6:18
Why bother? I have such a small audience I can't enroll anyone...
A common, very understandable fear when thinking about creating courses is: "What if I pour my heart and soul into creating this course, launch it, and no one (or almost no one) signs up? Especially if I have a small audience?" This fear stops many talented creators before they even start... That's why I practice and recommend a "Launch Lightly" approach – essentially, launching your course offer before you've created all the course content. The Strategy: Launch First, Create Content Week-by-Week Instead of spending weeks or months creating all the modules of your course upfront, focus first on: Defining the Offer: Get clear on the topic, draft an outline (like we'll do later, in Modules 2 and 3), write the description, choose a title, set a price. Setting up the Launch: Create the registration page for your FTA webinar (we'll talk about this strategy later in this module) and the sales page for the full course. Launching Gently: Announce your FTA webinar and open registration for the full course. We'll work on this in Modules 3 and 4. You only need to have the introductory content of your course -- your FTA webinar -- ready before that first session. You then create the content for Modules 2, 3, 4, etc., week-by-week, after you've confirmed you have enough enrollment to run the course. Why This "Launch Light" Strategy Works Wonders: It forces you to organize your ideas: Every time you attempt to launch a course, you will create an outline and description, which requires you to structure your expertise into a presentable package. This is valuable work in itself! It instantly boosts your credibility: Simply announcing a planned course will help to position you as an expert who has something valuable to offer. Even if this specific launch doesn't result in a course running this time, your audience sees you developing and offering valuable knowledge. (And honestly, social media moves so fast, few will remember the specifics if you launch something different a few weeks later!) You practice gentle launching: Every time you put an offer out there, you practice the skills of authentic marketing and communication. You build resilience and speed in your actions for the next launch. It minimizes wasted effort: This is key! You avoid spending potentially dozens of hours creating content for Modules 2-6 before validating that there's enough market interest right now. Handling Low Enrollment Gracefully (It's Okay!) So, what do you do if only one or two people sign up, or not enough to create the group dynamic you envisioned? It's simple, low-stress, and builds trust: Option 1: Offer Alternatives: Reach out personally to the few who enrolled. Explain honestly that enrollment didn't meet the minimum for the group experience you intended. Offer to convert their payment into credit towards 1:1 coaching/consulting with you, or perhaps credit towards a different offering. You could also mention that if you run the course in the future, they'll get access then. Most people are very understanding. Option 2: Offer Full Refunds: Simply thank them for their interest, explain the situation, and issue a prompt, full refund. No harm done! People respect honesty and clear communication. In either case, the "failed" launch isn't a failure at all – it's valuable market feedback, gathered with minimal risk to your time and energy. Embrace the Experiment! This "launch lightly" approach removes one of the biggest mental barriers to getting started. It allows you to test ideas, practice launching, and build momentum without the fear of wasting huge amounts of effort upfront. Reflection: Take a moment to consider: How does knowing you don't have to create all the content before launching change your feelings about creating your first (or next) course? Does it feel lighter or more doable? Feel free to share a brief reflection in the comments if you like.
5:46
Welcome to Effortless Yes! + Our community values (5 - 10)
A warm welcome here! It is so valuable to have a community of wise and grounded soulpreneurs to explore these things together in a focused way. The most important part of a community is its culture. I consider each of us to be culture-setters. We influence the culture with every interaction we have here. A few values I recommend that we keep in mind: Comment once, reply twice. For each comment that you make, look for 2 other people's comments (especially ones with few comments) and add a reply – with your encouragement and suggestions (if appropriate). This helps to balance the comment/reply ratio, and gives you practice in seeking and giving support in this community. Notice and name each others' energy signatures. Each person's presence is unique, and each person has their strengths. It can be difficult for us to notice our own, and easier to notice others'. Whenever you reply to someone’s comment, try to name something, however small, that you appreciate about their energy signature. We all have a fear of being fully seen. Let’s help each other feel fully accepted and received. Receive deeply what others see/feel from you. It’s a meaningful practice. It’ll help you integrate and express better your energy signature. Share generously. As you do the homework and add comments under lessons, try to include screenshots or quotes where appropriate, so that we can learn from real examples. Keep all sharings confidential. Let's keep this a safe space for sharing by promising to keep all comments confidential. Let me know below if these values are helpful, and if you have any suggestions. The values we embody together here is what makes this course experience amazing for each other 😊
Here is a link to an FB ad that got my eye. Use the word Hippie and you have my attention. Offer something that feels laid back but purposeful, and I'll go deeper: Here’s an example of marketing that got my attention: Hippie Markteing.
11:11
🍀 Luck... how much does it matter in business?
The video above was rambly... if you get something out of it, you're lucky 😆 let me know what you found helpful below... ...and how lucky was it that the video length happens to be 11:11 ?? Unplanned, unexpected, difficult to repeat, just like luck 😊 This is a preview lesson and you can watch it by clicking the Play button above. Enjoy :) To read or add comments, log in first... or if you haven't enrolled in any of my courses (to get logged-in access), check them out here.
Love this discussion! Luck is a fascinating phenomenon....I don't rely upon it (as its not one of those variables that is easily predictable or controlled), but I definitely believe in it....I have personally experienced significant & life-changing moments in life that one might call "lucky", including one particular moment in time that really helped launch my career forward in a big way. On the other hand, I have also experienced a few key moments that most people would call "un-lucky" or "bad luck". In retrospect, I recognize that some of these so called "bad luck" moments protected me from going down a path that wasn't right for me, or that I wasn't quite yet ready for. (So I guess that kind of makes them moments of good luck too, in their own way.)
3:14
"If we're not selling change/transformation, what exactly do clients pay for?"
Earlier in this course I talked about how it's not a good idea to promise results -- because you cannot do the work for them; you don't live their life. But if that's the case, what are they really paying for? They pay for: the program structure we've thoughtfully created our knowledge/experience our care/energy (the opportunity to receive it in our group that is not available outside of it) the vetted community we bring together the community we facilitate (a safe place to seek support and to celebrate progress) Our sales page does speak of the aspiration toward a vision, but it's not realistic to promise specific results.
I do think it depends on what you are offering, and the nature of the field. For example, I am learning handpan drumming and percussion in general, and all of the courses that I have purchased focus on "the yearning" to be a better drummer and musician, you might say, the dream. However, that probably wouldn't work for many of the more challenging, less-fun aspects of life. (So perhaps it is better to do as Buddha did and focused on offering a resolution to the pain-points for those.)
11:01
Calibration skills for depth junkies - setting boundaries and not going down rabbit holes...
This is a preview lesson and you can watch it by clicking the Play button above. Enjoy :) (To read or add comments, log in first and be sure you have access to this course. Info about getting access here.)
I think that sometimes impatience can be a sacred gift that lends momentum and can power us forward.
I LOVE this rant! Even though I have launched courses several times before, I STILL need to hear these ideas. Thank you!