As an educator with over 22 years of experience, Jacqueline Ackerman shares her teaching and learning knowledge in an engaging, relatable and friendly way. She believes all learners can make progress. A high school teacher for 17 years and examiner for 15, Jacqueline established her own tutoring business. Remembering what it was like to be thrown into homeschooling when her son was very ill, she realized the main thing she wanted to do was help parents who were in this position when their child was in their teens. She has enjoyed supporting families through their often-unexpected homeschooling journey and most importantly helping them prepare for exams. Her work as an examiner is still very important to her and she is now Principal Examiner for International History iGCSE. Jacqueline also visits schools, both home and abroad, running courses that aim to help delegates understand the assessment of the qualification they are teaching and how to prepare their students for specific units.

In this episode, Jacqueline discusses how her personal experience of homeschooling her son due to his illness led her to a new career path. She explains that Ackerman Home Learning offers a mix of one-on-one tutoring services, helpful online resources, and plans for a future membership community aimed at providing support and guidance to parents suddenly thrust into homeschooling. Jackie also talks about the challenges she faced, such as technology hurdles and imposter syndrome, and offers advice for other teachers considering starting their own online businesses. 

Connect with Jacqueline Ackerman:

ackermanhomelearning.co.uk

Key Takeaways:

• (00:40) Jacqueline’s journey from the classroom to online entrepreneur
• (06:15) Creating Ackerman Home Learning; online tutoring and low-ticket products
• (07:55) Supporting homeschool parents; building a community-based membership
• (17:00) Overcoming business challenges; struggles with technology and imposter syndrome
• (22:20) Prioritizing action over perfection

Listen to Previous Episodes:

#58: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome as a New Business Owner

#60: Overcoming Early Tech Struggles with Meagan Bukowski

Don’t forget to grab the FREE Teacher Biz Starter Guide! 

teacherbiz.com/Start

Connect With Heather:

teacherbiz.com/about

instagram.com/teacherbiz

Heather shares her proven strategy for attracting customers without paid ads—perfect for those looking to grow their business organically! This episode breaks down how to leverage a blog, podcast, video show, and social media to build a loyal audience, turn viewers into email subscribers, and create content that keeps them coming back. Heather explains the importance of consistency, strategic calls to action, and tools like ManyChat to convert engagement into real business growth. If you’re ready to refine your content strategy and attract ideal customers, don’t miss this episode!

Key Takeaways:

• (02:10) Choosing between paid ads and organic content
• (05:00) Organic content basics; YouTube, podcast, blog, social media
• (07:15) Repurposing content for maximum reach
• (09:35) Building your email list; ManyChat
• (12:20) Heather’s 2025 organic content strategy

Episodes Mentioned:

#18: Learn the Power of Facebook Ads with Beth Anne Schwamberger

#46: Social Media Strategies for Beginners

#47: How to Show Up Consistently in Your Business

Don’t forget to grab the FREE Teacher Biz Starter Guide! 

teacherbiz.com/Start

Connect With Heather:

teacherbiz.com/about

instagram.com/teacherbiz

Heather dives into the concept of a Teacher Biz—what it is, who it’s for, and how you can leverage your unique skills to create an online business. Despite the name, a teacher biz isn't just for traditional educators. Whether you're a homeschooling parent, tutor, student, or simply someone with expertise to share, this model provides a pathway to building an impactful business. Heather covers audience targeting, leveraging digital products for passive income, and shares resources to help you on your journey, including the Teacher Biz Starter Guide and mini-course, Teacher Biz Basics. Tune in to learn how you can turn your knowledge into a thriving online business!

Key Takeaways:

• (02:00) Understanding the concept of Teacher Biz
• (03:00) Targeting your audience and crafting your niche
• (06:30) Creating digital products
• (07:45) Courses and training for starting a teacher biz

Connect With Heather:

teacherbiz.com/about

instagram.com/teacherbiz

Melissa Brock is a college money expert, freelance writer, and full-time financial editor covering higher education, investing, personal finance, mortgages, college savings, insurance and more. She develops SEO plans for companies and has written SEO content for Investopedia, The Balance, HigherEducation, Rocket Mortgage, Breeze, Personal Capital, The Journal of College Admission, UNest, College Ave, College Finance, Niche, Benzinga, The Simple Dollar, Bankrate, Wealthsimple and more. She also developed her website, College Money Tips, to help families navigate the college journey.

In this episode, Melissa shares tips for using blogging and SEO for business growth in 2025. She unpacks her journey from journalism to establishing her SEO-centric blog and business, College Money Tips. Tune in for insights on keyword research, building domain authority, and leveraging organic content to attract clients. Melissa also covers the importance of having a blogging strategy, the use of AI in content creation, and the role of backlinks. Whether you're a beginner or looking to enhance your blogging efforts, this episode provides so many great tips and strategies to help you succeed!

Connect with Melissa Brock:

collegemoneytips.com

collegemoneytips.lpages.co/6secrets

instagram.com/melissa.brock

Key Takeaways:

• (03:05) Melissa's journey into the world of blogging and SEO
• (04:55) Starting College Money Tips and offering one-on-one services
• (07:35) The purpose of using SEO for blogging success
• (10:10) SEO tools and strategies for beginners
• (14:25) Backlinks and domain authority
• (22:15) Structuring content trees
• (29:25) How Melissa balances blogging and client work

Don’t forget to grab the FREE Teacher Biz Starter Guide! 

teacherbiz.com/Start

Connect With Heather:

teacherbiz.com/about

instagram.com/teacherbiz

Technology, while great in many ways, can quickly turn into a nightmare when things go south. As someone who's recently weathered a tech storm (listen to Episode 84 for all the details!), Heather understands the frustrations and helplessness that accompany such challenges. In this follow-up episode, she gives an update on the recent website crash that occurred during an important launch. She recounts the steps taken to fix the issue, including utilizing Google Search Console and seeking help from tech expert, iMark Interactive. Despite the frustration and repeated setbacks, Heather emphasizes her commitment to her business and shares plans for future improvements. 

Listen to Part 1: Managing an Unexpected Tech Crisis as a Small Business Owner

Need tech assistance?

Connect with Grayson at iMark Interactive: imarkinteractive.com

Key Takeaways:

• (2:30) The unexpected tech crisis
• (05:00) The second breakdown and resolution
• (08:30) Future plans; switching to a new domain
• (10:15) Helpful tools for tech issues; YouTube

Don’t forget to grab the FREE Teacher Biz Starter Guide! 

teacherbiz.com/Start

Connect With Heather:

teacherbiz.com/about

instagram.com/teacherbiz

You won't believe this tech drama! – from launch day excitement to Google flagging the Kindergarten Ready website as dangerous. Heather takes you behind the scenes of a real-time tech crisis that struck during the membership launch (one of the biggest of the year) of Kindergarten Ready Club. She shares how her website was unexpectedly flagged for phishing, detailing the disruption it caused to her operations and the steps she took to troubleshoot, including involving tech support and communicating with her audience. Tune in to hear all the details of how she is dealing with the issue and what her plan is going forward. Also, be sure to tune in next week for part 2 – an update after this crisis is solved!

Need tech assistance?

Connect with Grayson at iMark Interactive: imarkinteractive.com

Key Takeaways:

• (02:25) Launch day tech crisis
• (05:30) Why Google views the website as a threat
• (07:20) Communicating with email subscribers
• (10:25) Staying calm amidst chaos
• (13:30) Webinar success; building confidence in yourself

Don’t forget to grab the FREE Teacher Biz Starter Guide! 

teacherbiz.com/Start

Connect With Heather:

teacherbiz.com/about

instagram.com/teacherbiz

As a mom of two kids, Heather understands the chaos and demands of working from home while caring for little ones. In this episode, she shares her go-to strategies that have helped her build a thriving business during the small pockets of time available in her day. She dives into tips for managing your time, like creating a prioritized task list, limiting distractions, and using time-blocking strategies that match your energy levels. She also shares her favorite kid-friendly ideas (sensory bins, crafting, and more!) to keep little ones entertained while you tackle your to-do list. If you’re wondering if it’s actually possible to grow a successful business from home while caring for kids, Heather’s here to say yes, it is! This episode is full of advice and encouragement to help you make it work!

Key Takeaways:

• (03:00) Strategic work during child-free moments
• (06:50) Time management and productivity hacks
• (09:05) Entertaining kids while getting work done

Don’t forget to grab the FREE Teacher Biz Starter Guide! 

teacherbiz.com/Start

Connect With Heather:

teacherbiz.com/about

instagram.com/teacherbiz

Ready to make 2025 the year your business dreams finally become reality? In this episode, Heather guides you through six simple but powerful questions to help you nail down your business goals for the new year. She talks about setting realistic goals, getting clear on your finances, and planning launches that don’t stress you out. Plus, learn why it’s so important to prepare for potential setbacks (because life happens!) with a solid backup strategy, and identify the next steps for scaling your business. Grab a notebook, hit play, and get ready to make 2025 your best year yet!

Key Takeaways:

• (02:11 Six Questions to Guide Your Business Goals
• 03:38 Financial Goals and Realistic Expectations
• 06:15 Planning Your Sales and Launches
• 09:10 Adjusting and Scaling Your Business
• 11:42 Achieving Big Goals and Final Thoughts

Listen to Episode 80: Navigating Slow Seasons in Your Business

Don’t forget to grab the FREE Teacher Biz Starter Guide! 

teacherbiz.com/Start

Connect With Heather:

teacherbiz.com/about

instagram.com/teacherbiz

Ever feel like taking a vacation from your business is more stressful than staying home? Let’s fix that! In this episode, Heather discusses how to actually enjoy a vacation without worrying about your business falling apart while you’re gone. She shares real-life tips to help you plan ahead, batch your work, and set up systems like automated email responses so you can truly relax. You’ll get advice on managing sales and customer service before you head out and why taking time to refresh is so important. Plus, there’s a little holiday cheer and encouragement to prioritize yourself this season. You deserve it!

Key Takeaways:

• (02:40) 4 steps to plan a vacation from your business
• (04:45) Handling customer service issues; setting up automated emails
• (05:50) Maintaining income during your break
• (07:20) Heather’s process for taking a break

Don’t forget to grab the FREE Teacher Biz Starter Guide! 

teacherbiz.com/Start

Connect With Heather:

teacherbiz.com/about

instagram.com/teacherbiz

Let’s be honest - when sales slow down, it can feel super stressful, especially when you’re just starting out. But guess what? It happens to everyone. In this episode, Heather opens up about the slow seasons in her own business and how she’s learned to roll with them. She talks about spotting patterns in your sales, figuring out what your customers actually need during these times, and coming up with ways to still show up and provide value. She also shares simple tips for staying engaged with your audience and planning ahead for when things pick back up. If you’ve ever felt like giving up during a slow month, this one’s for you!

Key Takeaways:

• (02:20) Understanding business seasonality
• (04:15) Strategies for the slow seasons
• (05:30) How Heather manages the slow season for Kindergarten Ready
• (10:30) Understanding your audience and their buying styles

Don’t forget to grab the FREE Teacher Biz Starter Guide! 

teacherbiz.com/Start

Connect With Heather:

teacherbiz.com/about

instagram.com/teacherbiz