Usually, I take my birthdays off. But this year? I’m working - and honestly, I’m glad.
We’ve got our 4th live session tomorrow, and there’s no way I could be off today. So I’m saving the celebration for the weekend and leaning fully into what we’re building.
Here’s a quick update:
Our first cohort is underway and the feedback has been golden. We’re learning so much by doing - about our students, about what they actually want, and how to make this better every time.
Simply announcing the date made this whole thing real. If you’ve got an idea you’re sitting on: go public with it. Deadlines are magic. Not the made up kind... real deadlines that have a real consequence if you don't hit them.
So, in true creator fashion, here are 28 hard-earned lessons from launching my first digital product:
Test before you launch Our Founding Members cohort saved us from launching something half-baked. We almost didn't do this and that would've been the biggest mistake - it would've been 💩
Your curriculum will be constantly evolving Today I taught a session, got incredible feedback, and now I’m tweaking Thursday’s session accordingly. This is the work.
Reinforce what you want more of On the first session we asked everyone to drop answers in the Zoom chat. Then we made a habit of thanking them. Now it’s the norm and we're gathering important data on every call.
Music changes everything The right playlist sets the mood. Lofi for focus. Upbeat for energy. Tomorrow I'm testing different playlists as it really makes a difference.
Double your breakout room time People love to share. Our biggest feedback? “More breakout time, please.” We got this wrong today giving 3x people in a group just two minutes each to share their answers and to receive feedback.
Three’s the number for breakout rooms Groups of 3 in breakouts spark real feedback. Pairs are great but people may not take what only one person says seriously as it can feel like "just their opinion".
Start with a story I forgot this today and felt it. Stories pull people in. Share a story in every session.
Two hours fly by Between exercises, stories, and recaps, the time disappears. Two hours is not as long as it sounds.
Don’t go it alone Have someone on the call to run the chat and help drop resources. It makes everything smoother - my team have been amazing support.
Something will go wrong and that’s OK I'm teaching 16 hours of live sessions for the first time with a new microphone/audio set-up, recording on my camera... there's so many variables and naturally something will slip. Focus on what you can control and relax.
Silence isn’t awkward Note to self: you don’t need to fill every second. Pause. Breathe. It gives people space to think.
Mute when needed Apparently, no one wants to hear me chug water mid-session. Me gulping water was unwanted ASMR - just some of the great feedback I've received lol.
Invite people to speak My misconception was that inviting people to speak live would derail sessions - it doesn't, it enhances them! Set expectations by giving people a time limit and then let them take the floor.
Don’t make things tool-specific Love Notion? Great, me too, but not everybody does. Have Google Doc versions ready to hand so people can take notes and learn how they want to.
Be early I am never early or on time so take this one from me - you'll enjoy the whole experience 10x more if you're ready early.
Details = differentiators It's an easier ride to not care about the details, but I promise you it's worth it. We're doing local recordings to capture raw footage and then editing the files within 24 hours. Make something you're proud of.
Checklists save chaos Next to my camera I have a checklist to remind me of everything I need to do. There's probably 30 things I need to do and that's just not possible to memorise.
Keep your promises If you don’t deliver what you said you would that's unacceptable. You won't get testimonials and you'll erode trust - you have to obsess over your students.
Know your group We’re tracking everything we learn about each person. It’s time-consuming but it's probably my favourite thing that we're doing.
Use enrolment forms wisely Capture why people signed up, what they want, and what they’ve tried. This shapes how you support them and will really be felt.
Teaching live = a full-day job In the first week, on both teaching days, I was rehearsing my notes, then I set everything up, I taught live for 2 hours, then we did a bonus Q&A for 30 minutes, then we did a 30-minute debrief and then I prepared the files to send to an editor overnight. It's now week 2 and I already have more headspace, but when it's your first time it definitely feels intense.
Be a sponge for all feedback Want to create the best product and experience possible? Leave your ego at the door and take onboard every piece of feedback.
Tech isn’t hard—it’s just unfamiliar I used to say I wasn’t “a tech person.” Now I’ve done enough reps I feel more comfortable. You probably just have high standards, which is great, but don't let this lead to perfectionism.
Record locally If filming live on Zoom, film locally too. This won’t be possible for everyone but because Zoom heavily compresses recordings, it’s a really good idea to film your video locally on a camera and to also capture your audio locally too.
Teach like it’s brand new Even if it’s your 10th time saying it - bring the same energy. Every. Time. Comedians rehearse their best jokes again and again. Singers sing the same song a thousand times… this is no different to create a great experience.
Understand everybody is different In any group setting you’ll have different personalities, different learning styles, different experience levels… appreciate where everybody is coming from and offer different ways for the information to be digested wherever possible.
Appreciate your inner circle Live sessions impact those around you. Acknowledge them. Say thank you. It means more than you think.
Have a community space I couldn’t imagine not having an online space where we can talk directly to students and allow them to interact with one another between sessions. We’re using Circle for this and it’s been a great experience so far.
That’s all learnings from just 3/8 sessions and believe me, I could continue 😅
Thank you for reading Creator’s Compass! I hope you found this valuable (or maybe… it was way too long?).
Either way - I’d love your feedback. Seriously, hit reply and tell me what you think so that I can create content you actually want.
Feedback is the best teacher.
Talk soon,
P.S. Interested in joining a future live cohort? If there's enough demand, I'll make it happen because this has been super fun.
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