• Who: Louise Henry
• Website: louisehenry.com
• Course Topic: Online Business
• Interesting Stats: Launches typically bring in $100,000

Who are you and what course have you created?

I’m an online business strategist.

I’m passionate about helping other entrepreneurs design a thriving online business so they can live life on their own terms.

I offer three courses.

• Website that Wows is a step-by-step course that helps entrepreneurs DIY a stunning, professional and client-winning Squarespace website.
• Uplevel with Asana is a course designed to help online business owners increase their productivity and streamline their systems with the task management tool Asana.
• Scale with Kartra helps entrepreneurs grow their business by leveraging the power of an online course. I break down exactly how you can create and market a highly profitable online course with the powerful, all-in-one tool Kartra.

What market does your online course serve?

We help people build an online business around their expertise – whether they’re a coach, consultant or course creator.

What’s the biggest benefit of taking your course?

I take everything I’ve learned during my own journey and share it with the students in my courses. I’m an open book and share the exact strategies and systems I’ve used.

As a teacher, I’ve found that I’m really good at simplifying complex systems. I break everything down into bite-sized, actionable pieces.

This means our students will actually apply what they’re learning, and get real results.

How did you get into the market?

I started out working as a tech virtual assistant with 1:1 clients.

I began noticing that there was a gap in how people were teaching tech and systems.

I knew I could bring something different to the table.

Why did you decide to create an online course in the first place?

I was so excited about the limitless potential of online courses. Personally, I find it really motivating to work towards something with no upper limit.

I also love that the scalability of online courses means I can impact thousands of students, instead of just working one to one. -Louise Henry Click To Tweet

Did you have any moments of doubt before you created/launched it?

Definitely! Self-doubt is part of the journey.

It took a ton of time and hard work to create my courses.

When I finally was ready to launch my first course, Website that Wows, I got so nervous about whether people would actually buy it.

My confidence took a huge hit right at the beginning, because the first time I tried to launch it, I made 0 sales.

Luckily I stuck with it, and the course has gone on to make hundreds of thousands of dollars since then.

The fact that I made 0 sales wasn’t a reflection of the quality of my course.

I just needed to learn more about the sales and marketing strategies you need for an online business.

If so what made you turn it around and do it anyway?

Deep down I knew I had something valuable to share. I also didn’t want to give up without giving 100% of my efforts.

After the first launch, I decided to invest in a course to learn more about sales and marketing strategies. I tried hosting a second launch, and it was far more successful.

What’s your online course like?

My courses use prerecorded video content. I use a combination of on-camera and screen shares because I teach step-by-step tech tutorials. I try to keep everything short and sweet, and as fun as possible! Each lesson is only a few minutes long. I want the learning experience to feel engaging,  and that you feel a sense of accomplishment as you’re going through the course.

I use the tool Loom for my videos so that even when I’m sharing my screen you can still see my face at the bottom of the screen. I think this personal touch makes the experience so much more enjoyable for people. I have a YouTube video about Loom here if anyone is curious to learn more!

With the videos, I also include text summaries and a checklist at the bottom of each lesson with their action steps. I try to add elements of fun wherever I can so that people don’t get bored.

I am obsessed with templates – anytime I can create a template for my students, I will! I love them because students can install them instantly, and save a lot of time.

My courses also include worksheets in either PDFs or Google docs.

I offer three live group coaching calls with new students, and then we also have a dedicated Customer Experience specialist who provides advice and answers any specific questions that come up. We have Facebook groups for each course where students can ask for feedback and get support from their peers. We’re lucky to have incredibly kind communities, and they are a big part of what makes the course experience special.

How long did it take you to create your course?

It takes me a few months to bring a new course to life.

I always create a course outline in Asana first. This stage is something a lot of course creators struggle with, so I made a YouTube video breaking down my approach.

I like to map out the entire process, start to finish before I dive into creating the lessons. In my courses, I teach everything step-by-step, click-by-click. so it has to be planned in advance before filming.

I’ve usually spent a few years building and testing the systems I teach in the courses first though. Once I’ve become an expert with the software and figured out the best way to use it for online business owners, I package everything up and then have to figure out how to teach it in the simplest way.

Tell us a little about the process of launching your course and getting your first sale(s).

Learning how to launch properly has had a tremendous impact on my business. We love to host a live event, whether it’s a challenge or training series. This approach allows us to provide value upfront, build a personal connection, and fully explain the system we’ve created. We always include a sales week after the live event where we offer incentives and reasons for people to make a decision and join now (such as a special bonus, discount, or a deadline for the offer).

Do you have a lead magnet?

We do use lead magnets. We currently have three “roadmaps” for each of the courses. They are free PDFs that provide a high-level introduction to the topic the course covers. We have a follow-up email sequence that will then introduce people to the course, and gives them the opportunity to join. We provide students with one opportunity to join in between our public launches.

What’s the traffic strategy that works best for you?

YouTube is the traffic strategy that works best for us. By leveraging SEO strategies, we can find ways to make sure our videos come up whenever someone searches for a term related to our course topics. We then link back to our roadmap, so that they’ll join our email list and eventually see our offers. We also like using Facebook and Pinterest ads.

What online course platform are you using?

I use Kartra.

Do you like it?

I love it! I actually break down the reasons why it’s my preferred platform in this YouTube video if anyone is interested in learning more.

Are there any features you wish it had?

I do wish there was a way to have all of the functionality of a Facebook group within Kartra. Right now our peer-to-peer community has to live separately from the course, but it would be great to have it all in one place.

What made you decide to use your chosen platform over others?

Personally, I really like that it’s an all-in-one solution. I save a ton of time not integrating different software. I also experience fewer tech headaches because I don’t have to worry about syncing up all the data between email marketing, checkouts, and course engagement. I’ve also found that it’s more customizable than other platforms, and offers many more marketing features.

What other tools do you use to run your online course business?

I use Squarespace for my website, Asana to keep organized, and Quickbooks for finances. I also love Canva for graphic creation, Loom for filming videos, and Crowdcast for hosting live trainings.

What books or training programs have you found useful on your journey to a successful business owner that others might find valuable too?

I’ve taken two programs that have been really useful on my journey – Mariah Coz’s Accelerator program and Colleen Arneil’s Passive Profit Empire.

I also love Denise Duffield-Thomas’ books Chillpreneur: The New Rules for Creating Success, Freedom, and Abundance on Your Terms and Get Rich, Lucky Bitch: Release Your Money Blocks and Live a First-Class Life.

Do you have any big mistakes you’ve made along the way that you’d be willing to share?

One of the biggest mistakes I made was growing my team too slowly. I let myself get totally burnt out and overwhelmed before I decided to hire anyone. Looking back, I should have taken the leap earlier, and expanded the team before I felt 100% ready.

Please share some idea of revenue.

In 2020, we hosted multiple launches for each of our courses and averaged 100,000$ in sales for each launch.

Please tell us a little about what the money you’ve earned from your course has done for you.

Becoming an online course creator has given me a huge amount of freedom.

I’ve had the amazing opportunity to live in Bali, travel all around Mexico, and I’ve now made my home in Panama right next to the ocean, which has always been a big dream of mine.

I love having the freedom to define my schedule each day and to choose what projects I focus on.

I’ve been able to hire other female entrepreneurs I admire, invest in their programs, and build an incredible, talented team of 5 (including one of my best friends).

It’s also allowed me to give my family more financial security, which is really important to me.

In addition to revenue are there any numbers you would like to share?

I’m just about to hit 100,000 subscribers on YouTube – though this didn’t happen overnight! It’s taken a few years of consistently posting valuable content and then leveraging that content across my website and social media channels. YouTube is now our best source of traffic and regularly brings us new students.

One of the best things we’ve done in addition to using SEO strategies to rank our content is using Pinterest to drive traffic to each video too!

What has creating your course done for you personally?

Creating my three online courses has given me a sense of security. I now have multiple streams of income in the business, and also I have a source of passive income. -Louise Henry Click To Tweet

This means that even if I’m having a terrible day, or need to take time off for a few weeks, it’s still running in the background working for me.

Do you have a story of a transformation from any of your clients?

The course I’m most proud of is “Uplevel with Asana”. Each week, I receive testimonials from students about how much their life – not just business – has changed for the better thanks to learning this system. Students say they experience such a big sense of relief knowing that they are finally organized and more in control of their time. I love hearing these kinds of stories!

What advice do you have for people just starting out?

For anyone just starting out, I would say that some of the most challenging parts will be at the beginning. This is when you know the least. But as you grow, you’ll gain more experience and more knowledge.

If you stick with it and push through the early challenges, the momentum will start building, and you’ll see the hard work pay off.

There are also incredible experts out there, so I would always recommend getting help and invest in your education! You do not need to this alone.

Learn more about Louise Henry of louisehenry.com:

• Website: louisehenry.com
• YouTube
• Instagram
• Facebook
• TikTok
• Pinterest