How did you get into being an online course provider / how did your business start?

As a chef, I noticed a lot of people who were in the bacon industry struggle with things such as how to get business out there, how to get sales, how to talk about their business, and how to stand out in a saturated market.

I got inspired by this and started simply by sharing on social media some tips, tricks, and lessons through Periscope (an American live video streaming app). I would go live, and share recipes, my struggles, what my day is like, and anything in the baking arena.

I always have had a passion for business. After I graduated in Food Service Management, I managed other businesses such as the “Great American Cookie” company and “Sam’s Wholesale”, so the manager portion of it has always been there for me more than just the pastry.

Why is your course/membership better / different than the other solutions/courses out there?

I think what makes my membership the BEST is because I have other speakers and I’m very, very passionate about the people who I have come and speak to my students.

I learned from my past mistakes and have been able to restart and give my students the best of what they need, to help them succeed.

Although I run my own membership, I have six and seven-figure industry speakers who come and speak to her students.

We’ve had food network personalities and popular bloggers come, I’ve partnered with the company Yelp and had renowned photographers come and show my students how to position themselves.

I also have a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) on standby who answers all the pricing questions. I also worked with a baked diary, which also assisted my students.

Do you pay your guest speakers or do they come in complementary and get an opportunity to get in front of your audience?

Although it’s a paid thing, I had some complimentary. But I don’t mind paying. I know that other people excel in other areas like Yelp. So having them come and take not just one but two classes for my students is like a connection that is priceless.

What does your membership look like?

The membership is based on four sets

1. Community – an active private Facebook community where someone asks questions every single day and someone is sharing a win.
2. Coaching – every single month, my students get 45 minutes to 2.5 hours of coaching calls with me.
3. Curriculum – there’s a database of over 20 plus courses already available for my students. Everybody gets a success path of a class recommendation whenever new memberships come in so that no one is struggling. Most of my classes run an average of anywhere between an hour and 15 minutes.
4. Captions – I outsource a copywriter where my students get social media captions every single month so that they can show up consistently.

Text Messaging: Community 

Course Platform: Thinkific

My classes are hosted on the platform, and I was once featured as one of Thinkific‘s top 20 course creators and trends reports as well. 

Emails: Ascend

How many members do you have these days?

I have over 220 members now, this membership started last January 16, 2021.

I had a membership previously for about four years. That membership when I left, had about 160. So I know some people can get afraid of starting over or just starting teaching, but I walked away, I handed that person the entire business and I walked away when I launched my own membership opening night. I haven’t had my webinar, I had a class and I opened it up to everyone. I closed the doors and it was closed at the time and I ended with 162. 

When you started, how much content was there(previous membership) as opposed to now?

I had students that followed me from the old membership, and at the same time I knew there would be new people coming in, so I kicked it off with seven courses from the old membership.

The first year was heavy because I  had to build back what I didn’t have. So there was a class every month. Currently, my classes and courses are more focused on challenges and planning sessions.

What’s your major source of traffic?

Most of my traffic comes from Instagram.

What sort of stuff are you doing on Instagram to grow your followers?

I call it the Jesus strategy. I believe in serving before you sell. I show up every week and I share tips, any type of beginner-friendly tip, things that I know that a beginner would need, and things to show people who I am.

I consider Content Marketing as my primary source. This allows me to show my behind-the-scenes and what I’m working on, where I’ve been featured, and the things I’ve been blessed with.

I recently started my podcast called Baking for Business Podcast. Initially, my goal was only to get 2000 downloads for my first year, I haven’t even got to a year yet and have just been in it for two months and I already have 4000 downloads. 

How do you convert them from followers into paying clients? 

I still do webinars and convert them with lead magnets. The same goes for my landing page, content marketing, website, and podcast. 

It is like people jump on your list and might go straight away and purchase there (such as in emails or webinars). 

Is your membership open anytime? 

For the most part, right now, my membership is open, but during the first year I did open and close and found out the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Close

Advantage – can focus more and gives work and life balance

Open

Advantage – a lot of people wants to join

Disadvantage – needs assistant such as a community manager or a group admin

If you could go back a year from now, right before you open the membership, what’s one thing you would do differently?

I would have believed in myself in the start before I had a membership with a partner. I just would have done it on my own. I was afraid of tech so it was a lot easier to let someone else handle that going forward. I would have cut it and just lost it on my own.

But I am very thankful for my partnerships since things took off after having my partnerships. And I was able to work with top brands, Facebook, international cake decorating, and more. 

Who have been your biggest mentors in terms of being successful online?

A paid mentor (someone you’ve paid money too and taken their course/coaching program)

• Daymond John

An unpaid mentor (someone you haven’t paid but you follow on social media / listens to their podcast etc)

• Ed Mullet 
• Louis House
• Michael Hyatt

A book (that you recommend every Course Creator should read)

• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

• Hero on a Mission by Donald Miller 

What advice do you have for people just starting out?

Price is one thing, value is another, and then work is something totally different.

And a lot of times we don’t share our worth and our value in the price tag. So people buy you, they buy your story, they buy your transformation first before they buy any student’s transformation. Always remember that you would never have been given a passion if you couldn’t profit and prosper from it.

Learn more about Amanda Schoenberg of Baking for Business

Website: Baking for Business

INSTAGRAM: @bakingforbusiness

YouTube: Baking for Business

Podcast: Baking for Business

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