I’ve created well over 50 online programs in various stages of my business.
I loved it.
And also … not.
Why not?
Because none of those programs ever attracted the amount of people I thought / hoped / kept my fingers crossed for.
They were GOOD.
The people who were in it LOVED them.
(Probably with an exception here and there. You can never make everyone happy. Nor should you.)
They sold well.
But never as well as I knew should be possible.
I learned what I could about launching.
Maybe my lack of knowledge or how I launched was wrong.
I created free webinars, challenges, and cocktail parties to get more people to notice my programs.
(Just kidding. Me and parties? No fucking way. The other stuff I did, and more.)
Not to mention the inner work / energy work / mindset work I did to get to the core of WHYYYYYY these fuckers weren’t selling as well as they potentially could.
I sort of knew.
But I couldn’t / wouldn’t / daren’t see it.
Yet.
It’s super crystal relievingly clear now.
In short:
It’s not a 1000% fit for me.
I thrive when I work 1-1.
THRIVE.
This is where I shine and am at my very best.
This is where I deliver my best work.
This is where I LIVE.
I knew this when I started my business, back in 2003.
So why did group programs and online programs arrive?
Because I need SO MUCH alone time, that I couldn’t see how to ever create a business that could cover the bills on 1-1 work alone.
Because when I work with too many clients at a time, I get drained, stop loving my work, and delivering great coaching and being there fully for my clients sucks the will to live out of my bones.
And probably also because once I started learning about business building and sales and marketing, I got infected by the overall consensus I still see in marketing/business circles today, that striving for reach/scale/growth is just the way business is.
It isn’t.
That’s BULLSHIT.
Business is what it is for YOU.
For some, that means scale, reach, growth, expanding further and further until you’ve conquered Mars.
For others, it means depth over reach.
That’s me.
Yours might look completely different from both.
When I talked about this with a client recently, I used this example:
Some businesses are like clothing giant H&M.
They sell cheap stuff, rotate collections every 5 minutes, and need a constant stream of new and existing clients to keep making profit.
So they need to constantly push, and market, and be visible, and haunt everyone and their brother on annoying billboards.
Some business are like a small boutique in the centre of Leiden (coincidentally where I live). They’re open 2 afternoons per week and by appointment. They sell handmade dresses. Each dress is original, unique, handmade, tailor made. There’s only one of each.
They don’t need a stand with 1 dollar earrings at the counter.
They don’t need to constantly market their clothes, because they don’t need to sell 3 billion dresses per week to pay the bills.
One business is not better or worse than the other.
They’re just different.
And meant for different people.
Most marketing / business / sales advice assumes every business is some form of H&M.
It works for businesses who actually are.
It doesn’t work for the specialty boutiques.
It doesn’t work for me.
But somehow, I took a detour.
I started to believe I was like the H&M.
I reached for reach.
Instead of focusing on where I thrive.
So, there were two compelling reasons to create one online program after the other:
I needed a business model that allowed me to have alllllll the alone time I want and need to be happy and thrive.
I aimed for growth and scale—not in the least because I genuinely believed my work could make such a difference, that I wanted more people to benefit from it. And not everyone could afford / needed private coaching.
A third reason:
I love creating things.
I love sinking my teeth into something new.
So creating multiple online programs?
Bingo!
None of this was wrong.
It was just not a gazillion percent right for ME.
Now, I still had one online program sitting on the shelf.
And I could have kept it.
It’s a great program.
I mean, really.
And.
I know my main things are:
Private coaching.
Books.
That’s me.
So, that last program goes.
And no, this is not a “here’s your last chance to get it” blog.
It’s already gone.
Maybe I’ll create another online program again, who knows?
If and when it feels aligned, I’ll follow that call.
But for now?
This is it.
Love,
P.S. Yes, I still love creating things. And writing blogs and books scratch that itch as well.
P.P.S. Yes, I still need to pay the bills. And I still need a looottttt of alone time. And working with a handful of clients per year allows for both.
P.P.P.S. Yes, that means my private coaching is not for everyone. It never was. And that’s perfect. If you suspect that it could be for you,
P.P.P.S. Liked this blog?
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