If you actually want to create your digital course this year, Pua is sharing the strategy that is proven to work for her and her clients. Start expansive by envisioning what you want to accomplish with your course and when you want it to be in the hands of your clients. Then, work backwards from there using the tools you currently have to create your minimum viable product. You can perfect and evolve your course over time, but what’s most important is that you create it!
Pua also shares her wisdom on how to avoid shiny-object syndrome, how to use the tools you have and get your course done, as well as how to use Beta Testers more effectively. You’ll also learn why you can’t compare yourself to the leaders in the industry (hint: they started out just like you!) and how to boost your confidence. Let this year be the year you create the course you’ve been dreaming of for so long and start delivering transformation to your ideal clients.
Resources:
Salesforce
Infusionsoft
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Pua Pakele - Pualena Digital Design: website | facebook | instagram | linkedin
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Transcript
Pualena 00:00
Please don't look at the people who have beautifully polished courses and sales pages and funnels and ads. Don't look at them and say, you know, I feel inadequate. I don't know how to get there, that they didn't get there overnight. I promise you that.
Intro 0:18
Welcome to the Course Creators Academy podcast, with digital design and course creation expert, Pualena. Tune in for strategies on how you can use online courses to grow your business, you'll hear how impact driven entrepreneurs are using online courses to transform lives. Now, let's get started. Here's your host, Pualena.
Pualena 0:47
Hello, and welcome back to the Course Creators Academy podcast. My name is Pua, I am your host. And as always, I'm super pumped. Today is going to be one of those short and sweet episodes that hopefully, is an actionable chunk of time for you to do a little bit of reflecting, a little bit of just figuring out where you're at right now and where you want to go. Okay, so this is I feel like the beginning of the year, from January to like, probably the end of February or March even is, it's like goal setting time, right? Like this is where we're like we have a whole year ahead of us. And the longer we're in business or the longer we're alive as humans, we realize that in order to plan for this year, that needed to start last year. So if you're there, good for you, you are a planner, you have your you know what together, and I'm very proud of you. Most of us somewhat don't make it quite that far, usually, right? Because things get in the way, we end up getting, you know, either bogged down by our workload or distracted or we've got these fires and things in front of us that we need to take care of right away. Or, you know, it's it takes intention to step back and do real, like planning and implementation and brainstorming for your business. We talk about this all the time on this podcast. This is not new information. Okay. So what I'm offering you today and holding space for, for you here is the opportunity to not say okay, well, I didn't plan this year last year. So is this year a wash? No, it's not? Yes, we may need to take faster action. And this is also a great time to begin our planning for 2024. Okay, so we're going to talk a little bit about 2023. And our goals and our mission and our thing, the things that we want to achieve and how we might use something like an online course to get us there. And also, what does this look like as we move from 2023 from the present into 2024. So we can start to create this habit today to start to put things in place for next year. So what ends up happening when we're in this planning, expansive mindset, which is awesome, and I never want you to stop being there is that we start to get shiny object syndrome. And we say, oh my gosh, so and so told me about this platform, and I want to do, I want to have a podcast. And so I need to get this platform for videos, and to record my podcast. And then I need to get all of this equipment. And I need to do all these things. And I buy all the things. And then you have all the things and do you start your podcast? Right? It's like I've, again, I'm gonna go back to health and fitness because it's just the easiest example. If you want to run a marathon, not even a marathon, if you want to run, if you want to be a runner, if you want to, if you think that running is going to be that thing that gets you into shape. And you're like running is free. I can put my running shoes on, walk outside, run down the street, and I don't need a gym membership. All I need is a little bit of discipline, I need a plan and I need running shoes and running clothes and I need music to run to and I need, you know, a running coach and all these things, right? So this aspiring runner, decides, Okay, next week, Monday is day one. Today's right now I'm recording this on a Thursday. Okay, so next week, Monday is day one and I have until Monday to get ready to be a runner. Alright, so I'm going to go to the running store first and I'm going to get running shoes because I don't have any running shoes I have or like these sneakers and they're very flat and they hurt when I walk long distances in them. So I definitely need running shoes. Then I'm going to go to target because I need running clothes because I have like workout clothes and yoga clothes and clothes for the gym, but I don't have anything that's like good for running, you know, and I'm gonna start running longer and longer distances as I get better. So I need to make sure that I have the right clothes. After, a while I'm at Target, actually, I'm gonna look for running headphones, because I have these headphones. And they're great. And they work for my content and all of that. But I need running headphones. Like, maybe I need some wireless ones or ones that like a hook behind my ear so they don't fall off and they can fit under like a hat or something, oh, a hat, I'm gonna need a hat too. Because if I run during the day, I'm just going to need to go and get some stuff, right? And, and to make sure that I don't get sunburned. And I have to make sure I have sunscreen. And yeah, so the hat for sure, maybe some running sunglasses, because I have big sunglasses, but they're not great for running, they might fall down my nose, maybe I gotta go get some running sunglasses. Make sure I have like good running socks that support my feet. And then a running belt, I've heard I need that for like my phone or like emergency cash in case something happens and my ID. And then I'm gonna go home and I gotta create my running playlist, because I need something like with a good beat so that I can run to it. And then I'm going to Google some running schedules and and a running plan so that I can intentionally, you know, maybe one day I run one mile and a half a half a mile, and then five miles and then three miles. And then I know that there's like a science behind it. So I have to go research that and create my plan. And then I'm going to put that plan into my calendar. Monday comes around, maybe I did some of those things. And I didn't go for the run. So I have the clothes, I have the shoes, I have the plan, I have the music, I have the headphones, I have the running belt. But the only thing that I need to actually become a runner didn't happen. If you want to run, use what you have, go outside and run. Run down the block and back. When you decide that whatever you have already is no longer enough. If you run down the block, and back those shoes that you have, they're probably okay. You probably don't need music, if you're going to run for five minutes, you probably can use the clothes that you already own. To go for that short run. Once you start to feel like uncomfortable or like things are, you're starting to like running and you're doing it a lot and investing in that process. And that activity starts to feel like something that you want to invest more money in, go get the thing that you need, go get your music, go get your shoes, go get your clothes, the same concept is true for creating online content. And building out your online business. A lot of people build their website. And they invest in these platforms because they hear that it's good and they think they need it. They get like a fancy CRM, Infusionsoft and like Salesforce are the two probably biggest CRMs that I'm aware of. And they're costly, because they're very, very, very robust. Most people who use them use like a fraction of what's available to them. It's not their fault, they just don't need it all, right? So if you're going to invest in something, make sure that you have a need for it either now or yesterday, or in the immediate future, and grow into what you invest in, grow into your platform. We've talked about this before. So I'm approaching this today, almost as a part two from that episode, where we are going to grow into our platforms, yes. And we're going to stay focused on the things that we are going that are actually going to move our business forward. My business coach talks about this. And she does goal setting from the perspective of rocks to pebbles to sand. And the rocks are the important things that we need to make sure stay in our schedule, stay in our business stay top of mind, they're the big things that are going to move the needle that are going to bring us closer to our goals allow us to serve in the way that we envision to and the supporting things beneath those the tasks that have to get done the setup the execution, those perhaps are some of the pebbles, right or the sand that fills in the gaps. But we don't want to do and that's that helps us to prioritize and ensure that the rocks are there first and that the pebbles in the sand are prioritized around the rocks and not the other way around. Because if we have this rock if we have this goal, this thing that we want to create, and we instead start to fill the sand first and we add all the low level tasks and the to-dos and all the things that come up every day into our schedule.
Pualena 10:01
The rocks won't fit in the container anymore. Right? I don't know, if I explained this super well just know. But if we envision, like, we have this, we have this jar, and everything will fit. That's the thing. And if it doesn't fit, like make sure the important things fit first so that the things that aren't as important or aren't as crucial right now, if you don't have space for them right now, it's okay. As long as the goals that you have, and the the vision that you want to achieve this year, and perhaps next year are included in that plan and scheduled out in your calendar, the rest will fall into place around it. Okay. So when we talk about building our business and utilizing an online course, as part of that structure, I want you to stay focused on the end goal, what is the end goal of having an online course, the end goal is providing a resource for people to consume that will solve their problem, provide a transformation provide results. That's it. Okay, your equipment doesn't matter. Yes, I have headphones and a cool microphone and a camera that I'm recording on, and software that I'm recording it with. I didn't start out with this stuff. Okay, when you look at the gurus and the people online, who are telling you how to do stuff, they've got all these things and all and everything looks so polished, that is not how they started, you need to start with a minimally viable product. And for you to have that do not invest extra money in something that you don't know will provide the results that you're looking for. Record the course on your phone, create the thing with what you already have. And I'm not saying to make it terrible quality, the content must be good, it must be transformative, it must showcase your expertise, it must provide a result and a transformation. Once you have that dialed in, and you're able to then successfully sell it. Then utilize your resources and the money that you brought in from that to invest in the next level and invest in, you know, gears and gear and gadgets that allow you to create a higher quality recording on audio, on video, invest in a an editor, a video editor, an audio editor, a copywriter, right, these are all parts of the like the next evolution of where you're going. But I highly recommend that you don't start with all of this, okay? Unless you want to, I'm not here to tell you what to do with your money and your time. If you're like, I just want to be set up for success from the get go. And I'll figure it out as I go. Perfect. That's awesome, do you. I'm sharing what has worked for me what I see so often in our clients. And I just want to help you to stay focused on the goal. What also when we do it this way, we end up growing faster and more strategically. Because we can then see what do we need to immediately put our attention towards? If we are let's say we put a course out there, recorded it on our phones. And we let people know, hey, this is the first version you're getting a great deal. I love your feedback and they say you know your content is awesome. I love the result that I got from taking this course. But your audio quality is really bad. It was really distracting. Cool, shoot that to the very top of your list of things that you need to then invest in or rerecord in order to create that user experience that is the next level up. If somebody says, you know, I think this is great, but the online platform that you use is really difficult to navigate. That goes to the top of your list. Okay, so with all of this said, what do we do then? When we're going from concept to execution in terms of planning out for your year? I recommend working backwards. work backwards from the milestones. Okay, so what, when do you want your course to be launched and into the hands of the people who need it? Maybe version one, so if you want that in April of this year, so that this course... Okay, let's go, let's go further. I want the final course, revised, beautifully edited... and it's okay to have all of this in your vision right? I want to professional editor, I want great sound. Excuse me, great sound quality. I want great video, I want beautiful branded downloads and graphics that fly across the screen. Set a vision for that this is important, I should have said that earlier that launches, give yourself time to create this. I would say I want that in January of 2024. That is my goal. So to work backwards from there, if I have nothing, I have no microphone, no software, no course. I need to create this course with what I have to make sure it provides the result in the transformation to make sure that it's minimally viable, based on my concept. I want to have that version out by April. Work backwards. Set your content creation plan, decide who you're going to bring into your course and how you're going to get them in. Are they getting a special deal? What is that deal? And be specific? Don't say, Oh, I'm going to do a group of beta testers for feedback period, they get a deal. No, no, no. They get 50% off. And they're required to submit feedback halfway through the course. And at the end of the course, be very specific and make sure that that's outlined when they purchase. And I highly recommend that you ask people to pay for this beta version, even if it's five or $10. Although, you know, you'd be the judge of that. But what we want people to have is a little bit of skin in the game. So they actually consume the content, and they actually give you feedback. The other thing is don't put your friends and family in here unless they need what you're offering. Sorry, but they will probably want to support you to the ends of the earth. And they'll say yeah, totally put me in, I'll give you feedback, and they won't. And if they do, it won't be real. Oh, this looks so good. I'm so proud of you. They didn't get the transformation, they probably didn't watch any of the videos, or they watched some or they skimmed through it. Find people who actually need what you're offering. And like this is a killer deal. Going back to health and fitness, let's say I do want to run a eight minute mile, and you're running coach. Don't give this to somebody who you run with who already runs an eight minute mile so that they can give you feedback or help you to be a better teacher. Give it to somebody like me, who runs a 12 minute mile who wants to run an eight minute mile. Because I'm going to get that transformation, I'm going to be stoked about it. If it works. I'm going to consume the content. And I know that I'm getting a deal. So I'm going to give you the feedback as a way for me to say thank you so much. This was so valuable, how can I repay you, you can repay me and feedback, right? So be very, very intentional about the people that you bring into your beta launch, or your founders launch or whatever you want to call it the first iteration of your course, user feedback, strategically implement the feedback one step at a time, you may end up with three or four versions of this course. Until you get to that vision where you're like, I'm happy with this. This provides results. The quality is phenomenal. I can then take all of these case studies and testimonials. I can build out a beautiful sales page that converts I'm ready to have this out into the world I feel good about investing in and running ads to this page. To get there takes all of the steps before so please don't look at the people who have beautifully polished courses and sales pages and funnels and ads. Don't look at them and say, you know, I feel inadequate. I don't know how to get there that they didn't get there overnight. I promise you that. Okay. I'm really excited for you. I hope this inspires you. I would love your feedback. I would love to hear what you're working on. Reach out to me on Instagram at @pualena.co. You can shoot me a message on my website pualena.com And I cannot wait to chat with you again in our next episode. Keep crushing guys.
Outro 19:11
Thanks for joining us for another episode of the course creators Academy podcast. Join the conversation in the course creators clubhouse on Facebook. And if you love this podcast don't forget to subscribe and share the love with a five star review and tag us on Instagram at @pualena.co For a shout out on the next episode. And be sure to visit pualena.com For more info. Thanks again for listening.