Diversify Your Income - Part 3: Adding a Digital Product or Course to Your Offer Lineup with Melodee Fiske
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Episode 849: Show Notes
Welcome to part three of our four-part series on diversifying your income! If you haven’t checked out the past two episodes, go back and give them a listen. In part one, we dove into what you need to know before you add new income streams, and in part two, we learned how to leverage where you are to get to where you want to go.
In today’s episode I’m sitting down with Melodee Fiske, a second-grade teacher turned food photographer, who went on to use her experience to educate others on how to build their own successful food photography company! Like other creators I‘ve interviewed, Melodee started by answering questions that were coming from the people around her. During that time, she balanced building her photography client base and sharing knowledge one-on-one before finally turning that knowledge into a course.
Tune in to hear about Melodee’s journey managing this transition, and find out where the tipping point lies between maintaining that balance and going all in on teaching. To support your journey, I’ve built a one-day challenge to take you from idea concept to launch in just one day, so that you can confidently create your next (or first!) digital product. You can learn more and sign up for free right here!
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From Teaching Second Grade to Food Photography
When Melodee started exploring photography after being a second-grade teacher and a stay-at-home mom, she only took photos over the holidays. However, she quickly got bit by the entrepreneurial bug and felt the desire to grow and do more. She expanded into food blogging and quickly realized what a huge undertaking it was, both in terms of time and money. It also wasn’t really her passion. Then, one day, she took photos for her friend’s food blog, and fell in love! The best part was when her friend informed her that food bloggers hire photographers all the time. She realized that this could actually be a valid career, and set her sights on becoming a food photographer!
How Sharing Her Knowledge Snowballed Melodee’s Career
While Melodee was finding success as a food photographer, she soon connected with a friend’s sister, who was desperate to work from home. Once Melodee saw her passion for cooking and photography, she mentored her sister’s friend through various video tutorials, and helped her launch her business! Within two months, she secured clients and surpassed her income goal! Despite being pregnant with her fourth child and homeschooling, she thrives in her new career, finding balance and fulfillment. Melodee went on to soft launch a curriculum, and it has pretty much snowballed from there! Fast forward eight years, and now, one of the most fulfilling things is seeing how many people could go on and do something they love while working from home.
Finding Her ‘Why’ by Changing Careers
Teaching brought Melodee a lot of clarity. It helped her unpack her ‘why’ and better understand her own methodology. When Melodee first started teaching she had to reverse-engineer her process. Through hard work and a lot of analysis, she was able to break down complex topics into simple, easy-to-understand steps and lessons. It wasn’t easy, but building a relatable curriculum has been a key component of her course success. Another key part of her transition was growing her audience. This initially involved organic Facebook posts and later expanded to include successful Facebook ads. In 2020 she partnered with a marketing company, and she has been with them ever since!
What it’s Really Like to Balance Your Business with Teaching
When Melodee started this teaching, she was in the midst of working with clients. Which was actually great for her as a teacher! Because it allowed her to learn on the job, and incorporate what she learned into her curriculum during the process. She would also go back and update the content as she learned. The big takeaway here is that you don’t need to do one or the other. Teaching doesn’t need to be your exit strategy, it can support your business as well as your personal growth! For Melodee, teaching only made her better, thanks to the hard work she put into reverse engineering her process.
The Most Challenging Part of Launching a Course
When Melodee launched her first course, it was not without its challenges! Perhaps the most difficult thing to navigate was figuring out what worked while also being patient. When she made a change she was only really able to see whether something worked several months after implementing it. It was only after waiting that she could decide whether or not she should pivot. Another challenge was knowing which advice to follow and who to listen to. Similarly, learning to have the right mindset and navigate negative feedback was key. It required her to ask “What can I learn from this?” and “How can I get better?” – even when she was frustrated or didn’t agree with what she was hearing.
What Melodee Wishes She Had Known From the Start
If you’re an entrepreneur or you love what you do, then it can be difficult to step away from your business. One of the key things that Melodee wishes someone had told her early on is that her business wouldn’t end if she stepped away from it for a little while. You shouldn’t let the business that you’ve created — which has given you flexibility and financial freedom — become so all-consuming that it distracts from your ‘why’. Another essential thing that Melodee wishes she had known from the start is how important it is to get clear on your student agreements, terms and conditions, and code of conduct from the very beginning. It’s hugely beneficial in the long run and dramatically cuts down on your overall decision-making.
Key Advice For Anyone Who Wants To Create a Course or Start Teaching
It’s normal to experience self-doubt when you embark on the journey of teaching. But you shouldn’t underestimate yourself. Remember, your ordinary is someone else’s extraordinary! It’s also super easy for creators to get discouraged by a saturated market, but if you are passionate about an idea, and it keeps coming back to you, then chances are you’ll find an audience who could use your knowledge. As Melodee says; she firmly believes that there is a place in the market for everyone, you just need the right marketing strategy!
Quote This
“I think that there is a place in the market for everybody. And I think that you can sell anything with the right marketing strategy.”
—Melodee Fiske
Highlights
From Teaching Second Grade to Food Photography [0:03:51]
How Sharing Her Knowledge Snowballed Melodee’s Career [0:10:29]
Finding Her ‘Why’ by Changing Careers [0:16:47]
What it’s Really Like to Balance Your Business with Teaching [0:20:11]
The Most Challenging Part of Launching a Course [0:24:59]
What Melodee Wishes She Had Known From the Start [0:32:17]
Key Advice For Anyone Who Wants To Create a Course or Start Teaching [0:37:31]
OUR GUEST:
Melodee Fiske
Melodee is a wife, mom, and second-grade teacher turned food photographer. She is the creator of an online course and community, Pretty Focused, that teaches people how to photograph recipes specifically for food bloggers. She has been with Teachable for 8 years and has the privilege of being in the top 100 creators.
OUR HOST:
Abagail Pumphrey
Boss Project on Instagram | Facebook
Abagail Pumphrey, the Co-Founder & CEO of Boss Project, has been a driving force in the creative entrepreneur industry since 2015. With a passion for empowering service-based business owners around the globe, she became internet-famous after the launch of the transformative training, "Trello for Business." This innovative system revitalized the operations of over 10,000 business owners, making a significant impact on the online business landscape.
Under Abagail's leadership, Boss Project has been featured in prestigious publications such as Forbes, Marie Claire, INC, and HuffPost. Her twice-weekly podcast, The Strategy Hour, is a staple in the business community, continuously topping Business and Management Charts on Apple with millions of listeners from around the world.
Abagail's superpower lies in her ability to break down complex concepts into easy-to-implement, duplicatable systems. As an expert in online sales and a data-driven strategist, she has turned a layoff into a 7-figure work-from-home business. Abagail's mission to help more female founders become financially free, without letting their businesses take over their lives, continues to inspire and guide entrepreneurs on their path to success.
Key Topics:
Food Photography, Course Creation, Teaching, Digital Products, Teachable
We Mentioned:
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Indeed.com/STRATEGYHOUR for a $75 sponsored job credit
Monarchmoney.com/STRATEGY for an extended thirty day free trial
