{"id":2081,"date":"2019-05-05T10:00:04","date_gmt":"2019-05-05T10:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/?p=2081"},"modified":"2023-09-30T11:32:36","modified_gmt":"2023-09-30T15:32:36","slug":"how-one-year-of-selling-on-teachers-pay-teachers-has-changed-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/how-one-year-of-selling-on-teachers-pay-teachers-has-changed-me\/","title":{"rendered":"How One Year of Selling on Teachers Pay Teachers Has Changed My Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last month was a pretty big deal for me, guys. It marked my one year anniversary of selling on Teachers Pay Teachers<\/a>.<\/strong> A year ago when I uploaded my first product, I could never have guessed how much it would change my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That probably seems like an exaggeration. I know if I had read that line a few years ago, I would have rolled my eyes. One girl gets lucky and makes a few bucks–suddenly it’s “life changing.” Boring. Yawn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I really do mean it.<\/strong> And of all the changes, the money might be the least important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Psst! Teachers Pay Teachers has had such an immense impact on my life and I want the same for you! Get started today without<\/em> the overwhelm, wasted time, or slow learning curve with my c<\/a>ourse TPT Profitability! Designed to get your amazing resources up for sale the right way quickly!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pinterest pin for blog post: \"How One Year of Selling on Teachers Pay Teachers Changed My Life\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Selling on Teachers Pay Teachers Has Made Me a Better Teacher<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This was surprising for me, but maybe it shouldn’t be. I’ve found that when I make things for my own classroom now, I’m no longer settling. I’m looking at everything through the eyes of a seller. Selling has made me more focused and more reflective.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I only create things that I myself will use in the classroom. So if I’m planning on selling it, that means lots of advanced prep work. I’m thinking about goals, targets, essential questions, and mini-lessons months ahead of time when planning a unit. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before, I would slap a lot of things together. I’d worry about how to grade it later. The focus of a unit might change or pivot as I got distracted by how others taught it.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Square<\/a>
Stop putting off getting started on Teachers Pay Teachers and launch your store this weekend with TPT Takeoff<\/a>! Click to learn more!<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

However, when I’m designing with Teachers Pay Teachers in mind, my resources are a lot more focused. Everything has a purpose<\/em>. My resources also end up prettier, as I can justify buying clip art to decorate them and “set the mood” of the unit. Everything I sell is also proofread by a professional, so my students benefit from the extra attention to detail.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A worksheet that may have been “good enough” to get through Tuesday now has to be amazing enough for my buyers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when I use one of my own resources in the classroom, I’m much more reflective in my practice. How was that resource received? Did the students understand what to do? Did they enjoy it? Was it rigorous? Confusing? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think about all of these questions after a lesson<\/strong>, and if a resource needs to be tweaked, I tweak it so that my customers benefit. This is a big difference from just saying, “I’ll fix it next year” every year.
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Pinterest pin for blog post: \"How One Year of Selling on Teachers Pay Teachers Changed My Life\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Selling on Teachers Pay Teachers Has Completely Changed My Mindset<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I’ve always been someone who’s valued personal development.<\/strong> I don’t feel myself if I’m not actively trying to become smarter, more fit, more organized, more something<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the transition from employee to entrepreneur has completely rewired my brain. Starting a business, even just a side hustle like Teachers Pay Teachers, requires overcoming a tremendous amount of fear, <\/strong>self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and just a lot of stumbling as you learn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don’t think I realized how much self-doubt I still had, as an almost-thirty-year-old who has done a lot of introspection and self-work. But I spent the first couple of days after someone bought my first product feeling guilty!<\/em> Like I had tricked <\/em>the seller into buying from me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The imposter syndrome was almost crippling. I had to remind myself that I poured months<\/em> of work into that resource and that it was something I believed in. Something I gave to my own students. This feeling became easier to cope with over time, but the fear of putting yourself out there is REAL!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve also had to teach myself so much! Thank goodness I’m an educator! I’ve learned so much about product design and the TPT website itself. I’ve had to learn about sales tax, income tax, and basic web design. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All I had to learn how to market on social media, create a newsletter, and use new programs like Tailwind<\/a>. I am learning something new every single day.<\/strong> And this realization has affected my personal life too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a lot harder now for me to become afraid or overwhelmed<\/strong>. When a problem arises that seems just too big, I know from my business that I just need to break it down into bite-sized pieces and learn whatever I need to learn in order to handle it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I find myself saying crazy things now and meaning them. Like, “let’s sell everything and live in an RV!” And while I haven’t been able to convince my poor, patient boyfriend to do this quite yet, I know that I could totally uproot my entire life and that I would be resourceful enough to make it work.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing the little successes in my business have been tremendous for my own self-confidence. In my mind, I’m a business owner who teaches now, instead of a teacher with a business. I see the world in terms of ROI, <\/em>revenue metrics, and efficiency in scaling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My business has a long way to go, but I’m dreaming bigger than I have in many years. Better yet, I’m believing in those dreams and my own ability to accomplish them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pinterest pin for blog post: \"How One Year of Selling on Teachers Pay Teachers Changed My Life\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ok, Yes, the Money from Teachers Pay Teachers Helps Too<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I have seen some pretty steady side income from my store since my sixth month in business<\/a>. While my monthly revenue hasn’t grown too much since then (hoping to work on that this summer!), the money that has been coming in has been helping me acquire the real resource: freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My district hired me during a pay freeze that ended up lasting the first five years of my career. That means that at the time of writing this, I am earning a second-year teacher’s salary in my sixth year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During that freeze, insurance, taxes, cost of living–basically everything–increased. I have consistently made less<\/em> with every year of teaching.<\/strong> It’s pretty defeating when you sit and look at the numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worse, there’s been quite a few months over the years where the ends didn’t quite meet.<\/strong> Like any good American, I often turned to my credit cards to handle these gaps. Then most of my summer job money would go towards paying down these debts. Until the school year started and the cycle started again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, I haven’t actually spent any of my Teachers Pay Teachers<\/a> income on anything fun. There’s been no massages, manicures, or TPT-funded vacations. But my credit card debt is so close<\/em> to disappearing! It’s amazing to be able to see the finish line!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When those debts are gone, I plan to use the extra money to start funding some other dreams: maybe a trip or a house with my boyfriend. Maybe one day we’ll be able to afford to get married. Heck, maybe that RV for us to live in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, yes, the money has been nice. But the hope and the freedom it has brought it the real blessing.<\/strong> This time last year I was working a second job after school to help cover bills. I don’t have to do that anymore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n