Introduction

Building a digital course creation business is full of hoops to jump through, obstacles to avoid, and decisions to make.

Perfectionism is the single biggest saboteur of the entrepreneurial spirit and biggest indicator of potential failure as a digital course creator.

I know that your intention as a digital course creator is to get your course out to the people who need it the most and make a profit while doing that, but what is the likelihood of that happening if you let perfectionism creep in?

There are 3 beliefs that many digital course creators have that will lead to failure and they might not be what you think. Belief number 3 is a bit counter-intuitive so I’ll be sharing more on that one at the end of today’s episode to save you angst and time.

3 Business-Ending Beliefs

As a digital course creator, you are passionate about helping your students to make a change. Whether that is learning a new skill, creating a better connection with their children, or just having more fun in their life.

That passion carries through into your course, but there are three beliefs that can sabotage all of your hard efforts, time, and investment. If we aren’t looking out for these beliefs that creep in, kind of like your dog trying to steal a snack off the kitchen counter, you will be knocked down and your course is much more likely to fail.

Let’s start off with the most obvious, but still overlooked belief that creeps in.

# 1: Every decision has to be “right”

Do you agonize over which napkin container to grab a napkin from at your local coffee shop? No!

Do you worry about whether you wash the darks or the lights first during your weekly laundry? No!

So why do we worry so much about finding the exact right combination of tech for our digital course business? We want to make sure that we are set up for success, right?

As someone who loves tech, I love to test out different platforms and what I can tell you is that trying to find the perfect tech for your business will leave you with many more gray hairs than you currently have.

If having the perfect tech combination was a determining factor in having a profitable digital course business then we wouldn’t have too many different tech choices available. Once someone created the perfect tech combination there would be no use for other companies to create products.

You’ve probably heard from fellow entrepreneurs that this tech combination or that one has been perfect. But if you keep talking to digital course creators, you are going to find that everyone has what they perceive to be the perfect combination and none of the combinations are the same!

If you continue to search for the perfect tech combination chances are that you will never get your course finished and launched.

How do I know, because I have watched countless digital course creators stall when choosing tech, sometimes for 4, 5, and 6 months.

So what is the solution if tech feels overwhelming and you really do want to launch sooner rather than later?

Your perfect tech combination will be one that fits your budget, has the features you need for your course, and is easy for you to use.

It isn’t what is right for someone else, it is what is right for you and your business.

If you can move past this hurdle, you are that much closer to launching your course, but a new pesky belief typically creeps in. And trust me, this is one that every single one of my clients has struggled with at some point.

#2: The Perfect Time to Launch

Imagine you are planning a trip and want to make the best time possible. Do you wait until all of the traffic lights turn green between your home and your destination before pulling out of the driveway? No!

Do you wait until your child can run perfectly to let them take off on the playground in gleeful pursuit of the slide? Nope!

Yet, all too often we postpone launching a digital course until we find the perfect time. We put so much of our time, energy, and hearts into our digital courses that we want everything to go off without a hitch.

But the perfect time is a myth. If you have kids, you know that there was no perfect time to build your family. Regardless of how you build your family, will always be things that you wish were in place before bringing kids into your home. The same it true of launching.

But I want you to imagine that trip you put off until al lof the traffic lights were green. In ten years would you regret not going on that trip? Probably.

Would you regret holding your kiddo back on the playground and them missing out on the fun dinosaur slide? Probably so.

The same is true of our digital course launch. We have to launch in order to make a difference. And I know that you are probably committed to making a difference, but that only happens when the course is available to be purchased and worked through.

Action will beat perfection every time because perfection doesn’t exist. The perfect time for you to launch might be a terrible time for your potential students. The perfect time for your potential students might be a super busy family time for you.

Having worked with students and entrepreneurs for 15+ years, I can tell you that often it isn’t about finding the perfect timing for a launch, but instead it is about worrying that your course will not meet everyone’s expectations.

How do I know, because when I work with my clients, when I teach my students I hear the same thing over and over and that is, what if what I’m doing isn’t good enough, what if people don’t get value out of what I’m doing, what if I’ve missed an error.

School teaches us to submit perfect work to get a perfect grade. But remember that the English paper you worked so hard on, had many drafts that you submitted for feedback. Your course will be the same way. You will have iterations of your course that make it better and better.

Look at digital course creators like Amy Porterfield and Stu McLaren. They are both in the multi-8 figure income range and yet they re-record their main courses every 2-3 years to make it better. They update the content, find new ways of sharing difficult concepts, and take out stuff that flat out doesn’t work.

So you can continue to wait for the perfect time to launch, when your course is perfect or you can jump in now, and know that you will make your course better and better over time.

Which path are you going to take?

I’m going to assume, since you are still listening, that you are committed to your digital course and making a difference in the world with your expertise. That leads us to the third belief that is much like stepping into quicksand. The more you struggle, the more you sink into the abyss of questions.

#3: High price on course equals high value

Consider this: Water is essential and often free, right?

Yet diamonds, which rarely have a practical purpose, are exorbitant in their cost.

If a higher price tag doesn’t necessarily mean that something is more vital or critical, then why do we feel like we have to constantly up the price of our course?

We are often pushed during course creation to “charge our worth”. We can start with a lower price, but then we need to get to a point where we are charging more and sometimes a LOT more.

I’m pretty sure that the intention here is to help digital course creators get to a sustainable level of income. One that allows you to buy more than Ramen Noodles at the grocery store, but this can cause a lot of mixed emotions and even business decisions that can hurt us.

In fact, I watched a business just a little while ago advertise that they were doing away with their lifetime deal at the end of the month. Prices were also going to go up and everyone should go ahead and get in at these lower prices. They indeed did away with the lifetime deal and raised prices.

This lasted 2 weeks.

Then they sent out an email saying they made a mistake. They had a lot of complaints that the company was moving away from their vision, mission, and values in an effort to make more money. They were losing authority in their niche fast. They had to backpedal. It was tricky because they couldn’t simply reinstate the old pricing model because they promised that it was going away. The new pricing model made for angry customers and potential customers.

They finally chose a middle ground, brought back the lifetime deal at a higher rate, and lowered the monthly rates to be just a tad higher than they were before.

Pricing should reflect the value delivered but setting prices too high without a corresponding value perception can deter potential students, especially if the price shifts seem to go against everything the company has stood for up to this point.

The key is finding a balance that reflects the course’s worth and market expectations. There are plenty of high priced courses out there that aren’t worth the return. There are plenty of courses out there that are dirt cheap and leave you wondering why they aren’t charging more and simultaneously doing a happy dance that they aren’t charging more.

I purchased a course once that was about half the price I thought it should be. I implemented what I learned on the first day and more than made my money back on that course within 24 hours.

I’ve purchased other courses and years later, still can’t tie a clear return on investment to that purchase.

So let me ask you, when you think about pricing your course. Are you going to do what everyone tells you and keep raising your prices, are you going to find the happy middle ground, or are you going to stick with your lower prices?

There isn’t a right or wrong answer here provided your choices are in alignment with your purpose, vision, mission, and values.

Action Item

As those of you who have been listening to the podcast for any length of time know, I’m really big on taking action. It is all fine and good to listen to a podcast, but what you implement is really where the gold lies.

This week, be on the lookout for these three beliefs. They can creep in at any moment of any day, whether you are an established digital course creator or brand new to the course creation process.

Chances are you will see them popping up in others if you are in groups with course creators. Recognize those beliefs and think about what you might do in their situation. This will give you practice for when these beliefs crop up in your own mind. You’ll be better prepared to tackle them immediately rather than letting them grow out of control like the weeds that are taking over my flower bed!

Become a Six Figure Course Creator

Beliefs are something that can make or break out success as digital course creators and it all comes down to mindset mastery.

Mindset is something that I’ve been managing in my own business, with my students, and in my own college courses for over 15 years as a psychology professor, mentor, and entrepreneur. Too often in the world, we are bombarded with learning solutions. Learn this and you’ll be able to do that. It puts us into a cycle of learning without taking action and often without recognizing the importance of mindset.

We can’t just rely on learning to get up to that six figure mark as a course creator. The books, podcasts, courses, and workshops get us partially there, probably about 10% of the way there, but the other 90% often comes down to mindset work through 1:1 support.

If you are listening today and realizing that you are ready to take the next steps in your business and get 1:1 customized, tailored help with building your digital course creation business, let’s have a talk. Send me a DM at DigitalCourseCreatorGuide on Instagram or Facebook and we will sit down to figure out the next right steps for you and your digital course business.

Now I know that not everyone is ready for a 1:1 Coach or mentor, but you might still have questions, need help getting unstuck, or just plotting out your next step. I’m here for that as well, because we all deserve to have support in our business. If you need a little extra support, I hold at least two slots each week for strategy calls that are designed to help you get unstuck and take action in your business. These are free, no obligation calls and you can schedule your call at coursecalls.com.

If you are ready to make the next 12 months THE year that you go from being an uncertain Course Creator to a Six Figure Course Creator, schedule a strategy call today. Again, the link to schedule is coursecalls.com.

Sixty-Second Solution

Now, let’s get back to that third belief that can really upend any digital course business and that is pricing. The key to finding the right price for your digital course is going to be two-fold to start.

The first question you have to ask yourself is what price feels look and comfortable. If you aren’t comfortable with the price, then you will NOT be able to see anything. People sense that fear and worry when we aren’t confident in the price.

The second question is what will your audience pay? There are some who will say that a committed potential student will find a way to make it work and while that is true, there are plenty of committed potential students who flat out can’t afford a specific price point and above.

You have to find the mix of what feels good for you and what has people saying yes to your course. Everyone will have an opinion, but at the end of the day your opinion matters the most in your business.

And if you want more quick solutions for building a successful digital course business, hit follow now.

Where to Go Next?

If you are ready to take action and want to make sure that you take the right actions inside your digital course creation business, check out Episodes 188 and 189 of the Digital Course Creator Podcast where I share the top mistakes to avoid and the top 5 actions to adopt in your business.

Until next time, happy creating!