The Show Notes
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I make a small commission if you decide to purchase through my links at no cost to you.
Perhaps you’ve loved the challenge of teaching and love the impact you’re making. But if you’ve ever wanted more freedom and flexibility when it comes to your work day and earning potential, you shouldn’t feel guilty about that. Today’s guest, Micala Quinn, is a former teacher turned podcast host and course creator. Her course, Overwhelmed to Overbooked has helped over a thousand women-who are primarily moms, successfully launch and scale their freelancing business from home.
A Dream Mostly Come True
Micala knew she wanted to be a teacher since she was a young girl. She went to college, majored in elementary education, got engaged, started teaching, got married, got pregnant, and bought a house (at the top of their budget).
All in all, things were right on track.
It was just about everything Micala ever thought she wanted. But it wasn’t long before she grew tired of the early daycare drop-offs, the measly two hours she spent with her daughter each night, and the long hours of grading and lesson prep after putting her to bed.
Even though Micala’s take-home pay was minimal by some standards, she and her husband needed every dollar to cover the bills. This pressure and exhaustion led to a depression that was difficult to kick.
She was determined to find something to give her more time with her daughter and replace her income. Was this possible? She wasn’t sure, but this was the moment of decision.
“I had to change my attitude or I had to find a solution.”
Micala’s Strategy to Build a Freelancing Business
Through a mom’s Facebook group, Micala was introduced to the idea of freelancing as a virtual assistant.
A virtual assistant (if you are new to the idea) is someone who offers administrative or support services to business owners. Virtual assistants can do jobs like social media management, inbox management, graphic design, copywriting, and a whole lot more. Basically, if it’s necessary for a business to do, then a VA could offer that task as a service!
Micala hustled working early mornings before school, on the weekends, and late at night networking online and looking for clients. It took her seven long months to find her first client.
She started out doing simple jobs like research, scheduling social media for her clients, and building engagement in Facebook groups. Then, one client led to….three clients.
At this point, Micala decided she was going to make this work, because it was seriously happening. She was able to work more on freelancing when she went down to a three-fourths time teaching position and gave up her prep to leave earlier. (Are you seeing how creative and strategic she got?)
Your Teaching Skill Set is More Relevant Than You Imagine
You might be thinking “but I know nothing about business or social media!”. Neither did Micala. How did she figure it out? Her clients were willing to train her on the job. She harnessed the power of Google and Youtube to teach herself new skills.
Then she invested in a course. When she started specializing in certain skill sets, she was able to raise her rates. In less than two years, she had replaced her teaching salary and she quit her job.
Micala shares the story of how a client gave her the task of creating community and engagement in a Facebook group. Had she ever done this before? Nope! So what gave her the confidence that she could get results? She figured that if she could get high school students actively engaged talking about Shakespeare, she had what it took to do the job.
She was right. And because she was good at it, it was fulfilling. She was getting results, but this time it was with clients instead of students.
If you’re wondering, starting rates for a general VA are $25-$35 an hour. Micala shared how teachers can be naturally qualified to be Project Managers or Online Business Managers. These positions make anywhere between $50-$100 an hour to start.
How Micala’s Teaching Experience Came Full Circle
How Micala’s Teaching Experience Came Full CircleMicala became the girl who could help moms start a business from home… without starting an MLM. She was getting so many requests for help from friends and in DMs that one day, it just clicked.
There was only so much time she had to help these women one on one. But if she put together a course on how to become a freelancer, she could help a lot more.
She launched her first course to 10 women. (And this is something to note). Ten students might sound like a flop. But eight out of those ten are still freelancing. It was confirmation that she was moving in the right direction.
That was in 2016. Now Micala has helped over 1,000 women get their freelancing businesses off the ground.
Micala’s Advice to Teachers Seeking Something New
Micala’s best advice to anyone thinking about building a freelancing business is simple:
- Don’t give up. You WILL have road blocks!
- Be strategic. How will you determine your action steps and stay accountable?
- Surround yourself with inspirational stories.
Micala encourages you to find a course to invest in to have the guidance and the accountability you need most. Even as successful as Micala has become, she says that there’s nothing special about her. She wasn’t lucky. She just knew her why.
When her son George came along and there were no more daycare costs, rushing around, or late nights grading papers, Micala was able to be the mom and wife she wanted to be and still contribute to her family’s income.
So think for a moment. What if you didn’t have to rush out the door at 6:30 am for daycare drop off? What if you only worked when your kids were sleeping? Or, what else about your job is not working for your family or season of life?
If you’re ready to consider what freelancing freedom could look like for you after the classroom, be sure to connect with Micala’s Podcast Facebook community and find out how other teachers have used their teaching skills to build successful businesses!
A Breakdown of the Episode
[4:11] Hear about Micala’s classroom experience
[19:47] Find out why your teaching experience makes you perfectly qualified to be a virtual assistant
[28:12] Listen to hear how Micala got strategic in order to grow her freelancing business while still teaching
[33:48] Hear about how Micala started helping other moms build their freelancing business
[37:48] Listen for Micala’s advice for teachers who are craving more freedom and flexibility in their lifestyle
If you enjoyed this episode I invite you to take a screenshot and tag me on your Instagram stories @teachertransition and tell me your biggest takeaway!
Want to know what other work opportunities you might love beyond the classroom? Click here to get the FREE Top Jobs for Teachers download.
Resources Mentioned in the Show
Connect with Micala
- Micala Quinn & the Live Free Podcast
- Micala’s Website
- Join Micala’s Facebook Group
- Micala’s Instagram
- Check out Micala’s free workshop to learn more about building your freelancing business!
