Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Gregg Williams, Co-Owner of Amped Up Learning, located in Midlothian, TX, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a two-teacher-owned and operated business. We started with our first product FRECK! In History (an educational, competitive, engaging resource for History classes), we now have 5 different versions of that game for various History content. We also have over 300 original t-shirt designs printed in-house, along with various teacher stickers and posters to help you "amp up" your teacher SWAG game. In addition to all those, we have over 26,000 resources created by over 500 of our teacher contributors.
Tell us about yourself
I and the other owner, Mat, met as history teachers, and that's how the FRECK! line of products was first created (as a need to help increase the rigor and engagement in our US history classes). Mat has a background as a graphic designer, and we thought about how we never saw really great teacher t-shirts that we would wear, and if they did, they were always overpriced. So we decided that we could design our own and sell them at a price that we would pay for them.
From there, it just ballooned out; we saw how TPT had grown so large, but that they had issues with customer service, resource quality (as it is open for anyone to sell their resources), and for teachers and sellers to earn a high commission they have to pay TPT a yearly fee. And we knew that we could do better, so we opened up our lesson marketplace that is free for sellers, and they get the same high commission that they would have to pay at TPT. PLUS, we give 5x more customer rewards than TPT offers.
What motivates Mat and me each day is our families and the need and desire to provide for them and to show them that you can achieve your dreams. Mat and I are still full-time teachers in the classroom, so the motivation to see our small business grow into our full-time gig is a big motivator.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Our biggest accomplishments are seeing our FRECK! products being sold through the Teacher's Discovery website, in addition to seeing how happy and satisfied our customers are when they get our resources, shirts, or stickers and share their joy with their friends on social media.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
TIME MANAGEMENT and business roles. As a small business owner, your time is very, very valuable and very, very limited (especially when you have another full-time job). Mat and I have had to learn (as our business expands) to set aside certain days to do certain tasks (printing/shipping/designing), and then, of course, there are the tasks that have to be done right away (customer service emails, following up with inquires, sending out quotes and invoices, etc.). As a small business owner, you are the CEO, COO, Human Resources, Research, and Development... you name it, you have to do it all and find the time to do it.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
You have an idea... that's great, but what do you do with it?
- Take your idea and see what competition is out there. It's not enough just to have a great idea. You have to know what competition is already out there, which can help you fine-tune your idea and adjust it to do something better, unique, more quickly, cheaper, etc., than your competition.
- Go For IT!!! Once you have a set purpose for your business (even if it is just one product, like we started out with), go for it. With that comes, don't be afraid to fail; if your idea or product doesn't hit as you want it to, then just pivot and be ready to adjust to the market feedback. If you keep waiting for the right moment, then it is too late.
- Promote, Promote, Promote. Once you have that business started, then get out on social media, find some social media accounts that fit your customer base and reach out to them. Send them your product, get honest feedback, get them to share on their accounts, and have them offer their followers discounts, freebies, giveaways, etc.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
We are always looking for new teacher contributors to join our family. If you have great resources and want to make an 80% commission on all your sales (at no cost), reach out to us for more information. If you have great t-shirt designs but don't want to have to list, print, and ship them yourself, reach out to us because we can service all your printing and drop shipping needs.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://ampeduplearning.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ampeduplearning
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ampeduplearning/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmpedUpLearning
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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