Dana Miranda is a financial instructor who is able to teach personal financial planning. Her audience initially was not an ideal match. However, after she made the move and re-engaged with her audience, she noticed that it expand. |
In the event that Dana Miranda shifted her target clients to provide educational training and other resources for teachers and non-profit organizations and non-profits, she found more harmony and fulfillment within her organization.
Over the course of two years Dana Miranda worked as a personal finance journalist, she noticed the underlying pattern. "Most of the financial information which is accessible, most of the information and advice are based on only one viewpoint, and that tends to be female, white, heteronormative, and from a middle-class background."
"I was born into the working class," Dana shares. "I'm a queer woman. It was evident to me that I was lacking of understanding and representation of the subtleties of different experiences individuals have when it comes to financial matters."
Instead of re-creating the same story shared by everyone else, Dana decided to change the story.
In the present, Dana Miranda is a personal finance instructor and creator of Healthy Rich , the website which provides budget-friendly, comprehensive financial education. This is how Dana came up with her own internet-based business and ensured that the site was viewed by all the people feasible, even if it meant going a nontraditional route.
Just because a monetization strategy is well-known, it doesn't indicate that it's appropriate for your business
Healthy Rich began as an extra-curricular activity that Dana ran while she worked as a freelance writer.
"I created Healthy Rich as a project to share my personal finance experiences. The site was just the blog, and there wasn't any money being made. I didn't know how to make money, but I knew that I would eventually want to make it an actual company."
"I did not want to make money through affiliates and advertising," Dana explains. "That's quite commonplace in personal finances, but I wasn't happy about what I'd seen on websites I had been working on for. To ensure we were offering value to the consumer I was looking to eliminate ads from the factor."
Dana was awed by the content she designed. Dana was also a fan of talking to students, listening to the feedback and addressing questions. There was something that didn't seem right with selling her products to fans.
"I was a bit irritated by everything that happened during the introduction. I hated the whole selling method of convincing people they're struggling and I've got the answer. There was nothing that worked for me." Dana remembers.
The idea of limiting products to just a few viewers wasn't the best way to go, which caused a lot of problems. Although this was the method used by Healthy Rich to the monetization of her audience, she wanted them to have access to the content for free. Her aim was to make money but didn't want that cash to go into the pockets of people she was trying to help.
If the idea of creating products for the market you are targeting feels off Try shifting the audience
To gain a wider perspective, Dana had conversations with teachers and community leaders. After these discussions she realised that there was huge demand for personal finance program and she was the perfect person to offer this.
"The necessity to educate ourselves about financial matters is growing," Dana explains.
"There are a lot of states that have mandates which state that you have to complete one of these courses when you finish high school. However, they are largely unfunded and there's not any special education pathway that would allow anyone to become an instructor in the field of personal finance. Educators coming into the space usually are instructed to teach an individual finance class, however, they lack the necessary confidence or experience to teach it."
Similar issues were encountered by employees of non-profit organizations and those who deal with vulnerable people.
"People working in an entity that's not for profit may be helping people in another area of their lives, but it's all inextricably connected with financial concerns. There are many questions being asked about their finances which they're not able to respond. I'd like to assist those who are struggling to comprehend the topic in order for them to be able to answer these questions confidently."
Dana recognized she could not sell products directly to consumers rather than serving trainers and instructors to an even larger market. The message she shared could be heard by many more people, and her company could earn money, and she could feel good because of the difference she achieved.
"I love to offer material to people that need it at no cost, in any ways I can. Being a part of community-based groups and schools provides an an opportunity for me to make these classes accessible to those who are struggling because of the individuals attending the classes and workshops are absolutely no cost," she shares.
"This has opened up a brand new audience for my company since I was able to assist instructors and facilitators. I'm able to collaborate with both groups without providing classes to each and every customer."
As Dana started designing her own education program It clicked.
"My first course launch was a great test. I'm happy that I have learned what I did, but I'm also glad that I was able to learn quickly and could proceed to my next section."
" lets me be able in creating what I'd like. I love the fact that it lets me to make the things I'd like to."
There are no limits to what you can do The possibilities are endless, and technology should not be.
To connect with potential clients and connect with potential clients to connect with potential clients, sign up on LinkedIn via shared work
"People are keen to discuss their opinions regarding the work they're conducting. Follow the organizations that you would want to work with and discover the projects they're working on," Dana notes.
"It's been really helpful for me to learn about the market that I'd like to work with. This includes educators and non-profit organisations. I'm a native of Wisconsin which is why I'm beginning locally, by cooperating with local groups that are part of the community. I could reach out to an acquaintance to say that I am interested in your work in my area. We can discuss ways we could cooperate.'"
Reimagining the audience she wants to attract and the items they'll need, Dana transformed Healthy Rich into so much more than a blog about ways to manage your finances. Today, the site could change how we think about the topic of money.
"The method we discuss about money can be difficult, so I'd like to tackle the subject in a new way. I'm hoping to provide teachers with the resources they require, as well as ensure that the lessons are taught with a more holistic and complex perspective rather than the same old budgeting and debt repayment that I was seeing."
By shifting her target audience from individual people to educators and non-profit workers, Dana stayed true to her beliefs and discovered a more efficient method of sharing her expertise with people who needed it most.
Explore new routes and stay clear of making comparisons with others
Dana warns writers of the fact that "there's not a single way to go about pursuing this profession. Try your hand at experimenting and find out what works for you."
The first step to discovering your own style is to avoid comparing your art to that of others. However, Dana recommends looking to your own past experiences to determine how far you've grown.
"Everyone has been at some time, looking to move up to the next level. For me, the best thing to do is to look back at my life in the past five to ten decades," she says.
"When I first started freelance, I was aspired to become an author. I did a couple of blogs and freelance work in the beginning, but for the first few years I made extremely low wages. If I'm unhappy with the state of my career, I go at my past career, and consider the things I've accomplished."
"I managed to land an offer to work as a full-time writer for a staff," She explains. "In the past couple of years, I've earned 6 figures freelancing. Now I'm pivoting to a completely new level that will see my earning mostly coming from freelance writing I'd like it to be a part of my own business .
"It's hard to determine the best way to achieve this. But If you had told me twelve years ago that this is my position in the world of this would be the case. I'd be awestruck."
At the end of the day, taking a decision that is towards your individual creativity is an enormous win, and you've likely come a lot further than you imagined.
"I consider that the ability to have this type of vision is a huge thing to be proud of regardless of what it is that you're currently at."
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