Program Design for Coaches: How to Build Group Coaching Programs That Sell, Scale Your Business, and Free Up Your Time
Program design that actually works. Learn how to build a group coaching program that scales your business, delivers real results for your clients, and frees up your time.
Program Design for Coaches is hosted by Dr. Curtis Satterfield.
I've spent 17 years as an educator and course designer, building over 30 courses from scratch. I now help coaches who are at capacity with 1:1 clients figure out how to scale their business without taking on more hours. Because there's a ceiling on what 1:1 work can do for you, and a group program is usually the answer. The problem is most advice about building one is either too generic to be useful or too focused on marketing and not enough on actually making something that works.
I see the same problems come up again and again. Programs packed with information but missing clear outcomes. Clients who buy but never finish. Launches that flop because the program itself wasn't built to deliver results.
In my under-20-minute episodes, I get straight to the problem and show you how to fix it. You'll learn how to structure your program so clients actually complete it, create lessons that stick, and build something you're proud to sell. Whenever it makes sense, I'll link helpful resources in the show notes so you can take action right away.
Scaling beyond 1:1 can feel overwhelming. There's conflicting advice everywhere, and it's easy to get stuck overthinking your outline, second-guessing your content, or wondering if anyone will even buy it. This podcast doesn't ignore that. Instead, it walks you through the messy and confusing parts step by step so you never feel like you're doing it alone.
My goal is simple. I want to help you build a program that gets real results for your clients. One that creates transformation, builds your reputation, and grows your business through social proof and repeat buyers. From defining your transformation to structuring your modules, from designing your lessons to launching with confidence, we'll cover it all.
If that sounds like the support you need, take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show. It's an easy way to support the podcast and make sure you never miss an episode.
Program Design for Coaches: How to Build Group Coaching Programs That Sell, Scale Your Business, and Free Up Your Time
Turn a Low Enrollment Online Course Launch Into a Win: Course Creation Strategies for Solopreneurs
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You build an online course, launch it, and only a few people sign up. For solopreneurs trying to create an online course that grows their business, low enrollment feels like failure. But it doesn't have to be.
In this episode, I share exactly what happened when my course launch got only one paid student, and the course creation strategies I used to turn it into a sold-out relaunch just months later.
You'll learn:
- Why low enrollment only matters for certain types of courses
- How to cap your enrollment so selling feels easier and scarcity stays honest
- The "scholarship" strategy that filled my seats without destroying my pricing
- Why slashing your price after a bad course launch backfires long-term
- The one thing I asked from free students that made my relaunch completely different
A disappointing first launch isn't the end. It's an investment in testimonials, refined content, and a better second launch - but only if you play it right.
I'm Dr. Curtis Satterfield. I spent 17 years as a college professor building over 30 courses from scratch, and I help fully booked coaches build group programs that deliver real results for their clients and scale their business without adding more hours.
Ready to stop spinning your wheels? Book a free Program Roadmap Call and let's figure out the right next steps for your course: https://curtissatterfield.com/work-with-curtis/
Note: This episode was recorded under the show's original name, Course Creation for Solopreneurs. The podcast is now called Program Design for Coaches. The name changed to better reflect what's actually working in the coaching space right now. Group programs where the coach is present and involved are what's selling, and that's the direction this show has moved. The instructional design principles in this episode apply whether you're building a course or a group program, so everything you hear still works.
I launched a course and got exactly one paid student. One. And a few months later, I relaunched that same course and it sold out. Welcome to Course Creation for Solopreneurs. I'm Dr. Curtis Satterfield and I've spent 17 years as an educator and course designer helping thousands of students learn new skills. Now I help solopreneurs like you create courses that actually transform your students and grow your business. Let's get into it. Here's the nightmare scenario. You launch your course, you're doing live Zoom calls, and two people show up. You and the only student who bought your course. They know this isn't exactly a packed house. It's awkward for you, it's awkward for them, and now they're wondering if they made a mistake signing up. That's the real problem with low enrollment on a live course. It's not just about the money you didn't make, it's the feeling in the room. So how do you avoid that? One thing you can do is cap your enrollment before you ever launch. Fix it at five or ten seats. You don't advertise the exact number. Just say it's a small group experience. Now you've done two things. First, you've made it easier to fill. Selling five spots is a lot less daunting than selling fifty. Second, you've given yourself honest scarcity to use in your marketing. When you've sold three of five seats, you can legitimately say only two spots left because it's true. Now the key word here is legitimately. Do not start pushing only one seat left if you've got eight spots open. That's the kind of thing that destroys trust and follows you around. But what happens if you cap it at five and you still don't fill it? When sales aren't coming in, there's one move that will feel like a good idea. You've got people who showed interest but didn't buy. They're right there and they almost said yes. So you think, what if I just lowered the price? Give them a limited time offer and a discount to get them off the fence. Well, I tried this. I had 99 people who had expressed interest in the course, but they didn't buy. So I emailed those 99 people with a deep discount, like one-fifth the cost of the course. One person bought at the discount. But here's what I didn't see coming. When you slash your price right after launch, people start wondering, why was it so expensive in the first place if you can offer it now for a fraction of the price? It plants a seed of doubt, and that seed doesn't go away. The next time you launch, people will remember and they will wait for the discount. Or worse, they don't trust your pricing at all and go looking for someone else more trustworthy. So skip the panic discount. There is a better way to fill those seats. So I had one paid student and one discounted student, and I still needed more people in the brain. And I just learned the hard way that slashing prices wasn't the answer. So I tried something different. I sent an email to my list offering a scholarship spot. All they had to do was email me back and tell me why they wanted in and what was holding them back. It was a brilliant plan, and I assumed I'd get a bunch of people who had one in. Problem solved, seats filled. Except only one person responded. Now that person turned out to be one of my best students, engaged, asked great questions, did the work, and I'm so glad she got in. But it wasn't the resounding success I'd hoped for. I still needed more people. So I reached out to some of my clients and asked if they wanted to join. I also asked if they knew anyone who might benefit. Between the scholarship and the personal invites, I ended up with six people in that first cohort. Six students. One paid full price, one paid the discounted rate, the rest got in free. I lost money on this course. So why did I even run it? Because I asked everyone who got in for free for one thing in return, an honest review. And they delivered real testimonials from real people who went through the course and got results. Their words, their experience, their proof that what I was teaching actually worked. But that's not all I walked away with. I also had all the content created, done and recorded for the next time. And because I'd run it live with real students, I had their feedback. I knew what landed, what confused them, where they got stuck. So when I went to relaunch, I wasn't starting from scratch. I was refining something that already existed. The second launch took less time to prepare, the content was better, and I had social proof that I didn't have before. That relaunch sold out. Now go create a course that transforms.