In 2020, Building a Second Brain and Write Of Passage had thousands of combined students & $1M+ in revenue.
Not many cohort-based courses are operating at this scale.
Luckily, @fortelabs @david_perell and @will_mannon shared their hard-earned learnings, summarized 🧵👇
Not many cohort-based courses are operating at this scale.
Luckily, @fortelabs @david_perell and @will_mannon shared their hard-earned learnings, summarized 🧵👇
On curriculums & live classes:
- "Running a live course is like organizing a music tour, but having to develop the music before every single new show."
- Curriculums aren't set in stone. The advantage of live classes is you can adjust the curriculum to cater to students needs.
- "Running a live course is like organizing a music tour, but having to develop the music before every single new show."
- Curriculums aren't set in stone. The advantage of live classes is you can adjust the curriculum to cater to students needs.
- A day or two before every session, they typically spend between seven to nine hours preparing the next lecture.
- How? They have existing building blocks and assets, adjust based on where students are getting confused, and reassembling the blocks into the next lecture.
- How? They have existing building blocks and assets, adjust based on where students are getting confused, and reassembling the blocks into the next lecture.
On the importance of alumni mentors:
- "The person you want to learn from is not the huge 'summit of Mount Everest' expert. You want to learn from someone who’s a couple of steps ahead of you. Who’s a little bit further on the path."
- "The person you want to learn from is not the huge 'summit of Mount Everest' expert. You want to learn from someone who’s a couple of steps ahead of you. Who’s a little bit further on the path."
- Mentors teach an hour of live sessions for an hour each week, and take the weight off the lead instructor and provide.
- Students also feel more belonging because they get to choose which mentor they'd like to learn from, based on their unique specialities/personalities.
- Students also feel more belonging because they get to choose which mentor they'd like to learn from, based on their unique specialities/personalities.
On organic student connections and groups:
- David and Tiago don't want the gatekeepers on their courses. They want to create a culture that lives far beyond them.
- They encourage students to find mutual interests, form sub-groups, and take on unofficial leadership roles.
- David and Tiago don't want the gatekeepers on their courses. They want to create a culture that lives far beyond them.
- They encourage students to find mutual interests, form sub-groups, and take on unofficial leadership roles.
- "I think the question for us is, what can we do to touch lightly, but give these groups a little bit of support? Supply Zoom links, supply messaging, broadcasts. But mostly, just let it emerge organically."
Cohort-based courses can be a full-time job. David and Will's schedule:
- Sunday: Planning
- Monday: Teaching
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: Planning
- Friday: Teaching
- Saturday: Host a working session
Their only break was from Saturday at Noon to Sunday at 6pm.
- Sunday: Planning
- Monday: Teaching
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: Planning
- Friday: Teaching
- Saturday: Host a working session
Their only break was from Saturday at Noon to Sunday at 6pm.
On creator burnout:
- "We had the best year we’ve ever had, and we never want to do this again."
- There's so much at stake and it ultimately rests on the shoulders of one.
- "We had the best year we’ve ever had, and we never want to do this again."
- There's so much at stake and it ultimately rests on the shoulders of one.
- Creator businesses are tied to the individual creator. If the creator doesn't work, the business stalls.
- Their cohort-based courses take 10 to 13 weeks to put on.
- This highlights the importance of leveraging people, systems, and software.
- Their cohort-based courses take 10 to 13 weeks to put on.
- This highlights the importance of leveraging people, systems, and software.
On scaling cohorts:
- "The first one I ever did was 30 people. That’s completely different from 60, to 100, to 200 people. The dynamic changes from each 50 to 100 people, just like it does in the physical world."
- "The first one I ever did was 30 people. That’s completely different from 60, to 100, to 200 people. The dynamic changes from each 50 to 100 people, just like it does in the physical world."
- The last BASB cohort involved 50 people to run it across the core team, contractors, alumni mentors, assistants, & affiliate partners.
- Hundreds of students per cohort forced innovation. E.g. hitting the limits of Zoom's breakout rooms lead them to figure out mentor sessions.
- Hundreds of students per cohort forced innovation. E.g. hitting the limits of Zoom's breakout rooms lead them to figure out mentor sessions.
On cohort student caps:
- Running cohorts is not a zero marginal cost game. David is capping WOP at 350 students.
- Why? Online writing requires feedback, editing, help from others, so tight relationships are extremely important.
- Running cohorts is not a zero marginal cost game. David is capping WOP at 350 students.
- Why? Online writing requires feedback, editing, help from others, so tight relationships are extremely important.
- With mentors, he believes that's the right size for his type of course.
- However, BASB doesn't require that same type of peer feedback. The last cohort had 1,100 students.
- However, BASB doesn't require that same type of peer feedback. The last cohort had 1,100 students.
On live session structure:
- Scarcity forces focus. David uses constraints and gives students slightly not enough time.
- They never do the same thing for more than 15 minutes.
- Scarcity forces focus. David uses constraints and gives students slightly not enough time.
- They never do the same thing for more than 15 minutes.
- David will deliver a short lecture, then jump to a group discussion, then silent work time, and then they go into breakout rooms.
- "My goal is for people to end the 90-min session and say, 'How was that 90 minutes? How did that go by so fast?' Because they were so focused."
- "My goal is for people to end the 90-min session and say, 'How was that 90 minutes? How did that go by so fast?' Because they were so focused."
On communities:
- "Communities are so fashionable right now. And when I look at them, they feel sterile."
- The hypothesis is they aren't oriented around a shared goal and struggle. BSB/WOP breed community because they're hard, and students work in sync towards a shared goal.
- "Communities are so fashionable right now. And when I look at them, they feel sterile."
- The hypothesis is they aren't oriented around a shared goal and struggle. BSB/WOP breed community because they're hard, and students work in sync towards a shared goal.
"So while everyone is trying to make communities that you can opt-in/out of, that are frictionless, I want to make a community that’s fricking hard to be a part of. Where people have to fight. They get to be warriors together, but because of that, friendships are formed."
On "choose your own adventure" success paths for students:
- Students are busy and life will inevitably get in the way. They might miss some sessions or not spend much time in the community.
- Students are busy and life will inevitably get in the way. They might miss some sessions or not spend much time in the community.
- "How do we make a clear minimum viable success path?"
- "How can we simultaneously provide options where people can go all in, but also give an option for the shortest line from A to B?"
- "How can we simultaneously provide options where people can go all in, but also give an option for the shortest line from A to B?"
You can listen to the full 1:44 podcast here:
perell.com/podcast/tiago-…
perell.com/podcast/tiago-…
If you liked this thread and want to learn more about the creator economy:
1. Follow me @ryangum
2. Subscribe to my newsletter: ryangum.com
1. Follow me @ryangum
2. Subscribe to my newsletter: ryangum.com
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