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Dickie Bush 🚢

@dickiebush

Oct 1, 2021 • 16 tweets • 17 min read • Read on X

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Looking to build an online course?

Over the next 30 days, Ship 30 for 30 will help over 600 writers start writing online.

Supporting them is a team of 4 people and an army of software platforms.

Here's the stack powering the marketing, curriculum, community, and operations:

This thread covers everything we use for:

• Surveys
• Community
• Live sessions
• Landing page
• Course hosting
• Internal operations
• Email communication
• Writing and publishing

It's the thread I wish I had 9 months ago when Ship 30 started.

Links at the bottom!

@webflow

Let's start with the landing page.

• Built with @webflow
• Testimonials with @shoutoutso_ and testimonial.to
• Email capture with @rightmessageapp
• Pop-ups using @usefomo
• Copywritten by yours truly

BUT - you can get by with way less.

ship30for30.com

One quick thing before we go further.

The tech stack I'm sharing is one I highly recommend.

But - don't overcomplicate it!

I made 99% of these choices by googling "best platform for X" and clicking on the first one.

Most course creators get caught up in the tech stack.

Instead - focus on the two most important parts of your course:

• Delivering a transformation
• Enabling the community

If you nail these two things, the tech stack does not matter.

The rest takes care of itself.

@convertkit

Next - email communications.

We use @convertkit for anything email-based.

• Newsletters
• Email courses
• Course onboarding
• One-off communications
• Community announcements

Their segmenting and automation save us hours and hours of time.

convertkit.com/?lmref=8JInsw

@podia

Next - course hosting.

I googled "course hosting with referral program" and found @podia - haven't looked back since.

It does everything we need:

• Courses
• Products
• Referrals
• Memberships

Also integrates with @webflow, @stripe and @convertkit

podia.com/?via=dickie

@zoom

The best part of Ship 30:

The live sessions.

We host them with @zoom, schedule them with @lumahq, and cut snippets with @grainhq

We then take detailed show notes, upload them to @youtube, and distribute the recording.

@slack

Next up - community.

There are a lot of promising "community platforms" in the works right now.

However, each is still a bit "out of the way." (But not for much longer.)

So for now - we use @slack because it works.

On the radar:

• @discord
• @circleapp
• @joinathena

@slack

The reason we can just use @slack: We do work behind the scenes to enable friendships that don't rely on a single platform/tool.

We partnered with @trycovalent to create interest and time zone-based matches between members of each cohort.

And it's been a booming success.

@typeform

We use surveys quite a bit both before, during, and after the course.

• Onboarding/offboarding
• Intra-cohort feedback
• Live-session feedback
• AMA session write-ins

@typeform does it all for us.

@samjshore

The foundation of Ship 30: Atomic Essays.

• 250 words
• One single idea
• Every day for 30 days

We used to take screenshots of the notes app like an apologizing celebrity.

Now, @samjshore has built a beautiful application for hosting a Social Blog.

typeshare.co

@stephvalibus

Managing a cohort with 600+ people can be hectic.

But @stephvalibus and @dbustac have helped build a ship that always runs smoothly.

• Student CRM in @airtable
• Documentation via @loom
• Internal work and SOPs in @NotionHQ

We meet once every ~two weeks. Almost 100% async.

And that's it!

It's wild how much high-quality software there is out there to manage every aspect of a course.

But I remember being overwhelmed with the number of options out there when starting Ship 30.

So I compiled all the links into this Notion doc:
vine-perch-730.notion.site/Ship-30-for-30…

And if you want to see this course in action - or want to learn the fundamentals of digital writing - hop aboard the last Ship 30 cohort of the year!

Over 600 writers are already signed up - it's gonna be a blast.

Sign-ups close Friday at 11:59 PM EST!

ship30for30.com

@podia

Ship 30 tech stack:

Course: @podia
Surveys: @typeform
Writing: @typeshare_co
Community: @SlackHQ, @trycovalent
Email: @ConvertKit, @rightmessageapp
Projects: @NotionHQ, @airtable, @loom
Live calls: @Zoom, @LumaHQ, @GrainHQ
Landing page: @webflow, @shoutoutso_, @usefomo

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More from @dickiebush

Dickie Bush 🚢

@dickiebush

May 8

I'm 29.

In the last 5 years, my little business has made $15,000,000.

If you're ambitious and in your 20s, but feeling stressed, lost, or stuck, open this thread:🧵

In 2020, I was making $180k at BlackRock.

But I had no freedom, flexibility, or growth potential.

I took a chance and built a writing education business that has made me millions as a writer.

Here’s the one powerful tool I used to get here:

Bottleneck Analysis.

It's a simple idea that will change how you approach every goal.

Here's why:

Read 20 tweets

Dickie Bush 🚢

@dickiebush

May 5

For years, I failed to build a daily writing habit.

But then I spent 1,000 hours studying the routine of legendary writers to see how they did it.

These 10 tiny habits make writing every day effortless:🧵

First, why should you even start writing?

There are so many reasons to create a daily writing practice.

But this is one of my favorites:

1. Build a daily walking habit.

95% of my writing happens while I walk.

• Thinking
• Outlining
• Observing

The last 5% (when I actually sit down to type) comes later.

Grab a small notebook & pen, then leave your phone behind for 20 minutes.

You'll be amazed.

Read 13 tweets

Dickie Bush 🚢

@dickiebush

Apr 29

I wasted years as a horrible writer.

But then I heard Naval Ravikant mention a 250-word essay full of the best writing mental models he swears by.

4 mental models you can steal today:🧵

On The Tim Ferriss Show, Naval said this is his go-to resource for writing:

"The Day You Became A Better Writer" by Scott Adams

I read it so you don't have to.

Here are the 4 most important mental models:

1. Keep it simple

This is the #1 rule of concise persuasive writing.

• Remove adverbs
• Use shorter words
• Instead of "very happy" say "happy"

This is similar to Hemingway's rules for writing:

Read 13 tweets

Dickie Bush 🚢

@dickiebush

Apr 24

This family runs one of the world's most successful empires—but no one knows them.

With $50 billion in annual revenue in 2024, Hershey, Ferrero, and Nestlé envy their success.

Here's the fascinating story behind Mars Inc.—the most powerful family-owned empire in the world:🧵

It all started in 1911.

Frank Mars began selling hand-dipped chocolates from his kitchen in Tacoma, Washington.

By 1923, he created the Milky Way bar.

It made over $800,000 in its first year—a blockbuster hit for its time.

But the real game-changer came next:

In 1932, Frank’s son, Forrest Mars, launched the Mars bar in the UK.

But candy was just the beginning.

Forrest believed in full control—of manufacturing, distribution, even supply chains.

His vision? To dominate every aisle in the grocery store.

Read 16 tweets

Dickie Bush 🚢

@dickiebush

Apr 17

In 1991, Warren Buffett gifted Bill Gates his favorite book.

Bill Gates read it and said:

"This is the best business book I've ever read."

5 timeless lessons from Business Adventures that built Microsoft into a $3 trillion empire:🧵

Business Adventures was written in 1969 by John Brooks & originally published in The New Yorker.

It’s a collection of 12 stories about ambition, failure, greed, and resilience.

Warren Buffett read Business Adventures in the 1960s, and it stuck with him for decades.

Each story in the book is a masterclass in psychology, leadership, and decision-making.

Buffett recommended the book to Bill Gates in 1991, describing it as his favorite business book and lending Gates his personal copy.

These are the best 5 stories & lessons:

Read 23 tweets

Dickie Bush 🚢

@dickiebush

Apr 11

In 5 years, my little business has made $15,000,000.

It runs on just $8,215/month.

Here are the 7 most powerful no-code tools in my tech stack: 🧵

In 2020, I was making $180k at BlackRock.

But I had no freedom, flexibility, or growth potential.

I took a chance and built a writing education business that is today doing 8-figs a year.

Here are the top 7 no-code tools that made it all possible:

1. ConvertKit ($1,179/mo)

The heart of our entire operation. Handles all email marketing:

• Automations
• Broadcasts
• CRM

We used this to grow from 0 to 125k subscribers, which scaled perfectly with us.

One of the most important tools in our arsenal.