Spencer Russell: Transforming Lives Through a 7-Figure Global Literacy Business

Former kindergarten and first-grade teacher Spencer Russell has made a name for himself in early childhood literacy, with an audience of more than 2.5 million people on social media and a full-time dedicated team. His mission? To create the best beginning reading program in the world. And wow, has he delivered. In just two short years, Spencer's groundbreaking online courses have not only redefined reading instructions for parents but have also garnered over $1M in revenue, adding him to the ranks of Kajabi creators who have turned their passions into profitable businesses. Some quick stats:

• Built a community of over 2.5 million followers on social media in just 2 years
• Generated over $1M in revenue during the same timeframe
• Migrated from Thinkific to Kajabi for a better mobile experience for his audience

Spencer’s online business, aptly named Toddlers Can Read, is a beacon of hope for countless parents seeking to foster a love of reading in their children. "I work with anyone who wants to help teach their kid how to read," Spencer explains. But to say that he merely helps parents teach their kids to read would not even begin to cover it. Spencer partners with parents, enabling them to feed their toddlers’ voracious curiosity, and supporting toddlers in their exploration of letters and books.

With three distinct courses meticulously tailored for different reading levels, Spencer leverages the power of Kajabi to deliver outstanding lessons. A strong advocate for asynchronous learning, he offers parents the flexibility to match their child's reading journey with their individual pace and schedule. Spencer's technology-driven approach to teaching reading is delightful proof that classic skills can be learned in innovative ways. But Spencer's focus is not on revenue. His goal is to help thousands of families ignite a lifelong passion for reading in their children.

Whether you're a seasoned Kajabi user or an aspiring entrepreneur just starting your journey, Spencer's story is sure to inspire. Spencer shows exactly what's possible when you have a unique vision and the desire to make a difference.

The Challenge: Making Toddlers Can Read a Reality

Like any entrepreneur, Spencer had his fair share of challenges when first starting his online business. Seeing an abundance of toddler parent courses covering virtually every topic except reading, he decided to fill this market gap. His goal was clear: to deliver an effective course that teaches parents how to facilitate early childhood reading.

Part of the challenge lay in overcoming the built-in anxiety that comes with turning some people off by niching down and specifying a business scope so tightly.

"Having the fear that you're going to turn some people off is the exact thing that's keeping you from getting people on the hook," Spencer shares.

He was determined to prove that "if you repel nobody, you attract nobody," while also admitting that it can feel like a double-edged sword scenario.

Another challenge was figuring out the optimal mode of content delivery, especially when it came to social media strategy. "Pick a plan that works for you, think about the content that works for you, and stick to it regardless of what anyone else is doing," Spencer advises. He understood that tweaking and learning from the content he put out was key to his success.

Spencer also grappled with the initial decision to put in full-time effort and energy into what was technically a part-time venture. "I went in with full-time effort and energy, even though it was my part-time thing. I never called it a side hustle or a side job or a second job," he says, expressing his unwavering commitment to his endeavor from day one.

The Solution: Discovering the Power of Kajabi

The solution to Spencer’s challenges came in the form of Kajabi. Digging into the process of selecting the best home for his course offerings, Spencer quite literally did a trial-by-use. While still using Thinkific, Spencer started taking courses hosted on Kajabi to experience the platform firsthand as a user.

Spencer was impressed with the mobile-friendly interface offered by Kajabi, allowing his audience to access his courses whenever and wherever they wished. He realized that regardless of the price, Kajabi was a clear choice because of its superior user experience. “We did trial and error, and we've been on Kajabi the last two years now. It's been nothing but a positive experience with positive feedback from people who actually use and interact with the course itself,” Spencer says. “And whoever's got the best course software, to me personally, that's the winner. And that's what we choose.”

Spencer used Kajabi to build tailored courses for different reading levels. The first course, Learning Sounds, teaches toddlers the 26 basic letter sounds. That course is then followed by the Blending Words course and, finally, the Reading Books course. These courses aren’t just informational, they’re skillfully designed to resonate with the varying needs, learning styles, and surmount the reading challenges of different children. Spencer also sells the courses in 2- and 3-course bundles.

Spencer’s implementation of Kajabi has proven incredibly successful. The platform has helped him to effectively deliver his courses across various segments and over the past two years, his partnership with Kajabi resulted in positive experience and feedback. Spencer's core objective was to deliver an exceptional product to his audience, which he’s able to do by harnessing Kajabi's robust features.

The Results: Staggering Growth of Toddlers Can Read

With the ability to create skillfully designed courses and effectively deliver them to parents who yearn for a revolutionary approach to teach reading, the results for Spencer have truly been extraordinary. For starters, he’s gone from zero to 2.5 million social media followers in two short years. Beyond a remarkable digital community that he curated, he's also managed to achieve over $1M in revenue and has built a full-time team, all dedicated to his noble mission.

But the most heartwarming results come from the families he’s served. Spencer's courses have effectively enabled thousands of parents to support their children through the early stages of reading. And Kajabi, as a user-friendly and mobile-friendly platform, has played a vital role — a platform parents can access on their own schedule and children can enjoy while learning.

What Spencer hadn't anticipated were the bonus benefits of implementing Kajabi. He has successfully generated business insights by observing their responses through the Kajabi app. "Find little ways to use the engagement people have with your content as an engine of learning,” he advises other course creators. “If I'm trying a new way of teaching something and I see more comments from more people, then I say, ‘maybe there's something here.'"

When it comes to offering guidance and insights to other aspiring entrepreneurs, Spencer pulls no punches:

“My advice is to go all in. Whether that's a full-time thing with full-time energy and full-time effort or a part-time thing with full-time energy and full-time effort and full-time engagement. Life is scary and very few things are guaranteed. A lot of people are going to think that you've got a bad idea — and you might. But you're never going to know unless you try. So go all in, take a bet on yourself. Surround yourself with people who are going to encourage your dream, support you. You gotta go for it because life is really, really short.”

If you ask us, the immense success of Spencer Russell and Toddlers Can Read highlights the boundless possibilities within Kajabi. Indeed, together, we can move mountains.

Looking Ahead: Bold Steps into a Future of Literacy

Grounded in a deep sense of purpose, Spencer is eager to continue reaching more families and providing them with the essential tools to cultivate a love for reading in their children. But he’s not stopping there.

“We have so many things coming up. It's exciting. There's a lot to think about and a lot to manage, and we're trying to keep it focused,” he says. Based on feedback he’s gotten from parents, Toddlers Can Read is looking at making the shift from course to program to provide a more supportive and nurturing environment for parents rather than the stiff, step-by-step feel courses tend to have. In addition to digital videos, Spencer will be offering branded products like flashcards, books, whiteboards, markers, organizers, and more.

They’re also taking a more intentional approach to international expansion. “60% of my audience is outside the US,” Spencer shares. “We have different economies, different currencies, different needs, so I want to make sure I'm able to support people in other countries with accessible resources that they can afford and use.”

Perhaps most exciting is what Spencer is planning for an entirely different audience. “Down the line we want to support adults who can't read. This is the number one demographic outside of toddler parents that messages us,” Spencer reveals. “Millions of adults in America are functionally illiterate. They're your friends, they're your colleagues. In some cases, they're your wives or your husbands. Some of these people have kept it secret, they've learned to memorize certain words. It's a tremendous opportunity to make a real impact for an entire generation of people who were failed by the system and give them an opportunity to succeed.”

Trust in Kajabi, trust in the community, and trust in the potential of their business has made all the difference for creators like Spencer. Looking ahead, the journey of Toddlers Can Read serves as a testament to the power of believing in one's dream and nurturing it with determination, passion, and the right tools.