How I Used My “Semester-Proof” Business to Pay Off Over $16,000 Debt

Short on time? Here’s a summary:

In the mini case study above, I get into how I created what I call a semester-proof business to help me pay off all of my credit card debt. In my first two years of business, it was basically a glorified hobby because I made $0 in revenue. The money was not rolling in as I’d hoped.

But I made a change in year three that converted my side hustle hobby into the profitable business that I needed and absolutely transformed my life.

My secret is not spending more time on social media. It’s not spending less time on my academic responsibilities to dedicate to my business. In fact, I spend less than 5 hours/week on my semester-proof business and I detail my complete journey from academic side hustler to profitable business owner in my essay, The Secret Life of an Academic Entrepreneur. You can read or listen to the essay here!

Long story short:

My academic salary alone was not enough to free me from my financial woes. I needed an additional stream of income to become financially free. My semester-proof business was THE thing that got me out of credit card debt.

And the best thing about my semester-proof business philosophy is that I didn’t have to neglect my academic career!

In the same year that my business surpassed $100,000 in revenue, I was promoted a year early and won a coveted teaching award! 🙌🏾

If you are an academic who wants to make a bigger impact while exploding your income with the knowledge already inside of your head, through consulting, coaching, speaking, writing, or teaching, but the time constraints of a busy semester are keeping you from growing your business or even getting started, a semester-proof business is going to be your best friend.

I have a free video series on how to plan out your own semester-proof business.

However, if you know that this is the year you want to transform your valuable idea (or side hustle hobby) into a bankable business that complements your academic schedule and makes money on autopilot…even during a busy semester, you can jump straight into our Semester-Proof Business Course.

The Semester-Proof Business Course is our foundational course that will help you set up the systems you need inside of your (future) knowledge-based business to actually get sales when you are busy with your academic responsibilities. You can register for the course here!

Links Referenced in the Video:

Dr. Emily Roberts - Personal Finance for PhDs: http://pfforphds.com/

How I Bought my Condo with no Savings: https://youtu.be/ugwUvJSYmpo