3 Painful Lessons Selling Our First 6 Seats to a Cohort Based Course

We just sold the first 6 seats to our cohort based course.

At times it's been an agonizing process. I've been building startups for over 10 years and it never changes. Every attempt gives me a slap in the face that makes me better.

Here's a look at my most recent failures while making a cohort based course. I hope it helps you avoid my pain.

Lesson 1: Make a Million Versions
The first version of anything creative sucks.

This is true of writing, interface design, and in my case—landing pages. When I made the first landing page for our upcoming workshop it was bad.

Very bad.

Feast your eyes on this turd:

The padding is wrong.

The copy is bad.

The subheading isn't aligned.

When we shared it—people didn't understand what we were doing. We went back to the drawing board and made version after version. We're currently on our tenth revision.

Here's a small sample of hero text and subheading copy that we've tried:

The first version you create will be bad. Don't let that discourage you.

Make more versions and you'll get there.

Lesson 2: Start With a Partner
The creative process comes with intense highs and soul crushing lows.

Working with my partner Yina has been crucial. We've both had times in the process when we needed to recharge. Having someone carry the torch when you're struggling helps you keep marching towards your goal.

Work with a partner—it makes everything better.

Lesson 3: Don't Forget Joy
I got some feedback on a customer interview I'll never forget.

He looked at our landing page and said, "I want more of that cute fox in the logo. Where's the joy?" It stung because I knew he was right. I wanted our page to be fun, but I could see it was still bland:

I went back to our illustrator and commissioned a whole new set of illustrations.

Yina and I asked each other what really mattered. We realized the most important thing was building a great community.

We added the illustrations and came up with a title that finally feels good: "Let's Write Together."

Here's where we are today: https://www.thunknotes.com/workshop

There's a lot of work left to do, and I'm sure it will bring more painful lessons.

Wherever you are on your journey—don't let the pain stop you.

Keep going.