Meet Alicia: Creating to Educate
Alicia is not only the founder of her small business Primary Scouts through Teachers Pay Teachers, but she is also a partner and collaborator amongst the education world. Even if you aren’t a teacher, you should download one of her resources just to see how beautiful and intentionally created they are! Everyone can learn something from how she intentionally creates to educate others!
Can you tell us a little bit about who you are and your journey to where you are now?
My name is Alicia Woodson, and I am currently an educator- I grew up in East Texas, a very small town. Growing up, I feel like I liked school up until about Middle School, when I began to struggle with standardized testing. The older I got, I became more hesitant in school. I honestly wasn’t even excited to go off and start college!
I really wanted to be like my older brother though because he had started his business at 19! From a very young age, I was just trying to follow in his footsteps. I went to a community college my first year and just didn't love it. I always felt like something was wrong with me because of that. I really struggled in math in particular so I would take one class at a time, but it was never enough for it to be of substance. If we had big speaking projects for class, I wouldn't show up because I didn’t believe in myself.
Because I got labeled as a kid who struggled, I finally decided at age 24 that I wanted to change that- I made the choice to believe that I had certain gifts, and until I used those certain gifts, I wouldn’t feel fulfilled. In the meantime, I worked for a lot of different retailers doing merchandising. I learned to use a camera and do different design things. Those are all relevant for me right now with my business actually! My journey wasn't purposeless. I just feel like it all came together when I finished college and decided to go into teaching! I taught fourth grade for two years where I taught math- I got to helps kids who were like me. Finally, I ended up in Kindergarten because I realized the importance of the foundation of reading- I even went to get my masters to become a Librarian because if I could really teach kids to learn to love books and explore the world through that lens, I could impact them long term.
This is also when I started my Teachers Pay Teachers account and really began online networking which has grown my business into what it is now. I know way back in the day, I was embarrassed for a reason- it made me who I am now. It made me capable to embrace the things I am doing today! We are not perfect- our struggles happens for a reason and a purpose.
2. Tell us about the mission of your brand. How does it empower women?
I feel like for me as who I am, and for what it is that I'm creating and putting out there, they all are aligned in a way that they all promote a different type of thinking- there is no one way to do something so I am all about embracing outside the box thinking and this is how I empower others! In terms of empowering women, I grew up in a time where they stereotyped girls being good at reading and writing and boys being good at math so they would tell me I’m struggling in math because boys are better at it. This caused me to question myself from an early age with: what am I good at? and not feeling good enough because of that.
To bring it back to the out of the box thinking I promote, I always think about what I want the outcome to be first and how I will capture their attention by engaging each individual thinker. If they connect with the material in a way that speaks to them, it is much more likely to stick!
3. What is the biggest challenge that you've had to face as a female entrepreneur? What are the steps that you've taken to overcome it?
When I hear this question, my mind goes to social media automatically. It’s really tough first of all because you are being really vulnerable and putting your entire self out there! The whole world can see and comment on your life and, even if it's deleted, it's truly never gone. To avoid feeling brought down by social media, I will delete negative comments. When I do delete a comment, I will write them a message letting them know why I deleted it- I try to keep it light and keep it positive and to focus on what the photo is promoting! To communicate with people that are not always happy with you is a struggle. I am very much a people pleaser so if anything is misconstrued, I take it very personally. I have learned to approach it with more of a business mindset so that I don’t take it so personally!
4. How do you collaborate with others working towards creating a better world?
When I think of collaboration, I think of it in a lot of different ways. I feel like the most common type of collaboration for me is online. I’ve met so many supportive positive teachers that I can partner with. We will do a lot of giveaways together that promote a similar mission and positive vibe.
As far as sponsorships, I won’t do those unless I’m very loyal to the brand and really support their product. I also love promoting other friends’ brands. I have a friend that does Care Crate. So I will promote her stuff for her because she really promotes teacher self care as well. Being transparent about your message as a brand is the most important source of grounding your collaborations in my opinion.
When I post a resource, it is always going to be something that my team of teachers at school and I have already tested out that ended up working super well for us! In particular, I have been focusing in on how to integrate technology in the classroom- I’ve been testing everything out with my students this last year to bring resources to TPT in the coming year! I want to help break the barrier between the intimidation of using technology and integrating it in the classroom. My Instagram stories are also a way to collaborate because I feature brands that I want to spread awareness for!
5. What advice would you offer to a female entrepreneur in the beginning stages of launching her brand or business?
Don't give up. It’s so easy to focus on the number of likes on your photo but it’s not about that- at the end of the day, it’s about what I do with my students and what they are learning! My second piece of advice would be to always think of the end result of what you're doing and why you're doing it. If it's something that you're proud of at the end of the day, that's all that matters. Passion is contagious, and people know when something is authentic. Over time if you stick with it, you will grow and your audience will grow! I used to compare myself to individuals that were finishing school and felt something was wrong with me, but it wasn’t until I let go of that comparison that I was able to make the decision for myself about the path I wanted to take!