Case Study👉 How YOU Can Make $14K/Mo Selling Career Courses Online

The Scott Max Newsletter

In Partnership with Important, Not Important

Hi 👋, this is the Scott Max newsletter. The daily newsletter bringing you one step closer to your own thriving online business.

We analyze a wonderful, small, online business each week with a full breakdown of how it makes money, why it makes money, and its opportunities to grow. Below that, we give you the action steps to build a business like this to create freedom for yourself.

This is the best way to learn the tactics, skillset, and nuance of making money online.

Let’s get to the good stuff you'll see in this email:

• A career development business generating $14k monthly revenue.

• The techniques that transformed this business from a part-time income generator into a full-time income source

• How you can apply similar techniques to earn 6 figures online.

But first, let me introduce our partner for this email,

Important, Not Important

Shaping Your World with Intelligent Insights

Important, Not Important is a critically-acclaimed newsletter and podcast that offers snarky yet insightful coverage of vital science news. From climate change to COVID-19, heatwaves to hunger, and agriculture to AI ethics, they help you think deeply and act decisively on pressing global issues. Join them to stay informed and make a real impact.

The What 🚀

In today’s newsletter, we’ll make an in-depth analysis of a platform designed to support Army NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officers) in their leadership roles.

The platform functions through two websites which provide NCOs with a content library brimming with practical tools, templates, and resources.

These resources provide military officers with effective guidance on how to navigate Army regulations and excel in their careers and leadership roles.

In addition, they can access private coaching, community membership, monthly leadership training, and several digital resources.

Read on to discover how this business leverages expertise and best practices for success and how it generates income.

The How 💻

This business leverages multiple income streams, including the sale of its digital product which costs $199.

The product is basically a bundled offering called a Mega-pack that contains several templates and training for different purposes.

The second income source for this business is the membership subscription to its Success Academy, offered in three tiers.

Potential members can opt to pay monthly, quarterly or make a one-time payment for lifetime access to the numerous benefits of the membership plan.

Membership benefits range from unlimited access to digital products, one-on-one mentorship, monthly workshops, and other resources.

This business also generates revenue from display ads on one of its two websites, utilizing Mediavine for ad management.

The Why 🔥

Next, we’ll examine the particular tactics this business utilises to achieve its 5 figure monthly income. They are;

Niche Expertise

By focusing on a specific niche within the Army, this business tailors its products and services to the unique needs and challenges of its target audience—NCOs.

This enables the platform to differentiate itself from other leadership development providers and position itself as an expert in its niche.

More so, the fact that the founder of this business is a retired NCO with a proven track record further strengthens the credibility and expertise of the platform.

This positioning contributes to a positive business reputation, increased customer loyalty, and ultimately, business growth and success.

Offering Free Resources for Increased Conversion

Offering freebies and bonuses can attract potential customers who may be interested in the membership benefits but are not yet ready to commit to a paid subscription.

By leveraging compelling opt-in offers such as the free resource called a PPW (Promotion Point Worksheet) this business is able to entice visitors into sharing their email addresses.

This creates an ideal opportunity to cultivate a relationship with the potential client and provides upsell opportunities through email marketing.

Offering free resources, such as templates, a free podcast, and training material, helps to demonstrate the value that the platform provides.

This strategy shows that the platform is willing to invest in the success of its potential clients and genuinely cares about helping them achieve their goals.

Overall, offering freebies, bonuses, and resources helps to attract potential customers, build trust, demonstrate value, and encourage referrals, ultimately boosting sales for this business.

Clear and Compelling Messaging

The messaging on this business’ two websites is clear, concise, and compelling.

The written content immediately communicates the platform's purpose and value proposition to visitors.

This helps visitors understand how the platform’s products and services can benefit them.

The websites also feature clear calls-to-action (CTAs) that are prominent and easy to find and encourage visitors to take action.

Search Engine Optimization

Although this business’s websites do not feature published blog posts or articles, they manage to pull decent traffic through the ample use of relevant keywords.

These keywords are used in meta tags, title tags, headers, and image alt tags.

The traffic overview for both websites is shown below.

The websites are able to rank on the first page of search engine results by targeting long-tail keywords with medium to low keyword difficulty and including them in their content.

The websites are also regularly updated with relevant keywords to consistently keep them visible to search engines.

Social Proof

This business benefits in several ways from incorporating and displaying customer reviews on its website.

Social proof provides evidence that this platform is reliable and trustworthy, which builds confidence in the minds of potential customers.

It can also boost conversions because it encourages potential clients to take action and make a purchase.

The Opportunities 🔥🔥🔥

Here are some best practices this business can implement to improve its sales and traffic;

Utilize Social Media: 

With millions of users, social media is an important channel for this business to connect with its target audience, build brand awareness, and drive traffic to its website.

By not having a presence on social media (asides from its private Facebook community) this business may be missing out on potential leads and customers who are active on these platforms.

According to Hootsuite, social media posts and ads are key ways to drive traffic to a website and increase organic traffic.

This business can surely leverage social media to show off its expertise, build its reputation as a thought leader and attract more customers.

Increase Traffic through Blog Posts

Not having a blog section or blog posts on this website limits the platform's ability to provide valuable written content to its target audience.

Blogging is an effective way to educate, inform, and engage potential customers, establish thought leadership, and build brand awareness.

A study from HubSpot shows that optimised blog posts can help drive more traffic to a website, convert traffic to leads and the blog content can be repurposed for social media.

The same study also suggests that blog posts are an easy way to get powerful backlinks which serve as a vote of recommendation from other websites and boost domain authority.

The Big Reveal 👀

We’re thrilled that you’ve read this far into today’s newsletter and we are delighted to share the business we analysed today which is the NCO Success Academy.

Its an initiative of Steven Foust, a retired NCO that has first-hand experience in swiftly climbing the ranks of his career through excellence.

His first attempt at business after realising his expertise was a published guide called Powerpoints, and it covered everything soldiers needed to know to get promoted faster to NCO .

He kept the sale of his guidebook as a side hustle for some time but later doubled down on his efforts to make his side hustle work.

This led to him buying two websites Cuttoffscores.com and Ncoonfire.com which he uses to run his Success Academy.

The Takeaway, What We Learned 🎓

• Niche expertise: A business should focus on providing expert solutions and resources for its target audience in order to establish itself as a trusted authority in its niche.

• Clear and Compelling Messaging should be used to communicate the value proposition and benefits of a business, making it easier for visitors to understand the value of its offerings.

• Offer Free Resources for Increased Conversion: Providing free valuable resources like written guides and podcasts can help to increase lead generation and conversion rates.

• Search Engine Optimization best practices should be implemented in order to make it easier for potential customers to find a website when searching for relevant keywords.

• Social Proof: Displaying social proof such as testimonials and success stories from satisfied customers, can help to build trust and credibility with potential customers.

• Use of social media: Social media channels like a private Facebook group, LinkedIn account and Twitter can help to deepen engagement and build a sense of community.

• Use of Blog Posts: A website can benefit from adding a blog section, as regular blog posts can help to establish thought leadership, improve search engine visibility, and attract potential customers by providing valuable insights and resources.

Action Steps, From Day 0 To ∞ 👩‍💻

So, you will have your own website, hosting account, and a good grasp of digital marketing fundamentals if you are a student/graduate of Max Business School.

If not, get started here, it’s totally free and will teach you all the skills you need to build yourself a business (and the freedom it provides you) similar to the one we’ve analyzed today.

Day 0

You’ve read this email and love this particular business model and/or niche.

If not, we'll be sending more ideas in our next email or check our archive here.

If yes;

Consider if this is a business you can happily commit to for 3-5 years?

If yes;

Is it a customer/topic/day-to-day activity you can't get passionate about?

If yes;

Would starting this business cause you to lose focus on the business that you are currently building?

If yes, don’t do it.

Focus on building what you have and take lessons from my analysis above to implement them into your current business.

But if not, then move to day 1.

Day 1

• Evaluate Your Expertise and Skills: Assess your own expertise and skills to determine if you have the necessary knowledge and experience to provide high-quality career coaching services. If you do not possess the required skills or expertise, consider outsourcing or partnering with an expert in the field to ensure that your clients receive the best possible guidance and support.

• Identify Your Target Market: Determine the specific group of individuals you want to serve as a career coach. This could be a niche market, a specific demographic, or a particular industry.

• Conduct Market Analysis: Research your target market to identify the needs, challenges, and pain points that exist for your audience. Spy on your competition, find lapses to bridge and identify trends in the space. Use Ahrefs to check out your competition.

• Develop a Comprehensive Business Strategy: Create a detailed plan that outlines your goals, target market, services, pricing, marketing plan, and financial projections.

• Choose a Suitable Business Name: Select a name that is memorable and relevant to your target market.

• Choose a Domain Name and Hosting Account: Opt for a domain name that matches your business name and set up a hosting account with a reputable provider like Dreamhost, which offers reliable and affordable hosting services.

• Build Your Website: Begin developing your website, making sure to feature a pleasant design, and easy navigation. You can use website builders like WordPress along with our course which teaches you everything you need to create a professional-looking website without coding experience.

• Create Social Media Profiles: Build social media accounts for your business on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. This will allow you to engage with potential customers and build your brand online.

Day 2

• Develop a Content Plan: Utilize keyword research tools like Ahrefs to identify the most relevant and high-traffic keywords related to your niche. Create a content plan that incorporates these keywords to increase your website's visibility and attract more traffic.

• Begin Content Production: Start creating high-quality content that addresses the pain points and challenges of your target audience. Consider creating digital products such as e-books, webinars, and online courses for your coaching academy. Anyword is an effective A. I content writing assistant tool

• Optimize Your Website for Enhanced Search Engine Rankings: Utilize technical SEO and content SEO tactics to optimize your website for better search engine rankings. This includes optimizing your website's structure, enhancing page load times, and producing high-quality, keyword-rich content.

• Monitor Performance Metrics: Use analytics tools like Google Analytics and Ahrefs to track performance metrics such as website traffic, engagement, and conversion rates. This can help you identify areas for improvement and optimize your marketing campaigns to achieve better results.

Day 3 to ∞

• Develop a content calendar to organize your content creation efforts and ensure regular publishing. This can help you stay consistent and maintain your audience's interest in your brand.

• Create Diverse Offerings: Explore different monetization strategies according to your audience’s needs such as webinars, one-on-one coaching, and more digital products to increase revenue for your business.

• Participate in online communities and forums relevant to your niche to build relationships with potential customers and establish yourself as a thought leader in the industry.

• Stay informed about the latest industry news and trends through relevant sources such as industry publications, blogs, and social media. This can help you stay ahead of the curve and provide your clients with the most up-to-date information and advice.

• Encourage feedback and foster open communication with your audience through social media, email, and community building. This can help you build trust and credibility with your audience and improve customer loyalty.

• Develop a long-term growth strategy that includes goals, timelines, and milestones for your business. This can help you stay focused on your objectives and make informed decisions about your business's future.

Before You Go 👋

Thank you for reading.

In my next email, I’ll have another business breakdown for you.

Remember, if you know someone who might like this newsletter, sharing is caring.

If you are ready to get started with your own business, one of the first steps is always a website. Click here for our exclusive hosting deal and click here for an invite to our Max Business School community where you’ll hang out with thousands of fellow ambitious business builders.

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Bye for now,

Scott Max