If you're a creative soul looking for a way to take your photography or event business to the next level without adding more hours to your schedule, you're going to love this inspiring story. Catalina was a wedding photographer working her tail off to make a thousand dollars for weeks of work, but when she added a photo booth to her business, everything changed. She started charging the same amount for just three hours of work, since then she scaled her business to seven figures. Now, if you're thinking, "That sounds like the dream," you need to check out this free masterclass from Photobooth Supply Co. It's called Capture Success, how to turn your creative passion into a six-figure photobooth business. Catalina is going to show you how you can take what you're already passionate about and turn it into a massive profit. You'll learn how you can earn a thousand dollars or more per event with a photobooth rental business. If you're someone who loves creating memories or maybe you've been looking for a fun side hustle, you've got to check this out. Head to photoboothsupplyco.com/goldicker to get your free access and my special promo code. This is your chance to work smarter, create more freedom, and build something truly amazing. That's photoboothsupplyco.com/goldicker. I'm a doctor, I don't know anything about marketing, I've never learned anything else, but the medical side, and yeah, okay, you know, I haven't had the biggest success, but I'm definitely growing and I've learned so much and this course, the fact that I've been able to launch it, I didn't think it was possible to be honest, but it really is and it was very doable. I'm Jenna Kutcher, your host of the Gold Digger Podcast. I escaped the corporate world at the age of 23 with nothing more than a $300 camera from Craigslist and a dream. Now I'm running a seven-figure online business that feels even better than it looks all from my house in small town, Minnesota with my family. Here, we value time as our currency. We mix the woo and the work and we are in the pursuit of building businesses that give us the freedom to live lives that we love. I've always loved turning big goals into reality and I'm here to help you do the same. This isn't just a peek behind the curtain. Come along with me and my guests as we tear the whole curtain down. Every week we tackle practical, no-fluff marketing strategies and host honest discussions on what works and what doesn't. Join me and my expert guests for actionable insights to help you grow your dream business with confidence, pull up a seat and get ready to be challenged, inspired and empowered. This is the Gold Digger Podcast. Have you ever considered that you know something that people are willing to pay for? The truth is you are one step ahead of others in some area of your life and you are perfectly positioned to help them. Now when I say it like that, you are probably nodding your head yes, right? But what if I told you that you were also perfectly positioned to create an online course so that you could take your knowledge, extract it, create something once and serve many people, impacting others and making an income? Now I personally believe that every single person has a digital course inside of them. They just don't know how to get it out. Not everyone knows how to just start creating a digital course. I mean, I sure didn't, which is why I chose to learn from a mentor. Her name is Amy Porterfield. She started as a mentor to me and I was determined to become one of her top success stories. Her teachings changed the trajectory of my life and business and years later she is still the best of the best at paving the way in the digital course space. Not to mention she is also one of my best friends in life for real. I truly believe that you have something incredible to share with this world which is why I want to introduce you to the very place I learned how to create my first online course, the Digital Course Academy, which is Amy's signature program. You can learn more about this at jennacuture.com/dca. That's jennacuture.com/dca. We'll also link it for you in the show notes, but we're going to be talking about that today. Over the past several years, over 50,000 business owners, myself included, have taken a chance on themselves and created their own courses with Amy's proven system, and we've experienced life-changing results. In fact, in a moment, I'm going to introduce you to three of those business owners, Sharon Yesenia and Tavia, who enrolled in Digital Course Academy, took action and now have a reliable stream of income and real results with their own digital course using what they already knew. Today, you'll hear there before, there during and after stories of Digital Course Academy. The reservations they had and why those were kicked to the curb, their biggest pieces of advice for those considering joining, and so much more. And chances are, you'll leave today's conversation inspired to create, launch, and sell your own online course successfully. And the good news is that you don't have to figure out how to do it alone. You can enroll in the Digital Course Academy at jennacuture.com/dca before the doors close on September 28th. And the best part is, is that when you join, I will send you my entire bonus suite of resources valued at $197, I've created it just for you to help you implement the Digital Course Academy super well. You can learn more about the program itself and my free bonus when you join at jennacuture.com/dca. Now let's dive on in and hear from these students. For a quick question, how many tabs do you have open right now, like actually go to your browser and check. If you have ADHD like me, it's a lot. And when you throw a business into the mix, it's even more. You might have a tab for your email marketing system, one for your payment software, one for your CRM content tools, email tools. And with all those tabs, you're spending more time searching through data and less time, you know, growing your business. But with HubSpot's customer platform, you can close all those tabs and access all your tools in one convenient place. With HubSpot, you'll get everyone's eyes on the same work, boost data analysis with AI, optimize workflows for marketing, improve pipeline management for sales, and keep track of every customer question big or small. So close those tabs. It's business growing time. Visit HubSpot.com to get started today. That's HubSpot.com. All right, welcome to Tavia, to the Gold Digger Podcast. Thank you so much for coming on today. Oh my goodness. Thanks for having me. Yes. Okay. So you have an incredible story. And I would love for you to just kind of paint the picture of life before you entered the online course world and life after. What was business like? What was life like? Because it's almost like you've had two separate careers here. Let's walk through it. Yeah. Yeah. So I started out in birth and newborn photography here in Oklahoma City. And I was able to go full time with photography. So I really was living the dream. My husband left his full time job. I was full time with photography. We're homeschooling our three kids. A lot of things about what I was doing were amazing and our dream come true for our family. However, I always had to show up, obviously as a photographer, to make money. And I had people asking me, what did you do to go full time? How are you marketing your business? And I start that kind of piqued my interest and thought into creating some kind of digital course or some kind of way to help the photographers because I found myself kind of like saying the same things over and over again. And I realized with a digital course, I don't have to show up to photograph sessions in order to make money. And so I mean, it's a very long story. We can get into it, obviously, the nuances of how I did it. But today, my business is primarily a digital course business and I still photograph sessions at the studio. But man, there's so much more time freedom in my life, the ability to just kind of like be present for my family and honestly work basically part time hours, which is kind of crazy. Yes. Oh my gosh. I can relate to everything that you just said. Same thing happened to me. I helped my photography business, six figures in three years full time. And everyone was asking, how did you do it? And I recognized I love photography, but I loved the business even more. So so many parallels and also it's so interesting because sometimes we need people to call out that we're doing something different before we even recognize that it's different, right? And so that was so eye opening and I love that. So what did it look like? Like, let's talk numbers of like, what was your first course? How big was your audience? Like, what did this even look like for you? Oh my gosh. This is the really part I'm excited about about to share because I had no audience. I had an audience of photography clients, obviously, but I had no audience when it came to photographers. And so it's like, okay, the, you know, five or 10 people who I've been helping, but how do I grow an audience when I have nothing? And so literally what I did was I just started delivering free content on Facebook Live and growing, you'll love this part, growing my email list, sending them to a freebie to start a wait list of people who might potentially be interested in joining my course later. Because I knew I wanted to make a course. I had a lot of imposter syndrome about like, who am I to make a course? There's so many educators out there. But I thought, okay, if I can just start showing up, delivering value, growing my email list, then I can kind of work out the rest later. Oh, okay. You know, I love that. And I also think it's so standard, right, especially for service providers who go into the digital space, you have a lot of clients who have paid for your service. But now you're speaking to peers in the industry and it's a huge shift, right? But what's so interesting is exactly what you said when you start delivering value and you start sharing and being open about the things that you're doing, people start to pay attention. So what was your first course and like, how did the launch go? Oh, girl. Okay. So I had delivered weekly Facebook Live's. I had built a little audience. I think I had maybe about a hundred people on my email list. And I was like, I'm doing this imperfectly. I am a covering perfectionist. And so I wanted everything to be like perfect from the get go. And I had to overcome that and just say, okay, I'm going to do this imperfectly. And so I launched a little mastermind, which then became my digital course. And so I had six students that paid me like $97. And I was like, okay, now these people have paid me money. It's time to show up. I told them I have nothing built yet. This is what I'm thinking it's going to be about. This is the result I'm going to help you get to. And so I had six people that paid me $97 and we just went for it. So that was like the first beta round of my online course. I launched it again for $297 and had six more people join. Just super chill just from the small audience that I had created made it a little bit better. And then my third launch was a more like formal launch with webinar, all that good stuff that I had learned from Amy. And I want to say I made about $5,000 from that launch and then just continue to grow, rinse and repeat, do that same launch over and over. And in the first 18 months, Jenna, I literally made $150,000 from like just rinsing and repeating the same thing over and over. Oh my gosh. Okay. So much. I love about this. So there is a theme, Tavia. So I've talked to a lot of different people who have created online courses. And for your first launch, if you get two people to sign up, that's awesome, right? That's proof of concept. You can find more people like those two people. But what is so interesting and what I think really differentiates people who find success in this and really, you know, can make a career out of it is showing up again and again and getting better every time. And when you look at even Amy, she has two digital courses that she has taught for years and years and years. Same thing. We've started a new course in five years and we've done the same thing. But what's amazing is you get better at marketing. You get better at delivering value. Your audience is growing every time you're launching and therefore your results are. How much have you made through digital courses since you started? Over $500,000. See that? Did you ever even dream that was possible? And think about how many photo shoots you'd have to do to earn that amount of money. Seriously. And yeah, and also just like the impact, I'm sure we're going to talk about this, but just being able to touch other photographers' lives who are like, I'm so stressed out. I am so overwhelmed. I don't know what to do for marketing. I feel like my photos are good enough. I can't charge enough to be able to come in and help them and see them quit their nursing job, quit their teaching job, bring their husband to work in their photography business. Like, I have goosebumps on my legs right now. It makes me emotional because I know what that did for my family and to be able to help my husband escape a corporate job that he hated. And I just have such a passion to help other photographers do that. So yeah, the money is awesome. It's great. It's given me a lot of freedom, but also being able to just impact photographers and other moms that are like me a few years ago is just, it's amazing. That's what I think is so powerful is when we think about the seven people that started with you or the six people that started with you, those are humans that we're learning alongside of you, then you multiply that and you think about the ripple effect of what your education is doing for their businesses and their families and how it impacts not just them, but their partners, their children, their families, their communities. It's honestly incredible and one of the things that I love and I think you and I both learned this is, you know, when you are capped at the only way to make more money is to spend more time. You are capped energetically. You are capped in so many places where you hit a threshold where you're like, I can't, I can't show up anymore than I'm showing up right now. And when you create something that you can serve many people, you now have the energy and the ability to show up and give more value even for free, right? You are almost like uncovering this ability for you to be in more places at once because you've created something that can serve so many. What has it been like for you personally going from that method of like trading time for money to being able to flip that on its head? So I have a very recent example actually. So my husband is actually now able to pursue film and acting, which is something he's always wanted to do since we met in high school. And he recently booked a national commercial literally like two weeks ago. And we were able, me and the kids were able to pack up and like go with him and experience that with him because, I mean, it was the day before he got the call. Like if I had been booked with photoshoots, there's no way, or if it had been on call, there's no way I could have gotten, but for us to be able to just pack up and go with him and experience that is something that none of us are ever going to forget. And so it's moments like that that's just like, you know, my kids are older, my son is almost 16. And so it's like being able to experience life with him and at the drop of a hat, go to a football game or go, you know, to the arcade or whatever is priceless. I mean, it's just having that much freedom. So valuable. One thing I love about you and your story is that you actually kind of serve two different audiences in the same category. So you've been able to take this system that worked with your first program and also create a second program and serve a more hyper specific audience. Let's talk about your offers and how you've been able to take this system and apply it to another digital program. Yeah. So I created the first program, which is all about marketing and helping photographers go full time with photography, specifically portrait photographers. But my heart and my passion has always been birth photography, like me, and I'm saying birth, by the way, not bird, sometimes people think I'm saying bird photography. I love it. Yes, purchase a birth. It's okay. I promise. Like it's not weird. And being able to just serve that very specific audience of people because I had people coming into my marketing program, but they're saying, but how do I photograph birth? What does that look like? That's really how I stood out in my photography business was meshing down and being known for something really, really specific, which was birth photography. And that was one of the strategies that really helped me grow. So I wanted to help other photographers do that. And so I started a certification program in the same way that like a doula would be certified. Yeah. Photographers can get certified through the beauty and birth, which walks them through not only how to photograph the birth, but how to like be in the birth and how to behave with hospital staff and how to be in that sensitive environment. And so having a program like DCA, which really just walks you through literally step by step, how to create the launch process, how to create the course itself is invaluable. Like I go back to DCA still. So do I. My launch. Yes. So do I. So do I. I just think it's so cool too, because even when I look at my own courses, like I've been able to create different courses that serve different people, but using the same blueprint, right? You're not starting from scratch. You know what works. And it allows you to make a bigger impact and serve more people in your audience because you have that system that is repeatable, but you're not starting from the ground up. And so I love that. And I love that you're able to speak clearly to both audiences without alienating anyone. I think people have a lot of fear in these shing down. That's one of the things I love so much about your stories that you've had success in doing a more general course, but then also getting really hyper specific about something you're crazy passionate about. Yeah. And our, our launch for the certification, the first launch was 15 grand. So it's like, if you're sitting here and you're thinking, Oh, I have a very niche audience. I am like talking to someone so, so specifically, can I actually make money with digital courses with this? My answer is yes. But in fact, I kind of wish I had started the other way around because starting with the hyper niche helps you stand out among other people that might be kind of talking to your same audience. Yes. I love that. What was your biggest mindset shift that you had to make to really see this as something that you personally could do? Oh my goodness. I mean, imposter syndrome, for sure, when you first said that is like, who am I to make a digital course? Who am I to help photographers when there's, like I said earlier, there's so many other photography educators, but I think, and I, I still think this, but I thought specifically then often about what Amy would say about, you just have to be one step ahead of your audience and your students, like you don't have to have every single thing figured out. You just have to be able to help them with something and be one step ahead. And that really helped me overcome imposter syndrome to at least get myself out there. And then once it was out there, seeing the results from students and then coming back, like really erased out imposter syndrome of like, maybe I don't know every single thing, but I know enough to help people. And this is proof of that. I would also argue that you don't want to be so far into the game that you've forgotten what it's like to begin. Like when I, right now I'm recording one of my courses brand new. So like almost every year we start from scratch just to make our courses better. And I often have to sit and literally just remember what it was like to be a beginner and not know a single thing and sit there and try to Google your way into oblivion. And I think for so many people that feel that imposter syndrome, you are so much closer to the person that you can serve because you know what it feels like and you know how frustrating it can be. And you know how much time and money you can waste on things that don't work. And so I think it's almost an even bigger encouragement to just be one step ahead when you're beginning because you know intimately what it's like to need a solution. And you get to be the person to provide it, which I think is so powerful. What is something that you would say if somebody is considering creating a digital course, but they want to just figure it out by themselves? Oh my gosh, why would you do that? Whenever you have like the resources at your fingertips to make it so much easier, like I know a lot of your audience is probably like us busy moms and like I get it, you're going to trade time or you're going to trade money, right? You're going to exchange one or other, but your time is so precious, especially with little kids at home, big kids at home, your family like it is so worth what will eventually become a nominal investment to just have somebody hand you exactly what to do and all you have to do is follow it. So like the idea of trying to do it on my own seems I would have never done it if I had to do it on my own. I wouldn't. And it what's awesome to you and what I want people to hear is like Tavy and I still log into the program to pick up tips and tricks. So you get it for the rest of your life. And so I mean, I think I took courses at Convert, which was the original. I know you took that one too, years ago. And we're still getting the updated content that drops, but we're also still utilizing the resources, the flows, the rhythms, the strategies inside of it. And so when I think about knowledge and the fact that you can pay for it once and have it for the rest of your life and you get to keep the compounding results, so good. What is something that you didn't expect about the online course world? Like what is something that may be surprised you about what's been possible for you? I think honestly kind of what we talked about earlier, but the transformations from my students, that's not something I kind of went into the digital course business, maybe a little bit selfishly of like, oh, this is an extra way I can add revenue to my business, maybe take on less sessions, even though I loved them. It was just like kind of in my mind and added revenue stream. But the stories and the ways that I've been able to help photographers is like something that really surprised me and that drives everything that I do and like feeds my actions every day to be like, okay, how can I help them get results better and faster so that instead of seeing results in six months, they can see results in three months. And so I would say that is something that just is beyond the money that is so valuable and fulfilling. Where can everybody find out more about you, check out your digital courses, learn about you, follow along on your journey and give me all the places. Oh, thank you so much. So I actually have a podcast called the From Better Half to Boss podcast, all about how I retired my husband from his full time job with photography and I share just like marketing business stuff that if you're a photographer might help you. And I'm also on Instagram at Tavia Redburn. Awesome. Thank you so much for coming on and sharing your story. And I just want to congratulate you on doing the work in seeing the rewards. Thank you so much, Jenna. This has been a blast. If you're a creative soul looking for a way to take your photography or event business to the next level without adding more hours to your schedule, you're going to love this inspiring story. Catalina was a wedding photographer working her tail off to make $1,000 for weeks of work, but when she added a photo booth to her business, everything changed. She started charging the same amount for just three hours of work since then she scaled her business to seven figures. Now, if you're thinking, that sounds like the dream, you need to check out this free masterclass from photo booth supply co, it's called capture success, how to turn your creative passion into a six figure photo booth business, Catalina is going to show you how you can take what you're already passionate about and turn it into a massive profit. You'll learn how you can earn $1,000 or more per event with a photo booth rental business. If you're someone who loves creating memories or maybe you've been looking for a fun side hustle, you've got to check this out head to photo booth supply co dot com slash gold digger to get your free access and my special promo code. This is your chance to work smarter, create more freedom and build something truly amazing. That's photo booth supply co dot com slash gold digger. If you're serious about making connections that actually lead to results, LinkedIn is where it's at, especially if you're in the B2B world. With LinkedIn ads, you can get your business in front of the right people like 180 million senior level executives and 10 million C level execs. It's like the ultimate business network, but way more targeted and with fewer distractions. On other platforms, it can feel like you're shouting into the wind, but with LinkedIn ads, you're building real relationships with the right people and that's where the magic happens. 79% of B2B marketers agree that LinkedIn is their number one for paid media. And it's easy to see why LinkedIn gives you tools to drive real results. And with two to five times higher return on ad spend, it just makes sense. So if you want to build meaningful relationships, start making smarter moves with your marketing and grow your business, it is time to get LinkedIn ads working for you. Make B2B marketing everything it can be and get $100 credit on your next campaign. Go to linkedin.com/goal to claim your credit. That's linkedin.com/g-o-a-l terms and conditions apply. I am with the amazing Sharon right now. And I want to know, Sharon, just in a few sentences, tell me about who you are, what your life in business looked like before you had a digital course, kind of paint that picture for us. Right. So my name is Sharon Facy, I'm a family doctor. And before I developed my digital course, I was working as a family doctor, of course, doing back-to-back consultation, super busy, seeing new patients every 10 to 15 minutes, which is quite intense, but that's the way the healthcare system works. Yeah, so it was pretty intense, pretty busy. I didn't end up having so much time for lifestyle advice and lifestyle change with the consultations because they are so short and because there's so much pressure on the healthcare system in the Netherlands, because that's where I'm from and that's where I was working. Yeah, so that was what my life looked like. It was very busy, navigating family and my husband has a busy job too. So yeah, it was doable, but stressful for sure, yeah. What inspired you to create an online course? Because I can only imagine, Sharon, you maybe were hearing about it, but you're like, well, how does this apply to what I'm doing or how would this work? So what was the inspiration for you? Well, the lack of ability to do lifestyle consultation during my practice was a big motivator in the end because I was seeing I could make small changes. I could make changes with patients, but the effect is just not so big because I just see 20 to 30 patients a day and, of course, not everybody wants to do the lifestyle change. So yeah, so I was noticing my reach wasn't as big as I wanted it to be. Yeah, so my husband got the chance to move country with us as a family. Of course, we decided to move to Spain because he had that opportunity for his job, but that's why my job stopped. So you were in a huge transition. So you're moving countries, you have two children, your whole life is kind of changing. So what happened? Yeah, so I had to figure out, of course, a way to keep practicing or to keep having an effect on people and to go back to the consultations, the 10 to 15 minutes that wasn't really fitting at that point in time with trying to transition my kids. They didn't speak the language at the time. They had to learn the language from scratch. So it was a lot of hands-on, hands-on at home. And I thought, well, how can I combine this all? And then, you know, to do a digital course, it was perfect and it still is. I can do it from home, have all the time for the kids, take care of my dog, yeah, and still make a huge impact, which is what I want. Tell me about your digital course and who it's for and why you created it. So my digital course is for women over 40 who want to lower their cholesterol and decrease their risk for heart disease, because as we get older, as women, once we reach 40 and go into the menopause transition, our estrogen levels, of course, decrease. And that means that our risk for heart disease also increases. So it's a huge group that needs to be aware and that needs to know about their cholesterol levels and needs to know how to lower them. And that's where my course comes into place and my course helps guide them into a plant-based lifestyle so that they can lower their cholesterol that way without having to take the medications. Hopefully, I mean, if it's needed, it's needed. That's amazing. One thing I love about your course is how specific it is. And a lot of times we talk about the riches are in the niches and you are so clear on who you are serving and what their desired end result is. And I think a lot of people get really afraid of dialing it in like that. But I think that it adds so much clarity for your customer. So talk to me about that because I feel like a lot of people get nervous to serve a specific audience. And I think you are proof that it is not only possible, but that it actually leads to greater results. Yeah. So that was actually a tough one for me because I did start too broad to be honest. That's all I started to because I thought if I go too small, then how am I going to find my people? But what I noticed is that I went too broad and then it doesn't speak to anybody. And that's really what I saw. And now that I'm narrowing my message and being very clear for who it is, I'm seeing much better results. Tell me about your experience of taking Amy's Digital Course Academy. I know for me, I was just so surprised at how clear each step was because I think there is so much confusion out there. And I was thinking back to when I first took it and all the questions I had circulating in my brain. And so what was that experience like for you? It was amazing. I mean, like I still can't believe that the course was that good. She literally, you know, that's what she says, I will virtually take you by the hand. And that is really what happens. You get, I mean, you get a step-by-step guide for almost everything, every aspect of the business. I'm a doctor. I don't know anything about marketing. I've never learned anything else but the medical side and yeah, okay, you know, I haven't had the biggest success, but I'm definitely growing and I'm learning so much. And this course, the fact that I've been able to launch it, I didn't think it was possible to be honest, but it really is and it was very doable. So I'm so happy with that. Yeah, it was seriously one of the best courses I've ever taken, but now. One of the things that I love is like, I am the kind of person that would take an online course just to see how that online course was built. And I feel like it's so meta with Amy creating a course to teach courses, but even just seeing how she lays it out, how she organizes it, what is included, it's just like a case study in and of itself for her students, which is so amazing. What would you say to somebody that is considering creating an online course, but they're struggling to see how their current reality would translate into one? Because I'm sure that at the beginning, you may have felt that way with so much transition and with such an interesting background being a family doctor, treating specific patients. Yeah. So in the beginning, it's it can be a bit overwhelming. Do you think like, Oh, what should I do it about? Or how do I even have also as a family doctor, do I even have knowledge that other people can benefit? Of course. But you know, that's the course just guys, you step by step through it. So you know, that is part of the course to decide on your topic and to see what will work and what won't work. And yeah, that's actually in the end, it wasn't that hard to come up with a with a topic. I knew straight away because I was already focused on the plant based side of my field. And I thought like, well, this has to somehow be able to work that I that I can reach more people. And yeah, this course is perfect for it. I love that. What was something that you had to shift in your own mindset in learning this new way of life and business? Because I think while the tactical stuff can be challenging, you can take easier action on it. But I think a lot of times our mindset can be the thing that really holds us back. What was the biggest shift you have personally had to make? The biggest shift I had to make was that it takes time and you have to be patient. You have to be consistent, just keep sharing up and it will come. But it's not an overnight. I can be for some people. For me, it wasn't an overnight success. And some days that I thought like, oh, is this really going to work? Is this really going to be good enough? Am I going to be able to, you know, make this into my job now? It is possible. And I still believe it is very possible. But it takes time. So that was, you know, I want things quick and I'm used to the too fast paced during the day in my work and, you know, this is still fast paced and you have to do a lot of stuff. But the growth, I mean, sure, it can be faster, but it depends on the niche that you're in. It can also be slow, but just keep showing up and it will come. I love that. What is something that has surprised you about showing up online? Because I think that is one of the hugest hurdles for people to get over, right? You shine. You're in front of your patients every day, but now suddenly you're having to be online. What was that like for you? Yeah, very different and very uncomfortable in the beginning and awkward. And of course, my Instagram was filled with people that know me and that I thought like they're going to think, Oh, what in the world is she doing? Why is she recording this? Why is she taking pictures of herself? But yeah, it grows on you. Now I don't mind it. My husband actually gets irritated because I take so many videos now during the holidays because I need it for content. So yeah, you start to love it. Yeah, it is interesting. And you know, what's so funny is I think a lot of times we almost hold ourselves back because we're worried about like what people who know us will think, which is so interesting because it's like, shouldn't the people in our lives be the most supportive of us doing something big? But I honestly think that is what can hold people back the most. Like some of my students, I know, will create a brand new account where there's no friends and family following them to feel the freedom to express and experiment. And I always just think that's so interesting because even to this day, I think about that. Like, what is, you know, this person going to think, or my college best friend going to think it is like, of course, she should be happy if I'm happy, but that could be a huge hurdle to get over showing up online. Yeah, I considered it to I didn't end up doing it, but I did consider starting all over for that same reason. But on the other hand, you know, if they don't like it, then they'll unfollow you. And that's okay too. They're not, they're not my ideal customer. They're just hopefully people to cheer me on. And you have to see it as that, that they're just there to cheer you on. And it can also be helpful. Yeah. What about online courses makes you excited? No, what makes me so excited is the freedom that I have now, and that I can decide my own timeline during the day. So if my kid needs something, or if I need to go somewhere, or of course, I still need to do stuff, but I'm so much more flexible and so much, yeah, it feels much freer than having to go to a practice and seeing back to back patients, and not being able to leave if my kid gets sick or if anybody else needs anything. So I think that, yeah, that freedom is, it's worth so much to me. Yeah. How has it impacted your family? Because that is a huge shift for you personally. What does that look like? Yes. Yeah. I think it's really made things a lot easier for, for a whole family. And also to be honest, during our move to Spain, it was also necessary for me to be at home, because it was a lot for everybody to process, to learn a new language, and seeing a new culture that we weren't used to, yeah, it's made everything so much more relaxed at home, because I can just be there. The kids, they can go to an after school club if they want to, but they don't need to go because of my job, or because of my husband's job, or you want to look at it. But it's just, it's given our family so much more, more freedom. And for me, myself, too, I mean, I can go in the morning and take the time to walk my dog and then get cracking and get that course going and doing everything around what needs to be done around the course. So that's been wonderful for us. What are your plans for your course? Like, what's coming up? What are you excited about? Yeah. I'm going to, after launching the first time, I'm going to improve my course even more because I've gotten feedback from it, so I'm going to add more things and I've learned more things in the meantime. So I'm super excited, actually, for my next launch, because I think it's going to be even better, and hopefully that will show and people will see that, too, and get excited and think, "Oh, this is really something that I could possibly do myself as well, and she'll be there to guide me," just like Amy was there to guide me. So that's what I really hope. I love that. Did you meet any people in the Digital Course Academy community that you're still connected with? Yes. I think that might be, I mean, besides all the information that we got from Amy, I think that might have been one of the biggest wins from Digital Course Academy is that I have an accountability pod still that we meet during the summer night, but otherwise, we meet weekly. I still have another friend from DCA as well that I speak with weekly, and seriously, they're the biggest cheerleaders, and we're all on the same boat, so everybody knows what you're talking about. They know what you're struggling with or what's going well, they just understand you, and I think my accountability pod and my other friend, it's just, yeah, it's just the best thing of DCA, I think, to be honest. Yeah. I agree. So much of this can feel like a solo sport, and it's like, where are my teammates? And especially when you're doing something that other people around you haven't done before, you feel like you have nowhere to go or no one to talk to you about it. And I feel like that hive mind mentality can totally, like really project you faster and further in so many ways because you literally have a built-in network of people who understand it and who are willing to do it, because most people aren't willing to do it. So I want to just take a minute, Sharon, and just commend you on taking a leap of faith and the work that you've done. You've been a student of mine, you've been a student of Amy's, and you are proof that if you put yourself in the arena and you're willing to do the work, you will get the results. And one thing that I think is so amazing, especially with online courses, is when you create that signature course, you get to reap the rewards of it over and over and over again and make it better and more impactful over time. So like, you have already climbed the mountain, and now you get to enjoy the view and make it even better and invite people to join you alongside of you, so I'm so excited for you. Well, thank you so much. Me too. I can't wait to launch again and to make even a bigger impact. This is the best decision in my medical life anyway. Where can everybody find you and connect with you, follow your next launch, learn more about your online course, give us all the places. Oh, thank you. So on Instagram, I'm @SharonFacey, and I have a website, and that's SharonFacey.com. So I'm also on Facebook, but it's the same as Instagram. Amazing. We will link up to all of our students, Sharon. Thank you so much for coming on the Gold Digger podcast. This was so much fun to have you. Thank you so much for having me. This is like a dream come true. Thank you so much for talking. Okay, let's be real. Why are we still overpaying for wireless? I know I've been guilty of it, but Mint Mobile is here to change the game. For just $15 a month on a three-month premium plan, you can get unlimited talk, text, and high-speed data on the nation's largest 5G network. That's right. 15 bucks. You can even bring your own phone, keep your number, and all of your contacts. The switch is super easy, and there's no need to start from scratch. You get to keep everything the same and just pay less, like way less. If you've been searching for a smarter, cheaper way to manage your phone bill, this is the sign you've been waiting for. No hidden fees, no surprises, just a great deal on wireless. To get this new customer offer and your new three-month premium wireless plan for just $15 a month, go to mintmobile.com/golddigger, that's mintmobile.com/golddigger. Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at mintmobile.com/golddigger. $45, upfront payment required equivalent to $15 a month. New customers on first three-month plan only, speed slower above 40 gigabytes on unlimited plan, additional taxes, fees, and restrictions. Okay, Esenia, I was just telling you offline. How I am just blown away by you and how you do what you do, but also the way that you do it. So, in a few sentences, can you just share a little bit about you and what you do? Yeah, thank you. So my name is Esenia, and I am a mama to three beautiful boys. I am a wife and business partner and life partner to my husband, and we live on the island of Oahu, and I like to say that I am an attorney by trade, but an entrepreneur by passion. And so, I started off as an entrepreneur and quickly realized that I loved the strategy portion of being an attorney, right, where I was constantly having to strategize and, you know, even like right persuasive writing for my briefs and things like that. And after I had my son start at my own law firm, wanted that freedom, that flexibility. So that's where my entrepreneur journey started opening up my own law firm, but again quickly realized I loved growing the business more than I actually loved practicing law. So made a pivot and started teaching moms specifically in business how to either launch their business or scale their business because I was thankfully able to scale our law firm to six figures, have my husband quit his job and joined me in practice. And so that's kind of where it all started. And so since then I've made several pivots since then. I think that I'm one of the definitions of that multi-passionate person. I love so many different things, and thankfully I haven't been afraid to kind of go with the flow and just listen to what's calling me at each moment. So currently I still use those same kind of skills and qualities with that persuasive writing, with the strategy, and I'm a launch strategist and storyteller. I love telling stories, I love writing a copy that can really connect your reader to what it is that you're trying to sell. And I've also just launched a business with my husband called the Quiz Creator where we launched a tool to create your own quiz and hosted on your own website. So no need for third party platform. So again, that multi-passionate part of me that's doing a couple of things at once. Yes. Oh my gosh. Well, one, so many people can relate to this myself included. Anytime somebody tries to put me in a box, I'm like, "I will climb my way out of this." And I have so many things I want to do. I will never be bored and you sound very similar. One thing that is so interesting in so many people's journeys is when you start as an entrepreneur who you are serving kind of one to one as you were with a law firm, recognizing that there is a way that you can go one to many. And for so many of us, digital courses are that. So tell me your digital course story and how you, one, learned about them, but two, recognize that you could create one. Yeah. So it's interesting because in the law firm, and this kind of came to me a couple of years later down the road, but the work that I was doing could be really similar to one to many work. So I actually was serving as like a staff attorney at the probate court that I worked at before I quit my job. And when I quit, I started taking on cases from that court. And it was the same kind of work. So they'd give you the case and it was the same case. So you could really bunch your work together. I could do all my client visits in one day, I could have all my hearings in one day. And when I sat down a couple of years later, I was like, you know what, that is really the one to many kind of model where yes, it's individual work, but they're all the same cases. And I started realizing that is where I want to go, right? Like I don't want to just have to do one to one work. I want to be able to keep that same kind of momentum in that model going that I had in the law firm because it worked really well. Yeah. And I was actually introduced to Amy. I believe I was introduced to Amy through you. I had signed up like the very first course that I signed up for that had to do with not the law firm, but building my online business was launched. Yeah. I was like, I need to grow me in my list. And then I learned about Amy through you. And I remember taking her master class. It was like the very first time I heard of her and I was sold. I was like, it courses and I signed up. It was a very big investment and it was at a time where I wasn't making any money at my online business yet. So it was something that I had to work through. But again, I was just so sold on that concept and that idea. And I was like, this is what I'm going to do. I want to have this course. I want to start a course for moms and show them the different ways and opportunities that are available to them. And I wish that I could say that that's exactly what I did, but it wasn't, right? So I signed up and I was so gung-ho and ready to do it. And I got kind of distracted and dissuaded from doing it from a lot of just words that were being said in the industry, right? In the space I was in, I signed up for a group coaching program. And the message that was being sold to us was you need demand, right? You can't jump into selling a digital course right away. You need to work with people one on one. And if I could go back, that's the one thing that I'm like, man, I wish I didn't listen to that, right? And so I got sidetracked and I put the course on hold and I continue to go through Digital Course Academy because it is so powerful and so helpful and so many different, like it's not just a course for digital courses, right? Like, yes, it's amazing for that. But I want to also just point out that the way she has it set up, it's just beautifully set up and can help you in so many different points of your business. So I wish that I could say that I bought it and totally implemented it, round one, but I didn't. I started working on people one on one and nurturing that component in that side of it and then realized, again, that box that people try to put you in, I started to slowly crawl out of it and say, I don't need to wait, like, what do I need to wait for? I don't need more followers. I don't need a bigger list. I can do with what I have. I don't need to have a $100,000 launch the first time, $10,000 launch the first time, right? The first time it really is just about launching and, like, practicing that muscle of everything that goes into a launch. And so thankfully, I didn't wait as long as they probably expected me to be the people that were in my network because I'm not so much of a rule follower. Definitely we have a more inspirational life via my family here and I was like, you know, I'm not going to wait. And so I did, I took some initiative and started launching different kinds of went to mining programs, right? Like, even a group coaching program, a mastermind, a membership, like, I've had courses all of it because I really am just sold on why are we trying to limit ourselves with one on one when there's so much potential for serving others and serving ourselves, right, in our own time freedom and just things like that. I love that. It's so interesting too because, like you said, inside a DCA, you also learn, like, how to be a better marketer and how to be a better salesperson. And there's so many places where it's like, it'll show up in your business in a million different ways. So I'm super curious because one of the things that I love about you, and I think one of the things that didn't hold you back, but that holds so many other people back, is they say, I need to grow this massive audience and then I will launch. And so talk to me about your Instagram following because I feel like that is this weird arbitrary thing that people look at and they're like, well, let me just, like, get this, you know, beefy before I put it out there. And you have been able to do some incredible things without having a massive audience. Yeah, I think it's, and I think we hear this, right? But I think that my Instagram journey has been proof of this, that it's not about the number, right? It's not about the size. It's about the connection and the loyalty that you have with your audience. And I, I have always loved Instagram, right? Instagram is my jam, like I don't, I don't find it burdens them to show up on it because I really use it as it's intended, right? Social media is a social place to connect with people. And I think when you approach it from that, that perspective, A, yes, it's a lot easier to show up, but B, it has, it just has a lasting effect, right? So I'm able to have conversations with my followers. I'm able to connect with them on different levels. I've connected with people who have become clients and customers on favorite TV shows and the fact that I homeschool my kids and so do they and we build that connection. And then when they are in the market for what I sell, they're coming and looking to me, right? Because they trust me. They know me. They like me. I use Instagram, again, for its intended purpose and then highlight it, what I do and highlight it my story and my offerings. And so I was able to grow my business to six figures and I had less than a thousand followers. I can do have, I mean, this was at a time where you wanted the 10,000 followers so that you could get your link in your bio and so that you could, you know, all of the things that we were going for at that time and, you know, I didn't need it and it wasn't anything that limited me or held me back because I think it's important to value the people who are already there and serve them and then more woke up. Yes. Oh my gosh. I am obsessed with this and I think too, people have forgotten about the depth, right? We're trying to go so wide and I often think of it as like, imagine setting a Thanksgiving table and people are sitting there waiting for you to serve them, but you're so focused on getting more people to the party that you're not serving the people that are already there. What kind of experience is that and why would they want to stay, right? And I feel like that's how people are with social media is they're always wanting more and more and they're forgetting to serve the people who are there and eager and excited and you have done just that. And I love that you have, you know, even in your bio, it's like six figures with less than a thousand followers. I just think that's so powerful because it's a reminder to begin where you're at, right? And to get started. So do you remember how big your email list was during your first launch? Yes. So during my first launch, I want to say that I had probably less than definitely less than 500 subscribers. That's all you need. And that honestly, when I did my first launch, I was right around that number as well. I did not have a massive email list, but again, you are able to reply personally to people, right? And it's like there's so much more depth and connection that is possible when we're not focused on the masses. And so I was very similar with my first launch. If you're comfortable sharing, how much did you make with your first launch? I love sharing this. So again, I had gone like different path, right? One on one. And so when I finally decided, okay, I'm going to try to launch something. I had like zero confidence, and so I launched this I think like six week live coach, like not coaching program, but I had a course and I was like, I'll have live calls as well. Yeah. And it was a six week thing and I charged like $149 for it. I was just so like, no one's going to pay me for this. I've never done it before. Launched it for $149 and I got, I think, seven people into it. And that was, I was thrilled. I was like, oh my gosh, people want to pay me. And it was just, it was what I needed to kind of rip the bandaid. I didn't even, this wasn't like digital course kind of launch. It was just, when you talk to the people who are in my network, when you put it out there, my Instagram stories, but I wanted to just share that like, yeah, my first launch was less than a thousand dollars. And you would have thought that I made 10,000 dollars because I was just so thrilled that seven people wanted to pay me and wanted to jump into a container with me, wanted to hear from me. So my very first launch, I made, I think like out the door, it was like, you know, 897 or something like that. And so that was my very first launch. And I think that it's easy to walk away and say like, okay, well, that was a flop, right? Seven people. Also I was only charging $149, right? But it just, it actually had the opposite effect, right? It was like, wow, if I could do this, if I could sign seven people into this course and, you know, course program, if I really put some intention behind it, if I did the launch the way that DCA is like, what, what's possible, what could I do? And so the next thing that I launched was actually like a mastermind, but I did it through DCA's launch style and I did my webinar and I emailed to my list. And so just to point out, right, like, yes, it's totally four courses, but you can use these same launch methods for memberships and masterminds and all of the things. And so when I launched for the mastermind, it was a 16K launch. So I went from, you know, $800, yeah, 16K. And so that was when I was like, okay, this is, this is what I want to be doing, right? Like, because I could make, you know, whatever I was making, charging one on one, but also I was exchanging time for that. And so serving more than one person at a time, like that money meant more to me. Even if it was less than what I was making on one, which it wasn't, but even if it was the time that I was putting into serving more people at once, it just sparked, it sparked that, that momentum in me. And you know, by that time I had, I think I had my third kid now and we were homeschooling and it was like, okay, so, you know, this is what I need to be doing. I don't have enough time anymore to be having a complete booked out one on one clientele, you know? Yes. It's so interesting. Even when you share $16,000, my mind goes back to when I worked at Target. And I'm like, that's like four months out of a year at Target when I worked there, right? Like, and looking at time freedom and also looking at gathering students together and creating a community for them of people who are similar and like-minded and working towards something similar is also so incredibly valuable. And so, oh, it just makes me so excited. And one thing I love about your story, Esenia, is you make such a good point of even with those first launches, when you recognize that you could sell one or two or seven courses, you recognize like, if I can reach more people like those seven people, seven could become 17, could become 70, could become 700. It doesn't need to to be successful, but you recognize that there are more people, just like the people that you're serving. And that's probably why you're like, this guy is a freaking limit here. Like, this is just the beginning. If even one person says yes to me, I'm like, this is a viable product. Let's go. Yes. Exactly. Exactly. And it just, it opened up my eyes, right? And so then, yeah, then I did launch a course and then I launched a membership. And then it was just like fun, it was, it brought that fun back in because again, right? I just, I don't want to be in a box and I don't like to get bored easily. And so I'm always creating and thinking of different ways that I can serve and being able to serve people, you know, not just on a one on one capacity, it's just, it's beneficial for me. It's beneficial for them. It's been awesome. So what would you say to somebody because I know there are so many people that listen to this podcast, we've talked about digital courses for years and years and years, basically since the inception of Gold Dicker, yet they've never imagined themselves as being capable of doing what you've been able to do. What would you say to them? I would say to quiet the noise and to be confident in your abilities, you're already ready now. You already have enough information. Even if there is a quote unquote saturated market, there really isn't because nobody can do it the way that you do it. And so you were going to bring something fresh to whatever industry you're in because it's your perspective. It's your methods. It's your audience. It's the people that need you. And so don't wait until you have the followers, until you have the email list, until you have enough training, enough certification, enough of all of the things that we think we need because your people are ready and they're waiting now. So good. What are you excited about when it comes to your online business? What's exciting you these days? Oh my gosh. Well, the quiz creator, that person and I launched and it's our baby right now. It's a pretty amazing tool that can kind of, I feel like it's going to change the game for so many people who are looking for a lead generation. It's just a great compliment to what it is we're trying to do, reach people, serve people and also give ourselves those insights that we need, segmenting our list so that we know what to sell them. So we're selling them what they need. And so it's been really fun bringing this new business to life and watching as people are buying it and then writing back to us saying like this is such an amazing tool and it's working and thank you for making something that is accessible for us and it's been really fun doing that. And it's also again, not working with people one on one. So it's really fun to be sleeping and then wake up and see, oh, there's been sales, you know, so that's been really fun. Did you ever dream that you'd be so excited about lead generation, like what happens in our lives? What happened? It's amazing, right? It's funny because I started with the island business. My husband was then growing our law firm and he didn't like understand any of the lingo. Like I talked to him about it and he'd be like, oh, like what are you, you know? And so like having him now like in it and like watching him talk about him like, you have been converted. Right? He's just falling to it. Like, you know, it was his idea to launch it because he was asking me what I was paying monthly. And I'm like, yeah, I pay this monthly for this because he's like, I'm going to create something that you're not going to have to pay a monthly fee for. And like, it was just awesome to see how he's been now in, you know, brought into the mix of and doing it together is really fun. Oh, where can everybody connect with you? Learn more about you, follow you and get kind of into your ecosystem. At my name, just send you a file a dot com is a great place to just learn more about all of the different things that it is, you know, I don't just do one thing, but I'd also love if you would give us a follow up the quiz creator. It's a brand new brand. And so any engagement and love that you can just pour into us and the new business would be lovely. Amazing. Yes, Nia. I am so impressed by you. You have done the work and you continue to do it. And I am excited to see where you go. Thank you so much, Jenna. I appreciate those words. And they mean a lot. Because like I said, you were the first course that I bought when I was like, hey, I'm ready to go in on this. And so to be here on the podcast today is just like full circle. I absolutely love hearing about people's journeys in the online course world. It's one thing for me to tell you about my own success, but it's another for you to hear from people who are willing to step in and do the work, who are navigating the current climate and the landscape and who are showing up over and over and over again. There is no success. That is overnight. I just don't believe in it and I've never seen it. But seeing how these students saw this idea, understood it, adopted it and put it into work in their own lives and businesses, man, their transformations are so inspiring. I hope you leave today's episode thinking about what you can teach inside of the world and how you can make a bigger impact. And again, if you want help along the way, we all recommend the Digital Course Academy. You can learn more about Amy's program and my bonus suite that you can get for free when you join the program at jennicuture.com/dca. That's jennicuture.com/dca. Amy opens us up once a year. I would love to see you inside. I would love to see your life transformed so that you can transform the lives of those that you can teach and I am so excited to see all the courses that come from our community. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Gold Digger Podcast. I hope you leave feeling inspired and excited. And of course, until next time, keep on digging your biggest goals. Thanks for pulling up a seat for another episode of the Gold Digger Podcast. I hope today's episode fueled you with inspiration, gave you information that you can turn into action and realigned you with your true north in life and business. If you've enjoyed today's episode, head on over to golddiggerpodcast.com for today's show notes, discount codes for our sponsors, freebies to fuel your results, and so much more. And if you haven't yet, make sure you're subscribed so that you never miss a future show. We'll see you next time, Gold Diggers. Please note, this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements. And individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in the episode. Your support through affiliate links or sponsored content helps us continue to bring you valuable content. Thank you for being a part of the Gold Digger community.
