Dana Miranda, a personal finance instructor's first crowd wasn't the audience for her. After she made the move and shifted her focus, she noticed that her followers expand. |

When Dana Miranda shifted her target customers to provide educational and professional training for educators and nonprofits, she found an increase in satisfaction and peace in the company.

Over the course of two several years Dana Miranda worked as a personal financial journalist, she observed an underlying common pattern. "Most of the financial content which is accessible, most of the information and advice, comes from a single perspective generally male heteronormative and white or with a middle-class upbringing."

"I come from a working-class family background" Dana shares. "I'm a queer woman. I was able to see that there wasn't any representation and understanding of the nuanced nature of these diverse encounters that people face when it comes to the subject of money."

Instead of re-telling the same story which all of us had heard, 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 an affordable, cost-free financial education. That's how Dana established her online business and made sure her mission was seen by as many people as possible and even taking the opposite path.

A technique for monetizing is popular isn't a guarantee that it's right for your business.

Healthy Rich started as an extra-curricular event which Dana could run when she was a Writer-in Residence.

"I started Healthy Rich as a project to tell different personal finance stories. The website was only a site and had no cash flow. I was unsure of what was required to make money, but I was certain that one day I would like to expand it into an actual enterprise."

"I was not looking to make money by affiliates or advertising," Dana explains. "That's very common in the field of personal finances but I was unhappy by what I saw on the websites I worked on for. To make sure that we provided value to the consumer, I wanted remove ads from the calculation."

Dana was awed by the material she wrote. Dana was also a fan of talking to students, taking note of the responses and answering questions. There was something that didn't feel right about selling her products to fans.

"I disliked everything about the launch. I hated the whole sales method of convincing people they have a problem and that I could help. None of it felt right for me," Dana remembers.

The concept of distributing products directly to audience members is not the most efficient approach and caused a lot of problems. Although this was the plan of Healthy Rich for revenue generation, she desired the followers to be able to access to her information for free of costs. Her goal was to make some money, but she didn't want the cash to go into the pockets of the people who she wanted to aid.

If creating items for your intended market It feels strange. may try changing your targeted customer

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 meet it.

"The need to educate ourselves about finances is on the rise," Dana explains.

"There is a variety of states which require that you have to take an individual finance class in order to finish high school however, the majority of them do not have funding and do not have a path to education specially designed for someone to be the personal finance instructor. Teachers who are entering the field usually are required to instruct an individual finance class, but they don't have the necessary confidence for it."

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

"People employed by an organization that's not for profit may help individuals in other aspects of their lives, but it's always tied to financial matters. There are many questions being asked about their financial situation that they don't feel comfortable asking. I'm working to help people in obtaining this information, so they're able to respond the questions confidently."

Dana recognized that she was able to not sell products to consumers and instead help instructors and trainers reach a larger audience. Dana's message could reach more individuals, her business would make money and she'd be happy about her impact.

"I am a huge fan of providing content for those who require it, for no cost when I am able to. Being a part of community-based organisations as well as educational institutions can be a way for me to make this knowledge available for those in need of it since the people who take these classes and programs for free," she shares.

"This could have opened the door to a new customer base for me because I was able to aid facilitators and instructors. I'm able to be at both ends of the table and not sell courses to every person."

When Dana began developing her new curriculum for teachers and educators she realized that it was an ideal fit.

"My initial course launch was a fun test. I'm grateful that I was able to learn what I did, but I'm also glad that I was able to grasp the material quickly and moved into the next chapter."

" allows me to be able to create what I want. I am awestruck by it."

There are no limits to what your tools must be.

For potential clients to meet and connect with potential clients to connect with potential clients, sign up on LinkedIn by sharing your work

"People want to discuss their opinions regarding what they're working on. Follow the groups you'd like to collaborate with and also look up the projects they're working on," Dana notes.

"It's allowed me to understand the area I'd like collaborate with. That's educators as well as non-profit organizations. I'm a resident of Wisconsin, so I'm starting locally and working in local groups in the community. I can reach out to someone I know and say "I'm interested in the great activities you're putting into my area. We can discuss ways we can cooperate.'"

In reimagining her customers and the products they'll require, Dana transformed Healthy Rich into more than a site for financial advice to individuals. The chance is to transform the way we talk around money.

"The method we speak about finance is a problem which I'd like to tackle things differently. I'm hoping to supply the instructors with the tools they need, and ensure that they are teaching it in the most comprehensive and broad perspective, not only the usual financial planning or debt repayment I've seen."

In shifting her audience away from individuals to professionals and teachers, Dana stayed true to her principles and discovered an easier way of sharing her wisdom with the people needing it the most.

Explore new routes and resist the temptation of comparing your travels to other people's

Dana cautions writers that "there's not a perfect route for the way to make this career. It's best to experiment and determine what's the best option your needs."

The most important aspect of figuring out your unique way is not to compare you to those who've created. In contrast, Dana recommends looking to the past to see how much you've grown.

"Everyone is at a point in their life and is trying to get to the next level. What's really helpful for me is to reflect on my past five or 10 years ago," she says.

"When I began my freelance career, I wanted to be an author. I took on a few blogs and freelance work in the beginning but I earned very low pay. If I'm feeling frustrated about the situation in my professional life I think back to my professional experience and recall what I've achieved."

"I managed to secure a full-time job as a staff writer" she says. "In the last few years, I earned 6 figures from freelance writing. This time, I'm moving into an entirely new stage that will see my income rise mostly through freelance writing, I'd prefer to make the money by my business .

"It's frustrating figuring out how to accomplish this, however and if you'd said twelve years ago that I was the position I am was, I would not have believed that this would happen. I'd be really astonished."

In the end making the decision to follow your dream is a huge win, and you're likely to have come a lot further than you thought.

"I believe that working towards this type of goal is something to be proud of no matter what stage you're in."

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