The Formula You Need: 30×500
Do you want to break out of working by the hour? Do you want to create your own products and really be your own boss? How about crafting an independent income you can live on — and never have to freelance again?
You absolutely can. I know, because in 2008 to 2009, I did it.
Look at that beautiful growth! My projection for our 2011 income is SIMPLY our current income, extrapolated over the months & with (conservative) expected growth. Doesn't even include 2 products that we are launching in 2011!
In 2008, I had a career crisis. I was able to charge a very good hourly rate for interaction design consulting… but I loathed it.
I kept telling myself, “At least the money is good!” and wondering what was wrong with me that I didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning and work. Client meetings, proposal writing, wireframing, dealing with committees, watching my work destroyed by internal power struggles at my client’s office… it blew.
After inadvertently spending nearly a month off work, it hit me: I didn’t want to go back. I hated consulting. There had to be a better way.
I made a commitment to myself: I would find that better way, and I would throw myself into making it happen.
Cue montage: I researched. I strategized. I used everything I learned from my 10-year business book addiction. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, late nights and work hangovers. There was also a lot of slicing up my dreams and plans into their tiniest possible pieces, so that we could do them on the side without giving up our sole source of income (consulting, naturally).
I worked my ass off for almost an entire year. It was thrilling, satisfying, and totally exhausting. It rocked, but it also kinda sucked. I was exhausted.
But you know what? It worked. By the end of 2008, my husband and I had two products to ship: Freckle, our first SaaS (shipped Dec 3, 2008) and JavaScript Performance Rocks!, a very beta ebook (shipped Jan 21, 2009).
Neither of those products was anything close to “finished.” If you compared those very first versions to what we’ve got now, you would scarcely believe they were the same products. But I had learned my lesson from years of failing to ship anything on my own — and ruled those initial feature sets with an iron fist, and shipped before I felt anything like ready.
And, like I said: it worked.
We went from earning $0 from products in 2008, to $85,000 in 2009, to $240,000 in 2010. Our estimate for 2011 is over $600k. (Learn more about my numbers from 2010). So far, our gross income from products has been just over half a million dollars.
Can you believe it? Sometimes I can’t. Six years ago, almost to the day, I accepted a job offer of $55,000 with no benefits, and at the time I thought that was a pretty good deal.
Now, I know I’ll never have to work for anyone else again. Never have to compromise on my beliefs because I need a paycheck. Never watch a client butcher my work because I need the contract. And, of course, I’m able to live a much more comfortable life.
And it all started on the side, with a little ebook and a little time tracking subscription app, crappy first versions, and a whole lot of tricks I taught myself to get shit done and get it out there and ensure that our products would sell from the very first day.
I built myself a system, and tested it in the field, and it worked. It’s battle-hardened — and after all that, so am I.
If that sounds awesome to you… if you want to do your very own Year of Hustle, and start changing your life… if 2 years from now, you want to be able to look back and say to yourself, “I’m so fucking glad I sat down and bled and sweat and made this happen so now I can quit my job, quit consulting forever, and do what I want,” then I can teach those tricks to you, too.
That’s what the 30×500 Launch Class is all about: Systems that create predictable success. That get you to a paying product by the shortest route possible. That help you free yourself.
The 30×500 Launch Class is here to Pump You Up!
Yup, 30×500. What’s with the weird tongue-twister of a name? Simple: It’s a formula.
The way to success is aiming small. Those numbers — 30 by 500 — are magical numbers that multiply up to $180,000 a year. All you need to do is create $30 worth of value a month for just 500 customers — just 500 customers, from anywhere in the world, from the whole damn internet.
Seems pretty damn achievable when you look at it that way, doesn’t it?
That’s the power of thinking systematically.
And: You’ve gotta agree, $180,000 a year ain’t too shabby. Just think what you could do from there, what opportunities & freedoms that kind of money could open up.
You don’t have to invent the next Twitter to have a blast building products you believe in. You can build this kind of income on the side, without funding, and be beholden to no one.
Getting There
“Okay, Amy,” I hear you thinking, “it all sounds nice and easy when you put it that way. But how do you ensure that you can create a product that will bring in even 500 customers? How do you know what to build? How do you know which of your many ideas to build, or how to have those ideas in the first place? How do you reach your customers? How do you sell to them? How do you manage to actually build something on the side without going absolutely batshit crazy?
How do you finish and ship something when you’re terrified, or at best, chronically disorganized?”
Well, I’m glad you asked, because that’s exactly what the class is about.
You know the 30×500 formula now. The Launch Class will get you to the point where you can implement it.
What’s this class exactly?
It’s an online class, lasting about 3 months (plus a break to get your holiday & research on), starting Nov 17.
Just like a university-level class, you’ll get weekly lessons, and homework — and, unlike at university, you’ll hands-on support from someone with real-world experience. (Chiefly, yours truly.)
Each lesson week, you’ll receive your lesson (in PDF form) by email, about:
- how to avoid becoming your idea’s bitch
- how to have only profitable ideas
- how to escape the depressing cycle of Idea Quicksand
- crafting a business model that’ll play to your strengths (even if you can only work part-time)
- why you should never bother making an iPhone app
- how to come up with a plan for your very first version — and stick to it
- how to break a large project down into easy bites
- how to build a product by yourself, without making yourself miserable
- how to beat procrastination
- how to keep on track even when you’ve got a day job
- how to find your customers
- how to get in contact with your customers
- how to write sales copy so your customers will listen — with no previous copywriting experience
- how to launch your product to immediate sales
- (and more)
These lessons include practical workbooks full of guiding questions and formulas that help you decide what to do, and for whom, and how, and when.
Wanna see how awesome these lessons are? Click here to download out “Ditch Niches, Embrace Worldviews”, a sample lesson.
This class isn’t about high-level conceptual hand-waving, this is down-n-dirty work that gets the job done.
We’ll talk about the lesson on the mailing list (where you also have access to alumni from previous classes!). You will be prodded to contribute and talk about what you’ve been doing. There will even be some – gasp! – accountability, or at least its party-friendly cousin, kicks in the ass.
The lessons are boiled down to their very essence, pithy and funny, and easy to read. You will learn philosophies, strategies, and yes, tips & tricks to ensure you can start earning money from your product as soon as humanly possible.
And regular group chats (on Campfire, with transcripts).
You’ll be able to email if you have problems or questions, or just need a reassuring hug (or kick in the pants).
Or you can ask the amazing community full of your fellow bootstrappers. Over 4 30×500 classes, the mailing list has become one of the best resources in this class. It’s full of nearly 200 alums, at every stage in the process. And they are incredibly smart, giving, and thoughtful.
Lately some of my students have been saying that the mailing list is almost more amazing than the course materials.
And you’re invited to stay on the mailing list forever.
Is the class right for YOU?
Are you a developer or a designer with developer-y skills? Or are you a tech-savvy, creative designer/writer/teacher-type who’s excited to make a non-software product, like ebooks, templates, or screencasts? The class is for you!
(NOTE: It is not for you, however, if you are in love with & committed to serving a consumer audience, such as hobbyists, yoga teachers, musicians, etc! That way danger lies, and 30×500 is about skirting around the danger & ensuring your success!)
How does the class work? When is it?
30×500 is a largely “offline” class — you aren’t glued to your computer for lengthy teleconferences or live video. Any live content (such as the bootcamp starter session and live chats) will be available as recordings or transcripts.
- Every week, you’ll receive a lesson by email, for you to read and work through at your convenience
- Most lessons come with a workbook to help you implement what you’ve learned — also known as “homework”
- You can log into the class site to enter your homework, which I will review
- You’ll be part of the class mailing list, where you can discuss your triumphs & troubles with your fellow students and even alumni from the previous classes
- We hold live group chats twice a month, on Sunday afternoons EST (so that it will be early evening in Europe, and morning in PST)
- When you need a little personal guidance, or if you are stuck and just need a gentle kick in the pants, you’ve got access to yours truly by email
You’ll receive your first lesson on Nov 17, and on Saturday, Nov 19, we’ll kick off the class with a live bootcamp session. (A live, real-time, audio/video “webinar” to help you hit the ground running — about 2 hours long.)
Will it work for my time zone?
Live chats and presentations are almost always on Sunday afternoons, East Coast USA time. That means morning on the more western US time zones, and early evening in Europe, and 6-7am Monday in Australia.
Recordings or transcripts will always be made available for any live stuff — including our text chats.
You can always email me if you have a question and can’t (or don’t want to) make the live chats.
Who am I to teach such a thing?
Well, for starters, I’m an interaction designer who started as a web developer, and who evolved into the total product nut you see before you today. I’m a great teacher. I’ve been teaching people how to code (in a totally novel visual kinda way) for years and years. I’m totally obsessed with systems thinking, and business systems especially and, thanks to my other obsession with teaching, the ability to turn it into valuable, insightful, action-packed lessons.
But don’t take my word for it — check out this sample lesson. As one of my students said about that very lesson, “I think anyone who reads that Worldview lesson could sell me anything!”
And to follow it up, I have the real-world experience — I’ve repeatedly been able to create winning products. Here’s a growth chart of my first software as a service — planned, researched, designed, and managed by moi:
We launched in Dec 2008, had our first round of billing in Jan 2009 (just over $1,500), and this month, May 2011, our estimates show we’ll bill about $17,500. That’s $210,000 a year run rate (projected), and more than 10x growth over our first month.
Wondering if I’m just lucky?
You might be wondering if I got lucky — or if I’m a one-hit wonder. You might also think that it’s because I’m “internet famous,” and this isn’t something anyone can do.
How’s that saying go? Once is luck, twice is skill? I’ve got more than one hit under my belt.
I came up with a system to create products that sell from the very first day. With my husband, I cowrote the best-selling JavaScript Performance Rocks! ebook (over $60,000 in sales over 2 years). I also led the creation of one of our two training workshops, which consistently sell out.
That is the system I teach in this class. (And this very class has sold out both of the previous times I’ve offered it!)
Wondering if YOU can duplicate my success?
You can. It will take time, and sweat, and effort, but I’ve dedicated over a year of my life to learning how to teach these tools & strategies to smart people just like you. And my marketing strategies — which you’ll learn — don’t rely on fame of any kind. You just have to be willing to put in the effort, consistently, to make a product that pleases your customers, and to ship.
All of which you’ll learn about when you attend 30×500.
Sucesss Stories!
I’m currently in talks with several of my students who have changed their lives (and launched products!) thanks to my course. But preparing this kind of case study takes extra time, so it’s not ready just yet. Watch this space, because they will be coming soon.
Here are some quotes from the case studies in progress…
I started my business with the intention of selling software products. It took two years of studying and reading before I felt that I knew enough to build a product.
Boy was I was wrong.
After a losing over $3,000 and 8 months of work on a “killer” software idea, I realized that I still didn’t know what I was doing. Since I was already watching Amy build a streak of successful businesses, I decided to copy how she was doing it. Luckily I didn’t have to go all covert ops, her 30×500 class had her entire process from beginning to launch.
Four months later after starting, I launched my second product. This time it was profitable in the first week and is still selling.
*– Eric Davis**Can’t recommend this class enough. Amy is a miracle worker.
– Anne Halsall
And:
… The proof is in the pudding ! I had a lot of half-hassed-never-launched products under my belt coming in
– Etienne Segonzac, TheBusinessPart
And another:
[Using what I learned in 30x500,] I built Freelance Funnel, a service to help freelancers land better gigs by delivering hot leads every day. I learned that I can build something of value, that helps people and that people will respond to that value with dollars.
Right now, I’m at 7 paying customers — that may sound like nothing to write home about but it’s infinitely more than 0.
More importantly, I know I’m on to something, whether it’s this or another idea. Now I know I can stop trading my time for money.
– Jeff Schoolcraft, Freelance Funnel
And how does the class help? Here’s a glimpse:
You just removed quite some lead time from my launching date. First by helping me trashing some pitches, now by removing these features. If I continue like this, I’ll launch in October!
This is indeed a Personal Development course.
– Matej Leban, 30×500 Summer 2011
And one more!
30×500 purged me of [my] fears. Now that I am close to shipping a paid product, I realize that all of those fears are irrational. There is absolutely no reason I can’t build a product with the tools and skills I already have… The homework and feedback was instrumental in helping me develop a relationship with potential customers and knowing what kind of product to build. I would recommend the course to anyone that wants to get over their fears, stop making excuses, and bootstrap a paid product.
– Moe Burney (launch in progress)
This course can have a much bigger effect beyond the act of building and launching a product:
The biggest thing I find is I’m not beating myself up over these thoughts and feelings — I’m feeling like a million bucks with what I’m accomplishing and where I’ve brought myself in my career. Again thank you very much for helping me break out of a constant cycle of self-loathing and deprecation.
– anonymous student
Yup — this class can be a real lifechanger. If you’re ready for it.
Don’t Miss Out!
To keep quality high, and ensure lots of hands-on support, I’m closing the doors at just 75 students.
The entire class, including personal attention to your questions, is priced at less than a single credit hour at a good business school — just $1,650.
Just $1,450 if you book by Oct 26. Tickets are already $100 off for the Early Bird, and if you book by Oct 19 and use coupon code SMART100, you can save another $100!
Tickets go up to $1,650 if you book after Oct 19.
That may seem like a lot, but compare it to the other things you could spend that money on… and how much those things can change your life and your bank balance forever:
A new 3D TV? A year and a half of premium cable + internet? A new mid-range laptop? A set of alloy rims and sports tires for your car? A 3-day trip somewhere moderately exotic for 2?
It’s true — this course is not cheap. But when you look at what it can help you do, you’ll see that it’s worth every penny.
Pays for Itself Handily
In case this class sounds a little pricey to you, think about this: If you follow the class, and do the homework, it’s entirely possible that you’ll be able to make that much in the first two to four months with your product.
My ebook launch paid $5,000 the first week and Freckle earned nearly $1,600 after its first round of free trials ended.
But that’s not just because I’m special: One of my students from the very first version of this class created an ebook (from content he already had!) that made him over $5,000, and he’s currently working on his next product. And that’s just ONE success story! There are others in the works right now.
That’s a pretty kickass return on investment. Better than half a class, anywhere… even at ye olde ivy-covered Harvard Business School.
Unsexy Lawyer Note: Are these results typical? No. Are they guaranteed? No. But I do offer a 100% money back guarantee if you put in the work and still don’t feel the class is delivering all the power-packed education I’ve described.
No Risk. Seriously.
My whole system is all about eliminating risk.
Heck, think about it — you already have a job, or you already have clients. It’s not like you can just take a year off and waltz around inventing The Next Big Thing. Your pockets aren’t bottomless, either. You have limited time, energy, and money — so you need to make sure every single thing you do will get you closer to your goal of a product-based income.
That’s how I designed 30×500: I built my first two products on the side while consulting, and built 30×500 on the side of working on those. There are tools, tricks, techniques & ways of thinking that can help you make the absolute most out of your limited time. Those things are all baked into 30×500.
That’s why I’m glad to offer you a 100% money back guarantee. Yup, if at any point during the class, you feel like you’re not learning how to create predictably profitable products that sell, I’ll be glad to refund your entire ticket price.
All I ask is that you show me that you’ve been doing the homework up til that point.
Excited? Awesome!
Now, we’ve got good news and bad news.
The bad news is: I expect those measly 75 seats to sell out. Only 34 seats are remaining.
All three of the previous classes have sold out. Over half (41) of the seats have already sold during the secret pre-sale.
And: this may very well be the last time I offer this class with so much personal attention/involvement from me.
Book Now
The good news is: you can book now. And save $200 while you’re at it — $100 off for Early Bird registrations and $100 off with coupon SMART100. (Don’t forget: Early Bird ends on Oct 25!)
Questions?
Check out this handy, dandy FAQ!
If you’ve still got questions, I’m happy to supply answers. Hit me up on Twitter (@amyhoy or email 30×500@slash7.com).
See you in class!
