First off, can you tell me about your business and what you offer?
At Pre-K Pages, I offer teaching tips, hands-on activities, and printable resources for teachers of young children (preschool and kindergarten).
How long has Pre-K Pages existed? What is the origin story?
Pre-K Pages was founded around 2001 as a way to share a glimpse inside my classroom with other teachers around the world- a novel idea at the time. I never dreamed my little teacher website would one day become a business! I first created the site on my own using the primitive tools that were available at the time.
In 2010 I left the classroom to devote more time to growing Pre-K Pages.
What makes what you deliver unique?
All the products I sell at Pre-K Pages are designed with one purpose in mind, to solve a problem for a teacher. I started selling products I had created for my own classroom when website visitors started asking for them.
Teachers work extremely long hours, and have very little, if any, time to sit down during the day to create things- that’s where Pre-K Pages comes in. As a veteran teacher of more than 20 years I know the struggles teachers face on a daily basis. My experience allows me to create things that will help save them time and hopefully make their jobs just a little bit easier.
How do you market yourself and your business?
I use social media, Facebook and Pinterest are my biggest social media traffic sources but you can also find me on Twitter and G+.
It’s just me so I don’t have a big marketing budget or staff. Besides, why pay when so many marketing tools are available to you for free?
How has your sales/marketing strategy changed over time?
I didn’t have a sales or marketing strategy when I first started selling through e-junkie. I just knew that I had an audience that was willing and eager to buy what I was creating so I went with it.
I try to keep my prices super low to accommodate the budget of the typical early childhood teacher. By keeping my prices very reasonable I create loyal, repeat customers.
How did you go about designing and creating your site?
As a classroom teacher, my time was very limited. When I realized my site was taking on a life of its own and needed to be upgraded to stay current and attract new followers I hired somebody to move it from Front Page to Wordpress.
I saved up my Amazon affiliate money and some consulting fees to pay for the basic move. I had to do the transfer of the content myself; it was a long and tedious job after school each day for months.
When it comes to designing my site, I try to keep in mind the limited time teachers have and make it as easy to navigate as possible. I'm always looking for ways to improve the site and make it more user friendly.
What do you think a website, blog or online business has to do to stand out and be competitive?
Being helpful and providing information that your audience wants and needs in addition to products is so important today.
Creating a community and having a conversation via social media is also vital, people don’t just want to talk to you; they expect it!
What has made you successful?
I saw a huge need for a blog written by a real teacher for the early childhood audience so I decided I could help fill that gap. Listening to your readers and helping them solve problems pays off.
What is the best advice you’ve received about selling online?
I must admit, I have never sought out advice when it comes to what I sell online, I just create things that I used or would use in my own classroom to solve a problem and they sell themselves. I guess my best piece of advice is that this isn't a get rich quick business, it takes time to build and cultivate an audience. Sure, some people have have but that's not the norm.
If I were planning to start an online business from scratch, what would you tell me to do to prepare?
There are any number of gurus you can follow online or books you can read about launching a site, a business, or getting started with social media so I won’t bore you by recommending any of those.
I have found that if you’re really passionate about your topic and you know a lot about it, it’s a great way to start a business. I often get bogged down with all the gurus who tell me I need this or that, when really what I need is more basic than “stuff.” Time, passion, and patience are my must have tools.
Once you have your basics then I suggest looking at the “stuff” like a mobile responsive Wordpress theme.
You can read more about my journey as The Accidental Teacherpreneur here.
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