I heard something a while ago to have three different kinds of hobbies or pastimes, one to keep you in shape, one to make a little money, and one to keep you sane. Over the span of my career, I have always had a side hustle that usually revolved around teaching things like learning how to fly an airplane, fitness, online reputation management for teachers, and a few other things. I really enjoyed teaching and if I could teach the things that interested me, even better.
Like many people, I was looking for something to do around and after March 2020. We were coming into the hot summer months here in Arizona when I always look for new things to do inside in the air conditioning. In 2018, I had started a Facebook group for teachers, parents, pilots, and STEM education advocates who were passionate about using drones in STEM education. It was a very small niche group, but was growing quite fast. So, in 2020 I decided to do something with it to try to grow the community and also help solve some of the problems around using drones in the classroom. A new side hustle was born – Educators Who Drone.
I took everything I knew about starting and growing an education-based program and applied it to Educators Who Drone. I knew about learning management systems, best practices in adult education and online education, how to offer educational programs at scale, and how to be very specific in the problem that I solve.
What I didn’t know was things like internet marketing, how to set up an email list, SEO, how to build and grow a YouTube channel, social media, and all that stuff. I certainly had experience in this area in my previous roles, but I had a team of people who did all this stuff!
So fast forward two years, I have learned an absolute ton of stuff about building a very small niche site on the internet and dominating a very specific search term on YouTube. I really only worked on it mostly on the weekends in the summer when it is HOT here in Arizona. It’s certainly not one of those side hustles you hear about where people started something up during quarantine and now it’s generating hundreds of thousands of dollars. Drones in STEM education is an extremely small niche and Educators Who Drone has managed to generate a bit of income each month and continues to grow.
I am writing this article because I think it’s a really good example of how the best way to learn something new is to apply it to a project that helps solve a problem for a community of people. I knew quite a bit about growing online education programs from the perspective of a college, university, or training company. It is very different when you’re one person with an idea and no team of people behind you to get the work done.
Here’s a few things that happened when building Educators Who Drone:
- Grew a GLOBAL community of about 2,000 people from at least seven different countries who are interested in drones and STEM education using 100% organic marketing – WITHOUT social media.
- Started a very niche YouTube channel that started generating income within about four months with only a few hundred subscribers (it now has almost 1300 subscribers).
- Started a niche podcast where I only released a few episodes and two years later, people are still finding Educators Who Drone through it. (Maybe it’s time to revisit this idea?)
- Created a virtual community on Facebook where I don’t have to do all the work. There are so many passionate people in the community who really want to see other people be successful in building their own drone education programs.
- Created a few online courses and digital products that people are buying without ads, social media, or dancing on TikTok.
- Had a few amazing opportunities to give presentations at global conferences about using drones to teach engineering, robotics, coding, cybersecurity, weather, reading maps, regulations, safety, and so much more.
Here’s a few things I’ve learned through this process:
- Being present online is about providing value and learning how to communicate it directly to the people who have the problem you’re trying to solve. This is the stuff that gets the most engagement and helps build a community.
- The Google/YouTube algorithm is the 9th Wonder of the World, only after compound interest – the 8th Wonder of the World. Once you figure out how to use it, give it a few months or even a YEAR. It will do the work for you.
- I made a few drone programming tutorials and a few went viral on YouTube. I ended up taking most of them down because the number of kids asking me for help with their homework got to be too much. I really intended these videos to be for teachers trying to figure out how to teach this in their classrooms. I learned how to be even more specific with my topics.
- I linked my YouTube videos in a blog to drive more traffic. I have another Drone site at www.FlyElectricMonarch.com. I need to create blog posts on Educators Who Drone and have everything in one spot, not in two or three.
- There is a need online for absolutely anything you can think of. Listen to Gary Vee here on this one if you can filter through all the F-bombs.
- If you’re not embarrassed about the first version of something you made on your own, then you’ve started too late (I cringe at some of my videos!)
- Work on your project whenever you have a few free moments, even if it’s just a few quick tasks while you’re watching The Handmaid’s Tale. Over time, it does add up.
- There are a lot, I mean A LOT of really scammy people on the internet promising passive income and internet riches. What I have built no longer requires a ton of work, but I do have things that need to be done at a monthly minimum.
- There are people teaching you how to make courses who have zero training or experience in adult education or online teaching. They’re really good marketers who make things look legit when what they’re teaching isn’t going to help you design something that gives your students the transformation they’re looking for. If you’re considering spending $25,000 for someone to teach you how to build an online course, please don’t. Look for someone who’s done it professionally at a college, university, or education company. There are standards and best practices to follow that will give your students exactly what they’re looking for.
- As I am finishing up Yoga teacher training (new topic!), I can’t wait to apply what I have learned to creating a new site in a niche that is much more saturated. I know I will learn even more by trying to break into a larger niche by offering something unique and with my own touch.
- I am applying all that I have learned through this process in my day job, where I write, podcast, and create meaningful digital content for our community and to help grow our community.
I still have a lot to do with the community. They’ve asked for some very specific types of training and educational products around drones. So, I have a plan for summer 2022! I can’t wait to see what else will happen with this community of amazing and passionate educators.
This article is also shared on my Linkedin blog here.
