What I’ve learned about running a gently thriving group program
+ today's the last day to get the 1:1 coaching bonus for this enrolment of YS&SB 🎉
Before I dive in: just a little reminder that the doors are currently open for my group program, Your Simple & Spacious Business, if you’d love to never do business alone again and feel deeply supported to bring more ease, joy, and intentional growth into your work and life. I’d be so honoured to welcome you inside and today is also the last day to get the 1:1 coaching bonus too! 🎉
It has been two years now since I first opened the doors to my group program, Your Simple & Spacious Business.
Two years since I took a big leap of courage in my business and everything changed in my work.
Because until I launched YS&SB I made the majority of my income from 1:1 clients.
I would often have 15+ client calls a week - in some seasons it was 20+ - and as much as I adored diving deep with my clients, that type of 1:1 schedule was no longer sustainable for me in my business.
Two years later and my business is in a wildly different place all thanks to building and launching YS&SB: I now have a much lighter client workload, with only 2 calls max a week for one month a quarter and eight months a year with zero calls in my schedule, and I’m able to support even more awesome humans to bring more ease, spaciousness, and intentional growth into their business but in a way that feels really energetically sustainable for me too.
And what I think I’m proud of most of all is the beautiful feedback I’ve received from the awesome humans inside of YS&SB about how deeply supportive this program is for them in their business. Here are just some of the kind words they’ve shared:
There’s something so magical about knowing you’re living your best work out loud in your business, that you’re delivering something that’s truly special and deeply supportive, and in a way that feels aligned and joyful for you too.
So if you’re currently building your own group program or thinking about starting one, here are the biggest lessons I’ve learned over the past two years if they can encourage you in your own journey:
1: Clarify what the core invitation of your program is
I think this is why YS&SB has gently thrived since I first launched it in the spring of 2022 (this program has brought in around £115K in sales since I first launched which blows my mind a little!) - because I’ve been so clear about who this program is for and how it’s here to support them too.
Instead of trying to create a group program to appeal to every type of business owner, YS&SB is for fellow small business owners who desire more ease, joy, and intentional growth in their work and life. The core invitation of this program is to build and run a more simple and spacious business and that clarification has really supported me to market this program with ease and welcome hell yes people inside too.
Remember: it’s not your job to be a hell yes for everyone, just a hell yes for the people your work will truly resonate with.
2: Shape & design your offer in a way that feels aligned, joyful, and sustainable to you
I have never once felt burned out by delivering this program, even though it has lots of supportive deliverables each month for the awesome humans inside.
The most impactful decision I made when designing YS&SB? Making the majority of the deliverables asynchronous - for example, twice a month I host office hours so members never have to feel stuck or alone in their business again, they just submit their Qs and I sit down and record a video answering them. This is way more flexible for my energy levels than hosting live calls but also for the members inside who don’t have to show up at a specific time to feel supported.
There is no right or wrong way to shape and design a group program, no rules you have to follow - all that matters most is that we create the type of container we want to create for our members and in a way that feels sustainable and aligned for us too.
3: I love a blend of self-study and also access to my guidance and support
This is the structure that works best for me, and I get so much feedback from members that this is what they love so much about the program too. I offer lots of resources for members to work through at their own pace, from the library of coaching sessions and the resources and programs in The Vault, and then through the office hours and Slack community I can offer more personalised support along the way.
4: Surrender to the ebb and flow of the community space if you have one
Sometimes the YS&SB Slack community is really engaged (but thankfully never overwhelming) and other times it’s a little quieter - I’ve learned just to surrender to the ebb and flow of the community space, to trust that members will show up and use it when it feels supportive for them to do so. Every Monday I share a post with my weekly private podcast and reflections and priorities for the week to start the week together which I think is a helpful way to ground a community space too.
5: Go deeper, not wider with your marketing
Like I said above, it’s not our job to try and be a hell yes for everyone. If we want to build a group program that gently thrives, with close to zero churn, and with members who find delight and support inside, going deeper, not wider with our marketing is how we can support our program to resonate and connect with our hell yes people along the way.
My 100 Hell Yes People toolkit is here to support you to go deeper, not wider with your marketing too and it’s 100% free to dive into!
6: It’s okay to have slower launches
I’m currently in my 7th enrolment for YS&SB and like I said above, this program has had around 115K in sales since I first launched in Spring 2022. That averages to around just a little more than 55K a year but that hasn’t been spread equally across all launches - some have been stronger than others and my nervous system has learned to surrender to the ebbs and flows of enrolment periods. A slower launch isn’t the end of the road - often the next launch after a slower one has been much stronger for me - and when it comes to group programs so often it’s about finding an approach to launching and sales that feels aligned to us and supports us to gently reach our goals too.
7: There are pros and cons to lifetime access
I offer YS&SB with lifetime access, meaning members pay just once and continue to get access to everything inside at no extra cost. For as long as I run this program, which I hope to for many years to come, members get access to all of the support and guidance already inside and new resources that are added every month too.
This makes YS&SB incredibly valuable - my favourite thing is that members get so much more than they pay for - but it also means that the only way to continue to keep running this program sustainable for me is to open up the doors multiple times a year and welcome some awesome new humans inside.
For me this is worth it - a big part of the magic of this program is that members breathe a big sigh of relief once they join us inside, knowing they never have to feel stuck or alone again - but it is something to be intentional about when designing your program and deciding whether or not to offer lifetime access.
8: A group container can be a beautiful way to expand your offering suite and bring more spaciousness to your workload too
Especially for anyone who offers mostly 1:1 offerings, a group container can be a wonderful way to diversify your income streams, be of service to more awesome humans, and reduce your 1:1 workload if you desire to, too. And as my clients get lifetime access to YS&SB too it’s also brought even more magic to my 1:1 work too.
And if you’re currently feeling burned out in your client business I have a free mini workshop to support you to move to a more easeful, flexible, and spacious business this way.
If you’re curious about creating a group program of your own I hope these lessons I’ve learned can be supportive for you and, more than anything, encourage you to take that leap of courage and build your own gently thriving group program if that’s what you desire next in your work.
And another quick reminder: YS&SB is currently open for enrolment and inside you’ll get lifetime access to:
🖥 A library of 25 coaching sessions on topics such as your business model, marketing, routines and more - with new sessions coming every month!
💻 A vault of all of my courses, programs, and digital products
✨ Twice monthly office hours so you never have to feel stuck or alone again in your business
💫 A calm and gentle Slack community of fellow business owners choosing a slower, more human approach to business
🎙 Plus my private weekly podcast + quarterly live planning calls
And today is the last day to get the 1:1 coaching bonus - if you join us inside by the end of today you’ll also get a week of 1:1 Voxer coaching with me so that we can dive deeper into wherever you’re desiring support and guidance in your business 🎉
Until next time,
Jen
Thanks for sharing your insights! This was really helpful for me as I think through a relaunch of my paid subs offer here on Substack: how can I market a specific container to a specific group of people, for example, rather than trying to be all things to all people. Thank you :)