The Pre-Quit Plan: Start While You're Still Teaching

I Started My Business in the School Parking Lot (No, Seriously)

Here’s a fun fact: Grit to Growth didn’t start in a fancy co-working space or with a color-coded business plan.
It started in my car. In the teacher parking lot. During lunch.

I’d scarf a sandwich with one hand and outline content with the other, whispering ideas into my phone like a secret agent who had exactly 23 minutes to change her life.

Why?
Because I wasn’t ready to quit teaching—but I was so ready to start something new.

If you’re sitting on an idea, a service, or a side hustle dream—but the classroom still pays the bills—this newsletter is for you. 💡

Let’s talk about building your business before you quit your job—no trust fund, no free time, no problem.

The Pre-Quit Plan: A Teacher's Guide to the After-Hours Hustle

Starting your business while teaching full-time isn’t just doable—it’s strategic.

Here’s how to make it work without burning out or breaking down:

Set Up Your Creator Toolkit

Because your side hustle deserves more than sticky notes and screenshots

Before you register an LLC or drop $$$ on a fancy website, start with a few powerful, teacher-budget-friendly tools. These three will help you build your brand, show up professionally, and keep your brain from exploding.

Canva – For Branding & Content Creation

Canva is the easiest way to look legit online, even if your creative skills top out at cutting out bulletin board letters.

Use it to:

• Design your logo (or 3 versions while you overthink it )

• Create social media graphics, digital products, or promo flyers

• Make branded templates so everything feels cohesive (hello, consistency!)

🧠 Amber’s Pro Hack: Use Canva’s “Brand Kit” to upload your colors, fonts, and logo so you can create on autopilot.

💡 Bonus: Canva has built-in AI tools now. It’ll suggest layouts, captions, and even write text for you. Let the robots help, friend.

Flodesk – For Emails That Actually Get Opened

While everyone else is dancing on TikTok, you’ll be in the inbox—where people actually buy.

Use Flodesk to:

• Collect email subscribers from your website, IG bio, or lead magnet

• Send weekly updates, offers, or freebies (hello, authority!)

• Set up an automated welcome sequence that works while you teach

And yes, the templates are chef’s kiss.
Clean, beautiful, and designed to help your side hustle feel premium from day one.

📩 Amber’s Take: “My first 50 subscribers came from a Canva freebie linked to Flodesk. It was cute. It worked. I screamed.”

Notion – To Keep Your Chaos Cute & Color-Coded

Notion is your digital brain: half planner, half magic.

Use it to:

• Create a content calendar so you’re not panic-posting at 10 PM

• Track client projects, invoices, and goals in one place

• Store swipe files, business ideas, and that random name you thought of in the shower

🎯 Amber’s Setup:
“My Notion has a dashboard with a weekly to-do list, a database for client notes, and a ‘brain dump’ zone. It makes me feel like I have my life together, even when I don’t.”

Real Teacher Turned CEO Stories

Your MVP: Minimal Viable Project

Because you don’t need glittery branding to start getting paid.

Let’s be real: The first version of your business doesn’t need custom packaging, 47 niche hashtags, and a full photoshoot in a sunflower field.

You need one thing that works.

What’s an MVP?

A Minimal Viable Project is your “good enough to test” version of your business. It’s lean, it’s scrappy, and it’s exactly how you’ll avoid wasting time, money, and mental energy on things that don’t move the needle.

Here’s the 3-step formula:

1️⃣ One Offer

What’s the ONE service, product, or result you can provide right now—even if it’s not perfect?

Examples:

• Are you a whiz at organizing? → Offer a 1-hour virtual home decluttering session.

• Love writing? → Start offering bios or IG captions to busy business owners.

• Have a teaching skill? → Tutor, coach, or sell a mini digital guide for parents.

Don’t build a catalog. Build one offer that solves one real problem.

🛠️ Amber's MVP Example:
“My first digital product was a 5-page PDF checklist. It didn’t even have a fancy cover. But it helped people—and it sold.”

2️⃣ One Client

You don’t need a niche, a sales funnel, or an audience of 10,000 to start—you need one real person who needs what you’re offering.

How to find your first client:

• DM someone who’s asked for help in your zone of genius

• Post a quick “beta test” offer in a Facebook group or Instagram story

• Tell your real-life network (yes, even Aunt Carla)

Your first sale is your proof of concept. After that, you tweak, improve, and repeat.

3️⃣ One Result

What transformation can you deliver?

Think outcome, not hours.
Instead of “1 hour of coaching,” say:
➡️ “Get your first email list set up from scratch.”
➡️ “Leave with a 3-post content strategy you can reuse every week.”

Make the result super specific so people can see themselves getting it.

Teacher-to-CEO Time Blocks

Break down a sample weekly schedule showing how teachers can carve out 3–5 hours/week to work on their business.

Mini Breakdown:

• 30 min morning routine → content batching

• 1 hour Sunday → client follow-up + calendar prep

• 15 min/day → market research, content creation, or offer refinement

Pro Tip: Use timers + themes for each day (e.g., Monday = Marketing, Tuesday = Tutorials, etc.)

Budgeting Your Business on a Teacher’s Salary

“You don’t need startup capital. You need startup clarity.”

Let’s bust a myth real quick:
You do not need a $10K budget, a business loan, or a sugar daddy to start your side hustle.

You need a plan, a clear offer, and the ability to resist going rogue in the Target clearance aisle.

Here’s how to start smart, lean, and strategic.

Start with Free or Low-Cost Tools

There are some seriously powerful tools out here doing the Lord’s work—for free (or close to it). Here are my ride-or-dies:

🧠 Amber’s Tip: Use trials to test tools before committing. Don’t pay monthly for anything until you're actually using it.

How to Spend Your First $500 (Wisely)

Spoiler alert: You don’t need a branded sweatshirt, gold foil stickers, or a $200 logo to launch.

Here’s how I’d spend $500 if I had to start over today:

🛑 What NOT to buy yet:

• Custom branding

• Business cards (seriously, it’s 2025)

• Fancy photo shoots

• Software you think you might need later

Validate Before You Invest

Before you spend even $1, ask:
“Is this something people want, and will they pay for it?”

How to find out:

• Offer a beta version to 3–5 real humans

• Post your idea in a Facebook group and ask for feedback

• Offer a free mini-session in exchange for a testimonial

Amber’s Real Talk:
“When I first launched, I made a $19 offer to test demand. Six people bought. That told me: this idea is working—now let’s upgrade the experience.”

Supporting Resources & Smart Transitions

Because “winging it” is not a business strategy.

Before you submit your resignation letter or launch your “I’m outta here!” Instagram Reel, do this:

✅ Grab the Free Checklist: What to Do Before Leaving the Classroom

This is your step-by-step guide to a smart, secure transition from educator to entrepreneur (or consultant… or whatever your next chapter looks like).

It covers:

• What to handle with HR (yes, even that weird exit survey)

• Financial moves to make before you lose that steady paycheck

• What to prep legally + logistically before going solo

• How to communicate your transition without burning bridges

🎁 It’s totally free, and honestly?
You’ll feel 10x more confident about your exit plan.

👉 Download it now from my Stan store

Your side hustle doesn’t have to wait until summer break.
It can start now—messy, meaningful, and right on time. 💪🏽

You were built for more than behavior charts and bell schedules.
Let’s build your next chapter on purpose.

Cheering you on,