I've spent over $25k on coaching in the last couple of years.

Not all at once - but it adds up when you're trying to figure out what you're doing wrong and why things aren't clicking the way you want them to.

So this morning, I hopped on a call with two other course creators to talk about what we'd each do differently.

One just launched her first course a few months ago.

One is launching in May.

I've been at it for around 6.5 years.

Somewhere in the middle of that conversation, I started listing out everything I wish I'd known before I spent all that money learning it the hard way.

Here's what came up…

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Not having a next step for happy students

When I made my course, I finished recording and I was like “okay, I'm done here.”

I didn't think about what happens after someone finishes and loves it.

I had students messaging me saying they wanted more. And I had nothing to point them to…

One student - who wasn't even trying to become a content creator - ended up buying a $2,000 creator program I launched later.

Just because it happened to come up at the right time.

Imagine if this upsell was built in from the start.

If every student who finished happy got a natural next step instead of just... nothing.

I could've signed on so many recurring monthly coaching clients and helped so many more people.

So if you're planning a course, map out the full journey before you launch, not just the course itself.

Even just a form at the end asking if they'd want to keep working with you - something is better than nothing.

Getting feedback before you build anything

I was scared people would hate my course.

So instead of just hoping for the best, I hopped on calls with at least 5 people before I recorded a single video.

Every problem they mentioned became a module.

(Note: focusing on problem and transformation instead of features helps a LOT in marketing - like “stay consistent with peer accountability” rather than “there’s a community”)

One of the creators I talked to this morning reflected on a course she spent thousands on that didn’t help her.

If that course creator had just asked her community what they needed, she would’ve been able to help a lot more people.

Offering a refund guarantee (for courses, not coaching)

“I don’t wanna be called a scam.”

This was a worry every single one of us had.

What I did was offer a really generous refund policy - even if you've finished the whole course, just ask and I'll give you a refund, no questions asked.

Someone even commented on my post: “how is this economically viable? Is she even making money?”

But honestly - the people who've asked for refunds either got overwhelmed with life stuff and the format just wasn't working for them, or they told me they loved the course but got laid off and needed the money back.

I can count on one or two hands the number of refunds I've given out vs the hundreds of people who've bought the course.

And my students have literally told me the refund policy is part of why they decided to just go for it.

So it’s not really about refunds. It’s about making people feel safe enough to say yes.

And it kinda gave me reassurance that no one can call me “a scammer who doesn’t care and only wants money” bc I’ll literally refund people with no questions asked.

(For 1:1 or group coaching it's different - you can't give back the time. But for a pre-recorded course, it's worth considering.)

The community ROI math doesn't always work out

This one I actually pulled up a spreadsheet for because I have some hot takes about community.

If you charge $29/month for a community, factor in churn. Three months in, a lot of people cancel.

The ongoing pressure to do something every month was also not something I wanted with my hectic travel schedule.

And the revenue compared to just selling a course is a fraction of what you'd expect.

Here's what the math looks like at 20-30 people:

My course community was really active during the 30-day challenge because everyone had something to report on every day. They loved it.

But after the course ended and they moved to the alumni Discord?

They got busy after around 6 months. They stopped posting. Which is fine - they weren't paying for it anyway.

The thing that keeps communities alive is rallying everyone around a specific goal or challenge. An open-ended "come hang out" space just doesn't have the same vibe.

So if you're thinking about community, the framing matters a lot.

A monthly challenge feels like a course - people expect to pay for it once and keep the course forever.

A subscription community feels like another subscription - and it’s a bit harder to sell bc many people have commitment issues 😅 they’re scared they’ll forget to cancel.

These are all things I wish I knew before I launched.

If you're building something right now - even just in the planning stage - I hope at least one of these saves you some time.

Or money.

Ideally both.

Til next week,

Jennifer

P.S. I’m opening up a few coaching spots next quarter! If you’re interested, reply “yes” and I’ll send you the calendar link 🫶