We recently connected with Charrisa Taylor and have shared our conversation below.

Charrisa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Hi. My name is Charrisa T and I founded iTeach iCoach LLC because I saw a need in my community. During my time as a teacher, I found an issue with some of my scholars was that their academic issues stemmed from missing foundational reading skills that caused them not to perform on grade level. A parent asked me if I could provide extra practice outside of school to help their child close the missing gaps. Once I started tutoring one scholar, the news traveled and many more parents requested outside tutoring services. Henceforth a tutor was born. On top of tutoring, I became a self-published author in 2016. After publishing my first book, many of my friends wanted to do the same. I assisted them by using my experiences and then a dream was ignited. I am very passionate about helping others pursue their dreams, and I start looking into ways I could better serve them. I helped a few of my friends with their books for nothing at all. It was back in 2018/2019 when the dream of becoming a coach was ignited. After years of research, I took a leap of faith in May 2021 and started my business full-time. I am now a full time entrepreneur and I get the honor to help others birth their God given vision and tutor scholars in grades k-6. I teach and I coach!

Charrisa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Charrisa or known as Charrisa T. I am a native of Bessemer, Al and a product of the Bessemer City School System. I am a graduate of The Alabama State University where I majored in Elementary Education. At the age of 6 or maybe7, I knew that teaching was something I truly wanted to do. I was inspired by my third grade teacher, Mrs. Webb, who instilled in that class that you can be anything you wanted to be. I took a hold to that phrase and felt so empowered by her. I decided in 3rd grade that teaching was something I wanted to do. I wanted to make others feel empowered just like she said and I do believe that I have done just that. I started teaching in 2005 and stayed in the field for 17 years before deciding to become a full time entrepreneur. This transition didn’t happen all of a sudden. I believe the desire for entrepreneurship started back in maybe 2016/2017. I would envision myself being able to set my own schedule, create products, books, and other things for my clients who needed information about self publishing. I found myself wanting to write more and be an inspiration for those who were connected to me. I would often talk about it with others and thought that this would be something I pursue AFTER my 25 years of teaching. It wasn’t until I took a leap of faith in 2019 and changed schools that the desire ramped up. When COVID 19 impacted us all, my tutoring clientele grew. Scholars needed the extra help because so much of school was missed. I had recently gained a client who asked me to be her child’s private teacher. I must be honest and say that I was nervous and excited at the same time. I knew this would take me out of the classroom and allow me to teach in a totally different way, a way I have never seen before. After much prayer and communication with my mentor, I took a leap of faith in March 2021 and decided NOT to renew my teaching contract for the next school year term. It was one of the scariest times for me but I knew God had brought me to this moment. I knew that an opportunity was presented to me and I had two options, say yes to new adventures or close the door and say no. I walked through that door nervous but with my head held high. I decided to become a full time entrepreneur. I now had the opportunity to make my very own schedule and walk in a dream that I only envisioned in my mind for the past couple of years. As I am now celebrating 16 months of full time entrepreneurship, one of the main things I had to learn was how to stay organized and creative. I created products based on what my clients’ needs were. I knew that my services were catered to my clients and I needed to make their needs my main focus. For my tutoring scholars, I start out with grade level assessments and structure my tutoring sessions based off of that data. For my coaching clients, I listen to their needs and timelines to create for them a more personalized coaching plan that will give them goals and a plan on how to achieve them. I know that iTeach iCoach is not about me, it’s about providing a service for my client’s needs. I understand that each client is different and I must make sure that I find the strategic way to better assist them. I am most proud of the accomplishments of my client’s goals. They have taken the plan, tools and strategies and used them. They feel empowered to go on and more confident about what they are doing. It brings me pure joy and happiness seeing my clients succeed. This is what walking in purpose feels like!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

One of the most effective strategies for growing my clientele has been word of mouth. Honestly, the majority of my clients are from word of mouth. For me, this has been a way to share my business with others. I strive to serve my clients with a spirit of excellence so that they can in return share their experiences with others who may be interested in working with me or in need of some of the services I offer. Though this has been my main source of marketing, I am actually in the process of pivoting in this area. I want to bring more awareness to some of the products I have created so I am seeking a marketing coach who can help me drive more traffic to my products and gain more sales. Running a business is work. I’m learning the importance of pivoting and getting a coach who can help you scale in the marketplace. If you are looking for ways to market, one of the best ways I have found is by being more visible. I have learned that many of my coaching clients like videos more so than handouts and ebooks. A good webinar, FaceBook, or IG live just may do the trick. If you’re like me, I really had a fear of public speaking. The more I spoke in front of others, the more comfortable I became. I am a living witness that marketing is definitely a tool you want to master. Our books, services, and products can reach the masses if we market effectively.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Absolutely! As I stated before, I started my business part time because I saw a need for coaches and tutors in my community. When I first became a tutor, I wasn’t thinking about making this a full-time business. This was just something I was doing to help a parent. I never would have imagined I would be doing what I am doing now. The dream was ignited because I just wanted to help. After the word got out that I could possibly assist in this area, the rest is history. Maybe this was the plan all along. God knew that I really did have a desire to live life on my own terms I guess you can say. I always wanted to be my own boss and make my own schedule though I really thought this would happen in my late 40s. God has a way of making you laugh. At 39 years old and during the pandemic, I left my career to pursue full time entrepreneurship. All days haven’t been good but what keeps me going are my clients. When they win, I win. I love seeing my clients walking in their purpose. I believe I am a trendsetter for those God sends my way to show them that this life is possible. I may not be where I want just yet but I am surely going to get there if I continue to put God first in all that I do. I consider myself to be a kingdom influencer. This means God is immersed all throughout my business. I pray to God about my business, clients, products’ and services. I ask the Holy Spirit to guide me when it comes to operating my business. He is my source when it comes to iTeach iCoach LLC. Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my story with you. Keep pushing and moving forward. This best is yet to come!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.charrisat.org
• Instagram: instagram.com/charrisa_t
• Facebook: Facebook.com/charrisalt
• Twitter: twitter.com/charrisat
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG486cau0h9yYiap5YyvuDA

Image Credits
Mil’s Memories Photography [email protected] (601) 490-3147 MUA: A’Jana Makeup Artistry A. Boswell Media Services [email protected] (205) 222-2133 MUA: Vickie Miles