So let's get right into it. The first lesson I learned from launching the Coach with Clarity Collective this year was just how important it is to start with the end in mind. So before you do anything, before you write a single email, before you plan your webinar, before you create your sales page, I want you to think about the end of the launch, and what a successful outcome would look like for you. I think it is so very important that we have a clear vision in our minds of what we are working towards. Because when we know what our ideal end result is, we can then reverse engineer a process to get there. This is a strategy that I use all the time, certainly in my own business for my own work, but I use it with my clients as well. When we can help people identify what it is they really want, what that looks like, what that involves, what that feels like, we can then help them create their own roadmap to get to that destination. So it is just as important that you do that when you are launching a new service, program, or product. Now some people might describe this as goal setting. And goal setting is certainly a part of this. But it's only one part, I don't want us to gloss over the power of creating a vision for yourself. When I was planning this launch, the very first thing I did was to sit down, shut off all of my reminders, turn off all of my notifications. And then I envisioned in my mind what a successful launch outcome not only would look like but what would it feel like? What sensations and emotions and feelings would come up for me knowing that I had accomplished a successful launch? What would indicate to me that my launch had been successful? What would be different? What would be the same? What would the outcome be? So I spent some time really envisioning what that would look like. And then I allowed that vision to inform my goal setting. Now when it comes to something like a launch, I find it really helpful to take a good, better, best or GBB approach to goal setting. Now I know that this approach has been around for a very long time. I was introduced to it by my friend and colleague Megan Hale, who talks about GBB goals all the time. And I absolutely love using the GBB process when it comes to goal setting, because that allows you to create a range of what your ideal outcomes would look like. So for the most recent launch of the Coach with Clarity Collective, I set GBB goals around enrollment, I knew that if a certain number of people enrolled, that would more than cover the costs of my launch. And it would also allow for enough sustainable recurring revenue so that I could pay my bills and be in a good place. So that was my good goal. Once I knew what that good goal was, then I could push the boundaries a little bit. And I could think about what a better goal would be. Now, for me, my better goal is still a bit of a stretch goal, it's going to take some work, some effort, and maybe a little bit of luck to hit that better goal. But when I hit that better goal, then I'm going to be really well positioned for future growth. And then finally, my best goal that is shoot for the moon, blow it out of the water, highly unlikely that it's going to happen. But oh my goodness, wouldn't it be incredible if it did. And so that is truly a stretch goal.

So I had that in place when I was conceptualizing how I wanted the launch to flow. I knew what my vision was of an ideal outcome. And I had set good, better and best goals for myself around enrollment. Now those GPB goals, I didn't just pull numbers out of the sky. Those goals were based on my audience size, I knew how many people were on my email list. I knew how many people followed me on social media. And I also knew how many people were in my private Facebook group. So I took all of those numbers together. But honestly, I really prioritized the number of email subscribers, because so much of my launch was going to be communicated through email. So while I certainly factored in my social media reach, I primarily relied on the size of my email list to help me determine my good, better, best goals. When we're looking at conversion rates, so the rate of people who subscribe to your program or service, we typically see 1-3% conversion rates off email list as being pretty good, industry wide. So in my case, I actually set my better goal as 1% of my email list size, I then set my good goal at a half percent. And I set my best goal at 2%. Now I know that might sound small that only half a percent of my email list, signing up would actually be my good goal. But I also needed to factor in that some of the people on my email list were already members of the Collective. Other people were involved in other programs of mine, or were private coaching clients who may not be interested in a group program. And then even still, some people on my list, were already familiar with this program, and have decided for whatever reason not to participate. So I knew that even though I had a decent list size, many of those people either were already enrolled or already exposed to it. So I decided to be a little conservative in my goal setting. And I went with half a percent as my good goal, 1% for better, and 2% for best. So that is lesson number one from launching, start with the end in mind, both from a place of creating a vision of your ideal outcome, and then creating realistic goals that you can work towards in your launch. Now whether those goals are enrollment, revenue, whatever that looks like, as long as it holds meaning for you, and you have some data to back up your predictions, you are on the right track. 

Now the second thing I learned while launching was just how important it is to consider your prospective clients experience throughout the launch. Now, my launch was multi-phased, which I'm going to talk a little bit more about in a minute. But let's talk about the final phase of my launch as an example. I ran a free masterclass all about The One Tool You Need to Create a

Sustainable, Prosperous Coaching Practice (Without The Overwhelm!). And I knew that after people attended the masterclass, they would then receive a series of emails from me reminding them that the Collective is open, that they get all of these amazing things when they join, and here's the deadline. So I really put myself in the shoes of my prospective clients, my potential new members of the Collective, and I asked myself, “How do I want them to feel through this launch process?” I had already spent a good amount of time thinking about how I wanted to feel as I was envisioning my ideal outcome, but I also wanted to think about their feelings and their experience through through this launch process. Well, first and foremost, I wanted them to feel informed. I wanted them to come to my masterclass and walk away, knowing a new tool and how to apply it immediately in their business. It was really important to me. And it remains important to me that when someone engages with me, they leave that experience feeling like it was enriching, rewarding and worth their time. So even if they decided not to join the Collective, I wanted them to attend the mastermind and feel like they really got value out of the time they spent with me. So being informed was really important to me. And then also in my email sequence, I wanted them to feel respected. Now, of course, the reason that I am sending a series of emails after a free event is because I do want people to join my program. And I want them to join my program, because I know how powerful it is, I know how helpful it can be. And I know it's often the missing piece for people who are looking to achieve a certain transformation in their coaching business, and in how they practice the art of coaching. So I believe really strongly in my program, which is why I don't have a problem talking about it and inviting people to join. And I also know that when not done well, sales emails can feel pushy, aggressive, even argumentative. Sometimes they rely on false scarcity, or urgency. And I knew that that was not what I wanted to infuse into my emails. I wanted people to feel excited, inspired, hopeful, optimistic. And I wanted them to see my program as something that would augment their existing skill sets. I wanted it to be a want not a need. To me approaching it from that perspective, felt very respectful of my potential clients time. And it felt in integrity with how I want to show up in my business. So that was the second lesson that I learned from this launch and one that I really want to share with you because I think it's so important that we consider our clients experience throughout the launch process. In every single thing we do from every email we send, to our sales pages, to any events that we hold, promoting the program, whatever it is, do not lose sight of your clients experience as you are implementing your launch plan. 

Okay, so now let's move to the third lesson I learned from launching. And that is give yourself more time than you think you'll need. Especially if this is your first launch. There is a lot that goes into launching a program. And even though I had done launches before, this particular launch of the Coach with Clarity Collective included a rebrand because I had changed the program's name, it included some minor changes to the flow and structure. And it included more than one phase of the launch. I spent February launching to the people who opted into the waitlist for the Collective. And then I spent March launching to the general public. So I essentially had two launches rolled into one. And I knew that it was going to take me some time to prepare everything I needed for both phases of the launch. I actually started back in December of 2021 preparing for this launch. So I gave myself four full months to plan, prepare and implement. And believe me, I know that sounds like a long time, 120 days. And I will talk about that in my seventh and final lesson in just a few minutes. But I will say I really appreciated the fact that I gave myself four full months to plan and prepare and ultimately implement this launch, it felt spacious. And I felt like I had plenty of time to get everything done. Because there was a lot to get done. I also created a calendar, so I knew what needed to be done. And I gave myself not just specific due dates, but actually a window in which a given task or project needed to be completed. I really wanted this particular launch to have a sense of flow and ease. And so for me having a window in which work needed to be done by versus a final date allowed me some flexibility as I worked on the launch. So for me that worked really, really well. Now this is something that might work differently for different people. Your mileage may vary, but think about whether you're someone who works better to a specific deadline, or if you prefer to have a little bit of movement and flexibility in your due dates. But regardless of what you choose, I do recommend having a master list of all of the tasks that need to happen for your launch and having an idea around when they need to be done. That will help keep you on track and it will also limit your focus so that you're not worrying about things that are going to come two weeks, four weeks, eight weeks down the road. You are only responsible for handling whatever is due during this current window. I actually found having a system like that really reduced my overall anxiety and overwhelm. And it was so relieving to know you know what, “This week, all I have to do is write to emails, everything else, there's a time and a plan for it. This week, all I have to do is what's right in front of me.” So, lesson number three, give yourself more time than you'll think you'll need. And be sure that you have a schedule to go with it. 

The fourth lesson I learned during this last launch was just how valuable it can be to have a beta phase within your launch. So let me talk a little bit about what I mean by a beta phase, you may be familiar with the term beta, you may have heard of a beta program. And essentially I think about the beta phase as being a testing phase. And it's a testing phase with the people that we want to serve. And it allows us to fine tune our processes and our methods before we launch it to a larger audience. So for this launch, I actually included a beta phase. And that was the month of February where I launched only to the people on my waitlist. So I had about about 90 people on my waitlist that had signed up from when the Collective closed on September 30th of last year through February. And so I decided that before I did a big launch, before I publicized my masterclass and sent a bunch of emails to everyone on my list, I was going to focus exclusively on those 90 people who had said, “Hey, I might be interested in this.” So I spent the month of January working on my email sequence that I would send to members of the waitlist, it introduced the Collective, it let them know that the doors were open, it shared all of the features and benefits that you get from being a member, I shared some testimonials, I told some personal stories, I had a series of I think it was probably 8 to 10 emails that I sent over probably about a 10 to 14 day window, inviting my waitlist to participate. And this was so helpful, because then I was able to review the data for each email, I could see how many people opened it, how many people clicked the links through, how many people unsubscribed and then how many people would buy. Having that information was so helpful, because then when I launched to my entire list in March, I knew if a particular email didn't land, if it didn't get as many opens, or as many click throughs. Maybe I needed to work on some of my subject lines or my calls to actions. All of this data was because I did an early launch, I did a beta phase exclusively for my people on the waitlist. And the information that I got through that February launch really helped me when I launched to my entire audience in March. So that's why I would encourage you to consider if it's possible for you to have a beta phase to your launch. Now, it may not look like sending emails to a waitlist of 90 people. It might look like personal outreach to 3, 5, 8 people that you know would be a good fit for whatever you have to offer. It may look like sending some test emails, seeing what the response is and allowing that to inform your actions moving forward. But I will say if there is a way for you to test things out on a small scale before you share them with your whole audience. It is so beneficial to do that. So that is the fourth lesson I learned while launching the Coach with Clarity Collective earlier this year – consider incorporating a beta phase within your launch. 

Okay, so let's move on to lesson number five, which is do not skip the post launch phase. Believe me I know you have put in so much work. You have spent 6, 8, 12, 16 weeks on this launch. The cart is closed and all you want to do is be done. But hear me out. The post launch phase is just as important as the pre and during launch phases, because it's in this post launch phase where we can compile data. Take a look at our outcomes and evaluate what worked well for us, and what didn't. Now listen, if you need to take a short break a couple of days to just not think about anything launch related, I totally understand that. And I support that. In fact, my launch ended on March 27th and I needed a good week to just decompress before I was even ready to look at my numbers. But when I came back, and I compiled all my data, and I looked at my email open rates, and my click throughs, and my unsubscribes, and my purchases, and I looked at my masterclass, and how many people signed up and how many people attended live, and I really broke everything down. That essentially gave me a health check on the state of my business and the state of my launch. I was able to determine what went really well, what my audience liked, what they wanted more of, and also maybe some things that I would tweak or do a little differently next time. So that post launch phase is your time to objectively and compassionately evaluate your efforts. And mind them for any tidbits or takeaways that will improve your process next time. But please do not skip this phase. And it's not just about the data gathering as well, although that is very important. Having that quantifiable data can be so helpful. But it's also a time for you to reflect on the qualitative aspects of your launch. How did you feel throughout the launch process? What worked for you? What would you want more of or less of the next time you did this? What kind of feedback did you get from your audience? What did they share with you around the events that you planned or the emails that you sent? What was their takeaway? So I think when we give ourselves time to do a full debrief after a launch, it's a nice way to put a bow on the launch that you've just completed. And also set yourself up for success next time. And we can examine both the quantitative data and the qualitative data because both are important. 

Alright, let's go to lesson number six, which is get help when and where you can. Now the type and amount of help you are able to access may vary based on where you are in your coaching journey. I know when I was first starting out, I essentially bootstrapped my business, and I was doing everything on my own. So in my case, even though I was writing all of the emails, DIY-ing my website, doing all of my own outreach, I still needed help from other people. I turned to some of my closest business colleagues for emotional support. I turned to my family and friends for emotional support. My husband was wonderful and helping manage the day to day responsibilities within our home and family. So even though I was still doing all of the work within my business, I had people in my life providing emotional and logistical support to help me get everything done. As my business has grown, I've been able to delegate some tasks to contractors and team members to free up some of my time and space so I can focus on what I'm really good at. So for example, this last launch my operations manager, Robyn was so helpful. She was actually live during the masterclass with me, keeping an eye on the chat, compiling questions and making sure that everything flowed smoothly. I also worked with my friend and colleague Jacq Fish of Write Like A MOFO when it came to my sales emails. And this was a really cool done with you process. I wrote the first draft of all of my emails, and then Jacq would come in and provide some guidance, maybe some light revisions, I would take another crack at them, and then we would just go back and forth. So it was a lovely process for me because I felt like yes, this is my voice, these are my words, I'm doing the writing. But I'm also getting the benefit of having an outside expert come in and provide some feedback and some tips on how to strengthen and improve the writing. I was also able to harness the wisdom and resources provided through the Digital Insiders Mastermind, a business mastermind of which I'm a part when it came to creating my webinar and the flow and having people to help review it. Julie and her team were phenomenal. So when I look back on this launch, I really do feel like it was my launch, my voice, my words, my content, everything that I was delivering came from me. But I am so grateful that I got to work with talented professionals to help me take everything from good to great. So you may be at a point in your business where you are prepared to do that as well, where you are still taking the lead on content creation, but you are partnering with other professionals. To help strengthen the end result, you may also be at a point where you want to outsource more, you may want to have a copywriter just take care of all of your emails for you. Or you may want to have someone write and draft your sales page. That is also an option, and there have been times where I've done that where I've had someone else create the content for me. But for this particular launch, because it felt so personal, I really wanted to be involved in it. And so I really benefited from that done with you approach. But regardless of what approach you take, don't be afraid to ask for help when and where you need it. That is such an important lesson. 

And it leads us into the final lesson I want to share with you from launching my program, which is have a plan to manage your energy throughout your launch and after. Launching is a funny thing, it tends to be a long process, especially if you have followed recommendation number three and given yourself plenty of time. And things tend to come in fits and starts with launching, you may have a week or two where you are doing a lot, then you may have a week or two where there's not much going on. And then you move into another high productivity cycle. It can ebb and flow. And so it's really important to have an idea of what those ebbs and flows might look like in your launch cycle, and to take care to manage your energy accordingly. Now, I'll be perfectly honest with you, when I think back to how I managed my energy for this last launch period, I feel really proud of how I handled it throughout the launch until the post launch phase. I completely underestimated just how exhausted I would be at the conclusion of my launch. And this is actually what I talked about a little bit a few weeks ago on my episode around getting back on track in your business, I definitely referenced feeling just really depleted after my launch. And I think it's because I did not appropriately manage my energy for the post launch period. I didn't schedule much downtime, I didn't really give myself much of a break. And as a result, I had a pretty rough three weeks after the launch ended. I was tired. I wouldn't say I was burned out unnecessarily but I was feeling uninspired, I was feeling a little unmoored, a little lost. And I had lost the passion for my business. Now, the benefit of having been in business for over six years is that I know everything is a season and everything is a cycle. And so even though I was feeling that way, in the moment, I had faith that it wasn't going to last. And it didn't, after about three weeks, I started to feel a little more excited, a little more motivated, a little more inspired, I was able to take some steps and take action. And then of course, the act of taking action built more energy and more momentum. And now I'm really feeling like I have found my stride again. But I think perhaps I wouldn't have experienced such an emotional crash had I better planned for energy management after the launch ended. So moving forward, when I do a big launch, I will probably block off the week after the launch. And only do those things that are absolutely a must for my business. So for me that means showing up for the Coach with Clarity Collective every Tuesday for our live calls that happens without fail. It also means being present for my clients as needed, though perhaps not scheduling sessions during that time. Moving forward, I'm going to be much more aware of the recovery period I need post launch because that is a key part of energy management. 

So that is it my friend, those are The Seven Lessons I Learned From my Last Launch of the Coach with Clarity Collective. Lesson number one, start with the end in mind. Lesson number two, consider your clients experience throughout the launch. Lesson three, give yourself more time than you think you'll need, especially if this is your first launch. Lesson four, consider including a beta phase within your launch. Number five, do not skip the post launch phase. Lesson six, get help when and where you can. And finally, lesson seven have a plan to manage your energy throughout your launch period and during that post launch phase. With that I think it's time for this week's Clarity in Action moment.

This week's Clarity in Action moment is all about reflection, I invite you to choose one of the lessons that I have shared with you today and think about how it relates to your current business. And again, as I mentioned at the top, although these are lessons I learned from launching, some of these are applicable no matter where you are at in your business journey. Starting with the end in mind is important even if you're not launching a program, it's always a good idea to have a clear vision of where your business is heading, what you want that to look like and what you want that to feel like. So that's just an example of what I invite you to do. Choose one of the seven lessons and start exploring how you might integrate that lesson into your business today. And then I want you to share with me what your takeaway is and how it's changed in your business. Come find me over on Instagram @CoachWithClarity, or come find me over on Tik Tok. Yes, my friends, that's right. I have finally jumped in, I am on Tik Tok. I will be launching videos in May and June of 2022. But I am already over there @CoachWithClarity, so find me, message me and let's connect over on Tik Tok. I cannot wait to hear how these lessons serve you in your coaching business. And that is it this week for the Coach with Clarity Podcast. But I will be right back in your feed next week with a brand new episode. So if you are not already following or subscribed to the show, go ahead and do that now. Whatever podcast player you're using, there should be a little plus sign or a follow or subscribe button, just hit that button and that way you can be assured that next week's episode will appear in your feed automatically and we can continue our conversation then. And of course, if you are already following the podcast, thank you so much. I am so grateful. And I so enjoy showing up week after week connecting with you. And I would love to invite you to leave a review of the podcast if the Coach with Clarity Podcast has helped you in your coaching journey, I would be so grateful to hear about that via a podcast review. So whether it's Apple Podcast, Spotify, whatever platform you're using, go ahead and leave that five star review and maybe a quick note about why you love listening to the Coach with Clarity Podcast. It should take you about 30 seconds and I will tell you right now every time I get a new podcast review, I do a screenshot and I save it to my “Warm Fuzzies” file on my computer. As a matter of fact, I was able to do that recently when I saw that Rachel left a glowing five star review of the Coach with Clarity Podcast over on Apple Podcasts. She wrote, “I am so glad I found this podcast! After listening regularly, I feel much more confident in moving forward with my coaching practice and the changes we want to make to our program more structured and organized. And Lee is so incredibly interesting to listen to and clear about her message. I have learned so much!” Well, Rachel, thank you so much seriously, you have no idea how much your review made my day. And your screenshot now lives on my computer hard drive. So when I'm having a down day, all I have to do is open it up, take a read and remember why I am doing this work. So Rachel, thank you so much. And thanks to all of you who have left a review or are about to. Alright my friend, let's do this again next week, shall we? But until then, my name is Lee Chaix McDonough reminding you to get out there and show the world what it means to be a Coach with Clarity.