The Online Course Show

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

Today we’re chatting with Steve Nixon, a successful online piano course creator who played an interesting role in my own course creation journey. He’s got a wealth of experience in his niche and is on a mission to teach people what online businesses actually need to become successful. "It’s better to get feedback from people right away… real people with real problems that you can serve right away." - Steve Nixon It was awesome to hear Steve’s perspective on over a decade of successful online courses, plus hear where he is branching out into new territory. I’m feeling inspired and I think you will be, too! In This Episode, We Talked About: (1:11) Chatting about the latest updates to our businesses and more (6:18) Catching up with Steve Nixon and hearing about his online course journey (9:16) How Steve’s story impacted my own (12:06) Tracking the market and finding “the hook” (14:01) Steve’s perspective on starting the risk of starting his own online course (15:58) Why he has multiple offerings within one business - and his suggestion for people who don’t have an audience yet (19:36) A classic downfall of new course creators (20:08) What Steve would do if he was creating his first online course today (24:38) Looking to the future of the online course market (28:37) Branching out and providing value (31:46) Steve’s upcoming projects and future plans (34:15) David and I discuss Steve’s interview (40:55) Is it a good sign if you’re being trolled? (41:12) Wrapping up today’s episode We covered a lot of interesting ground today, so I hope you’ll drop me a line and let me know your favorite part of the conversation! And make sure you check out the great tools and freebies linked below. Links Steve’s Free Jazz Lessons Website Ontraport Optimize Press Traction book Clickfunnels Free Templates & Trial The Online Course Community (free Facebook group) Steve’s New Strategy Samurai Website The Online Course Guy Make Time Deep Work Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy Deadline Funnel Free Trial Piano in 21 Days

We’re back with an all-new interview, this time with artist Angela Fehr! Angela recently hit an awesome milestone with her online course business, and it was great to get to know her a bit and chat about her online course journey. "Marketing your course is like parenting or saving money: you could always be doing it better." - Angela Fehr Angela has approached certain aspects of her course very differently than me, but we also have had a lot of similarities in starting out. It’s always great to hear what works for other course creators, and I think you’re going to enjoy our conversation! In This Episode, We Talked About: (1:47) Updates from me and David on webinars, upcoming travel, and more (6:50) Angela introduces her online course business and shares a recent milestone (10:14) The teaching platform Angela relies on (12:22) Looking back at her online course journey (15:22) Thinking about changes in online course businesses as they become more mainstream (17:01) Building an audience and evolving course content (20:05) When Angela realized that her online course was going to work (21:16) Branding and marketing decisions (26:06) Does Angela use scarcity to drive sales? (27:19) How she spends most of her working time and how she measures growth (31:04) Looking at similarities in how we gain traffic (32:27) How Angela deals with exchange rates for international sales (34:48) Favorite tools and thoughts on keeping things simple early on (40:05) Mighty Networks vs. Facebook Groups (44:03) Angela’s advice for new course creators (46:01) David and I discuss what we’re most impressed by with Angela and her business (48:22) Thoughts on why I prefer Facebook Groups (52:11) Creating courses and moving past imposter syndrome (54:39) Wrapping up That’s all for now, folks! See you on the next episode of The Online Course Show, and don’t forget to sign up for my Online Course Community (link below) if you haven’t already. Links Camtasia Canva Mighty Networks Zapier ConvertKit Loom Screen-Cast-O-Matic The Online Course Community (free Facebook group) Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy Bonjoro Free Trial Angela’s Website Teachable Logitech C920 webcam Camtasia Canva Mighty Networks

One of my favorite episodes from last year was Episode #57 with David Walliman, so in this new year I was excited to have him back on the show with me. There was a lot to talk about and some interesting epiphanies David had that we all can learn from. "Look at the trends… Look at the bigger picture. That’s the wiser approach." - David Walliman It was great to get David’s perspective on what worked (and didn’t) for him in the last six months. I hope you enjoy listening in on our conversation! In This Episode, We Talked About: (2:07) Recent LSU highlights and the genesis of my new Friday Facebook Live chats (5:53) Setting up a webinar for the first time (12:44) David Krohse’s plans for reaching out to new potential students (17:58) Revisiting my first interview with David Walliman from way back when (20:19) The downside to being extremely consistent with a given process - and what that meant for David moving forward (22:58) How he improved his content planning to take off some pressure (25:29) Burnout, breaks, and figuring out what is actually necessary to sustain business (hint: this will be different for different businesses) (31:02) Gaining perspective on success and fluctuating sales (34:12) Would David still encourage people to create their own online course? (35:22) How has his branding evolved? (37:39) Teachable, new tools, and growing David’s team (40:49) His response to a question someone recently asked me about transitioning into online courses (44:20) Navigating licensing issues in the music niche (46:10) David’s goals for 2020 (47:19) Wrapping up our interview (47:47) David Krohse and I discuss the importance of auditing business processes (50:16) My story of making the switch from a “normal” job to online course creation (53:37) Thoughts on platform choices and content planning (54:36) Getting ready for the ups and downs of owning your own business That’s all for now, folks! See you on the next episode of The Online Course Show (and don’t forget to check out the Facebook group link below if you haven’t already). Links Deadline Funnel Free Trial Crisp Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy The Online Course Community (free Facebook group) David’s Website OCG Episode #57 Teachable

We’re changing things up a bit today: on this episode of The Online Course Guy, I am the guest, and the host and interviewer is actually Evan Johnson of Path to Podcast Success! I had the pleasure of chatting with Evan a short while ago, and thought that the topics we covered could be of value not only to his audience but to mine. "Be consistent and stick with it." - Jacques Hopkins I hope you enjoy this role-reversal interview, and hopefully learn something you can use in your own online business or podcast. In This Episode, We Talked About: (1:29) An introduction to today’s episode (2:11) My biggest fear before starting my own podcast - and how I got past it (4:08) Branching out into interviews (5:10) Talking podcast format evolution and recurring themes (6:00) My business funnels and the role my podcast plays (9:08) Starting out with basically zero audience (10:24) My podcast production process (13:41) How much time does outsourcing save me? (15:51) The benefits of having a podcast (16:53) Is outsourcing worth it? (19:02) Where I found my team (19:09) What I wish I had done differently when I was starting out (20:51) How I built my audience (22:45) My thoughts for people considering starting their own podcast That’s all for today, but Nate and I will be back soon with more cool tips and great insights from the world of online business and courses! Links Bonjoro Free Trial Path to Podcast Success Upwork The Online Course Community (free Facebook group) OCG episode 89 Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy