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The CEO Teacher Podcast
CEO Teacher® Success Stories: How to Get Your Products Selling on TpT (Hall of Fame Episode)
00:39:52
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- [00:00]
A
Sometimes you have a magical interview that just sets your soul on fire. And that is exactly what this interview is going to do for you. I had the opportunity to meet with three amazing CEO teachers and their stories completely touched my soul.
- [00:22]
B
I cried.
- [00:22]
A
One of our other students cried. Today you're going to hear from Sydney, Jocelyn and Kiana. These amazing women have been some of our greatest success stories inside of the CEO Teacher School program. They're going to share a little bit about their experience, about how they got started. Some of them are recently just now getting started. They're going to share a little bit about when things got hard and they're going to talk about what their life looks like now. It is so inspirational. I hope that you bookmark this episode and you come back and you listen to it again and again. The women are going to introduce themselves, tell you a little bit about them. So I'll skip that part for now.
- [01:02]
C
I won't.
- [01:02]
B
I'm just.
- [01:02]
A
I just can't wait to the CEO Teacher, where educators turn what they already know and love into a successful and sustainable online business with actionable strategies, simple business tips and mindset shifts. It's a weekly lesson plan for teacher business owners. Whether you're teaching full time in the classroom or rocking the small business from home life. I'm your host, Casey Morris, a former Georgia English teacher, mama to four turned seven figure online teacher, business owner and founder of the CEO Teacher Movement. Three teaching degrees got me a few extra bucks each year, but what I will show you will help you make that every single month. If you have a heart for education and a passion to use your experience to help more teachers and families, you belong here.
- [01:51]
B
Hey friends. Hey teachers. Thank you so much for joining us. Whether you're listening in your car on the CEO Teacher Podcast or if you're joining us on Facebook, thank you so much for being here. This is my favorite interview of the entire year where I get to talk to some of our CEO teacher success stories. These three amazing ladies have been students inside of the CEO Teacher School and we're going to talk tonight about how they are rocking it in their business. It has truly been my pleasure. Again, this is my favorite thing to do all year long. I get to have this kind of one on one with all of these amazing ladies and to hear about their amazing success. But I just wanted to share a little bit about each of them. They're going to come in and say who they are, where they live, how their journey in education has been and what they're doing now. So Kiana, I'm going to start with you. Thank you so much for being here.
- [02:41]
D
Hi guys. My name is Kiana Funderberg. I live in Atlanta, Georgia, but I teach in the burbs. I like to say fourth grade teacher, math, science and social studies. And my teachers pay teachers store. And all of my social media is the art of phonology. It's a play on my last name. And I started my TPT journey January of 2019.
- [03:02]
B
So you're kind of new to all of this. Yes, but you would never ever think that after looking at all of your Instagram and everything, you've got it going on.
- [03:10]
E
It's a.
- [03:11]
D
It's been a journey for sure.
- [03:12]
C
All right, well, my name is Jocelyn Hubbard. I live just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, like in a small town in South Carolina. So it's not even really worth. No one will know where it is. But I was a 7th and 8th grade language arts and social studies teacher, transitioned out of the classroom a few years ago, and now I am a coach and consultant and I help teachers to adapt and navigate the cultural differences in their classroom. But I also have my TPT store and that is called Custom Teaching Solutions, which is also the name of my consulting business. Opened my TPT store actually back in 2013. So it was open for quite a while before I found UKC and got serious about it. Let's see what else on Instagram and all the places I am teachcustom. And that's just the name of my store and my business.
- [04:04]
B
And Jocelyn and I have a lot in common. We talk to each other inside of Instagram all of the time because how many kids do you have, Jocelyn?
- [04:11]
C
I have five kids. Yes, very similar.
- [04:16]
B
We totally understand the struggles of being a mom and trying to be a teacher and trying to run a business. It's hard, but it's good to know that you got somebody in your corner and you've recently had a baby. How old's your. The smallest one?
- [04:26]
C
Yes, she is six months old. So we were kind of pregnant right around that same time. And like you said, that was interesting. Having a pandemic baby and trying to run a business at the same time.
- [04:36]
E
For sure.
- [04:37]
B
Okay, Sydney, tell us a little bit about you.
- [04:39]
E
Hi, I am Sydney Lafriends. I am learning with LA friends on Teachers Pay Teachers and Instagram. Taught fourth grade for seven years in central Iowa. Jocelyn, I get that people don't really know a whole lot about where you're at because that's kind of your. I actually had my second daughter mid pandemic. It was May of 2020, that fun year that everyone talks about. And I feel like it has such a negative connotation. But that year brought a lot of unexpected blessings thanks to you, Casey. And, you know, all these things that I didn't think could happen. And so I took that year off and decided to stay home with the girls, but knew I had to make supplemental income. And so that's when I was like, okay. I also had started TNT 2013 with and made. And it's like, embarrassing to look back on those now that I know what I know. But I decided to convince my husband for my birthday to let me join Casey's course. And he let me. And it took off. And now I actually stepped away from the classroom and kind of one of my dream jobs to continue pursuing this whole avenue that I didn't even know existed until I actually read the entrepreneur's side hustle handbook that you were in, Katie. Yeah, I like, bought it on a whim from Amazon. Cause I'm like, I gotta figure out a way to make money while I'm home. And I, like, got to your chapter, and I still. I had never finished ever. Like, I read your chapter, found you on Instagram, joined your course, put the book away, and that's like the rest of that book. So I was quite convinced that's all we needed, and found you on Instagram. You were opening that course, and here we are. And I'm not going back into this school directly, but I work a lot with new teachers and student teachers and impact teachers that way. And I didn't think that that was possible, but I absolutely love it.
- [06:21]
B
Well, thank you for sharing that. And I know that you have beautiful babies as well, but the reason why we chose you three was because your stories are so unique and they're all so. And I think that it's just a really cool testament about the community inside of the CEO, teacher school, and the program. And I want to brag on you, not necessarily the program, but how far you've come, how much you've done, all the cool things that you have going on. So, Kiana, tell me a little bit about. So you're new to all this. You're like a baby just getting started in 2019. So let's talk about how that was getting started maybe when you joined the program and how it's changed since then.
- [06:59]
D
So I didn't really know that this whole, like, teacher side hustle world existed until around the end of 2018. So, like, November 2018. And that's when I first discovered teacher Graham. And, like, teachers had Instagrams. And I was like, what the heck? Because I was just sharing those things with, like, my personal friends and family. And then as I was on there, I started to see, like, wow, so many teachers are making their own products. I think I can do that. So I was just taking the things that I made in my classroom and I was, like, adding them to my teacher's pay teachers starting that January. But the things are not great. And honestly, I wasn't doing much at all. And then the pandemic hit. I literally had made probably less than $100 within a year. The pandemic hit. And one of my best friends, we are both teachers, we had been seeing your program and, like, do we want to pay the money? And then it was the April launch of 2020, and we were like, we're go for it. So we're, like, talking to each other. We, like, purchased it together. Like, we were so emotional.
- [08:02]
E
It was like, really, this is the.
- [08:04]
D
Start of the rest of our lives.
- [08:06]
B
You know, I love it. I'm here for it.
- [08:08]
D
It was literally a moment lasted. She.
- [08:10]
B
She.
- [08:11]
D
This was not the life for her. But honestly, like, from that point forward, I thought I, like, knew PowerPoint and knew certain things, but my world has definitely changed. Like, just thinking about so many different avenues with emails and the blogging. Like, I was so thinking that, like, oh, I have a following on Instagram. Like, that will help me. But really that plays, like, no role in my teachers pay teachers, or a very small role compared to the other business aspects. And a lot of that I learned through the CEO teacher school, like, back to school. Last year, I made over $1,200 in August. So from April to August, I had already made a very significant amount of money, much more than I anticipated. So it's been amazing.
- [08:51]
B
All the feels, man, I told you. This is my favorite interview. So I'm going to steal you away just for a few more minutes too, because I know that you're still in the classroom and you have a unique perspective. So for someone that's in the classroom right now wondering, I don't know if I can start this whole journey. First of all, I love that you said it was a moment, because I felt that, you know, I want everyone to feel like it's a moment, and to know that it was for you means so much. And in such a short amount of time, you really put in the work to make $1,200 in August. That's craz. But how did you do that being a teacher? Plus you were going back to school, I'm assuming, virtually, and you were trying to take on a whole lot of different jobs. So how did that work out?
- [09:33]
D
I was fortunate in that the Pandemic did offer some free time. Free time because a lot of the time we were still at home. So I was able to really like go through the course pretty quick. But I was also on the month to month plan, so it wasn't that I could just like purge. Is it purge? No.
- [09:48]
E
Binge all of the videos.
- [09:50]
D
I wasn't able to binge all the videos because I was waiting month by month. So as the school year was starting, I would just pick two days out of the week to watch videos and then I would create on the weekend. So Saturday was kind of my day to create because Sunday I'm getting ready for the week, like doing my hair, whatever else. So I kind of had to put myself on a schedule. It was very similar to being in grad school. Like if you want to accomplish something, you'll get it done. And the scheduling for me is what helped the most.
- [10:17]
B
That's really great advice. And speaking of schedule, Sydney, you've got to put yourself on a schedule to be a stay at home mom. And you're kind of taking your branching things out with like helping new teachers. And you've got just another unique perspective that we love. So let's talk about how the coaching part of the CEO teacher school has helped you kind of stay accountable with creating this amazing business that you have.
- [10:41]
E
Yeah, I mean, the coaching part might be like easily one of my favorite parts. I feel like the feedback, and I mean, we get feedback directly from you on the calls, but then the comment section, you know, like, I'm like, can't keep up because everyone's like, what about this? Have you thought about this? You know, it's just wild. The community. I can't. I mean, I have made lifelong friends in your community from when this all started. And so it's just wild because I feel like we're in the coaching calls, we're all interacting and we're all trying to, you know, help each other get better and do better. And I don't know, I couldn't miss them. And I think there was one time my husband didn't get home from work in time to watch the girls. I could get on a call and let's just say I wasn't too happy. Like, I need to be on these calls. I can't miss them. They're so good and she was going to answer my questions. And so, yeah, the coaching calls are a game changer for sure.
- [11:34]
B
Man, that was so.
- [11:35]
E
I'm.
- [11:35]
B
I'm just sitting over here just like grinning from ear to ear because you ladies show up. You know, that's part of the whole thing, is that you got to put in the work and I get to see your beautiful faces each week for our coaching. And Jocelyn, you've been a committed member for a while. You started your TPT store in 2013, which was when I started my TPT store. Since, I mean, I don't know when you started the program, but I feel like I've seen you on these calls. I mean, it's been years now. It's been years and you still show up, which is amazing. So let's talk a little bit about the coaching for you as well and how it's kind of been important for your journey.
- [12:11]
C
Well, I mean, I definitely agree with Kiana and Sydney that even though I started my TPT store in 2013, that was actually the year that I came out of the classroom. I had our first child in 2012, and then we moved from North Carolina to Missouri and my husband didn't know how long we were going to be there. So I was like, well, I don't want to be a part of the teacher turnover rate. You know, I want to be a stay home mom. Let me do that journey. And I started my TPT store, but then I kind of fell into a depression. You and I identify in so many different ways as far as, like, our parenting journey as well. And I fell into a depression. I forgot about TPT and all other things. Things. But then like years later, I came back to it and I had been following you a little bit on YouTube and, you know, I was like, okay. And then my husband kept saying, jocelyn, if you would just take this thing seriously, I think you can be successful. Like, I know you can be successful, you know, so, like, who can you find to help you with this journey? Who can coach you? And I was like, oh, yeah? And I was like, went back to one of your YouTube videos. I heard some other interviewer. I was talking to someone else. They were like, oh, that was in Casey's program. I was like, okay, she has a program. So I looked that up and then I joined the CEO teacher academy maybe at the time. And then I found out like a month later that I was pregnant with our fifth child. And I just cried because.
- [13:26]
B
Same girl, same.
- [13:27]
C
Because I was just like, I'm finally ready to take myself seriously. And then I found out I was pregnant. But the reason why I continued to show up on the coaching calls is because I feel like sometimes this journey, once you get out of the classroom especially, can be really lonely. Not that many people understand what you're doing, and they don't understand what it takes takes to be successful in this space. And so having that community has been a game changer. Lifelong friends. I mean, I'm constantly in my DMs, talking to some of my friends. And I know another friend that I met through your community. She and I, like, I accidentally called her on. On IG the other day, and we were on the call for 40 minutes. Like, oh, my gosh, did you mean.
- [14:07]
B
To call me John?
- [14:07]
C
I didn't. But since we're here and we just talked for 40 minutes, that all started from, like, Sydney said, the comment section of the coaching calls blowing up, you know, and you start to connect with different people and you're like, oh, okay, well, you know, why don't we talk offline? And then you connect with them on Instagram. It's like, oh, why don't we collaborate in this way? And, well, Casey's talking about link juice. So let me go ahead and link my blog to your blog. And, you know, it's just like all of that, it just. It's exciting and it makes you feel like, I can do this. I'm not alone, and I can do this.
- [14:39]
B
And you all are doing it, and you're doing a great job at it, and this goes for anyone. So I want you guys to kind of grab this question and take it and kind of run with it. What has becoming a CEO, teacher and joining the program done for you as a person? Step aside from teacher, step aside from mom, or whatever you're labeled as, and what has it done for you, just as a person and an individual.
- [15:00]
E
Are we allowed to cry?
- [15:02]
C
Don't cry.
- [15:03]
B
I'm so very hormonal.
- [15:05]
E
I'm pregnant again. I know. I'm like, keep it together. I feel like when I was trying to explain to people, the course, people who are not in education and don't really understand teachers, pay teachers, or even, you know, the academy, and I'm trying to explain to them, like, my goals and my dreams and my aspirations and, you know, you leave the classroom and you. I feel like there's a little bit of a, you know, what do you really know now about education? And it's like, you're so passionate. That didn't stop it just like transformed in a different direction. And I just felt like I had something to prove. And my husband is like, not a spender at all. And so I even like wanted to kind of prove to him how much this course is going to help. And just, you know, in the. In two months, my sales increased by 375% in the views. And he was like, what? And it paid for the course in two months. I mean, I was like, hoping it'd pay for the course in a year. And then it just came. Keep going, you know. And so then I joined the academy and I'm like explaining to my mom, who's not in education, she's like, okay, good luck. And it's just, I mean, it's like blessings upon blessings. And I feel empowered to do and go after what I want. That I didn't need to stay in the classroom necessarily to go after those things. I don't know, it's just been a dream come true. It's wild. I mean, I literally didn't know this existed.
- [16:19]
C
Can I just piggyback off of what Sydney's saying? Like, for me, it was very similar. I didn't really have clarity. Like, I knew that I enjoy kind of creating products, but I was just doing a bunch of random things and I wasn't pricing my products appropriately. Like, the designs weren't. It was just like all this stuff here, there in the third place, and I couldn't figure out what it was that I was like really trying to do and focus my energies. And then once I kind of thought what I was going to do, then I didn't have the confidence. So it was like a combination of things. And after I joined the CEO Teacher Academy and I did the mind mapping module, that right there was transformative. And I done some other mind mapping situations and yours literally gave me the clarity that I needed. And it helped me to realize I love tpt and I still do that. But doing the mind mapping helped me to realize that I could achieve more than what I thought I could. I had a different dream than I actually realized. If I mapped it out, like, here's the path, Jocelyn. This is how you get there. It's not just a dream anymore. It's reality.
- [17:26]
D
Yeah. And to piggyback off of what Jocelyn just said, I feel like the CEO teacher school has made me realize that I am limitless. And when I say that, I mean that. So long I thought I just wanted to be a teacher and I wanted to be a really good teacher. And I was working towards that. I got the Accolades Teacher of the year. And my students had great scores. But I started to realize that there's so much more to teaching that I had not expected. I've always said that adults are not really my thing. I'm very much meant to work with children, but this is still my way to help other teachers and share what I do in my classroom with other teachers. And it's something that I enjoy doing. I enjoy creating these things for my students. I try to focus on making things that I know I'm going to use anyway. So it's a natural fit for me. But it is nice to be able to share that and able to make money for myself. And I know, like, not everything's about money, but for me, my family was really concerned that I was going to be. Teachers said that it would limit me, I would never make over, blah, blah, blah. And I now see that there literally is no ceiling to what I could do even while I'm still a teacher. And so just knowing that I'm limitless is a very exciting and liberating feeling.
- [18:36]
B
Like holding back tears, listening to all of you talk. You know, Jocelyn's talking about mind mapping and how she got to see the bigger picture. And like, just a few years ago, I was in your shoes, thinking about this program and how transformative it could be. And it's like this whole full circle moment for me to listen to all of you talk about blessings on blessings and limitless. And it's just like, you know, this is why I was put on this planet, is to help you all. And I don't get to hear your stories. I don't think enough. Sometimes we just feel like we go through the motions. You know, we are trying our best. So thank you for breathing life into me tonight. That's been such a joy to hear. I'm just curious. So, Kiana, you're in the classroom. Are you utilizing what you make day in and day out for your students? Like on teachers, pay teachers as well? And let's talk about. I don't even know where to start. We could talk about Instagram. We could talk about your blog. Like, let's talk about how your business. Just.
- [19:26]
D
Just how does it work for teachers, pay teachers? I typically focus on things that I would use myself. So most of my resources are 4th and 5th grade upper elementary math things because that's what I teach and that's what I'm going to use. I get some ideas that just pop into my head and I go for it. And if it went well, then I'm like, okay, I'm going to share this with other teach and I do share a lot on Instagram and on YouTube. So that does help to support my sales. But with the audience that I have, it doesn't necessarily mean that I will get the sales that I would think that you would get with a bigger audience. So that's when having the YouTube videos definitely helps because people can refer back to that. But having an email list has definitely helped me a lot because I can actually see who's opening my emails and see that conversion rate. Whereas when with Instagram again, some people are gonna be like, oh, that's such a cool idea. Buy it instantly. But it's not gonna be nearly as many as directly hitting my people in their inbox when I email them. But I do love to do a lot of digital products because they're easy for my students to use in the classroom, especially things that are self graded. Especially last year I needed that in my classroom. But even now I love it because now my students are able to check their understanding as they go. So that's kind of how I shape my business. So Instagram, I guess, is supplemental and YouTube is supplemental to the things that I do in my classroom. Everything revolves around what's actually happening in my classroom.
- [20:46]
B
That's so good to hear. And I love that you're really honest about like the Instagram world because if someone goes to your Instagram, they're like, oh my gosh, she is a sensation. Which you, you are. I mean, I am obsessed with your Instagram. But it's really, it's really important to know that just because you have a whole lot of followers doesn't mean that that directly correlates with sales or cha chings in the TPT world. And even though I'm glad that you said that too about money, you're like, hey, it's not all about money, my happiness. I agree with all of those statements. But a lot of us start this journey to help ourselves financially because let's get real, we're teachers, we don't make a lot of money. And Sydney, you're home. So you're like, I'm home. And if someone's watching this, okay, they're teaching in the classroom, they're teaching, let's say fourth grade math and they are pregnant. They're watching this and you're saying that you're pregnant, you have babies at home now, you're staying at home and you're doing this thing on the side. I don't think people really understand. So can you kind of just walk? You don't have to talk, like, specific money and stuff like that, but this is truly an income for your family.
- [21:52]
E
Yeah, I mean, we wouldn't have been able to make it last year without this. My husband doesn't make that much money. And I'm like, no, let me give this teachers pay teachers thing a shot. I have lots of products. I just usually give it out for free, you know, to everyone in our district. And we had a big district. Let me just see this through. Join Casey's course and literally hustle. I mean, it's like kids go down for a nap. Get as much work as you can get done. Get up at 5, get as much work done as you can. As soon as they go to bed, you work until midnight.
- [22:22]
C
I mean, he.
- [22:22]
E
My husband watched me work, you know, as hard as I could because it was important to me to see this through. And that's just the way I work. And the nice thing is, is I could have taken my time, too. I didn't need to necessarily. You know, I know there's a lot of people that kind of take their time through your course, and that works really well for them as well. I think if I were in the classroom like Kiana, that might have been more what I had to do. But at this point, like, I needed to figure out if this was going to bring an income for us. And it did. And I was making. Literally, I checked all the numbers before I came on, and it was like 375% increase from October of 19 to October of 2020. And that just in that first. That month that that happened, and I told my husband, he was like, wow, really? You know, like, we kind of. That's probably a fluke. You know, the next month it'll just go back down. And it just, like, continued and continued, and it's just wild. And I know we talk a lot about the academy, too, and I think it's just because so much of what I learned in teacher school, CEO, teacher school, just. Just made me fall in love with everything that you share with us. And I, like, had to keep going. And again, it was kind of one of those things, like, I'm just going to jump in. I don't really know where this is going to take me. And here we are. So, you know, it's just I couldn't be more thankful for the risk and financially to join your course. Like, sure, it felt like a risk at the time, but it ultimately wasn't. I mean, it was so minor in the grand scheme. I would have never, never been where I am right now had I not joined it. I mean, I didn't know, like Kiana was saying, I didn't know people blogged and like, sent emails. What I just thought people on TeacherSpay, some just made it and some didn't. You know, like, I had no idea about SEO. Mind blowing. And so it's just like, crazy. Just I've never would have been able to Google the things. I would have never been able to learn any of the stuff that you taught us on my own.
- [24:17]
C
Right? There's like this, this whole system, this whole world that people just, they just, they don't know until you get into the school. I mean, it's crazy. And I think for me, like, I'm on tpt, but that is not like the largest part of my focus. But just like you both said, like, I've taken what I learned and I've been able to apply it to my consulting business because I'm still working with teachers, right? I'm coaching teachers in schools. And so all of the things that you teach us about design and resources, because I create resources sometimes, like as a part of the packages when I'm working with schools. So I may not necessarily put all that stuff on tbt, but they get so excited. Like, we get these resources because I'm using all of the lessons and all of my marketing material, all that stuff. I learned how to design all these things and make them look so professional from all the lessons in the CEO teacher school.
- [25:08]
D
Speaking on that, I really feel like I was able to make the art of phenology a brand after being a part of the CEO teacher school before, it was just something I did as a hobby. And. And you truly do walk us through how to make it a business. And like Jocelyn was saying, she's able to apply that to consulting. I'm able to apply that to influencing or whatever else, because I have made this brand for myself that I learned how to do through your program. And so the lessons aren't just limited to teachers pay teachers like, you truly are making us entrepreneurs in all different assets. Because once we have the knowledge that we do, it's able to be applied in so many other areas.
- [25:51]
E
I think all the time that we should earn like a degree. After your course and marketing design, I'm like, I feel like I just took my business degree. Honestly, like, I don't even need college at this point.
- [26:02]
C
I agree. Like, people will DM me and ask me, like, do you work with somebody to create Your designs. And I'm like, no, I do them myself. And, you know, they're like, well, how did you. I was like, oh, I work with Casey. Like, she's my coach. And, you know, I send them your information all the time. Like, here you go. Because this is truly, like, Pinterest and all that other stuff. Oh, my gosh, do not look at my first few pins, because they were hideous. Right. But then, like, all the different bonuses that you always offer, like, they have helped me to really create this brand, as Kiana said, not just stuff all over the place.
- [26:33]
B
Okay, but can't you just Google anything that you're looking for when it comes to, like, making your own business and being a teacher? Do you think you can. Can't you just Google it? Like, that's what I feel like that might be a question that comes up.
- [26:47]
C
I feel like some of it you can. Right? But, like, they're like, Google is great for kind of getting that, like, some of the, like, little basic, little random things, but there's no system. And I think that that's the key is when you have the steps in order. Because, I mean, you share a ton on your blog and you share a ton on your podcast. Right. But, like, that's just the surface. Like, there's a whole other level. And so that's what you can Google. Right. If people Google stuff, they'll find your podcast or they'll find other rant random things, but it's that deeper level and the system. Okay, here's step one. Here's step two. Here's step three. That's how you get successful when you put together a plan.
- [27:23]
D
Yeah. And for me, I feel like I had an idea or, like, you see people at the end, but you don't know. All that is a part of, like, making that happen. Like, entering the CEO teacher school. There's just so many things I hadn't considered, and I would not even know to Google that. I wouldn't know that this comes first, this comes next, et cetera. So I would be so out of the loop and missing so many pieces. But even things that I thought I knew, like PowerPoint, it's different when you're using PowerPoint to create Teacher resources. I thought I knew it, and then I took the course, and I'm like, oh, my gosh. Wow, this is so much simpler if I do xyz. It's so many things that you think you know, but, like, really, you don't. Like, like Jocelyn said, it's really just kind of like, touching the surface. And there's so much deeper.
- [28:10]
E
I feel like if I were to Google back before I did the course, it would have been like, how to be successful on Teachers, pay teachers. And in my head, you and your face would pop up because I literally don't know what else we could possibly learn. Like search engine optimized. I still am mind blown by it. Duh. It makes so much sense now. That's how people, you know, get seen. But I didn't even know it was a thing. Didn't even know it was a thing. I wouldn't even know where to start Googling stuff like that. Because I need someone who knows and has experienced it, especially when it's an educator and. And someone who works in teachers, pay teachers, and the same world that we're in to be like, here are the things that you need to do and this is what you need to look for, and here are examples. And then come on this coaching call and I'll give you feedback. And it's a full circle. I would spend way too long Googling things if I had to do it that way.
- [29:01]
C
Yeah, I think that what you just said is good too. Right? There are other business coaches out there, right? But they're not educators. They're not teachers. So they don't understand that unique space and they don't know how to talk to teachers. That's why I keep showing up to the coaching calls, is because I need an educator's lens. You know, even with my TPT products, like I said, even with my consulting business, I mean, that's the joy of being in the CEO Teacher academy as well. Right? Finish with the school, kind of like those steps, and then you can move into the CEO teacher academy, and that's where you can take your business to the next level. And so when I present things like my website and different marketing materials, I have a teacher's lens on it. I have. There are principals on the call, right? There are all these different educators that are coming together with that knowledge to say, hey, as an administrator, this is the type of stuff I'm looking for. As a counselor, this is the type of stuff that I'm looking for. And so it really helps you to knit your scope and be able to reach your target audience better.
- [29:59]
B
You guys keep bringing up search engine optimization. So as I'm listening to you talk, like every now and then, it's just like the way it's woven into the conversation, it keeps resurfacing. So if someone's watching this, it just trips me out because SEO is not the same thing as CEO. It's different. But SEO stands for search Engine optimization. And back in the day on tpt, you could show up and you could say, hey, I want to sell some kindergarten sight word resources and you could make crazy great money. But things have changed. It's a lot more people that are going after the same things that you may want to sell in your teachers pay teacher store. And that's what I was dealt with is I wanted to make the money that everyone that had started when TPT started maid, but I didn't know how to get there because I wasn't the first one out the gate. So I started learning about search engine optimization. So Kiana, can you give us a little rundown on how SEO or search engine optimization has changed the game for you and your business?
- [30:56]
D
SEO took me a while to understand. I must admit that is really why I had to attend the coaching calls because I feel like people ask questions in ways that I would be confused about but wouldn't know how to ask. And so I was able to get, get so much more knowledge with the coaching calls and see that other people are experiencing the same things as me. But once you get your SEO down and you're able to figure out what those long tail keywords are, it really does help you. It helps you with the competition because people that are searching for whatever resource you might have will see your things first. And so for me, that definitely helped with my digital interactive notebooks. And I think that's why I was able to make make the money I made last summer as fast as I was, because those were very hot with the virtual learning last year. But because of SEO, I think I was able to stand above the crowd because I was, I was able to be found easier. And I think SEO really helped transform the amount of income I was able to make from teachers pay teachers.
- [31:56]
B
So good. All right, ladies, what about you?
- [31:58]
C
I literally had no idea what SEO was before I joined the school. And like Kiana said, I remember watching the prerecorded lesson that you had and I was like, okay, let me figure this out. Let me do the things that she's saying. And I did. But when I, when we got on the coaching calls, because obviously there are a number of coaching calls that you really work on the SEO, that's where it was a game changer because I could ask you specific questions and say, here's the product that I'm trying to sell, or like, here's the blog post and the stuff that I'm trying to rank for. And you took the time on the coaching call to say, okay, let me get in here and search around and do some things, and let me offer you some suggestions. And so having one, someone who is like an expert on SEO is so helpful because we're not. And so we don't even sometimes know which words to put together to make things make sense. And then two, just, you know, obviously when there's more than one mind thinking about things, then your end result is better.
- [32:57]
E
I think about as a teacher how many times I would Google like, like fourth grade geometry activity or, you know, fourth grade precise of writing and, you know, all these resources from teacherspayteachers would pop up. And it never dawned on me that behind the scenes there's probably a reason why theirs were popping up. I kind of figured people pay for that to happen, and some do, but you don't have to. And I didn't know these things, you know. And so it's so funny to me now to think like, all the times I would Google that stuff, there's like a hole behind the computer screen system that's a little bit of a game to get yours to show up first. And that's what search engine optimization is kind of about, is to bring your resources to the top of a search engine. And it's fascinating and it's even more fun when you go to then Google your own long tail keyword and there comes your resource and you're like, yes.
- [33:54]
B
That'S the best feeling ever. It's funny to look back three years ago when I started this program and we're redoing all the videos now. So I'm rewatching some of the videos and I remember, remember I was googling certain long tail keywords, praying because I'm teaching you guys that they were gonna.
- [34:08]
E
Show up, like, first, second, and third.
- [34:10]
B
I was like, I'm teaching them all of this. Like, it really works. But I'm, every time, I was always so shocked. I'm like, I know it works, but you almost feel like an imposter.
- [34:17]
D
Like, I, I.
- [34:18]
B
But I just hope on this call when I'm teaching them that it actually works. So to hear that you all feel the same way is super motivating to me too, because it's just so wonderful. It's not, it's not a, it just worked for me kind of thing.
- [34:30]
D
Thing.
- [34:30]
B
It's a look at all of these now. We have over 3,000 that's Crazy Town students, and you all are three of those amazing success stories. So if someone is watching this and they're thinking to themselves, okay, yeah, it seems like you all have it all together, but I just don't really understand enough or I'm not sure I want to get there just yet, or no, I'm not going to get there just yet. What would you say to them if they're on the fence? Like, I don't know if I should take the leap of faith of joining the CEO teacher school or investing in a program. What would you say to them?
- [35:04]
C
I would say do it like Sydney said. When you originally kind of look at, you know, the price and your. And your budget and all these other things, I. This is going to sound horrible, but I didn't even, like, apply all of the things that you taught us. And I easily made that money back, like, so quickly, probably in the place first two months or something, maybe less, you know, like, so it was like, oh my gosh, if I can do this with just half of the things that she taught me, what can I do with the rest? And I feel like everything in our life is in seasons. And so it's like, if you're hearing this and if you're here, then this is your season for this, you know? And even though you may not apply everything that you learn right away, something's going to happen and you're going to come right back to it and you're going to be ready for that next level. Level.
- [35:48]
B
So do it.
- [35:48]
D
I also think that this is an investment in yourself. When I purchased this program, I knew that I was spending this money because this was going to. It would pay itself back. But I also knew that this was the cost of the new beginning. And with that in mind, it was kind of like my ticket. And once I had made that investment, I knew that I wanted to go far with this. I didn't think I would go where I've gone, but I knew that I wanted to work towards something. It gave me the motivation I needed to keep going. And so even when the school year got hard, because last year was a really tough school year, I was not creating as much as I wanted to. But I still was on the coaching calls because I knew that when I was ready to create over the summer, I would have those ideas and that knowledge. And that part is what I think is the most beneficial is the coaching and the community again, like the things that you wouldn't consider or the things you wouldn't think about. You hear that you're collaborating with others, and that is what. What's the best. So I would say go for it. You'll have your tribe, the people there to support you and that's so big.
- [36:53]
E
Yeah, I totally agree. You guys nailed it. I feel like there's so many like if you examples like if you need supplemental income or additional income, if you love creating resources, if you feel like, you know there's more for you to contribute to education outside the classroom, like all of those scenarios are reasons to join and you know, I just think that there's no losing. You will make the money back. And I was floored that I made it and then some in two months. Like didn't even think that was an option. And it was like Jocelyn, like I didn't even gone through the whole course. Like what do you mean? I just still have more to do. And that like rolled itself into the academy which opened my eyes to something else. And now I'm doing things that I never dreamt were possible and it's like that would have never happened if literally only a year ago I had not joined your course. And it's, it's just mind blowing. I've never heard of a single person regret joining your course and I've met not 3,000 of them but I feel like I've met a lot of them. And that's the thing too. It's just like the community of people, like minded people. I just, it's, it's unbelievable. I don't. I would jump in two feet everything without ever thinking about it again. I mean it's just like Jocelyn said, you're here watching this or listening to this for a reason. That's, that's your reason. I say go for it.
- [38:09]
B
Ladies, I know we have a coaching call in 14 minutes so we have to go and help a lot of other teachers and but let me just say thank you for being my hero. You all are the reason why I get up in the mornings and it is just, it's the most beautiful thing in the whole world. So it's not just my program. It's the fact that you guys have put in the effort because you've worked really hard to get to where you are today. So thank you so much for being here tonight.
- [38:34]
E
Thank you Casey for having us.
- [38:36]
D
This was great.
- [38:37]
A
Hey friend, it's Casey. I'm a teacher mom to four cross fit enthusiast and I am a CEO teacher just like you. You know those incredible lesson plans and activities that you're already creating. What if they could be doing more than just impacting your students throughout the school year? What if they could also be padding your bank account without adding extra hours to your already packed schedule. I created a quick, fun two minute quiz to help you. It's going to help you discover your personalized teacher business path based on your skills and your your dreams. It's going to help you get crystal clear on the next steps so you're not stuck feeling like what's next? And it's going to allow you to see inspiring examples of teachers just like you who are making extra income online without ever leaving the classroom. If you're nodding along, yes, that's exactly what I need, then you are where you're meant to be. If you're ready to unlock your best path Forward as a CEO teacher, go to Casey morris.com quiznow to get started. Let's turn your passion into profit together.
- [39:35]
B
One step at a time.
- [39:36]
A
That's K A Y S E M O R R I S Com quiz.