Kristen 0:03
Okay, TPT sellers ready to see growth in your business, you’re in the right place. Welcome to the Savvy Teacher Seller. I’m Kristen Doyle and I’m here to give you no fluff tools and strategies that will really make an impact on your sale. Let’s get started y’all.
Kristen 0:23
Hey, y’all, and welcome to today’s episode. I’m your host, Kristen Doyle and today I am sharing eight things that have made a big impact on my business. This episode idea actually came straight from this year’s listener survey that I sent out a few months ago. Several of you asked some version of the question, what are the things you’ve done in your business that have really made an impact on helping your business grow. And to be honest, I had to do some pretty deep thinking about what I’ve done that has really had the most impact on my business.
Kristen 1:04
If you don’t know that much about me yet, I have created and grown two successful businesses over the last 12 years. Both of which have been consistently making six figures plus for, I don’t know, five or six years now. And even though my inner imposter creeps in sometimes, like when I was planning this episode, to tell me that it was all luck.
Kristen 1:27
The truth is, after a decade of this, I know a lot about how to grow and run a business. So today, I am sharing my top eight things that I’ve done that have really made a big impact on my business. Some of them are more practical things to do. Others are a little more of a mental thing. Without further ado, and in no particular order, here are the top eight things I have done that have made a big impact on my business.
Kristen 1:57
Number one is stopping the things I’m not good at, and hiring someone who is good at it. Instead, when I first started my business, I did everything myself. Needed to start posting on social media, I started learning about it. Needed to start an email list, figure it out. Needed to build a blog, I learned how to do that, too. That one actually worked out pretty well, because it turned into my second business. But the truth is, it takes all of us so much longer to figure out how to do things ourselves, especially when those things are not in our zone of genius.
Kristen 2:37
When I spend my time on the things I am good at, I am so much more productive, and honestly just so much happier with the work I’m doing in my business. And let’s talk about hiring people whose zone of genius is that other thing. Whether it’s Facebook ads, or social media or building your website for you, the results that you get from those things from those ads, those social media posts, your website are going to be so much better than what you would do on your own as a DIY or a novice, someone who doesn’t really understand this new thing that you’re trying to learn. So you can get much better results, skip all that frustration, and really spend your time leaning into the things that you are great at.
Kristen 3:27
Now, if you are just starting to hire out, I have some tips for you. I would recommend that you start small, maybe you hire someone for a one off project, or a few months on a trial basis, instead of a long term retainer contract. This lets both you and the person you hired, make sure that the two of you are a good fit to work together. And that they are able to do the things that you need them to do.
Kristen 3:54
Make sure when you’re hiring that you check references. And I do not mean just to look at the portfolio on their website, either. Talk to actual people who have worked with them. I have seen some beautiful website portfolios from some service providers that I know don’t do quality work, or regularly ghost their clients. Because some of those clients have come to me or they’ve gone to friends of mine or they’ve come to me asking for recommendations. So make sure you are talking to someone getting some references from real people. And if you need references for just about anything that an online business owner does, feel free to reach out to me. I know people in all sorts of fields who are experts at what they do and I would be happy to refer you to them.
Kristen 4:45
Another thing I would encourage you to do when you first start hiring out is make sure you are getting contracts signed. Contracts are there to protect both of you. I know it’s a lot of legal words, and it seems very formal and stuffy, but they are so good just for making sure everyone is on the same page and protecting you both. It really doesn’t matter if you make a contract and send it to them, or they make one and send it to you, as long as you both read and agree to the terms, and you both have a copy of it.
Kristen 5:16
The second thing I’ve done that’s made a really big impact is getting involved in groups of entrepreneurs in my niche. This is so important because especially as online business owners, we made friendships with people who truly get it. Who understand what we go through and what we’re doing and what we’re dealing with. If you’re one of those people for me, and you know who you are, I love you all dearly. I have TPT seller friends that I know I can always go to when I have questions about TPT things, or I maybe just need to vent a little bit about our frustration. There’s a handful of web designers that I know I can message our group chat, when I’ve had a tough client interaction, or I’m struggling with getting something to work on a site. We get each other, and we are there to help each other because we’ve all been through the same things. And it’s so important to have those people in your life.
Kristen 6:12
Another thing that’s great about knowing entrepreneurs in your niche, is it gives you a great chance to collaborate with people. I believe in collaboration over competition any day of the week. And these groups of people who are in your niche are a great place to find people to do email collaborations with. To grow all of your lists. To do giveaways with. People to present in a summit you’re hosting or a summit that they are hosting that you could present. And people to do bundles with. All of those kinds of collaboration opportunities are great for growing everyone’s audience in the group. And collaborating with entrepreneurs in your niche are perfect, because their audience is most likely very similar to your audience. So when you start growing and sharing your audiences with each other, you’re able to build an audience of people who are truly interested in what you offer.
Kristen 7:10
And added bonus, I am never alone at an in person conference or an event because these people have become dear friends that I love to see in person too. So I would encourage you to cultivate some friendships with people in your niche. And if you don’t know what are start, find some people on social media that you really resonate with. And just message them. Tell them how a piece of their content really spoke to you. Try to build a genuine friendship with them with zero strings or expectations, just talk to them.
Kristen 7:44
Another place you can look is entrepreneur groups that you’re in. Be helpful in those groups and try to form connections with people that are in the group. I always start with trying to build a real connection with people without the expectation of getting anything in return because those are the best in your niche friendships that you will find.
Kristen 8:06
Number three is getting into groups of entrepreneurs outside my own niche. It is so important for us to get perspectives and to learn from people in other niches. I know a lot of us can start to feel like what we do in our business in our niche is so different and unique and special, that we can’t really learn from people and other niches. But that’s just not true. The fact of the matter is business is business is business. Whether you are selling teaching resources, or you’re selling principal party games and decorations, or you’re a service provider who is selling services that you offer, we all are in the business of finding the right way to connect with our audience and sell something to them. So there is a ton that you can learn from other industries.
Kristen 9:04
I can tell you hands down right now that I am a better presenter, a better copywriter, a better Facebook advertiser, a better course launcher, a better Google Drive user, a better automation-er, I just realized all the other words had -er at the end. I am exponentially better today at all of those things because I have been in groups with entrepreneurs outside my niche. And I have gotten to know people who are absolutely amazing at those things. They are geniuses. I am nowhere near as good as they are. But I have learned a lot from them. And I hope they’ve learned something for me too.
Kristen 9:52
Some of these groups that I’m in have been free. Some have been paid. Sometimes it’s a free Facebook group. Sometimes it’s a mastermind which could be free or paid. I’ve done a lot of coaching programs as well. And to be honest, sometimes I learned as much from the rest of the members in the group as I do from the coach who’s leading it.
Kristen 10:12
If you’re just getting started and trying to connect with some entrepreneurs outside your own niche, then my recommendation to begin with would be to get into the free Facebook groups of people who teach the kinds of things that you’re doing in your business. So if you are running Facebook ads, and you want to learn a little more about it, get into a free Facebook group from someone who teaches Facebook ads. If you are working on your email marketing, get into that sort of a Facebook group. Look for those low cost memberships that you can join and get into some of those Facebook groups. And then once you’re in there, just like I said about groups of people who are in your niche, make it a point to be helpful. Try to connect with people, and just to try to find your new friends without expecting anything from them in return.
Kristen 11:04
All right, number four, and I will shout it from the rooftops is learning and implementing SEO in my business. If you’re not using SEO to get consistent traffic to your site and to your products, right from search results, you are missing out. SEO gets you better quality traffic, because it’s people who are already out there actively looking for what you offer. It lasts infinitely longer than social media posts or even emails to your email list. And it gets better over time instead of getting worse. So if you are not working on your SEO, take the time to do that.
Kristen 11:43
And if you don’t understand it, then invest some time into learning SEO for whatever platform you are on. Whether that’s your website, or YouTube, or a marketplace like TPT, or Etsy. If you’re a TPT seller, and you want to learn about SEO, I have a course and you can learn all about it at SEOforteacherauthors.com. There is even a free training right there on the homepage that you can take.
Kristen 12:08
Next up, the fifth thing on my list is building and nurturing my email list. I’m sure you’ve heard it said that your email list is the only place you own your audience. And that is absolutely true. But also, this is the place where you have a whole group of people who have signed up and basically told you that they want to hear from you in their inbox on a regular basis. They are inviting you to reach out to them. And when they signed up, they probably knew that you were going to try to sell them something. So don’t be afraid to email your list. And yes, our goal is always to make money in our businesses. But your email list is also really good for building connections with people. And people buy from people they know like and trust.
Kristen 12:59
Some tips for you on connecting with and nurturing your email list are not to always send a standard newsletter out. Mix it up. Sometimes email them without selling anything at all. Ask them about their life. And when they reply to you, respond back. If you have ever replied to me, and I didn’t respond, I’m sorry. I really do try to reply to everyone. But I know sometimes emails fall through the cracks.
Kristen 13:26
Your goal should be either to get people to click something or to reply to you in every single email. Make sure that you’re asking for replies and that you’re building a connection with those people on a somewhat regular basis.
Kristen 13:41
All right, number six is learning to use my data to drive my business decisions instead of my feelings. Our feelings steer us wrong all the time. But the data doesn’t lie. Every business is going to have different key data points that you should be looking at. You might hear them called KPIs. That stands for key performance indicators. Get acquainted with what yours are, and look at your data on a regular basis. Let it determine what you do next.
Kristen 14:14
I use data to decide what kind of emails to write. Whether they’re longer or shorter. What kind of topic. How I should pose certain questions to get people to reply or to click something. I use my data to determine what kind of products or courses to create. When to revise a sales page and when to leave it alone. When I need to raise or lower the price of a product or service. I literally use data to make almost every decision in my business.
Kristen 14:43
One tip for you when it comes to data is automating your data collection as much as you possibly can. There are some really cool automation tools out there that you can use to collect data on things like your social media and your email stats. And it is no secret that for TPT data I use and love Your Data Playbook. When the collection, and at least some parts of the analysis get automated, you are so much more likely to use the data that you have available to you.
Kristen 15:14
Number seven is I’ve finally started using a project management tool consistently to keep me on track. As an entrepreneur, the list of things that we need to do is extensive and exhausting. And putting it all into a system really helps. For me anyway, it helps to reduce the mental load of running my business and managing things with the kids and all of the things that I have to keep track of. It helps me stay on top of things so that things aren’t falling through the cracks.
Kristen 15:50
I have tried a lot of systems. I have tried Trello and asana and a handful of systems that don’t even exist anymore. But I’ve settled on Clickup. And I really like it. It has a little bit of a learning curve at first because it is so wide open to be used in so many different ways. But I can point you to some helpful resources if you’re stuck getting started. Regardless of what you use, though, pick a tool to use for your project management and use it consistently.
Kristen 16:19
The days that I am most productive are the days that I sit down and the first thing I open up is my Clickup to see what is on the schedule for today. What do I need to get done today, tomorrow, the rest of this week? When I am consistent and I am using my clickup, I really am so much more relaxed in my business because I’m not always worrying and wondering if I’ve forgotten something. Or more so, feeling like I’ve forgotten something and not being able to figure out what it was. I can just put everything in my Clickup and then go there and look at the list of all I need to do and not have to stress out about trying to remember it all. It has made such a difference, not only in my actual productivity, but just in how I feel about my work because I’m not constantly stressed about whether or not I had forgotten things. So I highly recommend you pick a tool and use it consistently.
Kristen 17:14
Number eight. This one’s kind of a three in one. Number eight is working on my mindset. When it comes down to it, one of the biggest things that will make or break you as an entrepreneur is where your mindset is on a day to day basis. There’s a handful of really big mindset things that I’ve been working on and mindset shifts that I have made over the last few years. So I’m going to share the biggest three with you today.
Kristen 17:45
The first one is learning to deal with my imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is not something that is going to go away. If you’re not familiar with what it is, it’s that feeling that you are an imposter. It creeps up in the back of your mind. It tells you things like: you really don’t know what you’re doing in your business. You just got lucky. That this business could fall apart at any moment. You’re kind of just waiting for that other shoe to drop. That you’re really not good enough at this, for the amount of success you’ve had, or to become successful. That no one should listen to you because you don’t really know what you’re talking about. It’s that mentality. That is your inner imposter creeping up and trying to tear you down.
Kristen 18:35
I’ve spent a lot of time the last few years working on strategies to deal with my imposter syndrome. And like I said, it doesn’t go away. But it definitely gets a lot smaller and a lot quieter. One of the biggest things for me has been to pay attention to those thoughts that pop into my head and make sure that I am catching those and that I am silencing them. That I am putting them back in the back of my mind and not letting them influence how I’m actually feeling about myself. Those little thoughts still pop up. But pushing them aside, putting them out of mind and not letting them control me, has been such a big help over the last few years. I’m going to link in the show notes to a really great podcast episode from just a few weeks ago where I talked to Mikey Seibert, who is so so good at helping with beating impostor syndrome. So I’m going to link to that and let you listen to what he has to say about some really great strategies that you can use there.
Kristen 19:37
The second mindset shift that I have made is adopting this ‘done is better than perfect’ mentality. I have one of those coaches from outside of my niche to thank for this one. She really instilled in me that when we’re trying to get something done when we’re trying to put a new offer out or a new product out in our business, if we keep waiting In for every single piece of everything to be 100% perfect, chances are, we will never get that thing done or that product out. If I was still waiting for perfect, I probably wouldn’t even have this podcast because goodness knows these episodes are not always perfect. What’s really most important is getting your ideas, your products, your offers out there, so that they can help the people who need them. Even if they’re not quite perfect, you can always tweak and adjust and improve them down the road.
Kristen 20:32
Now, hear me say I am not telling you to put out products with tons of typos in them and things. But getting your products and your offers out there, getting them done and sharing them with the world is far more important than having them be 100% perfect without a single mistake anymore.
Kristen 20:51
And the third mindset shift that I have made, is to adopt this mentality that we are always just testing. Everything that we do is just a test. It might go well, and it might not. And that’s okay. Because we don’t fail, we learn. Everything that we do is either a win or a learn. So when you feel like you have not won at a launch, or a new product that you have put out there, or a marketing strategy that you’ve tried when you feel like you didn’t win, instead of letting that make you feel bad make you feel like a failure, look at it in terms of okay, this didn’t go well. What can I learn from this? Maybe this particular type of content didn’t resonate with my audience. Maybe this marketing strategy isn’t aligned with my personality type and so I didn’t feel good about it. And when I don’t feel good about it, it doesn’t work as well.
Kristen 21:50
I’ll give you a great example of one of my recent tests. I tried out launching something brand new. And the launch went well, in some ways, and not as well in others. The content resonated. People loved it. I was getting really good feedback. And sales were good, but they weren’t nearly as good as I wanted them to be. And old me might have looked at that as a failure. But new me looked at that in terms of, ‘okay, this was a test. Maybe it was a neutral outcome.’ I actually think it was a pretty positive outcome. I got really good feedback about the content. So I know the content that I put out was good. The sales were about as high as I wanted. So why? Why were the sales not as high as I wanted.
Kristen 22:35
What I discovered when I really dug in was I had not built the right audience for that offer. Or at least not a big enough, right audience for that offer to get the kind of sales that I wanted in my sales goals. So instead of feeling like it’s a failure, what did I do? I walked away, and I said, ‘Okay, let me talk to my coaches. Let me talk to my Facebook Ads Manager.’ I need to work on building an audience for this offer. So the next time I launch it, because everything’s a test, and I will do it again. The next time I launch it, it will go even better.
Kristen 23:08
Those are my top eight things that I have done in my business that I think has really made the biggest impact. I hope that you found a strategy or two in there that you want to implement. I know a lot of those are things I am constantly working on. And the more I work on them, the better things get in my business.
Kristen 23:27
If you need recommendations for Facebook groups to join or coaches to work with or anything else along those lines, shoot me a DM @KristinDoyle.co. I am not trying to get keep all the good coaches or anything. I just don’t want to share a list of names because I would rather recommend specific people and groups that fit what you need. So feel free to send me a DM and let me know what you’re looking for and I’ll point you in the right direction.
Kristen 23:55
If you’ve enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot, share it on your Instagram stories with which one of these tips stood out that you’re going to work on implementing in your business. And then tag me @Kristendoyle.co. I’ll talk to you soon.
Kristen 24:12
I hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you did, please share it with another teacher seller who would also find it helpful. For more resources on growing your TPT business, head to Kristindoyle.co/TPT. Talk to you soon.
