

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

Feb 25, 2020 • 49min
120: How to Make 6-Figures from 2 Live Launches a Year (Featuring Hadar Shemesh)
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

Feb 18, 2020 • 54min
119: A YouTube Ads Success Story
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

Feb 11, 2020 • 46min
118: Busy? Here’s How to “Make Time”
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

Feb 4, 2020 • 42min
117: Is This Guy My Competition or Mentor?
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

Jan 28, 2020 • 57min
116: How to Get 10,000 Students in Your Online Course
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

Jan 21, 2020 • 60min
115: David Wallimann Returns to Talk YouTube + Online Course
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

Jan 14, 2020 • 26min
114: Podcasting for Course Creators
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

Jan 7, 2020 • 1h 1min
113: Bookkeeping for Course Creators
Happy New Year from The Online Course Show! David and I are excited to be back with a new year full of awesome upcoming content for course creators, and a big goal for 2020. I’m planning on putting out an episode every week, rain or shine, which means 52 episodes chock full of important info and helpful insights into the world of online courses. It’s a tall order, but I’m feeling confident!Kicking off this first episode of the year we have Parker Stevenson as our guest. Parker is co-founder of Evolved Finance, and he’s all about bringing course creators up to speed in an area that is extremely important to maintaining a healthy business: bookkeeping
"The whole point is to run a business that makes profit so that you as a business owner can live a lifestyle you want to live."
- Parker Stevenson
Parker provided some great food for thought on how to deal with finances within the world of online courses. I’m definitely taking his advice into consideration, and I hope you do, too!]
In This Episode, We Talked About:
(1:14) Starting the new year with a big new goal for this podcast
(2:42) Thinking about goals, motivation, and penalties for 2020
(7:10) Reintroducing ourselves for new listeners
(9:52) David and I revisit an issue that I recently discovered with my business bookkeeping
(10:45) Introducing our topic and our guest
(13:12) Parker tells us about his business working with online course creators
(14:38) What is bookkeeping and why does it matter, anyway?
(16:44) Being your own bookkeeper vs. hiring one
(20:10) Insights that a service like Evolved Finance can give online course creators into their businesses
(25:08) Why some businesses have less potential to be sold
(26:44) The right percentage for profit
(28:54) Parker’s thoughts for course creators looking for a bookkeeping service
(32:41) What to look for in an accountant
(37:11) Discussing the Profit First concept
(41:43) Parker’s advice for new and aspiring course creators
(45:24) How established course creators can set up a consultation call with Parker
(48:33) Parting thoughts from Parker for course creators
(49:28) David and I discuss the interview
(52:56) What David’s been doing for bookkeeping and his tip for determining when to hire someone else
(55:39) My experience with video editing hires
(56:47) Will David outsource bookkeeping in the future?
(58:56) Wrapping up
We covered a lot of ground today, and I think there was plenty for new and growing business owners to consider. I hope you’ll drop me a line to let me know what aspect of today’s conversation was the most eye-opening to you. And stay tuned for another episode coming next week!
Links
Deadline Funnel Free Trial
Evolved Finance
Profit First
The Online Course Accelerator
Piano in 21 Days
The Online Course Guy

Dec 17, 2019 • 18min
112: Why I Started The Online Course Show & How I Can Help You in 2020
It’s just me and you today – that’s right, it’s time for one of those rare solo episodes where the only person talking is me, myself and I. (Not for too long though, I promise). ????As 2019 comes to a close, I want to give you a glimpse into the inspiration behind this show, some things I’m planning for next year, and even ways that I can help you with your own online course.
“You’ve really helped pull it all together for me… I went through your course and redid my whole funnel, and I’ve done $1200 in three days!”
-Student feedback from my Online Course Accelerator
In This Episode, We Talked About:
(1:49) My journey towards creating this podcast and a pivotal email that helped kick things into gear
(6:27) Some awesome deals I’m offering you (including a free resource valued at $1,000)
(10:41) Feedback from one of my Online Course Accelerator students
(12:07) My ongoing love for ClickFunnels - and I can help you get started without too much effort
(14:05) Who is my Next Level Courses course for?
(14:40) A big goal I’m setting for this podcast in 2020
(15:29) What to do if you want to get in touch with me or join my online course community on Facebook
(17:09) Wrapping up
That about does it for this year! Don’t forget to join me and my co-host David in January 2020 – we have a bunch of great interviews and discussions lined up and coming soon. Happy New Year!
Links
Deadline Funnel
Online Course Accelerator
Next Level Courses
My Favorite Online Course Guy Tools
Facebook Group - The Online Course Guy Community
OCG Episode 89
Piano in 21 Days
The Online Course Guy

Dec 10, 2019 • 1h 2min
111: The 5 Love Languages for Course Creators
Yes, you read that episode title correctly! We are taking a short break from our standard interview format to discuss a very popular book from a unique perspective. While some of you may have heard of the concepts explained in The Five Love Languages, I’m willing to bet you haven’t thought too much about how to apply those principles to the world of online courses. But that’s exactly what we’re doing today.
"If someone’s love language is [being used, hopefully] they’re seeing that I’m taking the time to respond and help them"
- Jacques Hopkins
In This Episode, We Talked About:
(1:28) Updates from me and David
(3:00) How we learned about The Five Love Languages
(6:09) David breaks down the different love languages and we discuss some examples
(10:11) Practical application of love languages in our relationships
(20:08) Gift-giving - where does it fit into an online course business?
(32:14) Incorporating acts of service into sales funnels and enrollees’ course experiences
(36:40) Creating opportunities for quality time
(44:46) Using words of affirmation throughout our online course businesses
(46:21) Thinking about how to use the quality time love language and welcoming new members into my free online course Facebook group
(48:30) “I’m proud of you.”
(49:50) Building rapport and giving students confidence despite the disconnect of online communications
(51:21) The one thing that would convince David to sign up for my piano course
(53:09) Can physical touch factor into remote learning?
(56:01) Storytime with David
(57:50) Being authentic and finding ways to connect
(1:00:42) Wrapping up
That’s all for now, folks! See you on the next episode of The Online Course Guy.
Links
Bonjoro Free Trial
The 5 Love Languages
Piano in 21 Days
The Online Course Guy