The Online Course Show

We’re back, and we’re still talking about mindset! It was great to debunk common mindset myths for online course creators last week, and I really felt we needed to continue our conversation "If you’re afraid to ask for reviews, you need to reevaluate your course and the quality you are providing." - Jacques Hopkins It’s always a good time to refocus, challenge limiting beliefs, and adjust your mindset. I really enjoyed my conversation with David, and I think you will too! In This Episode, We Talked About:  (2:03) Why we’re revisiting this topic and what’s new for me since last week (9:00) How to think about affiliate programs and resources (11:08) Thoughts on the Patreon model (15:24) The fear of asking for testimonials and reviews (17:00) A misconception about choice and a way I could be leveraging this more with my own course (20:30) An interesting suggestion from David (warning: this involves math) ;) (22:22) Scarcity strategies: are they smart, or manipulative? Plus a recent example of why I’m a fan (26:40) How my webinar funnel and signup incentives work (28:28) Payment options and how personal preferences can be misleading (31:08) Making things as clear as possible for the student (33:08) Giving up on a strategy vs. productive troubleshooting (37:17) Getting over the fear of outsourcing (40:43) How David implements strategies from a book that has inspired us both (45:57) Email frequency, unsubscribe options, and not being annoying (50:29) A common myth about running out of students (52:31) Got feedback? (54:26) Getting the right people “on the bus” Whew! That about does it for today - don’t forget to join us for the next episode! We’ll be back to our regular interview format and I’m really looking forward to this one. Have a safe and healthy week! Links BigSpy Marley Jaxx Good to Great Episode 70 Bonjoro Free Trial Stunning Stripe Jacques' Course - Piano in 21 Days David’s Course - Wellness Program Expert The Online Course Community (free Facebook group)

It’s time for a deep dive into a topic that very relevant to all online course creators. In fact, it's one of the biggest keys to making your online course business the best (and most successful) it can be. That’s right: we’re talking mindset! "Making money isn’t inherently bad: it’s all about how you use it." - Jacques Hopkins I enjoyed our conversation and I think you will too! Mindset is so important and it’s definitely worth talking about. In This Episode, We Talked About:  (2:15) Sideline Sams, Struggling Sallies, and others who might benefit from adjusting their mindset (3:46) Why this topic matters for entrepreneurs + a disclaimer (9:29) Thinking back to the beginning of my own mindset journey (10:53) Busting myths about financial success (17:14) Comparing the value of different types of education (21:39) Mindsets about how people choose to spend money for fun vs. courses (26:02) The value of online learning for people in difficult situations (27:27) Shifting focus from how much something costs to how much it is worth (28:56) Does higher pricing improve student success rates? And do lower prices create more profit? (31:48) Money vs. “certificates of appreciation” (33:42) How to view money left on the table (34:46) Choosing your legacy (39:01) Time vs. money (42:12) A pet peeve of mine when it comes to actual course content (43:00) How to implement mindset shifts on a practical level (46:44) Wrapping up Part 1 of the conversation about mindset What do you think - would you make the switch from webinar software to something simpler? Feel free to drop me a line and let me know. And make sure you tune in again next week for another more traditional episode of The Online Course Guy! Links JClickFunnels Trial JDeadline Funnel Extended Trial JExpert Secrets JTraffic Secrets JDotcom Secrets JStoryBrand JJacques' Course - Piano in 21 Days JDavid’s Course - Wellness Program Expert

We’re doing something a bit different today: I’m the only voice you're going to hear on this episode. In this short and sweet edition of The Online Course Guy, I’m going to be sharing a big change I’ve recently made in my funnel: and why I’m so excited about it! "The more you put in between your customer and your message, the less customers you will have." - Dan Henry Some of what I’m sharing today might seem to go against the mainstream, or it might even seem too simple to make a difference. But hear me out, because this is worth a try. In This Episode, We Talked About:  (1:14) My experience with EverWebinar and why I wasn’t a fan (3:10) Looking for alternatives (3:30) My “lightbulb moment” at a conference (4:25) Comparing results between my old and new systems (5:06) Do you need evergreen webinar software? (6:33) How I made the switch and what my webinar funnel looks like now (7:33) Some cool features I’ve added (9:34) Advantages to my new system (10:54) How will you know if this will improve your conversion rates? (12:23) How you can implement a simpler evergreen webinar (13:43) Get your own template for evergreen webinars and more (14:37) A simpler system is worth a try What do you think - would you make the switch from webinar software to something simpler? Feel free to drop me a line and let me know. And make sure you tune in again next week for another more traditional episode of The Online Course Guy! Links ClickFunnels Trial (free templates included!) Purchase Jacques’ webinar template Jacques' Course - Piano in 21 Days David’s Course - Wellness Program Expert

What do cookies have to do with online course creation? That’s what we find out today with my guest Anton Kraly, founder of Drop Ship Lifestyle. Not only does he have a unique story, but he’s become a very successful creator teaching people how to set up their own successful businesses in a non-traditional way. "Give [your course students] a clear path to success." - Anton Kraly We delved into some important insights on this episode, so I think you’re going to find Anton’s interview very enlightening! In This Episode, We Talked About:  (2:18) What is David waiting for when it comes to webinars? (3:49) A hurdle I recently got over with the help of outsourcing (9:14) Introducing Anton and what he does (10:13) The roundabout journey that turned Anton into an online course creator (12:35) Resources that did (and didn’t) help (13:36) Transitioning into building a course and the moment Anton realized this would be a success (16:23) How he handled his course being plagiarized (19:29) What he would do differently if he was starting over (21:31) A favorite moment in Anton’s course business journey and what his course offerings actually are (22:14) How he handles pricing and updates (22:53) Why and how to do live events (26:19) The value of testimonials (28:13) How Anton motivates people to enroll in his course (31:44) What tools he uses (32:45) How being a course creator has benefitted Anton (33:59) Advice for new and aspiring course creators (35:03) The impact of The 4-Hour Workweek plus some failed past business attempts (38:08) Live events - would I host one? (40:40) Discussing course theft, new interview questions, and more (44:40) Wrapping up Thanks for listening and learning along with me today. Stay tuned for another great episode coming soon! Links Bonjoro Free Trial Anton’s Course - Drop Ship Lifestyle The 4-Hour Workweek Sensei plugin InfusionSoft Zapier The Online Course Community (free Facebook group) Jacques' Course - Piano in 21 Days David’s Course - Wellness Program Expert

Websites: if you don’t have one already, you probably are thinking about creating one. Having your own website is an important part of building your web presence, but not every course creator approaches this the same way. My website has evolved a lot over time, in part thanks to Greg Merrilees and his team at Studio1Design. That’s why I had Greg on the show today. We’re talking all things related to online course websites! "Look at your data to figure what’s working… and be prepared for it to change." - Greg Merrilees Greg had some awesome tips about how to identify your website needs as an online course creator. I hope you enjoy what you hear! In This Episode, We Talked About:  (2:09) Web design and finding balance (3:04) How my web design choices have evolved with my business (10:45) Introducing Greg and what he does (13:19) Is it important for course creators to have a full website? (16:13) Why I stopped designing my own websites (18:09) Must-haves for great conversion rates (and examples from my own website) (25:18) Observations on some big website mistakes (28:51) Where does Greg see web content going in the future? (32:23) Something I’ve been testing recently on my website (34:04) What to expect when working with Greg (35:48) The value of social proof (42:47) Final thoughts from Greg (44:04) David and I discuss takeaways from today’s interview Thanks for listening and learning along with me today. Stay tuned for another great episode coming soon! Links Deadline Funnel Free Trial Greg’s Website - Studio1Design HotJar Jacques' Course - Piano in 21 Days David’s Course - Wellness Program Expert

We’re doubling up for today’s episode and interviewing not one, but two course creators! Ksenia Parkhatskaya and David Duffy have a successful online course story that is very inspiring. Most online courses start out as a one-man/woman show, but it was super-cool to hear how Ksenia and David’s different talents and strengths have made their partnership work so well. "Don’t be afraid to experiment. Don’t be afraid to start." - Ksenia Parkhatskaya It was awesome to hear all this duo’s insights from two perspectives. Enjoy listening in! In This Episode, We Talked About: (2:26) Something I’ve been working on lately (6:01) Being efficient vs. getting bogged down (10:19) Getting to know Ksenia, David, and their story (14:14) What made their first launch so successful? (16:27) Ksenia and David’s collaboration (18:17) One of the best-produced promo videos I’ve ever seen (23:06) What did and didn’t work for them early on (25:03) A funnel disaster story (26:33) Pricing considerations for international sales (29:26) Favorite online course tools (33:30) How they utilize YouTube (34:12) Do Ksenia and David recommend creating a “jam circle” in other niches? (36:01) Thoughts on increasing engagement within a course (37:57) Their advice for  beginner course creators (41:16) Funnel hacking (41:57) David Krohse and I discuss Ksenia and David’s story (47:08) Lessons learned from their Facebook ads experience (51:00) Wrapping up That’s all for now, folks! See you on the next episode of The Online Course Guy. Thanks for listening and learning along with us today. Links David’s Course - Wellness Program Expert Jacques' Course - Piano in 21 Days Ksenia’s Course - Secrets of Solo Bonjoro Free Trial Life as Paper LearnDash

This week we’re hearing from Matt Santry, who is all about helping musicians earn more consistent income. While he’s a relative newcomer to the online course world, I think there’s plenty to learn from his story so far! Also, David turned the tables on me during today’s episode by asking me some questions about my life as an online course creator that I haven’t really shared before. "I had an epiphany – the mini-training I was doing was essentially giving away my course." Matt Santry Matt provided some great food for thought, including how my own resources have made a difference in his online course journey. Needless to say, hearing that made my day! In This Episode, We Talked About: (1:44) Questions that David’s been thinking about for the show for a while (2:54) My best and worst moments as an online course creator (so far!) (7:44) The biggest obstacle I’ve had to overcome with my online course business so far and how I moved forward (15:39) My favorite benefits of being my own boss (18:30) Why this interview is different from some others (21:01) How Matt’s online course journey began (27:38) The epiphany that changed everything (33:53) Where Matt is focusing as his course grows (34:53) The “why” behind what he’s doing (36:18) Favorite tools (39:42) Where Matt’s trying to grow traffic (40:55) His advice for discouraged course creators (42.32) Where to find Matt online (43:03) Our thoughts on Matt’s journey (46:39) Doing a “free+shipping” book funnel (48:43) Does David want to try what’s worked for Matt? (49:59) Wrapping up today’s episode We covered a lot of ground today, so I hope you’ll drop me a line and let me know your favorite part of the conversation!! Links ClickFunnels Free Trial Deadline Funnel Free Trial Kajabi Matt’s Course - The Well-Paid Musician Expert Secrets (free Online Course Accelerator included!) Jacques' Course - Piano in 21 Days David’s Course - Wellness Program Exper

If you’ve ever studied a foreign language, you’ll be able to appreciate my guest today! Hadar Shemesh is a language coach, public speaker, and online course creator who’s on a mission to help ESL/EFL-learners with one of the more challenging aspects of being a non-native speaker: accents. You can always start small. Hadar Shemesh Hadar provided some great food for thought about why some online course creators might go the route of live launches instead of an evergreen model. I enjoyed our conversation and I think you will too! In This Episode, We Talked About: (1:35) My outsourcing update (4:35) What David’s been working on recently, plus a story of how he almost got shot (10:35) Hadar explains a key branding decision early on in her course creation process (12:24) How she began her online course journey with a built-in audience and validation (14:16) Why Hadar does live launches and how she keeps her business sustainable (19:06) Tips for people who choose to do live launches (20:55) HOW many students signed up for Hadar’s most recent launch? (Plus how she manages the launch itself) (22:50) Where most of her sales and traffic come from (25:!1) Repurposing content (27:21) What does Hadar’s team do? (28:17) How her YouTube videos are so important to her success (31:54) Building an audience on YouTube (34:11) Hadar’s advice for aspiring course creators (36:47) Her favorite tools (39:06) Thoughts on the importance of testimonials (41:13) Hadar’s tips for anyone considering creating an online course (42:52) Dave and I discuss the live launch strategy (45:18) A big takeaway for me from the interview (47:28) Running out of content - or not (48:38) Wrapping up Thank you for listening in – I hope you enjoyed what you heard! We’ll be back with another episode soon. Links Bonjoro Free Trial Deadline Funnel Free Trial Mark’s Course - Play In The Zone Tube Ads Academy Thrive Themes Drip Jacques' Course - Piano in 21 Days David’s Course - Wellness Program Expert

If you’ve ever studied a foreign language, you’ll be able to appreciate my guest today! Hadar Shemesh is a language coach, public speaker, and online course creator who’s on a mission to help ESL/EFL-learners with one of the more challenging aspects of being a non-native speaker: accents. "You can always start small." -Hadar Shemesh Hadar provided some great food for thought about why some online course creators might go the route of live launches instead of an evergreen model. I enjoyed our conversation and I think you will too! In This Episode, We Talked About: (1:35) My outsourcing update (4:35) What David’s been working on recently, plus a story of how he almost got shot (10:35) Hadar explains a key branding decision early on in her course creation process (12:24) How she began her online course journey with a built-in audience and validation (14:16) Why Hadar does live launches and how she keeps her business sustainable (19:06) Tips for people who choose to do live launches (20:55) HOW many students signed up for Hadar’s most recent launch? (Plus how she manages the launch itself) (22:50) Where most of her sales and traffic come from (25:!1) Repurposing content (27:21) What does Hadar’s team do? (28:17) How her YouTube videos are so important to her success (31:54) Building an audience on YouTube (34:11) Hadar’s advice for aspiring course creators (36:47) Her favorite tools (39:06) Thoughts on the importance of testimonials (41:13) Hadar’s tips for anyone considering creating an online course (42:52) Dave and I discuss the live launch strategy (45:18) A big takeaway for me from the interview (47:28) Running out of content - or not (48:38) Wrapping up Thank you for listening in – I hope you enjoyed what you heard! We’ll be back with another episode soon. Links Bonjoro Free Trial Deadline Funnel Free Trial Mark’s Course - Play In The Zone Tube Ads Academy Thrive Themes Drip Jacques' Course - Piano in 21 Days David’s Course - Wellness Program Expert

Time – it’s always running away from us. One of the perks of owning my own business is that I am in charge of my own schedule, but it’s still a challenge to make the most of every day. And that’s why I’ve been reading “Make Time” by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky along with my co-host, David Krohse! "It’s about slowing down and making time for what matters most." - Jacques Hopkins We had a great chat about our favorite tips from the book, what we’ve tried so far, and what we’re thinking about as we face the challenge of making time head-on. In This Episode, We Talked About: (1:45) Introducing the theme of today’s episode (3:13) First thoughts on “Making Time” (8:08) The authors’ stories and discussion vs. implementation (10:20) Pre-planning daily highlights and calendar blocking (11:36) “Flake it ‘till you make it” (13:00) Becoming a morning person (or not) (16:59) Tuning out distractions and “infinity pools” (23:10) Homescreen cleanup - does it make a difference? (24:17) Wristwatch vs. phone for timekeeping and more (25:54) Dave’s concept for a physical product that limits screentime (29:46) The challenge of keeping on top of emails (31:29) Paring down entertainment options and how we use our downtime (35:42) How to invent a deadline (38:48) Experiments with nutrition and fasting (42:01) Headspace and a meditation fail (44:06) Wrapping up So what about you – what are you doing to make time in your own schedule? If you’d like to share, make sure you join my free Facebook group for online course creators. I’d love to hear from you there! Links Bonjoro Free Trial Freedom app Dark Matter We Are Legion (We Are Bob) Red Rising Headspace app The Online Course Community (free Facebook group) Make Time Deep Work Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy