start a business 

13:48 | Overcoming discomfort in asking for fair compensation 

17:40 | Recognizing the value of your services as a business owner 

23:32 | Fear of taking a leap of faith and surrendering control 

Want to ask Kristin and Hillary a question? Click here to submit your question to the podcast. We'll answer it on an upcoming episode of Teachers Make the Leap!

To make sure you never miss an episode of Teachers Make the Leap, subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts.

And to stay in the know about all the exciting things we’re doing to help more teachers leave the classroom to become their own bosses, follow us on Instagram at @teachersmaketheleap or join our online newsletter by visiting www.teachersmaketheleap.com.

In this episode, Kristin and Hillary explore how teachers do some of the most important and necessary work on the planet, but tradition education systems can leave teachers feeling that their work, skills, and labor are unvalued. They unpack their own experiences and mindset hurdles in learning the true value of their time and expertise after leaving the classroom.

00:59 | Discussion on the undervaluation of teachers' time and labor

06:13 | Unlearning the belief that earning potential is determined by or tied to a particular type of degree

08:26 | Challenging the narrative that teachers don't do work for money

10:34 | Strategies for unlearning and valuing time and labor 

25:01 | Reflecting on growth in valuing time and labor 

28:44 | Incremental steps in increasing rates and valuing services 

30:32 | Importance of collecting evidence of the value of your work 

Want to ask Kristin and Hillary a question? Click here to submit your question to the podcast. We'll answer it on an upcoming episode of Teachers Make the Leap!

To make sure you never miss an episode of Teachers Make the Leap, subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts.

And to stay in the know about all the exciting things we’re doing to help more teachers leave the classroom to become their own bosses, follow us on Instagram at @teachersmaketheleap or join our online newsletter by visiting www.teachersmaketheleap.com.

Kristin and Hillary discuss the concept of personas and how they can be used by new business owners to gain confidence and navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship. They draw parallels between the use of personas in teaching and in business, highlighting the importance of stepping into a version of oneself that embodies the desired qualities and characteristics. The hosts share personal experiences of developing both their teacher and business owner personas and how they have evolved their personas over time. They emphasize the value of personas in client interactions, networking, and collaboration within the business community.

• 0:48 | What teacher personas are and how they help new educators gain confidence and embody the qualities they aspire to have in the classroom.
• 9:50 | How developing teacher personas trained us to develop business owner personas as brand new business owners
• 16:03 | Examples of Kristin’s and Hillary’s business owner personas in action
• 27:41 | How our business owner personas helped us step into spaces we didn’t feel fully confident in yet
• 35:42 | The difference between embodying a persona and being “fake”

Want to ask Kristin and Hillary a question? Click here to submit your question to the podcast. We'll answer it on an upcoming episode of Teachers Make the Leap!

To make sure you never miss an episode of Teachers Make the Leap, subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts.

And to stay in the know about all the exciting things we’re doing to help more teachers leave the classroom to become their own bosses, follow us on Instagram at @teachersmaketheleap or join our online newsletter by visiting www.teachersmaketheleap.com.

In this episode, Kristin and Hillary discuss the role of fear in starting and building an online business. They acknowledge that fear is a natural response that tries to keep us safe, but it can also hold us back from taking action. They share their own fears when they started their online businesses, including the fear of failure and the fear of financial instability. They also talk about the unexpected fear of success and how it can manifest as imposter syndrome. They emphasize the importance of recognizing and addressing these fears in order to move forward and achieve success in entrepreneurship.

• 1:06 | Fear is a natural response that tries to keep us safe, but it can also hold us back from taking action.
• 3:57 | The fear of failure is common when starting an online business, but it's important to recognize that failure is a part of the learning process.
• 8:42 | The fear of financial instability can be addressed by reframing it and realizing that having multiple sources of income in an online business can provide more stability than a traditional job.
• 13:46 | The surprising fear of success, which can manifest as imposter syndrome and the belief that we don't deserve the success we desire. It's important to address these beliefs and recognize our own worth.
• 22:54 | Building a community of like-minded individuals can provide support and guidance in overcoming fears and achieving success in online business.
• 28:56 | Strategies to move through fear.
  
  

Want to ask Kristin and Hillary a question? Click here to submit your question to the podcast. We'll answer it on an upcoming episode of Teachers Make the Leap!

To make sure you never miss an episode of Teachers Make the Leap, subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts.

And to stay in the know about all the exciting things we’re doing to help more teachers leave the classroom to become their own bosses, follow us on Instagram at @teachersmaketheleap or join our online newsletter by visiting www.teachersmaketheleap.com.

On this episode of Teachers Make the Leap, Kristin and Hillary discuss the valuable skills that teachers develop in the classroom and how these skills can help teachers start and run successful online businesses. Kristin and Hillary share their personal experiences honing skills such as adaptability, research skills, interpersonal skills, delivering information effectively, passion, and leadership in the classroom, and they share how these skills have played integral roles in building their businesses. 

0:02:11 | Hillary explores the sunk cost fallacy preventing most teachers from leaving the classroom 
0:04:21 | Hillary and Kristin unpack how teaching skills can be valuable in online business 
0:06:31 | Kristin shares how she's used adaptability to continuously hit her evolving business goals 
0:08:57 | Hillary shares how the research skills she acquired as a teacher set her apart as a copywriter
0:11:30 | Kristin discusses how interpersonal skills and setting boundaries are important when talking with clients and prospects
0:15:42 | Kristin and Hillary explore passion as a skill and how they've transferred their passion from the classroom to their businesses 
0:18:01 | Hillary talks about how teachers are natural leaders and how those leadership skills have come in handy while building her team
0:19:56 | Kristin unpacks how asking the right questions helps her interact with different audiences on a daily basis

Want to ask Kristin and Hillary a question? Click here to submit your question to the podcast. We'll answer it on an upcoming episode of Teachers Make the Leap!

To make sure you never miss an episode of Teachers Make the Leap, subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts.

And to stay in the know about all the exciting things we’re doing to help more teachers leave the classroom to become their own bosses, follow us on Instagram at @teachersmaketheleap or join our online newsletter by visiting www.teachersmaketheleap.com.