Step by step how i made $16.4M so you can just copy me

Summary

In this detailed account, Will shares his journey of building an online education company from scratch to a $16.4 million sale. Starting in his parents' spare room with minimal capital, he leveraged trading insights, Twitter engagement, and tiered product offerings to grow his business. Will's strategy evolved to include YouTube marketing, webinars, and high-ticket sales funnels, culminating in a lucrative exit to a private equity firm. His story emphasizes the importance of mentorship, continuous learning, and strategic scaling to achieve success in the online education space.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker, William Brown, built an online education company from scratch and sold it for $16.4 million.
• 📚 He started with a simple idea and a Word document, which he sold for £50, and gradually improved the product based on customer feedback.
• 💡 The initial success was accidental, but he capitalized on it by turning the document into a more comprehensive PDF and later a video course.
• 📈 Brown scaled his business by incrementally raising the price of his offerings and enhancing the content to match the value.
• 🎓 In 2019, he introduced tiered pricing for his courses, which helped him make around £240,000 that year.
• 🌐 He leveraged social media and YouTube to grow his audience and convert followers into customers.
• 📊 Brown emphasizes the importance of investing in mentorship and education to overcome knowledge gaps and grow the business.
• 💰 He experienced significant growth after learning to run YouTube ads and implementing sales funnels.
• 🏆 Brown won a $10 million award from ClickFunnels, validating his success in the online education space.
• 🔄 He transitioned from automated webinars to a sales call funnel, which increased profitability despite a decrease in revenue.
• 📚 Brown is currently writing a book and offering coaching services to help others build, grow, or exit their online education businesses.

Q & A

How did William Brown start his online education company?

William Brown started his online education company by accident. Initially, he was a professional musician and began trading financial markets as a side hustle. After starting a Twitter account to share his trades, one of his followers asked for help with trading, which led to the creation of a Word document that he sold for £50. This was the beginning of his e-learning company.

What was the initial idea that led to the creation of William Brown's e-learning content?

The initial idea was born when a follower of William's Twitter account asked if he could learn from him in person. William agreed, and after the session, he realized that if one person was willing to pay for his help, others might be too. This led to the creation of a Word document that he sold to his followers.

How did William Brown's approach to pricing evolve over time?

William Brown's approach to pricing evolved from charging £50 for a Word document to creating a tiered pricing structure with bronze, silver, gold, and platinum levels. As he received feedback and improved the product, he increased the price from £50 to £90, then to £150, £200, and eventually to £250. Later, he transitioned to webinars and sales call funnels, raising the price to £2,000 and eventually to £85,000.

What was the role of YouTube in William Brown's business growth strategy?

YouTube played a significant role in William Brown's business growth strategy. He started a YouTube channel to attract more followers and drive traffic to his Twitter account, which he used as a conversion mechanism to sell his e-learning products. As his YouTube and Twitter following grew, so did his sales.

How did William Brown optimize his business for profitability and tax?

William Brown optimized his business for profitability by focusing on high-quality products and services, which attracted higher-quality buyers who were more invested in the results. For tax optimization, he moved to Dubai, which offered a more favorable tax environment.

What was the impact of implementing a sales call funnel on William Brown's business?

Implementing a sales call funnel initially led to a decrease in revenue but increased profitability. The transition from a webinar to a sales call funnel allowed for higher product pricing and better client quality, resulting in fewer support tickets and more clients who were committed to the program.

What was the significance of the $10 million award from ClickFunnels to William Brown?

The $10 million award from ClickFunnels was significant as it recognized William Brown's achievement in generating $10 million in cash through his online education business. The award was not given lightly; it required proof of revenue through PayPal, Stripe, bank statements, and company history.

How did William Brown's business perform in terms of sales after selling it to a private equity firm?

After selling his business to a private equity firm, William Brown mentioned that the business continued to perform well, even making a little bit more since the new owners took over.

What was the highest monthly revenue achieved by William Brown's company before he sold it?

The highest monthly revenue achieved by William Brown's company before he sold it was £8,824,000, which occurred in the month he signed the Letter of Intent (LOI) to initiate the sale of the company.

What is William Brown's current focus after selling his online education company?

After selling his online education company, William Brown is currently focused on writing a book that encapsulates everything he has ever learned about building and scaling an online education business. He is also founding a company to help others build, grow, or exit their online education businesses.

What advice does William Brown give to those who want to build a successful online education business?

William Brown advises that when you don't know how to do something, you should find someone who has done it and pay them to learn from their experience. He emphasizes the importance of investing in mentorship, masterminds, and education to acquire the knowledge necessary to succeed.