December 3, 2024 • 26 mins
Ready to break free from perfectionism and finally get your course out into the world?
In this episode of Teaching Mastery Academy, I’m sharing my step-by-step framework to cut your course creation time in half—without sacrificing quality. Sound like a dream? Trust me, it’s not just possible—it’s totally doable!
I know what it’s like to get stuck in the endless loop of tweaks and re-edits. My first product launch took me over a year because I couldn’t stop overthinking every little detail. If that sounds like where you’re at right now, I’ve got your back.
Here’s the deal: You don’t need to spend forever perfecting every slide, video, or lesson. What you do need is a strategy. Think of it like setting a GPS for your course. We’ll pinpoint the one big problem your course solves, define a clear outcome for your students, and map out the exact steps it’ll take to get them there. That’s your transformation target.
In this episode, I’m walking you through how to create a content blueprint—a step-by-step journey with milestones that ensure your course stays focused and impactful. You’ll also learn how to adopt the Minimum Viable Product mindset (because done is always better than perfect) and how to streamline your entire creation process. It’s like meal-prepping for your course—plan it once, batch it smartly, and enjoy the freedom it brings!
I’ll share my favorite time-saving hacks, like batching your work, automating repetitive tasks, and outsourcing the stuff that slows you down. Plus, I’ll show you how to set a non-negotiable deadline (because let’s be honest, perfectionism loves an open timeline).
This episode is packed with practical tools and mindset shifts that’ll help you get out of your own way, let go of endless tinkering, and finally launch the course you’ve been dreaming of.
So, if you’re ready to ditch the overwhelm, take control of your time, and experience the joy of seeing your course come to life, this episode is for you. Let’s do this together!
Think of your course (or your course idea,) like a luxury car. People won’t pay top dollar unless it’s high quality, delivers an incredible experience, and meets their needs perfectly. Teaching Mastery Academy teaches course creators like you how to ‘build’ that luxury-level course—one that students trust, complete, and rave about, justifying premium pricing every time. Ready to take your expertise and ensure your digital course stands out from the crowd? Premium courses (and premium returns) start with the core teaching fundamentals that all the best course creators instinctively do, but now I'm showing you how! Join the VIP waitlist for Teaching Mastery Academy now! Click here to learn more.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, hey, welcome back to Teaching Mastery Academy
.
I'm Francesca Hudson, yourgo-to gal for all things course
creation.
Today, we are diving into ajuicy topic that I know so many
of you struggle with.
It's how to actually finishyour course without feeling like
you're running a marathon thatnever ends.
Oh, my goodness, and if you'reanything like me, I am not a
(00:21):
good runner, so we don't wantyou to get into that boat.
So here's the problem.
You've got the idea, you'vemaybe even started creating some
content, but you're spendingway too much time trying to make
every detail perfect.
I'm guilty of this.
I am an absolute perfectionistin everything and I really need
(00:44):
to rein it in, especially whenit comes to things like course
creation.
This might sound like you,because I have certainly been in
this position where weeks turninto months and, instead of
celebrating a launch, you'restuck tweaking module three for
the seventh time.
I remember when I launched myvery first digital product back
in 2013,.
It was TeachAid EnglishLiterature Worksheets, and I
(01:07):
spent an entire year refiningand crafting and making sure
everything looked perfect.
The website was perfect, thelayout of the PDFs were perfect,
everything that I couldpossibly think of because I
didn't have enough confidence tojust simply launch it and test
it and see what the marketfeedback was like.
So does that sound familiar?
(01:30):
Because here's the dealcreating a course doesn't have
to take forever.
You can cut your coursecreation time in half without
sacrificing quality.
Yes, I said half, and today I'mgoing to show you exactly how
to do it with my proven sevenstep frameworks that I came up
with for myself because Irealized that I was going to be
(01:52):
at retirement age before I hadeven launched a digital product
at the rate that I was going,and my husband was getting very
what's the words let's sayimpatient as to when I actually
would be launching this productthat I had worked so hard, and
he wanted to see me get a returnon all the hard work.
I think if that sounds like you, then you are going to get a
huge amount of benefit from thisseven step framework that I've
(02:15):
got to share with you today, andby the end of this episode, you
will walk away with a crystalclear plan to get your course
done faster while keeping thequality top notch, because we
are all about quality here atthe Teaching Mastery Academy.
No more endless tinkering foryou, my friend.
No more waiting for everythingto be perfect.
(02:35):
Let's get your course out intothe world where it can actually
help people.
So grab a notebook or, hey,just open up the notes app on
your phone and let's get started.
So step one is to start with theend in mind, and I'm kicking
things off with a little bit oftough love here.
If you don't know exactly whereyou're going, you're going to
(02:58):
waste a ton of time wandering incircles, and this is why you
must start with yourtransformation target.
Now.
This is the one clear, specificresult that your course is
going to deliver to youraudience, not five results, not
a general improvement.
You are going to pick one, onetransformation target only.
(03:20):
So let me break this down.
Imagine your course is a GPSand your transformation target
is the destination you'reprogramming into the system.
Without it, you're going to bedriving around aimlessly, hoping
that you stumble upon where youwant to go, but if you nail
this, then your whole coursetransforms.
(03:42):
And here's how to nail it.
Ask yourself what is the onebig problem that your students
are trying to solve?
Okay, so ask yourself thatquestion what is the one big
problem your students are tryingto solve?
And then ask yourself what doessuccess look like for them.
Always think about what theyare going to get out of this
(04:04):
course, what they are going toget out of this course, what
they are going to get out ofthis relationship with you that
you are creating, this communitythat you're creating.
So, for example, let's sayyou're creating a course on,
let's say, budgeting.
So a weak transformation targetmight be learn to budget better
.
Okay, that's vague anduninspiring.
Learn to budget better.
(04:25):
It doesn't really tell usanything.
It's not really going tomotivate anybody.
So instead, we could try this.
By the end of this course,you'll have a personalized
budget that helps you save $500a month without giving up your
favorite coffee runs.
But how good is that?
See how much more specific thatis.
When you define yourtransformation target, you're
(04:47):
not just setting a goal for yourstudents, you're creating a
roadmap for yourself.
Everything you build into yourcourse should lead directly back
to that result, and I'll saythat result again.
By the end of this course,you'll have a personalized
budget that helps you save $500a month without giving up your
favorite coffee runs.
You are immediately refineddown.
(05:09):
We've got a very crystal cleartarget $500 a month and we're
doing it without the pain Peopleare still able to enjoy
something that they love, forexample, their favorite coffee
run.
So we are appealing to ouraudience that we know well, that
we know at the back of our hand, because when you're
researching your niche, whenyou're researching your course
(05:30):
ideas, you need to know who youraudience are, how they think,
how they act, how they behaveand what is it that will
motivate them.
Okay, so let's move on.
Let's look at step two.
We're going to build yourcontent blueprint.
So, now that you've nailed yourtransformation target, it's
time to map out how you're goingto get your students there, and
(05:51):
this is where your contentblueprint comes in.
Think of your course like ajourney, and your students are
starting at point A, right atthe very start, and your job is
to get them to point B, which isyour transformation target we
just talked about.
Now, along the way, there arekey milestones that they need to
hit, and these milestones aregoing to become your modules.
(06:13):
So here's an example.
Let's say your course helpspeople start a podcast, so the
milestones might be somethinglike this and let's say we will
do four milestones.
So milestone one could bechoosing the right podcast topic
.
Milestone two could be settingup your recording equipment.
Milestone three could beplanning your first 10 episodes,
and then milestone four couldbe publishing your podcast on
(06:36):
major platforms.
So each milestone is a module,and each module is broken down
into bite-sized lessons thatwalk your students through what
they need to know and what theyneed to do.
Now don't overcomplicate thisstep.
If you find yourself thinkingmaybe I should add another
module about advanced editingtechniques, stop Ask yourself
(06:57):
this.
Does this directly help mystudents achieve the
transformation target?
If the answer is no, cut it.
Simplicity is your friend here,and I know that it is tempting
to put every single thing thatyou can think of that's going to
help your audience, that'sgoing to help your students into
your course.
But the thing is that you aresolving one problem.
(07:20):
You are being very specificwith your transformation target.
You are solving that problemand you are solving it well.
Remember quality over quantity.
There are plenty moreopportunities for future courses
or for upgrades or for bonusesonce you've got your
foundational course established,but don't run into the
temptation of throwingeverything into one course.
(07:41):
So remember, always link yourmodule creation back to your
transformation target.
If the answer is no, then cutthe module.
So then we move on to step three, which is to adopt the MVP
mindset, and this is wherethings start to get real.
One of the biggest reasons thatcourse creators get stuck is
(08:02):
because they think the firstversion has to be the final
version.
Spoiler alert it doesn't and itmost probably won't.
In fact, I am absolutelyconfident that it won't, and
I'll tell you why.
Let's talk about the minimumviable product MVP mindset.
Let's talk about the minimumviable product MVP mindset.
This concept comes from thetech world, right, but it is a
(08:26):
total game changer for coursecreation as well.
And here's what it means yourfirst version of the course only
needs to include the essentialsto deliver the promised
transformation.
That's it.
No extra bells and whistles, noobsessing over fonts and
animations, just the corecontent that's going to solve
your student's problem.
(08:46):
Now, why is this?
Well, it's because the goal ofyour first launch isn't
perfection, it's validation.
You're testing your idea,you're getting feedback and
you're learning what works, andyou can't improve something that
doesn't exist.
So focus, remember that youcan't improve something that
doesn't exist yet.
Focus, remember that you can'timprove something that doesn't
exist yet.
If no one's bought your course,then it isn't actually a viable
(09:08):
course yet.
There's no point refining andpolishing a course that hasn't
sold.
So focus on getting your MVPout the door, then refine it
later, based on the actualstudent input that you get.
That's when you can go back andstart polishing it and making
the fonts look pretty and makingthe thumbnails for your modules
stand out and all the rest ofit.
But until you've actually hadproof of concept, proof of
(09:31):
product, people are willing topay for it, then there's no
point wasting all that extratime.
And in fact, the way that Icreate my courses is that I
don't even build the courseuntil I've had the first round
of students sign up to it andthen I know that it's a viable
product.
All right, so now we're up tostep four in the process, which
(09:52):
is batch, your creation process.
So let's talk about theultimate productivity hack for
you here Batching.
Now.
Batching is all about groupingsimilar tasks together so you
can stay in the zone and workmore efficiently, as we know.
But I want you to think of itlike meal prepping.
So instead of cooking everymeal from scratch, you will prep
(10:12):
everything in advance and justassemble it when you're ready to
eat.
I love this, and here's how itworks for course creation.
Here's how I use it in mycourse creation, and there's
four steps that I use.
So step one is start with theoutlining, so dedicate a day to
mapping out all your modules andyour lessons and I normally do
that on a Monday, and you can,you can, you can do this for the
(10:33):
days of the week.
This is how I, how I work it.
And then step two is move on toscripting, so write the scripts
for all your lessons in one go.
Step three is to recordeverything.
So block out a day or two tofilm all your videos.
I normally do it on a Thursday,because that's when I go to the
(10:53):
hairdressers and I get a blowdry and I glam up.
It's my glam day and I get allof my video content done on that
particular day.
And that means social mediacontent done on that particular
day.
And that means social mediacontent.
It means lead generationcontent you know, lead magnets,
youtube videos.
Or it could mean actual coursecreation.
If I'm recording a lesson orI'm recording a module, I will
get it all done on that day.
(11:14):
And then step four is edit andupload.
So, once all the videos arerecorded, edit and upload them
in batches.
Now the key is to avoid jumpingback and forth between tasks so
when you batch you're notswitching gears constantly,
which saves time and mentalenergy.
And, as I say, you can map thisout as days in the week or you
(11:36):
can do it in some sort of acalendar or some sort of a daily
thing.
It's up to you.
I would definitely break yourcontent creation into these four
steps.
So that's outlining, scripting,recording and then editing and
uploading.
All right, okay.
So step five is all aboutautomation, and this is your new
(11:56):
best friend.
We are going to automatewherever and whenever we can,
because here's the thing noteverything in your course
creation process needs yourpersonal touch, and there are so
many tools and systems andsupport people out there that
can handle the repetitive stufffor you, as you know.
But sometimes it's a little bitscary to actually take that
(12:19):
step and ask for help whenyou're working on something
that's so close to you.
It's like your baby and youfeel like you're the only one
that can know what to say orknow what to write or know how
to structure something on thepage.
And it's really hard sometimesto delegate.
As entrepreneurs, delegationcan be a really hard thing for
us, because it means that we'regiving up control, we're handing
(12:40):
the reins over to somebody else, and so I've got some examples
of how you can automate withoutfeeling like you're going to
lose control over things.
And the first way is to usetemplates.
So you can use templates foryour slides, for your emails,
for your worksheets.
So places like Canva and GoogleSlides are lifesavers here.
In Canva, you can copy andpaste, you can look at branding
(13:03):
colors, you can have like a setamount of fonts and colors and
logos that you can upload, andthen that's like your default
go-to templates.
You can also use projectmanagement tools like Trello, or
I use mondaycom to keep trackof your progress, and these
project management tools are areally good idea, especially if
(13:25):
you're beginning to look atgetting in a virtual assistant
or VA or somebody else to joinyour team, because they're all
cloud-based project managementsystems, which means you can
talk to each other.
I have VA assistants in thePhilippines and we all
communicate via mondaycom.
We can upload things on there,we can talk to each other, we
can create updates, we can seethe progression of tasks that
(13:47):
are being done, we can approvethings, we can thumb things up,
thumb things down.
It's just a really coolinteractive way.
You can have the app on yourphone and it basically means
that you can have an office fromwherever.
If you're traveling around theworld or you're sitting on a
beach somewhere, you can just doa quick five-minute update on
your project management tool andthen pick up your book and
carry on reading.
So look into project managementtools, because they are really,
(14:11):
really effective for organizingyour notes, storing all your
information and then, when youare ready to get additional help
, then it's a greatcommunication tool as well.
And the third tool that you canuse is automate your video
editing with tools like Descript.
I love Descript.
I use it all the time.
I use it for my podcasts, I useit for my lessons, I use it for
(14:32):
anything that involves eitheraudio or video editing, because
Descript can cut out fillerwords and can clean up the audio
in minutes, and it's just soeasy to use for somebody like me
who's not tech savvy.
So I would highly recommendlooking at a video editing tool
like Descript or another onethat will work with various
(14:54):
platforms.
And also remember that ifthere's something that you're
just no good at, like graphicdesign or video editing, then do
consider outsourcing.
Remember that your time is bestspent on things that only you
can do, like creating content,like this podcast, and
connecting with your audience.
(15:15):
So, the things you canoutsource, try and outsource it,
even if it's through a verycheap and cost-effective means,
such as automation tools likeDescript, which you still have
to use yourself to a certainextent, but you are cutting down
the editing time in half.
Or look at the Philippinesplaces I use for virtual
(15:37):
assistants.
It's called onlinejobsph andthey have got so many different
skill sets and townspeople onthere that are willing to help
you and willing to work forhowever many hours or whatever
the criteria is that you set.
So I will link that in the shownotes as well for you.
All right, so step six, let'smove on to step six.
(16:00):
So we want to set a deadlineand stick to it.
So I can't stress this oneenough Deadlines are
non-negotiable.
And here's the thing when youdon't set a deadline,
perfectionism will creep in.
It will creep in, I promise you, and it will sabotage your
progress.
You will find yourselfendlessly revising, rethinking
(16:23):
and redoing things that wereperfectly fine to begin with.
So pick a launch date andreverse engineer your timeline
from there.
So, for example, if you'relaunching in, say, six weeks,
plan to finish scripting by weektwo, filming by week four and
editing by week five.
And here's my tip to ensurethat you keep yourself honest
and stick by week five.
And here's my tip to ensurethat you keep yourself honest
(16:44):
and stick to that deadline Shareyour deadline publicly, tell
your email list, post it onsocial or announce it to your
accountability buddy.
When other people are expectingyour course, you'll feel way
more motivated to stick to yourtimeline.
It works like a charm.
So set a deadline, stick to itand post the deadline date
(17:06):
publicly.
And then step seven is celebratethe progress.
So this is a really importantstep and it's so overlooked,
especially if you're someone whotends to focus on what's not
done yet.
Course creation is a marathon,not a sprint, and it's easy to
feel overwhelmed if you're onlylooking at how far you still
have to go.
This is why it's not done yet.
Course creation is a marathon,not a sprint, and it's easy to
feel overwhelmed if you're onlylooking at how far you still
have to go.
This is why it's so crucial tocelebrate the small wins along
(17:29):
the way as you go.
Have you finished outliningyour content blueprint,
celebrate.
Or have you recorded your firstvideo?
Well then, celebrate my friends.
Or how about uploaded yourcourse to your platform?
Celebrate.
I even do little minicelebrations during the day.
I'll sit down for an hour,record a podcast, and then I'll
get up and make a drink andreally celebrate the fact that,
(17:50):
yes, I have achieved this.
I have recorded my podcast forthe day.
I can put it off my list, soyou can celebrate in so many
different ways, even if it'sjust to yourself yourself, even
if you're just giving yourself amental pat on the back.
But these little milestonesbuild momentum, and momentum is
what keeps you moving forward.
Plus, it's way more fun toacknowledge how far you've come
(18:11):
instead of obsessing on what'sleft to do.
I am a very glass half fulltype of person, and so I will
always look at what I'veachieved and then just take the
next little piece as it comes,rather than looking at the whole
mountain that I've got to climb.
Just take it step by step, dayby day, piece by piece, and have
(18:31):
those little micro momentswhere you celebrate what you've
just achieved.
It really does build momentum,and it will help keep your
confidence and morale high,especially in those times when
maybe you're not making salesyet, or maybe you haven't got
your email list up yet, orthings are a little slow to get
moving or to get off the ground.
Really focus on what you haveachieved to date and think, okay
(18:53):
, I've done this, so what can Ido next?
Anything's possible, all right.
So let's do a quick recap onthese seven steps, because we
covered quite a lot of groundtoday.
So step one will start withyour transformation target super
important, really one specifictransformation that you want
your course to have achieved foryour audience.
(19:15):
So your transformation target,step one.
Step two is to build a clearcontent blueprint with
milestones.
So you want to have a littleseries of milestones from start,
from the starting line thatyour audience starts at, to the
transformation target, and thesewill become your modules.
Step three is to embrace the mvpmindset and get it done.
(19:37):
Not perfect.
Let's test your, let's see ifit's viable, let's see if people
are interested and willing topay for it, and then we'll
polish and refine it later.
And then step four is to batchyour tasks for maximum
efficiency.
So we talked about breakingthem down into maybe a day of
the week each or a timeframeeach and really batch them.
(20:00):
So do your scripting and thendo your recording and then do
your editing on separate days orat separate times.
And then step five is toautomate or outsource where you
can.
So knowing where and when inyour business, no matter what
stage you're at, even if it'sjust you working out what you
(20:20):
can do to work more efficiently,can you automate things, can
you outsource them, look at whatcan be done to make your life
easier, Really spend some timeresearching and investing into
that whole area of your business, because time is money and time
is energy.
And then step six was set adeadline and stick to it like
(20:41):
glue.
So remember we talked aboutcoming up with a deadline,
reverse engineering yourworkload back from that date and
then releasing that datepublicly so that you have to
stay accountable to that becauseit's public, people know about
it.
And then, finally, step sevenwas celebrate every step of the
journey, even the small wins,because if you're not
(21:02):
celebrating along the way, thenyou're not really having much
fun and you're going to burn outa lot quicker.
If you're not enjoying thisprocess, if it's lost its ease
and it's lost the sense ofwhimsy and being fun for you,
then suddenly you're losing yourfreedom along the way.
So really take time to enjoythe process, celebrate the small
(21:24):
wins and reflect on how faryou've come.
Even small steps are stepsfurther along the track than
what you were yesterday, socelebrate them.
So now it's your turn.
Which of these steps are yougoing to tackle today?
Don't overthink it, just pickone and make a start.
And hey, if you want to diveeven deeper into streamlining
(21:44):
your course creation process,join the waitlist for Teaching
Mastery Academy.
It's where I share all of myinsider strategies to help you
create and sell courses thattruly transform lives.
We go deep into course creation.
We don't just talk about how tobuild a funnel and how to
market it.
We look at the actual nuts andbolts of a quality course how to
(22:09):
structure a course, how manymodules to include, what should
you use in your lessons?
What techniques will you keepyour audience engaged?
What techniques will help youraudience get the most
transformations from what you'vepromised them?
And it's all about buildingquality courses so that you can
charge more.
If you've got a really highlyengaging, highly converting,
(22:33):
quality course that people areraving about and suddenly you're
becoming the go-to in yourindustry, you can start to
really look at premium pricingbecause your course is quality.
So we go through all of that.
In Teaching Mastery Academy,the doors are currently closed,
but we do have a VIP waitlistopen and if you would like to
join that VIP waitlist andreceive some exclusive bonuses
(22:55):
and content trainings, then signup.
I'll put the link in the shownotes, but you can also go to
theclassichighschoolteachercom.
Forward slash TMA.
That's T for teaching, m formastery, a for academy.
I'll say that againtheclassichighschoolteachercom.
Forward slash TMA.
So that's it for today.
Until next time, keep creating,keep serving and remember your
(23:19):
audience isn't waiting forperfect, they're waiting for you
.
My friend, until until nexttime.
Bye for now.
Hey, hey, welcome back to Teaching Mastery Academy
.
I'm Francesca Hudson, yourgo-to gal for all things course
creation.
Today, we are diving into ajuicy topic that I know so many
of you struggle with.
It's how to actually finishyour course without feeling like
you're running a marathon thatnever ends.
Oh, my goodness, and if you'reanything like me, I am not a
(00:21):
good runner, so we don't wantyou to get into that boat.
So here's the problem.
You've got the idea, you'vemaybe even started creating some
content, but you're spendingway too much time trying to make
every detail perfect.
I'm guilty of this.
I am an absolute perfectionistin everything and I really need
(00:44):
to rein it in, especially whenit comes to things like course
creation.
This might sound like you,because I have certainly been in
this position where weeks turninto months and, instead of
celebrating a launch, you'restuck tweaking module three for
the seventh time.
I remember when I launched myvery first digital product back
in 2013,.
It was TeachAid EnglishLiterature Worksheets, and I
(01:07):
spent an entire year refiningand crafting and making sure
everything looked perfect.
The website was perfect, thelayout of the PDFs were perfect,
everything that I couldpossibly think of because I
didn't have enough confidence tojust simply launch it and test
it and see what the marketfeedback was like.
So does that sound familiar?
(01:30):
Because here's the dealcreating a course doesn't have
to take forever.
You can cut your coursecreation time in half without
sacrificing quality.
Yes, I said half, and today I'mgoing to show you exactly how
to do it with my proven sevenstep frameworks that I came up
with for myself because Irealized that I was going to be
(01:52):
at retirement age before I hadeven launched a digital product
at the rate that I was going,and my husband was getting very
what's the words let's sayimpatient as to when I actually
would be launching this productthat I had worked so hard, and
he wanted to see me get a returnon all the hard work.
I think if that sounds like you, then you are going to get a
huge amount of benefit from thisseven step framework that I've
(02:15):
got to share with you today, andby the end of this episode, you
will walk away with a crystalclear plan to get your course
done faster while keeping thequality top notch, because we
are all about quality here atthe Teaching Mastery Academy.
No more endless tinkering foryou, my friend.
No more waiting for everythingto be perfect.
(02:35):
Let's get your course out intothe world where it can actually
help people.
So grab a notebook or, hey,just open up the notes app on
your phone and let's get started.
So step one is to start with theend in mind, and I'm kicking
things off with a little bit oftough love here.
If you don't know exactly whereyou're going, you're going to
(02:58):
waste a ton of time wandering incircles, and this is why you
must start with yourtransformation target.
Now.
This is the one clear, specificresult that your course is
going to deliver to youraudience, not five results, not
a general improvement.
You are going to pick one, onetransformation target only.
(03:20):
So let me break this down.
Imagine your course is a GPSand your transformation target
is the destination you'reprogramming into the system.
Without it, you're going to bedriving around aimlessly, hoping
that you stumble upon where youwant to go, but if you nail
this, then your whole coursetransforms.
(03:42):
And here's how to nail it.
Ask yourself what is the onebig problem that your students
are trying to solve?
Okay, so ask yourself thatquestion what is the one big
problem your students are tryingto solve?
And then ask yourself what doessuccess look like for them.
Always think about what theyare going to get out of this
(04:04):
course, what they are going toget out of this course, what
they are going to get out ofthis relationship with you that
you are creating, this communitythat you're creating.
So, for example, let's sayyou're creating a course on,
let's say, budgeting.
So a weak transformation targetmight be learn to budget better
.
Okay, that's vague anduninspiring.
Learn to budget better.
(04:25):
It doesn't really tell usanything.
It's not really going tomotivate anybody.
So instead, we could try this.
By the end of this course,you'll have a personalized
budget that helps you save $500a month without giving up your
favorite coffee runs.
But how good is that?
See how much more specific thatis.
When you define yourtransformation target, you're
(04:47):
not just setting a goal for yourstudents, you're creating a
roadmap for yourself.
Everything you build into yourcourse should lead directly back
to that result, and I'll saythat result again.
By the end of this course,you'll have a personalized
budget that helps you save $500a month without giving up your
favorite coffee runs.
You are immediately refineddown.
(05:09):
We've got a very crystal cleartarget $500 a month and we're
doing it without the pain Peopleare still able to enjoy
something that they love, forexample, their favorite coffee
run.
So we are appealing to ouraudience that we know well, that
we know at the back of our hand, because when you're
researching your niche, whenyou're researching your course
(05:30):
ideas, you need to know who youraudience are, how they think,
how they act, how they behaveand what is it that will
motivate them.
Okay, so let's move on.
Let's look at step two.
We're going to build yourcontent blueprint.
So, now that you've nailed yourtransformation target, it's
time to map out how you're goingto get your students there, and
(05:51):
this is where your contentblueprint comes in.
Think of your course like ajourney, and your students are
starting at point A, right atthe very start, and your job is
to get them to point B, which isyour transformation target we
just talked about.
Now, along the way, there arekey milestones that they need to
hit, and these milestones aregoing to become your modules.
(06:13):
So here's an example.
Let's say your course helpspeople start a podcast, so the
milestones might be somethinglike this and let's say we will
do four milestones.
So milestone one could bechoosing the right podcast topic
.
Milestone two could be settingup your recording equipment.
Milestone three could beplanning your first 10 episodes,
and then milestone four couldbe publishing your podcast on
(06:36):
major platforms.
So each milestone is a module,and each module is broken down
into bite-sized lessons thatwalk your students through what
they need to know and what theyneed to do.
Now don't overcomplicate thisstep.
If you find yourself thinkingmaybe I should add another
module about advanced editingtechniques, stop Ask yourself
(06:57):
this.
Does this directly help mystudents achieve the
transformation target?
If the answer is no, cut it.
Simplicity is your friend here,and I know that it is tempting
to put every single thing thatyou can think of that's going to
help your audience, that'sgoing to help your students into
your course.
But the thing is that you aresolving one problem.
(07:20):
You are being very specificwith your transformation target.
You are solving that problemand you are solving it well.
Remember quality over quantity.
There are plenty moreopportunities for future courses
or for upgrades or for bonusesonce you've got your
foundational course established,but don't run into the
temptation of throwingeverything into one course.
(07:41):
So remember, always link yourmodule creation back to your
transformation target.
If the answer is no, then cutthe module.
So then we move on to step three, which is to adopt the MVP
mindset, and this is wherethings start to get real.
One of the biggest reasons thatcourse creators get stuck is
(08:02):
because they think the firstversion has to be the final
version.
Spoiler alert it doesn't and itmost probably won't.
In fact, I am absolutelyconfident that it won't, and
I'll tell you why.
Let's talk about the minimumviable product MVP mindset.
Let's talk about the minimumviable product MVP mindset.
This concept comes from thetech world, right, but it is a
(08:26):
total game changer for coursecreation as well.
And here's what it means yourfirst version of the course only
needs to include the essentialsto deliver the promised
transformation.
That's it.
No extra bells and whistles, noobsessing over fonts and
animations, just the corecontent that's going to solve
your student's problem.
(08:46):
Now, why is this?
Well, it's because the goal ofyour first launch isn't
perfection, it's validation.
You're testing your idea,you're getting feedback and
you're learning what works, andyou can't improve something that
doesn't exist.
So focus, remember that youcan't improve something that
doesn't exist yet.
Focus, remember that you can'timprove something that doesn't
exist yet.
If no one's bought your course,then it isn't actually a viable
(09:08):
course yet.
There's no point refining andpolishing a course that hasn't
sold.
So focus on getting your MVPout the door, then refine it
later, based on the actualstudent input that you get.
That's when you can go back andstart polishing it and making
the fonts look pretty and makingthe thumbnails for your modules
stand out and all the rest ofit.
But until you've actually hadproof of concept, proof of
(09:31):
product, people are willing topay for it, then there's no
point wasting all that extratime.
And in fact, the way that Icreate my courses is that I
don't even build the courseuntil I've had the first round
of students sign up to it andthen I know that it's a viable
product.
All right, so now we're up tostep four in the process, which
(09:52):
is batch, your creation process.
So let's talk about theultimate productivity hack for
you here Batching.
Now.
Batching is all about groupingsimilar tasks together so you
can stay in the zone and workmore efficiently, as we know.
But I want you to think of itlike meal prepping.
So instead of cooking everymeal from scratch, you will prep
(10:12):
everything in advance and justassemble it when you're ready to
eat.
I love this, and here's how itworks for course creation.
Here's how I use it in mycourse creation, and there's
four steps that I use.
So step one is start with theoutlining, so dedicate a day to
mapping out all your modules andyour lessons and I normally do
that on a Monday, and you can,you can, you can do this for the
(10:33):
days of the week.
This is how I, how I work it.
And then step two is move on toscripting, so write the scripts
for all your lessons in one go.
Step three is to recordeverything.
So block out a day or two tofilm all your videos.
I normally do it on a Thursday,because that's when I go to the
(10:53):
hairdressers and I get a blowdry and I glam up.
It's my glam day and I get allof my video content done on that
particular day.
And that means social mediacontent done on that particular
day.
And that means social mediacontent.
It means lead generationcontent you know, lead magnets,
youtube videos.
Or it could mean actual coursecreation.
If I'm recording a lesson orI'm recording a module, I will
get it all done on that day.
(11:14):
And then step four is edit andupload.
So, once all the videos arerecorded, edit and upload them
in batches.
Now the key is to avoid jumpingback and forth between tasks so
when you batch you're notswitching gears constantly,
which saves time and mentalenergy.
And, as I say, you can map thisout as days in the week or you
(11:36):
can do it in some sort of acalendar or some sort of a daily
thing.
It's up to you.
I would definitely break yourcontent creation into these four
steps.
So that's outlining, scripting,recording and then editing and
uploading.
All right, okay.
So step five is all aboutautomation, and this is your new
(11:56):
best friend.
We are going to automatewherever and whenever we can,
because here's the thing noteverything in your course
creation process needs yourpersonal touch, and there are so
many tools and systems andsupport people out there that
can handle the repetitive stufffor you, as you know.
But sometimes it's a little bitscary to actually take that
(12:19):
step and ask for help whenyou're working on something
that's so close to you.
It's like your baby and youfeel like you're the only one
that can know what to say orknow what to write or know how
to structure something on thepage.
And it's really hard sometimesto delegate.
As entrepreneurs, delegationcan be a really hard thing for
us, because it means that we'regiving up control, we're handing
(12:40):
the reins over to somebody else, and so I've got some examples
of how you can automate withoutfeeling like you're going to
lose control over things.
And the first way is to usetemplates.
So you can use templates foryour slides, for your emails,
for your worksheets.
So places like Canva and GoogleSlides are lifesavers here.
In Canva, you can copy andpaste, you can look at branding
(13:03):
colors, you can have like a setamount of fonts and colors and
logos that you can upload, andthen that's like your default
go-to templates.
You can also use projectmanagement tools like Trello, or
I use mondaycom to keep trackof your progress, and these
project management tools are areally good idea, especially if
(13:25):
you're beginning to look atgetting in a virtual assistant
or VA or somebody else to joinyour team, because they're all
cloud-based project managementsystems, which means you can
talk to each other.
I have VA assistants in thePhilippines and we all
communicate via mondaycom.
We can upload things on there,we can talk to each other, we
can create updates, we can seethe progression of tasks that
(13:47):
are being done, we can approvethings, we can thumb things up,
thumb things down.
It's just a really coolinteractive way.
You can have the app on yourphone and it basically means
that you can have an office fromwherever.
If you're traveling around theworld or you're sitting on a
beach somewhere, you can just doa quick five-minute update on
your project management tool andthen pick up your book and
carry on reading.
So look into project managementtools, because they are really,
(14:11):
really effective for organizingyour notes, storing all your
information and then, when youare ready to get additional help
, then it's a greatcommunication tool as well.
And the third tool that you canuse is automate your video
editing with tools like Descript.
I love Descript.
I use it all the time.
I use it for my podcasts, I useit for my lessons, I use it for
(14:32):
anything that involves eitheraudio or video editing, because
Descript can cut out fillerwords and can clean up the audio
in minutes, and it's just soeasy to use for somebody like me
who's not tech savvy.
So I would highly recommendlooking at a video editing tool
like Descript or another onethat will work with various
(14:54):
platforms.
And also remember that ifthere's something that you're
just no good at, like graphicdesign or video editing, then do
consider outsourcing.
Remember that your time is bestspent on things that only you
can do, like creating content,like this podcast, and
connecting with your audience.
(15:15):
So, the things you canoutsource, try and outsource it,
even if it's through a verycheap and cost-effective means,
such as automation tools likeDescript, which you still have
to use yourself to a certainextent, but you are cutting down
the editing time in half.
Or look at the Philippinesplaces I use for virtual
(15:37):
assistants.
It's called onlinejobsph andthey have got so many different
skill sets and townspeople onthere that are willing to help
you and willing to work forhowever many hours or whatever
the criteria is that you set.
So I will link that in the shownotes as well for you.
All right, so step six, let'smove on to step six.
(16:00):
So we want to set a deadlineand stick to it.
So I can't stress this oneenough Deadlines are
non-negotiable.
And here's the thing when youdon't set a deadline,
perfectionism will creep in.
It will creep in, I promise you, and it will sabotage your
progress.
You will find yourselfendlessly revising, rethinking
(16:23):
and redoing things that wereperfectly fine to begin with.
So pick a launch date andreverse engineer your timeline
from there.
So, for example, if you'relaunching in, say, six weeks,
plan to finish scripting by weektwo, filming by week four and
editing by week five.
And here's my tip to ensurethat you keep yourself honest
and stick by week five.
And here's my tip to ensurethat you keep yourself honest
(16:44):
and stick to that deadline Shareyour deadline publicly, tell
your email list, post it onsocial or announce it to your
accountability buddy.
When other people are expectingyour course, you'll feel way
more motivated to stick to yourtimeline.
It works like a charm.
So set a deadline, stick to itand post the deadline date
(17:06):
publicly.
And then step seven is celebratethe progress.
So this is a really importantstep and it's so overlooked,
especially if you're someone whotends to focus on what's not
done yet.
Course creation is a marathon,not a sprint, and it's easy to
feel overwhelmed if you're onlylooking at how far you still
have to go.
This is why it's not done yet.
Course creation is a marathon,not a sprint, and it's easy to
feel overwhelmed if you're onlylooking at how far you still
have to go.
This is why it's so crucial tocelebrate the small wins along
(17:29):
the way as you go.
Have you finished outliningyour content blueprint,
celebrate.
Or have you recorded your firstvideo?
Well then, celebrate my friends.
Or how about uploaded yourcourse to your platform?
Celebrate.
I even do little minicelebrations during the day.
I'll sit down for an hour,record a podcast, and then I'll
get up and make a drink andreally celebrate the fact that,
(17:50):
yes, I have achieved this.
I have recorded my podcast forthe day.
I can put it off my list, soyou can celebrate in so many
different ways, even if it'sjust to yourself yourself, even
if you're just giving yourself amental pat on the back.
But these little milestonesbuild momentum, and momentum is
what keeps you moving forward.
Plus, it's way more fun toacknowledge how far you've come
(18:11):
instead of obsessing on what'sleft to do.
I am a very glass half fulltype of person, and so I will
always look at what I'veachieved and then just take the
next little piece as it comes,rather than looking at the whole
mountain that I've got to climb.
Just take it step by step, dayby day, piece by piece, and have
(18:31):
those little micro momentswhere you celebrate what you've
just achieved.
It really does build momentum,and it will help keep your
confidence and morale high,especially in those times when
maybe you're not making salesyet, or maybe you haven't got
your email list up yet, orthings are a little slow to get
moving or to get off the ground.
Really focus on what you haveachieved to date and think, okay
(18:53):
, I've done this, so what can Ido next?
Anything's possible, all right.
So let's do a quick recap onthese seven steps, because we
covered quite a lot of groundtoday.
So step one will start withyour transformation target super
important, really one specifictransformation that you want
your course to have achieved foryour audience.
(19:15):
So your transformation target,step one.
Step two is to build a clearcontent blueprint with
milestones.
So you want to have a littleseries of milestones from start,
from the starting line thatyour audience starts at, to the
transformation target, and thesewill become your modules.
Step three is to embrace the mvpmindset and get it done.
(19:37):
Not perfect.
Let's test your, let's see ifit's viable, let's see if people
are interested and willing topay for it, and then we'll
polish and refine it later.
And then step four is to batchyour tasks for maximum
efficiency.
So we talked about breakingthem down into maybe a day of
the week each or a timeframeeach and really batch them.
(20:00):
So do your scripting and thendo your recording and then do
your editing on separate days orat separate times.
And then step five is toautomate or outsource where you
can.
So knowing where and when inyour business, no matter what
stage you're at, even if it'sjust you working out what you
(20:20):
can do to work more efficiently,can you automate things, can
you outsource them, look at whatcan be done to make your life
easier, Really spend some timeresearching and investing into
that whole area of your business, because time is money and time
is energy.
And then step six was set adeadline and stick to it like
(20:41):
glue.
So remember we talked aboutcoming up with a deadline,
reverse engineering yourworkload back from that date and
then releasing that datepublicly so that you have to
stay accountable to that becauseit's public, people know about
it.
And then, finally, step sevenwas celebrate every step of the
journey, even the small wins,because if you're not
(21:02):
celebrating along the way, thenyou're not really having much
fun and you're going to burn outa lot quicker.
If you're not enjoying thisprocess, if it's lost its ease
and it's lost the sense ofwhimsy and being fun for you,
then suddenly you're losing yourfreedom along the way.
So really take time to enjoythe process, celebrate the small
(21:24):
wins and reflect on how faryou've come.
Even small steps are stepsfurther along the track than
what you were yesterday, socelebrate them.
So now it's your turn.
Which of these steps are yougoing to tackle today?
Don't overthink it, just pickone and make a start.
And hey, if you want to diveeven deeper into streamlining
(21:44):
your course creation process,join the waitlist for Teaching
Mastery Academy.
It's where I share all of myinsider strategies to help you
create and sell courses thattruly transform lives.
We go deep into course creation.
We don't just talk about how tobuild a funnel and how to
market it.
We look at the actual nuts andbolts of a quality course how to
(22:09):
structure a course, how manymodules to include, what should
you use in your lessons?
What techniques will you keepyour audience engaged?
What techniques will help youraudience get the most
transformations from what you'vepromised them?
And it's all about buildingquality courses so that you can
charge more.
If you've got a really highlyengaging, highly converting,
(22:33):
quality course that people areraving about and suddenly you're
becoming the go-to in yourindustry, you can start to
really look at premium pricingbecause your course is quality.
So we go through all of that.
In Teaching Mastery Academy,the doors are currently closed,
but we do have a VIP waitlistopen and if you would like to
join that VIP waitlist andreceive some exclusive bonuses
(22:55):
and content trainings, then signup.
I'll put the link in the shownotes, but you can also go to
theclassichighschoolteachercom.
Forward slash TMA.
That's T for teaching, m formastery, a for academy.
I'll say that againtheclassichighschoolteachercom.
Forward slash TMA.
So that's it for today.
Until next time, keep creating,keep serving and remember your
(23:19):
audience isn't waiting forperfect, they're waiting for you
.
My friend, until until nexttime.
Bye for now.
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