Issue #4 - Lessons From A $282K Group Coaching Program (A fun side Project)

Read Time - 5 Minutes

Back in 2021, I had an idea for a digital group coaching experience I wanted to build. There was a problem though. I did not have the audience required to make the project successful without running a ton of ads.

I did have a good friend (Alex Sedlak) who did.

I reached out to him, he liked the idea and we got to work.

18 months later, over 1200 people have purchased the product and we’ve made $282k in revenue with 90% margins.

The following are 5 lessons I learned while creating, launching, and scaling this digital product:

#1 - Don't Try To Create Demand, Tap Into It

I knew there were a lot of people that shared a disdain for the traditional path of going to college, getting a 9-5, climbing the corporate ladder to one day get a house with a white picket fence, and retire at 65.

While building the value proposition and marketing assets for this product, I intentionally tapped into this feeling.

We positioned the product as a framework that would show people how to create an epic life, that felt true to them, without following the traditional path.

The key here is that we did not try to create this feeling. Nor did we try to create demand for our product. We simply tapped into a feeling that was already there and channeled it toward our product.

#2 - A Clear BIG & SEXY Idea Wins The Game

I believe one of the main reasons this product was so successful was that it was built around one BIG IDEA - Create Your Reality.

The idea is sexy and clearly communicates what the product is about.

Beyond that, the idea became something that people could stand behind. Somewhat of a guiding life principle.

Something similar to Nike’s “Just do it”

We noticed people would put this on their social profiles, they would get wristbands and flags that had “Create Your Reality” written on them. When we noticed this we decided to support this trend with brand merch.

#3 - Brand Image Sells

One of my favorite quotes on branding by the great Ogilvy is:

“People buy the image, then they drink the whiskey”

Knowing this, one of the things we did early on was invest in the visual aspect of the brand.

We had my design team draft up logos, typography, colors, and all that.

From day 1, our product looked like it had been in the market for years.

Early on this translated into trust and sales.

#4 - Email Marketing Is Far From Dead

Over 68% of our sales came from email marketing campaigns.

To put that into perspective - that's $191,760 USD.

Our strategy for email marketing was simple:

1. Build a list before the launch

2. Build a relationship with the list through value marketing

3. Launch. Sell. Wash. Repeat.

With this strategy, we developed trust, goodwill, and positioning with the list before we ever asked for a dollar.

This is Gary's Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook!

#5 - The Perfect Partnership

If you study successful tech companies you’ll quickly notice that a large number of them are co-founded.

You usually have one founder who is a tech/biz person and the other who is a marketing/sales person.

They are two different kinds of people and when they come together magic happens.

My friend Alex is a great audience and community builder and an inborn salesman.

I am a wizard when it comes to product creation, back-end marketing, and biz ops.

Our coming together allowed us both to operate in our zone of genius leading to the success of this side project.

That's a wrap.

I hope you are able to utilize some of these marketing/product lessons on your own journey.

Want to dive deeper?

There are 2 ways in which can help you:

1. Want to learn how to monetize your ideas, skills, and passion? Get started here.

2. Want me and my team to help you? Apply for one-on-one coaching here.