Fan Mail? Feedback? Suggestions?

What if good marketing isn't about being clever — it's about listening?

Dawn Prickett started Twice Sheared Sheep at her kitchen table, unraveling thrift-store sweaters to recycle the yarn because she couldn't afford new skeins. Today it's a multi-million-dollar knitting-notions company with around fifty employees — most of them stay-at-home moms.

In this episode, Dawn and I dig into the marketing wisdom behind that growth: how to find messaging that makes people feel seen by using their own exact words, why you only need to talk to five people instead of a thousand, and the "pyramid of marketing" that explains why features fall flat and transformation sells.

We also get into the real business stuff: building a brand-ambassador program that feels natural instead of pushy, knowing when it's finally time to hire, and why "I just need to buy groceries" is a perfectly good reason to run a business.

If you've ever frozen up trying to make your offer perfect, felt gross about promoting your own work, or wondered how you're supposed to market without a big audience yet, this conversation will help.

Learn more about The Academy for Virtual Teaching here.

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Fan Mail? Feedback? Suggestions?

Graphics are one of my favorite things, and also one of the biggest time traps I see creative teachers fall into.

In this episode of the Creatives on Camera podcast, I'm breaking down the one question that changed everything about how I approach making images: what is the single job this image needs to do? Once you know that, the font tweaking, color obsessing, and hours in Canva start to disappear. I walk through the hierarchy of image purposes (from stop-the-scroll to bridge to teach-and-tell) and show how understanding where an image lives can completely change the decisions you make about it. I also share how I build out Canva template files so that every new course or product launch already has every image size ready to go, and how that system has cut my graphic-making time from hours down to 40 minutes or less.

We also talk about our new course, Canva Made Simple, which is now available in the Academy for Virtual Teaching.

Learn more about The Academy for Virtual Teaching here.

Let's Connect!

• Join The Academy for Virtual Teaching
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>> Register for the FREE webinar: Make an Effective Promotional Video in 3 Easy Steps! You will learn how to get conversions with authentic connections instead of pushy sales!

Fan Mail? Feedback? Suggestions?

What frustrated you as a beginner? That might be your most valuable teaching asset.

Sonia Pal spent a year trying to learn modern brush pen calligraphy and couldn't find anything structured enough, sequenced enough, or beginner-friendly enough to get her from point A to point C. So she built it herself. Now, through ASquareWatermelon, she teaches calligraphy to people who are serious about learning it, and shows them exactly how to get there, step by step, without overwhelm. In this episode, Sonia and I talk through her founding member launch model, her deliberate use of low-ticket lead magnets over freebies, and the data that proved her instinct right. We also get into the real business stuff: her tech stack, her marketing approach, and why her 20 years of leading global clinical research teams makes her a better teacher, not a less credible one.

If you're thinking about moving from in-person to online teaching, or wondering whether you're qualified enough to start, this conversation will help.

Topics:

• The founding member launch model: why teaching live first builds a better recorded course
• Low-ticket vs. free lead magnets: what the completion rate data showed
• Structuring lessons around quick wins so beginners see real progress early
• Simple, permanent recording setups, and why they matter more than fancy gear
• Marketing by meeting people where they are and showing them a solution exists
• Transferable skills: why your previous career makes you a stronger teacher
• The commitment principle: students who pay show up differently than those who don't

About Sonia Pal:

Sonia is a calligraphy artist and educator behind ASquareWatermelon, where she focuses on helping beginners learn modern brush pen calligraphy without overwhelm. After struggling through tutorials and scattered practice herself, she developed a structured, beginner-first approach that prioritizes clarity, sequence, and real progress over perfection. Her work combines calligraphy, design, and intentional creative practice, with a focus on helping learners build both skill and confidence from the ground up.

Connect with Sonia:

• Website
• Modern Calligraphy Waitlist
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest

Episode Resources:

• North Carolina Museum of Art
• Circle - The Complete Community Platform

Learn more about The Academy for Virtual Teaching here.

Let's Connect!

• Join The Academy for Virtual Teaching
• Instagram
• Facebook

>> Register for the FREE webinar: Make an Effective Promotional Video in 3 Easy Steps! You will learn how to get conversions with authentic connections instead of pushy sales!