The Online Course Show

A very special guest joined me on this very special 100th episode of The Online Course Guy. Way back when I started this podcast, I wasn’t sure where all this would lead. But I knew I would have loved to listen to this kind of podcast when I was a new course creator. Ever since then, I’ve been looking forward to celebrating this 100th episode milestone, and what better way to do that than to chat with the one and only Niki Hopkins – my wife! "It was definitely scary… we said we were going to give it a year." - Niki Hopkins I couldn’t have created my piano course without Niki, and it’s only fitting that today we discussed what this has looked like for our family and her perspective on online courses. Let’s dive in and hear her side of the story! In This Episode, We Talked About: (4:20) What would be different about our lives if I had never gotten into online course creation (7:27) An example of how not working “normal jobs” gives us more freedom and flexibility (8:04) Niki’s business and how it evolved (10:52) How we respond to people who ask what I do for a living (12:57) Was Niki okay with me quitting my job before my online course was fully sustainable? (16:56) Her first thoughts when I initially told her about my idea for an online piano course - and some of my previous ideas that didn’t work out quite so well (18:06) Niki’s initial reaction to my strategy for course pricing (19:10) Wrapping up and a note of appreciation I hope you enjoyed listening in to this conversation between me and Niki on what online courses have meant to our family. Thanks so much for being the reason why I do this podcast – and here’s to many, many more awesome episodes to come! Links Bonjoro Free Trial Life as Paper Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while, you might have noticed that many of my recent guests mention Thinkific as their course platform of choice. I’ve been curious about this platform for a while, so today’s interview is with Rob Balasabas of Thinkific.com. Having him on the show with me was a great opportunity to hear about one of the many options we course creators have and why this platform might be right for you.* “There are a ton of . . . groups that don’t have an offering. Go to all those places that have people congregating around these different topics and ask them what their pain points are.” - Rob Balasabas Rob delved into what Thinkific has to offer course creators, and how to make the most of what this platform provides. I enjoyed our conversation and I think you will too!*Just for the record, this episode was not sponsored by Thinkific in any way. In This Episode, We Talked About: (3:23) Some of the most random online course topics Rob’s encountered (4:29) What Rob does and how he came to work at Thinkific (5:58) Building strong communities online (8:25) Thinkific’s origin story (11:30) What Rob sees as the biggest hurdles for online course creators (13:22) Finding a balance between UX and marketing (15:42) Why choose Thinkific? (18:48) A funny connection I made with someone from a well-known company (19:47) Rob’s personal experience with course building and what he’s working on now (21:28) How Rob is validating his course concept (26:22) His advice for beginning and struggling course creators (28:41) What about course creators who are doing okay but want to level up their sales? (31:34) A parting pitch That wraps it up for today, but don’t forget to subscribe so you can keep up with all the latest episodes. That’s all for now, folks! Links Bonjoro Free Trial Thinkific 90-Day Trial Zapier Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

If there’s one thing that I’ve tried to do with my business, it’s to keep things as efficient and time-saving for me as possible. Outsourcing is a big part of that! And my recent conversation with Jason Dion of Dion Training was a great opportunity to focus in on the topic. "Take your time upfront and do it right. If you treat [contractors] well, they’ll treat you well." - Jason Dion I’m still mulling over what Jason and I discussed in today’s episode. While not everyone has the same outsourcing needs, there’s a lot to take away and a lot of great ideas to consider. In This Episode, We Talked About: (4:17) An update on Udemy, web sales, and more from Jason since our last podcast conversation (7:10) Jason’s freelancing (8:53) Comparing our different approaches when it comes to outsourcing tasks (12:08) Hiring freelancers on a need-basis vs. growth mindset with full-time hiring (15:23) How Jason has found his team and why he focused on hiring from the Philippines (18:21) His favorite book on where to start with outsourcing (20:07) Jason’s take on pay rates, benefits, and bonuses for freelancers (25:13) How he handles the financial side of hiring in the Philippines (29:11) The legal ins and outs of hiring contractors vs. employees (32:26) How Jason and his team communicate (35:40) Roles and responsibilities within Jason’s team (37:00) The tool Jason couldn’t live without (38:38) His top tip for vetting freelance applications (40:28) Jason’s final piece of advice for course creators interested in outsourcing I really enjoyed today’s episode, so thanks for listening in! If you felt inspired by what you heard, please do me a favor and take a second to leave a review of my podcast over on iTunes. I’d really appreciate it! Links Bonjoro Free Trial Jason’s Website Virtual Freedom book Remit Gsuite Shadow.Tech Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

Recently, I had the chance to talk with Louise Dean about the story behind her successful novel-writing course and how her passion has become her business. Louise had a fascinating start to her online course journey, and shared some great tips and tools that could be useful no matter what your niche is. "Proceed with glee! . . . Keep it really personal, really friendly, really truthful and honest." - Louise Dean I’d love to hear what you found most interesting about this interview – feel free to drop me a line and let me know. In This Episode, We Talked About: (4:04) The social experiment that eventually prompted Louise to create her first online course (6:17) How Louise found a group of people willing to take her novel-writing challenge (7:20) Why she sets a time limit for the structure of her course (9:01) How her original course compares to her current course iterations (10:01) How Louise has set up her course content (10:37) Why she provides additional courses beyond her 90-day offering (13:38) Louise’s challenge to me - this one took me by surprise! (14:14) How many students she’s had to date and how she continues to find more (15:40) The built-in review-gathering process in her course (16:11) Louise’s favorite tools and services (18:31) Scheduling and marketing on Instagram (19.39) How Louise stays on top of things without a traditional team in place (20:37) Her advice for new or struggling course creators Thanks for listening and learning along with me today. Stay tuned for another great episode coming soon! Links ClickFunnels Louise’s Website Kajabi PlushForums Acuity Zoom Sked IFTTT Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

Rather than interview a course creator this week, I’m bringing you something a little different but very relevant. Deadline Funnel is one of the most important tools I use when it comes to selling my online course, and I know a lot of other people out there who feel the same way. So it’s my pleasure to bring you an interview with Jack Born, founder of Deadline Funnel and marketer extraordinaire. "If you see the potential, don’t let your doubts and anxiety . . . stand in the way." - Jack Born Jack shared insights on funnels, marketing, and communicating with integrity. So grab a cup of coffee and get ready for an awesome interview! In This Episode, We Talked About: (3:15) The top question my listeners have for Jack, and the story behind his reply (8:23) Jack’s thoughts on authenticity and integrity in funnels (11:59) Product launch strategies and limitations (14:49) How to handle sales after a deadline ends (18:23) Evergreen marketing, timing, and business growth (20:23) Jack’s advice on helping students benefit from your course (24:00) How automation can free you to improve other aspects of your business (25:10) The problem with some launch strategies (26:58) The danger of not having a deadline - and what having one can mean for your sales (30:19) An example of how Deadline Funnel has worked for a business similar to mine (34:14) The quickest way to help new students experience a “win” (36:43) How Jack would respond to questions about automated emails (40:17) Dealing with late enrollment requests (46:44) How to increase conversions through the structure of your funnel (50:48) Webinar discussion and The Sunk Cost Fallacy (57:51) Jack’s thoughts on increasing ROI with deadlines  (59:22) How you can get started with Deadline Funnel 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! I’ll be back with another episode soon. Links Deadline Funnel Jack’s 3-Part Article  Email inquiries for Jack’s webinar replay strategy Piano in 21 Days

After a bit of a break, I’m back with another online course creator interview! Jason Resnick of Rezzz.com and I had a great conversation about the topic of today’s episode: interaction. It’s one simple word – but how do you handle interaction with the people who are on your email list, let alone enrolled in your course? "Be open to [your audience’s] ideas… Hear how these people want to learn, and then apply that to whatever you’re building." –Jason Resnick It was great to chat about some of the similarities and differences between how Jason and I handle interaction. There’s a lot here to mull over, so put on your thinking cap and enjoy! In This Episode, We Talked About: (2:22) How Jason aligned his course with prospective students (3:05) What “interaction” means to Jason and how he implements it at different points along his funnel (6:45) How and why he uses one of my favorite apps (9:10) The reason behind Jason’s interaction-heavy approach (10:22) The skepticism that we sometimes encounter when sending personalized messages (13:34) Why and how Jason created his own online course (20:12) Using a membership model (22:26) What Jason’s course actually entails (24:23) The pros and cons of different community platforms (26:09) Why he chose to create a membership site instead of charging students a one-time fee (28:20) The platform and plug-ins Jason uses for his course (30:09) How Jason gets things done as a one-man show (32:11) The ways that having an online course affect Jason’s life (34:04) Jason’s advice for new course creators Thanks for listening and learning along with me today. Stay tuned for another great episode coming soon! Links Bonjoro Free Trial Jason’s Website Slack Restrict Content Pro Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

This is a first for this podcast: my guest today is not only a successful course creator – she’s an online course coach and consultant! Though Janelle Allen and I work in the same online space, we really aren’t competitors. That’s because we have different approaches and different niches we are reaching. "At the end of the day, I think [your online course] has to be something beyond making the sale. It’s about having an impact and helping someone." - Janelle Allen It was great to geek out over online courses and coaching with Janelle! Enjoy listening in, and don’t forget to check out her podcast too (link below). In This Episode, We Talked About: (3:02) What being an instructional designer means to Janelle and why she focuses on user experience (5:42) Janelle’s perspective on understanding your market as online course creators (6:58) Course content and the value of building learning communities (10:14) Debunking myths about passive income (11:54) Janelle’s podcast and how the power of listening has led her to expand her online offerings (14:19) Focusing our efforts as course creators (16:12) How Janelle teaches her students to validate their course concept and launch (17:37) Favorite launch strategies and the importance of “ask campaigns” (21:08) Comparing course platforms (25:14) Why Janelle’s opinion of Udemy has shifted over time (27:14) How to get testimonials and social proof (30:31) Janelle’s favorite resources and tools (31:37) Her perspective on how online courses can change lives Thanks for listening and learning along with me today. Stay tuned for another great episode coming soon! Links Bonjoro Free Trial Janelle’s Website Janelle’s Podcast Thinkific Podia ClickFunnels Lead Pages Drip TypeForm RightMessage ConvertKit Crowdcast Zoom Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

It’s me, myself, and I on today’s episode! But there’s a good reason why. Though I haven’t covered this topic much up until now, that’s about to change thanks to a great suggestion from one of my listeners. (Hi David!) So without further ado, today I want to take some time to share with you about how having my online course business impacts my family. "This is all by design… It took a lot of hard work and a lot of failures throughout the years, but now I’m at the point where it’s easy to go away [with my family]." In This Episode, We Talked About: (1:31) Gaining the opportunity to travel as a family in the past, present (and hopefully future) (4:13) An interesting tip from an author whose other advice has proven trustworthy for my business (5:32) The main tasks that I will make time for each day while traveling (7:20) A last-minute decision I made right before my trip (in contrast to a productivity hack I usually live by) (9:18) The difference that being your own boss makes (11:21) What quitting my “9-5” taught me about ego and how seeing the direct impact of my work motivates me now (13:30) The excitement of knowing how my online course benefits my family I hope you’re feeling inspired by what I shared today! Don’t forget to check out the links below if you are thinking of starting your own online course. Links Bonjoro Free Trial Profit First book Clockwork book Freshbooks Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

Does the idea of making videos for your online course scare you? Believe it or not, you don’t have to have videos to teach a course. Course creator Tanner Guzy has the proof in the pudding – he’s reached 6-figures with primarily text-based lessons! "See what works and what doesn’t, then you can adapt… you can plan yourself into oblivion, whereas if you’re out and actually doing stuff that’s where you’ll start to see results." - Tanner Guzy I really enjoyed my conversation with Tanner! As a student of his myself, it was cool to hear how his business works from the inside. There’s lots to think about and lots of great advice to take in. In This Episode, We Talked About: (3:39) What led Tanner to create his first online course (4:50) How he found his niche (6:07) His first steps towards course creation (8:17) Launch strategy and sales techniques (9:12) Tanner’s experience with a popular course platform (9:57) An atypical approach to course content format (13:24) His current sales funnel (19:01) Coaching vs. courses (20:22) Where Tanner’s traffic comes from (his answer was a first for this podcast!) (25:13) What he’d do differently if he was starting over Thank you for listening in – I hope you enjoyed what you heard! I’ll be back with another episode soon. Links Bonjoro Free Trial Tanner’s Website Product Launch Formula Expert Secrets Teachable Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

Today’s guest has helped create a huge number of courses and has 9 years of experience in the online course world. It was a pleasure to speak with Randi Buckley on all sorts of interesting topics from refunds and customer satisfaction to outsourcing and more "Just go for it. You might have to test out what works for you… take what works and see what sticks." - Randi Buckley Randi’s passionate about what she does and had plenty of great advice for aspiring course creators. I hope you enjoy listening in on this conversation with a seasoned veteran of online courses! In This Episode, We Talked About: (2:45) Randi’s online course offerings and how she got started (4:51) The timeline for creating and marketing her first course (7:03) Where Randi hosts her courses (7:46) Her take on course availability and scarcity (9:09) The secret behind where most of her traffic comes from (10:45) Her thought process on using her name as branding (12:09) How Randi approaches outsourcing (13:49) What she would do differently if she were starting over today (16:59) Her advice for beginner course creators (18:54) Randi’s unique take on refunds and maintaining customer happiness (22:58) An example of a recent refund I gave and Randi’s thoughts on how she would have handled it That wraps it up for today, but don’t forget to subscribe so you can keep up with all the latest episodes. Until next time! Links Bonjoro Free Trial Randi’s Website Ruzuku Teachable Zoom Dapper Fox Design Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy