How to Start to Productize Yourself

An Easy Way to Get Started Productizing your Services

Last week, I explained the benefits of productizing yourself to escape the limits of per-hour or per-project earning. In this post, I will share one easy way to start productizing yourself:

• pick an area of expertise

• break it apart

• pick one area of your expertise or combine some of them

• repackage it as a productized service.

Above is a graphical version of the steps for all my visual readers. Let’s dive in.

Sample Expertise: K12 Special Education

I was a classroom special education teacher in an urban public school district. If I were to break apart what I know to successfully teach students with special needs, I can easily fill numerous pages. However, I’ll just list 15 of them:

1. Knowledge of Differentiated Instruction

2. Understanding of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)

3. Skills in Behavior Management

4. Proficiency in Assistive Technology

5. Ability to Develop Social Skills Programs

6. Experience with Inclusion and Mainstreaming

7. Understanding of Disability Laws and Regulations

8. Ability to Foster Student Independence

9. Ability to Implement Positive Behavioral Interventions

10. Experience with Adaptive Physical Education

11. Experience with Math Instruction for Special Needs

12. Proficiency in Life Skills Instruction

13. Understanding of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

14. Expertise in Assessment and Evaluation

15. Knowledge of Transition Planning
    

Select One or Combine Some

I taught HS Math to students who barely multiply two digits so numbers 11 and 12 in the list above is dear to my heart. Thus, I am interested to combine what I know in teaching HS Math + Life Skills. I will ask myself:

• What Math lessons did I prepare that have elements of life skills instructions?

• Do I have real world Math lessons that my students enjoy?

• How can I improve those lessons?

Repackage to Productize

Once I zero in on WHAT I want to productize, I need to decide on how I can package what I know as a productized service. Here are a few ideas:

• I can create Math Life Skills worksheets

• I can teach other Special Education teachers how to integrate Life Skills in standardized Math lessons

• I can make a Life Skills curriculum

• I can record myself teaching Real Word Math Skills for students with special needs

• I can self-publish a workbook on Math Life Skills

See, you only need to pick a small area of your expertise to productize yourself. However, thinking about it is different from doing it. Next, I will tell you how I can productize (from offer to payment system) my Math Life Skills teaching service that you can easily duplicate.