Course Creation, A Little Rant & An Effortless Start to 2017 WPCP: 132

Course Creation does NOT have to be difficult. I know that's saying a lot, but there are simpler ways to go about creating courses that won't leave you feeling like you need a PhD to get it launched. But before we get into course creation, I've got a little bit of a rant today. This is what happens when you have a platform and an awesome audience that goes along the journey with you. Every now and then your audience may get more than they bargained for. My Little Rant I've had some interesting experiences lately and something has become glaringly apparent to me. On one hand, things are shifting and changing massively in this space (I'll get more into that in a minute). On the other hand, people are people. No matter what we do when there are people involved there's going to be a certain amount of psychological factors that come into play with any interaction. Especially when you bring money into the equation. We all have our own money story and we bring it with us to every interaction. What I don't understand is how people think starting an online business isn't going to take WORK. Is it simply that they've read great copy? Bought amazing products? The promise of riches? Probably a combination of all of the above. But I've got news for people who 'buy' into this.... First, there's nothing wrong with you. You're human. I don't know anyone who loves the idea of having to put in hours and hours of work in hopes of it paying off. There's no crystal ball. You can work your arse off and still not make a penny. Trust me, I've been there and done it. When that happens you have to look at the type of work you're doing. There are so many ways you can keep yourself busy 'doing work', but let's be honest. We both know what is and isn't going to pay the bills. Spending hours, weeks or months planning and preparing things isn't work. It's procrastination. At some point you have to make an offer. Oh... and of course you need people to make that offer to. It's better to start building a list of subscribers and potential customers from DAY ONE than to wait until something is perfect. Don't have a lead magnet? Google how to create one. Make a list of TEN things you can offer as a lead magnet. Close Facebook, close Gmail, turn your phone off and open a word doc. Start writing. Start recording. MAKE something of value you can give in exchange for someone's name and email address. This is only hard because you're making it hard. You've made a decision somewhere along the line that you don't have something that can help someone else. That's bullshit. EVERY single one of us has experiences, stories, lessons, hacks, tips, tricks.... whatever. Simply share something that made your life easier and you feel will provide value to your audience. Don't have an audience? Define who you want them to be. Don't tell me you don't know who. Google 'how to create a customer avatar'. It's not 1990 folks. Stop waiting for someone to come in and do the work for you. You guys know how I feel about 'Hustle'.... and I still live by #FtheHustle. But being sick of all the hype around the 'hustle and grind' movement does not mean I don't do the work. Stop looking outside of yourself for answers. Creating a real business online takes time, energy, effort, work, investment, consistency, and initiative. It has never been easier to get a business started. But no one is going to do it for you. End rant. Let's move onto Course Creation I've created a handful of courses over the last 8+ years. And I can tell you without a doubt that I always made it WAY more difficult than it had to be. I did the exact same thing many of you have probably done. I mapped it out, had all kinds of cool branding and graphics created, planned the how and when, decided on the platform, started creating content. Then when all was said and done, I'd launch it (offer it once or twice is more like it)...