The Launch Plan Podcast

On The Launch Plan podcast, we help solopreneurs, small businesses, and creators launch successful online courses, memberships, and other info products. How?

It turns out that ‘quitting the hamster wheel’ was wrong.
You see it was never about the wheel (or getting off of it). It was always about the hamster.

A cute little hamster running inside a wheel is unforgettable. And if these rodents could see anything beyond the wheel, they would surely jump off it. But they don’t. Why?

Hamsters can’t see.
A hamster can only see a few inches past its nose. To make things worse, they are colorblind too. And that’s the reason why hamsters don’t get off the wheel. Even if they want, they don’t know they can.

We are like hamsters too.
Whether launching a personal brand, an online course, or a business, we knowingly start running the ‘hamster wheel of launch.’ And once we are in, we keep running (like Tom Cruise), creating an online course, creating content with a podcast or blog, posting on social media, rinse, and repeating.

And then kicks in the Sunk Cost Fallacy.
After months of running the ‘hamster wheel of launch,’ we aren’t ready to abandon the ‘strategy.’ Strategy? Or did you have a plan in the first place?

Because the formula for failure is to have a strategy without a plan.

And when you have a plan, you are no longer a hamster.
For one, you can now see well beyond a few inches past your nose! But more importantly, a plan allows you to visualize the exact steps to your goal.

The Launch Plan podcast is about the plan and strategy.
Sure, we do talk about tactics too. But even the tactics are in the context of the plan and strategy. Every episode is designed to be actionable and hence covers one crucial idea or topic.

Zero fluff
This podcast is not an interview-fest. We bring on experts only when required. But most time, it’s just you and me (and my undivided attention to help you).

The podcast is not a pitch-fest either. You’ll only hear me talking about my business in the last 2-3 minutes. The Launch Plan podcast is a marketing podcast, and I do this because it helps me grow my business. You will hear me share updates on my business, and I promise to keep this extremely useful to you.

Tiny bites
Eating a giant Big Mac can sure be satisfying and full. But a full stomach is a good recipe for a nice siesta. But that’s not why you’re here. Every episode is actionable and hovers around the 20-minute mark. Think of each episode as one bite of a Big Mac. Just enough to get you acting on the next step of your plan.

Download the Launch Plan Workbook:
https://designyourthinking.com/launch

Get your 90-Day Marketing Plan:
https://designyourthinking.com/plan

Website Messaging Mastery Course:
https://designyourthinking.com/wmmprelaunch

Get your 90-Day Marketing Plan:
designyourthinking.com/plan

Download the Launch Plan Workbook:
designyourthinking.com/launch

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kartvee.substack.com

Businesses have changed so much over the years, back in the 19th and 20th centuries, it took a village to start a business. The 21st century has been a lot different today. All it takes is a computer connected to the internet. Well, that statement can put me in trouble because you'll say, hey, the computer and the internet are just the tools and you're right.

That's why we decided to make this the topic for today's episode - how can you start a profitable business online with just a computer, the internet in a couple of tools. So I invited someone to help us with this today. He's not started A business, but he started SEVEN of them.

He failed a couple of them, and recently he sold off one of these. For an enviable song, especially given that he did all of this while working a nine to five job, or know the secret. Sorry, I hate to do this, but, spoiler alert, his secret is niching down. So I invited him to literally teach us how to start a new business from scratch by niching down, if you've been creating and selling online.

A big "thank you" to Jake Lang for joining us for this episode. And "thank you" to you for taking the time to listen. Please leave the show a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

Full Show Notes
Visit designyourthinking.com/lp009 for the complete show notes and worksheet.

The Green Room
You can attend our podcast interviews live and ask questions by joining us inside The Green Room. You also get access to the listener community. This is only for a limited time. Just visit designyourthinking.com/launch to learn more.

For a limited time, we are giving away lifetime access to our best podcasting course.
To get that, leave a rating and review for this show on Apple Podcasts. Send a screenshot of your review to support at designyourthinking.com. That's it!

Get your 90-Day Marketing Plan:
designyourthinking.com/plan

Download the Launch Plan Workbook:
designyourthinking.com/launch

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kartvee.substack.com

How to create effective and engaging online courses? That's our focus today in this episode of The Launch Plan. When I was a kid going to school, I remember my mother sitting down with me every evening, asking me to recollect everything I learned that day. It was fun. But hardly did I know that it was a part of the learning process.

I never imagined that one day I would be talking about this on a podcast. But here we are doing just that in the context of learning how to make our online courses more effective and engaging. Today I have arguably the best person to talk about this with us in The Green Room, Dr. Barbi Honeycutt.

She creates professional development courses and events to bring educators together, to talk about teaching and learning. She works with educators and entrepreneurs who want to learn how to teach and design, engaging, learning experiences. She's a creator and host of The Lecture Breakers podcast and virtual conference.

A big "thank you" to Dr. Barbi for joining us for this episode. And "thank you" to you for taking the time to listen. Please leave the show a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

Full Show Notes
Visit designyourthinking.com/lp008 for the complete show notes and worksheet.

The Green Room
You can attend our podcast interviews live and ask questions by joining us inside The Green Room. You also get access to the listener community. This is only for a limited time. Just visit designyourthinking.com/launch to learn more.

For a limited time, we are giving away lifetime access to our best podcasting course.
To get that, leave a rating and review for this show on Apple Podcasts. Send a screenshot of your review to support at designyourthinking.com. That's it!

Get your 90-Day Marketing Plan:
designyourthinking.com/plan

Download the Launch Plan Workbook:
designyourthinking.com/launch

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kartvee.substack.com

In this episode of The Launch Plan, we will learn how our guest expanded her physical business by creating online courses.

Do you have a physical business? Maybe you are a crafter, or you make handmade toys or run a food business. Can you leverage the power of the internet to expand our business? Specifically, can you create online courses to grow your business?

We have someone with us that decided to add an online element to her existing sewing business by teaching courses online. In this episode, we take a look at how she generates traffic and how she's approached growing her online courses with memberships and a community. We'll find out how she did all of this in the middle of a global pandemic.

Our guest today is a Puerto Rican fashion designer. She studied fashion at fit in New York, and for 17 years had a boutique-atelier where she made custom clothing and swimwear, her lines were sold to prestigious boutiques and department stores like JC Penny in the U S. Four years ago, she decided to teach people around the world, everything she knew about design and entrepreneurship by founding her online fashion academy and the only Puerto Rican sewing pattern company, Sirena Patterns.

A big "thank you" to Tommie for joining us for this episode. And "thank you" to you for taking the time to listen. Please leave the show a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

Full Show Notes
Visit designyourthinking.com/lp007 for the complete show notes and worksheets.

The Green Room
You can attend our podcast interviews live and ask questions by joining us inside The Green Room. You also get access to the listener community. This is only for a limited time. Just visit designyourthinking.com/launch to learn more.

For a limited time, we are giving away lifetime access to our best podcasting course.
To get that, leave a rating and review for this show on Apple Podcasts. Send a screenshot of your review to support at designyourthinking.com. That's it!

Get your 90-Day Marketing Plan:
designyourthinking.com/plan

Download the Launch Plan Workbook:
designyourthinking.com/launch

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kartvee.substack.com

No matter how good your online courses or info products are, if your business is not backed by a strong set of values and purpose, the party may not last long. In the sixth episode of The Launch Plan podcast, we focus on helping you create a purpose driven business.

You started a business online. You teach online through courses and other info products. And now it's time for you to make a decision. Perhaps it's about a partnership. Maybe it's about how much you want to teach in a certain course. What topics should I include in my course? What market should I focus on?

Oftentimes the answers to these questions are more a factor of why you are in the business on the first place. Let's assume you are a Home Cooking Expert. You are good at cooking vegetarian food and non-vegetarian food. Yet, you decide to teach vegan cooking for your target market because you believe that meat consumption is not good for a sustainable future.

Today, we have an outstanding guest who is arguably the best person to talk about this topic. He's built and led businesses of over $1 billion and has worked in 65 countries. He and his wife Beth are the co-founders and creators of the College Flight Plan where they help students navigate the dreaded college applications essay process.

You can reach out to Greg at greg at collegeflightplan.com if you have any questions. 

Greg and I met inside SPI Pro. It's a community of entrepreneurs and creators. If you are interested in joining a community of entrepreneurs and creators, join SPI Pro with this special link to get on the waitlist.

A big "thank you" to Greg for joining us for this episode. And "thank you" to you for taking the time to listen. Please leave the show a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

Full Show Notes
Visit designyourthinking.com/lp006 for the complete show notes and worksheets.

The Green Room
You can attend our podcast interviews live and ask questions by joining us inside The Green Room. You also get access to the listener community. This is only for a limited time. Just visit designyourthinking.com/launch to learn more.

For a limited time, we are giving away lifetime access to our best podcasting course.
To get that, leave a rating and review for this show on Apple Podcasts. Send a screenshot of your review to support at designyourthinking.com. That's it!

Get your 90-Day Marketing Plan:
designyourthinking.com/plan

Download the Launch Plan Workbook:
designyourthinking.com/launch

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kartvee.substack.com

In the fifth episode of The Launch Plan podcast, we continue the lead generation trail from the previous episode with how to use quizzes for lead segmentation and course retention.

What happens when you have a lead? How can you learn more about your leads? How do use that intelligence to create new courses or other info products? How can you use quizzes to help you with segmenting your leads and how can you use quizzes to improve course retention and completion?

These are what we discuss inside this episode specifically for online course creators. Everyone talks about segmenting your audience. The question however is HOW can I do it? What if the tool you use for segmenting your audience can also help your students complete their courses (and give you shining testimonials)?

We have someone that's been practicing the art of using quizzes for segmentation and leveling-up her online courses. She is an ex-CIO turned entrepreneur that is building a program and a community. Join Karthik in this conversation with Trudy Rankin.

Full Show Notes
Visit designyourthinking.com/lp005 for the complete show notes and worksheets.

The Green Room
You can attend our podcast interviews live and ask questions by joining us inside The Green Room. You also get access to the listener community. This is only for a limited time. Just visit designyourthinking.com/launch to learn more.

For a limited time, we are giving away lifetime access to our best podcasting course.
To get that, leave a rating and review for this show on Apple Podcasts. Send a screenshot of your review to support at designyourthinking.com. That's it!

Get your 90-Day Marketing Plan:
designyourthinking.com/plan

Download the Launch Plan Workbook:
designyourthinking.com/launch

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kartvee.substack.com

In the fourth episode of The Launch Plan podcast, we're exploring a topic that many entrepreneurs struggle with - Email Autoresponders.

What is a good email? What if people unsubscribe? How to create email autoresponders such that you don't have to send emails every week? What is a good lead magnet to get people to opt-in to my email list?

These are what we discuss inside this episode specifically for online course creators. A popular advice you will receive from every experienced entrepreneur or marketer is to have an email list. But the challenge is always with the HOW. The internet is overflowing with answers. This episode attempts at giving course creators like you, a definitive answer.

We have (yes, again) arguably the best person to talk about this today. He is a independent consultant, email marketing expert, course creator, and entrepreneur. Join Karthik in this conversation with Brad Hussey.

Full Show Notes
Visit designyourthinking.com/lp004 for the complete show notes and worksheets.

The Green Room
You can attend our podcast interviews live and ask questions by joining us inside The Green Room. You also get access to the listener community. This is only for a limited time. Just visit designyourthinking.com/launch to learn more.

For a limited time, we are giving away lifetime access to our best podcasting course.
To get that, leave a rating and review for this show on Apple Podcasts. Send a screenshot of your review to support at designyourthinking.com. That's it!

Get your 90-Day Marketing Plan:
designyourthinking.com/plan

Download the Launch Plan Workbook:
designyourthinking.com/launch

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kartvee.substack.com

In the second episode of The Launch Plan podcast, we're exploring a topic that's become even more popular in the recent times - Community Building.

What are communities? Are your 1000 True Fans your community? Is the converse true? How to NOT build a community right? What are the three things you MUST have in a community you create?

These are what we discuss inside this episode. A popular advice is to create a community with the best interests of your community in mind. And another one is to find a good platform for building your community. But how do you go about doing them?

We have (again) arguably the best person to talk about this today. He is a creator (listen to how defines this term), podcaster, community builder, and entrepreneur. Join Karthik in this conversation with Jay Clouse.

Full Show Notes
Visit designyourthinking.com/lp003 for the complete show notes and worksheets.

The Green Room
You can attend our podcast interviews live and ask questions by joining us inside The Green Room. You also get access to the listener community. This is only for a limited time. Just visit designyourthinking.com/launch to learn more.

For a limited time, we are giving away lifetime access to our best podcasting course.
To get that, leave a rating and review for this show on Apple Podcasts. Send a screenshot of your review to support at designyourthinking.com. That's it!

Get your 90-Day Marketing Plan:
designyourthinking.com/plan

Download the Launch Plan Workbook:
designyourthinking.com/launch

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kartvee.substack.com

We're excited to be back with the second episode of the series where we are discussing online course launches. Today. We're going to explore a topic that's been talked about so much in the interwebs irresistible offers. Essentially. When you make an offer to your prospective customer, our client, that they cannot say no to it's termed irresistible.

But what makes these offers irresistible, how to create irresistible offers for online courses and how do you create irresistible offers on online courses, such that people keep coming back for more to discuss this? I have arguably the best person with me today. I followed him for. He's a fellow Indian lives in the land of the Hobbit New Zealand.

He's a cartoonist and copywriter. He runs a very popular business called Psychotactics  and he hosts the three month vacation podcast. Please welcome Sean D'Souza

Full Show Notes
Visit designyourthinking.com/lp002 for the complete show notes and worksheets.

The Green Room
You can attend our podcast interviews live and ask questions by joining us inside The Green Room. You also get access to the listener community. This is only for a limited time. Just visit designyourthinking.com/launch to learn more.

For a limited time, we are giving away lifetime access to our best podcasting course.
To get that, leave a rating and review for this show on Apple Podcasts. Send a screenshot of your review to support at designyourthinking.com. That's it!

Get your 90-Day Marketing Plan:
designyourthinking.com/plan

Download the Launch Plan Workbook:
designyourthinking.com/launch

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kartvee.substack.com

Welcome to the very first episode on the launch plan. I'm your host Karthik, and I'm excited to be with you right now. There's no better time than now to teach. And there's no better way to do that than online courses.

Most people like you and me were educated in physical classrooms. On the other hand, we've been students of online courses in some form with either free videos on YouTube or paid online courses. And we've had mixed experiences.

So the question is how can I create online courses that my students will fall into? Well, that's someone that's been creating online courses for the last three years. I see my job, as, not just a teacher, but a designer, because it's not only about the content I teach that matters, but also how my students experience it.

So today I have a special guest with us inside the green room. She's designed and experimented with a form of online courses that she refers to as cohort-based courses or CBCs. Her name is Wes Kao.

Full Show Notes
Visit designyourthinking.com/lp001 for the complete show notes and worksheets.

The Green Room
You can attend our podcast interviews live and ask questions by joining us inside The Green Room. You also get access to the listener community. This is only for a limited time. Just visit designyourthinking.com/launch to learn more.

For a limited time, we are giving away lifetime access to our best podcasting course.
To get that, leave a rating and review for this show on Apple Podcasts. Send a screenshot of your review to support at designyourthinking.com. That's it!

Get your 90-Day Marketing Plan:
designyourthinking.com/plan

Download the Launch Plan Workbook:
designyourthinking.com/launch

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kartvee.substack.com