5 Things I Wish I Knew When I First Launched an Online Course
I launched my first course in February 2019.
I wish I could tell you it was a huge success or that it was an easy six-figure launch, but it definitely wasn't.
It was messy. It was stressful. It was overwhelming.
But if I would do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing about that process.
Because if it wasn't for the mistakes I've gone through, I wouldn't have learned some of the most valuable lessons in my life as an entrepreneur.
So, for those of you who are still in the beginning phase of launching a course or are still just thinking about it, here are some of the things I wish someone told me when I was launching a course as a newbie. Spare yourself the mistakes and take this blog post by heart.
Don't Undervalue Yourself
When I first launched an online course, I thought I was bad for packaging my skills and knowledge and selling it to my audience as a course. At that point, starting an online course and coaching business was just something I feel called to but I had so many limiting beliefs about it.
Because of that mindset, I was riddled with thoughts of guilt and shame for being a blogger turned entrepreneur. I thought no one would buy my course because they'd think it's not worth it (which is, funnily enough, my concern too -- is my course really worth it?)
Those limiting beliefs then led me to believe that I have to lower the value of my course or else, no one would buy it. I sold it at such a low price (for what it's worth, other people are selling similar courses for $1k++, I offered mine for $60 ?). I also gave discounts to people who showed interest in that course and even gave bonuses such as free coaching calls (which meant I had to give up loads of my time to show up for calls even during my thesis days at that time! Time-wise, def not recommended!).
You Are Good Enough to Teach
Before and during launching my first course, I was constantly doubting myself. I questioned myself if I was ever good enough to teach and sell an online course. I put course creators and online entrepreneurs as people on such high pedestals that I thought I don't deserve to sell a course without already being on that pedestal.
So, launching an online course as a newbie meant that I had to overcome my confidence issues. I had to affirm myself every day that I was ENOUGH, that I don't need countless years of experience (after all, my first course was about blogging and I was already a blogger for 3 years at that time) to be called an expert, and that I can serve my audience even as I myself was still progressing.
Launching a Course as a Newbie Is Not Worth The Burnout
At that time, I was consuming too much content from many experts in the field. It's great because I'm learning many things, but it's bad because I'm learning TOO MANY things. My poor brain had to deal with information overload and process them all into a strategy that works for me. I ended up even more confused which then led to me procrastinating over my launch.
Sadly, this happens to so many people right now (perhaps including you!).
You discover content after content about launching courses. You have a mile high of resources from Google and Youtube. You're constantly on the lookout for new strategies.
But you're not moving. You're learning but not taking action.
You somehow think you need to learn another strategy or that you're not ready to launch your course because you don't have everything mapped out yet. The anxiety, confusion, and overwhelm that you get from all the different content you've consumed are just making things more complicated for you.
I know this because I learned my lesson the hard way. And I don't want you to go through it, too, when there's a SIMPLE way to go about things. A direct forward approach to launching a course without stress and overwhelm. If you're interested to learn about it, sign up for my FREE "Launch Your Course with this Simple 3-Step Framework" training here.
Don't Be Afraid of Selling
Selling made me cringe. When I was just starting out in my business, I was seriously afraid to sell. Like, I can't even outwardly ask people to check out my sales page because I was afraid they'll judge me for being "greedy" or "pushy" or "salesy".
Until I had my first sale. And another one. AND another one.
I thought, "wow I must be doing something right!"
That's when I realized that these people bought my course not because I sold them to it and not because of complicated marketing funnels I had in place. They bought it because they KNEW me and they TRUSTED me.
Up to this point, I won't tell you that I haven't had an ounce of fear when it comes to selling. After all, I grew up seeing some of the failed businesses that my parents started and that somehow led to a huge limiting belief of mine. But, I can proudly tell you that I'm so much more confident now when it comes to selling. I can talk about my program wholeheartedly and enthusiastically without a feeling of panic, guilt, or shame. This is probably for another blog post but if you want to learn how I did it when I was launching a course as a newbie, I invite you to join me in my FREE training here.
Launching a Course Is Not All About the Strategy
I admit -- I used to be such an overthinker.
I wouldn't jump onto doing things without making sure it's going to go the right way or at least knowing that I have back-up plans just in case it doesn't go as I expected it to.
This is exactly what happened when I was planning to launch my first ever course. I was constantly searching for more strategies and consuming too much information because I thought that chasing these would get me results. In the end, they all just overwhelmed me.
Thankfully, I was a part of a mastermind with business friends who kept me accountable. They were very supportive and they didn't let me overcomplicate things more. They just continued to remind me that the most important thing was for me to take action and for me to finally launch my course.
If I kept myself in that perpetuating cycle of overcomplicating things with complex strategies and new tactics that I thought I SHOULD try (or else, I'll fail), I'm 100% sure I wouldn't be where I am today. I'd still probably be crippled with thinking "I'm not ready yet" or "what if this doesn't work?" or "I just need to learn more".
If that's the case for you now, I want you to know that you're not only depriving yourself of making passive income from your online courses. You're also depriving many people of the results, transformation and help they would've gotten from your online course.
Those were just some of the things I wish I knew when I was launching a course as a newbie. What a journey it has been since then!
If you're planning to launch a course but you don't know where to start, I'd love for you to sign up on my FREE training. This is what you'll learn from this 20-minute training:
- The old and new method to launch a course without losing your mind
- The Simple 3-Part Framework to launch a course that's insanely profitable
- Mindset shifts to get you faster to your course success
- How you can apply the framework so you can ditch the complicated strategies and finally make passive income
If you want to keep consuming content after content without taking action and getting results, this training is NOT for you.
But if you're an action-taker determined to launch your course so you can finally have freedom and ease in your business, this training is EXACTLY what you need.
SIGN UP IN THE FREE TRAINING NOW!
I believe in you,
M.K.
