{"id":2364,"date":"2014-03-03T15:00:59","date_gmt":"2014-03-03T15:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jkoch.me\/?p=2364"},"modified":"2014-03-03T15:00:59","modified_gmt":"2014-03-03T15:00:59","slug":"lessons-learned-info-product","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kconsult.services\/en\/lessons-learned-info-product\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons Learned From Releasing An Info Product"},"content":{"rendered":"

These days I\u2019m releasing my first info product and during the creation of this product, I wondered whether anyone could do this or not.<\/p>\n

Lots of people make incredible amounts of money with info products, some of the more successful are Internet Business Mastery<\/a>, Fizzle<\/a>, or the Product Launch Formula<\/a>. So I wondered whether this is for everyone, or whether you need any special skills to release an info product.<\/p>\n

In this context I\u2019m defining the term \u201einfo product\u201c as information that\u2019s packaged in the form of training videos, eBooks and guides, email series or any other downloadable content.<\/em><\/p>\n

What I learned during the creation process was, that info products are a great way to earn money on the side. And that everyone can create info products!<\/p>\n

Since I was working on client projects while I was also creating my course, this was quite like being employed and doing the course on the side.<\/p>\n

I think that more people will start creating those kind of products in the future, as they\u2019re becoming aware of the opportunities the Internet gives us to share our knowledge.<\/p>\n

Countless entrepreneurs prove this business model as valid, that was my reason to try it and to see how it works. Yet there are prerequisites you should know about before starting your own business.<\/p>\n

What Most People Don\u2019t Recognize<\/h2>\n

Since my course is about self empowerment and turning skills into profitable business ideas, I spoke to numerous aspiring entrepreneurs and wantrepreneurs lately. People who wanted to start a business on the side.<\/p>\n

During those conversations I recognized several patterns that were people holding back from starting a business on their own.<\/p>\n

Most conversations were about the different ways of starting a business on the side. Some wanted to quit their jobs because they weren\u2019t satisfied, whereas others just wanted to make extra money.<\/p>\n

I started my own business to escape from my job - and luckily succeeded! Since I got a lot of positive feedback about my journey over the last months, I decided to package my experiences in an info product.<\/p>\n

To give this product a frame, I decided to create the Restart Academy. This will be a platform around restarting your life<\/a>, by building a business on the side and smoothly transitioning to entrepreneurship. Right now, the Self Empowerment Course<\/a> is the only course inside the Restart Academy, but there will be more in the future.<\/p>\n

The Self Empowerment Course is the training I wanted to have back then, because it tackles all obstacles I had to overcome before I even started my business.<\/p>\n

What I learned during the creation of the course and during conversations with aspiring entrepreneurs was:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Everyone has knowledge that can be packaged into a course, eBook or other kind of product.<\/li>\n
  2. Most people struggle with recognizing their experience and knowledge.<\/li>\n
  3. Most people tend to undervalue their skills and talents.<\/li>\n
  4. Most people don\u2019t exactly know what lifestyle they want to achieve by building a business on the side.<\/li>\n
  5. The technical requirements become easier and easier.<\/li>\n
  6. It\u2019s easy to get market validation for business ideas.<\/li>\n
  7. Creating a minimum viable product can even be done on the side.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These common factors are holding people back to start their business on the side, even though they could do it.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s not just about business, psychology is highly important in starting a business on the side.<\/p>\n

    When you\u2019re thinking that you should start a business on the side, most likely the first thing that comes up is that you don\u2019t know how to start or that you are not qualified to do it.<\/p>\n

    Your comfort zone creates \u201eexcuses\u201c not to start a business on the side, because it\u2019s something new and scary.<\/p>\n

    Most people I talked to compared themselves to experts who are far more experienced than them, and thus got discouraged to even start their business. They felt not qualified and didn\u2019t believe in their success.<\/p>\n

    Blurry Talents, Golden Circles and Reinvention<\/h2>\n

    What I told them was similar to what I\u2019m telling you right now: When we take a close look at our experiences, we all are qualified to do business on our own.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The problem is that a job blurs your natural talents and skills - since you\u2019re just doing what you\u2019re told to do. It takes some time to get clear about what you really love to do, what drives you and what you\u2019d like to spend your time with.<\/p>\n

    To find business ideas that align with your talents, you can use principles like the Golden Circle by Simon Sinek. His TED talk<\/a> is pretty good to get you thinking on possible business ideas that are a good fit for you.<\/p>\n

    Every time when we\u2019re engaging in our passions, we\u2019re gathering knowledge we can package into info products and sell online. My friend and business coach AJ Amyx shared a great technique<\/a> to get clear about your skills, talents and expertise, that you can use to start a business on your own.<\/p>\n

    To create a successful side business, you don\u2019t need to reinvent the wheel. You just need to get yourself out there and share your story with an audience that might be interested in what you\u2019re offering.<\/p>\n

    Regardless of what skills you have, you\u2019re not the only person online that\u2019s interested in your field. Starting a side business means that you have to find people with similar interests and answer their questions. You need to add value to the ongoing discussions.<\/p>\n

    Of course, there is more to creating a business on the side or releasing an info product than just adding value to ongoing discussions, but that\u2019s the foundation.<\/p>\n

    I\u2019m going to cover the launch of my course in more detail later on, but for now I just want you to understand that you can release an info product yourself and successfully start a business on the side!<\/p>\n

    Further Reading<\/h2>\n

    If I got you interested in this topic, here are more links for you to explore:<\/p>\n