Is now the time for you to pivot into education? While it may be a goal, timing and experience are everything! In today’s episode Maddie Peschong joins us to share how after almost a decade in the photography industry, she made the gradual pivot into education. Maddie is a brand photographer, studio owner, and business coach for brand photographers, who is actively building a business doing what she also teaches! Listen in as we explore what it takes to pivot into education and some hard truths future educators may need to hear!

Pivoting into Education by Teaching What You Do

As entrepreneurs begin to pivot into education, they often let go of doing the thing they want to teach. For example, wedding photographers will begin coaching other wedding photographers in order to retire from photographing weddings. What happens is they get out of touch with what it takes to be a full-time wedding photographer, creating less impact on their students.

Maddie’s approach is what I love to see. She is actively doing the thing that she is teaching. Maddie educates others on how to pivot into brand photography or grow their brand photography business while she is actively a brand photographer.

Not only is she still actively doing what she teaches, she’s also been in the photography industry for over a decade. This meant that she had years and years of experience to back her when she pivoted into coaching.

When you’re established, you have the experience and data behind why people will want to learn from you. If you can’t answer why someone should want to work with you, you shouldn’t be pivoting into education.

Scale One Revenue Stream First

Now that Maddie has diversified her revenue streams into her brand photography, education, and her studio, her advice to entrepreneurs who are looking to hit $100k is simple: pick one revenue stream and scale it first.

Through her own experience, Maddie has learned that her attention can only be in one place at a time. This means it’s harder to scale multiple revenue streams and opportunities at the same time. Therefore, if you’re able to focus on one avenue, like your photography business, you can grow so much faster.

The lesson here isn’t to avoid diversifying, but rather to build a solid foundation for one part of your business before you decide to pivot or branch out into other avenues.

Your Guide to Pivoting

So how do you know that you’re ready to pivot or what to pivot into? Maddie encourages you to lean into your own intuition. Be aware of your business and yourself and what you’re capable of doing in any given time.

Pursuing Ethical Education

As you begin to pivot, it’s important that you develop ethical education. There are going to be approaches to creating education that promise you quick and easy guidance so that you can pivot faster, but consider the type of education you want to consume. Nothing that was ever great was done fast.

Making the Pivot

When it’s time to officially make the pivot, there are a few approaches you can take. Maddie recommends bringing people along for the ride by sharing behind the scenes of the transition. You don’t have to make a huge announcement that you’ve pivoted, but instead allow them to see you explore it.

Audiences really enjoy seeing the messy middle. Even when you’re trying to build a clientele in this new adventure, you can specifically reach out to those you think might be interested. This may feel uncomfortable, but that’s where the growth happens.

Unpopular Opinion

There are so many creatives who would make fantastic educators, yet it’s not always the right time. Truthfully, you make your own momentum and you’re in control of your business. If it’s not the right time, don’t pursue it until you’re fully ready to take on education.

Mentioned in this Episode

Ep 133: Creating Marketing Content You Actually Like With Jen Olmstead

Connect with Maddie

maddiepeschong.com

maddiepeschong.com/rebrand

instagram.com/maddiepeschong

maddiepeschong.com/take-it-personally

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The post Episode 148: How to Ethically Pivot into Education with Maddie Peschong appeared first on Laylee Emadi | Coach for Creative Educators.