When I started EcoElsa a year ago I didn’t have any idea of what it would become in a year. Over the last year my reasons for doing this and what I hoped it would become have changed drastically. What started as a outlet for missing working with teachers to create programs and learn skills to take students outdoors became a lifeline to reconnect with why I became a environmental educator in the first place. At first I hoped it would become a nice side business now I hope it can become my main business.
I also learned so much in the last year from filming and editing videos to creating a blog website and running multiple social media platforms. What I have learned in breadth this past year I am now learning in depth. Besides interacting with people and helping them and their children get outdoors my favorite thing about this adventure so far has been learning new things. It makes me grin realizing how far I am come learning and how excited I am that there is still so much to learn!
Looking to the future if EcoElsa is only ever a fun hobby I am honestly okay with it because I have learned so much over the last year. The process of starting and running a business has been incredibly challenging, rewarding, and so much fun. In the end if it doesn’t work out and this chapter closes and I move back to being a normal naturalist I will be sad but smile. I have made so many memories and gained new skills in the last year and I am proud knowing that I can still bring many of these skills to a nature center to continue to help people connect to the outdoors.
As I am reflecting on the last year of learning and the changes in how I feel about EcoElsa and it’s future I also just want to say thank you so some of the people who have made it possible! First of all my fiance Andrew (who started this journey a year ago as my boyfriend) I appreciate all your help and support with making EcoElsa possible. From creating my logo and intro video as well as helping with occasionally filming to being my biggest supporter and giving me emotional encouragement, I couldn’t do it without you. I love you handsome.
Next a big thank you to my business mentor Bob. Who has been incredibly helpful with figuring out my business strategy and setting an agenda the last several months so that my business can have the best chance of succeeding. His knowledge and expertise has been and continues to be irreplaceable and I appreciate being able to bounce ideas off of him and receive several more back in return. I hope someday I can give back for free to other aspiring entrepreneurs as well as he has. I look forward to our next meeting Bob!
A special thanks as well to Ami Thompson a self-employed naturalist who I have been asking questions about the environmental education field and working independently for years! I have really appreciated her taking her time to answer questions, meet with me, and offering advice. Ami is the one who taught me it is better to work cooperatively and help other people even if someday they may be in the same niche as you, because it is more fun and creates more possibilities. I hope I have been able to give back in the last year to other naturalists who have reached out to me to ask questions as well as you have Ami! For any of you interested in learning more about Ami’s business or checking out her curriculum click the links below! I am currently reviewing her curriculum book so I should have a review out in the next couple of months!
Ami’s Environmental Education Dragonfly Curriculum
Lastly thanks to my parents for their support, lending me equipment, and being a great source to bounce ideas off of. As well as thanks to my brothers, fiance’s family, and friends for all your support, listening to me talk about EcoElsa for the last year, and about all my dreams for it! I really appreciate all your support and patience as I have been pursuing this dream and being okay with not being able to hang out as often. You all rock and once I am done building the foundation for EcoElsa in a year or two (hopefully) I look forward to hopefully having more time to hang out again!
Going forward with EcoElsa I am working on turning this into a functioning business which means I have been spending a lot of time learning about creating a website, accounting, setting up an LLC, as well as many other things. So a big thank you to all of you my followers for being patient as I try to still keep up with making videos and writing blog posts. I am so glad that all of you enjoy the content I am creating I enjoy all the feedback and am glad it is helping you all get outdoors! Below are some of my goals I want to let you all in on for 2019 as well as some of the benefits coming your way for helping support me!
- Doing more giveaways for my followers on all my platforms with great prizes for teachers, parents, naturalists, and pretty much all outdoors people!
- Creating more videos focused around free and affordable resources to help kids learn about the outdoors!
- Creating more engaging programs for teachers and parents with limited outdoor space, even if all they have is a tree and some grass!
- Creating my own affordable & engaging materials to sell on Teachers Pay Teachers and my own website..
- Setting up my own website to make it easier to organize and make materials available for all of you to find!
- Getting my business all polished up so that it functions better and I can potentially start doing my own classes and hikes *fingers crossed* wish me luck!
Many many many MANY more things! Too many to list them all, but these are the most important for sure things I am trying to accomplish this year! I hope you all are excited for the benefits these goals will provide for all of you! So if you are interested in receiving lots of free stuff and being notified early of opportunities coming up I would click the link below to join my free newsletter list! This is so that you will be the first to know when giveaways are coming and receive lots of free resources monthly! As will as a lot of my giveaways you enter by joining my email list so that means just by joining you are already being entered for giveaways!
As well as check out all my other social media accounts for tons of free resources and opportunities I share daily to help you and your kids outdoors! Until next time I hope you all be safe, have fun, and enjoy the outdoors!
Looking for MORE Resources??? Check out the links below!
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