Lessons Learned in Launching My Online Class (which still isn't live)

Today feels like a day for brutal honesty.

I recently saw this #GOOYOW hashtag, shared by Kajabi, which is a platform I'm using for my business. It stands for 'Get Out Of Your Own Way'.

Ouch. When I read that, it kind of hurt.

Okay, it really hurt.

Why? Because it was quite real. Too real.

I've been in my own way... for too long.

Since last November, I've been working on an online course project.

Is it live? Nope.

Why...

Well, let's go down that road.

If you've considered launching an online course, or, if you're simply curious about the process, read on... hopefully, my stumbles will help you...

I GOT IN MY OWN WAY

The honest answer to the 'why' question above is me.

I've been in my own way. I've tackled too much concurrently.

I've tried to solve too many problems at once... and I always try to be the super-dad, super-husband, super-son, super-coach, super-everything.

That's just too much.

If 2020 and Covid has taught me one thing, it's okay to do less.

Sometimes you must be slower in order to go faster.

As a visionary by heart, I'm drawn to change the world for good. I see the potential and I expect a lot from others and myself.

I believe that's a good thing. But, what matters is the journey - how I get there and ultimately what comes out of it.

So, back to this project.

WHY MY CLASS ISN'T LIVE YET

Maybe you can relate...

• I've been in help-first mode, offering my time and ideas to help others. I love doing that, but it's had me spun a number of directions.
• I've been working in my core business, but also exploring various other paths due to changes from covid.
• I've been in a weird mental flux having just changed paths last year, from entrepreneur to coach - dealing with internal questions... 'am I good enough?', 'will anyone care?'...

I could go on, but if you're still reading, then I'm guessing you're tracking with me.

BEING TRUE TO ME IN 2020

Another thing that happened in 2020, is that people have found ways to overcome.

I love that so much. As a problem solver at heart, it's what I'm naturally driven to do.

My thought in launching the online class came together last October, when I was taking Clay Christensen's Disruptive Theory class via Harvard Online courses.

It was the first time I'd taken a class in some time, and it was the first online class I'd ever taken. That sounds a bit foreign now, but as a grad from the early 2000s, it wasn't that prevalent at the time.

I saw a gap in what consultants, coaches, and professional marketers and agencies are doing, versus what is needed from their clients. I mapped out the start of my class concept in November of 2019.

I let it sit as I got focused on EOS and coaching, but I kept having clients who needed the elements I had considered for this class.

I took on a handful of clients to test out the tools that I had used for years in various capacities - while running my former marketing agency, for clients, and so forth.

What I found, was that these concepts and tools really do work. It wasn't just a fluke all those times before. I knew that, but I guess I felt I needed to re-validate it, as it has been a while. Plus, I wanted to tie in some new thinking as well.

I also learned that I'm only one person.

When I'm committed to a number of clients, I don't have time to focus on building the class and actually moving it forward. Instead, I'm limited to help a handful of clients at a time.

Don't get me wrong, I feel super blessed and lucky to have those clients put their trust in me. And, I love working with them one-on-one.

Nonetheless, I've had a nagging feeling that I need to reach more people. And, the class is the way to do that. But, I didn't feel quite ready.

I QUESTIONED IF ONLINE CLASSES ARE TRULY WORTH IT

So, I went on a journey in 2020. I took various online classes to see what this growing online teaching and class thing is all about. I wanted to answer if it was truly worth it or not.

Want to know the answer?

Yes and no.

• Yes, when you find a class that is right for you and the creator built it to truly help you learn and solve whatever problem or question you are seeking to address.
• No, when the class is clearly done as a marketing ploy to make money. Not that anyone will tell you that, but there are clear signs. More on that later.

I took both types of classes. The 'no' classes upset me at the time, but I'm glad I took them as they showed me what not to do.

As part of that process, I also explored almost every system out there for sharing and marketing your course online.

I even went to some of their conferences and took their 'how-to' courses.

That included platforms such as:

• Teachable
• ClickFunnels
• Mastermind
• Thinkific
• LearnWorlds
• Luma + Zoom
• and Kajabi

I took lots of notes. If you know me, I really did. My Workflowy is jam-packed. Could probably write a book on what I learned over the last year.

It was a good exercise, but I could have stopped sooner. I almost got addicted to the process of researching, learning, and exploring options - instead of choosing and getting it done.

During that time, I took some online classes and had my family in some as well. I wanted to see what provided the most value and what I like best about the approach and style taken by the teachers, the platforms they used, and their approach to marketing their class.

I'll share a few of my favorites with you...

THREE GREAT ONLINE CLASS EXAMPLES

Jim Kwik's Brain Coaching - you get Jim in a live zoom for the kid's program - it's custom to their age level and he's super engaging and his content is great. The cost is more than reasonable and it's worth every penny. He doesn't market aggressively and he's got a clean brand that isn't offputting. I did see a lot of 'coaches' that used aggressive funnel approaches... and, that really isn't my cup of tea. But, I didn't find that with Jim.

Angi Phillips' Calligraphy Class - I happened upon Angi via Instagram. She does beautiful work! When I saw she was offering a class, my daughter had shown interest, so I figured we'd give it a go. In one class, my 13-year-old learned a ton and she's excited for the next class. I was impressed with Angi's 3-hour course and personal follow-through. Angi is a skilled artist and her class is well worth the cost for anyone interested in learning calligraphy. She also sells calligraphy sets and uniquely branded items.

The Power MBA - I found The Power MBA after considering another Harvard class online. I still plan to take more courses from various Universities, but this unique approach stood out to me and I wanted to give it a go — learn from leaders of successful startups and learn in an online format with a global community built-in. I'm loving the short and impactful lessons. It's an alternative option to traditional school and for the $850 price tag, it's an incredible value.

I've also recently seen Donald Miller launch his Business Made Simple university online. I can't comment on it, because I haven't taken it yet, but I do like his approach. Being a fan of his StoryBrand approach, I'm guessing that BMS will be worth every cent. His brand is powerful, clean, and his work speaks for itself - lots of happy customers.

SIGNS TO AVOID

That said, there were a number of online courses and content providers that I wouldn't recommend. I don't want to call them out by name, but I will show you three signs that should have warned me in advance...

1. Watch out for THE OVER-HYPE: if they're hard pressing you to buy now, that should be a warning sign. I get limited-time offers, but either the content is valuable or it's not. When I felt pressed into doing it now, I typically ended up with a so-so experience. Some value, but not what I was expecting. Also, some of these providers made it seem they had a unique 'secret' that no one else had. Intrigue is good, but overhyping what you've repackaged is not good.
2. Be cautious of the EVER-INCREASING PRICE TAG: if you feel suckered into a larger purchase and you're not sure why, then there is probably something wrong. I don't mind a 'funnel-strategy' that offers a lower cost item and then offers more in the funnel. I'm okay with that, as long as both are valuable. But, there's a limit to the upsell, add-on, limited-time offer, post-upsell, and so forth. I did buy some ebooks and materials that lead me to some great classes and content. So, I'd say just be careful here. If it's purely a marketing strategy to sell more of your 'class' so you can become rich, then it's not okay. If you're offering something of value and you're using it to reach a potential fit for your class, then I'm totally okay with this. But, it's a fine line and when crossed inappropriately, it devalues your brand and it becomes quickly apparent that your product isn't great and that you only care about driving more revenue.
3. Look to see if they have REAL CREDENTIALS: before you buy another class, please learn more about the person teaching it. Make sure they didn't make their entire living just selling courses. That enters a dangerous zone of pyramid schemes or at least can feel that way. I don't mind learning from someone who is amazing at selling their own class, but only if they are the real deal themselves. Take Angi for instance. She's an incredible artist who decided to share her talent with the world. There are too many 'experts' out there who aren't really experts. Some may even be quite good at selling themselves. That said, there may be something to learn there, but you should certainly step-in lightly. If the content is valuable to you and helps you, then who I am to say the teacher isn't credible. Just be careful, as there are a lot of folks in the space only looking to make a quick buck. On the flip side, there are lots of really incredible people with skills to share, but they are stuck with imposter syndrome and will never get the courage to share them. We need more of those folks to step up.

WHY ONLINE CLASSES?

It's been awesome to see some amazing positive shifts in 2020 - where people have found new ways to do business and help others. One of those ways is to go online - take something that was brick-and-mortar (or something new and innovative) and bring it to a larger digital audience.

My EOS coaching has been one of those things. EOS has traditionally been run in a physical meeting space with no technology, just a whiteboard, and a marker. But, this year, the 400+ professional EOS Implementers had to quickly go digital.

The same can be said for so many businesses and industries. Even Ivy League schools that have fought the growing trend of online education have had to adjust.

Even my wife's profession, as a Speech and Language Pathologist, has been affected by a digital shift. She's gone from in-person therapy to becoming a 'children's TV show host' in her own right. In order to engage and provide therapy to young kids online, she had to transform her way of doing therapy — green screen, funny songs, and new interactive ways to connect and do her job well. It's awesome to see.

If we go back to Clay Christensen's Job to Be Done Theory (which we covered in that Disruptive Theory class I mentioned), online courses are a clear answer to many peoples' Job to Be Done.

1. You get to learn on your time, in bite-sized chunks, that work with your schedule
2. You get to learn from anywhere - mobile phone, tablet, or desktop
3. You can pick from various options and styles of teaching whatever subject you're interested in learning about
4. You have a digital community of co-learners who are there to be of support in the process - helping deepen your learning
5. Some classes even tie in a form of accountability to ensure you don't just learn, but that you also take the learnings and implement them well

I could go on, but you can read plenty about this growing trend online.

Yet, you really don't have to.

Just ask yourself... would you rather learn the old way? Which is easier? What works better for your schedule? For your budget? For actually putting the learnings to use?

HOW I DECIDED ON AN ONLINE COURSE PLATFORM

With all of the above swirling through my brain, I had to decide on a platform.

At first, I chose ClickFunnels. I had just attended a conference and learned a ton about their system. I was 'sold'. But, when I stepped back to look at how I'd be implementing and selling my class, it just didn't feel right for me.

Nothing against CF or those who use it. I like Russel Brunson. I spent a bit of my money on his books, classes, and platforms last year. And, I'm glad I did. He's a smart marketer and he understands human psychology quite well. But, CF just didn't seem right for me.

So, I decided to look at what courses I liked best and how I found out about them.

That was it.

Jim Kwik and Angi's calligraphy course. Neither had an aggressive funnel. The classes I regretted were those that I felt were oversold and took me through a bit of a 'cheesy' sales process. I didn't get that with Jim or Angi's classes.

I saw Jim was on Kajabi so I decided to look further into it.

Like many of the systems mentioned above, it had a lot of the needed tools. But, I've also seen that having too many options in a particular platform can be a bad thing too.

You want a system that does what you need without overcomplicating it. Also, if they're trying to be everything to everyone, generally they can't be your best option.

I had already built a test site in Kajabi as I liked the web-builder application. I took some time to build test pages in ClickFunnels, Unbounce, LeadPages, and explore some of the other class systems - the ones that provided demos, like Teachable.

When it came down to it, Kajabi was it.

LESS IS MORE

That's my new mantra. Go slow to go fast.

With Kajabi, I have now built out my new website, zackswire.com, and I've set up my current services along with a teaser page for my class to come.

I've been able to reduce the complexity of tools and monthly fees by using Kajabi. Plus, it fits the style I'm looking for in creating a personal and business brand.

I'll be using the website builder, landing page builder, email tools, pipelines, automation tools, and of course the class tools.

The only thing I'm still undecided upon is their community tool for my 'mastermind' group. I'm leaning towards a private Facebook Group or a Slack channel.

If you're considering launching a class, check out Kajabi as you explore options.

WHAT'S MY TIMELINE?

If you visit my site, it's a work in progress.

But, I finally had to be okay with that.

I have clients in motion and my class is a side-project until it's not.

That doesn't mean I don't want it to be amazing, as I wouldn't launch it if I didn't entirely believe in it.

At some point, I may take on less one-on-one and EOS clients, but for now, my approach is to keep it simple and make steady progress daily — not get stuck in indecision or over evaluating anymore.

I've done that and I hope some of these lessons I've learned and shared are helpful for you.

I'm presently laying out a launch schedule for 2021 for my online class. When that's done, I'll turn on the pre-order and officially go live.

For now, I'm taking some time off with the family for Christmas.

As I do, I wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season.

May you enjoy strong health, a renewed sense of joy and happiness, and many blessings in the New Year!