How I Spent $50K on Business Coaching—and Why It Was Worth Every Penny
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When you're thinking about investing in a coaching program like Six Figure Professor, it's natural to feel a little nervous. Especially if it's the first time you've made a big financial commitment to your business.
I've been there. That feeling of wondering, “Will this actually work for me?”
So I wanted to do something I haven’t done in a while—get fully transparent about the investments I’ve made in my business over the past 7–8 years, how I made those decisions, and how they helped me grow a six-figure business while teaching full time.
Spoiler alert: I’ve spent about $50,000 on business coaching and courses.
And I don’t regret a single dollar.
Let’s rewind and walk through it.
The Difference Between Business Operations and Business Investments
When I started my business during my first year as a lecturer, I was making a modest academic salary and had zero business income. So I had to be really intentional with how I spent money.
I separated expenses into two categories:
Operations: What it takes to run the business. Think: website hosting, email platform, software.
Investments: What it takes to grow the business. Think: coaching, courses, mentorship, strategy.
Back then, I asked myself: If I were treating this like a hobby I love—like yoga or wine tastings—how much would I spend per month? My answer? About $250–$300. That became my operations budget. And I stuck to it.
But growth? That came when I started making intentional investments—ones that helped me choose the right niche, build systems, improve my messaging, and sell with clarity.
The $1K Course That Changed Everything
My very first business (before The Academic Society) was called Minted and Printed, and it was all about helping young professionals with their finances. The problem? I wasn’t passionate about it—and I wasn’t an expert in that topic either.
Enter my first big investment: a $1,000 course from Mariah Coz called Launch Your Signature Course.
She said something that shifted everything for me:
“Your ideal customer is probably where you were 6 months to 2 years ago.”
For me, that was grad school. And suddenly, everything clicked.
That one insight helped me pivot to The Academic Society, where I began supporting grad students with productivity and time management—a topic I was actually excited and qualified to teach.
That $1,000 course saved me from building a business that would’ve drained me.
My First $1,400 in Sales
After refining my niche, I invested in another course from Mariah: Your First 1K, which was all about making your first $1,000 online. I used what I learned to create my first successful offer, the Productivity Accelerator.
I made $1,400 in sales.
That was the moment I hired an accountant. Because for the first time, I had real business income.
Learning How to Use YouTube to Grow My Audience
Early on, YouTube was my main marketing platform. So I took a $500–$1,000 YouTube Bootcamp with Erica Vieira to learn how to create content that would actually be found.
It worked. I now have 14K+ subscribers and a channel that still brings in new customers—even when I haven’t posted in months.
Some of my videos still generate $100–$1,000 per month in passive income. More importantly, they continue to attract the right people into my world.
Leveling Up with 1:1 Coaching
Once I had some traction, I wanted to deepen my skills—especially in writing, messaging, and building scalable systems. That’s when I found Regina Anaejionu.
I invested in her courses, workshops, and eventually her $6,000 one-on-one coaching program.
This investment helped me:
Launch my first book (#GRADBOSS: A Grad School Survival Guide)
Improve my sales pages and copy
Clarify my voice and message
Build systems that matched my energy and goals
Regina became a mentor whose guidance I still value today. When she puts something out, I buy it. And that’s the kind of relationship I now strive to build with my audience too.
The $10K Program That Took Me from $60K to $100K
When I was making $60K in my business, I made my biggest investment yet: $10,000 for the high-touch version of James Wedmore’s Business by Design.
It paid off almost immediately.
The next year, I made $100,000 in my business—more than my teaching salary.
His program helped me understand:
The psychology of sales
How to craft messaging that connects
What systems to use on the backend
Different business models for different personalities
This was a turning point. It gave me the knowledge and confidence to help other professors build businesses that work with their lifestyle, not against it.
Becoming a Service Provider with Jereshia Hawk
As my audience of professors grew, many started asking for help building their own businesses. I was ready to pivot from digital products to services.
So I enrolled in Services That Sell with Jereshia Hawk ($2,500). She taught me how to create a simple, clear service with one promise for one person.
From that program, I launched my first done-with-you offer: Simplified with Systems, a one-day experience for building a semester-proof business strategy.
It sold quickly.
That gave me the courage to move into coaching. And from that seed, Six Figure Professor was born.
The Framework That Helped Me Sell Out My First Cohort
Last year, I joined Million Dollar Email with Kirsten Roldan ($2,500/year, re-enrolled for another year).
It helped me:
Refocus on email instead of social media
Sell out my first cohort of Six Figure Professor just from my waitlist
Design a program with clear results and confident positioning
Kirsten’s frameworks helped me combine everything I’d learned up until that point into one streamlined system. And it worked.
The $12K Investment That’s Changing How I Run My Business
Today, I’m inside Million Dollar CEO, also with Kirsten ($12,000/year). It focuses on mindset, systems, and team.
And it’s already transformed:
How I manage my time (coaching on specific days only = game-changer)
How I delegate and lead with clarity
How I launch with ease and confidence
I’ve never felt more in control or more supported in my business. And that shows in the way I serve my clients.
So… Was It All Worth It?
100%.
I didn’t invest $50K in one year. I made strategic investments over time, based on what I needed to grow next.
And the results?
A six-figure business
A program that sells out via email
A clear business model that fits my life
A community of professorpreneurs doing the same
Final Thoughts: If You’re Considering Investing in Your Business…
Whether it’s my program or someone else’s, I want you to know this:
The people who grow their businesses the fastest?
They get support.
They don’t try to figure it all out alone.
They don’t wait until it’s “perfect.”
They invest before they feel totally ready—and they rise to meet the moment.
So if you’re wondering whether Six Figure Professor is your next right step, ask yourself:
What would it be worth to finally have clarity, structure, and systems that actually work with your semester?
We’re enrolling now. Only 4 spots left.
Join here or join the waitlist if enrollment is closed.
Let’s build a semester-proof business you’re proud of.
You deserve it.
