Texas Teacher Takes On Test-Taking Tutorials

Notes from Chris

Episode 1361

Emilio Granado is a Computer Science teacher based in Texas. He became a teacher a few years ago after a negative experience in the corporate world. He wanted to spend his life really helping people—and he knew teaching would offer that.

Emilio was teaching computer science at his school but hadn’t yet completed the correct certification. His boss informed him that if he didn’t complete it, he wouldn’t be able to teach the class the following year.

Emilio was worried, he knew the certification for tech teachers in Texas was difficult and he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to pass in time.

He was reminded of his blog, 1stYearTexasTeachers.com, and remembered how much it helped him process things. So he returned to the site and began documenting his learning and test-taking process. He went back to the chalkboard, and this time things turned out a little differently…

Just two weeks after his first post, Emilio started receiving more traffic to the site than he ever had before. Upon investigation, he realized that his new posts were ranking well in Google. In hindsight, he puts this happy accident down to keeping things focused. His post was around a particular test he’d have to take, and there was very little related content elsewhere on the internet.

As he continued writing, something amazing happened: he built a small audience. He saw return visitors in his traffic reports and started receiving comments on his posts. One of those comments in particular gave him even more motivation. Like a chemistry teacher, it caused a big reaction. What was so special? The commenter asked for a guide to help them pass the test.

Naturally, this got Emilio thinking. Would people really pay for his experience?

Emilio spent the next two weeks writing frantically. He used gaps in between work and the evening to complete his comprehensive study guide for Texas teachers. Once finished, he passed the draft copy to his wife, whose job was to edit it into a PDF ebook.

While the edit was being done, Emilio had another problem to solve. How would he actually accept payments on his site and deliver the guide electronically? He did some Google sleuthing eventually finding SendOwl, a popular program used to sell digital goods like ebooks. It looked easy to set up and was cheap at only fifteen dollars a month. Emilio wasted no time! He created a sales page, integrated the SendOwl link and was on his way to making sales.

Emilio continued to write content and, by June of the same year, he made over seven hundred dollars. A sum to this day he can barely believe. Turns out, June is the peak month for teachers to go for their tests. Even so, things continued steadily into 2020, when Emilio launched a couple more guides for different certification exams.

Like many other industries, he too has been affected by COVID-19 with many teachers opting to take their certifications next year. Yet still, this June he generated over nine hundred dollars with the COVID effect in full swing.

For now, Emilio plans to continue to add more content and create more guides. He’s even written a guide book to teach others how to do the same thing.

 

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Learn more about Emilio and his hustle at his website, 1stYearTexasTeachers.com.
• Emilio also launched a new ebook called Making Your First $1,000 Online.
• To sell and distribute his ebook online, Emilio used a platform called SendOwl. A similar platform we recommend is Gumroad.

Don't forget, TeachersPayTeachers.com is a great resource for side hustling teachers out there—you can list your classroom activities and curriculum for sale to other teachers.

DonorsChoose.org is also a great resource for anyone who’d like to support teachers and others. You can buy supplies for schools near you or elsewhere. SEE ALSO:

• Part-Time Music Teacher Tunes Up Piano School to $100,000/Year: A music teacher learns to subcontract her piano lessons, radically increasing her annual income.
• English Teacher Writes His Way Into All-Star Tutoring: An English teacher becomes New York City’s #1 writing tutor, as judged by Yelp reviews. How does he thrive in this crowded market?
• High School Teacher Spins His Way to Profits: After he learns about a little-known manufacturing technique, the world of vinyl records becomes a full-time occupation for this high school teacher.

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,