Small Business Savvy | Web Design, Systems, and Marketing

If you’ve ever felt stuck or unsure about how to approach creating a new product, this episode is for you. I’ve put together a TPT product creation checklist that will help you streamline your product creation process and ultimately boost your sales. We’ll cover the importance of market research, creating a product outline, design and layout, SEO, quality control, pricing strategies, and more. Plu...

Let’s go ahead and address the obvious. TPT sales are down right now for a lot of sellers. But guess what? Your hands are not tied. There are things we can do to increase sales. We just may need to get a little creative with our strategies in order to get more eyes on your TPT products. I have eight strategies to share with you today that will help you amp up the traffic coming to your store. Even...

Let’s look at a roadblock that every TPT seller has faced at some point - when those products in our stores just aren’t converting. We’ve all looked at our dashboards wondering why a great resource isn’t selling as well as it should be. I’m sharing the top five reasons your TPT product isn’t converting and providing you with straightforward fixes to turn things around. From bad-quality thumbnails...

You may have found that it’s often a better use of your time to optimize and update your current TPT listings rather than constantly cranking out new resources. Well, the same is true for your existing blog posts. If you have an SEO strategy plan, updating old blog posts can bring in traffic faster than creating new ones. If you have no idea where to start when it comes to implementing an SEO stra...

Have you ever seen a new review pop up for one of your resources and felt an anxious knot in your stomach? With TPT feedback comes a roller coaster of emotions. When the reviews are positive, it’s the best feeling in the world. But when you see those negative reviews, it’s the total opposite. The truth is, getting reviews (whether they are negative or positive) is a part of our business that we ha...

It’s no secret that it’s a tough season on TPT right now. For many of us, sales are way down and that can quickly lead to feelings of frustration, stress, and TPT seller burnout. Trust me, I am experiencing the effects of this as well, with my own sales down. However, I’m here to provide you with strategies and insights to help you stay motivated and navigate through these difficult times. While o...

As teacher authors, most of us are ‘accidental entrepreneurs’ and did not have any experience in business before creating our TPT stores. That’s why we are always learning about how we can not only scale our business, but also protect it. Today we’re delving into arguably one of the most important things that we should have an understanding of: copyright & trademark for TPT sellers. You’ll hea...

As a TPT seller, I know you’re constantly looking for ways to improve your product creation strategies. Sometimes learning from our mistakes can be the best way to move forward and scale our sales. Last week, in episode 60 , I shared a big mistake that sellers often make when creating TPT products. This week, you’ll hear four more product creation mistakes that you’ll want to avoid in the future....

There’s always a cost when it comes to TPT product creation, whether that’s your money or your time. So let’s avoid getting stuck on the same details time and time again that drag out our projects WAY longer than they need to be. You know how it goes. You’re searching for new fonts, colors, and clipart for every new product that you create. Suddenly hours have passed by and you’ve made zero progre...

How do you even begin to prioritize everything that is on your to-do list as a busy TPT seller? You want to grow your sales but only have so many hours in the day…so where do you focus your energy? I’m taking the guesswork out of everything and telling you EXACTLY how to prioritize your TPT tasks based on where you are in your seller journey. Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned TPT...

Have you ever struggled with perfectionism when it comes to creating TPT products? For many sellers, getting started with products isn’t the problem. It’s actually finishing them and posting them in our store. According to a poll that I posted on Instagram, the majority of you hit a roadblock when it’s time to create the preview and thumbnails. Today I’m sharing my best advice on how to embrace th...

What separates the top TPT sellers from the average TPT sellers? You might be surprised to hear that it all comes down to mindset! To take your business to the next level, critical mindset shifts have to be made. Many TPT sellers are very different from other entrepreneurs because they often fall into the "accidental entrepreneur" category. Because of this, it’s common for teacher seller...

Have you ever wondered if starting a podcast would add value to your business? You might be unsure about what of tech is involved, what kind of time investment it will be, and whether or not it’s even worth it. In today’s episode, we’re giving you all the details of what to consider when it comes to determining if podcasting is right for you! Our guest, Sara Whittaker, is a teacher turned podcast...

It’s time for a very special episode to celebrate the one-year anniversary of The Savvy Teacher Seller! 🥳 I thought it would be fun to mix it up and have my podcast manager, Sara Whittaker, from Podcasting for Educators , at the microphone to interview me for a change. I am pulling back the curtain on how the podcast idea first came to me and what it’s been like over the last year of releasing we...

Have you ever wondered how Facebook hacks happen and how you can reclaim your Facebook account if it gets hacked? Today’s guest is sharing her first-hand experience to help us prevent and prepare for this unfortunate possibility. One of my best TPT friends, Marcy Bernethy, joins me to talk about how she survived a five-month process of recovering her Facebook after being hacked. Marcy experienced...

As TPT Sellers, a large part of our business is writing copy, from blog posts to emails to TPT product descriptions. Our copy is often the reason why customers decide to purchase our resources and yet many teacher sellers feel they need more confidence with this skill. Luckily I know someone who can help us improve in this area (and maybe even enjoy copywriting a little bit!) . Our guest today is...

What’s the best way to set yourself up for success at the start of the new school year? It’s to put your back-to-school TPT strategy in place and begin preparing during the summer! Many of you just finished teaching and started your summer break, and you want to relax (as you should!). But now is the time to start getting things ready for back-to-school season in your store. This will help you max...

We are continuing our Money Series with a commonly requested topic from TPT sellers: how to save on taxes! This topic can be scary and overwhelming, but we all know taxes are a big deal as business owners. My personal tax superhero, Barbara Schreihans, joins me to discuss all things tax planning and savings. Her mission is to help business owners like us save a boatload in taxes while also growing...

Are you still deciding if you should attend this year's TPT conference? Many struggle to determine because they aren't sure if it will be worth their time and investment.  As an avid TPT conference attendee, I have learned and found value in every conference! There are a few options for attending the TPT conference and essential things to remember when deciding what's best for you!...

One thing many TPT sellers need to prepare for is protecting their websites in order to prevent hacks. It's easy to assume nobody would try to hack your "small business”. But it is happening more and more lately, especially in the teacher-seller community.  Fortunately, there are a lot of things that can be done to try and prevent hacks. It is not only crucial for protecting your valuabl...

Do you cringe when it comes to managing your business finances? Most TPT Sellers struggle in this area because it’s something they’ve never had to do before starting a business, and it might feel a bit scary. It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting your business or a veteran seller. This episode will clear up any confusion and lay a solid foundation to start feeling confident with your TPT finan...

Do you ever feel like you can't afford something you want to invest in for your business, or do you need help to make ends meet with your TPT income and teaching salary? You're not alone! This episode will break it down for you. When you think about your business finances, your first thought is probably wondering how much to spend on ads or how much you should pay yourself. But the first...

I'm bringing back a guest speaker by popular request! Jarrett Vaucher is joining me for the second time on the podcast. We are covering the most critical topics regarding using TPT Data to make decisions.    Our guest Jarrett created Your Data Playbook , which helps TPT sellers understand and use our data to drive strategy and results for growing our TPT stores. He loves helping TPT sellers u...

Do you need help knowing what to believe regarding all the TPT SEO Myths? It can be hard to differentiate which SEO practices will help as a TPT seller and which will only waste your time and energy! SEO is my area of expertise, and I'm here to debunk some of the most common myths circulating the TPT world and break down what you need to know about each. We don't need to waste more time...

As a TPT Seller, the right time management tips can make or break your daily success in juggling all the hats you wear. It's critical to have simple ways to save time in your business because we could all use more hours in the day. To successfully juggle it all, you must have planned ahead of time to make the most of the time you have, and I'm sharing the exact time-saving hacks I use in...