The Anomalous Educator podcast

New to online teaching? One of the biggest roadblocks online educators and entrepreneurs face is finding the time and resources to get things moving. 

Welcome to Anomalous Educator, where each week award-winning entrepreneur Ray Blakney, sets out to explore the world of education and online business with the help of successful professionals.  

If you're an educator, entrepreneur or someone who wants to improve people's lives whilst having your own freedom, then this podcast is for you. 

In today's episode, Ray spoke with Shayna De Oliveira, the founder and creator of Espresso English, a website that provides self-study learners with a wide range of resources to improve their speaking, listening, vocabulary, and grammar.

Shayna was originally born and raised in the U.S, but now happily resides in Brazil. Before venturing into the online education space, she worked full-time in NYC as a digital communications specialist for a non-profit organization. 

Upon her move to Brazil, she kept this particular job as a solid source of income while she obtained her certificate in teaching English as a second language (TESL). 

Finding a way to balance her time between the two industries before setting them aside to dive into online education and eLearning full time. 

Today, Ray digs deep into what it really takes to get started as an online educator. 

They talk about time constraints, and how you can manage your schedule better, by using the 'snippet' approach, while also dipping into the methods Shayna used to generate a world-class website that gets over a million hits a month.

Also featured in this episode:

• How Shayna came into teaching – following in her mother's footsteps
• Capoeira – The gateway to teaching English 
• How Espresso English came into being – From side hustle to full income
• Why you should be prepared before hitting online as a full-time gig
• Balance family and work – Why you should micro-task
• How to sell a product online
• Building online courses – the beginning of an online empire
• How Shayna stays present with her students
• The challenges you may face in your online transition
• The future for Espresso English

Links:

Espresso English - Website 

Espresso English - Facebook

Espresso English - Twitter

Espresso English - YouTube

Entrepreneurs in Motion: Podcast

Sure there are a lot of online subscriptions you could pay for to help your online education business, but are you using all the free ones Google has to offer?

Welcome to Anomalous Educator, where each week award-winning entrepreneur Ray Blakney sets out to explore the world of education and online business with the help of successful online professionals. 

If you want access to different tools that can jumpstart your education ventures but don't know where to begin, pay close attention to this episode.

In this episode, I speak with Dan Taylor, founder and director of AppsEvents. Dan has been involved with Google for Education since 2006 has helped trained teachers all over the world. 

Dan has run multiple businesses but got his start studying engineering in Scotland. Being quite technically savvy, he quickly picked up the ins and outs of SAP, a software program that big businesses use all over the world. 

Beginning his career as an SAP specialist, he quickly learned that he loved educating people on all the online and technical tools available to them.

Through his many years of training educators all over the world with Google for Education, Dan has become somewhat of an expert on how to use Google's many tools to your advantage when it comes to teaching. 

G Suite, Google Classroom and Google Docs are some of Dan's favourite resources that Google offers and loves the way they allow teachers to customize their students' education experience.

In this episode, Dan and I will discuss how he went from a software specialist to travelling around the world training educators how to use technology for teaching. We'll also discuss how Google makes it easier for students to have direct access to class information and how it changes the learning experience.

Listen to this episode to learn how you can implement these tools yourself in your online courses.

Also within this episode:

• How Dan went from the corporate world to the world of education
• Why teaching is about so much more than making money
• How G Suite is changing how school operate
• How Google Classroom makes it easier to keep track of a class curriculum
• How to implement the tools you're most likely already using into a classroom setting
• The power of YouTube for education
• The Google learning curve
• How Google works to protect the privacy of students
• How Google Docs makes everything easier for teachers
• Other online tools for education

Links:

Dan's Email: dan@appseventscom

Dan Taylor - LinkedIn

AppsEvents Website

Google Classroom

G Suite

Dan on Twitter

Going from teaching art classes in community colleges to selling over $1 million in online courses is quite a big jump. So how does one make such a huge transition and is it possible for any teacher?

Welcome to Anomalous Educator, where each week award-winning entrepreneur Ray Blakney, sets out to explore the world of education and online business with the help of successful online professionals. 

If you're an educator and want to venture into the world of online instruction, but don't know where to begin, this episode is for you.

In this episode, I speak with Daniel Scott, an Adobe certified expert and instructor and founder of Instructor HQ and bringyourownlaptop.com. Daniel got his start teaching graphic design after earning his degree in New Zealand. 

After freelancing for several years, Daniel realized teaching was the most rewarding job he had ever had but wanted to be able to reach students on a much larger scale.

Through the process of creating his own courses, Daniel found his passion for helping other educators do the same. And with that, Instructor HQ was born, an online platform for teachers and instructors to create and sell their online courses and programs.

During this episode, you'll hear Daniel and I discuss his journey from struggling to get his courses online to helping others share their passion for teaching. 

Although Daniel has seen great success with his own classes, his real passion is assisting fellow teachers in carving out an online instruction career for themselves. 

Listen to all his great tips for getting started online and how to market your instructional videos on several different platforms besides his own.

Also within this episode:

• How Daniel found his passion for teaching
• Why teaching is so rewarding
• Why online teaching is less stressful than in-person classes
• What to expect in your first year of online teaching
• The planning process of creating online courses
• How to decide on the subjects for your online courses
• What platforms are helpful for selling your courses
• How to understand payment from different selling platforms
• How to set your pricing and why
• The biggest challenges of creating and selling online courses

Links:

Instructor HQ- website

Daniel's Profile on Udemy

Bringyourownlaptop.com

Daniel on Twitter

Daniel on LinkedIn

Is your business doing better than ever? It might be time to hire a helping hand and get your to-do list down, so you can focus on earning bigger bucks. If you have never ventured into the arena of online hiring, or have a horror story attached to onboarding staff, rest assured, there are effective ways of finding the right candidate. 

Welcome to Anomalous Educator, where each week award-winning entrepreneur Ray Blakney, sets out to explore the world of education and online business with the help of successful professionals.  

If you're an educator, entrepreneur or someone who wants to improve people's lives whilst having your freedom, then this podcast is for you. 

In this episode of The Anomalous Educator, I speak Noel Andrews. Noel is the CEO and owner of Jobrack, an online job board that helps find the best remote talent without breaking the bank. 

Noel understands the hiring process and has guided hundreds of business owners through acquiring the right employee for the job. 

Noel has ventured from aerospace graduate –aka part-time rocket scientist – to dedicated entrepreneur, connecting companies worldwide with high-quality job seekers from Eastern Europe. 

Today, Noel and Ray discuss the turbulent world of online recruitment and the steps you can take in hiring a new online team member. 

They look at why eastern Europe may be your best bet for finding staff - particularly when you're on a tight budget and how Noel became an expert in hiring online staff.

Also in this episode:

• Skiing uphill – riding the winds of mountains
• How Noel went from part-time rocket scientist to corporate HR
• What Noel loves about the hiring process
• The proven case studies and client success stories
• How you can avoid financial turmoil when initially hiring online staff
• Allowing yourself to let go of smaller tasks
• Where to find the best PA's for a reasonable price
• When you should start investing in full-time staff
• Looking towards Eastern Europe – why they're the best workers
• The personality traits of some cultures
• How to hire effectively – the process of selection
• Why the onboarding process is crucial
• Who you should and shouldn't hire

Links:

Jobrack: website 

Noel Andrews: LinkedIn

Noel Andrews: Email

Finding your niche as an aspiring online entrepreneur is a fundamental part of developing a business. So, if you're struggling to find your perfect niche, you may be in for a bumpy ride.

Welcome to Anomalous Educator, where each week award-winning entrepreneur Ray Blakney, sets out to explore the world of education and online business with the help of successful professionals.  

If you're an educator, entrepreneur or someone who wants to improve people's lives whilst having your own freedom, then this podcast is for you. 

In this episode, I speak with Dan Farrant an accomplished multi-instrumental musician and graduate from the Royal Academy of Music in London. After suffering a debilitating back injury, Dan had to abandon playing the double bass.  

Not wanting to break away from music, in 2014, Dan founded Hello Music Theory, the online hub that provides digital teaching resources for anyone studying for their ABRSM music theory exam. 

It was created as a space specifically for his music students to access printable worksheets and teaching materials easily, no matter where they are in the world.

In this episode, Ray and Dan get into the nitty-gritty of how a surprising turn in his life that led him to online teaching. Why his niche hits all the right spots within a global market, and how Dan generates organic traffic by blogging.

Also within this episode:

• Dan's journey through music – where it all began
• The difference between teaching online and face-to-face
• How family plays a role in Dan's success
• Why Dan's business works so well on a global scale
• How Dan found his niche and you can too
• Why simplicity is often the key 
• How Dan developed his learning materials
• Are you sure this will work? 
• Why information is a big seller
• Where Dan is planning on heading next

Links:

Hello Music Theory: Website

Dan Farrant: Facebook

Dan Farrant: Twitter

The online educators of this world don't always hit the mark when it comes to charging for their services. If you are struggling with getting the price right, a simple price-calculating formula may be just what you need.

Welcome to Anomalous Educator, where each week award-winning entrepreneur Ray Blakney, sets out to explore the world of education and online business with the help of successful professionals.  

If you're an educator, entrepreneur or someone who wants to improve people's lives whilst having your freedom, then this podcast is for you. 

In this episode, I speak with the mind behind The Profits Collective, Ben McAdam. 

Since 2009, Ben has helped entrepreneurs and small business owners uncover their hidden profit opportunities. 

He understands the numbers and tactics behind getting businesses on track and is renowned and revered for his jargon-free approach to strategic advising.

Today, Ben gets to the heart of how you can use a well-crafted formula to work out just how much you should be charging for your services online. 

He also explains how and when you should be raising your prices, and what is involved with making a livable wage from online teaching.

We also talk about:

• How Ben went from avid piano player to crunching numbers
• Why you need to charge properly for your skills and expertise
• How Ben's caring personal approach gets him good business
• The simple initial steps to charging your worth as an online educator
• Why you don't need to be perfect, and try something different
• Where you need to be researching to get the price right
• Am I charging too much? – Overcoming self-doubt
• The perfect minimum hourly rate formula
• Why the best office chair in the world was all an illusion
• How your price determines the quality of your students
• Why you should celebrate when people run away from your price rise
• Who is Ben's favourite Disney princess?

Links:

Profits Collective: Website

Ben McAdam: LinkedIn

Ben McAdam: Facebook

It's easy to think that those ahead of the game have it all worked out. The truth is they can get scared and lost just the same as everyone else. It's safe to say, we all need some strategic and emotional support from time to time. 

Welcome to Anomalous Educator, where each week award-winning entrepreneur Ray Blakney, sets out to explore the world of education and online business with the help of successful professionals.  

If you're an educator, entrepreneur or someone who wants to improve people's lives whilst having your own freedom, then this podcast is for you. 

In this episode, I speak with serial entrepreneur and business coach Willo Sana. Willo is one of those rare entrepreneurs that values emotional support, people and the human experience over the hard numbers.  

For almost two decades, Willo has been engaged in a plethora of successful entrepreneurial endeavours. Her resume is chocked full of start-ups, creative businesses, keynote speeches and eCourses, and currently, she stands firm as the highly sought after transformational business coach and consultant. 

Since 2003, Willo has served as a dynamic catalyst for high-profile leaders and rapidly evolving visionaries – including best-selling authors, TEDx speakers, psychologists, naturopaths, healers, coaches, and more.

Today, she discusses how she transitioned from being a successful entrepreneur in Silicon Valley to a hugely prolific online coach and educator.  Willo breaks down how we should all step into our higher power, the trials of being a woman entrepreneur and why we shouldn't be afraid to grieve our past selves. 

We also talk about:

• Willo's career background and the artistic thread that binds it
• Why her love of teaching made marketing so easy
• Getting by as a woman in business – have times changed?
• The difference between masculine and feminine emotional support
• Learning lessons from failure and stepping into your truth
• Why you need to shed and mourn old identities
• Why entrepreneurs take comfort in structure
• How some business owners are just wasting time

Links:

Willo Sana - Website

Willo Sana - Instagram

Willo Sana - Facebook 

Willo Sana - Twitter 

Willo Sana - LinkedIn 

https://willolovesyou.com/masterclassweb

https://willolovesyou.com/lightmap-quiz/

Are email sequences dead in the water? One particular email marketing advocate doesn't seem to think so. 

Welcome to Anomalous Educator, where each week award winning entrepreneur Ray Blakney, sets out to explore the world of education and online business with the help of successful online business professionals.  If you're an educator, entrepreneur or someone who wants to improve people's lives whilst having your own freedom, then this podcast is for you. 

In this episode, I chat with marketing maverick John Ainsworth, the CEO of Data Driven Marketing, an online marketing firm that helps businesses gain traction through email marketing. Starting his marketing mission at the age of 23, John set out to help governmental and charitable organisations use targeted promotion to encourage specific demographics to take part in sport and activity. He's helped businesses more than double sales in a month heavily featured in the Guardian, Telegraph and BBC. 

In this episode, John explains the steps you should be taking if you want your email sequence to work effectively.  He walks us through exactly how an email sequence works, why it's so effective when done correctly and what you should do after a campaign has been launched to keep your prospective customers engaged. 

We also talk about:

• John's work history and his incredible marketing success
• Why your marketing needs to be so specific for your audience
• How to grab your customer's attention in a sea of inbox emails
• Why email lists are the key to a perfect email sequence
• Indoctrination campaigns – the customer 'feel good' package
• Where to start with your email content
• How to nurture your customers following a campaign
• Why you need an autoresponder
• The importance of a dedicated email address
• Customers ready to buy? Introducing the next steps
• Why you need to address pain points to keep customers on track
• Why you should lose your fear of selling 

Links:

Data Driven Marketing : Website

John Ainsworth: LinkedIn

FREE Video For Email Sequencing: Video

MailChimp: Website

Mailerlite : Website

ActiveCampaign : Website

Getting your online business noticed can be a tricky affair. There are so many avenues to go down, particularly when it comes to marketing, SEO, keywords and outreach. 

Welcome to Anomalous Educator, where each week award winning entrepreneur Ray Blakney, sets out to explore the world of education and online business with the help of successful professionals.  If you're an educator, entrepreneur or someone who wants to improve people's lives whilst having your own freedom, then this podcast is for you. 

In this episode, I chat with a fellow language enthusiast and long-standing entrepreneur, Jake Stainer. Jake is the founder of Papora, an innovative online mobile language learning platform that allows a global community to immerse themselves within a language. 

It's a service that offers courses for both English and Spanish learners, and combines video-audio chat systems with real life situations, social immersion and conversations with native speakers. 

Jake's marketing background has proven useful in his time as an online educator and entrepreneur. His inquisitive and creative nature saw him designing websites on archaic systems at the age of 12, and since then he's evolved his skill set to work within multiple highly successful start-ups while building up Papora and globetrotting. 

In this episode, Jake is speaking to me from the heart of beautiful Barcelona. 

We dive into how having a basic understating of online marketing can build on your brand's organic traffic, how SEO can be your online business lifeline and the inventive route Jake took to help grow his online business from 100 customers to 150,000.

We also talk about:

• Jake's journey from rural England to beautiful Barcelona
• Why Jake values the experiences start-ups bring
• The origin of Papora and how it's moved from strength to strength
• How to find a brand name that passes the radio test
• SEO explained and why you need to get Key Word savvy 
• Jake's early marketing tactics and how they have evolved to meet modern needs
• Building a product – How Jake formulated Papora into an end product
• Why Jake has two careers
• What the future holds for Papora 

Links:

Jake Stainer: LinkedIn 

Jake Stainer: Email

Papora: Website 

Papora: Facebook

Course design can be a daunting affair. You're contending with designing objectives, constructing outlines and testing the market. Luckily, we have someone to guide us through and break down, step by step, the key processes when it comes to online learning materials.

 Welcome to the Anomalous Educator, where each week award winning entrepreneur Ray Blakney, sets out to explore the world of education and online business with the help of a host of successful online business professionals. 

 If you're an educator, entrepreneur or someone who wants to improve people's lives whilst having your own freedom, then this podcast is for you. 

In this episode of the Anomalous Educator, I had the opportunity to speak with the renowned expert in course design, Cherie Elpel. Cherie has a knack for designing and developing custom learning solutions for corporate learning audiences, with commercial aviation firmly positioned as her niche market.

Not only is she an expert educational materials designer, she has a passion for narration and lends her voice for eLearning modules and eBooks. 

In this episode, we discuss the 7 steps you need to know to design your own effective courses. We hear about her aviation background and her nomadic spirit that lead her on a 90 day journey biking across the United States. 

We also discuss:

• How Cherie got into course development
• What is course and instructional design?
• Are you using the right language to communicate with your audience?
• Changing your perspective to get a better view on your course
• Why you need to get SMART
• How to Identify your audience
• Why you should research different learning styles
• What are learning principles and why they're vital for adults
• How to overcome self-consciousness when recording voice narration
• Narrating with your audience in mind

Links:

Cherie Elpel: LinkedIn

Cherie Elpel: Contact

Cherie Elpel: Website

Learningstylequiz.com