In the third week of our mini-series on building online courses, we focus on knowing who your customers are. This is another important matter if you want to really make sales. Neil gives the low-down on how to scrutinise the demographic aspects. Who comprises your target audience? What do they really want?

There are a few questions that you can use as a the backbone when building your online course. They’re very easy to follow, just be open-minded and imaginative.

If you’ve missed the first and second episodes of this mini-series on The Tutor Podcast, see links below!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Which of the niches am I really passionate about? And what am I really good at? For Neil, aside from his expertise in guitar, he can teach well—simplification and clarity are what he offers. So, you need to be introspective and be honest with yourself first.

You have to be totally clear on what you’re going to offer and what will your approach be. Some might prefer that the course be straightforward and fast-paced, whilst others might prefer it to be laidback with no fixed schedule. Your goal is to meet their needs.

It’s true that there are many great resources out there for free. But if you aren’t aware what suits you best, then you’ll end up wasting time and money on poorly chosen online courses. Try looking for guitar tutors who can customise and adjust for you.

What does my customer want first? Since there are different kinds of learners, gauge how your student responds first.

Since they aren’t face-to-face classes, there will certainly be different challenges. You want the same great results but with a different approach. Brainstorm and do your research. Chances are there are already guitar experts who have done online courses before. Know what worked and what didn’t work.

BEST MOMENTS

• “The course can’t be for everyone.”
• “What do they want most? Mostly, it’s fun and freedom to get up and play anything.”
• “Remind them that insanity is doing things over and over again and expecting different results.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

• Listen to The Tutor Podcast on iTunes (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tutor-podcast/id1369191372)!
  • Build Your Online Course Week 1: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/build-your-online-course/id1369191372?i=1000477109724

Course Planning Week 2: Who Am I? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/build-your-online-course/id1369191372?i=1000477109724

Read the Weird Things Guitarists Do book by Neil Cowmeadow, which is available now on Amazon. Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weird-Things-Guitarists-Do-Misconceptions/dp/1519026579/

Contact Neil via this website - NeilCowmeadow.com!

ABOUT THE HOST

Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years’ experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS!

CONTACT METHOD

[email protected]

Welcome back to the second part of our discussion on building your online course! This special focuses on how to construct your course design templates.

But first, Neil discusses the most important thing before making any drafts—self-identity. Neil wants you to look inwards, and ask yourself: Who am I? This may seem useless for some, but it isn’t! You don’t want to be offering an online course that you don’t whole-heartedly know and want. He’ll be discussing this thoroughly, leaving no rocks unturned, so that you can also gain students even amid a crisis. There’s a list of essential questions you can jot down and use too, so tune in to The Tutor Podcast today!

If you have missed the first part of this special, then make sure you go back to the previous episode to ensure you gain all the knowledge you need.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Your self-identity must be at the very heart of crafting a course. As an educator, it’s your voice (literally or figuratively speaking) that they’re paying attention to. It won’t be easy to teach and impart value if, in the first place, you have attracted the wrong people. Be clear about what you want.
• What can you benefit from the courses you’re about build and put out?
  • Impart value to others
  • Generate leads
  • Position yourself as an expert
  • Increase sales
  • Attract your target demographic
• What value are you going to deliver to your customers? Know your forte, and never stop learning about it. This ensures that the knowledge you impart to your students is of prime quality. Always aim high, as they say.
• What difference can you make to your customers? For Neil, he wants music to be fun and simple. Not as technical and theoretical or not as freeform as other tutors. Just the right amount, depending on the student’s capability and pace too.
• What is your strongest reason for creating your course? Neil: It’s to reach more and more people. It might be slightly different from everyone else’s. But the increased engagement is one of the benefits you’ll get from publishing your courses.
• What ‘special ingredient’ can you add to all these that you’ll serve? To put this simply, it isn’t just your brains and talent you need for this to work. You need to connect with them first. For Neil, it’s his humour and wits that contributes to his successes.
• What results do you want? Do you want them to have a fresh perspective on something? Do you want to just polish whatever talent they have already? Do you want them to want to take the next course with you too? It’s up to you!

BEST MOMENTS

• “I’m a coach who’s helping people, and reaching back from where I am to help people forward to get where they want to be with the instrument.”
• “It’s important for me to get it done, to prove that limitation is entirely fictitious.”
• “It’s okay to have fun and to enjoy yourself… That’s the big result that my superpower can make.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

• Listen to The Tutor Podcast on iTunes (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tutor-podcast/id1369191372)!
• Read the Weird Things Guitarists Do book by Neil Cowmeadow, which is available now on Amazon. Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weird-Things-Guitarists-Do-Misconceptions/dp/1519026579/

Contact Neil via this website - NeilCowmeadow.com!

ABOUT THE HOST

Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years’ experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS!

CONTACT METHOD

[email protected]

Sow the seeds today, then harvest the fruits of your labour tomorrow!

In this episode of The Tutor Podcast, Neil gives a step-by-step process on how you can build your online courses. People right now are looking for ways to cope amid the coronavirus pandemic. Why don’t you offer them your knowledge and expertise on guitar playing (or whatever you want!) instead? Start laying out your courses now. Learn some useful strategies from Neil when you listen in today. You’ll be helping someone in no time!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Start building and producing your online courses right now. If you have already established your credibility then you have an advantage as people will come looking for you. But if you’re just starting, it’s best you manage your expectations, it will take time and effort building up your following.
• You’ll need a lot of patience if you want to see significant results from the content you post. These are little treasures waiting to be opened by the ones who need it. It doesn’t get deleted, and it doesn’t get lost. You’ll just have to update it from time to time.
• Do multiple online guitar courses. Portion them; write about sub-niches that you are very knowledgeable of. It’s better if you concentrate on a funnelled down topic since there’s already a plethora of resources available online for the mainstream ones.
• The best thing about this is it can be a passive means of an income stream, you can earn more if you create better quality content. This has been perfect for Neil since it expands reach. Whilst he teaches inside the classroom, he also assists self-study students online through his lessons.

BEST MOMENTS

• “Once you’ve built an intellectual property, and it starts to generate money for you, you’ll realise it’s an asset.”
• “I can reach out to people who can’t get to me whenever and wherever I want.”
• “All you haven’t written yet…it can be paying you for years.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

• Listen to The Tutor Podcast on iTunes (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tutor-podcast/id1369191372)!
• Read the Weird Things Guitarists Do book by Neil Cowmeadow, which is available now on Amazon. Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weird-Things-Guitarists-Do-Misconceptions/dp/1519026579/

Contact Neil via this website - NeilCowmeadow.com!

ABOUT THE HOST

Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years’ experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS!

CONTACT METHOD

[email protected]

Which of your definitive goals have you not yet achieved?

It’s difficult to keep track of deadlines or give your high performance for every single task when there’s a lot on your plate. Sometimes, you’ll need to sound the alarm and just ask for help. In this episode of The Tutor Podcast, Neil talks about the benefits of having accountability partners and invisible friends.

Yes, that’s right. Even amid the lockdown caused by the coronavirus, you can still find someone who can help you keep on track. You’ll just have to do meetings virtually to make sure that both of you are being accountable for what you are doing. Listen in to know more about this today!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Get yourself an accountability buddy. For some, it's difficult to stay on track when they do things alone. Find a trusted friend or colleague who can keep you motivated and responsible. Better if he/she is someone you’re comfortable with so there is no pressure.
  • Take note: an accountability buddy differs from a mentor. Your accountability buddy should be most likely on the same level or journey as you. He/she will act as neutral support.
• Maintain the symbiotic relationship. Meaning, give, and take. Remember that both parties should benefit from this partnership. Availability is also important; it should be easy for both of you to consult each other once in a while.
  • Sending them messages through email or SMS from time to time also shows that you care, aside from serving as a reminder.
• Neil, himself, admits that he needs an accountability partner. It’s always easier to slack, so his accountability buddy helps him avoid this from happening. Neil has to report to his partner regularly (i.e. monthly), and his partner assesses. If he sees that some tasks weren’t checked, then they go back to the planning board to keep Neil on track, again.
• If you’re thinking of looking for an accountability buddy amid the coronavirus pandemic, then go, it’s possible. Jot down first the qualities and benefits you want from them. When you already know who you want, then it’s time to interview prospective partners. Make sure you are also the one they’re looking for since it’s a two-way process!

BEST MOMENTS

• “Find someone you like and trust, not someone you’re in competition with.”
• “This is a two-way street… It’s a back and forth all the time.”
• “Having someone who’s also an entrepreneur and on the same journey as you… is encouraging and serves as a great support mechanism.”
• “Anytime you have a deadline and a level of expected performance, it holds you to account.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

• Listen to The Tutor Podcast on iTunes (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tutor-podcast/id1369191372)!
• Read the Weird Things Guitarists Do book by Neil Cowmeadow, which is available now on Amazon. Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weird-Things-Guitarists-Do-Misconceptions/dp/1519026579/

Contact Neil via this website - NeilCowmeadow.com!

ABOUT THE HOST

Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years’ experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS!

CONTACT METHOD

[email protected]

Well, not literally! What we mean by ‘steal from everyone’ is get ideas and learn from EVERYONE. (Emphasis on the word everyone!)

In this episode of The Tutor Podcast, we learn about the importance of learning in and out of a classroom. Sometimes, when we set our goals and lay down our paths we’ll walk on, we refuse to see the benefits of having to explore other paths. The truth is, there are many things you can learn from other fields, from everyone. Don’t be a snub. Diversions are fine, as long as we gain recent knowledge. Neil also discusses on how you can strengthen your tutor-student relationships, so tune in!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Learning doesn’t stop once you leave formal education. This should be the time you become intentional in looking for ways to widen your knowledge more and broaden your skill set. Since there’s a chance you’ll stagnate or even forget all you’ve studied about.
  • You should also see this as an opportunity to explore things outside of your field. Take guitar lessons, for instance.
• When Neil teaches, he notes all his students’ opinions, feedback, or critiques. Some may feel offended. But learning is a two-way process—a tutor must not be threatened by such. Why dismiss an idea that can improve your (teacher-student) relationship and yourself too?
• There are things outside your field/industry that may also help you advance in your own career.
  • For example, for guitar tutors, a little knowledge on kinesiology, human behaviour, or even storytelling can make an enormous difference. The dynamics inside the classroom will change.
• Always aim to be better than who you are today. Keep progressing. Make use of the resources and tools—podcasts, books, workshops, and so on. There will always be something new you’ll learn once you utilise those.
  • Theories, ideas, views, etc. are also changing. You need to be updated.

BEST MOMENTS

• “Nobody has a monopoly on knowledge.”
• “The wider my view is for my world, the more I can look around for useful knowledge and insights bring back to what I’m doing.”
• “We know what we know, but we don’t know what we don’t know.”
• “Basically, I just know my stuff. As far as I know, for my students, it makes me much more credible and more valuable in their eyes.”
• “I tell my students, ‘Everything you learn from me will ripple out to all aspects of your life.’”
• “Learn more, earn more!”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

• Listen to The Tutor Podcast on iTunes (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tutor-podcast/id1369191372)!
• Read the Weird Things Guitarists Do book by Neil Cowmeadow which is available now on Amazon. Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weird-Things-Guitarists-Do-Misconceptions/dp/1519026579/

Contact Neil via this website - NeilCowmeadow.com!

ABOUT THE HOST

Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years’ experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS!

CONTACT METHOD

[email protected]

Live your life YOUR way. It is only you who holds the wheel, and not anyone else. If you are controlled by others, then most likely, you’ll be confused where you should go.

In this episode of The Tutor Podcast, Neil gives some useful survival tips for aspiring entrepreneurs, not just applicable for those in the tutoring business but also for those in different industries.

It’s always the same problem that entrepreneurs face at the beginning—it’s having no time anymore for nurturing their relationships. The truth is… you have to accept that there will be people who will stay and people who won’t. So how do you determine who they are exactly in your life, you ask? Let Neil help you get some answers today when you listen in.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Do something rewarding. If watching the television all day is what you see as the best use of your time, then you need to change something in your life. Successful entrepreneurs like using their time productively. As much as possible, they want to work all the time. But the key here is to achieve work-life balance, so you don’t burn out.
• A workaholic entrepreneur might sever a few relationships too. Some connections are worth saving while others aren’t. There are people who’d wish that you bring back the ‘old’ you, who you were before you were an entrepreneur. But things change. It might be difficult, but these are people you should keep a distance with.
  • Though it’s true, that things will change when your priorities come clear to you, make sure also that you nurture the relationships you value.
• To achieve your dreams, there are things you need to sacrifice. A day of golfing with colleagues, your Sunday brunch with extended family, or the usual pub hangouts, will be hard to fit in a busy entrepreneur’s schedule. An understanding person will understand such changes in your life; remember that.
• Survival Tips For Aspiring Entrepreneurs:
  • It’s your life. Nobody can live it for you.
  • Nobody cares about what you do.
  • Listen out for flattery in disguise.
  • Listen to the language.
  • Solitude is not loneliness.
  • Be hard to reach. Get your mobile phones and other technologies that distract you out of sight.
  • Be visible. Stay in contact with business stockholders.
  • Whatever you do, you will be judged. So just be yourself.

BEST MOMENTS

• “Don’t consume your life doing unhappy things.”
• “All I want to do is get back to doing to what I love the most, teaching, playing guitar, and building a business.”
• “As an entrepreneur, you don’t fit the old story of who you are.”
• “Life is not a popularity contest.”
• “You have to be comfortable with yourself to enjoy silence.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

• Listen to The Tutor Podcast on iTunes (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tutor-podcast/id1369191372)!
• Read the Weird Things Guitarists Do book by Neil Cowmeadow which is available now on Amazon. Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weird-Things-Guitarists-Do-Misconceptions/dp/1519026579/

Contact Neil via this website - NeilCowmeadow.com!

ABOUT THE HOST

Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years’ experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS!

CONTACT METHOD

[email protected]

Are you having a tough time managing your schedule lately?

If some of you are having a eureka moment about money-making ideas, and not knowing when to do it and where to fit it in your schedule, then you need to know about the 70:20:10 model.

In this episode of The Tutor Podcast, Neil shares how he uses this model to his advantage as a teacher, a property investor, and a music creator. It’s a matter of organisation and discipline. Easy-peasy, right? According to Neil, the only trick after learning about this concept is to JUST DO IT!

 Tune in now to know more about how you can divide your time among your activities.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The trick is to figure out how much time you allot for work, business, or anything else, really. Divide them into three using the 70:20:10 model. The 70% division belongs to the core tasks, the 20% is for the secondary ones, and the 10% for the upcoming tasks. You’ll have to remove the time you allot for rest and leisure, just so you know.
• For Neil, the 70% of it is allotted to his foundational activity. It’s guitar teaching that is his ultimate passion and also his major income stream. He still does this most of the time, even today, amid the coronavirus pandemic.
• Another thing is he creates content (blogs, videos, articles, etc.), markets them, then tries to engage with every prospect (i.e. students). He believes that if there is enough of his quality content out there posted, then this can give him a passive income. This can help him move on to the 20% and 10% activities.
• The 20% of Neil’s activity is allotted to building and growing his property portfolio. This also acts as another stream of income. Tasks for this involve property maintenance, finance, budgeting, and looking for investors.
• Since he’s a guitar teacher, he also creates music. This is the 10% division. He writes, composes, and records. He’s got a million ideas, and he needs to transform it into something valuable.

BEST MOMENTS

• “If I can make the fun things that I get paid for more fun than the things I don’t get paid for, then working 7 days a week should be a no-brainer!”
• “It’s very risky to have one income stream.”
• “If you use it, it’s gonna work.”
• “Having only one income stream leaves you very vulnerable.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

• Listen to The Tutor Podcast on iTunes (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tutor-podcast/id1369191372)!
• Read the Weird Things Guitarists Do book by Neil Cowmeadow which is available now on Amazon. Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weird-Things-Guitarists-Do-Misconceptions/dp/1519026579/

Contact Neil via this website - Neilcowmeadow.com!

ABOUT THE HOST

Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years’ experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS!

CONTACT METHOD

[email protected]

We all know how stressful life has become during this coronavirus pandemic, so in this episode of The Tutor Podcast, Neil lets you have a peek on his own list of surviving lockdown tips!

The top priority is to keep your (physical and mental) health always in check. For Neil, having a routine helps. But since movement is very limited, Neil suggests ways on how you can tweak it. If you think there is no other way around how you can get yourself to sweat, well, let Neil prove otherwise!

Neil also gives tips on how you can improve yourself and grow your business. There’s so much time made available to you right now. Be productive. Join in the discussion now.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Have a plan set for each day. This forces you to envision having wonderful days. We aim for worthwhile activities when we detail our routine. We automatically don’t include something that we deem as a ‘failure’ or ‘pointless’.
• Move more. Since most work from home is sedentary, you need to take minor breaks to get your muscles moving. Walk around the room, do simple gym-free workouts, or even do some chores.
• Keep communication channels open.
  • If you live with someone else, it may become stressful. It’s important to talk about your feelings and set some rules.
  • If you’re feeling lonely, reach out to your friends. There are a lot of video calling applications out there that you can utilise.
• Check your food consumption. Most of us have limited outside access, the gym and sports facilities where we usually do physical activities are closed. We can neglect our health and fitness. For food, Neil advises that you keep a grocery list that ONLY has healthy foods.
• Get rid of old unpleasant habits.
  Remove triggers for negative behaviours to make this task easier for yourself. To get used to good habits you’re trying to incorporate, it’s better to associate them with pre-existing pleasant ones.
• Add new streams of income. If you have promising content in your backlogs, you can repurpose it. Now’s the time to market any extra content online as social media usage is at an all-time high
• Learn unfamiliar things. There have been many resources made available for free online lately due to the coronavirus. Maybe it’s time to try them out.

BEST MOMENTS

• “I have observed that society is fragmenting, people have turned against one another… it’s very sinister.”
• “The best defence is to have a plan every single day.”
• “It’s now easier than ever to get healthy. It’s easier to get healthy food than to get a crappy Big Mac.”
• “Learn voraciously and insatiably.”
• “Keep on moving in the direction you want to go.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

• Listen to The Tutor Podcast on iTunes (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tutor-podcast/id1369191372)!
• Read the Weird Things Guitarists Do book by Neil Cowmeadow which is available now on Amazon. Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weird-Things-Guitarists-Do-Misconceptions/dp/1519026579/

Contact Neil via this website - Neilcowmeadow.com!

ABOUT THE HOST

Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years’ experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS!

CONTACT METHOD

[email protected]

In this episode of The Tutor Podcast, Neil explores how you can redefine your ‘normal’ and set your trajectory in a positive direction during this unprecedented time. Neil talks about his experiences setting up new online coaching so that he can coach his students over the internet using streaming and video calling technology.

Neil focuses on adding or changing 1% of your lifestyle or business every day, create incremental change to better your productivity and success in the long term. Neil also explores the theory of the ‘Locus of control’ and how it dictates how we react in these stressful times.

You are the creator of your own reality! Take control and change your lifestyle to unlock your potential!

 

ABOUT THE HOST

Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years’ experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS!

CONTACT METHOD

[email protected]

In this episode of The Tutor Podcast, Neil discussed Warrant Buffet’s Two List Model. The first list is the top 5 things that YOU can DO that will change your life. The second list is for everything else that you want to do. You should then discard the second list and primarily focus on the first 5 and most important ways that you can improve your life. This will give you CLARITY and give your life a mission statement. Neil gives his take on these lists, laying out the ways that he wishes to enrich and improve his life. He then gives his opinion on the Warren Buffet’s model, explaining how it has the potential to change your life and mindset.

 

ABOUT THE HOST

Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years’ experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS!

CONTACT METHOD

[email protected]