How to grow a Membership Program via course launches?

Thanks to Guillaume of MetaHelm

Learn & Work Lightly ✨ Paper Airplane Mindset

Welcome to Module 2! Before we dive into the practical aspects of course creation, we need to talk about mindset... adopting a light, experimental approach that will prevent overwhelm and encourage consistent action. The Challenge of Overthinking Many aspiring course creators get stuck in the planning and preparation phase. They feel like they need to have everything perfect before they can launch. A student in this course perfectly captured this common feeling: "Do you have recommendations about how to keep the steps small enough? And how do you stay loose and not too attached to specific ideas as you are going about the development process?" The answer is in embracing an iterative mindset. Work Lightly ✨ Learn Lightly ✨ The core principle we'll be emphasizing throughout this course is to work lightly and learn lightly. This means: Taking small, manageable steps. Don't try to do everything at once. Break down the process into bite-sized actions for yourself. Embracing imperfection. Your first course (or even your tenth!) won't be perfect, and that's okay. The goal is to get it out there, learn from the experience, and improve over time. Being flexible and adaptable. Be willing to adjust your plans based on feedback and results. Don't get too attached to any single idea. Prioritizing action over endless planning. The best way to learn is by doing. Don't get stuck in "analysis paralysis." Take on an iterative mindset. The "paper airplane" analogy might help. The Paper Airplane Analogy: Think about creating a paper airplane. You fold a piece of paper, give it a toss, and see how it flies. It might nosedive, veer off course, or maybe even fly surprisingly well. Do you give up and declare yourself a failure if the first flight isn't perfect? Of course not! You pick up the airplane, make adjustments (bend a wing, straighten the nose), and try again. You learn from each flight, making small tweaks until the airplane flies better and better. This is an iterative mindset. Your courses are similar. They're not quite as inconsequential as paper airplanes, but in the grand scheme of your business, each individual course launch is definitely an experiment. The faster you launch, get feedback, and iterate, the faster you'll improve and create truly impactful courses. Journaling Exercise: Take a few minutes to journal about the experimentation mindset. What does it mean to you to "work lightly and learn lightly", and to take on an iterative mindset? How might adopting this mindset change your approach to course creation? Write whatever comes to mind – there are no right or wrong answers. Share your responses below as a comment if you'd like!

Warm welcome to the Course Creator's Journey!

This is a co-learning experience... so what strengths and energy would you like to bring to this community?   What do you look forward to receiving?  Comment below :)

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.

"It's hard to explain my process, let alone teach it?"