The following is an excerpt from the book Get Paid For Who You Are.
For 18 years Vicki Hoefle had taught six-week parenting classes that changed lives. As she approached retirement, it occurred to her that by filming the class, she could create a product to sell online which would fulfill two goals: create a passive income stream and enable her to travel to see her kids once they left home. She had no start- up money and no internet or marketing experience. She was also raising five teenagers at the time.
In her words, “I began by writing a basic business plan and my product began to take shape. I took every training program I could afford and i hired people to help me. together with my partner and team, we developed a multi-media product (video, audio and workbook) with a one-year membership to an online forum. In less than a year, we increased our database from 500 to 1200 people. Our income rose from $26,000 a year to $75,000 a year in less than two years. In the last six months, we have expanded our customer base from vermont to all of the U.S. and into Canada, and i just started my personal blog (www.parentingontrack.com). I have wonderful new relationships with people I never would have met had I not expanded my work in this direction. I love knowing that i am changing lives today, which will impact the next generation of leaders.”
Vicki’s advice? “Ask a million questions and then ask some more. Know that you will make countless mistakes and that’s oK. and surround yourself with people who are smarter, funnier, cuter and richer than you are.”
