Two Wacky Teacherpreneurs Tell All

Jessica Martin & Amanda Werner
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Jess and Amanda have been friends and teacherpreneurs for over ten years! They are excited to share their silly banter and business acumen with teachers who are looking to start a business and begin making recurring revenue online! 

  1. Aug 29

    10+ Years on TPT: What We'd Do Differently and What We Got Right From the Start

    What does a TPT product made by a third-year teacher in 2014 have in common with one made by a 15th-year veteran in 2026? More than you'd think — and less than you'd expect. In this episode of Two Wacky Teacherpreneurs Tell All, Amanda and Jess go all the way back to their very first TPT products and trace how they've grown as sellers over more than a decade — what they've changed, what they wish they'd done sooner, and what they're surprised still works exactly the way it did on day one. Amanda pulls up her original government simulation — a simple PDF that's been her bestseller for over 10 years — and debates whether to revamp it or leave it alone. Jess shares how her approach to product creation has completely changed now that she's a veteran teacher with 1,000 students and a paper allotment that wouldn't cover a single week. The result is an honest, reflective conversation about what actually matters when you're building a TPT store for the long haul. In this episode, you'll learn: Amanda's origin story: starting her TPT store in 2013 while pregnant, six years into teaching, thinking it was just a fun hobby — and having no idea she was entering a decade-long businessJess's origin story: reading about Deanna Jump making a million dollars on TPT, opening a store, and taking two full years before releasing her first product at the end of her third year teachingWhy Amanda's original government simulation — a straightforward, day-by-day PDF with no bells and whistles — is still her top seller after 10+ years, and why she decided not to overhaul itThe case for simple products: sometimes "everything in one student-facing PDF" is exactly what teachers want, and overcomplicating a product that already works is a mistakeHow to add a Google Slides version without making anything editable — Jess's trick of saving PowerPoint pages as images so teachers can project them but can't steal the contentWhy every product should now offer multiple modes: printable, projectable, and discussion-based — because paper allotments, 1:1 devices, and classroom norms have all changed dramatically since 2013How teaching experience makes you a better product creator: Jess's shift from "just a PDF" to products with discussion guides, scaffolding, and multiple delivery options came from 15 years of knowing what teachers actually needWhy AI slop isn't replacing quality TPT products — and why both Amanda and Jess believe teachers can tell the difference between human-made and AI-generated resourcesThe confidence that comes with age: Amanda on being more focused and confident now despite feeling scattered, and Jess on finally being willing to put in the extra effort she skipped as a new sellerWhat hasn't changed in 10 years: the fundamentals of making something you've used in your own classroom, solving a real problem, and keeping it simple enough that a teacher can download it and use it tomorrowWatch this episode on YouTube to see Amanda's original government simulation as her Zoom background (backwards eagle and all), her Suzuki Celerio reveal from Uruguay, and Jess's giant green Band-Aid heart. Subscribe and leave a five-star review — and remember, if you share this podcast with 10 other people, you'll have good luck forever.

  2. Aug 8

    TPT Search Analytics Explained: How to Use Your Data to Make More Sales

    TPT just launched a powerful new search analytics tool — and most sellers don't even know it's there. In this episode of Two Wacky Teacherpreneurs Tell All, Amanda and Jess open their TPT dashboards on screen and explore the new My Search Analytics feature together in real time, uncovering which keywords are actually driving traffic to their stores, which products are converting and which ones nobody's buying, and what all of that data means for product strategy. This isn't a tutorial from someone who's already mastered it. It's two veteran sellers clicking buttons, discovering data, and brainstorming what to do with it — exactly the way most teacherpreneurs will experience this tool for the first time. In this episode, you'll learn: Where to find TPT's new search analytics: Dashboard → My Search Analytics (the second button over — look for the colorful keyword bubbles)What the bubbles mean: your top keywords by search visit percentage, showing you exactly what phrases teachers are using to find your storeAmanda's top keywords: "mafia game" (33% of all search visits), "folktale," "team-building activities middle school," and "copyright fair use" — and what each one tells her about where to invest her timeJess's top keywords: "goodbye letter from teacher," "welcome letter to parents template," and "New York State" — and why a single state report showing up reveals seasonal search behaviorWhat a good conversion rate actually is on TPT: the industry standard is 5% for online businesses, but TPT sellers regularly see 22%, 50%, even 100% on niche products — and what the conference panelists said about what that meansAmanda's 22.22% conversion rate on her Mafia Game: what that number means and how she can use it to prioritize marketingThe 0% conversion problem: when 10 people click and nobody buys, that's a signal something's wrong with your preview, price, or product — not your keywordHow to use date ranges strategically: checking August keywords now so you can plan back-to-school marketing, email campaigns, and Pinterest pins in advanceThe big TPT conference insight on grade-specific products: teachers search by individual grade, so a product for "4th grade" will outsell a product spanning grades 3–5Why Pinterest is having a major comeback — but you must pin from a blog post, never directly from your TPT store or YouTube (both platforms now block rich data from external scraping)Why TPT conference had zero sessions on YouTube, TikTok, or Facebook Creator — and why Jess filed a complaintThe Facebook Creator program: Jess's friend is making more money from short Facebook videos about picture books than from all her other businesses combinedWatch this episode on YouTube to see Amanda and Jess's matching TPT analytics screenshots as their Zoom backgrounds and their live screen-shares of the new dashboard. Subscribe and leave a five-star review — and remember, if you share this podcast with 10 other people, you'll have good luck forever.

  3. Aug 1

    Should You Start Over or Revive Your Dead Instagram? Honest Advice for Teacherpreneurs

    Amanda hasn't posted on Instagram since September 2022. She still has 5,000 followers. She's still getting 70 views a month from people she's never met. So should she delete everything and start fresh — or can she bring it back from the dead? In this episode of Two Wacky Teacherpreneurs Tell All, Jess (who went through this exact process over the past six months) gives Amanda a full Instagram audit and revival plan, complete with the one piece of advice Claude keeps giving her that she doesn't want to hear: be consistent. This episode is for every teacherpreneur who built an Instagram presence, abandoned it during COVID or the TikTok era, and is now staring at a dormant account wondering if it's too late. Spoiler: it's not. But there are some things you need to know first. In this episode, you'll learn: Why you should never delete and start over — your 5,000 followers are 5,000 people who already chose you, and rebuilding from zero is infinitely harder than reviving what you haveInstagram's "200-view jail" explained: when you come back after a long absence, Instagram caps your reach at around 200 views to test whether you're really back — and posting from an international IP address (like Uruguay) makes it even worseHow long the jail period lasts: Jess's experience says 3–6 months of consistent posting before views climb back to normalWhat "consistent" actually means: not daily posting, but high-quality content every few weeks — Claude's advice is at least once a week on your feedWhy Jess's Instagram views dropped to 200/day while she was in Germany — and immediately jumped back to 1,200 when she returned to the USAmanda's unique content style: iPad handwritten charts and lists using an Apple Pen — and why Jess thinks filming the handwriting process as a reel would crush it (a coworker got 2 million TikTok followers doing this)The B-roll strategy: film yourself typing, walking, making coffee — then add a profound text overlay about teaching or writing. It works because it's ASMR-adjacent and people can't look awayJess's brand deal strategy: how she pivoted from selling TPT products on Instagram to landing Scholastic sponsorships ($3,000 in free books) and paid brand deals ($250 per video)Why fun is the only sustainable Instagram strategy for neurodivergent creators — Amanda's honest admission that the moment something isn't fun anymore, she quitsThe environment hack: Jess's smiley face tapestry that makes her want to film, and why setting up a fun filming spot matters more than any content calendarJess's new puppet from Germany (name TBD — Blaubeere is a contender), Amanda's cat ear filter, and a cat with diarrhea in UruguayWatch this episode on YouTube to see Amanda's fuzzy winter jacket (it's July in the Southern Hemisphere), Jess's tank top in 110-degree Las Vegas heat, and the debut of the unnamed blue puppet with devil horns. Subscribe and leave a five-star review — and remember, if you share this podcast with 10 other people, you'll have good luck forever.

  4. Jul 25

    Digital Nomad Dreams vs. Reality: What No One Tells You About Moving Your Business Abroad

    She actually did it. Amanda sold her house, got rid of nearly everything she owned, packed a cat into a tiny carrier (which went about as well as you'd imagine), and moved her family from the Bay Area to Uruguay on a one-way ticket.  In this episode of Two Wacky Teacherpreneurs Tell All, Amanda gives Jess — and the audience — the unfiltered, chaotic, very real update on what the first weeks of expat life were actually like. This is not a polished digital nomad vlog. This is an episode that starts with three false starts because Amanda's kid is yelling from the next room and Jess's blind, partially deaf dog with dementia is barking in Las Vegas. The bloopers stayed in because that's literally what life sounds like right now. In this episode, you'll learn: Why everything in Uruguay is miniature: tiny toilets, tiny cars, tiny sinks, tiny ovens, tiny parking spots, tiny underwear — and how the Suzuki Celerio they just bought was described online as "a great starter car for a 16-year-old"The cat pee suitcase disaster: arriving at 10 PM with no litter box, no stores open, and waking up to discover the cat had thoroughly soaked their entire (already minimal) wardrobeWhy there are no dryers in Uruguay — and no enzymatic cleaners, no pot holders, and no spatulas that would be recognizable to an AmericanThe minimalism reality check: Jess's observation that minimalism is romanticized by upper-middle-class Americans, and Amanda's lived experience of actually doing it involuntarilyWhy Amanda has no regrets — and the disillusionment with American life that prompted the moveThe digital nomad myth: why Amanda thinks "just open your laptop and start working in a new country" is unrealistic — between learning a new language, navigating bureaucracy, getting a cedula, and adjusting to a new culture, she hasn't done any business in monthsThe cost reality: Uruguay is the most expensive country to live in Latin America — this isn't Southeast AsiaTemporary residency vs. permanent residency vs. citizenship — and why Amanda's family will always remain US citizensWhy Amanda's TPT income being a hobby rather than a necessity made this move possible — and what it would take if you were dependent on that incomeJess's summer update: school year over, about to leave for Germany, and her family's extremely intense relationship with pot holdersWatch this episode on YouTube to see Amanda's Uruguayan flag background, Jess's Zoom conveyor belt, and all three false starts they refused to edit out. Subscribe and leave a five-star review — and remember, if you share this podcast with 10 other people, you'll have good luck forever.

  5. Jul 17

    TPT Forward 2026 Recap: The Biggest Takeaways Every Seller Needs to Hear (Even If You Didn't Go)

    Jess went to TPT Forward 2026 in Las Vegas — and came back with a notebook full of takeaways, a renewed love for TPT, and intel that every seller needs to hear whether they were there or not. In this episode of Two Wacky Teacherpreneurs Tell All, Jess debriefs Amanda on everything: the sessions that blew her mind, the data TPT shared about what's actually driving (and killing) sales, the platform's strategy for fighting AI search engines, and the emotional moment when she realized 60–70% of the room was still full-time classroom teachers — just like her. This is the conference recap episode you've been waiting for. If you couldn't make it to Las Vegas, consider this your crash course. In this episode, you'll learn: The preview revelation: TPT's internal data shows that 60% of products don't have previews, and products without previews aren't selling. Your preview — not your description — is what teachers look at before buying. It should show every page and function as your sales page.The first 300 words matter most: With AI search engines pulling snippets from product listings, TPT recommends front-loading your first 300 words with exactly what teachers search for — no upselling, no links to other products, and include every variation of your grade level (6, sixth, grade six)The $100K freebie strategy: One presenter traced how she made $100,000 by linking paid resources on the first page of her freebie using UTM codes to track performance — a strategy most sellers have never triedHow TPT is fighting AI search: TPT is building landing pages optimized for AI search engines so that teacher queries land on TPT blog content first, funneling them to products. Their message: "We'll be here in 20 years. We're never selling."IXL's commitment: The IXL CEO addressed the room directly — they are not selling TPT, they're investing long-term, and they believe in the teacher-author modelThe One Thing Strategy from closing keynote speaker Erin Waters: stop working on 20 projects. Pick the one product idea that keeps popping into your head — the one you want to pull over and write down — and go all in on it. Her math game bundle, born from this philosophy, still makes up 70% of her revenueThe power of bundles: Seller advisory board members revealed they create mega-bundles of their entire store priced at $500–$900, feature them in their top four products, and sell a few per yearThe 60% surprise: When the room was polled, 60–70% of attendees were still full-time classroom teachers — a shift from previous years that made Jess feel like she belonged againSearch behavior changes by season: TPT data shows teachers search differently as the year progresses — complete sentences and formal terms in August, slang and abbreviations (like "LANG" instead of "English Language Arts") by May. Top sellers adjust their titles accordinglySnapseed: A free app for product photography — the session taught sellers how to make paper-on-a-table photos look professional by adjusting individual colors and white balanceAI isn't replacing TPT — it's complementing it: Amanda's take on why Claude's slide-making capabilities are impressive but "still not good enough," and why teachers use ChatGPT AND TPT together, not one or the otherClaude was named the best AI for business analytics at the AI advisory board session — ahead of competitors, though the landscape shifts every few monthsShoutouts: Nancy / The Apple Basket Teacher (37 years of third-grade teaching)Ashley Bible (money mindset session)The Techy Chick (product photography session)Erin Waters (closing keynote — The One Thing)Tools mentioned: Snapseed (free photo editing app)A Color Story (photo editing, free trial)YDP — Your Data Playbook (TPT analytics)Claude by AnthropicWatch this episode on YouTube to see Amanda's and Jess's TPT storefront screenshots as backgrounds — and compare their follower counts if you dare. Subscribe and leave a five-star review — and remember, if you share this podcast with 10 other people, you'll have good luck forever.

  6. Jul 10

    Your TPT Products Could Be Books: How to Pivot From Digital Resources to E-Books and Audiobooks

    What if every TPT product you've ever made could also be a book? In this episode of Two Wacky Teacherpreneurs Tell All, Jess shares everything she learned from a published author in her sci-fi social club who created an entirely new genre of fiction, self-published it across multiple platforms, and built a business around it — and Amanda asks the questions every teacherpreneur is thinking: how hard is this, how much does it cost, and could we actually do it? From Amazon KDP royalty splits to Audible's ruthless quality audio standards to the trilogy strategy that e-book millionaires use to hook readers and build income, this episode is a crash course in digital publishing for teacherpreneurs who are looking for revenue streams beyond TPT. In this episode, you'll learn: The real story behind "relief fiction": how one author invented an entirely new genre inspired by Dr. Pimple Popper, self-published it, and built a multi-platform business around short stories about satisfying bodily experiencesAmazon KDP royalty breakdown: Amazon takes 30% of your profits, and you make even less on print editionsThe exclusivity decision: if you check "sell exclusively on Amazon," they push your book to more Kindle readers — but you can't sell it anywhere else, including your own websiteBookFunnel ($300/year): the service that lets authors deliver e-books directly to readers, manage giveaways, and bypass Amazon entirelyThe real cost of self-publishing: Kajabi ($400/month), BookFunnel ($300/year), Zapier for integrations, ElevenLabs for AI voice, Epidemic Sound for audio, Canva for covers, and a voice actor ($1,200+ for an audiobook)Why Audible is the hardest platform to publish on: they reject anything with background noise, imperfect sound quality, or amateur production — every second is reviewedThe trilogy strategy that e-book millionaires use: release book one for free or $0.99, end on a cliffhanger, then sell books two and three for $3–$10 eachWhy Jess says the millionaire e-books she bought "weren't the bestest" — and why that's actually encouraging for teacherpreneurs who think they're not good enough writersHow teacherpreneurs could apply the trilogy model to nonfiction: units of study, professional development series, or progressive curriculum guidesWhere to sell: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Audible, your own website (via Kajabi, WooCommerce, or Etsy), and even TPTTools and platforms discussed: Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)AudibleBookFunnel (e-book delivery and distribution)Kajabi (website and course platform)Zapier (integration and automation)ElevenLabs (AI voice generation)Epidemic Sound (royalty-free sound effects and music)Canva (cover design)Claude by Anthropic (used live for research)Mentioned in this episode: Relief Fiction Publishing by Kai Quill — reliefstories.comWatch this episode on YouTube to see Amanda's e-reader background and Jess's science fiction club enthusiasm in full effect. Subscribe and leave a five-star review — and remember, if you share this podcast with 10 other people, you'll have good luck forever.

  7. Jul 3

    Jess is Going to the TPT Conference! TPT Forward 2026: Picking Sessions, Planning Strategy, and Finding Your People

    Jess said she might not go. She went to Germany for a month. She was worried she'd come back with a "weird disease." But Jess is officially going to TPT Forward 2026 — and in this episode of Two Wacky Teacherpreneurs Tell All, she and Amanda go through the entire 27-page conference guide, session by session, debating what's worth attending, what to skip, and how to make the most of three days at the Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World. Whether you're heading to TPT Forward yourself or living vicariously through Jess from your couch (like Amanda, who's watching from Uruguay), this episode is your unofficial conference companion — complete with honest takes on most of the sessions, insider tips from someone who's been to six of these conferences, and a sprinkle pool! In this episode, you'll learn: Jess's full session picks for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday — and Amanda's picks for the ones she'd go to if she weren't 5,000 miles awayThe sessions they're most excited about: Free Resources That Actually Sell, TPT Templates for Thumbnails and Previews, the AI Advisory Board session, Blogger's Boot Camp, and Creating Loyal Super FansWhy Amanda thinks the store audit sessions are gold but Jess doesn't want to be "put on the spot like a big buffoon"The AI Advisory Board session breakdown: is it about AI agents or AI consulting tools? Amanda and Jess debate what it actually covers and whether the session is about Claude-style agents or something else entirelyInsider conference tips from a veteran: join the Facebook group early (but be prepared to send receipts), make game-time decisions based on hallway buzz, and don't underestimate the networking breakfast by grade bandJess's conference origin story: how TPT Forward changed her entire business the first time she went — and the time she left her purse (with truck keys, house keys, school keys, and all credit cards) in a Disney Sports hotel in Orlando and was stranded in Salt Lake CityThe IXL CEO and TPT product team session: why hearing directly from the source is always worth your timeYour Guide to the Search Universe from Team TPT: understanding how TPT search actually worksThe ice cream museum meetup: Jess organized a group outing to a giant swimming pool full of sprinkles, and Miss Whimsy is planning to come:)Why Jess thinks collaboration over competition is the real conference takeaway — and how she's already connecting with sellers who have similar store namesComing next episode: should you scrap your social media and start over? Plus a full TPT Forward recapConference details: TPT Forward 2026: July 7–9, Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts WorldKeynote speaker: Ayo JonesFollow along: Jess on Instagram: @the_whimsical_teacher (for conference stories and the sprinkle pool)Amanda on Instagram: @theculturedmom (for propane-truck-disguised-as-ice-cream-truck content from Uruguay)Subscribe and leave a five-star review — and remember, if you share this podcast with 10 other people, you'll have good luck forever.

  8. Jun 26

    Should Jess Go to the TpT Conference in Vegas?

    TPT Forward 2026 takes place July 7–9 at the Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World — and Jess lives in Las Vegas. So she's going, right? Maybe. In this episode of Two Wacky Teacherpreneurs Tell All, Jess and Amanda go through the entire TPT Forward 2026 conference guide session by session, debating which ones are worth attending, which ones sound like recycled advice, and whether the conference is still valuable for a seller who's been to five or six of them already. What starts as a simple "should I go?" turns into one of the most honest conversations about the TPT seller community you'll ever hear — covering the haves-and-have-nots dynamic at conferences, the role of generational wealth in TPT success, why the advice that changed Jess's career came from her very first conference, and whether blogging is dead in the age of AI. In this episode, you'll learn: The full TPT Forward 2026 session lineup, reviewed and ranked by two veteran sellers: everything from "From Resource to Unit to Curriculum for Secondary Sellers" to "Your AI Advisory Board" to "Blogger's Boot Camp"Jess's origin story: how her first TPT conference launched her entire social media career — the trifecta advice (blog + Pinterest + social media → TPT store) that started everythingThe haves and have-nots: Jess's candid take on the wealth display at TPT conferences — the Louis Vuitton bags, the Louboutin heels, and what it feels like to be a smaller seller in that roomThe generational wealth conversation: why some sellers start from a higher elevation and how access to capital for websites, virtual assistants, and business tools creates an uneven playing fieldWhy Jess would attend: the Canva product creation session, Ashley Bible's money mindset talk, the AI advisory board session, and the thumbnails workshopWhy Jess might skip: email funnels she can't build, sessions that don't differentiate between novice and advanced sellers, and post-trip exhaustion from a month in GermanyAmanda's conference frustration as a neurodivergent attendee: over-excitability, information overload, and wanting concise quick wins instead of hour-long deep divesThe "is blogging dead?" debate: Amanda argues AI is just a fancy search engine that still links to blogs; Jess isn't sure anymoreWhy Amanda wants Jess to go: the gossip, the learnings, and the vicarious conference experience from UruguayThe sessions Amanda is most curious about: AI advisory board, thumbnails, and product partnersConference details: TPT Forward 2026 runs July 7–9 at the Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts WorldSessions cover resource creation, marketing, productivity, data, and more, with a keynote from Teacher-Author AYO JonesWatch this episode on YouTube to see Amanda's AI-generated entourage of conference-ready ladies and Jess trying not to sneeze on camera. Subscribe and leave a five-star review — and remember, if you share this podcast with 10 other people, you'll have good luck forever.

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About

Jess and Amanda have been friends and teacherpreneurs for over ten years! They are excited to share their silly banter and business acumen with teachers who are looking to start a business and begin making recurring revenue online! 

Information

  • Creator
    Jessica Martin & Amanda Werner
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    84
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Two Wacky Teacherpreneurs Tell All
  • Show Website
    Two Wacky Teacherpreneurs Tell All

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