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Who Teaches the Teachers with A Playful Purpose, episode number 22. Once the teachers are done school, who teaches them how to do the work that they do? Where do they get all the materials to create and foster an environment that gets kids truly engaged in play? Engaged in learning? This missing piece is where Mariah comes in! On this episode of Path to Business Podcast, we meet the creator of A Playful Purpose.
In The Beginning
Before starting her business, Mariah Scrivens set herself up to become a French teacher. She was always having trouble finding inspiring learning materials that were in the french language. In turn, Mariah started creating her own materials to use in the classroom. She began sharing her creative teaching ideas as a fun way to connect with other teachers who were also facing the same challenge. After a bit of time and hard work, this fun idea has turned into a very profitable side business- almost full-time itself.
Mariah’s mother ran a home daycare, so she was exposed to younger children as part of her daily routine growing up. When she was old enough, Mariah began babysitting the children from the daycare, which led to working at various creative-based day camps. Mariah has always loved creating things. Being around children was the perfect creative outlet for her!
Building The Business
Mariah started off slow- she didn’t see it as a business at first. It was very casual, which allowed her to try things out! She started an Instagram account and made a few contacts within that community. Eventually, she starts seeing her monthly income growing. She continues to grow her online store in cadence with her Instagram presence, and it’s been a huge success. She’s currently expecting a baby boy in June 2021 and staying home for a year to raise him and work on her business.
Highlights and Pivotal Moments for The Business
- The pandemic is a big one- the most obvious one. Pre-pandemic, all the resources Mariah created were printable for the classroom. Very quickly, these tools had to be altered and approved for digital use.
- Being prepared to deal with others copying her work! She has put so much of her heart and energy into her work, and for it to be “ripped off” is never a good feeling. It used to be very hard for Mariah to deal with, but now she is conscious to not let it take up too much of her time and energy.
- Changing The Business Name: Last summer, Mariah decided to shift her focus from Kindergarten to early childhood learning. Once she landed on A Playful Purpose, she felt very aligned with it. It is comfortable and reflects such a big moment for the business.
- Recently, Mariah set what she thought was a laughable monthly sales goal. Steadily, she saw herself reach that goal and even exceed it! Suddenly, her imposter syndrome vanished. Manifesting is a huge part of achieving her goal, and the unconscious steps she makes in order to to get there.
- Hiring a Virtual Assistant:
Mariah experienced a mental shift where she now realizes that bringing someone onto her team was a positive and necessary step towards growing her business. She is very excited about this new change and appreciates the additional support!
Tips & Tools
- START!!!! Just start!! You learn in the process!
- Create what YOU want and what YOU love. Being authentic goes a long way!
- PowerPoint
- Teachery
- A Catch-All notebook
Creative energy, time and consistency is key! To find and follow Mariah, go to her Instagram Account, HERE.
Check out all her links for teaching materials HERE. Check out her website HERE.
You can also check out Grey Loft Studio’s website for more information and links related to this post!
