Game-Changing Advice From Your Fellow Course Creators

Recently, my team and I asked my Genesis and Next Level Coaching members to share the single most valuable lesson they’ve learned on their journey as course creators.

The insights were, IMO and according to all the members, mind-blowing. 

Heck, even the veterans and teachers like myself learned a thing or two.

So, because of the insights’ sheer value and game-changing potential, I’ve decided to let them spread beyond my private coaching groups…

And help an even larger number of course creators chart their way to success faster & with less friction.

Just knowing you’re not alone when it comes to making some common mistakes helps. Not to mention clear-cut advice on how to avoid them.

So, today, I’ll leave the floor to your fellow course creators…

And let them help you with both. 

Let’s dive into it. 

The Most Valuable Lessons Everyday Course Creators Learned On Their Journey

Below, you’ll find the key insights course creators from my coaching groups shared, listed in no particular order… 

With an occasional added comment from me, that helps you put the insight to use in your course business.

Let’s start with this golden nugget:

Whatever effort you think you need to make to make a sale, it's usually like 10x that 😝(especially at the beginning). You're not doing anything wrong. Getting people to take action AND pull out their credit cards is a harder task than it seems on the surface.

Jacques’ comment: 

Some people get into the course creator world thinking that creating a profitable business will be easy…

Or that my coaching program is pure magic in action. 

The reality is that succeeding & consistently selling takes real, dedicated work. Yet, the payoff can be so amazing. 

At first, this can seem like a grind, sure. But the idea is that you put in a lot of work now and reap many benefits later. 

What we're setting up has the potential to be truly amazing. Strangers on the internet pay you money for knowledge you have. 

But it takes work, commitment, testing, etc.

So, stick with it —if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. And most importantly: 

Learn to differentiate between signs your offer isn't resonating…

And just a lack of effort and tenacity.

Keep your tech stack as simple as possible. Don’t start experimenting with other funnel types or chasing new platforms/apps until you’ve dialed things in with the basic systems and are making money.

Jacques’ comment:

Way too many course creators get lost in options and things that don’t move the needle. While losing sight of the fundamentals:

Verifying that your offer & idea have money-making potential. And fast.

Master the basics first. Then tinker with the add-ons.

As an entrepreneur, solving problems by adding MORE tasks/more new things is a massive, massive, MASSIVE trap. It's an illusion. The illusion is that the "new thing" will somehow be faster and easier than the current approach. Usually, it won't. Even though it's painful, focus on fixing the existing things before ever adding more. Constraint is VERY hard, but I'm convinced it's the answer.

Jacques’ comment:

Again, it all boils down to nailing the fundamentals first. Then you can start thinking about adding more to the equation.

Lean into what you enjoy about the biz.

Jacques’ comment:

Even though this is far from advice you just apply and instantly see results…

I couldn’t agree with and stress its importance more. 

Enjoying what you do is key for long-term success. Remember, your business is there to make your life amazing – not the other way around.

Make sure your finances are in order sooner rather than later. You should know exactly what you're making & spending. And how.

Jacques’ comment:

It’s easy to get lost in your business and its seeming growth & revenue boost.

But if you aren’t making sure profit follows and that you know exactly where you’re spending money…

Any sort of long-term planning goes out of the window. Not to mention the consequences of overspending.

Also, first and foremost, make sure your business and personal finances are separated.

Then, when you’re ready to set up a foolproof financial system in your course business…

I highly recommend checking out the Profit First book.

Focus more on what your audience wants. Use a data-driven approach to content.

Jacques’ comment:

Deeply understanding your audience and offering them the outcomes they desire on a silver platter is the “secret” of long-term success.

Do it right, and at some point, you’ll know what your prospects need & want better than themselves.

And will know exactly how to present this need in a way that gets sales and builds a relationship.

Don’t take haters too seriously.

Jacques’ comment:

Haters will hate. If you're doing what you love and what helps your audience…

View them as a sign you're doing something good. 

You can even learn how to profit from haters and their outbursts. More on that on another occasion.

For now, I suggest keeping this quote in mind:

"The only way to not get attacked is by doing nothing important."

Protect your time - build systems, outsource, delegate. It’s about the who, not the how.

Jacques’ comment:

I know it's hard to relinquish control because we all feel we know what’s best for our businesses.

But if you bring true experts on your team, you won’t just get better results…

You’ll also have more time for doing what you do best. And for enjoying life.

Focus on the tasks that you’re best at while not avoiding the ones you don’t find fun.  And set goals and accountability so you can meet deadlines.

Reviewing your next day/week in a zoomed out view can help you gain perspective on what’s important and what’s no longer necessary, realistic, or a priority.

Jacques’ comment:

Being clear about what needs to be done and when is critical for ongoing growth and success.

Then, when you know what needs to be done, you can find experts to do the things you can’t or don’t want to do (see previous quote).

I guess if someone three months behind me were to ask, I’d tell them to write out their goals very clearly and make realistic deadlines, especially if they didn’t have a group like this to lean on.

Momentum really helps. Also, don’t give up, it’s really exciting to launch, but the real hard work starts after that.

Content quality drives conversions. Putting out very valuable content that makes people feel like they are capable of growing/getting the result will always lead to sales. Giving people a different perspective about how they can achieve their goal is also massively helpful with conversions.

Jacques’ comment:

The enormous amount of content out there can also be a blessing in disguise. Because most of it isn’t great…

Your valuable, thoughtful, and relatable content will stand out even more.

Building trust & adding value matters more than sales tactics. For me, it's been 80/20 - 80% of sales come from the long game of building trust, 20% from the short-term sales tactics. For my audience, I have found that the "sale" happens before the actual sale and the sales mechanism is just a formality sometimes.

Jacques’ comment:

Yes, knowing how to sell is critical. But being human and genuinely wanting to help trumps it by far. 

Yet, the combo of both is a true killer.

Some people are batsh% crazy and you have to be willing to encounter/interact with those people if you want to run a business.

Jacques’ comment:

You never know what to expect from people. Embrace this fact and roll with it. 

It will save you a lot of unnecessary & unproductive stress. 

So, make sure to quickly cut all ties that aren’t a fit for the amazing value you have to offer.

This might be simple, but when I first started selling in my DMs, I would get a message and answer their question. Then I’d basically say “here’s a free training that explains…” and that was ok.

A few months ago, I realized that talking and asking what they’re struggling with or trying to get the pain point FIRST creates more engagement.

Then, I tell them that I have a training that will show them exactly how to solve that issue AND *insert another big benefit of the webinar/resource*. I then ask, “would you like me to send you a copy?”

They’ll have a micro-yes moment and tell me yes and get excited to watch the webinar. It’s led to a much more fluid conversation and makes people excited to check it out. I’ve found that person is also more likely to message me after for follow-ups.

Jacques’ comment:

Again, being human sells a lot more than hard-sell tactics. Being real and having normal conversations & contact beats classic selling any day.

But, like I said, knowing the fundamentals of how selling works and using them in a human, relatable way is the true differentiator. 

Trust the process. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good enough. It might seem like you can't eat a whole elephant, but like they say, one bite at a time.

The faster that you get the right parts put together, you can start making some cash. And the faster you fix and tweak there, the faster you will be earning a living. So put together a Minimal Viable Product. And after that, you can improve and tweak.

Jacques’ comment:

Perfectionism is the killer of progress and the "best" reason to procrastinate. 

Don't let it hinder your growth. I'm not saying you should be sloppy either…

But do your best to find the right balance.

A big thing for me was realizing people really don't care that much (or at all!) about what you're doing. And if they have a problem with it, or think you're nuts to put yourself out there like this, or whatever, so be it! Also liberating!!

Jacques’ comment:

I love this attitude. 

You are doing what you’re doing because it feels good and right for you.

There’s no need to convince other people it’s the best route for you.

Everyone is unique and finds pleasure in different things.

Embrace your uniqueness, and don’t let anyone’s comments take you off course. 

They will never understand because they aren’t you.

I'm only just tasting success but my lesson learned is "Get others to boost your stuff". Throwing random videos out there doesn't guarantee success. What does guarantee it is a collaboration with someone who is successful.

Jacques comment:

I can’t stress how much good collaborations have done for my business. 

As long as you do your due diligence and ensure you work with the right people who fit your values & vision…

Collaborations will skyrocket the growth and expansion rate of your course business.

Finally, let’s wrap up all this useful advice with a gem we should all keep in mind when we start doubting ourselves or let perfectionism drag us down:

“It’s not about it being bad, definitely never do that. It’s more so just about being good enough. The competition and the world are FULL of so many people half-assing what they do. When we do “good enough,” very commonly it’s still miles ahead of many other’s best work."

Conclusion

Learning from trusted sources and experienced teachers is a must if you want your course business to continuously improve & grow.

But learning from peers in your shoes and exchanging opinions & thoughts is equally important.

That’s why I’m confident you’ll find the above insights from Hugo, Chris, Jessica, David, Kate, Sean, Dottie, and many other everyday course creators more than helpful. 

Here’s to using them to avoid making similar mistakes…

And to tweak & optimize how you approach running your course business. 

I’m rooting for you.

Jacques