Episode 3: Building an Online Teaching Business with Allison Williams of Tutor Tots Online
Have you ever thought about starting your own online teaching business? In today’s virtual world, there are so many opportunities to make this a reality. On the other hand, if the idea of owning a business is one that’s never crossed your mind, you’re certainly not alone. Many teachers find themselves in a position where they have an unexpectant opportunity to turn their passion into a business.
Our guest, Allison Williams, is the perfect example of this. Allison began teaching in 2012 and has experience in private, public, and charter schools. When the pandemic hit and schools transitioned into online learning, Allison discovered that she actually really enjoyed virtual teaching and wanted to explore how she could do this long-term.
It started with her virtually supporting her niece to help prepare her for kindergarten. Then slowly, Allison added more kids to the learning group. Over time, multiple small tutoring groups were formed, and it just grew from there. Once Allison realized that she had a real business on her hands, she went through my Grow Your Education Business Accelerator program to take it to the next level.
Now Tutor Tots Online serves children in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade. In this conversation, Allison shares all the details about how she got started, how she brings in new clients, using social media for her online teaching business, and so much more. If starting a business is in the back of your mind, I know you’ll be inspired to take action after hearing Allison’s story!
Topics Discussed:
How Allison decided it was time to leave the classroom, and what she’s doing now inside her business, Tutor Tots Online.
Why consistency is one of the things that Allison attributes her success to.
Challenges that have come with running an online teaching business, and how Allison has overcome them.
Inspiring advice for you if you’re considering starting your own online teaching business.
Resources mentioned:
Take our FREE quiz to nail down your next best career step in education.
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Related episodes and blog posts:
Meet Allison
Allison Williams is an Atlanta native with a background in early childhood education and teaching English to students of other languages. After nine years of classroom teaching, she took her career into her own hands and started an online teaching business called Tutor Tots Online. Since 2020, she has taught over 100 students virtually in over 15 states and three countries and maintains a five star rating from her loyal clientele.
Alison is also an integral part of our team here at Educator Forever, and Co-teaches the Grow Your Education Business Accelerator with me.
CONNECT WITH ALLISON
Follow her on Instagram @tutortotsonline.
Read the transcript for this episode:
Lily
Welcome to Educator Forever, where we empower teachers to innovate education. Join us each week to hear stories of teachers expanding their impacts beyond the classroom and explore ways to reimagine teaching and learning.
Lily
Allison Williams is an Atlanta native with a background in early childhood education and teaching English to students of other languages. After nine years of classroom teaching, she took her career into her own hands and started an online teaching business called Tutor Tots Online. Since 2020, she has taught over 100 students virtually in over 15 states and three countries and maintains a five star rating from her loyal clientele. Alison is also an integral part of our team here at Educator Forever, and Co-teaches the Grow Your Education Business Accelerator with me.
Lily
All right, I'm super excited to have you here. Allison, welcome.
Allison
Thank you for having me. And congratulations on your new podcast.
Lily
Thank you. Well, I'm very excited to have you as one of our very first guests. And if you want to just start by sharing about your journey as an educator. Sure.
Allison
I started teaching back in 2012. So this will be like year 10 going on 11. I've worked in private preschools, charter schools, but I did most of my time in public school. So I taught kindergarten through second grade.After becoming ESOL certified, I was the ESOL teacher for a few years, but my last year in the class was in the classroom as a kindergarten teacher.
Lily
Awesome, fantastic. So tell us about how you decided to leave the classroom.
Allison
So I would say after about five years of teaching, I was really wondering, like, how did teachers do 30 years of this, it was starting to get a little stressful and not as fun as I thought it would be. So I think around year five, I really was starting to brainstorm you know, what else could I do with this degree? You know, what other opportunities are there for me. And I think when the pandemic happened, it really was just a pivotal time in everybody's life, I feel like, but getting that opportunity to teach from home, teach online, was mind blowing. You know, it was never something that I ever thought about doing. But I really enjoyed it. And so that's really how I plan to exit the classroom was seeing how can I teach virtually?
Lily
Yeah, interesting. It's something that many people found challenging, right, like that first transition online. I know, for many teachers was really hard. And so it's interesting to me to hear you reflect on, Yeah, I'm sure it was hard to but also just the positives in that and how it opened up this whole other world of things.
Allison
Definitely, I think just being on social media and seeing like my friends who had children, and they were kind of documenting their experience, they were very frustrated, right. And I was kind of thinking, well, the parents in my class, they seem to be pretty happy. So what's the difference? Like, why? Why is it so hard for these teachers, which I can understand why it was hard. But that really is why I wanted to start to do tasks online, because I was like, hm, I must be onto something. Maybe this could be the answer to a lot of parents' stress and struggles with virtual learning.
Lily
Absolutely. And it seems so cool. You're tuned into like, not only what they need, like, Oh, these parents aren't having the same experience, but also what you enjoyed, right? Like, oh, it seems like you really enjoyed the online teaching. And so it's like finding that great sweet spot between like a need in the community. And then what you enjoy and are good at is really, I think where magic happens.
Allison
Oh, yeah, definitely. Yeah.
Lily
Yeah, so tell us a little bit about Tutor Tots Online. So you dreamed it up, as you were doing virtual teaching as a classroom teacher. And then what happened from there? How did you get off the ground?
Allison
So Tutor Tots Online really started off with just working with, you know, one student, my niece, getting her prepare for kindergarten, she was really excited about going to kindergarten. And you know, being a kindergarten teacher, I wanted to start preparing her right. She's an overachiever. So she wanted to know, like, what is kindergarten all about? So I started working with her virtually, and I really enjoyed working with her. She was picking up everything so nicely.
Allison
And then I started inviting other kids into those sessions. And when school started back up in August of 2020, and I had like, 12 kids in a class, you know, through the district that I was working with, and it was beautiful. It was just so beautiful. So I figured, okay, I know how to tutor one on one virtually and I'm handling these 12 kids pretty well. Let's keep it going. So I started forming little small groups, little small tutoring groups of kids who are kind of on the same levels. And it just grew from there really.
Lily
Awesome. Yeah, I love that. I mean, I think sometimes people think about like, Oh, I'm gonna start this business. And then I'm gonna go from zero to having like full classes of 20 students. And all you really need, like you did, you know, I think the most effective way is like, start with one person. You know, start with your niece, start with somebody you know. Test it out and see how it goes and make adjustments because like, you know, things are gonna get messy at the beginning, and you're gonna be feeling things out. It's almost better to just have one person, you know, 20 at the beginning, and then kind of slowly, organically grow. Yes, yeah. So tell us about Tutor Tot's online offerings now. What are you currently offering?
Allison
So I've worked with preschool, kindergarten and first grade students. So I have three separate virtual classrooms, we meet weekly, four days a week, for one hour a day. I cover all topics reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. So it's that full school experience. And we also do like fun little zoom parties. And, you know, I've done several things in the past little chit chat clubs to work on our social skills, really just experimenting with a lot of different programs and events, based off of what I see that they need in class.
Allison
So it's just been morphing. But now I have about six kids in each class. Of course, the preschool class is the most popular, we have like nine kids in that one. And I provide the materials to them. I've put these learning kits together with workbooks and manipulatives, and snacks even. Sometimes we do lessons with that involve food.
Allison
And just science projects, you know, this unit, they're learning about animals. So the first graders are doing their first animal research project. So I put in some, just some different like little books and things for them to do some research with. So it really just providing that school experience and trying to figure out how to make it virtual. That's what we've been doing now.
Lily
Yes, I love that. Do you find it fun and or overwhelming to have multiple grade levels going on?
Allison
It can be yes, definitely. And I did not start off with three, I definitely was in the beginning, just working with four to five year olds. And then like you were saying, start off with one, right. So you start off with one you get used to it and you add on. And I wanted my students to be able to grow with me. So I'm working with some children who have been with me since they were like five years old. And now they're like seven. So it's a beautiful thing.
Allison
But yeah, it is challenging having to develop curriculum and resources for three different levels. But I would say the secret to that is I start off with the Kindergarten group. And I'll just kind of you know, water down some of that material for the preschoolers and then pump it up for the first graders a little bit. So they're all learning the same topics just on different academic levels.
Lily
Nice. Yeah, that seems like a smart move, right? You're not doing like animals and ocean and something else. Like it's all animals, but just at the different levels? Awesome. Well, it's been really a joy seeing your business grow too, and seeing you kind of learn more about business and try different strategies and bring more people in. Can you talk a little bit about what you've learned through starting your own business?
Allison
Oh, my goodness, I'm learning every day, I would say, what I've learned the most is the importance of consistency. I noticed that once I kind of dropped the ball, then the business tends to drop the ball. So there is this element of just always showing up. And being very consistent, as consistent as I can. Posting often and it making it really, you know, organic. I just post what we're doing in class for that day. So it could be a short little clip here and there. So as I am working on my business, I find time to stop, pull out the camera, take a picture and post it. So it doesn't seem like such an inconvenience. But definitely consistency is the key to running a business.
Lily
I agree. And it's not flashy, right? I feel like with consistency, it's kind of like, oh, a little bit of like a "whomp whomp" for some people because it's like, Oh, you want something to be like, Oh, you just go over here and like, you know, teach this class or like, do this app or whatever it is. But it's true that it's like consistency is what's going to bring in people consistently and what's gonna get you into those habits. So I totally agree.
Lily
I've had various times in my business where I'm like, really kind of wonky if like writing a blog or sending an email or things like that. And once I really made it a priority of like, this is how we do things and systematized it. It All became so much more, I guess consistent is the right word, right? Like you know, this strategy works and you're doing it over and over. So you're gonna have this pipeline of people coming in because they see you hitting visible and they see you reaching out right and all things and you need to kind of set the pace of that, where other people, you know, you can't control the people will see your social media posts or read your emails or whatever. But if you're doing it consistently, then it really ups the chances there.
Allison
And Ithink your audience gets used to you showing up that way. So it's to the point where they expect it. And that's a good thing. I like it, when they expect me to have a certain post or a certain email, they know a certain when a new unit is starting, they're waiting for that email to come out. I think that's really important. And another thing I would say is also that I'm learning that I have to be like two steps ahead. You have to be two steps ahead of yourself and others really, kind of foreseeing what is to come and how your business can pivot and change and accommodate certain things has been very beneficial. I'm always thinking a little bit ahead.
Lily
Yes, I totally relate to that one, too. I mean, I think when you're first starting a business is so just like, how am I gonna get customers? How am I gonna get people in the door? Like, how am I gonna make this work? That it's hard, kind of just step back and see that bigger vision. But once you get at a point where you're at, you know, really thinking about visioning, you know, like, where you want to go from here, and how to strategically move forward.
Lily
And I think it's still really hard when you're running a business to find time for that, or just mental space for that. But it's so important, right? Yeah. Great. So talk to us a little bit about social media, because I know you said consistency of posting there. And I just want to say that your posts are amazing. And they're super engaging. And it's so fun to see kids in action in your posts. So can you talk a little bit about what channels you're on? Why you like them and how you use them?
Allison
Oh, definitely. So I'm definitely on Instagram, I'm on Facebook. I will say I'm the most active on muscle on TikTok, so TikTok, I would say that is kind of my new jam. Right now I really like using it to make videos, I feel like video content is what people are looking for nowadays. So you're able to make something really short and sweet, but like beneficial and informative.
Allison
And then I like Instagram, because it's kind of like a website to me. I feel like it's the it's the step between my website and my customer. Like, I feel like they're going to find my Instagram first. And that's going to lead them to my website. I don't know if that's true, but that's just how I feel about it. And it's very graphic, lots of pictures. So that's really where I get to be really creative, and create these cute posts with these little you know, things moving around. So to catch, you know, people's attention.
Allison
So I love Instagram. And then of course, there's Facebook, which I feel like if your business is geared towards parents, a lot of parents hang out on Facebook. So I tried to be as active as I can to meet potential customers.
Lily
Awesome. And I know you've talked about being in some Facebook groups that are too, which seems like it's a good place. If you're trying to meet parents,
Allison
Definitely. I think nowadays people are always looking for a sense of community. And Facebook is known for being able to build different communities and more people can kind of let their hair down right and ask questions and, and visit and rent and whatever the case may be. So I think kind of putting myself into these groups where I know parents are hanging out and maybe sharing their different ideas or stresses or struggles or even you know, the positive things that they're going through with educating their child, being in those groups and being active has really, really helped my business.
Allison
I mean, parents tell me all the time, I'm so happy that I saw your post in that Facebook group, or sometimes they forget where they find out about me because you're all over. They're scrolling, they're scrolling, they're looking they're clicking, they're watching. Yeah, sometimes they forget they even found me on Facebook, but the good thing is they found me so...
Lily
Exactly. And what I love about that, too, is it's like you're in multiple places, right? So they might have seen you on Tik Tok, and they might have seen in a Facebook group, right? And when you have those diverse ways of bringing people in, you know, it's all the better, because then you get more people and more times that they see you, you know, it's going to take people generally several times I'm interacting with you before they sign up for a program. So the more you can have those touch points, the better. That's very true. Yeah.
Lily
So we talked about what you've learned about starting a business. Can you talk about or reflect on kind of any challenges that have come up along the way?
Allison
Yes, I would say challenges really, you know, running a business is not easy. It's definitely not easy. It requires you to know how to do a lot of different things. So I have been challenged with just you know, teaching of course comes naturally but you know, the other aspects of running a business were not so natural as far as, having to be so consistent with communication and learning how to teach online effectively, you know, you have to, you have to research a lot of different things, but also the business aspect like marketing yourself.
Allison
And, you know, how do you write a newsletter geared towards parents, you know, that you want them to invest in your business. So, I've had struggles with that. But I mean, I've overcome them just by following a lot of business savvy people, even if they're not directly in the education field, but just kind of taking whatever nuggets they're dropping and applying it to my particular business has really helped.
Allison
You have these social media gurus that are just, they live social media, I follow them on Instagram. So I'm watching their TikToks, I'm picking up whatever free information they're willing to share with the community, I try to apply it to what I'm doing. And that can be overwhelming in itself, too. But if you're organically just kind of scrolling, you're gonna stop and look and say, oh, okay, let me try that. Next, let me have a call to action at the end of my social media post, or let me add this particular thing to my website and see how that works.
Allison
So that has been a challenge. And then also, I think, what a lot of business owners struggle with is, you were saying, Where am I going to find these people, where the customer is going to come from? And I think what has helped me is developing a new mindset of just being really positive. And just knowing that, just keep doing it. Just keep working, keep trying to be as excellent as I can. And they'll find me, they're going to find me. So I think changing your belief set, don't like set yourself up for failure. Assume that it will be perfect that is going to go well, and people will find you.
Lily
Yes, I totally agree. I think I underestimated that part, too. Like that mindset part when I first started my business. And so yeah, just like figuring out how you can show up with the best energy. And I think sometimes it feels like there are so many things you have to do. And like, oh, you should do this. And so getting into that space, where it's like, oh, it just feels good to do this. And this is me, and I'm gonna put it out there. And it's gonna bring in the right clients.
Lily
And I think so much of it is about kind of finding your voice in that and finding your confidence in that. And then knowing like you're saying, like the right people will find you if you're visible, right, like, if you're showing up online. Sometimes we can not be visible because it feels scary. So I think it's like you only kind of figure it out through taking that action.
Lily
I love too what you said about kind of having this learner's mindset that there's almost an infinite amount of things we need to learn as business owners. It's like being a teacher, you know, like the job of a teacher who's never done, the job of a business owner is never done. There are always things to learn.
Lily
And especially at the beginning, it's like, you can't outsource everything, right? Like you have to do it all. And so I think having that mindset of just like, I'm gonna learn from people who already know how to do this, and I'm gonna look at their social media posts with this, like inquiry eye have how they constructed it, or I'm going to ask people who know. I'm going to follow people who know. So just not being overwhelmed by that, you know, and I think using some of our teacher skills of just like, we can learn things, we can research things, we can dissect things, and then figure out whatever we need to know.
Allison
And then knowing that sometimes these new ideas may not work, or they may not work immediately. So giving it time, I've had to learn how to just give things time. Give it time. And if it really doesn't work, then Okay, let's try something new. So yeah, having that positive attitude has really helped.
Lily
Yes, and that growth mindset of like, yeah, so many things like won't work. And that's also great, because you know, then it doesn't work, then you can move on, it's not an option anymore, right? And so through that, you know, quote unquote, failures, you can really make something great. Thinking about, alright, why didn't this work, or one part of it might have worked, but the other part didn't, you know, but just constantly kind of getting that data and that feedback for people to continue to revise. Right?
Lily
Awesome. Well, I am super lucky to have you co-teaching the Grow Your Education Business Accelerator with me. Can you share with folks, I know, you took the very first round of the accelerator. So maybe you want to start there sharing about your experience, and then kind of what your role is in the program now?
Allison
Yes, definitely. It feels like yesterday, I literally remember when I made the decision to take the course. And I was really like, okay, you know, I was at this point where the business was doing pretty good. I see that it has potential and I really wanted to take it to the next level. And that's another good piece of advice is being willing to invest in yourself and being willing to invest in your business is very, very important.
Allison
And it's one of those signs that you're confident in yourself that this is going to last. So I remember making that decision, and I think I even joined a little late. I remember sending you an email and saying is it too late for me to join. But I'm so grateful that I did. Because it has led to a wealth of knowledge and just even being connected with you and being able to pick your brain and, and learn. There's so many new things that I had no idea about, it wasn't really good decision, I will say that.
Allison
And I'm so grateful to be a part of, you know, the Educator Forever family and be a part of that network that you are that you have built is there's just so many benefits. So I will say my role as a co-teacher in the Accelerator Course is really just to serve as, I feel like I'm just like an example. I'm an example of, you know, what the course can do for teachers who have joined. Like a case study, you know, I'm applying these things that you have, you're teaching us in that course. And I've continued to apply them and see how my business, I'm still here. Right? We're going on year number three, and I can't believe that. So I hope that my role is to just serve as like proof in the pudding, right proof that it works, proof that consistency and investing in yourself will always pay off.
Lily
Yes, well, you're such a great mentor and inspiration. I mean, truly, all the students in the accelerator are always like, oh, Allison's website, Allison's offerings. I mean, they're so inspired by your success, as am I. So it's so great having you there and sharing your knowledge. And I truly believe we're all greater when we come together, you know, and have that time to collaborate and bounce ideas off of each other, and all of that.
Lily
And I totally agree, I was reflecting on the investment piece, which I think feels super scary when you're first starting a business. And I think you're right, it's connected to that mindset of being like, I will be successful if I put these things into practice. And sometimes, just like you're saying, of like following the person who knows what they're talking about on social media.
Lily
You need to invest to get access to all the things that person has learned. So finding the people who have been successful in whatever field that you want to go into, or whatever area of your business that you want to go into. And then investing and learning from them really can pay off so, so much, and I know it feels scary. And I every time I make a big investment, I'm like, Oh, it feels scary. But it always if I do the work pays off. And sometimes honestly, making a bigger investment makes you more accountable. Because I'm like, Oh my God, yes, I paid so much money, I have to do this, like I have to come to these calls, and I have to do this homework and all the things. So it can be a good way to get that knowledge and that accountability too.
Allison
Right. I definitely agree. And I think it helped me get from like, A to B much quicker than if I had to like research every little thing. And then there are pieces in the course that I would have never even known about. I wouldn't even know that I needed it. So yeah, it was very beneficial.
Lily
Awesome. So let's think a little bit more broadly, just about the landscape of education. I know you've been in schools, outside of schools, running your own online school. What do you think needs to change? This is a giant question. But what do you think needs to change about education?
Allison
Oh, okay, what do I think needs to change about education? I think just the idea of, we just need to reimagine where and how education can take place. We're entering an age where the old way of doing things, we're learning that it may not work for these new learners that we're raising today. So I think we need to really go back to the drawing board.
Allison
And we need to reimagine a lot of different things, how children learn best. I mean, we know the terms 21st Century learners, and, you know, they process information differently than we do or did growing up. So I think we need a new age of teachers and stakeholders and people who are making these big decisions to really consider the children of today versus what we're used to.
Lily
Absolutely, yes, absolutely. And that it's not always going to be the same. We know that, right? But it's like we have this very outdated model that just needs to be updated, right? And we need to look at the students at what's working for them. And the teacher isn't what's working for them and make some upgrades there. Definitely.
Lily
And then thinking about what excites you about education? What would you say? Or what do you enjoy?
Allison
What excites me about education? I love having like more control over, I guess the way that I give information or how I'm teaching. I think teachers should have more control over that. And I think when we feel like we're in control, we'll work a little harder, right? I feel like I've I have not worked harder. Since I've been out of the classroom. Like being able to just pick and choose what I want to teach how I want to teach. It has made me so much more passionate. I think teachers will be more passionate in their jobs if they have more creative control over how they are teaching.
Lily
Absolutely. Yeah. It's like we say, with students too like when they have agency or a voice, you know, there'll be so much more engaged. The same thing is true for teachers, you know, when we feel like we have control over what we can teach, and how we teach it, then we'll be more engaged. And we'll make a bigger impact. But I think it all comes down to like trusting teachers and trusting them to have that freedom. But we're not all the same. We don't all have the same approaches. But we can have that freedom to try things out and really learn from what we're doing. Exactly.
Lily
All right. Well, what advice would you give somebody who wants to start their own business?
Allison
Oh, okay. Well, the fact that you are even thinking about starting a business automatically should let you know that there's something inside of you that is meant to do this. So if you have this burning desire to start something of your own, that's a that's a key sign that you have what it takes. So my advice is to always keep that passion, that purpose that is inside of you put that in the forefront, so that when failures coming your way, when things are not going right, when it's hard for you to find these clients, remember why you got started, why you wanted to even begin this journey.
Allison
I think if you keep that in the forefront, that is what is going to push you to keep going. So I think that would be my main advice. I think what keeps me excited about Tutor Tots online, even if things are really stressful, or, Oh, I got to plan a new unit while I'm teaching this unit, and I have to make these workbooks, etc. I go back to how I was feeling when I was in the classroom. And I remember why I started this. And I remember that this was much better than what I was doing. So I would say don't lose that fire inside of you. Keep it going.
Lily
Yes. I love that so much. And it relates to that visioning, too of like, the why and the bigger picture, and just gratitude there. So I appreciate that. That's great advice. Well was so wonderful talking with you, Allison, as always. Can you tell our audience where they can find you and information about your business online?
Allison
Yes, definitely. Okay, so my website is www.tutortotsonline.com And you can also find me on Instagram at that same handle @tutortotsonline and check out my TikTok videos @tutortotsonline. You may get some inspiration there too.
Lily
Yes, please check out Alison's amazing website and her social media accounts. They are all fantastic and inspirational. So thanks again, Alison, and I look forward to talking to you again soon.
Allison
Thank you.
Lily
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