how much money can you make on tpt teachers pay teachers store earning is tpt worth it

Is Selling on TPT Worth it? My Journey to 100k and Quitting my Job!

how much money can you make on tpt teachers pay teachers store earning is tpt worth it

Is selling on TPT worth it? For me, it has been. I’m happy to announce that I’ve finally done it. My Teachers Pay Teachers store is now earning so much money that I am comfortable quitting my day job.

how much money can you make on tpt teachers pay teachers store earning is tpt worth it

What Happened?

I love sharing my TPT journey because I was not an overnight success. In the first few years that I had my TPT store, I thought it was awesome that I had a little extra spending money coming into my PayPal Account. Eventually, I started to dream about earning enough to cover my rent, which was $500 a month at the time. When that finally happened, I dreamed about a 4 figure month for a very long time before it happened. After it did things kind of took off from there.

This month, October 2021, my store crossed a huge milestone: reaching $100,000 in all time earnings. I genuinely couldn’t have ever imagined the jump that my store made after COVID. Now, I’m just trying to be the best steward I can be of the opportunity that I’ve been given.

How Did I Get Here?

Many stores experienced a massive jump in sales when schools abruptly switched to distance learning in March 2020. I was one of those stores. During the turmoil of lockdown, I managed my emotions by creating digital versions of all my resources. Working on my store is sort of a meditative practice for me. I find it calming when colors compliment one another, graphics are perfectly arranged, and text is aligned. This project definitely paid off.

During that time, I also created a lot of new resources, specifically many of my guided readings. Some of the resources I created in lockdown have turned into best sellers for me, and the bundles I made of those readings have also earned me pretty big bucks.

What’s Next?

It’s hard to know what the next goal should even be since I could never have imagined getting to this point in the first place.

I know that I want every resource in my store to represent my best work and most up to date skills and technology, so I’ve hired a VA to help me sift through that and the results have been stunning so far. I’m so happy with the aesthetic updates that we’re doing to bring my old resources into the modern teaching climate.

I’ve also resigned at work, and I’m really looking forward to having more time after this school year finishes to work on really big projects like creating my own year long Life Science Curriculum!

Is Selling on TPT Worth It?

If you take a look at my numbers, you can see that for years Teachers Pay Teachers has just been a hobby for me. Is selling on TPT worth it? I think that depends on who you are and what you like to do with your free time. If you’re like me, and making worksheets give you a sense of security in a chaotic world, then I’d say definitely do it. Create for the joy of creating and let the path determine itself.

There are, of course, other things to consider too. Would you like a little extra income on the side? TPT is fabulous for that! But if you’re looking to make TPT your whole livelihood, there’s other things to consider like where you’ll get your insurance and how you can earn enough on TPT to cover all those expenses.

Additionally, I think I got into TPT at a time when it may have been a little easier to achieve growth, but then again it’s never too late. If the resources you create are unique and fill a need, you’ll make sales. Sales lead to reviews and reviews lead to even more sales! Just keep in mind that what the average TPT buyer expects has definitely inflated over time. Professional, polished products are the only option now-a-days. Gone are the times when a bare bones Word doc with no cover could earn good money!

How Much Does the Average TPT Seller Make?

If you take a look at my sales data, you’ll see that the “average” TPT seller doesn’t really exist. I think for most, you’ll get out of TPT whatever you put into it. Teachers Pay Teachers is by no means an easy way to make money, or a way to start earning a lot of passive income overnight. Like any business, if you want to be successful, be prepared to put in tons of hours. And I do mean TONS. If making resources doesn’t spark joy for you, I’d steer away. If it does, however, you’ve got no reason not to start now! Some money is always better than none!

Can You Make A Living on TPT?

I wish I had a magic wand that could tell me how many hours I’ve truly put into my TPT store. I suspect that the hourly rate I’m earning may be pretty sad. As my earnings have increased, so have the hours I’m putting into my store. Now, I work nights and weekends to keep customers happy and to make sure everything is lined up for my VA to get things done.

Finally, I can proudly say that I’m earning more at my job where I work less hours (my TPT store) than I am at my job where I work more hours (my teaching job). It only makes sense to quit now and see where TPT takes me next. For me, though, this has been a journey of almost ten years. There are hidden costs too. I’ll have to pay to go on my husband’s insurance, for one. That being said, though, you can definitely make a living on TPT if you’re willing to work for it. Is selling on TPT worth it? I’d say yes, yes, yes!