Top 5 Things That Helped Make Progress With My TpT Store
A first blog can often be one of those “get to know ME” kind of things. But that’s why I have IG! I would much rather focus right away on YOU and how you can start making progress today on your dream TpT store.
One thing about me that is good to know right away though, is that I love practical things. So trust me when I say that these 5 things are practical. You can DO this stuff.
In fact, each one of those includes a specific action step you can start today. Here’s tip #1 though… don’t be overwhelmed by 5 things you need to do. I just want you to pick the ONE thing that you can start doing TODAY.
Because you can! And it will help you make progress.
#5 Don’t just watch, start DOING.
Learning definitely feels like you’re making progress, but... it can be an illusion. Almost all of us start there. I know I did.
When I first started to take my TpT store seriously, I got stuck in the WORST learning loop! I thought that before I could have a profitable store I needed to know everything. So, I bought the books, did the research, took the courses, and…wound up feeling completely overwhelmed.
In fact, I wasted SO. MUCH. time and energy in that learning, doubt and overwhelm. I could have been using most, if not all, of that time to be creating and building my store in a way that was manageable and sustainable.
Don’t get me wrong here- being educated, informed and experienced is extremely important. There IS a learning curve to anything new. You usually do need to learn SOME things.
BUT... you don’t have to answer every question or be an expert in everything before you start your store.
And, unfortunately, many of us also dealing with imposter syndrome, which makes it such a struggle getting to the point of becoming experienced. The learning cycle is VERY appealing when you’re fighting imposter syndrome. It’s easier to focus on education and information, instead of diving into those real-life learning opportunities of serving a client or selling resources.
Now matter WHY you are stuck in a learning cycle, the first step to breaking that cycle is to realize that you are stuck there and choose to start some DOING instead.
Yes, it’s scary, and hard!
But, the alternative is staying in that awful place of really, really wanting to help someone with all of your heart, but not having the bravery to put yourself out there and say, you know, “I CAN help and I need to just dive in and complete what I need to!”
Here’s your action to start breaking out of this cycle:
Write down ONE thing you are going to DO this week. And, it has to be something you will make, create or promote for your business. And then DO IT.
#4 Own your unique business
Every business is unique. One of the biggest mistakes I see in owning your own business is that people think this ONLY means your logo or storefront standing out in a crowd.
Those are cornerstones of your branding… but there’s more than just that.
Really “owning” your business includes knowing your personal, unique WHY, and letting that guide your business and brand.
Early on, I let dollar signs pull me away from my true passions, and I spent way too much time creating things that I was technically good at but that I did not enjoy at all. It was a huge distraction, leading to more projects I didn’t want to do, and eventually feeling totally burnt out.
Know your WHY, and your passions, and stick to those. Focus on those, and it will draw in your ideal client.
Today’s action:
Write down the things you are most passionate about… the ones where you REALLY want to spend your time. Put that list where you can see it often, and start weeding out the projects and ideas that don’t fit that list.
#3 Let go of jealousy.
How you think about your store makes an INCREDIBLE difference. When you get tangled up in what other stores look like, or how much further along someone else is than you, you’re going down.
But, when you collaborate, you have found a power house! No more 1+1… this is 1 times 100!
And this isn’t theoretical! In Thriving Teacher Academy, which is my signature course for TpT Sellers, so many of the students are actually middle school math teachers. It’s my niche, so it makes sense that I’m going to attract them on social media. Even though there are so many of them, there are no major struggles with competition.
If you think that’s too good to be true, listen to this story from one of the monthly challenges from Thriving Teacher Academy:
The challenge I put before the students was to find other sellers in their specific niche and collaborate. It could be anything- create a mastermind group, make IG reels together, do a giveaway, or even just share each other’s content on social media. The feedback blew me away. The amount of growth students experienced from those collaborations was like no other!
And I’ve found that in my business too!
Today’s action:
Introduce yourself to three people from your niche. Just start that relationship and have an idea of the collaboration you’d like to suggest to at least one of those. If you don’t know of three people, start some research to find your three. Start down that path to collaboration and leave competition and jealousy in your rearview.
#2 Create more than you consume.
One of my favorite reminders for this is from Milton H. Erickson, a psychiatrist and psychologist from the 1900s:
He said “Change will lead to insight far more than insight will lead to change.”
The best way to get out of feeling “stuck” in an emotion or behavior, which often means we’re also in a cycle of consuming rather than creating, is to start creating. Take ACTION in some direction. Even if it ends up being the “wrong” direction, it still teaches us something.
Action really is the most efficient way to access insight into an idea or direction. Starting down a path helps give us a clear window into ourselves.
Consuming and hoping to stumble upon the next thing to do doesn’t do much beyond giving us an idea of what to research next. And that’s not going to get you much closer to reaching that dream of a thriving store!
Change, action, and creating are the things that lead to insight. Taking action, even imperfect action, can even help us recognize and acknowledge the blocks that are holding us back.
Then you can REALLY take some amazing steps!
Today’s action:
Write down that big scary goal or ”outrageous” product or service you’ve pretended not to think about, plus the first step you can take toward that. THEN take that first step this week.
#1 Be grateful!
You probably already guessed it wasn’t going to be a course, planner, event or specific TpT hack. Gratitude has really been one of the most powerful forces in how I’ve established a successful business.
I’ve always taken time to step back and reflect on the things that I am grateful for. It’s a common enough practice that you might already be doing this.
If you’re not, this is the easiest and most effective thing to start doing! Start giving yourself the moments to appreciate the little parts of you and your business that have grown.
There are so many ways to start practicing gratitude.
Any time even the smallest good things happen, acknowledge and celebrate it.
Or pick a day of the week to write down the little wins from the week.
Or just write down ONE thing each day.
And this simple thing can help bring back feelings of motivation, productivity, and passion that lead you to start your business in the first place.
Today’s action:
Write down or post to social media ONE thing you are grateful for today. To make it a regular thing… do this every day this week, or on the same day each week this month.
And if it’s this blog… I can’t thank you enough!!!!
I would love to hear the one action that you are going to take away from this and start doing this WEEK. Leave a comment below, or come tell us in the Teacher Instagram Boss Facebook group!