Is tech holding you back from creating an online course? If so, be inspired by 70 y/o Anne who built her own online course empire

• Course Instructor: Anne Hilarius-Ford

• Website: https://thenaturalfacelifter.com/

• Course Topic: The Natural Facelift Method

• Interesting Stats: Sold first time round to 14 people on my newsletter list of 350

1. Who are you?

Anne Hilarius-Ford is a Holistic Practitioner and Lifestyle Advocate who has just moved to the Gold Coast, Australia. Now 70, mother of 2 and grandmother of 3, she is passionate to share how she refreshed her face after seeing a photo taken when she was 63. The face she saw was not the mental image she had of it. She used her skill as a Facial Reflexologist and with further research and trials she successfully refreshed and rejuvenated her face 

She is passionate to give you the confidence to do the same.

2. What’s your course all about?

The course is about Refreshing | Rejuvenating | Restoring facial features using ancient and proven techniques that strengthen facial muscles, clear congestion and improve blood flow. As sagging skin lifts, wrinkles soften, the skin glows.

3. What makes you an expert in this field?

I am a Facial-Reflexologist and Japanese Cosmo Face-lifting practitioner. As I  have successfully refreshed and rejuvenated my own face using my techniques I know these techniques work and are beneficial for skin health as well as overall well being as Facial Reflexology sees the whole body projected on the face.

4. What is the transformation your course offers to the students?

The transformation students can expect is a fresher looking face. The Natural Facelift Method is a multi-step method that works all layers of the skin and below the skin also. Muscles are strengthened and collagen and elastin production is boosted.

As the techniques are used, circulation of both lymph and blood is activated, this helps clear congestion in the skin layers and blood flow to all skin cells is more effective. This brings more nutrients to the cells. Through this activation, skin cells are healthier, and this shows on the skin which gains an energetic glow.

5. Which market does your online course serve and how did you get into it?

My online course really serves women of all ages but focuses on women from 50 onwards as this is the time when hormones start to change and, as their production decreases, it has a big impact on how both the body and face are impacted by this change. Skin starts to sag; it dries out more and wrinkles appear also because muscles weaken.

I got into it after seeing a photo that was taken when I was 63 and I saw deep wrinkles around the mouth as well as hollow cheeks. This got me to act.

6. Why is it important to you to serve this market?

It is important to me as I have been there! I know first-hand and have seen the wonderful changes on my face, and, as a practitioner, I know it works on many more levels than just what the world sees.

It helps the health of facial skin and it boosts confidence, certainly for women in the corporate world still wanting to be seen as energetic and vibrant. It also supports general wellbeing as all projections of the body are reflected on the face. Using the method, all these projections are worked.

7. Describe the moment when you decided to create your own course. Where were you, what happened and why did you decide to do it?

A photo, taken at my daughter’s wedding when I was 63, showed deep wrinkles around the mouth and hollow cheeks. This was not how I saw myself and I decided to act using my knowledge as a Facial Reflexologist. I did further studies and research.

I trialled the techniques on my face and successfully refreshed it. Today, at 70, my face looks much plumper with reduced depth for the wrinkles. I decided to create the course to share what I had learned. When there was interest from across the country, I knew that online would be the way to go.

Try Thinkific for free here.

8. How did you overcome doubtful moments during your course creation journey?

I had no doubtful moments as I had used the techniques successfully on myself and clients in the clinic. I knew they were beneficial. I started with a face-to-face course. I conducted this half a dozen times and had received great feedback. Moving online was easy enough as I knew my offerings were welcomed and successful.

9. What are some of your tricks to deal with imposter syndrome?

As a Facial Reflexologist and using parts of the NFL method with clients I knew I knew enough on this topic. With the course I am creating now I need to keep reminding myself that I do know enough, which I know I do but sometimes forget.

10. How long did it take you to create your course?

Working on my face first was the biggest part, creating the course took about 4 months. Going online happened after that and, as I love technology, I felt confident with how to set it up online. There were 14 months between holding the first face-to-face workshop and launching it online.

11. How did your first launch go?

The online launch saw 14 people from my newsletter list of 350 who bought the course which was more than I expected.

12. How do you structure your launches in general now?

I don’t 🙁 

13. Where does your traffic come from?

My traffic comes from my newsletter list as I’m terrible at mentioning it much on social media.

14. Which content do you like producing the most?

The sort of content I love to produce is to empower women to be their ‘beautifulest’ and healthiest. This covers both how we look and our internal health so that we can live a vibrant and active life in the future.

15. What online course platform are you using?

I use Thinkific at the moment but will soon move everything to GrooveFunnels when it is out of beta mode.

Try Thinkific for free here.

16. What is amazing about this platform?

I like Thinkific, it is easy to use however, GrooveFunnels is a fully integrated platform that includes webpage, email marketing, webinars (soon), funnels, affiliate marketing, etc. That will save me a lot of money in the future.

17. Which features do you wish this platform would have?

Groove will have it ‘all’.

18. Why did you choose this platform over other platforms?

I chose Thinkific two years ago as someone I knew at the time recommended it. I chose Groove recently as I could buy it at a one-time offer for life as it is still in beta mode. I love it so far.

19. Which other tools do you use to keep your online business running?

I still use ActiveCampaign and Zoom as well as Zapier until Groove does it all.

20. How many students have you served so far?

I have served 76 students so far.

21. How much revenue have you created during your first launch, and ongoing?

The first launch was A$1,500 with the face-to-face courses and just over A$1,200 with the launch to my newsletter. This was for The Natural Facelift Method. I have made about A$1,000 since. I have other courses on Thinkific that are geared towards supporting clients, so I offer these as part of their treatments.

22. What are you running costs to keep the online course business going?

The running costs are US$836/year.

23. What are some of the biggest mistakes you made along the way?

My biggest mistake is to not treat it as a business but as a passion. This leads to not promoting and not getting a financial return on the investment.

24. How has your business changed since implementing an online course into the business model?

The biggest change in my business is that all that I have learned and put online has benefitted the clients I see in a clinic as I can share all I have learned for their benefit.

25. How has your personal life changed?

Great question! As I was developing the courses and learning so much (topic and technology) I pushed my boundaries and out of my comfort zone. This brought up a lot of old issues from the past. As a result, I grew a lot on a personal level. As far as income or time freedom, that has not changed yet.

26. What’s the greatest transformational story you can tell about one (or more) of your students?

That is a hard one. My own transformation is the biggest one I have seen. I started at 63 with a ‘damaged canvas’ with deep wrinkles around the mouth and hollow cheeks.

The skin looked dry as well. Now, at 70, the area around the mouth is much plumper and the wrinkles are much more superficial. I still work on my face and still see changes happening.

What I like is that it takes less than a few minutes a day. Having achieved this, I know that anyone can get improvements and/or prevent the early onset of sagging skin and wrinkles. 

27. If you could use a time machine and send yourself back to the time before you started out, what advice would you give yourself, knowing what you know now?

I would work with someone who could help me with marketing. This is no skill of mine.

28. What is your million dollar piece of advice to those who are just getting started in their online course journey OR for those who are looking to scale?

Work with a coach who can help you define your ideal client and support you in creating an online course that is well structured.