Personal finance teacher Dana Miranda's first audience wasn't an ideal right fit. However, after she made the move, she saw her audience increase her audience. |

When Dana Miranda shifted her target clients to offer education and training for teachers and non-profits, she found an increase in satisfaction and harmony her company.

Over the course of two years Dana Miranda worked as a personal financial journalist, she observed a pattern. "Most of the financial content that is available there, most of the information and advice, comes from a singular viewpoint, that is usually white, male heteronormative, or with a middle-class upbringing."

"I come from a working-class background," Dana shares. "I'm a queer woman. It was clear to me that there was no representation and understanding of the nuanced nature of these diverse encounters that individuals have when it comes to money."

Instead of reproducing the same story which everyone else had shared, Dana decided to change the story.

In the present, Dana Miranda is a personal finance instructor and co-founder of Healthy Rich , an online platform that provides inclusive, budget-free financial education. This is how Dana created her business online and made sure that her mission was seen by as many people as possible and even taking a different route.

The fact that a strategy for monetization is popular doesn't mean it's appropriate for your business.

Healthy Rich started as an extra-curricular activity that Dana was able to run while she worked as Writer-in-Residence.

"I started Healthy Rich as a project to tell different personal finance experiences. The blog was a mere website and there was no money flowing in. I wasn't quite sure what it would take to make money, but I knew that eventually, I wanted to grow it into an actual business."

"I did not want to make money by advertising or affiliates," Dana explains. "That's really common within the realm of personal finance but I wasn't happy with what I had seen on websites I had worked on for. In order to ensure that we were offering value to the consumer, I wanted remove ads from the calculation."

Dana was awed by the content she created. Dana also loved talking with students, listening to the feedback and answering questions. But something felt off about selling her products to fans.

"I hated the entire launch. I hated the whole sales process of convincing people that they are suffering from a problem and that I can help. None of it felt right for me," Dana remembers.

The idea of selling products directly to audience members is not the right way forward and this was a major problem. Even though this was Healthy Rich's plan for monetization, she wanted her followers to have access to the information without cost. Her goal was to make money but didn't want that money to come from the pockets of those she wanted to assist.

If creating items for your intended market, it feels unnatural You can try changing your target market

To gain a wider perspective, Dana had conversations with the community's organizers and educators. From those talks she realised that there was a huge requirement for financial education for individuals and she was the one to fill it.

"The necessity for financial education is on the rise," Dana explains.

"There are many states that have mandates that say you must take an individual finance course to graduate high school, but most of those are not funded and don't have an educational path specifically designed that allows someone to be the personal finance instructor. The educators who enter the field usually are instructed to teach a personal finance course, but they don't have the confidence to do it."

The same issue existed among non-profit workers and the ones who provide services to vulnerable groups.

"People who work in an organization that is not for profit may help people in another aspect of their lives however it's always tied to finances. People are asking questions about their financial situation that they aren't comfortable answering. I'm trying to assist people get this information so that they are able to answer those questions confidently."

Dana realized that she could skip selling goods to customers and instead help instructors and trainers to a much wider reach. Dana's message would reach more people, her business could earn money, and she would feel great about her impact.

"I love to offer content to the people who need it for free whenever I can. Helping community-based organizations and educational institutions is a means for me to provide this education available to the individuals who require it since the people who attend these programs and classes for free," she shares.

"This opened up a potential new customer base for my company because I was able to help instructors and facilitators. I am able to work on both sides of the table without selling classes to each individual person."

When Dana began to develop her brand new curriculum for teachers  and teachers, she realized it was a perfect fit.

"My initial course launch was an enjoyable trial. I'm glad that I learned what I did, but I'm also happy that I learned quickly and moved into the next chapter."

" gives me the flexibility to create what I want. I love it that way."

The possibilities are endless or your tools should be either.

To meet potential clients to connect with potential clients, join LinkedIn by sharing work

"People are keen to share their thoughts on what they're working on. Be sure to follow the groups you'd like to collaborate with, and check out the things they're working on," Dana notes.

"It's helped me to know the niche I'd like to work with. That's educators as well as non-profit organizations. I'm a resident of Wisconsin, so I'm starting locally by working with local organizations within the local community. I'm able to contact an acquaintance and say, 'I care about the good work you're doing within my neighborhood. Let's talk about how we can collaborate.'"

Through reimagining her audience and the goods they'll need, Dana transformed Healthy Rich into more than just a website for financial advice for individuals. It's a chance to change the way we talk around money.

"The method we speak about finances is an issue and I'd like to do it differently. I'm hoping to supply the teachers with the resources they need, and ensure that they are teaching it with the most inclusive and broad approach, not just regular financial planning and debt repayment that I was seeing."

By shifting her target audience away from individuals to teachers and non-profit workers, Dana stayed true to her beliefs and discovered an easier way of sharing her wisdom with the people needing it the most.

Blaze new trails and avoid the temptation of comparing your travels to other people's

Dana warns writers that "there's no perfect path for the way to make this career. It's best to experiment and find out what works best for you."

A key part of finding your unique way is not to compare you to others who have created. Instead, Dana recommends looking to the past to see how much you've grown.

"Everyone is at a point in their life, hoping to reach the next one. What's really helpful for me is to look back at my life five or ten years ago," she says.

"When I first started freelance, I wanted to be a writer. I took on a few blog posts and freelance jobs during my initial several years, I was earning very low pay. If I'm feeling frustrated about the state of my career, I glance back on my career and remember what I've achieved."

"I managed to secure a full-time job as a employee writer" she shares. "In the last few years, I earned 6 figures from freelance writing. This time, I'm moving into an entirely new stage where rather than my earnings primarily due to freelance writing I'd like to earn it from my company .

"It's frustrating figuring out how to get it done however, if you had said twelve years ago my position in, I wouldn't think that this could ever occur. I'd be really astonished."

At the final analysis, taking the leap to pursue your passion is a huge win, and it's likely that you've come a lot further than you thought.

"I think that pursuing this type of goal is something to be proud of no matter what level you're at."