We had the good fortune of connecting with Erica Terry and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erica, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
A lot of people don’t know this, but in the first year into my business, I quit. I was putting tons of hours into my side hustle, while still working my 9-5 and I was doing everything that the guru’s in my Google searches were telling me to do, but achieving lackluster results. I was pouring more money into my business than I was earning and the stress, frustration and overwhelm that I felt made me close my laptop and walk away for months.

Even though I quit, the dream didn’t die. The vision that I had to build a legacy for my daughter while empowering educators to create multiple streams of income and live a life that they love was still in my heart. Thankfully, a few months later, I opened my laptop up again, took all of the lessons that I’d learned during that first failed attempt and used them to rebrand my business and then, I launched the Classroom to CEO Podcast. I could have never imagined how much my life would change after doing so. Doors began to open that I could have never imagined and in less than a year, I was consistently earning income from four different revenue streams.

That experience taught me to NEVER GIVE UP!

No matter how bad it may seem in the moment, do not walk away from the dream that is in your heart. It is too important and there are too many people that you have been called to serve for you to give up.

If you’re implementing a strategy that’s not working, then invest in someone that can teach you how to make it work. Find someone that’s executing the strategy in their own business and doing it well. Then, reach out to them and ask them to teach you how to do it too! For example, if you’re trying to grow your business and increase sales using Instagram ads and they keep flopping, don’t quit. Find someone whose ads always catch your attention and reach out to them. Ask if they can teach you how to implement a successful marketing strategy or if they’re working with someone else, pay that person to work with you. Find out what they’re doing and be willing to invest in your own knowledge so that you can learn how to do it too.

Now if you’ve already invested in increasing your knowledge and your business isn’t growing, my answer is still the same… Don’t Quit, but be willing to pivot. Maybe you’re not targeting the right audience or your messaging needs to be tweaked. In this situation, hire a coach and work with that person to improve your branding and marketing. There’s someone in this world that needs your unique gifts and talents so no matter how hard it seems in the moment, keep going, keep learning and keep putting in work. When you do, eventually it will pay off and you’ll look up to see that you’ve built an empire!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
No one decides to go into teaching because they want to earn a lot of money. Trust me, I certainly did not. My first teaching job paid $35,500, which was higher than most first-year teachers at the time because I had a master’s degree. Unfortunately, I also had student loans that were higher than my salary and the only way for me to earn more money as an educator was to go back to college, take out more student loans and earn another degree. It was a vicious cycle that left me with a mountain of debt.

It wasn’t until I started Classroom to CEO that I fully began to understand the power of having a side hustle and using it to create multiple streams of income. It was having an online business that allowed me to turn my negative financial situation into a positive one.

When it comes to my business, I am most proud of the fact that it not only changed my life, but through Classroom to CEO I am to positively impact the lives of other educators that find themselves struggling financially. By empowering them with actionable steps to start a profitable business, they are able to create multiple streams of income while still doing what they love – teaching.

I wish I could say that it’s been a smooth road, but there’s nothing further from the truth.

The greatest struggle in having a side hustle while still working everyday as an educator has always been time or lack thereof. In order to overcome this barrier, especially since my daughter has been home during the school closure/quarantine months, I’ve had to adjust my sleep schedule so that I wake up early enough to work on my business before she wakes up.

As an educator one of the expectations that makes us great in our profession is the ability to multitask and juggle a bunch of different balls at the same time. When I first started my online business, I entered with that same mindset and I tried to do everything myself. I’d research an online business task, such as How to start a website. Then I’d spend months trying to learn WordPress, create webpages and build an email list. I was doing ALL the things, but not accomplishing anything because I was too busy.

One of the greatest lessons that I’ve learned is the Power of One. Focus on creating ONE product, actively engage on ONE social media platform and use ONE method to share free content. Start your business by focusing on the power of ONE and when you begin to consistently earn money, hire a virtual assistant. Once you have someone on your team to delegate tasks to, that’s when you begin to expand your business.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love pizza so we’d definitely stop at Slim & Husky’s to eat. After that, it would be up in the air. I don’t really like to plan my outings. I’m more of a go with the flow type of girl!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
To every educator that has ever had to work multiple jobs to make ends meet or that has had to sacrifice weekends with family and friends to grade papers and create lesson plans for no additional pay, I want you to know that I see you and I appreciate EVERYTHING that you’ve had to endure in order to empower our children to achieve success. You are AMAZING and today, I applaud you for all that you do!

Website: https://www.classroomtoceo.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericaterryceo/

Image Credits
All photos by Scottie Crews Media

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.