It’s true that the eCourse Blueprint is not a skeletal survey of the topic: the concepts you’ll apply are intermediate to advanced.

While there’s a lot of meat on the bones of our 37 jam-packed lessons, everything is clearly laid out and the concepts are simple to learn and apply. What’s key is that you show up and do the work.

I love how Blueprint student and course builder Jen Buchanan described it:

“There is no fluff in the course, just heaps and heaps of useful and relevant information. Debbie Hodge is the most genuine, generous and competent course instructor anyone could hope for.”

I feel the same exact way about $49 courses and the value of my efforts.

And I’ve worked with hundreds of students who have this same trepidation. And that’s why I developed a method-first approach to course structure and design.

That’s why, with the eCourse Blueprint, a BENEFIT-LADEN BIG PROMISE comes before the course topic and outline.

That’s why your early course-design focus is on identifying and developing strategies and techniques that comprise your own unique methodology.

That’s why you’ll spend so much time on the outline, using module worksheets that have you ensuring:

• every piece in your course delivers a key milestone,
• every piece in your course puts your students into a new state of thinking-feeling-doing.
• all the pieces of your course are sequenced to build student achievements toward that final big outcome.

That’s why you’ll develop lessons that have you teaching to stand out:

• using recurring lesson arcs
• weaving lecture and “demo”
• teaching at the “creative crossroads” (so that students get unique outcomes instead of copying you)
• layering on invaluable mindset coaching.

One of my top priorities in creating the course content is getting you to a position in which you’re offering undeniable value that commands a premium price.

In the eCourse Blueprint, tech areas are covered with an approach that starts by laying out the top options and presenting a framework for choosing what works best for:

• your particular course,
• your budget, and
• your skills.

Next, you get a path and strategy for doing the work of using your tool. But you’ll also need to use the step-by-steps from the vendor of the product you choose.

Tech areas covered inside the eCourse Blueprint with this approach I just described include:

• ​the lesson creation tools you’ll need (i.e., software, lights, camera, microphone, tripod)
• ​the difference between lesson development and production and a strategy for each
• file formats, storage and hosting
• ​choosing your web home platform and the key content that should go on it
• ​choosing your classroom platform, the steps for integrating a classroom with email and payment gateway, and a process for testing the setup before you start enrolling students
• ​choosing your email tool + a stepped out how-to for setting up a first optin using ActiveCampaign
• ​understanding basic Facebook Ads elements and strategy–and the first pieces you should get set up with pointers to the Facebook how-tos for each

Here’s a list of the 37 lessons inside the program. Looking at it shows you the specific topics covered: LESSON DIRECTORY

I hear you. I’ve retreated to the guest room to work late and then woken the next morning with my laptop right there next to me.

I’ve taken dinner to my office and spent Saturdays working instead of gardening.

I’ve said “no” to new projects that would run off the margins of my Full Focus Planner.

But here’s the thing…

Creating an online course and selling system frees up time for you in the long run. It makes it possible to serve 15 (or even 50) clients in a week instead of 5. It means saying hello to friends and family on the weekend instead of begging off once again.

And you know this. You know that you could escape your current grind IF you had a profitable online course.

There’s no one answer about how much time this will take because it depends on the scope of your course, the time you can commit each week, and the assets you need to create for your particular online platform.

Here’s what I can promise you: when you show up on the regular (whatever your regular is) the work accumulates.

At Teach What You Do, we’re big fans of working in layers–of getting that first course made and selling. Then you polish and refine, tweaking that first offer–or growing or transforming it, always building on what you’ve already created and established

Your course content transforms and grows and improves. Your classroom is an asset that holds more and more students and programs. The pieces of your selling system–free content, sales page, converting emails–become models to improve on to use as models for new offers.

Here is a realistic timeline when you enroll in the eCourse Blueprint:

MINUTES FROM NOW

You’ll have your username and password–

–and access to all 37 lessons inside the eCourse Blueprint.

LATER TODAY OR EARLY TOMORROW

You’ll get back inside the classroom, and:

• Print the lesson roadmaps as well as the workbooks for the first program modules

BY NEXT WEEK

You’ll have worked through the four lessons in the first module.

And that means you’ll be feeling excited (and relieved) to know who your first course will serve–and HOW. You’ll have defined a benefit-laden big promise that you know people want and that you know you’re well equipped to deliver

A COUPLE WEEKS LATER

You will have a multi-page, rich and detailed course outline created that will guide your lesson creation work.

The outline will be more than a bulleted or skeletal listing of lessons and worksheets.

It will be a result of:

• developing your own unique “big how” methodology coming out of the very techniques you know so well
• using the Course-Builder’s Structure Lookbook to give your program the shape it needs
• following a 7-step Rich Outline Process to get the work done
• building out milestone overviews that ensure every module pulls its weight and stacks up the value.

BY NEXT MONTH

You will have:

• chosen any of your online platform pieces that weren’t already established: your web home, your classroom, and your email tool–and used the “start-simple” philosophy to get key pieces in place.
• named your class and chosen key branding elements for it.
• set up a first list-building lead magnet and begun sharing it with the world

TWO TO THREE MONTHS FROM NOW

You will have:

• put processes in place for adding new people to your audience every day.
• created a first validating offer and recorded lessons for it.

THREE TO SIX MONTHS FROM NOW

You will:

• use the guides and templates inside the eCourse Blueprint to create a sales page, a launch plan, and emails that sell (emails like these you’re reading right now!)
• put your launch out into the world and begin enrolling students.

ONE YEAR FROM NOW

With at least one course and the selling system for it created, you’ll be iterating and making tweaks to improve your teaching effectiveness and course profitability–so that you can earn predictable revenues from this first course.

While I sometimes recommend tools, I support you in choosing those that best match your course content, your budget, and your skills.
​
​Some courses are best taught with a webcam and slides while others require lighting and cameras and tripods for a hands-on demo.

​Some students are happily using a hosted classroom like Teachable or Thinkific while others need something more custom and, thus, use a WordPress membership plugin.
​
​Some students go with my favorite email tool, ActiveCampaign, while others have used something else for years and aren’t ready to switch.
​
​You will need to invest in a basic website and an email service provider. You could wait on the classroom and sell a first idea-validating course with an ecommerce tool. I do believe that purchasing either ScreenFlow or Camtasia is important for video editing and screen capture videos.
​
​Here are some estimated prices for first year services.
​
​WEBSITE
​Domain ($14/year), Hosting ($5/month), WordPress Theme ($70/year), Backups & Security ($100/year)
​OR something like Squarespace ($12/month)
​
​EMAIL
​Free to $150/year to start
​
​CLASSROOM
​Thinkific, Teachable, Kajabi, Kartra ($29 to $100+/month at basic level)
​OR WordPress plugin ($197/year + website costs detailed above)
​
​LIVE MEETING HOSTING
​Zoom, GoToMeeting (free to $40/month)
​
​FIRST TOOLS FOR LESSON CREATION

• A webcam for teaching in live webinar sessions or live on social media. You can also use it to record straight-to-camera teaching—but your phone camera might get you higher quality. You could use the Logitech c920 which is about $70. The Logitech Brio is great for lower light and is what I use. It’s $199.
• A microphone for recording lessons and teaching live. The Blue Snowball is about $50. The Blue Yeti is a step up.
• ​Lighting if you’ll be on camera. The Neewer ring lights are good affordable options running $100-$130
• ​Software for making slides. Powerpoint or Keynote are good choices. Powerpoint is a part of Microsoft Office at $10/month.
• ​Software for recording and editing videos. I recommend either Camtasia or Screenflow. Camtasia is around $250.

At Teach What You Do, we believe that an online course is your STAGE:

• for having a true impact (with ripples) in this world,
• for reaching and building a tribe,
• for expressing your unique genius,
• for making money in a way that you control.

To that end, the training here uses an integrated and wholistic approach to the work, giving you training on the three key pillars needed to get your impactful course to market–emphasizing the importance of leveraging your own proven strategies and technniques to creative something that’s truly unique and effective.

At Teach What You Do, we know that while you might create a course in 12 weeks, the work of growing an online teaching business is going to take more time. This work goes on and on as you grow and develop your business. That’s why you get ONGOING access to the content and any updates. Right now we are going on year 6 with 3 complete revisions of the content.

Yes! You’ll get:

The complete program with 9 modules and 37 lessons. Every lesson includes captioned videos, transcript, audio, slides, and workbook.

• Pillar 1 Your Course (3 modules, 16 lessons)
• Pillar 2 Your Online Platform (3 modules, 9 lessons)
• Pillar 3 Your Selling System (3 modules, 13 lessons)

4 BONUSES

• Graphics templates for teaching slides and workbooks (Powerpoint and Canva formats)
• First Funnels for Course Builders (mini course)
• 6 Idea Goldmines for Generating Expert Content (video workshop with workbook)
• How to Make a Visual Framework (video lesson with workbook)