Sixteen years ago, my goals were not to build a multimillion-dollar business or teaching how to make money with courses.

They were much simpler: quit my 9 to 5, make $10,000 in a launch, and sometimes take Fridays off. 🙌🏻

That felt possible. And that possibility gave me courage.

But let me tell you… my early days were messssssy. 

I once sold a course where only one person bought… and I refunded her immediately because I was so mortified. 🥴

I once mailed a student a refund check inside a greeting card because I didn’t know how else to do it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

And yes, I once left my camera on after a webinar, logged into my bank account, and then chatted with a friend while everyone watched. Cringe doesn’t even cover it. 🫣

Here’s the truth: the only reason my courses are successful today is because I was willing to do them a little (or a lot) messy back then.

📎 I was willing to test topics I wasn’t sure about.
📎 I was willing to show up live even though I was embarrassed by my weight.
📎 I was willing to launch to crickets because I knew I could use the practice.

Why share all this?

Because I’m afraid you’re still waiting.

Waiting for a bigger list. Waiting for more training. Waiting until you feel ready.

Hint: You never feel truly ready… the secret is to just jump and trust that you’ll figure it out. You always do.

Your future self deserves more than waiting. She deserves imperfect, courageous action. So don’t keep your future self waiting. Time is too precious, my friend.

What You Didn’t Know You Missed 🔥

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Here’s what’s worth your brain space this week.

#1: Trendspotting Made Simple: Tools Every Marketer Should Know
Want to know what your audience is buzzing about before your competitors catch on? This article breaks down 5 powerful tools that can help you spot what’s hot and use it to boost your next campaign. → Click for a 2-minute read

#2: The AI Search Checklist You Didn’t Know You Needed
Google and AI search tools are rewriting the rules of visibility. This step-by-step checklist shows you exactly how to optimize your content so it actually shows up in AI-generated answers (and beats out your competitors). → Click for checklist

I’m Still SHOOK By This One Stat 😳

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Today I’m wrapping up my sixth and final masterclass of the year, and I stumbled on a stat that totally shook me.

If you’ve ever done a webinar (or plan to), this one is worth its weight in gold.

(This is me on my webinar sharing the secret sauce to courses!)

Anyway…I’ve always told my students that when doing a webinar, you need to start selling around the 45-minute mark. (If you do, it boosts conversion.)

Even if your webinar goes 90 minutes, the biggest chunk of your audience is there in the first 60. ⏰

After that, people start dropping because… well, life.

So the goal is simple: get to the pitch by 45 minutes, and make sure your audience hears your URL before the 60-minute mark.

But here’s what I just realized: it’s not just about when you start selling. It’s about what you share about your course before you hit the 60-minute mark.

Here’s where I messed up 🤦🏻‍♀️

This year, we added two major new support elements to the Digital Course Academy Experience:

#1: Personalized reviews of your work, including your course outline and your course sales page.

#2: A suite of AI tools called Porter (trained on my 16 years of digital course building) to help you with everything, including your course topic, webinar slides and launch emails.

And guess what? In my first three webinars last week, I didn’t mention either until 75 minutes in. Rookie move!

When I shifted them into the first hour, my conversions jumped by 2%!

That might not sound like much, but in webinar land, 2% is massive.

What that told me? My two new support additions are what my students need and want, and I should have put them front and center.

So even 16 years in, I’m still learning, testing, and tweaking.

The good news?  When I mess up, and then find something that works, you better believe I’m bringing it straight to you.

Hope that helps your next (or first!) webinar.

The One Tripod I Swear By

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I bet you didn’t wake up this morning thinking, “Yay! I can’t wait to record some video content today!” (If you did, get on with your bad self!)

But as you and I know, video is part of the job.

The good news? A few trusty gadgets make the whole process way less painful. And my ride-or-die tripod is at the top of that list.

Desk setup? Nailed it. Full length while standing? Easy. Lounging in a chair because that’s all you’ve got in you today? Handled. This little guy does it all. (The 65” is my go-to.)

Truth: I hate recording content. Hate it. 🙅🏻‍♀️

Will it suddenly make you love video? Nope. (Sorry, Charlie!)

But it will make things faster, smoother, and a little more fun.

And when video feels less like a necessary evil, you actually hit record. Which means more content, more connection, and more growth.

So skip the fancy equipment and grab my fav Amazon tripod. 

Happy recording 😎

Nice chat. Let’s do it again next week!

Until then, stop waiting and just jump in, don’t send refunds in greeting cards, and buy yourself a tripod as a little entrepreneurial treat.

Amy