Please, introduce yourself and your business.
My name is Laney, and I run an ecommerce business selling classroom resources to middle school science teachers. My products are PDF download only and include worksheets, assessments, projects, unit plans, and even full curriculums!
How did you start your business?
I started my business in 2013 through a website called Teachers Pay Teachers. This site is essentially Etsy for lesson plans; pretty much all teachers know about it! It only costs $60 a year to open a Pro account on TPT and to begin selling your own PDFs.
Like most teachers, I was already creating many resources for my classroom. I decided there was nothing to lose by posting them for sale in case others were looking for the same thing.
How much revenue was your best year? (include margin if possible)
In 2023, I grossed $188,000 with expenses of approximately $40,000. This nets me about $148,000 in take-home pay before taxes.
When did you notice traction when building your business? The “Oh S**t!” moment, what did that feel like?
For me, this moment came in 2020 during the pandemic. I had nothing else to do while teaching virtually, so I spent most of my days digitizing my print-only resources. I added a Google Slides or Google Forms version to every resource I offer (over 600 now).
My theory is that large textbook companies couldn’t keep up with the rapidly shifting demands, so teachers were turning to TPT in large numbers to find resources that worked for their unique teaching situation (entirely online, hybrid, etc.). My sales began to skyrocket, and the algorithm started to take note of me, which further expanded my success.
What was your childhood like? Were you slinging candy on the playground?
I’ve always been a workaholic! I got my first job when I was 16. Even when I started teaching, I did a lot of babysitting and, of course, working on this “side hustle.”
What has been your best marketing marketing channel?
I don’t do a lot of marketing—I let SEO handle customer acquisition for me. However, I do send weekly emails, run an active Instagram account, and host a Facebook group of about 13,000 science teachers.
How many attempts at building something did you make before you found what you’re working on now? Did you always have an entrepreneurial drive?
I guess I did, but I didn’t realize that I did. I am not one to waste time; I prefer to be productive. I always wanted more money than I currently had (a demon I still battle), so I continued to make various decisions alongside my teaching career to try to earn more.
What is your biggest overhead expense?
I hire a lot of contract labor. Think virtual assistants. People who can help proof read my blog posts, answer my emails, and help me create and update resources for my store.
I also subscribe to a lot of stuff. Mailchimp, Canva, WordPress for Business, etc.
What’s the most important skill you’ve learned?
Like many accidental entrepreneurs, I had to learn how to transition from a technical worker to a manager.
I started out being really good at making resources for my store, but I knew that for my vision to be truly realized (to be as efficient as possible), I needed to offload most of those tasks to others.
It took me a lot of time to become comfortable letting go of control, spending more money, and transitioning into my new role as manager.
The book The E-myth covers this topic in-depth, and I recommend it!
What do you spend the majority of your time doing, in a given week? (I think a lot of people hear entrepreneurs “work,” but may not understand what that means on a day-to-day basis.
I “work” about 4 hours a day now because my main “job” is as a stay-at-home mom. I mainly answer my emails and give feedback to my virtual assistants.
I still create resources myself too, especially when I have an idea I’m excited about! I also write my own marketing emails, run a Facebook group for middle school science teachers, and occasionally post on Instagram.
What do you know now that you wish you knew when first starting your business?
I wish I had known the ceiling in my niche was this high! I would have prioritized growth at an earlier stage.
The world of entrepreneurship can be misleading. Many people think it’s always easy and always glamorous. What’s a big problem you’ve faced as a business owner and what were the emotions behind it?
I guess there has always been an element of the whole “working while everyone else is on the couch.”
My 600 resources didn’t create themselves! However, I did have the stability of my full-time teaching job to fall back on until I felt 100% comfortable stepping away. The fact that I don’t have any inventory or major overhead costs also keeps things simple.
The hardest part has probably been the lifestyle creep. My income is not guaranteed, and I do lose sleep now, worrying about what would happen if sales dipped.
Many people don’t know where to start in the business world, they feel stuck. They may want to start a business to become their own boss and create their hours. What is your best advice for someone who feels completely stuck?
The only thing I think I did that most people don’t is persist. I started this business in 2013 but didn’t leave my full-time job until 2022. That’s a lot of summer and weekend hours that I worked on a “dream” before it became a reality.
I spent years earning little to no money. However, my growth was exponential. The money from my ‘side hustle’ eventually outgrew my full-time job, and from there on, I continued to grow.
There’s no such thing as overnight success.
Don’t give up!
You can follow Laney, here:
