Personal finance teacher Dana Miranda's first target audience wasn't one she felt was a match. When she decided to make this shift, she started to increase her audience. |

Dana Miranda shifted her focus when Dana Miranda shifted her target customers to deliver educational resources and education training to educators and non-profits she noticed an increase in satisfaction and harmony her company.

Within the time Dana Miranda worked as a personal reporter for the financial industry, she noted an underlying pattern. "Most of the content on personal finance there, most of the advice and education, is taken from a single point of view, which is usually white, male, heteronormative, and of a middle-class family background."

"I come from a working-class background," Dana shares. "I'm a queer woman. And I kept seeing that there was a deficiency of representation and understanding of the nuances of the different experiences that people have in relation to money."

Instead of re-creating the same story that everyone else was sharing, Dana decided to change the story.

Today, Dana Miranda is a personal finance educator and the founder of Healthy Rich , a platform for affordable, cost-free financial education. The following is the way Dana developed her own online venture and made sure her efforts could reach as many as is possible and even taking a different route.

A monetization method that is popular, doesn't mean that it's right for your business

Healthy Rich started as an extra-curricular activity which Dana operated while she was a freelance writer.

"I created Healthy Rich as a project to tell different personal finance experiences. The blog was a mere website with no revenue coming in. I was unsure of what monetization would look like however, I was certain that in the end, I'd like to grow it into an actual business."

"I did not want to make money via affiliates and advertising," Dana explains. "That's quite commonplace in the world of personal finance, and I didn't like what I'd seen on websites I had worked on for. To make sure we were offering value to the consumer, I wanted eliminate ads from the factor."

Dana enjoyed the curriculum she had created. Also, she enjoyed speaking to students, getting the feedback and answering questions. There was something that didn't feel right about selling her products to followers.

"I disliked everything about the launch. I resented the whole selling procedure of convincing people they're suffering and that I can help. None of it felt right for me," Dana remembers.

The idea of selling products directly to users is not the right way forward and this was a major challenge. While this was Healthy Rich's monetization plan, she wanted her fans to get access to this information at no cost. It was important for her to earn cash, but didn't want that money coming from the pockets of those she was trying to help.

If the idea of creating products that appeal to your intended market, it feels unnatural, try shifting your audience

To gain a wider perspective, Dana had conversations with the community's organizers and educators. From those talks, she realized that there was a massive requirement for personal finance curriculum -and she could be the person to provide it.

"The need for personal finance education is increasing," Dana explains.

"There are a lot of states passing mandates that you need to take an individual finance course before you graduate from high school but most of those are not funded and don't have any specific education path that can lead to an instructor in personal finance. The educators who enter the field typically are told to teach a personal finance course, but they don't have the confidence to do it."

The same issue existed among employees of non-profit organizations and also those who serve vulnerable populations.

"People who work in an organization that is not for profit may assist people in a different aspect of their lives however it's always tied to money. There are questions they have about financial situation that they aren't confident in. I'm trying to assist people get this information so that they're able to provide that information confidently."

Dana realized that she could bypass selling products to end customers and instead help instructors and trainers to an even larger audience. Her message could reach more people, her business could earn money, and she would feel great about her impact.

"I like to give content to the people who require it free of charge as much as possible. Serving community organizations and schools is a way for me to offer this education available to the individuals who require it since people are taking part in these programs and classes for free," she shares.

"This opened up a new audience for my business as I was able help instructors and facilitators. I have the ability to collaborate on both sides of the table without offering classes to every single user."

When Dana started to build out her brand new curriculum for teachers  and teachers, she realized it was a perfect fit.

"My first course launch was a good trial. I'm pleased that I learned the lessons I learned, however I'm also pleased that I got it right and moved on to the next chapter."

" gives me the flexibility to design what I like. I love that it allows me to create what I want."

You have no limit to your ideas neither should your tech be either.

For clients to find new customers to connect with potential clients, join LinkedIn via shared work

"People are keen to share their thoughts on their work. Follow the organizations that you would want to work with and see what they're up to," Dana notes.

"It's helped me to know the niche which I'd like to collaborate with, which is educators as well as non-profit organizations. I live in Wisconsin, so I'm starting locally by working with local organizations within the community. I'm able to contact an acquaintance and say, 'I care about what you're doing for my community. We can discuss ways we can work together.'"

By reenvisioning her target audience and the products they need, Dana transformed Healthy Rich into beyond a site that provides financial advice for individuals. Now, the blog has a chance to change the way we talk about money.

"The manner in which we discuss about finances is an issue and I'd like to approach it in a different way. I'm hoping to supply the education with resources needed by educators and ensure that they are teaching it with a more inclusive and nuanced approach, not just regular budgeting and debt paydown stuff I've been seeing."

By shifting her target audience from individual people to educators and other non-profit professionals, Dana stayed true to her values and found the best way to impart her wisdom with the people needing it the most.

Explore new routes and stay clear of comparing your journey to others

Dana informs the creators that "there's there isn't a perfect formula for what this career looks like. It's best to experiment and find out what works best for you."

Part of finding your own route is to not compare your work with other artists. However, Dana recommends looking to your past to discover the extent to which you've gotten better.

"Everyone has been at some point in their life, hoping to reach the next stage. For me, the most beneficial thing is to think about my life 10 or five years ago," she says.

"When I started freelancing I envisioned becoming a writer. I took on a few freelance gigs and blogging in the first few years, I earned very low pay. When I am frustrated by what I'm doing in my work, I think back on my career and remember what I've achieved."

"I had the opportunity to obtain a full-time job as a writing staff member," the writer reveals. "In the last couple of years, I made 6 figures from freelance writing. In the present, I'm transitioning to the next phase of my career where rather than my earnings primarily due to freelance writing I want it to come directly from my business .

"It's challenging to work out the best way to achieve this however, if you had said twelve years ago that this is my position in, I wouldn't imagine that this would ever be happening. I'd be awestruck."

The conclusion of the day choosing in the direction of your own creativity can be a major win and you've probably come farther than you thought.

"I consider that having this kind of dream is an incredible thing to celebrate no matter which stage you're in."