How I’m Using Feedback Loops in Launch Community

Author

Jamie Wilkey
June 21, 2024

Welcome to the 4th edition of my Launch Community behind-the-scenes newsletter. Last week I shared a few mistakes that I see new creators frequently making.

Today I’d like to talk about feedback loops, and how your replies to my emails are helping me improve the course.

I’m also going to share some thoughts on how this applies to you and your business, because I think every business owner should be doing this.

My behind-the-scenes emails have included asks of you.

Here’s what I’ve asked so far:

  • “What do you want to build? (dream with me a bit! I will keep your answers private, I promise).”

  • “Take a look at the agenda screenshots I shared above. What excites you the most? Is there anything you think is missing? Reply and let me know!”

  • “What do you need help with more? The how-to or the accountability to do the thing?”

  • a poll on your most desired outcome (see results below)

As this interest list has grown to over 150 people, I’ve received dozens of responses to these emails. I’ve learned so much from you, so thank you to all who have replied.

These questions are intentionally designed.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of just assuming you know what people need, producing and recording an entire video course around that assumption, and then later discovering that while you’ve technically created a digital product… you haven’t created the right course for your audience.

I don’t want to make that mistake. Which is why I’m being so proactive in asking you about what you’ve tried already, who you’ve learned from in the past, what you think of the curriculum, and more.

Here are a few (anonymous) replies to my questions:

  • “I need to get more clear about how to communicate what I’m building in public, while building it."

  • “I'm looking to show who I am, like actual me on social media. Not a fake version of myself, but me. So where I do want to grow my presence, I want to do so without compromising who I am. :)”

  • “Figure out how to get people to come to me rather than me chasing them down.”

  • “Weekly accountability is the game changer! That must be included”

  • “I'm struggling with email funnels.  But I am getting at least 1 new subscriber every week.  I'm just not sure what to do with them from there LOL.”

  • I struggle most with confidence. With a postgraduate degree and two part-time jobs, dedicating time to pursue something else is hard. I know it is possible, but I struggle to be confident enough.

  • I haven't been able to get consistent with my content. Some weeks are great, some are not. I want to be consistent and I want it to be an easy system that works for me.

Confidence. Fundamentals. Content creation and distribution. Email marketing. Turning interest into buyers. Packaging and pricing your work. Systems.

These themes keep coming up again and again.

The nuance included in these themes has helped me go back to the drawing board and redo a few lessons I’d already included so that I could make them even better and more inline with what people have asked of me.

I’ve received some feedback that’s super granular, which is inevitable when you ask open-ended questions to a lot of people. Some of you just have very, very specific niches you want to serve. Or you run a business that’s pretty obscure.

This is where I’ve had to make an executive decision, and really come down hard on what I’m going to teach in this course – and what I’m going to skip, at least for now.

No product can serve everyone. And if it makes that claim, it’s probably a bad product.

I don’t want to lead anyone on and promise the world with The Launch Already Community.

  • If you are just looking to spend money and magically make money immediately thereafter, I’m going to actively discourage you from buying.

  • If you are looking for an exact framework that tells you what you should be doing every minute, hour, day, month, and year in your business, then you won’t be a good fit. If it was that easy, it would already exist and we’d all be following it.

  • If you don’t have anything to offer the world – no skills, no higher education, no deep knowledge, or nothing that you can package into a product or service – I’m going to ask you to hold off. This course isn’t what you need right now.

  • If you want me to geek out on tools and tech, I cover that minimally. Because most of the 6 and 7-figure creators I know keep things pretty simple. Often, obsessing over the perfect tool is a bit like obsessing over the perfect gym program: it’s a distraction that keeps you from starting.

I have to say, I’m really proud of how I’m going about building this private community.

The conversations I’m having over email with my waitlist, along with similar conversations I’m having with people on social media, is helping me really refine what I’m doing.

My job isn’t to just “create a community.” It’s to help you. That’s why you joined this interest list – you need whatever I end up producing to help you get to that next step in your online business, and the best way to do this is to analyze (ask you things) and iterate (process what you’re telling me and improve what I’m doing.)

I’m going to be adding feedback loops into The Launch Community itself.

As you move through the program, if you have follow-up questions or you wished I would have gone deeper into a particular topic, I’m going to bake into the courseware mechanisms that’ll help me continue to learn from you.

This means the course will be something fluid. I’m calling it a “living and breathing” community.

It will constantly expand and improve thanks to your feedback. Modules edited and added. Expert speakers and instructors will join me over the next 1-3 years.

And because you’ll be the first ones to join, you’ll get all of these updates as I make them.

It’s not just a program. It’s an investment in making your future.

Today’s Action Step:

Let’s now shift gears to you and your business.

What are you doing, if anything, to build feedback loops in your business (or future business)?

How do you learn from your audience?

Are you asking pointed questions that get you responses that you can work with to improve your products or services?

Reply to this email and share two things with me:

  1. What have you set up that allows you to intentionally listen to and act on the needs of your audience?. (I’m personally curious, and you writing this out will likely help you identify how you could further improve your process.)

  2. How can I make sure that I’m creating the right feedback loops within The Launch Community? What would you like to see me do?

Thanks again for your time in reading this.

Cheers,

👋🏻Jamie

Missed any of my previous behind-the-scenes updates? Here they are: