One academic entrepreneur’s journey
From loyal podcast listener to personality quiz creator!
SKIP TO THE GOOD PART & PEEK AT QUIZ LAB
Have you ever consumed a podcast for so long that it basically became another program you went through?
That was Toyin’s experience with Ellen Yin’s Cubicle to CEO® Podcast.
It was my case study interview with Ellen where Toyin first “met” me and heard about personality quizzes.
“She really dove deep in her interview. I knew she would teach me everything I needed to know about creating my own personality quiz!”
But before I share how Toyin became a Quiz Lab student, I want to properly introduce her.
Dr. Toyin Alli has a PhD in math and is currently a professor at the University of Georgia.
Her non-academic interests include:
- Her new plant (a tree that only requires water once a week)
- Personal growth
- Kickboxing
- Dancing with her dance company
Now you might not expect to see a math instructor inside Quiz Lab or listening to Ellen’s podcast…
But Toyin hopes more educators will start to see the possibilities available to them, especially in the online space.
She calls herself an academic entrepreneur.
She has one business that houses two brands.
- Toyin helps graduate students with time management & productivity (more of a media company).
- She shows other professors how to turn their side hustle hobby into a bankable, semester-proof business. (This is the one she created the quiz for.)
One reason she loves the Cubicle to CEO® podcast is because she draws inspiration from Ellen running her own media company.
“Watching how Ellen’s running her business gives me inspiration! I’ve listened to her podcast for 2 years, religiously.
I don’t think I’ve missed an episode.”
Toyin, of course, as a loyal podcast listener, has her favorite episodes.
- Ellen’s monthly income reports—including her goals for the month, revenue vs expenses, and how she uses that information to make smart business decisions.
- Her new Bonus episodes—full of questions and answers you can’t Google!
“I love the way Ellen structures her interviews.”
- Kellsie Moore’s interview: She’s a well-known YouTuber who had a medical issue where she couldn’t speak for a year—and her business didn’t suffer.
Toyin likes learning different ways people run their businesses. It’s knowledge she’s able to use to benefit her clients’ businesses and her own.
Toyin said this was the most actionable episode she’s heard. (*quiet scream of joy*) She would know! She’s listened to Ellen for two years!
And what happened next was truly fascinating to me as a certified DiSC personality expert. ↓
Once Toyin heard me speaking with Ellen, she quickly did the following:
-
Joined the 3-Day Nail Your Quiz Idea Challenge
And then joined Quiz Lab the first day the cart was open!
“I felt confident that Quiz Lab was the clear next step for me. And I knew Linda was the person I wanted to teach me.”
When she heard me describing the DiSC personalities with Ellen, she had a pretty good feeling she was a “C” personality.
And when she was inside the Quiz Lab… it was confirmed!
Toyin is the “C” personality type.
She’s data-driven but a quick decision-maker. So it doesn’t take a lot of data to convince her of something, which is pretty special!
Toyin values and preaches having a business that runs on autopilot—and a quiz really supports that.
With her academic consultancy, she wanted to ensure
- everything was streamlined
- simplicity was at the forefront
- she didn’t confuse her audience
“I wanted one thing that would be “the” thing to attract new leads. And I decided to try a quiz.”
Toyin loved the personality aspect when I talked about quizzes.
And her other lead magnet, a mini course, wasn’t converting well.
In hindsight, Toyin realized her mini course shared more about her business.
With a quiz she’s able to put the focus on her audience—which works well because we all love learning about ourselves!
Her goal when she joined Quiz Lab was simply to create a quiz that would grow her audience and attract leads.
Toyin’s experience inside the Quiz Lab was very productive!
She was the first in her group to get things done. An A++ student!
She’s the easiest client I’ve ever worked with. Period.
Toyin credits a few parts of the process to her success.
“Linda very intentionally laid out Quiz Lab in the right order. It’s structured perfectly and is very intuitive.”
This is something I’ve been so grateful to hear from several students!
I do my best to make sure everyone has the resources they need to achieve success.
One thing that works really well is to set aside time for implementation.
“Implementation days happened right when we needed them.”
And something I added to incentivize implementation?
I brought in additional copywriters to review their quiz assets as they completed each piece.
“I wanted to make sure I submitted my stuff in time so I could get their eyes on it because as a math professor… I’m not really a writer.”
There are due dates and other milestones throughout the program that help hold students accountable.
Toyin definitely found that to be helpful!
“I don’t think I’ve finished a course in a long time—if ever.”
I was shocked when I heard that! A professor not only found my program layout to be “perfect” but it was also possibly the first she’d completed? WOW!
“Linda is warm, welcoming, and inclusive. She’s dedicated to the success of everyone in the program. And she’s the biggest cheerleader you could ask for!”
This also made my heart all warm and fuzzy.
Because a warm, welcoming, and inclusive space allows for feedback like this…
“I like the group dynamic because there are ways to be supportive to others and to feel supported.”
Toyin, as an introvert, is naturally more of a listener.
Hearing others’ questions can spark ideas and can be validating!
Take a look at all Toyin’s takeaways from the program. ↓
“The program promise is so clear!”
You can definitely have a quiz that brings leads into your business—if you show up and are committed to doing the work.
Toyin typically operates from a place of “done is better than perfect,” but inside Quiz Lab she brought a different energy.
“Quiz Lab forced me to be way more intentional. I learned so much more about my audience just from showing up and participating in the program.”
There are details within a quiz that she might’ve missed if she didn’t have a program to follow.
She showed up to the group calls and handed in her work before the next one.
Toyin was dedicated to this process. And it paid off in a big way!
She has a completed funnel!
And
“I have an opt-in that’s fun to share, that I’m proud to share! One that’s resonating much more than my last lead magnet.”
The data from the quiz is helping her make smart business decisions.
She renamed her course based on the fact that
50% of quiz takers are S
32% of quiz takers are I
18% of quiz takers are D
*There are no quiz takers who’ve been a C like Toyin.
Instead of a more analytical and direct course name, Toyin changed it to appeal to the S’s which make up half her audience.
And it doesn’t stop there. ↓
“The quiz results have given me a lot to think about when it comes to writing my emails. I think I was writing emails more for me.”
Toyin has this brilliant idea to create an evergreen newsletter (and if I’m not mistaken she has a goal of creating separate newsletters for her top two DiSC personality types).
“I’m excited for the future of my business. I’m feeling so accomplished, and I can’t wait to hear from more people as they take the quiz!”
Neither can I, Toyin! I’m thrilled to see where you go from here.
