Christine Schlonski [0:02]
Hi Gorgeous! This is episode number 267 with the amazing Jane Sagalovich.

Jane Sagalovich [0:08]
Hi, this is Jane Sagalovich you are listening to Heart Sells! Podcast with Christine Schlonski. Enjoy.

Christine Schlonski [0:14]
Well, I can’t wait to dive in with Jane Sagalovich about why an online course might be for you. So stay tuned. If you are thinking about creating an online course. Jane has a ton of amazing advice for you. Jane is a CFA and the founder and CEO of Scale Your Genius where she guides and inspires experts to serve more clients reclaim their time and create a new income stream by helping them create and sell profitable, sustainable, and scalable online programs in their area of expertise. Well, I am so super excited to have Jane here and you should be too because this could totally change your business and your life. So have fun in this episode. Well, I am so super pumped. You’re here today, Jane, welcome.

Jane Sagalovich [1:07]
Thank you so much. I’m excited to be here too.

Christine Schlonski [1:09]
Yeah, I just, you know, I mean, we had several conversations, and we could talk for hours, we have so many cool stuff to share. So I am so so excited to have the opportunity to dive in today. And, you know, you’re all about profitable course creation. And for every entrepreneur, I think it’s so important to have some kind of a course in place, to help them to scale to help them to impact more people in a positive way. And to really share their knowledge. Because one on one coaching is awesome. I think it’s a really great start. But you kind of limit yourself to just supporting this one person at a time. And by course creation I mean, you can multiply there’s basically no end to that. So how did you get into this business or the idea to really focus on that?

Jane Sagalovich [2:06]
Yeah, great question. And I love the model so much too. So my path here was kind of a windy one. I’ll start with really the end. And I had a business before this with a business partner. And we were doing a group consulting model. Basically, it was somewhat like a mastermind. The group would get together a few times a year in person. And it was for business owners. And one of the big constraints we had was the people didn’t want to travel, they weren’t able to leave their family several times a year. And so when we were talking to potential buyers to potential clients, they all loved the idea. But they didn’t work with their schedule. So at the same time, I was so I was brand new out of corporate America. The first gig was entrepreneurship and all the things that happen when you have your own business was happening for me all the limiting beliefs all the mindset stuff that needed to be worked on. And so I started taking online courses. So that was my first experience as a client with online courses. And I was doing that. I was like, well, this could be brilliant for us too. And so I came to my then business partner and broached the idea and he loves to. So we were able to keep the in-person model for people who want it and create an online version of it for the people who didn’t want to travel. And that ended up being such a beautiful model for our business.

Christine Schlonski [3:32]
Yeah.

Jane Sagalovich [3:33]
And fast forward a couple of years later, that business unfortunately, imploded for personal reasons. And I was just left, you kind of not knowing what to do. I knew I didn’t want to go back to corporate. I love the online course model and that’s in our last couple of years. That’s what I was in charge of was creating the programs. And you know, at first thought I was like, well, is this really what I want to do you know, we did it. I love the model and this really a business? And so I talked to several entrepreneurs people in my network and really got the strong, huge yes that not only is there a growing demand, but the way I approach it in my, the way I look at it is pretty different than anything else in the market and to go for it, and it’s been two and a half years now and it’s been such a fun business to be a part of, I mean, my clients are I just love every one of my clients because every single one the people who are creating courses coming from a coaching or an expert-based business, they are here to serve the world. And so just being able to enable people to serve bigger is just makes me so happy every single day.

Christine Schlonski [4:44]
Yeah, I can still feel that and that’s also where we aligned so much because you know, taking on that soulmate client, right, that person that has an amazing business or business idea of gifts that you want to support to get out into the world. And even though you’re not bringing that to the world, you kind of help that person to be super successful. And that’s so much fun. I just love that too.

Jane Sagalovich [5:11]
It is yeah, helping great people do great things. I think it’s one of the best feelings.

Christine Schlonski [5:16]
Yeah, 100%. You said something very interesting. And I think I want to catch up on that because so many listeners probably have the same challenge. You said when you came from corporate, you had to do so much around mindset, limiting beliefs, right and not being able to sell your services and products or you know, even if you sold in the corporate world now selling in your own business, that’s a totally different game. So can you tell us a little bit like what was maybe one of the biggest challenges that you had to overcome and how you overcame it so people get some action steps and practical advice

Jane Sagalovich [5:59]
Absolutely. So I actually never sold in the corporate either. I think, you know, we always sell ourselves in some way. So yes, we’re always selling. I’ve never sold anything, you know, really for money. And I think one of the biggest challenges was selling me and having confidence in my service and in my way of doing things. And I’ll tell you a funny story. This was early in my entrepreneurship journey. And I was just at one of the bottoms it was, you know, we weren’t getting new clients. It was a struggle. My, you know, my financial projections were very, very off and I was thinking, they’re sitting there thinking, what, what am I going to do? And a friend of mine owns a furniture store. And I thought, well, I’m just going to go sell furniture for him. And that, that thought hit me in the face because I’m like, wait a minute, I’m gonna go sell somebody else’s stuff for somebody else for somebody else’s business. While I can’t wait, I can’t sell myself and my services that I know are so amazing. So that was an interesting turning point and visibility into my own brain of that’s when I recognized that connection because before I just thought I just wasn’t a salesperson I didn’t want to sell. But the idea that I was so willing to go sell somebody else’s stuff, is when I realized that my, my block is me is being able to sell my own stuff and the visibility and putting myself out there and all the things that come along with being a face of a business.

Christine Schlonski [7:33]
Yeah. Oh, that’s thank you so much for sharing. That’s such a brilliant call and that really is like an aha moment turning point. And I see that for a lot of people like they’re willing to do something for someone else, instead of stepping up for themselves. Right, and I remember when I, you know, sold my very first product like my very first offer I made for course, had the amazing amount of zero buyers. Because I was like, What did I do wrong? You know, I didn’t hit the nail on the hat. Like I missed the market, so to speak, I didn’t have what people wanted. And, and so I really had to shift into that idea like, Where could I be of service? Like, what could I really? Like? What gifts would I have to share? What did I learn on my journey, and then things became so much easier because all of a sudden, I figured, well, I can sell for someone else pretty successful. But now I’m putting a price tag on myself. And I make it up. Like I create the thing. It’s not I’m not getting told but this is what we have. And this is what it costs and now you’re selling it. And that was a big shift for me too. And I remember how empowering it was when I woke up the morning I had made an offer the night before, and I put like you know an order form on the sales page and I have my variable first $97 in my bank account that was so empowering. And I totally can see that with entrepreneurs all over the globe that they love what they do they want to be successful, but that selling piece is really in the way. So I love how you recognize what was going on, and how you could turn it around.

Jane Sagalovich [9:22]
Absolutely. Anyone of you knows what, one piece of feedback or a piece of advice that I’ve heard about this that helped me really change my perspective on it is it’s about us. The fear is when we make it about us and like you said when we make it about service, it’s when it shifts, you know, my fears and my inability to sell myself is all about me. It has not so how do I get out of my own way so that I can help people which is my ultimate goal?

Christine Schlonski [9:52]
Yeah, yeah, totally. And you know, for people who are listening who might think well, sales is something that just never feels good. stop selling.

Jane Sagalovich [10:01]
Yes, I don’t I’m not selling anymore. Yeah,

Christine Schlonski [10:05]
Yeah, just that serving has these fun conversations where you know, if the person is a match, well, obviously you invite them. But you don’t need to make it like that difficult. Yes. So what was the first course then that you created in your new business?

Jane Sagalovich [10:23]
Yeah, you know, it’s actually the same program, I’m still selling. I created what I call a hybrid online course, which is a combination of digital modules and one on one support.

Christine Schlonski [10:33]
Wow.

Jane Sagalovich [10:34]
And it is about how to create online programs. And what’s so cool about the model is it shows to my clients the way to do it. And as they go through the digital modules and see the way I create things, arrange things, the different modalities that I used to deliver it and then we get on our one on one calls, they get to ask me questions about what the way I did things, so then they can apply it to their own situations really well. So I have a few iterations of the same course. But it’s my flagship product. I’ve thought about doing some other courses. And I haven’t felt a strong urge to do that.

Christine Schlonski [11:11]
Yeah, well, it doesn’t make sense maybe at the moment because that’s exactly what you teach anyway. So if it’s all in one course, then people have liked this one place to go. And what I love because, you know, oftentimes in an online course, we all know that people do not really take action. And there’s like a small percentage of people who go through and you know, I’m guilty of that buying a course sometimes even pretty expensive versions. And then, you know, you’re doing budget one or two and then thinking, Oh, well, it’s not really, for now, I could use that later. And that later just never comes. So but when you have that accountability, that one on one support, and you have those calls, you really want to make the best out of it. And so you take I believe more action to move in the right direction so you can actually get something out of those calls.

Jane Sagalovich [12:08]
Absolutely. I have a very large and expensive folder of courses that have never gotten past like modules one or two that I have purchased. And it’s, it’s the same, it’s and I’m sure they’re wonderful. And other priorities get in the way. And there was nobody bugging me that I didn’t do it.

Christine Schlonski [12:27]
Yeah, totally. So what could we tell like coaches and consultants or healers or creatives? What would be a good starting point for them to figure out if it is already time to create a course? And then the next question would be like, should they like to create the whole course and then start selling or what would be a good step for them to take?

Jane Sagalovich [12:52]
Great question. So how do they know if they’re ready? It’s a feeling like do you know there’s more to you there’s more to how you serve than what you’re able to do right now, so it could be a full one on one practice. But it could just be the way you’re delivering services isn’t really reaching all the demographics. So a course may be less expensive than your one on one services. But it doesn’t have to be these hybrid courses that I talked about. These commands very similar if not higher prices, then one-on-one work because the one-on-one support still in there, it’s just less time because you have replaced some of your time with digital products with a digital recording of you basically. And so you know, whether you want to spend less of your time and be able to serve more clients, whether you want to serve clients who can’t afford you today, and you just know you want to give bigger and more and serve more people than you do today. And of course, along with that goes more money and more freedom, you know, you are able to make more money per hour of your life. And just the model with it being so much more digital. You can have a lot of location freedom to where you can deliver your services from anywhere in the world.

Christine Schlonski [14:02]
Yeah, yeah, totally. I mean, especially in today’s world, right, where you might not able be able to travel or where your clients might not be able to come to see you or where you can’t really have a retreat at the moment. That’s a brilliant way to deliver more value to your clients. And to also give that one on one support. And I, you know, I’m a big believer that in this for me, they are more like group coaching programs, but it would be so much smarter to have one piece recorded. And then just fill in the QA or the hot seat coaching or whatever you want to deliver. So that everybody has that opportunity to learn with their own at their own pace and in their own time.

Jane Sagalovich [14:47]
And that’s exactly one of the models in hybrid. It could be one on one support, it could be group support. And so if you do have a group, everyone watches the module then you get on your hot seat coaches, hot seat call everyone’s at the same pace everyone has just consumed the same information. So it’s really so those calls are that much more powerful because everybody is on the same baseline.

Christine Schlonski [15:06]
Yeah, yeah. Okay, cool. So when we even look back before you started your entrepreneurial journey, do you remember the very first thing you ever sold?

Jane Sagalovich [15:18]
You know, it’s funny, I, well, you know, I’ve been listening to your podcasts. So I know this is one of the questions you ask. And I was thinking about our time together, as like, I haven’t, oh, my God, how am I going to answer this question? And then the memory came to me. So again, this is not something I didn’t sell for money, but I, you know, selling is convincing or enticing somebody to do something, basically. And I was 10 years old, and my family just moved to the United States from Ukraine. And I really wanted a pet mouse. And, of course, my parents said no pet mice. And I created was what I know now was basically a marketing campaign. I put up signs all over our little apartments, saying we love mice, Mice are nice and other poorly, poorly worded things. And we ended up getting mice. So we got two mice, they’re supposed to be two boys. A little while later they had babies and went back to the pet store. So that was the first time I quote-unquote sold an idea. We’ll say that.

Christine Schlonski [16:19]
Yeah, I love that. I mean, I also would love to know how it felt when you receive money. But what I love with that story is that you created a whole campaign. Yeah. The whole marketing campaign into place that is so creative. And I do you know, you succeeded. You got..

Jane Sagalovich [16:38]
Absolutely

Christine Schlonski [16:39]
Yeah. Oh, awesome. What a great story. Thank you for sharing. And then you know, going further to receiving the first time money for your services like what you created like a shared person $97 earlier. I’m quite sure you still have that memory somewhere. Can you talk about it how it felt

Jane Sagalovich [17:00]
You know, we went I always went straight into, you know what the industry calls high ticket, the high revenue pricing and our first sale was $50,000. So I never had the ramp-up of dollars and I think also coming from corporate and I was, I was working with financial transactions that were all in hundreds of millions or billions of dollars. So money to me, I think has a different scale than a lot of other people. And so I never had a sense that I need to go into lower amounts ever just that just wasn’t the way my brain works. Our first consulting sale was $50,000. And that was what was the feeling when we got the money? I mean, part of it was finally I mean, we’ve been you know, we were struggling with that business for a little while. So one of it’s like, oh, okay, we could see this works. People want this. We’re not crazy.

Christine Schlonski [17:58]
Yes.

Jane Sagalovich [17:58]
So I think for me was a little valid, it was validation is what I felt, I think. Yeah.

Christine Schlonski [18:03]
Yeah. And then that’s great, right? I mean, the first time you have that transaction like somebody gives you money that is validating your business idea.

Jane Sagalovich [18:10]
Yeah.

Christine Schlonski [18:11]
Because then you know, the market is not there. If nobody buys. If everybody just says, Well, that’s a great idea, but you don’t get paid. Well, then it’s not such a great idea to have a business.

Jane Sagalovich [18:22]
Yep, absolutely. Yeah. So it was validation of our model. It felt good. It was you know what, at that point, I was 15 years in the corporate. Yeah, maybe six months out. And so when it wasn’t working, I was like, I’m gonna have to go back to corporate and do this thing. I escaped on purpose. Yeah. And so it was validation relief and a lot of that. And you know, when we talk about Heart Sells! and serving mission-driven entrepreneurs, that that’s not where I was at, then it wasn’t until this business that I connected with service on a much much, much deeper level.

Christine Schlonski [18:59]
Yeah, yeah. Love that. Yeah. And I definitely have a ton of questions and I’m so excited that I do get you for the next interview. Because at least yeah, my brain is already going through all different kinds of direction of what you have learned and how you could inspire the audience to, you know, to really embrace sales and high ticket and really go for their dreams because the impact they will make is going to be so much bigger when they have figured that out. So but before we are finishing off for today, I would love to send people to your amazing gift that you are bringing the profitable course topic cheat sheet. So that sounds already amazing, but what are people getting when they go and download it?

Jane Sagalovich [19:46]
Hmm. So they’re getting a two-page guide on how to brainstorm that their topics and then choose the best one for their particular situation. So I always say a good course solves one problem for one idea. Client avatar, for it to be impactful and profitable. And this cheat sheet will help you define that problem, an ideal client Avatar, and come up with a topic that will create results in profit.

Christine Schlonski [20:11]
I love it. And I love that the word profit is in there. Because it’s not about over-giving and undercharging, It’s really about making that impact for your clients and for yourself. And, you know, I’m looking forward to diving deeper into that conversation as well, with our next interview coming up, so thank you so, so much for having been here you go, just make sure you hop on over to christineschlonski.com find the podcast tab because they are also all the links to connect with Jane and I highly recommend you do that on social media, check out her website and just see what she’s up to. And I promise you, you’ll be blown away. She is an amazing teacher. And I love her content she brings to the world because it really does empower you. And that’s what we’re here for. So thank you so much for listening today. Thank you so much, Jane.

Jane Sagalovich [21:00]
Thank you, Christine.

Christine Schlonski [21:01]
Well, so many golden nuggets. In this episode, I just loved how Jane shared her mindset shifts when she went from corporate to create her own business, and what her course creation has actually done for her and her clients. So I hope you are figuring out if an online course might be for you. I especially loved her hybrid model. And so interestingly, I’m working on one right now. And this has been so much fun. So hop on over to christineschlonski.com to get the resources we talked about and all the links to connect with Jane out over there as well, as well as the transcripts, the show notes, the key points. And once you’re over there, you also want to sign up for the Empowerment Notes. That’s empowerment right into your inbox. And then also at christineschlonski.com you will find a tab called experience and this is the online masterclasses and summit I have created in the past and they are there for you to be there to re-experience that life experience we had in the past because the content is so, so amazing. So hop on over to christineschlonski.com find the podcast tab. Connect with Jane and make sure you are tuning in for the next episode, where we talk more about profitability, why this is so important, and how you can create that in your business. Have fun, and enjoy wherever you are in this beautiful world. I’m saying bye for now.