College tutor and new mom finds balance bringing business online

Doulton Wiltshire sets quite the example of what it means to specialize in a niche. Her expertise is in supporting students enrolled in the Smith School of Business at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where she’s been tutoring students since 2011.

When the pandemic made in-person tutoring impossible, she needed a solution to share her knowledge virtually. 

That wasn’t the only challenge Doulton faced - she had a new baby alongside her during this journey.

Keep reading to hear how Doulton prevailed in a time of doubt.   

What problems do you help your clients solve?

I help students make the difficult transition from high school to first-year university. We provide support for specific business courses like accounting, finance, calculus, and statistics.

What inspired you to get into knowledge commerce? 

I previously ran my business in-person, but when Covid-19 hit everything changed.

I have always been a tutor and coach. I think my very first tutoring job (paid) was in grade nine. This is in my blood, but I never envisioned running my business online.

For years you would find me camped out in the university library meeting with students at all hours. I had developed a signature teaching system and was working hard to help as many students as possible. I loved it, but I also didn’t realize how much harm I was doing to myself by teaching such long hours.

Everything changed when the pandemic hit spring of 2020. In March, I was pregnant with my son and gearing up for final exams (my busiest time of the year). I went home for my baby shower one weekend, and by Monday, the world was closed. Exams were canceled, and I stopped working.

Fast forward to August of 2020, I had a three-month-old baby and the school year was about to start. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I knew my students were about to face an unprecedented year and they would need my help.

So with my three-month old strapped to me, I recreated my entire business on Kajabi in just a few days. The picture here is one of a very sleep deprived new mom, terrified of losing everything she had worked 10 years for. It's not a glam shot, but I absolutely love it. I think so many of us have been here.

This was my jumping off point. I knew nothing about running an online business or Kajabi. I had never been more terrified or more excited. It has been an exciting almost two years with Kajabi, and I can honestly say I have never been this happy before.

What business systems or tools did you use when starting your business? 

Before Kajabi, I had a website and a playlist of my videos on YouTube. My website was difficult to manage and I did not feel in control of it.

When did you launch your first digital product?

We kicked off sales in September of 2020, just a week or so after I got my Kajabi account.

What is a notable challenge you faced early in your knowledge commerce journey?

I definitely got caught up in what everyone else was doing!

I wanted to give my students the best so I investigated what others were doing with their Kajabi platforms. There are a lot of incredible business owners using Kajabi and each one is doing something different! I got distracted with trying to be fancy, when in reality my students just needed something that would work for them.

How did you overcome the challenge?

By focusing on what my students actually needed (me!).
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There are a lot of bells and whistles in the online space, but really, it always comes down to the value you can provide.

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What did you learn from overcoming that challenge that you take to heart running your business today?

Everyday I ask, “does this benefit my students?” - if the answer is yes then it is the right choice. I want a business I am proud of and that really helps decrease the stress first-year university students experience.

What milestones or accomplishments have you reached in your business?

The biggest milestone is balance. I know that isn’t fancy or a million dollars, but at one point in my life I was working 6 am to 10 pm, and it simply was not healthy. Now, I can leverage my teaching for even more students in a way that works for everyone, including myself. My students benefit because I am at my best when I am working with them.

What do you plan to do in 2022 related to Kajabi and building your knowledge business?

We are getting ready to launch our new SmartPrep course for North American students! This is an intensive 4-week program to help students get ready for university and college. We help students set the foundation for a 4.0 GPA before classes even begin.

Do you have any other advice for new Kajabi Heroes?
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You are more capable than you realize. If you would have asked me if I could pull off a Covid pivot and support my students all while surviving early motherhood, I would have laughed at you. Trust yourself. 

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Kajabi is the best way to turn your knowledge into income

At Kajabi, we’re working to build a world where everyone can build a life and business around their knowledge. We’re here to help people with niche knowledge like Doulton share their expertise and go beyond the limits of in-person instruction.

With Kajabi, you can sell your expertise online. Create online courses, establish membership sites, offer coaching programs, host a podcast, and sell other digital products. Plus, you'll get marketing tools like a website, CRM, email marketing, landing page templates, and helpful analytics to help you spread the word about your products and earn more revenue.

Fully explore what Kajabi has to offer and start building your subscription business during your free 14-day trial of Kajabi today!

‍Still researching? 

Check out Kajabi’s free downloadable ebook guides on launching and growing a knowledge commerce online business!

For more Hero stories like Doulton’s, read here:

Communication coach pivots to online courses, earns $100,000 in first year
Audio engineer fills knowledge gap for Czech speakers and simplifies business with Kajabi
Quilter doubles business in three years with membership
Triathlete’s knowledge commerce journey goes from coaching to courses to membership community