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Setting Up Kajabi

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The great thing about Kajabi is the website is full of training information – here is the current support website – https://help.newkajabi.com/hc/en-us

The videos for setting up your site – https://help.newkajabi.com/hc/en-us/categories/115000403948-Videos

Articles – https://help.newkajabi.com/hc/en-us#category-list

Remember if you sign up for Kajabi using our link – https://app.newkajabi.com/r/ZmeNxndK We will help get you set up.

You get thirty days free – so before you sign up, make sure you have your course materials ready to go. We can help you with that too.

Creating Your Course

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Now that you have your outline it is time to create your course. There are several different methods you can use, depending on what you want to offer.

PDF instructions – create it in Word, then save it as a pdf. Super simple. I found a template I liked, then used the basic template for all of the sections I used it in. That just makes it look more professional.

Video instructions – the best method I’ve found for doing video instructions is by using Camtasia. Here is the link – http://discover.techsmith.com/camtasia-brand-desktop/ You can try it free for 30 days – again should be long enough for you to create your product.

Here are some examples –

Teaching how to do something – do a video of it using your camera or cell phone, then you can import it into Camtasia.

Create a presentation – then use the screen capture of Camtasia to change it into a video.  This is how I created most of the videos in my NCLEX course. I started with a template, put in my outline, then filled up the content that I needed. Reviewed it a couple of times and then recorded it. When I recorded it, if I messed up, which will happen, I just included an extra long pause and then I edited it out before uploading it to the website.

If you’re explaining how to do something on the web you can record the screen while you’re doing it and then edit it as needed.

Here are more examples – http://www.elearninglearning.com/camtasia/examples/

Live Instructions

This could be a live Q and A with the people that purchased your course, or it could be live one on one instruction. Google Hangouts makes it super simple to do either one of those. Here are the details – https://support.google.com/hangouts/answer/3115553?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en-GB

Outlining your Tutor Course

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Outlining your course

If you didn’t catch last weeks post – you can find it here – http://cleverapple.com/kajabi-review-for-tutor-productions-create-tool-for-creating-your-educating-masterpiece/

Today we’re going to work on outlining your course, this is the first step in the process. Once you get a good outline, then you can begin to work on creating the content for the course – which we’ll talk about next week on our blog.

  1. You’ll want eight to twelve sections. Think first of the end goal you have in mind then break that don’t into steps that someone would need to take in order to achieve it. Example if someone wanted to ace their SAT math score, what types of problems would they need to know in order to pass. You’ll first want to jot down just the topic. So in our example we would put Geometry – although we could probably break that down a bit. If you have more than 12 you’ll want to combine the items. You’ll be providing one of these sections each week. If you have less than eight then you’ll want to break some of those you have into parts.
  2. When you have the list, no go into each item and list things you’ll need to cover for each section. You can break these into even smaller bits if you need to. Do this for each section.
  3. Now put it aside for the day. You’ll think about it more than you realize, so make sure to jot down any notes you come up with.
  4. Review courses that are already online – you might have to purchase one but normally these courses have an outline of what they cover. Did you forget anything, add it. Also note of additional things that you covered and use it when you create your sales page.

Next week we’ll talk about how to take that outline and create your course with it.

Getting Students –

Before you know it will be tournament time – for basketball season anyway. Advertise in one of the schools programs in your area. Make sure to offer a unique discount and make it easy for them to contact you – give them your phone number and your website. Also give a time limit in your advertising. Make notes of the time limits and discounts in your notebook.

Business Tip –

Now is a good time to think about what you’ll be offering this Summer for your business. If you’re going to be using students to help (either high school or college), ask the teachers to recommend a few students and then contact them about a job.  Here are some good links about hiring someone.

http://cleverapple.com/hiring-employees-for-your-small-business-tutor-business/

 

 

Enjoy your week!

Kajabi Review for Tutor Productions – tool for creating your educating masterpiece

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The tool we use –

Last week you should have figured out if you have a good idea for a course for your tutor business. If not you can click here –

Review that content and then come back.

We use Kajabi to power our site – https://app.newkajabi.com/r/ZmeNxndK

It took me a long time and a lot of trial and error to choose that tool. It is expensive, but I have discovered that it is worth that expense. My first attempt was using a system that integrated with my website. This worked for a while but one day WordPress updated and then the project that I spent 50+ hours getting setup no longer worked. I tried something else, and then decided if I wanted to do it, then I would need to just go for it.

Here is a peek of behind the scenes at our Kajabi.

If you purchase Kajabi using our link https://app.newkajabi.com/r/ZmeNxndK  – we’ll provide you with some extra support. Here is the process.

  1. Don’t purchase yet. Kajabi gives you a 30-day free trial. We want to get everything ready before we purchase.
  2. Email us that you want to purchase using our link – we’ll then help you do the following. Please note this is limited to five people.
  3. Next week we’ll talk about setting up and outlining your course. We’ll help you do that.
  4. The week after we’ll begin work on creating the course.
  5. Then you’ll purchase the service and we’ll help you load everything – set it up and get ready to launch it.

Questions you can email us too.

Additional Income – Creating a Course for your Tutor Business (part 1)

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A better business.

So I want to change up the focus a little. We had a couple of questions from the past couple of posts / newsletters about how we create the backend for our NCLEX website. Since our blog and this newsletter are all about providing you with information that you want, that’s what we’re going to be talking about for the next few weeks. Today we’re going to talk about should you create a product or not. Creating a product, one that people log into and learn is not an easy process, the good thing is when you have finished it, then it is done and you’ll only need to update it. The NCLEX course – we’ll take a closer look at it next week on our blog, took us about three months of working 5 or 6 hours a day to complete.

We update it every few months, and we do the tutoring for it now. Has it been worth it, we’re still working on it. This summer we should break even, although this week we’ll be starting an ad campaign for one of the aspects of the site, and if it goes well then, we’ll break even before then.

So, it is important first of all to make sure that you actually have content that would make a good course online.  The history of our NCLEX course is a long one. We didn’t start off with the current one, first we created a Math course… and it flopped, then we made a flashcard course… another flop, then we built our NCLEX course and it did well. Through all of these mistakes we learned things and hopefully you’ll learn from our mistakes so you can have a successful project the first time.

Make sure –

  1. You have enough content for 8 to 12 lessons or modules. These modules you’ll want to drip out to the people that purchase your course. This means when they buy the course they’ll get access to week one, a week later the next piece of content will become available and so forth. You do this for a couple of different reasons. We’ll get into those in a bit. Let’s pretend for example that you tutor Math – you think that you could create a course that prepares someone for taking their ACT or SAT. You’ll then write out the modules and think about it.
  2. Now do some research on the internet. Search for what you’ll be selling. Example I would search for ACT Math Course. You want to make sure there are some paid advertising – if someone is paying to advertise, that means that they are making money selling it.
  3. Create a brief outline of your modules and talk with your current students (and parents) – what do they think about it – they can give you some ideas of what to add.

When you create your modules, you’ll only want to create the first few modules, until you have sold a few of them. That was my mistake with the math course. Next week on the blog we’ll talk about some things that you’ll need – we’ll show you behind the scenes at our NCLEX site. Till then work on coming up with 8 to 12 modules. Need some help, please feel free to send us a note at info@cleverapple.com

Getting Students –

Students should have had at least one test since the Christmas break – now is a great time to focus in on that. An example – “Failed your first math test, Ace the next one…” you get the idea.

Business Tip –

Using high school or college students are a great way to get some work you needed done for your business without paying an arm and a leg. Here are some tips – https://www.eremedia.com/tlnt/your-next-hire-should-be-in-high-school/

Reminders –

If your business didn’t do so well last year or you think you’ll be getting a refund from Uncle Sam – now is probably a good time to do your taxes. If you use an accountant now they are less busy, but every day that it gets closer to the tax deadline in April they will begin to get swamped. I know an accountant that gets only a couple of hours of sleep the week before the deadline and then he goes on a two week vacation the day after. Even if you think you owe, now is a good time to get them done, you just don’t need to pay until the day the payment(s) are due.

Enjoy your week!

How to Setup a Groupon Deal for your tutoring business.

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Today we’re going to explain to you how to set up a Groupon deal for  your tutor business.

Step 1 – Go to https://www.groupon.com/ Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Run a Groupon deal.

Step 2 – click the local image and fill out the form. Groupon will contact you with details about how to set up your campaign.

That is pretty simple. Before I go on, there are horror stories about using Groupon and there are some people that tell you that doing it can be bad for business. Here is one good explanation of that – http://mywifequitherjob.com/should-you-use-groupon-for-your-small-business/

So why would I say that you should test out a Groupon. So lets pretend for a minute.

Just to make the numbers easier we’ll pretend that you’re going to sell ten $10 tutor sessions for $5. So basically this is letting the groupon folks try it for free.

So you sell 10 for $5 and give Groupon half of it. So you’ve made $2.50 x 10 or $25.

Let’s say that out of those 10 new one session customers that you sell 2 of them your normal tutoring sessions.

$10 x 2 (number of customers) x 4 (months in the semester) x 8 sessions a month = $640.00 money for the semester. If you retain the customer for more than a semester then you’ve made more money.

A few things to remember –

  1. Make sure to check out the costs of doing your offer first.
  2. Don’t say you can fulfill more than you can. If you can add ten new tutor slots for a week or a month or whatever then do that. Don’t say you’ll sell 20 and then have to scramble to get the tutors.
  3. Test it and let us know how you did. I’m trying to figure out a way to do it for my businesses. If you offer something that is sold and no one ever uses again, then I can definitely see how you could lose money. Tutors generally have long term relationships with their customers. This could also be a good idea for people that sell complimentary things – like say pillows and sheets. You could Groupon the pillows, then try to sell them sheets.

Enjoy your week.

A Better Tutor Business

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Our goal this year is to help you grow your business. We plan on sending a newsletter out every couple of weeks – we also plan on posting the off weeks on our blog (on Thursday) – the blog is here.

http://cleverapple.com/our-blog/

Targeting the right people is super important to getting new students no matter if you tutor high school math or how to crochet. This week we’re going to begin an exercise in doing just that. We’ll continue to use our NCLEX site as the guinea pig, that way when we give you suggestions and things to do, we’ll do those as well and share our results.

First get a sheet of paper (or a notebook you’ll use just for this). First list all of the subjects you tutor, then list all of the different types of students that you tutor. So if you tutored high school Math you would list all of the different types of Math you tutor (Algebra, Geometry, etc), then students would be Freshmen, preparing for the ACT etc. Next I want you to think this week about what you like tutoring the most or the segment you serve. Think about your tutoring services or products and then I want you to choose your favorite. For me I like to tutor students that have failed their NCLEX, helping them to pass it makes me so happy. Today’s task isn’t super hard but it is really important, so spend some time and then choose one.

 

Getting Students –

Review your goals. How many new students do you need to reach that goal, now break it down to contacts. How many contacts does it take you to get a new student. So if it takes you 20 contacts to get a student and your goal is 2 new students each month, you’ll want to contact 40 people. Now break those down into days – how many do you need to contact?

 

Business Tip –

Need a spreadsheet for your mileage – here is a free one – https://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/mileage-tracking.html

Mile IQ is a great app you can get – https://www.mileiq.com/

Reminders –

It is the beginning of the semester, a great time to do some advertising in your schools about your tutor program. Need some ideas – here are more than a couple – http://cleverapple.com/?s=getting+tutor+students

Enjoy your week!

Some Tutor Business Tax Tips

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tutor-business-taxes

No one likes to pay taxes, but I don’t like the alternative either (if you don’t make any money in your business then you don’t owe any money). Since the last quarterly payment is due this weekend and filing your taxes is around the corner, I thought we would give you a few tips.

Note: I am not an accountant – so please seek the advice of your accountant when filing your taxes. It is impossible for me to know all the regulations that might pertain to you.

  1. Keep records – it is VERY important for you to keep good mileage records, if you use your car to travel to your student’s home. When I did this I kept a mileage log every day, with notes in it when it was a trip to someone’s home. This will be used to determine the percentage you use the vehicle for business and will help you figure out your deductions. If you haven’t been keeping records, then start keeping them now.
  2. I recommend buying a computer for just business use, that way there is no concern if you used it strictly for business (or not).
  3. Make sure your home office is just for business – otherwise you won’t be able to take the deduction. I have a room in my house that is dedicated to that, but you can start with just a corner of the living room.
  4. It may come as a surprise that you owe money. It caught me off guard the first year I was in business. After that I was more prepared. For your quarterly payments (although they really aren’t quarterly) I would set aside a certain amount of money each month, that way when payment time comes around you’ll be prepared. You can take a big hit around April 15th because you’ll have to pay any additional taxes you owe and you’ll also have to make payment one for the 2017 tax year. Now would be a great time to get a general idea of what you owe, so you can start saving for that payment.
  5. Don’t wait till the last minute to try and get all your deductions together. I make it a point to do it every week, so when tax time comes around I just have to print it and take it to the accountant. If you get a burst of business during the year, you’ll also want to speak with them because you might have to adjust your estimated payments, the same goes for if your business takes a down turn, you may be able to pay less – just ask them about it.

I hope 2017 is the best year you’ve ever had for your tutor business!

Goals for your tutor business

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goals

I hope you had a wonderful holiday with your family. This year I want to start a series that will help you grow your tutor business. Each week we’ll highlight something that will help you build your business. I am a firm believer in building a business that will last for you until you decide to sell it or retire, so while there are some shortcuts out there, we will be focusing on building your tutor business for the long haul.

We’ve talked about goals before – you’ll want to review it before you continue.

http://cleverapple.com/goals-for-your-business/

The great thing about owning a tutor business is you have recurring income. You sign up a student and the will be your student for at least a semester. The bad thing is all tutor students have a limited amount of time you can tutor them. This makes getting new students one of the most important activities that you can engage in.

The beginning of a semester is a great time to get new students. Use techniques that worked for you at the beginning of the year. One big objection during this time of the year is money, many times families spend more than they mean to for presents, so that can be a powerful objection. A great way to get around this objection is to offer them a discount for January.

Next time we’ll talk about Taxes – till then share some of your favorite strategies for getting new students in the comments below.

How to Advertise your Tutor Offer

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We talked some last week about offering discounts. You can find that article here –

http://cleverapple.com/some-discount-ideas-for-your-tutor-business/

Today we’re going to talk a little about how to get the word out. Remember as a tutor you have a finite amount of resources. You know how many more students you can have both now and for next year. The first thing you should do is to make sure those numbers are correct. Speak to your students (or parents) and ask them about their plans for next year.

It is also good to check out your tax situation – I know that probably sounds kind of crazy but it is something to think about. You can decide whether you would like to make the money this year or next.

I like offering current clients and new clients something. Offer the existing clients something first, you don’t have to spend a dime to do that, just let them know about the discount. Make sure that you give them a firm deadline of when they need to respond to you. When you get those numbers then you’ll know more about how many new students you can get.

While you’re speaking to your current students you can ask them if they know anyone that may need your services.  After you’ve done that you want to do the following.

  1. Create a blog post that explains your discounts.
  2. Announce the discounts to your Facebook friends.
  3. Contact people on you mailing lists.

How did you get your current customers? You should be tracking how you get each and every one. Use your best method for a couple of days, then move to the next best method. Continue that process until you have accomplished your goal.

We’re going to offer some discounts next week (Thursday) – they’ll be limited in number. If you would like us to contact, you first (probably Tuesday of next week) – then you can send us a note at info@cleverapple.com – make sure “I Want the discount” – is in the subject.