

The Online Course Show
Jacques Hopkins
The Online Course Show is all about exchanging knowledge and helping course creators succeed. I LOVE going straight to the source and hearing people’s firsthand knowledge about what has worked for their business. And it’s always great to share my own observations and bounce ideas off other people in the same entrepreneurial space.
There is something for everyone on the show. Funnel hacking, high level strategy, nitty gritty processes, book reviews, productivity tips… the list goes on.
My guests and our discussions run the gamut: we leave no niche uncovered and no online course topic unexplored!
Maybe you’re just starting to think about creating an online course. Or maybe you’re 15 years in with a flourishing membership and millions of YouTube views. No matter where you are in your journey, The Online Course Show is the best way to stay current on online course trends and learn from successful course creators.
There is something for everyone on the show. Funnel hacking, high level strategy, nitty gritty processes, book reviews, productivity tips… the list goes on.
My guests and our discussions run the gamut: we leave no niche uncovered and no online course topic unexplored!
Maybe you’re just starting to think about creating an online course. Or maybe you’re 15 years in with a flourishing membership and millions of YouTube views. No matter where you are in your journey, The Online Course Show is the best way to stay current on online course trends and learn from successful course creators.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 22, 2020 • 1h 55min
160: One Hour a Day to Run a $2 Million Online Course Business with 14 Employees (featuring Abbey Ashley)
It’s time to catch up with another course creator friend! Abbey Ashley is no stranger to this show, but it’s been a while since we’ve heard what she’s up to. And she does not disappoint: Abbey’s been killing it this year! We chatted about how her business is evolving, where she sees herself focusing her energy in the future, and much more. Enjoy!
“You will pivot. Things will shift, and that’s totally okay.”
-Abbey Ashley
In This Episode, We Talked About:
(0:39) Why I’m excited about today’s episode + a teaser for next week!
(3:07) Thoughts on lead magnets and “getting to know” course creators
(5:18) Working out in 2020
(8:36) Talking Facebook ads and group interaction
(10:03) Setting the stage for today’s interview
(11:09) Welcoming Abbey back and hearing her online course business update
(14:07) Keeping the train rolling in 2020
(16:33) Abbey’s growing team
(18:24) How she’s making an impact on students’ lives (including my own team)
(21:17) Charting metrics and looking for areas to improve
(26:41) Project management tools
(28:38) “Extreme ownership” and applying common leadership principles
(30:12) What it takes to succeed
(31:55) The evolution of Abbey’s funnel and how learning from others has influenced it
(38:46) The importance of finding your audience
(42:00) Abbey’s Facebook groups and the importance of honesty
(44:44) Thoughts on leaving Facebook - or not
(47:39) Course platform decisions
(49:54) The importance of listening to your audience
(52:49) Why Abbey’s enjoying learning from a new mentor
(55:55) Hiring and running a team
(58:53) Thinking about team culture and efficiency
(1:03:36) Making the transition from contractors to employees
(1:07:55) Surprise, delight, and… shots?
(1:12:45) Handling hiring in the U.S.
(1:13:44) Delegating and getting out of day-to-day operations
(1:17:12) Lynch-pin redundancy
(1:20:56) What’s next for Abbey
(1:26:13) Is a podcast in the works for Abbey?
(1:27:42) Where to find her online and why it’s okay to copy
(1:30:23) How much fun it would be to be on Abbey’s team? + How we first connected
(1:33:04) Emotions and shareable moments
(1:34:52) Updates and differences in teams
(1:37:48) How things are going with my OBM + David’s singing solo :P
(1:39:02) Upsells vs. downsells, tortoises vs. hares
(1:41:41) A high-ticket program without a sales call?
(1:44:10) Funnel hacking and evolving with the times
(1:46:40) “There is no secret sauce” + Pinterest myth-busting
(1:49:00) The importance of a learning mindset
(1:50:54) Wrapping up with a plug for next week’s episode
That’s all for now, folks! See you on the next episode of The Online Course Show.
Links
Offers and Tools:
Bonjoro Free Trial
ClickFunnels Free Trial
Win of the Week
Guest Links:
The Virtual Savvy
VA Checklist and Starter Kit
Resources and Recommendations:
Betty Rocker
Dr. John Jaquish
ClickUp
Trello
Asana
Evolved Finance
Extreme Ownership
2X Business Coaching
Mariah Coz
Teachable
Kajabi
SamCart
Fix This Next
The Pumpkin Plan
Clockwork
Good to Great
Gusto
Side Hustle Nation
Consulting.com
Episode 37
Episode 79
Jacques’ Courses:
The Online Course Accelerator
Next Level Courses
Piano in 21 Days
David’s Courses:
Wellness Program Expert

Dec 15, 2020 • 1h 52min
159: Boost Your YouTube Channel with Facebook Ads? (Featuring Chris Liepe)
Thanksgiving is behind us and the end of the year approaching fast! Our guest today is Chris Liepe, who is all about helping people find their voice through his online singing course. Chris had some great insights on the legacy and long-term thinking that make so much sense to consider at this introspective time of year. He also has had some unique success with a very unusual approach to ads and marketing. We get into all that and much more in the interview, so buckle up and enjoy!
“Find a mentor, and do it! Just go for it.”
- Chris Liepe
In This Episode, We Talked About:
(0:39) Did David do his homework?
(2:29) A post-mortem on some live piano webinars I recently did
(8:23) Thoughts on pricing model experiments
(10:09) An update on my new platform
(12:22) Setting the stage for today’s interview
(12:56) How Chris got into the online course world
(25:00) An unusual strategy that yielded surprising results
(29:34) Drilling down into different ads and outcomes
(33:44) Active vs. passive interactions
(35:12) How Chris’s strategy is evolving
(39:27) Building a strong CTA and figuring out what to promote where
(43:16) Walking through Chris’s funnel
(47:30) Comparing scarcity and framing
(55:05) What I love about Chris’s approach to value
(59:16) Pricing considerations
(1:01:26) Tools, teams, and content
(1:07:46) The importance of mindset
(1:15:52) Asking the right questions
(1:17:17) Thinking about legacy
(1:19:05) Hindsight on branding choices Chris made early on
(1:23:53) Feedback from Chris’s students
(1:27:23) Can anyone learn to sing?
(1:34:24) Advice for new and aspiring course creators
(1:37:40) Where to find Chris online
(1:38:19) Thoughts on being willing to do something embarrassing
(1:39:46) Mindset and marketing
(1:41:48) Winning long-term customers
(1:42:18) “Ring the bell” moments
(1:47:19) Go-to karaoke songs
(1:48:39) Learning from other course creators + leveraging YouTube
(1:51:36) Wrapping up
That’s all for now, folks! See you on the next episode of The Online Course Show.
Links
Offers and Tools:
Bonjoro Free Trial
ClickFunnels Free Trial
Win of the Week
Guest Links:
Chris’s website
Discover Your Voice
Resources and Recommendations
Elementor
Teachable
JamPlay
Fix This Next
Episode 104
Granola Face Skincare
Jacques’ Courses:
The Online Course Accelerator
Next Level Courses
Piano in 21 Days
David’s Courses:
Wellness Program Expert

Dec 8, 2020 • 1h 28min
158: 4 Steps to Eliminate Stress & Take Control of Your Life
Dr. David and I are on our own this week, but that’s not because I forgot to book a guest. It’s because David himself is leading the discussion on today’s topic: taking healthy control of your life and reducing stress. Whether or not you’re a successful course creator, there’s something in this episode for you to consider, because who doesn’t have stress?
“If you ask me what is the single most important thing… the one single word is “momentum.”
- Dr. David Krohse
In This Episode, We Talked About:
(0:39) Why I’m unprepared for this episode (and why that’s okay)
(1:37) The backstory for today’s topic
(6:58) David’s single most important word
(8:17) Cold showers and choosing discomfort
(9:42) Step 1: Rate your stressors
(11:25) Step 2: Envisioning a stress-free life
(14:52) Step 3: Hack your stressors and your goals
(17:01) Step 4: Use effective goal-setting to take control
(19:39) Simplicity versus confusion
(22:05) Goal-setting and penalties
(24:58) Figuring out timeframes
(28:04) An interesting relationship hack + how David meet his wife
(34:21) Finding a good fit
(36:56) Top tips for family and communication
(45:04) Our favorite resource for work relationships
(48:01) Reading recommendations and how to handle people who drag you down
(49:36) Health hacks and homework for David
(57:37) My favorite supplements
(59:24) David’s recommendations for anxiety and depression + a plug for chiropractic
(1:03:18) Our “Baby Steps” financial journeys
(1:08:28) My investment influencers
(1:14:58) David’s best career advice
(1:16:05) Influencing others and the positive impact online courses can have
(1:20:06) Looking back at early goals and where they’ve led
(1:23:03) The motto to put on your mirror
(1:24:22) Where to find everything we mentioned on the show + my online course creator community
(1:25:47) Wrapping up
That’s all for now, folks! See you on the next episode of The Online Course Show.
Links
Offers and Tools:
Bonjoro Free Trial
ClickFunnels Free Trial
Win of the Week
Resources and Recommendations:
4 Steps to Eliminate Stress
Establish your Goal Handout
Episode 23
Episode 98
Episode 111
The Art of Charm
The 5 Love Languages
How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen
How to Win Friends and Influence People
The 4-Hour Workweek
Good to Great
Expert Secrets
Building a StoryBrand
Boundaries
The Obesity Code podcast
Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It
Uplift desk
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
Mint
I Will Teach You to Be Rich
ChooseFI
Profit First
Talent Stacker
Lombardi
Jacques’ Courses:
The Online Course Accelerator
Next Level Courses
Piano in 21 Days
David’s Courses:
Wellness Program Expert

Dec 1, 2020 • 1h 51min
157: Running a Successful Membership that is ALL about the COMMUNITY (Featuring Zac Small & Craig James)
Today we’re doing a few things differently, so get ready: we have two guests and zero “traditional” online courses involved. But don’t worry, because my discussion with Craig and Zach of Fraternity of Excellence is still super-relevant to many aspects of having a more typical online course business or membership model.
“Don’t let the fear of not being perfect when you launch keep you from launching.”
- Craig James
“Inside a membership community, it’s all about relationships.”
- Zach Small
In This Episode, We Talked About:
(0:40) Dr. K is back: where was he and what do lizards have to do with it?
(6:18) Our Asheville, NC recommendations + David’s ideal Instagrammer
(8:47) Getting recognized “in the wild”
(10:27) An update on my quest for the ultimate course platform
(11:37) Creating course content with other teachers and how I’ve set up compensation
(14:25) Setting the stage for today’s interview
(17:09) Why and how Craig and Zach partnered to create their membership site
(21:06) The 4-Hour Workweek mindset versus the community-based membership model
(21:35) Bootstrapping and their early business models
(24:35) Figuring out pricing with nothing to compare to
(27:38) The challenge of communicating value in exclusivity
(28:56) How Craig and Zach would change their approach to pricing if they were starting over
(30:27) Who their audience is and how they provide value to their niche
(33:18) How Craig and Zach’s offer has evolved
(36:25) A favorite story of how their group impacted one of their members
(39:11) How Zach quit his day job as their membership grew
(42:53) Getting started with their site and figuring out best tools and software
(46:21) Slack, “babies,” and focusing on the end goal
(50:47) Is the paid version of Slack worth it?
(53:00) How Craig and Zach make sure their membership never gets too big for its own good?
(55:32) The pen name dilemma
(1:03:41) Live events: how important are they?
(1:07:19) What Craig and Zach do to prevent member churn and encourage community-building
(1:10:35) Dealing with trolls and naysayers
(1:15:40) Making partnerships work
(1:18:43) Advice for new and aspiring course or membership creators
(1:22:19) David’s questions about the appeal of membership to me
(1:24:08) App development stories (plus an AI interruption)
(1:31:25) A not-so-shocking reveal
(1:34:36) Thinking about the challenges inherent to partnerships
(1:38:26) How I handle trolling plus how David avoided impersonating Michael Scott
(1:48:46) Finding the line between trolling and constructive criticism
(1:50:14) Wrapping up
That’s all for now, folks! See you on the next episode of The Online Course Show.
Links
Offers and Tools:
Bonjoro Free Trial
ClickFunnels Free Trial
Win of the Week
Guest Links:
Fraternity of Excellence
Family Alpha
Masculine by Design
Resources and Recommendations:
Chandler Corbin
Tupelo Honey Cafe
Pizza Mind
Upwork
Fiverr
Paid Memberships Pro
Slack
Zoom
Episode 95
David's video about running
Jacques’ Courses:
The Online Course Accelerator
Next Level Courses
Piano in 21 Days
David’s Courses:
Wellness Program Expert

Nov 17, 2020 • 1h 19min
156: “How do I manage the day-to-day vs. higher level vision?” Plus Other Questions Answered by Jacques (A Next Level Courses Q&A Recording)
Among the many perks of being an online course creator, something that never ceases to delight me is how amazing the course creator community can be and how much we can all learn from each other! That’s why I’m loving my Next Level Courses group and the course creators who are there teaching in every niche imaginable.
Today’s episode showcases a live Q&A with my Next Level Courses students. Every week we meet online and dig into all things online courses together. Some are new to the online course world, others have been doing this for some time But no matter where each member of the group is at, it’s awesome to be able to put our heads together and encourage each other to take things to the next level.
“It’s not just for passive income… we genuinely want to help people.”
- Jacques Hopkins
In This Episode, We Talked About:
(0:32) What makes today’s episode different
(2:17) The premise behind my advice
(2:46) Bringing on my first guest and regular Next Level Courses Q&A attendee, Kristi
(4:19) Growth and transitions
(8:46) What makes Kristi’s approach unique
(10:37) How we initially connected and started working together
(12:07) Thinking about how processes evolve
(14:23) Priorities and scheduling
(19:12) Kristi’s takeaways from a previous podcast episode
(21:48) Bringing on my next guest, Renato, for questions about webinar engagement
(27:48) Cleaning up email lists
(30:14) Advice and questions for Renato
(33:01) Implementing Profit First
(34:58) Bringing on Andrew, and thoughts on how to pronounce a very common word from the online course world
(36:10) How to improve storytelling and demonstrating value
(41:16) Thoughts on Andrew’s webinar
(42:59) What he’ll be working on next
(44:08) Bringing on Liz for questions about showing social proof
(50:47) How to frame the opportunity
(56:24) Transitioning from in-person teaching to online community-building
(58:04) Bringing on Matt to discuss evergreen funnels and cold traffic conversions
(1:02:31) Evaluating ups and downs in sales
(1:05:42) How important is consistency vs. flagship content on YouTube?
(1:11:00) Building trust without revealing too much of the “secret sauce” early on
(1:16:54) Wrapping up + why you shouldn’t procrastinate on signing up for Next Level Courses
That’s all for now, folks! See you on the next episode of The Online Course Show.
Links
Offers and Tools:
Bonjoro Free Trial
ClickFunnels Free Trial
Win of the Week
Books and Resources:
Episode 31
Episode 148
Profit First
Expert Secrets
Jacques’ Courses:
The Online Course Accelerator
Next Level Courses
Piano in 21 Days
David’s Courses:
Wellness Program Expert

Nov 10, 2020 • 1h 47min
155: The 4 Simple Steps for Succeeding with SEO for Your Online Course (featuring Matthew Woodward)
What’s an acronym that strikes fear in the heart of just about anyone with an online presence? If you guessed SEO, you were right - and I definitely count myself among the many who are intimidated by the topic of search engine optimization! But today’s guest is Matthew Woodward, and he’s here to demystify SEO and share how online course creators can make smart SEO choices: no matter what stage of the online course business journey they are on. I learned a lot during our conversation, and I think you will, too!
“If you build something that humans love, Google will usually love it as well.”
- Matthew Woodward
In This Episode, We Talked About:
(0:42) Thoughts on busyness and what I’ve been working on
(6:43) An update from David and why I don’t currently teach kids
(8:30) Getting lighting audits
(11:22) Where I’m at with platform decisions
(12:25) David’s latest suggestion for my Facebook ads
(16:44) The deeper meaning of Next Level Courses
(20:32) Why I was interested in today’s guest pitch
(22:03) Introducing Matthew and our topic of the day
(24:15) How a new course creator should approach SEO
(27:36) Different ways to handle the pros and cons of LearnDash
(31:05) Should I use multiple subdomains?
(33:46) Why WordPress is still the gold standard
(35:34) Matthew’s recommended funnel resources for new course creators
(38:52) How he handles his launches and similarities with my own funnel
(41:21) Building good SEO - how complicated is it really?
(43:47) What’s behind the smoke and mirrors of SEO strategy
(45:08) Why load-time matters
(48:12) Ranking for specific keywords
(52:54) Tailoring content for SEO
(54:59) What about other search engines besides Google?
(58:04) The importance of link-building
(1:02:00) A risk of incautious link-building
(1:04:25) What do SEO agencies do?
(1:07:27) Is Matthew against running ads?
(1:08:43) How SEO evolves over time
(1:12:31) Matthew’s course and who it’s for
(1:15:00) His calls-to-action and scarcity
(1:16:26) Thoughts on the power of observation
(1:18:13) How get in touch with Matthew personally
(1:19:19) David and I discuss takeaways from today’s interview
(1:20:27) Is SEO addictive?
(1:22:19) Developing quality content for SEO
(1:24:47) Affiliates, Reddit, and top-ranking results for Piano In 21 Days
(1:30:31) Will I ever do SEO fully in-house?
(1:33:11) Our ever-evolving catchphrase
(1:34:04) A shoutout for one of my youngest Next Level Courses members
(1:36:14) Wrapping up
That’s all for now, folks! See you on the next episode of The Online Course Show.
Links
Offers and Tools:
Bonjoro Free Trial
ClickFunnels Free Trial
Win of the Week
Guest Links:
Matthew’s website
90-Day SEO
6x Ways to Increase Website Speed
How to Write Killer Website Content That Attracts People
Podcast-Jacking for Links, Traffic, and Authority
Link-Building Services: What You REALLY Need to Know
Books and Resources:
Make Time
The Miracle Morning
BuddyBoss
LearnDash
Master Fingerstyle Guitar
Perfmatters
Product Launch Formula
Thrive Architect
ULKU Logistics
Jacques’ Courses:
The Online Course Accelerator
Next Level Courses
Piano in 21 Days
David’s Courses:
Wellness Program Expert

Nov 3, 2020 • 2h 19min
154: Running a $2M/yr Online Course Business While Still Working Full Time? (featuring Jason Dion)
We’re back with another “where are they now?” episode, this time with Jason Dion of Dion Training. Time flies: I interviewed Jason for the first time all the way back in episode 79! While many aspects of his business are still the same, he also has brought things forward in some very interesting (and successful!) ways. It was great to catch up with him and hear the latest about his online courses, the future of his business, and how he manages to stay on track while also working full-time overseas.
“There is no magic pill for this online course thing… It’s about student success, over and over again.”
- Jason Dion
In This Episode, We Talked About:
(0:39) Black eyes and thoughts on truthfulness
(5:45) Something I realized while doing live training recently
(6:43) Hitting a new income milestone and perspective on what it means
(10:39) Working with Nick Loper of the Side Hustle Show to sponsor a series
(13:30) The Win of the Week
(15:47) Setting the stage for today’s interview
(16:33) How Jason works full-time while juggling hugely successful courses
(18:16) The big tipping point since our first interview
(20:37) Student success and advertising
(24:15) The power of automated referrals, or, is Jason crazy?
(25:32) Branching out from Udemy
(28:59) How having multiple offers works for Jason’s business on different platforms
(33:27) His thoughts on competing with yourself on Udemy
(34:45) Does the 80/20 principle work for Jason?
(36:45) Platform pros and cons
(42:12) Course community options on Thinkific
(43:36) Platforms and their categories
(48:45) My course platform holy grail and the problem with how companies like Apple handle apps
(53:39) Jason’s recommendation for my online piano course
(56:44) What a platform move looks like for Jason
(1:00:16) How he runs a successful company while working full time
(1:17:40) Why he’s planning on retiring in Puerto Rico
(1:07:50) Talking teams and online business managers (OBM’s)
(1:13:13) An important task Jason’s OBM now manages for him
(1:15:16) The difference between OBM’s vs. VA’s
(1:16:39) Unexpected aspects of having a part-time OBM
(1:20:46) The importance of mindset and timing when hiring
(1:23:20) Where we found our OBM’s and decided on the right candidates
(1:26:44) Hiring a second VA and creating more accountability
(1:29:13) Project management tools
(1:35:42) How Jason profit-shares with his team
(1:38:18) Is there anything else Jason needs to turn over to his team?
(1:40:57) A mistake I made and why my OBM is going to help prevent me doing that again
(1:41:39) Does Jason recommend people start online courses in more than one place?
(1:44:39) Thoughts on success and misconceptions in the online course world
(1:50:08) Changes to my podcast format
(1:51:42) Jason’s advice for new and aspiring course creators
(1:53:17) Thoughts from David on Jason’s interview
(1:54:45) Would I advise people to stick with Udemy?
(1:58:20) What platform am I leaning towards?
(2:01:02) Why I want my own piano course app
(2:02:49) If we could move anywhere, it would be…
(2:05:16) Hiring my OBM
(2:08:16) How my team is evolving
(2:10:19) Our thoughts on Jason’s profit-sharing model
(2:14:49) Getting the right people “on the bus.”
(2:16:42) Wrapping up
That’s all for now, folks! See you on the next episode of The Online Course Show.
Links
Offers and Tools:
Bonjoro Free Trial
ClickFunnels Free Trial
Win of the Week
Guest Links:
Jason’s Website: Dion Training
Books and Resources:
Episode 98
Episode 79
CoffeeZilla
Snacks Daily
Udemy
Thinkific
LearnDash
Skillshare
Lynda
LinkedIn Learning
Packt Publishing
Vimeo
Wistia
LifterLMS
TutorLMS
Mighty Networks
Teachable
Kajabi
onlinebusinessmanager.com
Asana
Slack
Good to Great
Jacques’ Courses:
The Online Course Accelerator
Next Level Courses
Piano in 21 Days
David’s Courses:
Wellness Program Expert

Oct 27, 2020 • 1min
153: Putting Student Experience First & The Pain Of Getting an iPhone App Approved (featuring Chris Benetti)
For those of you who have been listening to the podcast for a while, you know that I’ve been on the hunt researching a ton of new platforms for the reboot of my online piano course. On today’s episode, I interviewed with Chris Benetti from Members Pro - one of these many platforms I’ve been looking into. Chris and I had a great chat about what it takes to create a new online course-focused platform, how to ensure student success, the pain of creating Apple apps, and much more.
“If you don’t have people coming through your course and having success, you don’t really have a proper business… Do everything you can help people to have success with your programs and to create raving fans with what you’ve built for them.”
-Chris Benetti
In This Episode, We Talked About:
(0:42) What I’m excited about for rebooting vs. relaunching
(2:16) How my live bootcamp is going
(3:55) Thoughts from David on his friend’s course journey
(8:04) Will we watch The Social Dilemma?
(9:07) Staying on the lookout for and inspiration best practices
(12:40) The Win of the Week and our thoughts
(20:12) How you can submit your own Win of the Week
(20:58) Setting the stage for today’s video
(24:07) Chris’s entry into the online course world
(28:59) Why Chris’s focus resonates with me
(31:51) Talking ClickFunnels cons and my journey
(33:53) Why Chris created Members Pro
(35:19) Comparing Members Pro to other platforms
(38:11) What Members Pro is working on now
(43:31) Future features vs. current selling points
(46:03) Customizable course themes
(47:32) Platform self-promotion and my dream app wishlist
(49:03) When Members Pro is rolling out new features
(52:11) Chris’s thoughts on apps with Apple integration vs. Google
(58:51) How Chris and his business partner started working together
(1:02:43) His advice for new and aspiring course creators
(1:04:12) Where to find Chris online
(1:05:29) Thoughts on online course fulfillment
(1:07:07) David’s thoughts on affiliate opportunities
(1:08:43) Community and platforms
(1:11:17) Our perspectives on gamification
(1:13:30) The obstacles to selling an app through Apple
(1:15:32) Wrapping up
That’s all for now, folks! See you on the next episode of The Online Course Show.
Links
Offers and Tools:
Bonjoro Free Trial
ClickFunnels Free Trial
Guest Links:
Chris’s Website
Members Pro
Members Pro Roadmap
Books and Resources:
Cristers Media
Tim Shields interview
Circle
Honeycommb
Jacques’ Courses:
The Online Course Accelerator
Next Level Courses
Piano in 21 Days
David’s Courses:
Wellness Program Expert

Oct 20, 2020 • 1h 27min
152: Better Business Model: Online Courses or SaaS? (featuring Brennan Dunn)
If you know anything about how I run my online course business, you know I love automation, segmentation, and all the behind-the-scenes processes that lead to having a successful online course. Brennan Dunn is a master of these topics and has done extremely well in his niche, so I’ve been looking forward to interviewing him. But Brennan is not a one-trick pony: in his “spare time” he has a successful Saas business and flies planes for fun! It was great to get his perspective on what works for him, how he juggles different passions, and hear his advice for new and aspiring course creators.
“The best courses are reactions to what people are already telling you.”
- Brennan Dunn
In This Episode, We Talked About:
(0:40) Thoughts on an honor my business recently received + how I got my face on TV
(4:15) How things are going with my new hire
(6:32) Is David selling my piano course? And what my affiliate structure looks like
(10:00) The backstory for today’s interview
(12:57) Flying vs. working on Brennan’s online course business
(15:10) Where Brennan spends most of his time
(18:15) Getting off the hamster wheel while keeping things running smoothly
(21:46) Comparing funnel strategies
(25:34) How Brennan creates text-based courses
(26:46) His very first course sale
(29:39) Do older models still work?
(31:26) How I heard about Brennan and Right Message
(32:44) Who is a good fit for RightMessage?
(43:06) The importance of split-testing for targeted marketing
(48:49) Brennan’s thoughts on SaaS businesses versus online courses
(52:33) Lifestyle considerations
(54:46) How Brennan handles using brand names in his course names
(57:52) Platforms and tools he loves
(59:56) Community building for online courses
(1:02:22) Brennan’s advice for new and aspiring course creators
(1:06:24) Why live course components are underrated
(1:08:00) Where to find Brennan and his products
(1:08:53) David and I discuss Brennan’s story
(1:10:02) Improving systems and planning for “2nd resolution season”
(1:14:06) Creating scarcity
(1:15:34) Thoughts on pivoting and recognizing needs
(1:19:10) Audience segmentation and personalization
(1:23:34) Why I refuse to get into SaaS products
(1:26:26) Wrapping up
That’s all for now, folks! See you on the next episode of The Online Course Show.
Links
Offers and Tools:
Bonjoro Free Trial
ClickFunnels Free Trial
Deadline Funnel Trial
Guest Links:
Brennan’s Website
Right Message
Books and Resources:
Sensei
WooCommerce
ConvertKit
Drip
Tim Ferris interview with Guy Raz
Elise Darma’s Instagram Course
Nathan Rice’s AirBnB Course
Khalid Hamada Facebook Marketing School
Jacques’ Courses:
The Online Course Accelerator
Next Level Courses
Piano in 21 Days
David’s Courses:
Wellness Program Expertrategic Coach

Oct 13, 2020 • 1h 14min
151: Courses Change Lives – A Success Story from Jacques’ Piano Course (featuring Ken Richard)
If you’re an online course creator, you know that hearing from successful students about their progress is one of the best feelings in the world! Today’s interview wasn’t originally destined for this show, but talking to my former student Ken Richard reminded me how powerful it is to hear when your resources have made an impact on someone’s life. At the end of the day, student success is the most important goal of any online course, so I hope you feel inspired by what you hear today. ;)
“With all the noise in our lives, you just don’t know what you can do… Push yourself. If it’s uncomfortable, that’s where you’ve got to go.”
- Ken Richard
In This Episode, We Talked About:
(0:45) Why today’s episode is different
(1:24) Thoughts from David on helping people go further and trying new ways of doing things
(9:48) Setting the stage for today’s conversation
(11:54) The experience that inspired Ken to get into piano
(16:54) Why he chose Piano In 21 Days
(23:02) Where to find Ken’s original music and what his endgame is
(26:33) The highlight of his piano journey so far
(30:52) Unlocking potential and why it doesn’t have to be so hard
(36:09) The power of being able to share your passion
(40:07) How Ken got over his reluctance to start composing
(43:50) Learning from different teachers and branching out
(48:12) Is it possible to learn piano so quickly?
(51:03) Our thoughts on Ken’s journey
(52:51) Why David thinks I should share certain success stories even more
(54:34) Living the lives we want to live
(56:48) The “bomb and gauge” technique
(59:06) Favorite concert experiences
(1:01:38) Do we have famous doppelgangers?
(1:03:10) Composition vs. improvisation
(1:06:14) Wrapping up
(1:08:59) A song from Ken
That’s all for now, folks! See you on the next episode of The Online Course Show.
Links
Offers and Tools:
Bonjoro Free Trial
ClickFunnels Free Trial
Guest Links:
Ken’s Website
Books and Resources:
Episode 119
Cool Tone Records
Jacques’ Courses:
The Online Course Accelerator
Next Level Courses
Piano in 21 Days
David’s Courses:
Wellness Program Expert
Strategic Coach