Salome Schillack:

Hello, and welcome to episode number 121 of The Shine Show. And today's show is super special. My mentor Amy Porterfield has come on the show to share with all of you exactly what she believes the future holds for online course creators. And you already know that I believe online course creators are the leaders in changing the world, and creating the world the way we want to see it. So I'm excited to share with you what Amy had to say about this. I also want to let you know that Amy is hosting a free master class called ‘Five little known mistakes most course creators make, and what to do instead.’ And you can snag a spot on one of her classes by going to shineandsucceed.com/dca.

Before we jump into the episode I know that you already, probably, maybe know who Amy is, if you are hanging around with me. You possibly even knew who she was before you found me. But I do want to read her bio to you just for those of you who don't know who she is. So Amy Porterfield is an online marketing expert and the host of the top ranked podcast, ‘Online Marketing Made Easy.’ Before building a multi-million dollar digital course business, Amy worked with mega brands like Harley-Davidson and peak performance coach Tony Robbins where she oversaw the content team, and collaborated on groundbreaking online marketing campaigns. Through her best selling courses and popular podcast, Amys action by action approach proves that even the newest online entrepreneurs can bypass the overwhelm, and instead generate exciting momentum, as they build a business they love. She's done it for me, and she can do it for you too. Let's tune in to my episode with Amy Porterfield.

Giving up your time and freedom to make money is so 2009. Hi, I'm your host Salome Schillack. And I help online course creators launch, grow, and scale their businesses with Facebook and Instagram ads. So that they can make more money, and have an even bigger impact in the world. If you're ready to be inspired to dream bigger, launch sooner, and grow your online business faster, then tune in, because you are ready to shine. And this is the Shine show. Amy Porterfield. Welcome to the Shine show.

Amy Porterfield:

Well hello there. Thanks so much for having me, what a treat.

Salome Schillack:

I am so, so happy, thrilled that you're here. I always get excited for September, for DCA season. I love it. And I have been your student I don't even know if you know this. I've been your student, your fan, your follower, your proud student. You've been my mentor since 2015.

Amy Porterfield:

2015? I didn't know it was that long. But I remember vividly meeting you at one of my events, years and years ago, in the happy hour before the event started. And I will never forget that meeting because it was a transformational time for you. You were doing it, you were making it happen. You were so scared, but so courageous. And now to see you thriving, doing what you do now, I am blown away. So you are proof that if you just stick with it, you can make it happen. And I hope your audience really knows that.

Salome Schillack:

Absolutely. I try to tell them every day that, just stick with it, it will work. You talk about that event, that event changed my life. Genuinely, that event changed my life. My listeners know my story, they know I launched a course and I quit. And then I signed up for one of your courses. And I saved all my money to come to San Diego. It was a very big deal, but I was there. And finally I was in a room with people who were like me and who were doing it. So that was my homecoming moment there, meeting you that night. And I told my friend who was with me, I wasn't going to cry. And you know what I did?

Amy Porterfield:

You cried but that's probably why I remember you. You were so vulnerable and genuine in that moment. I literally remember it was like yesterday. So it's very special that I'm here with you today.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. You have changed my life, hands down. I don't say that easily, but you have. And there's a reason I have hung around you, since 2015. You're the mentor that just keeps giving and keeps giving, and I keep learning. And Amy Porterfield, you're like an onion. Every time I think I found a new layer, I discover more layers of your magic.

Amy Porterfield:

I love it.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. So thank you for being here. You've been doing this for a long time. You've seen it all. You've seen all the changes, the ups and the downs. I mean, when people say Facebook ads changed, I'm sure you've seen it all. What are you most grateful for when you look back on the last 10 years?

Amy Porterfield:

Oh. I'm grateful that I was willing to pivot and make changes when I saw a necessity. And I think this is something that everybody can do but it really is just a mindset shift. When I was first starting out I actually was known funny enough, you could literally blast me out of the water with the knowledge you have versus what I have now. But back in the day I was known as a Facebook marketing expert. I had a Facebook ads program and that's what I taught. But I really realised that there was something else I wanted to do. And I wasn't afraid to say, "Okay I'm going to pivot in a new direction. But I'm going to go all in with this new direction." Which is when I started teaching people how to create digital courses. And so I wasn't afraid to experiment, I wasn't afraid to pivot. But I also was very clear that I wasn't going to chase the next shiny object.

Amy Porterfield:

So I would make pivots, but really strategic, thoughtful ones. And I was still scared at every turn. So I had to use courage over competence, because I wasn't confident in what I was doing. But it's a willingness to take risks, and stay at it, and make those pivots, but keep on going. Like what we talked about earlier I'm most grateful for that, because to tell you the truth, there were many, many times that I thought maybe I should quit. There are many launches that didn't go as planned, I didn't hit the goals. Growing a team is hard as you know too. That's part of growth. So there's many times that I thought, "Hmm. I'm not sure." I recently just saw Gary V posted, he said, "Out of the," he used some number, "270 days that I work, there's at least seven to 23 days that I want to say, screw it. I'm done." And I think that happens for us, but do you actually do it or not? And that's the most important part, just staying in it.

Salome Schillack:

Just staying in it. And through the ups and the downs. And I think, when you're just starting out, there's this kind of illusion that failure gets easier, and that disappointment gets easier. And in fact, your skin just gets thicker, doesn't it?

Amy Porterfield:

Yes it does. I had a disappointment a few weeks ago, and it didn't feel easy at all. I felt more equipped to handle it mentally and strategically, but it still hurt. It didn't feel good. So, yeah. I agree.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. And I teach my students not to gloss over the hurt. And it's so easy for us to look at an Instagram post and go, "Well, there's no failure, there's only..." What's the saying?

Amy Porterfield:

Lessons learned or whatever.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. There you go. And yes, that's true, but also it sucks.

Amy Porterfield:

It sucks.

Salome Schillack:

It's important that they hear us say it. But also the victory is so much sweeter, right?

Amy Porterfield:

Yes. So very true.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. I love that you're grateful for the pivots, because sometimes we create the pivot strategically, and sometimes the pivots come to us. Like what happened in 2020. So I want to know from you, it's amazing to be alive right now, right? The world is changing. We can all feel it, we all know it. I think the world is going to shake off some shackles.

Amy Porterfield:

Mm-hmmm.

Salome Schillack:

In the next 10, 20, 50, 100 years. I believe that online course creators are the leaders in social change. But I'd love to hear what you think about that. And what do you think, especially, from the perspective of us being able to build businesses, and take back power, us being able to have a voice on social media. How do you see online course creation businesses driving change in the future?

Amy Porterfield:

Oh, I love this question. I believe that more and more people, that didn't have a voice before, didn't get to call the shots, didn't really have a place at the table, are now showing up. Almost demanding that there is a place for them at the table. That they are being heard. And it's entrepreneurs who are being so brave to step up. And there's so much diversity behind it, there's more acceptance behind it. There's encouragement for those people that have been quieter, or didn't get an opportunity, or had to fight for it to say, "Move aside, let these people speak, let them have a platform." And with that, there's so many entrepreneurs now, that can shape how we do business. The messaging that's out there, the opportunities that are in front of us. Michael Hyatt said, "The entrepreneurs rule the world." And I really do believe that.

Amy Porterfield:

And with course creators, you get to put your knowledge, your insight, your way of doing something to get results out into the world. And people actually can get access to it all across the world. That is dramatic. And in 2020, because of what happened to the world, not just COVID, but social change. We saw people paying more attention to learning online. It's faster, it's more economical, more available. And so these messages, these voices that didn't get out there before, were very much being heard in a bigger way. I only see that happening more and more. So I really do believe that, we need to keep speaking up. We have so much power there, to change how business is done. And give people an opportunity to have a voice, that it is our responsibility to continue to make that happen. It's just a little sliver now, but you're right, 10 years, 20 years down the road, it's going to look so incredibly different.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. And how exciting to be on the forefront of this change, right?

Amy Porterfield:

Uh, so exciting.

Salome Schillack:

And to know the impact that our online courses can make in empowering people, to take control of their own lives. It is absolutely a privilege.

Amy Porterfield:

It really is. And I want to add to that, that for the course creator, I'm not obsessed with digital courses. I'm obsessed with this idea of time freedom, financial freedom, creativity freedom. And the ability to make an impact in somebody's life. I wake up every morning and I think about the woman, specifically that I serve, that wants more for her life, desires more, is very capable of having more, and she doesn't know where to get started. And I show up for her. And so I really do believe that, course creators, people with digital courses, they can have more freedom in their life to make more money, make more time. So that they can use that money and time for good. So the opportunities feel endless.

Salome Schillack:

I love that. What does that time freedom look like for you?

Amy Porterfield:

Well, most recently, my team has moved to a four-day workweek. Which is a really big deal, because I have about 20 full-time employees all across the U.S. And I just recently moved from California to Nashville. And my husband retired as a firefighter. So that man wants more of my time, and I'm here grinding away, making it work, I'm in the business. And I realized I had this beautiful marriage, with this man that wants to spend more time with me, and I want to make it happen. So selfishly, I started to look like we could have more freedom if I wasn't working as much. And then I thought, wait a second, I think we can do the same type of work, but get smarter in terms of how we do it. So I can offer this type of freedom to my employees.

Amy Porterfield:

Many of them are moms, they are trying to juggle it all, making it work. And I know that burnout is a real thing in our industry. So we did a 90 day experiment, the revenue did not waiver, which is a big deal, we have goals to hit. And so we've continued it for about almost five, six months now. And the revenue has increased beyond what we expected, with a four-day workweek. We do not work Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays. So it's huge for us. And this is not how we've always operated. So we are proof that it can be done.

Salome Schillack:

Absolutely. I think it was Brooke Castillo this week. Somewhere I heard Brooke say, she was talking about moving to a four-day workweek and she said, "If you can't get your work done in a four-day workweek, you need a three-day workweek."

Amy Porterfield:

Okay. She literally told me those exact words.

Salome Schillack:

Oh, really?

Amy Porterfield:

I had to spend time with her in Nashville, a couple of months ago. And I told her, this is when we were in the experiment. This is so funny she said that. We were in this 90 day experiment and I'm like, "I don't know, Brooke, I'm nervous. What if the revenue goes down? And she's like, "Then move it to a three-day workweek, because it's not the amount of time, it's how you're running the business." I'm like, "Jeez. She lays it down." But I love it. That actually gave me some fuel, we're going to make this work.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. Because we've been habitually trained to work. Right?

Amy Porterfield:

Yes.

Salome Schillack:

This is one of the beautiful things that I feel, that's coming out of all the change that's going on in the world is, my eyes are opening to rest. We've always heard stop the hustle. But now I'm really learning, "Oh, hang on. My value really is not defined by how busy I am." And I'm discovering it on a new level. So for the girl sitting in a cubicle, for me I was a pharmaceutical rep. And I had to drop my kids off at daycare, and get on an airplane to go to some country town, to go and talk to the doctors, because my boss had a spreadsheet that said, I have to be there on those days. That was given to him by his boss who has a spreadsheet. And so spreadsheets said, I need to not be at the Mother's Day morning tea that morning. The girl that is in the cubicle right now, feeling there has to be a better way. What do you say to her?

Amy Porterfield:

I say to her that there absolutely is a better way. The only thing that's stopping her from actually making that leap, is her ability to believe in what is possible for her, because she can look around and she can find proof that it has happened. It has happened for me, it's happened for you. It's happened for hundreds of my students, who've created digital courses. But she needs to realize that she might not have the confidence now, and there's no guarantee. However, there's a deep desire in her, that she knows she's capable and she wants more. She just has to believe in the opportunity or possibilities that lie ahead of her. And then she's got to find all the courage in the world to take the leap.

Amy Porterfield:

I remember like it was yesterday, when I left my job for Tony Robbins. Funny enough, I was driving out of the San Diego parking lot, my last day on the job to start my entrepreneurship lifestyle, not knowing what the heck I was doing. And the song, Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles, came on the radio. And every time I hear it now, I'm like, that's my Anthem, because I knew something was on the horizon. But that girl driving out in her little used car, not having any money really, saved up to be an entrepreneur, leaving, she did not know that there was so much amazingness on the other side. I'm talking about myself in the third person. I did know that I wanted more. And I believed in my desire too. I didn't want a boss anymore. I didn't want to be told what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. I was done with that. That was like my biggest desire. So get clear on what you want, and why do you want it? Let's use that as fuel to make that big first step.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. And that, it might still be a journey from there to figure everything out. But you got it, you can do it. So a lot of the listeners on my show are coaches. So they're already out of the cubicle. They're already working for themselves, or they've already started building some online course businesses. But they often feel they're just not getting the traction they should be. Or they're trying to apply someone's step-by-step program, to their audience and the step-by-step for that, it's not working. So for those students that have taken the courses, and they're still not getting the traction that they want, is that what I want to get, how do you help them see that there is an easier way, that there is a better way? What do you say to them?

Amy Porterfield:

So what I tell them is, I have a Digital Course Academy, where I teach people how to create digital courses. And one of the things that a lot of students that come into my world, they've tried many different courses in the past before. And where they tend to get lost is that, there's a lack of virtual hand holding. And I think that is something that, whether you buy my course, or somebody else's course, look for a course that literally will lay out a roadmap. But then do not assume that you know everything, because even though you might know online marketing, you might have a course, you might have launched it, kind of got good results, but rather bigger results. Now you've moved on to something else. There is a proven roadmap for how you create a course and launch a course.

Amy Porterfield:

But if someone doesn't slow down a bit, and walk you step-by-step-by-step through the process, you're not expected to know this stuff. No one else teaches it. We don't learn this in school. So I guess my way of teaching, and what I really encourage my students to do is, let's slow down a little bit, follow a proven roadmap that I've used and my students have used over and over again. And let's just go through the steps. And when you do, if you really follow the model, I have seen it work over and over again. But give yourself a little bit of grace and forgiveness, that you've done things in the past that haven't worked. Okay, that's the past, we're not living there. Now let's get to work, and use a proven system that really will walk you through the process.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. And DCA really is a proven system. I can say that. Not just because I have proven it, but-

Amy Porterfield:

Yes you have.

Salome Schillack:

Because I get to work with so many of your amazing students.

Amy Porterfield:

Oh, I love that.

Salome Schillack:

Yes. And I see them implement it, and I see them grow, and I see how they quit their jobs. And I see how they close down their coaching practices. And they scale it to complete freedom. All right. Last question for you, Amy. What are your predictions for the future, for the online course industry? What do you think is coming for us? What are the opportunities that we can really hone in the next 10 years? What does that look like for us?

Amy Porterfield:

Okay. A lot of the time, if you want to look at where an industry is going, look at what's happening in the mainstream of that industry. Look at MasterClass. MasterClass is only getting bigger and bigger. And MasterClass tends to have celebrities that teach you how to do things. They're digital courses. They're just really fancy and high production really expensive. But if you look at that, it's very big proof that there is a desire, there is an audience, this is working. So now you come to more of our levels, where we are small businesses making it happen. And what I want to really point out is that this is only getting bigger. I mean, so many studies and statistics show the growth of digital learning. But 2020 was a huge turning point for us. It was a huge light bulb, that the world kind of was forced inside. So the only way they really could learn something new for their business, or their personal lives or relationships, was to get online.

Amy Porterfield:

What happened though, is it forced a lot of people who really were not into online learning, to at least give it a try. And they enjoyed it. They saw that it was more economical, it was easier to get to, more accessible. It saved them tons of time. And so they continued to do it. We're only seeing that growth more and more. So what I'll say is that, it's not too late to get into the game. It's not too late to create a digital course. And you might say, but so many people are creating them. Because they work, because they sell well, because people want to learn from digital courses. So don't look for the negative and think, "Oh, so many people are doing it." Think, "I better get going." Today is the perfect place to start, or the perfect time to start, because digital courses are only going to become more popular and more profitable.

Salome Schillack:

Absolutely. I love that you added the profitable piece, because it kind of comes back to the whole, the rising tide lifts all the boats. The more people that are launching digital courses, the more people are taking digital courses, the bigger the market becomes, the more people want to find you, because they want your personality, they want your flavor of it. And then the other piece that I love about it is, I have kids, I have a 10 year old and an eight year old. And they know who Amy Porterfield is. They listen and they learn. And they want to come work for me.

Salome Schillack:

And I have just the idea that our kids will not need to go and sit in a cubicle if they don't want to. Our kids will not need to go and work for a boss if they don't want to, because when we learn these skills, we can pass it on to them, and their world is going to look totally different. And what you said, it's the profit as well, as everything grows, the profit just grows. The pie just gets bigger and bigger, and bigger, and bigger all the time.

Amy Porterfield:

So exciting.

Salome Schillack:

It is very exciting. Amy, thank you so much for being here.

Amy Porterfield:

Of course.

Salome Schillack:

I want everyone in my community to have DCA. Honestly, when they come into my world and they don't have DCA, it's a whole different conversation.

Amy Porterfield:

I literally just talked to somebody else like that, who does work in marketing. And she said, "When someone comes into my world and they have Digital Course Academy, then they have a foundation. They know what they're doing." And that is such a huge compliment. So thank you.

Salome Schillack:

It is just the cornerstone of what we do, is Digital Course Academy. And I am so honored to even have a small part of that, and to be a part of your students' lives. And thank you for everything you pour into my life. I appreciate you from the bottom, bottom of my heart. I can't wait to see all the new students inside DCA. I can't wait for them to get my bonus, I can't wait to hold their hands. You talked about, you have the roadmap. My car has the GPS map on the side. But then my car also has this fancy thing where it shows me arrows on the windscreen. It projects the arrows.

Amy Porterfield:

Oh, nice. Fancy.

Salome Schillack:

That's my favorite part. It projects arrows where I need to go. So it would literally show me which lane I need to be in. Which is a whole different interpretation of the roadmap. So I kind of think of DCA as the roadmap, it's the map. But then the handholding and the implementation is those, the GPS that's showing us where to go.

Amy Porterfield:

Yes. That's great. I love that. And I love that you've contributed a big bonus to Digital Course Academy. So thank you for that. We've offered it in the past, hugely popular, where Salome is teaching people step-by-step-by-step, how to use Facebook ads, to attract a bunch of hot leads, which you want leads in order to create a digital course. So thank you so much for contributing that. I know you're even going above and beyond that, for your DCA students that come into the program, which is so cool. But you're a part of DCA. That's how much we love you, and how much value we think you add to our students. So thank you so much for that.

Salome Schillack:

I love being a part of DCA, and I love when my students are too. Thank you so much for your time today, Amy. I can't wait to see how this unfolds, and I can't wait for the next 10 years of having you as my mentor.

Amy Porterfield:

Oh, I love that. And I love our friendship. So thanks so much for having me.

Salome Schillack:

All right. Bye-bye. Isn't she just incredible? I adore that woman. I promise you, I have been learning from her since 2015, and I still learn from her every time she opens her mouth. So remember, you can sign up for Amy's master class, five little known mistakes most course creators make, and what to do instead, by going to shineandsucceed.com/dca. I hope to see you in the class with Amy. I will be there, I will be looking out for you. Say hello, if you see me on there. And please go and join, if you want to learn from Amy, how she does it. Thank you so much for listening. If you had fun, please come back next week. And remember to hit that subscribe button. So you never miss a thing.