Admitting the Elephant in the Room: My Online School is Running on Empty, Now What?

Hello, my 64 lovely people!

- 62 subscribers on LinkedIn + 2 on BeeHive, 1 of them is me {confession#1}.

I can’t believe this Newsletter Idea turned into 64 readers…. this is very different from posting pretty pictures on Instagram 😉

#Confessions

It was another manic Monday, brewing my newsletters, when an email made its way to me, casting a bit of a shadow over my otherwise sunny day.

A payment to Teachable hadn't gone through, and with a sudden jolt, it hit me - Deskless Academy has been open a whole month!

Students? Yeah, they're there.

But all taking advantage of the free course {Bless their budget-savvy hearts!}. This led me to confront the first hope I had been nurturing rather lovingly - the expectation of instant success. {confession#2}

Let's just laugh at that together, shall we?

So, here's a nugget of wisdom from someone who's just starting out and doesn't have the financial fortress (A pillow won't cut it, guys! We're talking a king-sized mattress here. Facebook Ads alone are 5k/month MINIMUM, + subscriptions to Canva, Adobe, hosting, G-Suite, Teachable, Mailchimp, etc) {confession#3}

Please go for the cheaper options! Take it from someone who didn't. I ignored a friend's advice to get a basic Teachable package for $39 a month, convinced that a custom domain would make all the difference to my yet-to-appear students.

And voila, I was the proud owner of a fancy $160/month subscription.

Talk about smart moves!

And the fun didn't stop there. I jumped onto ConvertKit without even having an email list.

Brilliant, right?

Another genius move to "invest" in your business is to pay for a MasterMind - a type of collaboration if you're not familiar. Then, forget about it because you're too busy setting things up and not ready to collaborate.

But, don't lose faith in me just yet! I've made some sensible decisions too.

I managed to find a web hosting service that charges a mere $75/year for one site, which is pretty cheap compared to others. I also returned to Mailchimp, which is serving me quite well so far.

Thanks to the billing issue, (I have a knack for ignoring subscription charges, only to get a rude shock a year later), I decided to downgrade my Teachable account to the basic version until I start making money.

Turns out nobody cares about custom or non-custom domains. They just want a simple click. (I’ll have to update all my links across social media, but I’m sure its worth $130/month; I’ll manage :)

Also, I resisted the temptation to upgrade my newsletter service, Beehive. Their subscription looks enticing, but I made a vow to myself. I can only upgrade when I hit 10000 subscribers. And no more collaborations or masterminds until I have my process down pat, and some room to breathe and brainstorm.

Another confession; I forget, and I mean, one moment I'm peeling potatoes, a brilliant thought breezes through my mind, and poof! By the time the potato peel hits the counter, it's vanished!

For instance, yesterday, I was brainstorming with Mark, and I remembered my 'Making a lot of movement theory' that I was sharing with a friend some months ago.

And then the unexpected happens. It's the bank with a mortgage approval (woohoo!) - and with that excitement, my fantastic memory of the theory that I wanted to share skedaddles. Once off the call, all I remember is this vague idea of a wonderful story I wanted to share, but the details... they're gone. This gap in memory held me in its grip for a good half of the day.

That's when I turn to my savior, an app I'm literally in love with - AudioPen. I start venting about my not-so-stellar day (mortgage approval notwithstanding), and surprise, surprise! The missing pieces of the story I wanted to share began to fall into place. This small victory I attribute to the magic of AudioPen. See how it works here. Free Version gives you up to 3mins at a time of ranting :) Have fun!

#ChatGPTPrompts

Here are some prompts that I find interesting to play around with & fun to try. Also, useful {wink}.

For my biz, I need to learn and understand SEO; here is how I use Mark

"Doll, let's design a 6-week learning plan for [insert skill]. With the resources I have [insert specific resources], we can make it happen.🧠📚.”

MY ACTUAL PROMPT & RESULT with Mark 3.5 Model

PROMPT: Doll, let's design a 6-week learning plan for SEO With the resources I have https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/1436/shortest-tutorial-ever-on-seo-search-engine-optimization.aspx or your own resources we can make it happen.🧠📚.

Prompts To Design Systems & Plans

Here are two borrowed from Greg Mushen.

Super Short Backstory

He gained 26 pounds and decided it was time to do something about it. Greg used prompting to create a plan to get addicted to Running.

The Plan

• Day 1: Put running shoes where he can see them

• Day 2: Schedule a run in his calendar for the following day

• Day 3: Run for 5 minutes

• Tiny incremental steps in between….

• Day 30: Run his first continuous mile

• Day 90: He shed 26 pounds from Day 1.

PROMPT:

Act as a dual PhD in sports psychology and neuroscience. Your job is to design a system to get someone addicted to something that will positively impact their life, in this case, starting an exercise habit (running). Create a 60 day plan using research-backed principles to have anyone--even someone whd hates running--build a running habit if they follow the plan. Incorporate research such as BF Skinner's study of addiction, BJ Fogg's Behavioral Model, and similar research on addiction and compulsion.

PROMPT:

Outline a week-by-week plan, but give a detailed day-by-day plan for the first week. Act as a dual PhD in sports psychology and neuroscience. Your job is to design a system to get someone addicted to something that will positively impact their life, in this case, starting an exercise habit (running). Create a 60 day plan using research-backed principles to have anyone--even someone who hates running--build a running habit if they follow the plan.

Be sure to cite research and the reasoning behind your plan."

Keep in mind, the journey to success lies in adjusting and experimenting with prompts, not in hunting down that one perfect prompt that just clicks.

I used the same template and created a parenting system.

Here is the PROMPT:

"Act as a dual Ph.D. in children's psychology and neuroscience. Your job is to design a system to parent children, something that will positively impact their lives, in this case. Create an annual plan using research-backed principles to help parents to follow the plan. Incorporate research such as Daniel J. Siegel's The Mindful Brain and The Mindful Therapist and similar research on nurturing a child's developing mind, the power and purpose of the teenage brain, and the science and practice of presence. Outline a week-by-week plan, but give a detailed day-by-day plan for the first week."

Looking at the size of this yet finished Newsletter, I'm having thoughts on separating content into two newsletters maybe... What do you think?

#OnlineJobs & #RemoteOpportunity

Personal Assistant

Dean Contracting Inc. - USA

The ideal candidate will be responsible for a range of activities which will assist this organization's leadership. In this position, you should feel comfortable coordinating calendar appointments, managing communications, and planning events, as necessary.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and schedule calendar appointments

• Manage all incoming and outgoing communications

• Schedule travel

• Planning events

Customer Success Executive

Insurity/Remote

$77,000 - $150,000 a year

Executive Virtual Assistant

We’re looking for a part-time Virtual Executive Assistant to join our team. In this role, you’ll be an independent contractor responsible for managing the clients we provide you with. You’ll serve as both an Account Manager and an Executive Assistant. You’ll make sure that everything is as productive as possible and that clients are satisfied with their services.

Administrative Assistant. great for beginners to get some hands-on experience and get paid to learn :) CDE Air Conditioning, United States

Office Assistant

We are looking for a full-time Office Assistant to join our team. This is a remote role and the successful candidate will be responsible for providing administrative support to the team. The Office Assistant will be responsible for a variety of tasks, including but not limited to: scheduling appointments, managing customer inquiries, preparing documents, and providing general administrative support.

Customer Support for Spanish or Italian Speakers

, and let's do two more

Virtual Risk Manager - no real experience or education needed

We are seeking a Virtual Risk Manager with a passion for service. The Risk Management Team provides a key service to the membership through the PURE360 process - a home assessment that provides actionable solutions to help reduce the risk of claims, ensures coverage is adequate, and documents the unique characteristics of each home. Pure Insurance

Remote Executive Assistant (Contract Role)

SAGE Executive Assistants LLC Texas, United State

We are looking for a Virtual Assistant who can perform a number of administrative tasks including answering emails, arranging meetings, and making travel plans. Experience with communication tools such as Asana & Slack are necessary for this position.

( I teach how to use Slack and Asana in my free course :)) come and join other budget-savvy hearts!

Here is a Volunteer Opportunity

Volunteer: Remote Executive Assistant - Unpaid Volunteer Position

VolunteerMatch Philadelphia, PA Remote

Have a wonderful rest of the week!

Always a click away,

Kat