What resources would you recommend to founders keen to put their ideas to “paper”?

A friend of mine and his co-founders are looking for some structure.

He asked for my advice since I used to work at a startup hub helping coaches build programs.

I learned a ton in my time there but there were three instances in particular where I thought:

“Wow, I can’t believe I’m *just* learning this” and “Everyone would benefit from learning this.”

Those three instances map to three specific resources:

1️⃣ The Business Model Canvas (BMC)

Steve Blank, the “father of modern entrepreneurship” breaks down what a startup is and how the BMC aids in the search for a repeatable and scalable business model in this excellent 13-minute video:

2️⃣ The Mom Test

This book teaches you how to ask questions skillfully enough that even your mom couldn’t lie to you (to spare your feelings).

The first chapter alone will rewire how you approach interviewing.

Mainly:
• Talk less
• Observe more
• Avoid leading users

When I quit my job, I imagined celebrating my first year of solopreneurship with:

• a clear business model
• the most $ I'd ever made
• great energy to crush year 2

But that’s *not* what happened.

Here's what did: I started my solopreneur career in September 2021 and had an incredible 9 months (despite many setbacks).

The days went fast but the hours were *long.* And I worked 7 days a week.

I loved the challenge and the learning. But it was (obviously) mentally and physically taxing.

Writing a weekly newsletter was the best investment I made in my career this year.

It helped me:
• Process my thoughts better
• Be more articulate
• Feel calmer

If you want to start a newsletter in 2023, I encourage you to go for it.

Here are 3 tips to get started: 🟡 PICK A PLATFORM:

There are many platforms to choose from but I use @Substack because:

• It's free & simple to use
• Others can recommend your newsletter to help you grow your subscriber list
• Readers can like & comment on your posts which creates a lively community vibe

Most course creators never launch—let alone scale—their course.

35% is a high conversion rate for course accelerators.

Here are 8 pitfalls people run into (+ a framework I've developed over 3 years to avoid them): 🔴 4 Common Pitfalls Pre-Launch:

1. Overwhelm due to a lack of structure around building out the course content & materials.

2. Anxiety about teaching on Zoom & making content engaging.

3. Stress about covering the bases & getting everything done in time.

On Wednesdays, I send a short newsletter with tips on:
• teaching
• online courses
• solopreneurship

Check out these comments on last week’s edition. 📸

Subscribe below to read along & join the conversation: Subscribe here to read along & join the conversation:

alexandraallen.substack.com/subscribe

This quote from @lxoariel got me thinking about my writing.

The more I did, the more Leo’s words resonated.

Here's why: 1/ As a child, I thought of my grandma’s house as an artsy version of Santa’s workshop.

Her dining table was craft galore. My sisters and I would station ourselves around it donning polyester paint smocks over cute outfits styled by my mom.

Students are often our best teachers.

Because they offer fresh styles and perspectives on what it means to be great at our crafts.

I say this having now mentored two Write of Passage cohorts.

Here are 3 students that inspire me to be a better writer (and will inspire you too): 1. Yehudis Milchtein (@YehudisUM)

Featured article: Leaving Orthodox Judaism yehudismilchtein.substack.com/p/leaving-orth…

Teaching a 1-hour workshop isn't as hard as you might think.

All you need is:
• a concept or framework
• at least one exercise to apply it
• a bit of structure around exercises

Here's a run-through of a workshop I ran for college students (to steal ideas from): 🟡 1

I welcomed everyone with:
• hype music to boost energy
• "hey [name]" to acknowledge each student

Then I:
• shared a fun fact that I used to work for the university's startup hub to establish a mutual connection
• elaborated on my bio to establish credibility

Students are bound to hit blocks in your course.

But you can get them moving again fast.

Here are 5 questions to get any student unstuck: 1. Does the student lack AWARENESS?

David Perell was once blasted by a follower for "bad advice".

So David checked out the guy's work and saw he had published articles for a year.

But there were no signs of improvement.

The problem was obvious (to David).

I'd made $0 online—until last week.

Now I've made my first $100.

100 bucks isn't much, but it's a blueprint for how to work smarter—not harder.

Here's my 3 step process:

(Quick 🧵) 1. Figure out what you're "in demand" for

What do people come to you for help with when they’re blocked, stressed, or need reassurance on what to do?

Ex. How to handle a salary negotiation, build a pitch deck, etc.

(for more examples, here's a snippet from my worksheet)

🎯 5 tips to maximize student learning

(because the value of your course depends on it): 1. Be outcome driven

Use "Backward Design" to build a bridge from where students are, to where they want to be.

Otherwise, you risk wasting time on "nice to haves" at the expense of "minimum viable."

How to use Backward Design:

https://twitter.com/AlexandraAllen_/status/1494156674176897027?s=20&t=bJemqIQ8qfKY8s1Ykoc9FQ