How I designed & sold a course in 8 days
I hate the title. I really wished I could think of something better—I said "better" in a Scottish accent.
It was something around how I could make people design better logos or something.
"Do a course nau", someone said—again, I can't remember who did.
"Are you sure we should?", I replied, by default, while running through the details in my head.
My head was wailing. I shared half of this verbally and diluted with the guys and they kept on saying, "make we do am".
That was it! That was what I needed.
"We'll plan this week and launch next week".
I love reading your replies with all my heart. If you had an opinion, loved an idea, felt repulsed by a word or have a question, shoot me a reply—I'd start replying every one from now on.
And oh . . . don't forget about those bold, linked texts . . . yeah . . . you can click to tweet them.
I'm allergic to consistency. Well, I was.
I was almost never good at finishing stuff. Yet, it didn't stop me from starting regardless—and starting aggressively.
------ Monday ------
I started designing the e-flyer.
"It can't just be me and my voice all day, all week, all month", I murmured to myself, "I should reach out to friends who'd be open to taking a class or two".
My pitch? "I'm working on a course and I'd like you to take a module of your choosing. I'm still fleshing out the curriculum and I would send to you in a bit. Are you open?", or something like that.
I finished the flyer and sent it to my guys. This was the validation I needed, because once that flyer went out, it was no longer an idea.
I created the payment link, and we shared. WhatsApp BCs asking people to repost, my guys reposting too, and Twitter were my marketing channels. Doing it everyday was my marketing strategy—except for the BCs.
------- Tuesday -------
I opened up Notion—for like the 3rd time in my life.
"Guys, here are the topics I want to talk about over the next 8 weeks", I typed in the WhatsApp group.
I had put together a chronological list of topics, literally A - Z of Logo Design and cut it down into sub-topics. I did this overnight, gleaning thoughts from no fewer thann 7-10 already existing courses, whether related or not.
"I need us to put content. Let's work on it together", I said.
On Google Meet, we collaborated and wrote out the first draft of what would be the workbook.
At the time, it wasn't intended to be a textbook. I really just wanted to order my thoughts together.
"I should put all of this in one place, just in case they want to get back to it after the class". My brain had set me up again.
--------- Wednesday ---------
I did nothing. Nada.
I didn't post online. I didn't design. I didn't touch anything.
Yet, I feel this day was probably the most important day of the entire 8 days because this was the day I came up with the idea of including case studies at the end of the workbook and making the workbook into a full-on documentary of my process.
Where was I? I was with bae.
-------- Thursday --------
Like all of my design projects, I opened Adobe InDesign with no idea how I was going to start.
I had the Notion draft and a well detailed curriculum, but I also had no layout, no content architecture, nada.
Then I did what I always did, I started sieving through books with layouts I loved—Designing Brand Identity was one of those books. I was so engrossed in studying the layouts that the workbook mirrored up to 75% of its layout.
Combined with the content architecture of Logo Design Love, the tone approach of Malcolm Gladwell, the diplomacy of Alina Wheeler and the design genius of Yours Truly, I began.
One word.
Two paragraphs.
An editor's note—I didn't edit anything, except the original draft.
Four pages.
One chapter.
5 hours gone already. It's about 7:00pm, and I was on the second chapter titled "The First Meet". I read through the draft and saw that I mentioned contracts and emails.
"What if they can't write emails?", I asked
"Well, if they applied for the course, they really probably can't write emails", I smirked thinking this, "I'll do templates".
My brain had set me up again. It didn't even waste time before suggesting one more, "you should do resources too—texts and videos".
It was friggin' Thursday. Stop giving me ideas that take energy from me foggo'sake.
------ Friday ------
At this point, I had over 35 signups, fully paid.
It was grossly underpriced. I had a few draggings here and there, but it was for good—and good I got.
I had made more than I intended to. I had hit my target, but a few thousands more wouldn't hurt. So, I extended it to 40, then to 50.
You see, out of all the good amazing stuff I did, this was—by far—the most foolish thing ever.
I forgot why I started the class in the first place.
Why?
I didn't know this then. So, yeah, I jumped, believing "faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen"—when I never do the work.
Do you know what they said about faith without works? Dead, just like when you jumped from a cliff—2 paragraphs ago.
-------- Saturday --------
I had reached out to friends for the case studies at the back and was 60% done with the workbook—roughly.
I had prepared my GSuite account and tested everything.
Now, I just needed to plan out the schedule, and finalize the topics with the co-facilitators.
I already had 65+ enquiries at this point, 40+ confirmed.
Tomorrow was the last day for signups.
I don't even remember how the onboarding went, that was how whack the planning ended up being, cos I got 100% more than I planned for.
.
It was night.
I was 85% done with the workbook. I didn't think much of it at the time. It was just another one of my shenanigans.
------ Sunday ------
95% done with the workbook—maybe 99%.
The final 1%, I didn't do it. I never will.
50 signups and 5 scheduled into the new week. Course timeline was ready. Curriculum done. Co-facilitators agreed. The students? OPP. OPG. KPK.
This was the 8th day. I sent in on the 20th of April, the first day of class.
I'm currently scrolling through my Twitter feed to April 20, 2020.
I have stopped to consider how completely senseless it was.
Now, I have used Advanced Search.
Moral lesson: Even geniuses can be stupid. Mudia knows this.
Looking at the tweets from that time, and despite falling off a cliff—I did really well.
Doing something quite similar in a couple of weeks too—better actually, and even positioned for scale.
Disclaimer:
This is a long newsletter. I apologize you'd have to read it, take screenshots and share with the public.
Ciao.
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