It really is possible to create and sell a course on any subject. Today we share Marie Schlemm's story. She took a culinary interest, a tragedy, and her very basic tech skills and turned them into a delicious launch.
Finding My Passion
I lost a child in 2004 and the chocolate became my therapy. I needed to do something eventually, I was sort of hiding away. Then, eventually I was ready to come out of my shell and chocolate did that for me. I started making these Truffly things.
They were not well-tempered, but the taste was so amazing. I just made them different, because I don't like overly sweet stuff I like real fresh authentic flavor. That's how I made them straight from the start, without really knowing how special that was. Then a friend of mine, she was organizing a fundraiser for a school and asked me to donate something at the last minute. So, I made two chocolate boxes out of chocolate: one square one, and one sort of rectangular one.
The bigger one had 21 truffles in a chocolate box out of chocolate. It was auctioned off for $210. That was my start.
Sell a Course without Marketing and Technical Skills
Well, I'm still very much at the beginning in marketing. I come from a non-marketing background. I've always worked for other people, I never had to do marketing. I don't talk marketing speech.
That was a huge learning curve to learn, and keep my marketing authenticity. That's been a huge challenge and using technology absolutely, that's the personal challenge. But I'm getting much better at that one.
Likewise, people just think making chocolate is too complicated. How can I do it at home? But, it doesn't take long for them to realize it is very simple. They realize that they can do it and it's just fantastic
So those were my challenges. However, I have still been launching and selling my course.
More than just a Sweet Launch
Before I even started properly launching, I had in my head that once I'm settled I want to give something back. So, I wanted to find a charity. But then, that charity found me. It is just awesome to have something in the background. From the beginning a percentage of my sales have gone there.
It's a cocoa farmer who has been doing a lot for ethical chocolate and getting rid of child slavery starting in his community, He's in Ghana and to have something powerful like that running in the background is powerful.
It's just awesome that straight from the word go, I found something bigger. So, whatever you do there is something bigger behind it. This is not just about chocolate. This is about what chocolate can do to make the world a better place.
It's not just about the sweetness it's, it's about something much bigger than that. If you are going to launch a course, just go for it. Just do it no matter how crappy it is, how improvised it is. That is a lesson I am learning.
Join Marie's next course on chocolate making HERE.
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