I know a lot of people are curious about our recent launch results, so today I’m sharing 21 lessons (good and bad) from our 2017 promotion of my Money Bootcamp, and the details behind our $750,000 result.

Some people love these kinds of posts. Some people HAAAATTTTTEEEE them with a fiery passion. This isn’t a braggy post. When I write factually about income results, the intention is to provide inspiration, but also a peek behind the curtains on what it really takes to make large amounts of income in your business. We’ll also share in future weeks things like what our expenses were during the launch so you can see that too.

STOP: If you are planning a launch and are considering investing in Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula you MUST check out my detailed REVIEW here.  

Honestly – most of these lessons will apply if you’re doing your first ever business launch. The numbers might be different but the fears, challenges and wins are the same. You could use these lessons to make your first $100 or your first $10,000 launch and beyond.

For some context here – this ain’t my first rodeo. I sold my first ever “internet marketing product” in 2004 (an ebook called “Internet Dating Tips for Men”). I ran my first online group coaching program in 2010 (the Raw Brides Transformation Plan), and I’ve been blogging weekly since 2011 on my various blogs (Neicey’s Movie Reviews, The Green Detox Queen, Raw Brides and Inspired Life Formula to name a few).

I’ve made a loooooot of mistakes but I’ve also been growing steadily and consistently over the last few years. As always, don’t compare results. Use this article for inspiration, reassurance and maybe to fire you up!

Here’s some of the biggest lessons from our biggest launch ever:

1. Life happens…so get prepared!

Omg – did life ever happen. During the month we launched, we had a lot of life stuff going down. Willow our toddler started daycare and potty training for the first time. Our baby George started solids, and decided to wake up way more times during the night because he was teething. Our nanny got sick. I got a massive cold, a UTI and hemorrhoids all at the same time (I told you this post would be transparent), oh, and my husband went away for ten days to Europe.

I used to do all the launch stuff the day before, but I just can’t risk that anymore. You never know if poop is going to hit the fan (almost literally).

It’s really helpful to do at least some stuff in advance, because let’s face it – life doesn’t stop just because you’re launching! Don’t leave everything to the last minute.

2. Get support

You really don’t have to do it all yourself (I’m telling MYSELF this constantly). Outsource as much as possible because it will multiply your output.

Get people on Fiverr if you don’t have a big budget, because there are SO many moving pieces to a launch.

3. Sales pages take FOREVER

Your sales page will take 10 x longer than you think it will.

Even with an existing sales page, making tweaks takes so much longer than you think.

So many times I thought I could just dash it out in a day, but good sales pages can take HOURS and HOURS of time.

4. Email can’t be your only marketing channel

Don’t assume everyone reads your emails. And honestly, deliverability is down because of stronger spam filters, promotional folders email fatigue.

You have to promote on all your marketing channels. I just heard that someone BIG did a launch and I had no idea. I only follow her on Instagram and I never saw her mention it ONCE.

People are decluttering their inboxes and even their FB feeds with apps. I personally don’t have Facebook timeline on my phone or laptop anymore, I only use the groups or pages app, so I rarely see marketing on Facebook. I’ve also unsubscribed from many newsletters.

Find out where your customers hang out, and be creative.

5. Spell stuff out for your customers

People don’t always read too closely – you have to tell them really obvious things to do – like CLICK HERE or “This is where you sign up”.

And no matter how many times you say it, you’ll still get emails asking “is this going to be recorded?” – people are busy.

6. Pretty doesn’t necessarily sell

Don’t try and get too cute with design. In your materials and logo, no problem. But sales pages can be pretty plain. Don’t let your “buy now” button get lost in the crowd of pretty images.

7. Track your conversions!

It’s easy to think “nobody wants to buy my stuff!” if you don’t understand that 1-2% of people will buy. Over time, the stats WILL play out (unless you’re doing more high touch selling, then yes, you can convert higher).

8. Book in self-care

During launches, self-care often goes out the window!

This launch I actually gave myself a buffer of 15 minutes between interviews, instead of scheduling them back to back (with no time for pee breaks). Get some meals in, get a MASSIVE supply of water, and take whatever meds/vitamins you need to keep well.

9. Track and celebrate EVERY success

It’s true that most of the sales come right at the end, so it’s easy to get discouraged. Get excited about every single sale – someone has believed in you and you can help transform their lives!

10. Deadlines, bonuses and incentives work!

It’s not being too “salesy” –  People are fence sitters, and humans need deadlines to motivate them.

11. Launch resistance is REAL.

And everyone experiences it so the fact that you have resistance doesn’t mean that you’re not meant to launch.

Omg – half way through, I always want to give up my business forever and run away to live in a yurt.

Don’t take it as a sign to stop. Just keep swimming.

12. Refunds will happen

They are a business rite of passage and are inevitable. Please don’t stress about it. It doesn’t mean that you’re not good at what you do. Everyone gets refund requests.

13. People will steal your stuff

Don’t stress too much about protecting all your IP. Some people will join to try and steal your stuff. Get legal on them if you need to. Put T&Cs in place. BUT DON’T HIDE FOR FEAR THIS WILL HAPPEN. It’s pretty rare and lots of people will miss out on your goodness if you let the fear stop you launching.

14. People will unsubscribe

Unsubscribes will go up during a launch.

That’s okay. You can’t hold onto people forever. It’s not personal. Turn off the notifications.

15. People will get pissed off that you’re selling

People will get irrationally angry that you’re selling something. Even if you’re giving away 90% of your stuff for free. It sucks and it hurts, but it’s okay for you to make money from your business. Some people won’t like it, and that’s okay!

16. Plan but not too much

Don’t get caught up in creating the perfect planning spreadsheet. A simple google doc to-do list will do just fine. Action beats perfect planning every time.

17. You won’t be able to implement everything

Keep a file of “ideas for next time”. You won’t be able to implement everything this time, but it’s handy to keep it in one place so you remember.

18. Incentivize and support your affiliates

Having affiliates will help you sell more because you’re leveraging their audiences too. But it takes work to support them. It will increase your customer service capabilities because your affiliates will have a LOT of questions, and someone is going to have to answer those emails.

Don’t assume people know how to be an affiliate, you gotta spell it out – how to use their affiliate links, how to market well, even how to talk about your program.

Remember, that your affiliate’s money blocks will come into play – the price of your program (and their commission) will trigger their own money stuff. You will also attract different affiliates depending on the price of your program. For example, I don’t really bother being an affiliate for small things like ebooks, but some affiliates get freaked out on selling things they perceive as being “expensive.”

And people love competitions so have a sales or leads competition (we did $20k of cash prizes). We’ll be paying out around $150k to affiliates on top of the $20k we did in affiliate prizes.

19. Mindset, mindset, mindset

I worked through so many blocks during the launch.

Book in with your kinesiologist to smash through blocks, talk to your mastermind, do your EFT, everything you need to keep your vibes high.

20. Mistakes are inevitable (and invaluable)

You’re going to make mistakes and that’s okay! Each time you launch, you’re going to get better and better. Each time you launch you’re going to build on your success.

21. Lastly – don’t compare.

Everyone starts from zero. My very very very first course (the Raw Brides Transformation Plan) had 1 person. My second course (The Inspired Life Formula) had 5 (including 1 refund). My third course – the Lucky Bitch Money Bootcamp had 20. Since then we’ve had more than 3,000 people in the Bootcamp.

Don’t assume that everyone has seen your stuff – launch it again.

BONUS TIP – Follow a process!

Two things were really different this time. The first was that my hubby Mark was on board behind the scenes (you might have even spoken to him in the live customer chat). And the second thing is that we actually followed a specific process – GASP.

In the past, I’ve honestly just winged my launches and yes, still had great results, but when hubby came on board, he wanted a bit more… structure…

So, we followed Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula (Here is my review). Hilariously, Mark would say to me “Jeff says…” every time I had fear or resistance. Honestly, I got sick of hearing “Jeff says…”

But I have to admit, this launch was one of the most chill and most successful we’ve ever done. Thanks Jeff!!

Register for NEW Launch Masterclass (free)

My launch mentor, Jeff Walker just opened registration for his awesome free Launch Masterclass. 

The first thing you should know is that it’s totally free.

The second? He’ll show you everything you need to know to start and grow your online business, including how to create and sell your course, product, service, coaching, or membership site.

>> Launch Masterclass: Click here to reserve your spot

You’ll discover:

• The best way to sell in today’s crowded market (and how even brand-new business owners can stand out)
• What kind of launch is the right fit for you
• How free AI tools can take you from idea to launch – fast!
• ... and much more!

This year, he’s completely redesigned the Masterclass, so it’s easier to consume and more effective than ever before. 

Plus, it’s “AI-enabled” – you’ll get an over-the-shoulder look at Jeff using AI to do most of the heavy lifting, so you see how you can start making sales faster than ever.

Bottom line – if you want to discover what’s really working now in the business world… register for the Launch Masterclass.

It’s 100% free… and there are also a bunch of bonus trainings, downloads, and extras waiting for you when you do:

Launch Masterclass: Click here to register