Want to Develop a Side Gig? Your Teaching Skills Can Help

Andrew Wild's article, published on February 13, 2024, in Edutopia, explores how teaching and entrepreneurship share common skills and qualities. Wild, who ventured into starting a vegan deli slice business after 17 years in education, found that his teaching experience equipped him with invaluable skills for entrepreneurship. He outlines ten teacher qualities and skills that are transferable to the entrepreneurial world, illustrating the synergy between education and business innovation.

1. Centered on Values: Teachers' commitment to nurturing a safe and productive learning environment and improving students’ skills parallels the entrepreneurial spirit of solving problems to make the world a better place. Teachers' ability to communicate their "why" is crucial in both realms.

2. Educating Others: The core skill of teaching—facilitating learning—is essential for entrepreneurs who need to educate customers about their products or services. Wild's use of QR codes to provide product usage information exemplifies this overlap.

3. Marketing: Teachers' experience in making learning appealing by connecting with students’ interests and identities translates into effectively marketing products to diverse customer bases. Wild’s creation of a plant-based superhero logo is a testament to leveraging popular culture for branding.

4. Persistence: The resilience teachers develop in the face of educational challenges is a critical asset in entrepreneurship, where setbacks are common. Wild shares his own experience of overcoming a product development challenge through persistence.

5. Being a Learner: Teachers' commitment to lifelong learning and growth mindset is invaluable in entrepreneurship, where new challenges and learning opportunities abound.

6. Navigating Systems: Teachers' experience with educational systems, such as licensure and regulations, prepares them to navigate the complex legal and regulatory landscapes of starting and running a business.

7. Developing Rapport: The ability to quickly establish trust and find common ground, crucial in teaching, is equally important in building business relationships with collaborators and customers.

8. Connections in the Community: Teachers' roles in their communities provide them with a network that can support entrepreneurial endeavors. Wild credits feedback from colleagues in the early stages of his business as instrumental.

9. Planning: The planning skills teachers use to design curriculum and assess progress are directly applicable to business planning, including revenue projections and strategy adjustments.

10. Content Knowledge: Subject expertise can directly inform product development. Wild's background in science education was pivotal in his experimentation with recipes and scaling his business.

Wild concludes that educators possess a rich skill set that naturally extends to entrepreneurship. Whether embarking on a new career or a side project, teachers are well-equipped to navigate the challenges of the business world and contribute meaningfully to innovation and problem-solving.

Source: Wild, Andrew. "How Teaching Builds Entrepreneurial Skills." Edutopia. February 13, 2024. Original URL

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Prepared with the assistance of AI software

OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (4) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com