Want a Thriving Biz Without Recreating the Wheel?

I created the Launch Your Biz course because you asked. Back in 2014, as my internet presence started to gain momentum thanks to my blog and podcast, educators started emailing, asking if they might "pick my brain" about how I run my business. 

At first I was happy to help out these fledgling coaches for free, but I soon became overwhelmed with the escalating requests, and realized it was time to create an actual training. Also, it felt good that others might benefit from the blood, sweat, tears, and money (omg did I spend a lot of money!) that I put into figuring out how to create a successful academic coaching business. 

Voila! This 8-module "biz-in-a-box" was born. Basically, I unpack every detail it takes to run a coaching business -- including how to design lucrative packages, attract your first customers, and run a coaching session. 

 Launch Your Biz is such an effective course because:

• I'm highly skilled at breaking big, scary tasks down into small, more manageable parts, and I've organized these parts in easy to follow, step-by-step instructions. 
• I'm not afraid to reveal vulnerably about the joys -- and challenges! -- of building a business. I'll be raw and real with you, because I know folks learn best from a mentor who is willing to reveal her mistakes as well as her successes.
• 50+ coaches have taken this course before you, and many have shared their templates with you. So you're not just benefitting from my experience, but also from the experience of many other coaches! 

Are you getting excited? Feeling scared and hopeful all at once? Yay! That must mean you are in the right place. Keep on reading for some stories from some of folks who worked through the course before you... and for a detailed description of exactly how Launch Your Biz works. 

SO HOW EXACTLY DOES THIS COURSE WORK?

STEP-BY-STEP WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS. Whereas my other courses are largely video-based, this one is largely text based. The reason for that is that I want you spending your time reading the instructions quickly and then taking action!! Each module and activity within it starts with a strong verb that tells you exactly what to do to get your biz up and running. All you have to do is DO it. 

A 50+ PAGE WORKBOOK. I'm not just a biz-trainer; I'm a learning expert! So I know the importance of having a printable resource to walk you through all the step-by-step instructions I provide in the online course. This way you can have a paper guide through the course and an organized way to keep all your notes. 

3 BONUS RECORDINGS. As a special bonus, I've added recorded trainings with three guest experts: (1) a lawyer who walks you through the five legal basics of launching your biz, (2) an ADHD expert who provides a primer on executive functions, and (3) a neuropsychologist who teaches you how to how to read students' testing results and gives tips on how to network. 

In this program, you will receive the benefit of all the years of research and experimenting I've done with students and parents, building my own business, studying with the top marketing experts, and learning from bumps and successes from the Launch Your Bizzers that have come before you. No need to recreate the wheel from scratch! As my mom taught me, feel free to follow my biz-building recipe first -- and then once you've gotten the basics, tweak it in ways that are unique to you and your specal sauce. 

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

Launch Your Biz is organized around seven self-guided modules. 

As soon as you register, you have immediate access to all the content. This is ideal for the hungry learners who like to gallop through the materials quickly. However, they're also organized step-by-step, for those who prefer one simple task at a time. 

Here's the outline of each of the modules:

Welcome Module  

Set Yourself Up for Success  

Starting a business is hard! Even if you're ready and raring to go now, you will likely encounter some roadblocks as you progress for this course. In this Welcome module, we help you make a plan for how to move through course materials and prepare for roadblocks. Highlights include instructions for how to: 

• Choose your adventure through the course, to design a pathway through the modules that works for you
• Identify your inner saboteurs and also your cheerleaders, so that you have support when stress gets you down, and 
• Make an anti-procrastination plan so that you take consistent action 

Modules 1 & 2  

Write Clear Marketing Descriptions and Design Lucrative Packages  

How do you describe your coaching services in a way that communicates what you do and inspires folks to hire you? What packages can you offer that will support yourself financially and deliver results? Highlights include instructions for how to:  

• Decide what niche within academic coaching would be most fun for you
• Describe your services and send your first outreach letter announcing your new biz
• Design & price your intro and semester-long packages

Module 3  

Enroll Motivated Students and Parents  

One of the unique challenges in academic life coaching is that parents are the one who hire you, but students are the ones who receive the services! How do you ensure that you are enrolling motivated students, as well as parents who are ready to let go and give their student room to grow? Highlights of this module include how to:  

• Weed out bad matches early 
• Conduct a free consultation with the student, and 
• Discuss your rates and packages in a way that inspires the family to hire you

Modules 4 & 5  

Deliver Kick Ass Services, Parts 1 & 2  

Once you've written all your marketing descriptions, designed you packages, and signed on a client -- how do you actually deliver your coaching services so that students and parents feel satisfied with their results and you are living a life of meaning and purpose? Highlights of these modules include how to:  

• Get new clients and their parents set up for success,
• Structure a fun, clear and effective coaching session, 
• Set up technology tools, including Gretchen's celebrated "Habits and Grades Graph"

Module 6  

Attract a Steady Flow of Clients  

This module is where the rubber meets the road! By this point, you've gotten all your basic coaching systems up and running. However, how do you motivate yourself to market consistently, so that you attract that steady flow of clients? Highlights of this module include how to:  

• Create strong referral relationships with other professionals,
• Establish weekly marketing routines so you take consistent action,
• Track your actions and results, so that you learn what actions work and what don't.

Module 7  

What's Next As You Grow Your Biz?  

Now that you have all the basics set up, what's next? What can you expect as you go through the next stages of biz development? Highlights of this module include:  

• A month-by-month checklist of what marketing, coaching, and self-care tasks are most important
• An overview of the Stages of Business Development, to better imagine the future growth of your business,
• Guest expert interviews on crucial topics like: maintaining strong referral relationships, understanding neurosphychological reports, getting your legal basics set up, and understanding executive functions. 

WHAT ELSE SHOULD YOU KNOW?

In addition to the above modules, you will also receive:

• An online portal to access 7 modules of training materials for up to one year (and possibly forever!)
• Instructions, templates and examples of Gretchen’s marketing and service delivery materials
• A complete behind-the-scenes description of Gretchen’s academic life coaching practice
• 3 hours of bonus trainings with a lawyer, an executive function expert, and a neuropsychologist

In other words, you'll receive all the information you need to get the basic building blocks of your biz up and running. This like a “business in a box” in the form of a multi-module course. 

Here are some things you WON'T get:

If you've taken Art of Inspiring Students to Study Strategically, you undoubtedly remember that Gretchen engaged in conversation with you in each of the modules. You asked her questions and got her answers and thoughts. 

Launch Your Biz is different!! If you only register for Launch Your Biz, it is a completely solo experience. You receive all the instructions you need to get your biz started, but no additional support. You don’t get advice, troubleshooting, moral support, editing of your documents, and more. If you only purchase Launch Your Biz you also don’t get the option to become an approved Anti-Boring Approach coach.  

If you want this kind of access to Gretchen and opportunity to troubleshoot with her, you will need to either purchase one-to-one coaching sessions with Gretchen... and/or join her monthly Anti-Boring Community calls. Also, if you want the option of becoming an Anti-Boring Approach Approved Coach, you will need to add on community calls as well. 

THIS SELF-GUIDED PROGRAM MAY BE PERFECT FOR YOU IF: 

• You’re curious about building your academic coaching business, but you’re not quite ready to dive in with a bigger investment of money and time that comes with one-to-one coaching
• You already have a basic academic life coaching business, but you’d enjoy seeing how Gretchen runs hers, to see what kind of tweaks you can make. 
• You are excellent at taking initiative and working independently on emotionally-charged tasks (which, let’s face it, building your own business is one of the most emotionally chaotic things a person can do aside from parenting and being in relationship)
• You know that eventually you want to do more training with Gretchen (in the form of 1-to-1 coaching and/or Anti-Boring Community calls), but you want to take action alone first, to get all your ducks in a row, and then invite Gretchen in. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

+ How much time should I budget to take this course?  

Unlike my other courses, this one has very few videos and is mostly text-based. This means that you can actually skim the entire course pretty quickly (perhaps in 3-4 hours). I highly recommend that most learners do this, so that you have a sense of the the main tasks of each of the modules. 

However, it takes much longer to go back through and actually follow each of the directions! I can't actually tell you exactly how much time that would take, given everyone moves at different speeds. The fastest folks I've seen have been able to get their first drafts of marketing descriptions, packages, templates for coaching, etc up and running in a month of focused work. Others work much more slowly, plodding through a module every two months. 

+ How long do I have access to the course?  

Once you purchase access, you have lifetime access to the course. Right now, I have no plans to take it down. Great news, huh? The only downside to this kind of unlimited access is that it doesn't provide you a deadline for finishing. Make sure you plan this for yourself!

+ Will this course include templates for contracts, forms, marketing language, etc?

Yes. There are samples for most major writing that you will do. Some of those samples are from my business; others are the samples that were shared by the course participants who came before you. In all cases, I recommend that you do a good deal of editing to make the contract or form your own. However, I give you enough so that you're never starting with a blank canvas. 

+ What if I run into road blocks as I work through this course? Is there any way I can get support from you? 

Yes! You are welcome to join my Anti-Boring Educators' Club. This is where you have access to community calls -- this provides you direct access to me, Gretchen, as well as a cohort of other business owners who are at different stages of biz development. As useful as my perspective is, you'll learn much more from each other than you will from me. There's nothing like learning in the context of a group! 

The Club is structured as a monthly subscription, so you can save up all your questions and stay for just one month -- or hop in and stay for several months (as a way to provide some structure as you work through the course. For more information about the Club, email gretchen@gretchenwegner.com.

Another way to get support from me is to schedule a Strategy Session. Those are a bigger investment than the Club, however, so I recommend only using it if you really need one-on-one support. Email gretchen@gretchenwegner.com for more information about that. 

WHO I AM & WHY I CREATED THIS PROGRAM FOR YOU

I’m Gretchen Wegner. I’ve been an Academic Life Coach for students for over thirteen years.

During that time I’ve worked with hundreds of students and peeked into thousands of classrooms all over the country. I’ve seen what teachers assign that works -- and also what gets in the way of students’ ability to learn independently and study strategically. I've also seen what works and what doesn't in regards to building a successful business!

Before that, I was a middle and high school social studies teacher.

Before that, I wrote curriculum for non-profits serving kids all over the country.

Before that, I was an egg-head student who got bored easily, and had to invent all kinds of interesting tricks to keep myself focused during school and studying.

So I come by this work naturally -- with 33+ years combined experience as a student and educator -- which ultimately culminated in a method for helping scattered students become rockstar learners: The Anti-Boring Approach to Powerful Studying™.

Thanks to the success of YouTube Channel and my podcast, I started getting tons of emails from other teachers and Academic Life Coaches, asking me if they could “pick my brain” about how I teach study skills to students, and how I run my academic coaching business.

I didn’t have time for a lot of complimentary one-on-one chats with folks, and so I created two more courses, for grown-ups this time: 

• The Art of Inspiring Students to Study Strategically, instructions for educators about how to teach the Anti-Boring toolbox to students, and
• Launch Your Biz, instructions for new academic coaches about how to get their thriving business up and running.

There's one more secret reason I created all these courses: 

I was fired from my teaching job.

Well, not exactly fired. More like: the administrator in charge at the Independent School where I worked chose not to re-contract me. He saw I was a creative educator and out-of-the-box thinker, but was trying to rebrand the school with more “traditional” approaches to teaching and learning.

Turns out, this was the best thing that ever happened to me. When I got over my disappointment, I discovered the fields of cognitive science and academic coaching, and I’ve never turned back!

As a participant of one of these courses told me back in 2017, “I’m glad you lost that teaching job, Gretchen. Without it we wouldn’t have you, your inventive approach to study skills, and all these amazing tools that you’ve created.”

It is my honor to be able to meet so many creative, inspiring and inspired educators all over the world. The folks who are attracted to my work are some of the most dynamic, creative, student-centered, movers and shakers in education that I’ve ever met.

If you’ve read this far down the page, you must be one of them too! :-)

Please join me! Together, let’s change the world one creative study skill -- and one thriving business! -- at a time.