Tips, Facts, and Resources for Aspiring Teacher-Entrepreneurs
Avoiding Pitfalls
Note: No person or organization
listed in the content paid for mention
Part-time entrepreneurship has long been a part of the
teaching profession, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Educators are more likely to moonlight more than members
of other occupations.In Texas alone, moonlighting has doubled
during the last 30 years. Related patterns appear in other parts
of the U.S. and in other countries,
report researchers at Sam Houston State University.
And U.S. Government estimates are that nationwide,
25 percent of those moonlighters are self-employed.
Some teachers leave the classroom while others stay and run
a business on the side… Reasons for choosing entrepreneurship
may include financial, health, layoffs, retirement or a need
to change careers. .
Selected examples
Shelley Heisler,
Shelley Heisler, MA faced hearing impairment
and had to make a career change…
Self-employment proved to be a solution for the
elementary school teacher that allowed her to stay in the
education field. She founded The Teaching Bank and started small ….
“Back in 2003 I had 9 bare bones Novel Units….,” notes Heisler.
Today, The Teaching Bank offers a few more lessons…669.
Lloyd Lofthouse, ilookChina…com, a former high-school
journalism teacher with an MFA blogs about his military and insights
as a visitor living in China, has written about his classroom experiences,
and has won awards for his novels written for adults.
Arlene Miller…BigWords101
Humor and real world examples are primary themes
in a company started by a secondary and adult teacher with
administration credentials…
Known as The Grammar Diva,
Miller’s company independently publishes a series of grammar books,
offers workshops, speaking and editorial services.
Amelia Kassel … MarketingBase
taught at major California universities before
launching a firm as an information professional
specializing in business and marketing strategies…
Kassel has continued to teach a distance learning
program and offers a training and mentoring program
for aspiring and emerging
information professionals.
The challenge of picking the right niche
“Do what you love and the money will follow….”
are popular words of wisdom often misunderstood…
The following observation may be applied
to every industry or field of interest:
“The struggle is a real one, to be sure, for a market cannot
be magically pulled out of a hat. Yes, there are some who,
based on education,training and experience, know exactly
which target market to serve, and therefore can
immediately specialize.
But much more often, those new …to the independent research field…
aren’t aware of their niche market. It takes time, experimentation,
and experience to shape a vision and mission.
It is often useful to perform
a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats)
analysis on yourself to further gain insight,” writes Amelia Kassel
Source: Connections, Vol. 22, No. 4, July/August 2008.
And consider:
In Learning to Use Your Aptitudes, Professor Dean Trembly,
writes “It is impossible for all members within an occupation to be
alike in aptitude patterns. There are more than 5 million
possible combinations…”
So factor in interests, specialized knowledge, hobbies,
motivation, personality, values, judgment, and lifestyle issues,
and each potential teacher-entrepreneur is indeed unique.
And note that regardless of the path chosen, those who succeed
learn or know instinctively how to market their skill set.
Avoiding pitfalls
Unrealistic expectations frequently occur because of
assumptions about what it means to start and operate a business
Gathering the right information for evaluation is key:
whether the goal is to start a sideline business,
stay in the education field as an entrepreneur,
transfer skills and knowledge to a new industry, or learn .
basic business and marketing activities.
A simple one-page outline titled
What do I need and want to learn?
and gradually adding a checklist of go-to experts
and resource tools is a good start
for critical thinking and problem solving.
Dee Adams is an information researcher
specializing in tips, issues & resources for
entrepreneurial beginners.
And a self-enrichment teacher
Author of Finding Your Niche: Discover…
Editor Changing Your Work or Career:
How to Explore Self-employment Options
After Injury or Illness, and several other titles
Teachers Pay Teachers store
References
Nichecreativity.com
Why So Many Students [and Others]
Dislike Research Tasks…Student infographic
FTC.gov/news
alanissimmons.edu
Bigwords101.com
The Best Little Grammar Book Ever!
Arlene Miller, MA
http://bigwords101.com/
Amelia Kassel MarketingBase
Spotlight: IBPA Member Achievements
Lloyd Lofthouse.org
Therapy and Learning Services.com/blog
Classic Games to Strengthen Executive
Functions {ages 7+}
Amazon.com
The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers:
The Guide for Achieving Success and Satisfaction
Connections
Official Publication of Association
of Independent Information Professionals
Note: The current issue is always available free to the public.
Score.org
Online Workshops
Forbes.com
High School Teacher Turned
Multi-Millionaire: It Works
Edsurge.com
What It Takes
to Be a Teacher Entrepreneur
CNN.com
Throwing Teachers into the ‘Shark Tank’
Gazette.Teachers.net/Blissful-Teacher
Fast Company.com
Why Teachers Make for
Some of the Best Entrepreneurs Out There
Jocrf.org/pdf
Understanding Your Aptitudes
News.stanford.edu//2005
‘You’ve got to find what you love,’ Jobs says
Source: Connections, Volume 25, No. 4. December 2011
Amazon.com
Learning to Use Your Aptitudes
Dean Trembly, Ph.D
Note: out of print title published by the
Johnson O’Connor Foundation
Jocrf.org/Casestudy
An Unhappy Manager
http://www.jocrf.org/testing/client-experiences/unhappy-manager
Actionpointe.net/pdf
Inventory of Aptitudes and Knowledge
Sample Jocrf report
Niche Creativity.com
24 Business Education Resources
by Traditional educators