303: From Classroom to Creator - Ashleigh Smith's Journey

From Classroom to Creator: How Ashley Smith Built a Thriving Online Business After Teaching

If you’ve ever wondered whether your teaching skills could transfer into the world of online business, Ashley Smith’s journey—featured on EP 304 of the Her Empire Builder Show—is a masterclass in making it happen. Hosted by Tina Tower, this inspiring episode follows Ashley’s story from the university classroom carpool to running a flourishing business, Rainbow Sky Creations, alongside her business partner, Alicia.

Discovering the Path Beyond the Classroom

Ashley, like so many educators, entered the teaching field imagining a lifelong career in schools. As she tells Tina, “No, I thought I would be until I became a teacher.” After some time in the classroom and school leadership, she noticed the impact she could have was limited by the system. The drive to create change and have autonomy became her spark to explore new opportunities.

The Accidental Leap Into Business

The birth of Ashley’s business was somewhat serendipitous. After connecting with Alicia, another teacher she met while working in Dubai, they started selling teaching resources online. Initially, Alicia began creating digital “clipart” on her iPad, and Ashley saw potential in transforming them into useful tools for teachers. What started as a creative hobby soon gained traction—so much so that Ashley realized: “We were actually making good money… better than me in the classroom a couple of days a week.” That was the moment they embraced their role as true business owners.

Building Rainbow Sky – Experimentation & Evolution

Ashley and Alicia’s approach has been one of experimentation and adaptability. Their business evolved from selling small resources on Teachers Pay Teachers (often just $3–5) to adding more substantial offers like online courses and a membership program for new teachers. They learned valuable lessons about audience needs:

• Course vs. Membership: Originally, they turned a popular eBook for new teachers into a course, then into a membership. However, they found the recurring, “more stuff” model actually overwhelmed their busy, often stressed teacher audience. Ultimately, they reverted to their self-paced course model.

• High-Volume, Low-Cost Offers: The business now focuses on high-volume sales of low-priced digital resources—a model that demands consistent marketing and visibility across platforms.

Marketing That Works (and What Didn’t)

Ashley credits much of their organic growth to focused use of Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Pinterest, treating Instagram as a “virtual staff room” for teachers seeking positivity and connection. While they only recently leaned into Facebook ads for scale, early traction came from organic community-building. She also underscores the power of efficient marketing assets: carousels and repurposed content on Instagram, plus a top-performing podcast now rebranded for all teachers, delivering 6-7k downloads a week!

Lessons in Mindset and Boundaries

A recurring theme is the essential shift from “teacher” to “business owner” mentality. Ashley notes the challenge of overcoming a teacher’s money mindset: “Teachers would say, but this should be free… like, if you’ve made that, why shouldn’t you just share it?” Learning to charge for her work, value her time, and set boundaries with customers has been crucial.

The Family-Business Balance

Running Rainbow Sky has given Ashley the lifestyle she wanted for her family—flexibility, creativity, and the ability to work during school hours (just three days a week!). She emphasizes practical routines, like time-blocking for focused work while kids napped or were at school, and integrating her children into the business when needed.

Leveraging Community for Growth

Ashley praises the role of community—both their own online tribe of teachers and being part of Her Empire Builder. From AI workshops to in-person connections at retreats, she describes the support and “network of amazing women” as both powerful and unique.

There’s Life (and Success) Beyond the Classroom

Ashley’s story is the ultimate permission slip for teachers longing for change, creativity, and entrepreneurship. The skills, heart, and work ethic you’ve honed as an educator are valuable—maybe far more than you’ve ever given yourself credit for!