Tiny Course Empire Podcast

Do you ever look back and think, “Dang, I wish I’d known!”

I’m not even talking about the big stuff, like the 2008 recession (although it can be argued that we all should have seen that one coming).

What I’m talking about are things like, “Dang, I wish I’d known that I can wear whatever I want and no one will notice or care,” or “I wish I’d known that investing a tiny amount when you’re young adds up to big dividends when you’re old.”

I’ve come across many of these lessons in business as well, and I’m sharing 15 of them with you in this episode of the Tiny Course Empire podcast. It’s my hope that you will both benefit from my hindsight, and learn to identify the ideas you have today that will later become “I wish I’d knowns.”

Because when you spot them early, “I wish I’d known” becomes “I’m glad I did.” That’s a much better outcome, don’t you think?

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Congratulations! You’ve completed your course and it’s ready to launch. All that’s left is to roll out the red carpet, right?

Let’s hit the pause button for just a minute.

What if I told you that before you publish that sales page, there are strategies you can use to make it easier to sell your course, and that will increase your sales, too?

These are the same ideas multi-million dollar sellers use to pre-sell everything from McRib sandwiches (remember those?) to the new, must-have SUV. In this episode, I’ll show you how to use strategies just like this to improve sales of your digital courses.

In fact, you could even be putting some of these tactics in place while your course is still in the planning and production stage.

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Did you know course completion rates—and even the results your students achieve—can depend more on the design of the materials than the content you teach?

I sure didn’t, but after speaking with learning design expert Lisa Tussey, it makes perfect sense.

Learning design is all about making it easy for your students to be successful. I was thrilled to learn that we don’t have to radically change how we approach course creation either. Just a few simple tweaks is all it takes to transform a poorly designed course into one that has a real impact on your students.

In this episode, you’ll hear Lisa’s best tips for improving video engagement, practicing inclusivity, and content development. Her backward approach to course design is a gold nugget you won’t want to miss—especially when she shares the dangers of including too much information.

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Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time available. For course creators, nowhere is this more true than in the launching of a new course.

I’ve seen creators spend months or even years planning and developing a single course. They start with the best of intentions, but with no milestones to aim for and endless time available, progress—ironically—slows to a crawl.

I spent several months creating my first digital course. That was far longer than I intended it to take, and a big part of the problem was that I didn’t have a timeline to follow. I didn’t know that I needed to compartmentalize my tasks to keep from muddying the project waters. I didn’t know how to prevent scope creep—or how badly it could derail my progress. I didn’t know the importance of single-tasking.

Fast forward a few years and a few dozen completed courses, and I now have a plan that lets me create a brand new course in four weeks or less, without the backtracking, overwhelm, and rabbit trails that can make a product launch take longer than necessary.

I’m sharing my course creation timeline with you in this week’s episode, so you can make Parkinson’s Law work for you instead of against you.

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Pricing your digital course is surprisingly stressful.

Charge too little, and you might end up feeling resentful about all the work you put into your training only to be “giving it away for practically nothing.” Price it too high, and you might feel self-conscious about it. Who do you think you are, anyway?

So we try to apply some logic. We try to math, but when it comes to digital goods, math doesn’t work either. There’s no additional cost involved in delivering one more video download or one more PDF, so we can’t multiply the cost of goods sold by our markup to arrive at a retail price.

What’s the answer then? Well, it’s one part art, one part intuition, with a dash of espionage and just a hint of a power pose thrown in for flavor.

We’ll get into all the ins and outs of how to price a digital course in this episode of the Tiny Course Empire Podcast.

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You already know you have something big to share with the world. You’ve overcome an obstacle, or achieved a goal, or helped others to do the same. You’re excited about the impact you can have on the world, and looking forward to being your own boss.

The only question that remains is, “What’s the best business model to choose? Should you create courses or become a coach?”

That’s what we’re answering in this episode of the Tiny Course Empire podcast. We’ll take a look at what makes each model appealing, the big drawbacks you need to be aware of, and I’ll give you some pointers for choosing the best model for you, your goals, and your students and clients, as well.

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Quick! What comes to mind when you think of a digital course? Is it a multi-module resource with videos and downloadable PDFs inside Teachable? A big production like Marie Forleo’s B-School? Or something else completely?

When I started out online, I thought courses had to follow a specific format, and honestly, that thinking kept me stuck for a while. Later I learned that courses can take many forms, and the one you choose has less to do with you than with your subject matter and your students’ preferences.

In this episode of the Tiny Course Empire podcast, we’re taking a deep dive into six different styles of online courses, the pros and cons of each, and how you can know which one is right for you.

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In 2006, Rachel Martin launched what would later come to known as an “OG Mommy Blog.” She wasn’t sure at the time where it would go, or if it would mean anything to anyone else.

Today that blog has reached more than 50 million page views, and Rachel’s content has been featured in The Today Show, NPR, and many more—including the Tiny Course Empire podcast.

This week, Rachel joins me to talk about how she built a community of more than one million followers on Facebook, how she sets and achieves big goals, and why she loves getting out of her comfort zone.

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For years I told myself I wasn’t ready to create an online course.

I didn’t have the skills.

I didn’t have the audience.

I didn’t know how to sell.

I didn’t have anything unique or special to say.

My list of reasons to not create a course was long and—I know now—meaningless. While I was waiting to build better skills and grow an audience and learn to sell and create a unique process, other, less-skilled entrepreneurs were making bank.

I finally got over myself and discovered a few things about what it really means to be “ready” to create an online course. Let’s talk about it in this episode of the Tiny Course Empire Podcast.

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Rachel Rogers tells the story of Noah Kagan asking, “Why isn’t your business at $100 million yet?” She didn’t have a good answer.

It’s a thought-provoking question and one I want to ponder (on a bit smaller scale), so I wrote a sticky note and stuck it on the wall above my desk.

“Why aren’t we earning $1M?”

It’s easy to blame the economy, the competition, or Mercury in Retrograde (whatever that means).

It’s much harder to point the finger back at myself and ask, “Why aren’t we earning $1M yet?”

One thing I’ve uncovered—or let’s call it RE-discovered—is that habits are what make or break you, both in business and in life. And I have more than a few bad habits holding me back.

Maybe you do, too. Let’s figure out how to fix them.

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