From Humiliation to Triumph: Unraveling the Secrets of My Failed Live Course Launch

My first launch completely bombed!

Here’s what happened and what it taught me…

My first launch was a disaster

5 months after I closed down my profitable marketing consultancy I decided I was ready to launch my ‘Signature Course’.

It had been designed to teach female business owners how to set-up an online coaching business.

I’d spent the last 5 months getting to know the online business world:

aka discovering the depths of comparisonitis and bright-shiny-object-syndrome – the result of which was crippling self-doubt and crumbling confidence!

I was desperate…

I’d won a few 1:1 clients but it wasn’t enough to sustain me.

I put huge pressure on myself to get this launch ‘just right’ and thought I’d be welcoming upwards of 20 women into my new course.

Afterall – I’d done all the planning work and knew the course was great value!

What I hadn’t counted on working against me were the two things that made the launch bomb:

1. My Mindset

2. My Desperation

My energy was totally off…

Even though I’d carefully planned the launch, when no-one had joined after the first few posts and emails I crumbled.

The pressure was too much and to be honest: I was in shock that people weren’t banging down my door to join!

I slipped deeper into desperation, comparisonitis, shiny-object-syndrome and sheer terror…

‘Why did I shut down my profitable marketing consultancy for THIS!!??’

I bobbed and weaved, changed tactics, sold-sold-sold, and attracted ONE person in 2 weeks of launching…

I was on my knees…literally!

Two days after she booked, my one sign-up cancelled.

I was devastated but knew it was because I was all over the place and hadn’t handled her onboarding well at all.

I literally curled into a ball of shame and embarrassment.

My husband found me in my office, on my knees, crying and saying ‘it’s not working, it’s over, I’ve failed!’

He comforted me as best he could…

SIDE NOTE: despite having your best interests at heart, family and friends who aren’t in this crazy online world will NEVER truly understand or be able to advise.

Then a miracle happened!

During week 3 when I was on the brink of hysterics and hiding in a shame-filled-hole I had a random DM conversation with someone I’d recently connected with.

I confessed my horrors and she told me about ‘disconnecting from the outcome’

I’d never heard of this before, but as she explained that I’d become too emotionally attached to people joining my course, my energy was in full-on-desperation and lack and it was repelling people from joining.

She advised that I lean-back, let-go, slow-down, revisit the value on offer, and trust-the-process.

I should attach to the action of sharing how great this offer is (in my control), and not the action of people signing-up (not in my control)

I immediately released and focussed on the value

I extended my launch-period by another four weeks, giving myself time and space to relax into it.

I focussed on the value I was brining and really attached my energy to sharing as much as I could about how brilliant it was all gonna be, how excited I was to deliver it, the different it would make for participants.

And everything turned around…

When the live course started 4 weeks later I have five wonderful women to guide through this first complete version and was over-the-moon with how the course felt to host and how everyone progressed through it.

I’d released my grip, slowed down, leaned-back and the launch turned around.

Lessons Learned

1. Attach your energy to the value you’ve created and the way you put it out there – everything is isn’t in your control.
2. Release the timelines – give yourself longer during a launch to make sure your energy is aligned and that people have time to come round and step-forward.
3. It’s not about PUSH, it’s about PULL – instead of trying to push yourself and your offer on people, simply share the information with energy and pride and that will pull them toward you.
4. One Post and One Email IS NOT A FAILED LAUNCH…in fact it’s not a launch at all! Be prepared to talk about your offer multiple times every day for weeks…and the day after cart closes be prepared for the ‘why didn’t you let me know….?’ messages!
5. Know that it takes time to build – you are ahead of where your community are as you’ve spent time ideating and crafting all of this. Give them time to catch up.
6. Stay open in the void between action and result – as above, it takes time for people to step-forward so be patient and hold the faith.
7. Remember that every experience is a learning opportunity – I’ve never had a launch like this again because I learned from these mistakes and incorporate daily practices to avoid them.

Time for you to have a little review session

Have you had a failed launch?

Did you really put your all into sharing the value and promoting it or was it a half-done-job?

Was your energy and intention in the right place?

What could you have done differently?

If you need a little help…

If you’d like my support to work through a Launch Strategy Plan that works for you (including logistics and energetics) email sally@sallyoddy.com with the words ‘Launch Strategy Plan’ and I’ll let you know how I can help.

The main things is: KEEP GOING! YOU GOT THIS!

Lotsa luv, Sally xo