Hi! I’m Jason

(Jason Troyer, PhD)

I want to help you start a brain-based side business that uses your expertise to earn extra money.

You’ve got Questions.
Here are the Answers.

What is your academic background?

BS Psychology -Truman State University
MA Counseling - Truman State University
PhD Counseling Psychology - University of Kansas (APA Accredited)
Pre-doctoral Internship - Kansas State University Counseling Services (APPIC Approved)

Where were you a professor?

I taught as a graduate assistant or adjunct at the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, and Rockhurst University. For 14 years, I was an Assistant & Associate Professor of Psychology at Maryville College (as well as a part-time Assistant Dean of Academics).

Did you quit because you hated teaching? Had a bad chair? Hated the college?

That’s not it at all. I loved my institution and my colleagues. I still enjoyed teaching (although I’m not sure if I would say the same thing if I kept doing it for 25 more years).

How much Earl Grey tea do you drink?

A ridiculous amount. Almost comical amounts.

Where do you live?

My spouse and I live in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with our 3 children.

Is this some carefully crafted scam or MLM “opportunity”?

I was able to earn extra money by creating my own business using my education and experience. That’s the only way I know how to do it. I don’t flip houses, I don’t re-ship things through Amazon, I don’t invest in cryptocurrencies, and I certainly don’t waste my time with multi-level marketing (MLMs). I take my brain and I find people who need help. Then I help them with something that is so important to them that they pay me for it.

What is your business? What exactly do you do to earn money?

My area of expertise is grief and loss and my professional mission is to provide grieving people with modern, helpful grief resources. To reach as many people as possible, I partner with funeral homes and cemeteries. I have several streams of income including: social media services for funeral homes & cemeteries, speaking fees, grief publications, and a grief support apps.

So you just quit and became a therapist?

No. Although I have the training to be a counseling psychologist and see clients (and did that in my graduate training), I don’t currently see any clients. I earn money by helping businesses provide better care for their clients/customers and the businesses pays me.

Will your process work with people in other fields and disciplines?

Yes.

Can you guarantee that I will make money in my side business?

Nope. But I am confident that if you can learn about your clients’ problems and then solve those problems, you will earn money.

Why did you quit your tenured position?

My side business grew until it was earning almost as much as my salary. I knew if I could devote myself full-time to it that it would grow even more. Essentially, I did not want to have 2 full-time jobs and a family. So one job had to go and I resigned.

How long did it take you to start your side business?

I was earning a small profit within a year. It took me about 4 years to come close to earning my faculty salary.

So are you rich?

Nope. But I currently earn about 3 times more than I would have if I had stayed in my previous professor position and my life is more flexible.

Why would you want to share your secrets?

I know that there are many professors who are in the same situation I was — professor salaries are not keeping up with inflation and we spend years getting our training and racking up student debt. So we start late and in debt and we (hopefully) get a position — but that position pays far less than we need. I know that you have knowledge and experience that could help someone. I’d like to help you connect with people who need your expertise and want to pay you for it.

How can you help me?

I’m working on a book that describes how to start a side business. If you sign up on my waiting list, I’ll let you know when it is available.

Do you offer private coaching?

Not yet.

I wish I could connect with other professors who want to start a side business so we could share advice and support each other….

Sign up on my waiting list and check the box saying you’re interested in a community - if enough people feel the same way, I’ll start one.

Caption: Sometimes I present to groups or professionals and sometimes I make videos in cemeteries. But this has all led to more time with my family (including music festivals). And Kansas = tornadoes.

Who do you think you are?

When I started my side-business, I was half-terrified and half-frustrated. The terrified part of me felt like an imposter.

  • What did I know about starting a business?

  • Would people actually pay me for my expertise?

  • How would I even get started?

  • Who do you think you are to even try this?!?

What kept me going was the frustrated part of me. I was tired of not getting a raise after 5 years. I kept seeing my students graduate and get offered salaries that were immediately higher than mine. I was tired of credit card debt and not getting ahead. I remember hoping that the technician could repair the washing machine because I knew we couldn’t afford a new one. So I stepped out of my comfort zone and created my own side business and started earning extra money.

Now 10 years after I started, I’m still going strong. I decided that I had learned enough that I could help others, and decided to write a book. I hope you will sign up for notifications for my upcoming book. (I promise I won’t email you too frequently. )