WELCOME TO

The Secret Society of Academic Entrepreneurs

Where you don’t have to choose between academia and entrepreneurship.

The Secret Society of Academic Entrepreneurs is a private membership for professors and scholars building online businesses that align with their expertise - without being consumed by institutional constraints.

You will gain the support, strategy, and visibility you need to grow your business beyond academia while staying connected to a community of fellow professorpreneurs who are navigating the same journey.

Inside the Secret Society, you will:

  1. Join a community of like-minded academic entrepreneurs

  2. Grow your business without burnout

  3. Shift from hiding to showing up with confidence

Let’s Redefine What it Means to be a Professor in Business!

You don’t need another generic business course.

You don’t need to waste time piecing together random strategies.

You don’t need to choose between academia and entrepreneurship.

We’re rewriting the narrative of what it means to be a professor in business, dismantling the outdated belief that academia and entrepreneurship can’t coexist. The Secret Society of Academic Entrepreneurs is your space to be visible, to thrive, and to create the kind of business that allows you to reclaim your time, energy, and financial future.

A PRIVATE NETWORK FOR PROFESSORS WHO REFUSE TO STAY INVISIBLE

I started my online business while working as a college lecturer, navigating a heavy course load, mentoring, and leadership responsibilities — and still grew a business that supports my lifestyle and values.

I’VE BUILT A SIX-FIGURE BUSINESS HELPING GRAD STUDENTS AND PROFESSORS, ALL WHILE KEEPING MY WORKLOAD INTENTIONAL AND SUSTAINABLE.

I know what it’s like to want financial independence, impact, and balance. I also know what it’s like to be hesitant to step outside of the academic structure.

That’s why I created this community—to give you the support, visibility, and strategy to make your business work for you.

PROFESSORS ARE BUILDING BUSINESSES—AND WINNING

And they need a community of other academics who get it!

The Secret Society of Academic Entrepreneurs is built for professors and academic professionals who are ready to take their business seriously.

Inside, you’ll gain access to high-impact business training, thought partnerships, and the kind of community that ensures you’re never navigating this journey alone.

THIS MEMBERSHIP WILL HELP YOU GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH CONFIDENCE AND IN COMMUNITY.

You can access all of this inside The Secret Society:

Monthy

🎙️ The Confidential – A private founder’s memo delivered via audio to share strategy, mindset, and behind-the-scenes updates

🗞️ The Society Pages – A curated monthly newsletter with community updates and opportunities

🤝 Two co-working sessions – Structured, supportive space to get things done

🎧 One asynchronous Q+A audio drop – Ask anything, get thoughtful audio replies

🔁 One asynchronous community event – Thought-provoking, visibility-building audio conversations

Quarterly

🧭 Business Planning Session – Set strategic goals for the next 90 days

🧑🏾‍🏫 Expert Workshop – Led by a successful WOC entrepreneur (2025 guests include Monique Bryan, Gloria Chou, & Dr. Cecily Moore.)

☕ Two Social Chats – Casual conversations to build deeper connections

Always Available

💬 A private community on Communi (not Facebook!) for deep engagement

📣 Dedicated space to promote your offers and collaborate

🎧 Private community podcast feed with replays + introductions

📚 Bonus mini-courses: Evergreen Emails, Visibility Training, Independent Professor Workshop, and more

You’re already running a business, but every semester, grading, research, and committee work push it to the back burner.

Is this you?

You’re in online business communities, but you rarely see conversations that reflect your unique experience as an academic entrepreneur.

You know your expertise is valuable, but marketing yourself outside of academia still feels unnatural.

You have revenue goals, but your launch cycles and business growth feel unpredictable because of the demands of the academic calendar.

You’re tired of explaining to traditional business coaches why your schedule, audience, and professional identity are different from a typical entrepreneur’s.

If this sounds like you, The Secret Society of Academic Entrepreneurs was created especially for you!

You want to step into a space where professorpreneurs thrive—without having to justify your dual career.

What you get when you join…

The Secret Society of Academic Entrepreneurs

 A private community of professors and scholars growing online businesses that align with their expertise.

Ready to join us?

How We Support Your Business

Strategy

Monthly planning tools, quarterly business sessions, and targeted expert workshops keep your business focused and profitable.

Visibility

Opportunities to promote your work, get featured, and learn from experts in branding, media, and marketing.

Support

Co-working, asynchronous engagement, and deep community built around shared values and experiences.

Asynchronously

Our community is intentionally designed to offer value whether or not you show up live. With private podcast feeds, asynchronous events, and replay access, you’ll always feel included and on track.

ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNITY EVENTS

We know that professors have demanding schedules that shift throughout the year. That’s why The Secret Society offers Asynchronous Community Events, allowing you to engage in meaningful activities and collaborations at your own pace.

These events are designed to fit seamlessly into your busy life, ensuring that no matter your schedule, you can stay connected and participate fully.

  • Community Private Podcast – Every member gets an episode to introduce themselves, creating an evolving audio directory of our community. You’ll also find event recordings, discussions, and ongoing reflections all in one place—so you can engage when it works best for you.

  • The Intelligence Dossier Challenge – Participate in a thought-provoking ChatGPT-powered prompt challenge. Share your findings and reflections asynchronously, and we’ll compile them into a collective podcast episode featuring community insights.

  • Professorpreneur Roundtable Series – Each quarter, we’ll pose a big question about academic entrepreneurship (e.g., “How do you balance teaching and business growth?”). Members submit voice notes, and we compile them into a dynamic podcast episode.

  • Semester Reflection & Goal Mapping – Record and submit your reflections on your past semester’s business wins and challenges. Listen in as fellow professorpreneurs share their experiences and insights on how to strategically plan for the next semester.

Our Mission

Support Women of Color

(Almost) every guest workshop speaker will be a woman of color.

Quarter 3 Workshop Guest Speaker

Gloria Chou is a former TV producer and U.S. Diplomat turned PR coach for BIPOC and WOC-owned businesses. She helps small businesses go from unknown to being SEEN, HEARD, and VALUED without ever paying for ads or agencies.

Quarter 4 Workshop Guest Speaker

Dr. Cecily Moore is a professor, therapist, and entrepreneur. She is a fellow academic entrepreneur and recovering SBW (Strong Black Woman) dedicated to the wellness of professional black women through the lens of self, work, and motherhood.

Meet our Facilitators

Dr. Toyin Alli, Founder

Toyin Alli is a Math PhD and university lecturer. She is a six-figure entrepreneur who helps academic professionals build sustainable, semester-proof businesses. As the founder of The Academic Society and The Secret Society of Academic Entrepreneurs, she has empowered countless professors and grad students to create thriving businesses without sacrificing their academic careers. Through her proven frameworks, she teaches professorpreneurs how to generate consistent income, secure speaking engagements, and establish authority in their fields—all while maintaining balance and freedom.

Dr. Bedelia Richards (Chief Accountability Officer)

Dr. Bedelia Richards is a race and education scholar and equity consultant with expertise in helping college professors incorporate inclusive and antiracist pedagogical strategies into their classrooms. She also helps professionals across industries improve their racial literacy and racetalk skills. She is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Richmond and the Founder and CEO of RaceTalk LLC.  She has a Ph.D. in Sociology and has taught courses in sociology, race, and education for over 20 years.

Bonus Mini-Courses for Academic Entrepreneurs

🗓️ Semester-Proof Business Planning Session Walkthrough
Plan your business around the realities of the academic calendar. This walkthrough will help you design a strategy that keeps your business growing without overwhelming your workload during the busiest times of the year. [Previously sold for $25]

👩🏾‍🏫 Independent Professor Workshop
Learn how to position yourself as an independent expert outside of academia, structure offers that align with your expertise, and create income streams that give you financial freedom. [Previously sold for $127]

💌 Evergreen Email Blueprint
Stop relying on live launches. This mini-course walks you through setting up an evergreen email sequence that sells your offers consistently while you focus on your research, teaching, and speaking engagements. [Previously sold for $47]

🗣️ Visibility Training for Academic Entrepreneurs
Gain the confidence to show up in front of the right audiences. This training will help you leverage your existing expertise to attract opportunities, whether that’s through speaking engagements, guest teaching, or content marketing. [Valued at $147]

Bonus Private Podcast Feed

Never miss an important discussion.

Get access to recordings of live workshops, goal-setting sessions, and community updates so you can stay engaged even when you’re balancing your academic and business responsibilities.

Meet A Few Of Our Members

Dr. Jessye Talley

Dr. Jessye Talley is an engineering professor who helps new tenure-track faculty prepare a successful third-year review. She also runs a business with her sister that supports doctoral students in finishing their degree.

Dr. Cecily Moore

Dr. Cecily Moore is a counseling professor, therapist, and entrepreneur dedicated to the wellness of professional Black women through the lens of self, work, and motherhood.

Asya Spears (soon to be Dr)

Asya Spears is a stastician, grad student, and entrepreneur who transforms the landscape of data education through training and innovation that infuse more Data Joy into people's data practices.

Dr. Kendrick Savage

Dr. Kendrick Savage is a math professor, speaker, and author. In his business he helps first generation college students overcome adversity and graduate through speaking engagement and specialty programs.

Dr. Roberta Roberts

Dr. Roberta Roberts is an attorney, law professor, and entrepreneur helping Black Christian women pass the bar exam through her Blessed and Barred coaching program.

 Select the plan that works for you:

Monthly

CANCEL ANYTIME

$100/mo

LIFETIME ACCESS

ONE-TIME FEE

$1000

Note that both membership options include the exact same resources. They are identical, so please choose the best-fit option for you. The lifetime membership has a split pay option.

Refund Policy

There are no refunds. 

The Secret Society for Academic Entrepreneurs is designed for professors who are ready to join a community of peers and transform their online business.  

It’s not designed for academics who haven’t started their business yet.

 Due to the live event access included in this community and instantly redeemable digital downloads, I uphold a strict no-refund policy.

If you join monthly, you are welcome to cancel your membership at any time.

If you annually, you will be notified 30 days prior to your membership renewal date and have the option to rejoin or cancel your membership.

One last thing:

I want you to build a business that truly works for you.

If you’ve made it this far, it’s because you’re ready for something different. You’re ready for a space where your academic career and entrepreneurial dreams don’t have to compete.

I created The Secret Society of Academic Entrepreneurs for professors like you—who are juggling research, teaching, and business, and want a way to make it all work without burnout.

You don’t have to keep wondering how others are doing it—you can join us and see for yourself. With the right community, strategy, and support, you’re closer than you think to a thriving, sustainable business that fits your life.

I can’t wait to celebrate your wins inside the community.

Here’s to your success and a future that honors both your academic and entrepreneurial ambitions.

Dr. Toyin Alli

 Frequently Asked Questions

  • The community is designed specifically for busy professors. If you aren’t available for our live sessions a video recording and audio recording via our private podcast will be available for you.

    Plus, you’ll get audio updates on what is going on the in the group that you can listen to while you drive to work or go for a walk.

  • About 1-3 hours per month.

    We will have two 90-minute optional bi-weekly co-working sessions as part of our monthly schedule.

    We will have 1 live workshop and 1 community mixer per quarter. These workshops will last 60-90 minutes.

    If you miss a live session, community building call, or live workshop, the recording will be adding to our private podcast for you to listen at any time.

    I recommend checking in with the community space in Communi once a week.

  • Wonderful question!

    Also, I know that as a professor, your schedule fluctuates.

    The times that you will be available in July or August will be vastly different than your availability in October.

    Each season, I'll send out a "When Is Good" poll to determine your availability and set the schedule based on that.

    Remember, there will be multiple ways to connect with the group asynchronously.

  • If you sign up for a monthly membership, you can cancel at any time. There is a video inside of the community to walk you through the simple process of canceling your membership.

  • If you haven't started your business yet, this membership isn't the right fit for you.

    However, if you've been in business for a while and are looking for community, this membership is the perfect fit for you!

  • Feel free to reach out with any questions at hello@drtoyinalli.com. We’re here to help!


Do you have any other questions?
contact me at hello@drtoyinalli.com and I'll be happy to answer.

You don’t have to choose between being a professor and being an entrepreneur. You can have both—and you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Inside The Secret Society, you’ll gain the clarity, community, and confidence you need to grow a profitable, fulfilling business alongside your academic career.

 Select the plan that works for you:

Monthly

CANCEL ANYTIME

$100/mo

LIFETIME

ONE-TIME FEE

$1000

Note that both membership options include the exact same resources. They are identical, so please choose the best-fit option for you. The lifetime membership has a split pay option.