I've wanted to manage my online courses on my own site since 2023. But yall, I couldn't do it alone. I would start and stop over and over again - even though I knew it was the right move. Even though I knew I was actively avoiding it under the excuse of "this project needs to finish first" or "I'm too booked up right now."
It's funny. I have no problem telling others to "ask for help," but in the moment, I realized why it's so difficult. It's scary. The negative self-talk creeps in.
They're going to judge you. They'll think it's dumb. Why can't you do this yourself? You've done other things that are much bigger. You're a strong independent woman who don't need nobody!
The reality is nobody gets "there" alone.
I've always been a self-starter, but over the years, Evelyn (from the Internets) and I have been accountability partners.
There's something about getting on a call or having an IRL meeting once a week/month/quarter and having to verbally give your reasons excuses to someone that really forces you to confront yourself. 😬
The biggest driver of my success has been creating - even when the inspiration isn't there.
That being said, do not take this to mean that I'm for hustle culture - nope. I take naps often. If you lack inspiration right now, check out this video from the channel. In it, I give four tips for finding your inspiration in actionable ways.
So, to hit my goal of hosting my courses on my site, I incorporated many of these principles:
First, I worked with a mentor.
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Journaling with JoClub and Jo Franco
JoClub is a journaling movement that delivers prompts, playlists, and introspective resources straight to your inbox weekly to script your most fulfilling life! Get aligned one page at a time. |
Throughout 2024, I worked with Jo Franco to help set up the site. She was amazing! She gave me a lot of business confidence while gently (but firmly) guiding me through the internal dilemmas I was facing. I realized that I was dragging my feet because I couldn't visualize who I would be after I did this. She's literally the reason why this newsletter exists btw. 😎
Secondly, I hired help.
I had to confront the skills I lacked - which were many, let's count them all, for fun 😂
- I'm not a web designer.
- I'm not a copywriter
- I'm not an advertising/marketing person.
- SEO? I don't know her.
- Data analyses and analytics - who is she?!
I just enjoy learning, teaching, and being creative on the internet. So, I hired the help. I worked with a project manager to build a road map for me to follow. I found a copywriter to help me literally say what I already know but better LOL. When the budget was tight, I popped over to Gemini and asked it a ton of questions - for free! 😂
Third, I wasn't afraid to fail (finally).
Ultimately, I had to "let go and let God" as they say, and not be afraid to be seen trying. In my creative practice, I have no problems doing that at all. In fact, it's fun. I love it. However, in business, this is something I struggle with a lot. I'm incredibly calculated because my money can't be funny, and my change can't be strange!
Every year for transparency, I make a video on the channel explaining all of my income streams and how I pay myself a salary as a full-time creative.
All of this took two years. Life happened in between. Growth in certain areas. Decline in others. And now, finally, it's live!
To celebrate, I've created The Video Masterclass Bundle: Edit, Enhance, Express. A comprehensive bundle of my favorite courses at a discounted price through the end of January.
It includes over 4 hours of educational content and raw footage to download and follow with each course.
It's $86 off for January!
I'm not going to lie. I keep refreshing the page and scrolling through it because it's the manifestation of me pushing past the fear and the doubt and forcing myself to grow. If you can pop over to the site and have any thoughts, questions, affirmations, motivations, or concerns, respond to this email! I always enjoy hearing from you.
Remember, don't be afraid to be seen trying.
Endeavoring to persevere,
Hallease
