The Course Creator Show

Episode 237 | The AI Stuff That's Giving Me the Ick

I was about to title this episode "How I'm Actually Feeling About AI Right Now", because honestly? It's not all sunshine and robots over here. Look, you know me. I'm the AI girl. I teach it, I use it, I've built entire systems around it. But lately? Some stuff happening in the AI space is giving me the ick. And in some cases, I'm like... have we completely lost the plot? I'm still team AI—don't get me wrong. This tech has changed everything for entrepreneurs. It's opened up massive opportunities, saved me countless hours, helped me tighten up systems, create better content, and run a stronger company. But here's the thing: not everything coming out of this so-called "AI revolution" is smart. Not all of it is going to grow your business in the right way. So I'm flipping the mic on and getting real about a couple things that aren't sitting right with me. And honestly? I think you might agree. We're building personal brand businesses in this weird new AI-saturated world, and we need to be smart about it. Because your edge isn't in how many automations you have—your edge is YOU. Your stories, your opinions, your energy. That's what can't be replicated, even by a really good AI twin. What You'll Learn: * Why AI twins and digital clones are giving me major ick (and why they might be killing your personal brand instead of building it) * The problem with AI-generated podcasts and why they'll make your audience tune out fast * How to use AI to amplify yourself without replacing the human connection your audience craves * Why you don't need to keep up with every single AI development (and how it's actually holding you back) * The one thing that will always be your competitive edge as a personal brand entrepreneur * How to zig when everyone else zags—and why "ugly content" might be your secret weapon * My challenge to you: how to lean MORE into being human in your business, not less Resources Mentioned: * The Personality Manifesto (FREE): https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/personality Your Next Steps: * Work with Me: https://www.gemmabonhamcarter.com/programs * What I Use to Run My 7-Figure Business: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/tools * Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/gemma.bonhamcarter Support the show [https://thesweetestdigs.lpages.co/pp-webinar/]

Episode 236 | How a Food Photographer Crushed Black Friday, with Sam Adler

What if you could run a scrappy Black Friday promo and walk away with $15,000 in sales? That's exactly what Sam Adler did, and she's here to spill all the details. Sam is a classically trained pastry chef turned award-winning food photographer and stylist. Her vibrant style and smart strategy have landed her features in Cosmopolitan and Taste of Home, and she's built a thriving education business teaching fellow food creatives how to do what she does. But last Black Friday, she tried something new: she ran her first-ever "5 Days of Deals" promotion using my Black Friday in a Box strategy, and the results were incredible. In this episode, Sam and I dive into her journey from custom cake shop owner to food blogger to full-time photographer and educator. She walks us through exactly how she structured her Black Friday week, what offers she sold (from $24 guides to her $2,850 mastermind), and what surprised her most about the results. We also talk about why she's changing things up for this year's Black Friday and what she learned from testing new offers during the sale. If you've ever wondered whether the Black Friday in a Box strategy works for businesses outside of traditional course creation, or if you're curious about how to structure a multi-day promotion with offers at different price points, this episode is for you. What You'll Learn: * How Sam transitioned from pastry chef to food photographer to online educator * The exact breakdown of Sam's five Black Friday offers and how much each one made * Why her $24 restaurant photography guide ended up being one of her best sellers * What happened when she tested a brand-new $697 offer on Thanksgiving (spoiler: no one bought it, and that's okay!) * How she filled half of her $2,850 mastermind spots without doing any sales calls * The power of testing new offers during Black Friday to gather valuable data * What Sam is changing for her Black Friday strategy this year * Why following the Black Friday in a Box strategy to a T made all the difference Resources Mentioned in This Episode: * Black Friday in a Box: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/black-friday * Sam's Food Blog: https://frostingandfettuccine.com/ * Sam's Creative Business: https://samadlercreative.com/ Your Next Steps: * Work with Me: https://www.gemmabonhamcarter.com/programs * What I Use to Run My 7-Figure Business: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/tools * Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/gemma.bonhamcarter   Support the show [https://thesweetestdigs.lpages.co/pp-webinar/]

Episode 235 | She Made $51K in One Week Using This Strategy… in the photo organizing niche!

Ever wondered how someone could make half their annual photography income in just one week? That's exactly what happened to Megan O'Hare when she ran her first strategic Black Friday promotion. In this episode, I'm sitting down with Megan O'Hare, the powerhouse behind The Photo Project—a course that teaches moms how to organize their digital photo chaos.  We're diving deep into how Megan went from making around $7,000 on her first attempt at a Black Friday sale to crushing it with $51,000 the following year using my Black Friday in a Box strategy. She's pulling back the curtain on exactly how she structures her promotions, why her done-for-you service sells out twice a year, and how she's built a business model that allows her to barely touch social media while still growing her email list and revenue consistently. This conversation is packed with strategy gold, including why Megan limits her high-ticket one-to-one offers to just two sale periods per year, how she's made certain products available ONLY during Black Friday (talk about built-in urgency!), and why 95% of her done-for-you clients are people who already bought her course but decided they'd rather just have her do it. What you'll learn: * How Megan went from $7K to $51K in Black Friday sales by implementing a strategic promotion plan * The exact structure of her 5-day Black Friday sale and why limiting availability creates massive demand * Why her done-for-you service clients are almost always previous course buyers (and what that means for YOUR business model) * How she runs a summer sale using the same Black Friday strategy for an additional revenue boost * Her approach to making certain products available ONLY during promotional periods to drive urgency * Why lead generation ads are her "cost of doing business" and how she thinks about ROI differently * The truth about her email marketing strategy (spoiler: it's not perfect, and that's okay) * How she's structured pricing for her done-for-you service to avoid awkward money conversations Resources Mentioned in this episode: * Black Friday in a Box: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/blackfridayhttps://gemmabonhamcarter.com/black-friday [https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/black-friday]  * The Photo Project: https://thephotoproject.comhttps://thephotoproject.co/ [https://thephotoproject.co/]  * Megan O'Hare on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oharephotos/ [https://www.instagram.com/oharephotos/]  Your Next Steps: * Work with Me: https://www.gemmabonhamcarter.com/programs [https://www.gemmabonhamcarter.com/programs] * What I Use to Run My 7-Figure Business: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/tools [https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/tools] Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/gemma.bonhamcarter [https://www.instagram.com/gemma.bonhamcarter] Support the show [https://thesweetestdigs.lpages.co/pp-webinar/]

Episode 234 | She Made $20K Using My Black Friday Strategy (featuring Stephanie Kase)

I am SO pumped to share this episode with you because it's proof that the strategies I teach actually work in the real world. My student Stephanie Kase just pulled back the curtain on how she made $20,013 during Black Friday 2024 using my Black Friday in a Box strategy. And she documented EVERYTHING. We're talking about a woman who doubled her previous year's Black Friday results without massive audience growth. She went from making her typical $4-6K flash sales to hitting a goal that honestly seemed ambitious when she set it. What I love most about Stephanie's approach is that she didn't just follow my strategy blindly - she adapted it, tested it, and made it work for her business. She ran five days of deals, used strategic upsells, and even threw in some warm audience Facebook ads that generated a 13.4x return on ad spend. This isn't just about the numbers though. Stephanie breaks down exactly what worked, what didn't, and what she's changing for next year. She's sharing the behind-the-scenes reality of running a successful Black Friday campaign, including the 500 people who unsubscribed (and why she's totally fine with that). Grab Black Friday in a Box while it’s on SALE: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/black-friday What you'll learn: * The exact 5-day deal structure that generated over $20K in sales * How strategic upsells and order bumps added $4,100 to her revenue * Why running ads to warm audiences only resulted in 13.4x return on ad spend * The specific email timing strategy that worked (and what didn't) * Her biggest mistakes and what she's doing differently in 2025 * The email subject lines that got the highest open rates during Black Friday week * How she prepared her audience weeks in advance with a Black Friday catalog * The backend technical issues you need to avoid when running daily deals Resources Mentioned in this Episode: * Black Friday in a Box: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/black-friday * Stephanie's breakdown and free Black Friday debrief document here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgJSgXeShB4 Your Next Steps: * Work with Me: https://www.gemmabonhamcarter.com/programs * What I Use to Run My 7-Figure Business: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/tools * Connect on Social: https://www.instagram.com/gemma.bonhamcarter Support the show [https://thesweetestdigs.lpages.co/pp-webinar/]

Episode 233 | My $158K Black Friday Strategy Revealed

Ready to find out how I made $158K in just five days? And no, this isn't another "look how amazing I am" story—this is me pulling back the curtain on the exact Black Friday strategy that's been game-changing for my business and hundreds of my students. I'm spilling all the tea on my 5 Days of Deals method that I literally invented back in 2019 when I was desperately trying to figure out how to make Black Friday work for course creators. Back then, I had exactly two products and was in the middle of pivoting my entire business. Fast forward to last month, and this same strategy brought in $158,584 in revenue with 246 buyers. But here's what makes me proud—this method I created out of desperation is now being used by big names across the industry. Ellen Yin, Dallas Travers, and countless others have adopted my 5 Days of Deals approach. The problem? Most people are copying the surface-level stuff without understanding the real psychology behind why it works. In this episode, I'm breaking down the complete strategy—from my humble $8K beginnings to last year’s $158K success. I'll walk you through each day of my recent campaign, share what my students are doing with lists as small as 800 subscribers, and explain why this isn't just about the sales you make that week. What you'll learn: * The exact breakdown of my $158K Black Friday campaign (day by day, offer by offer) * Why I created the 5 Days of Deals method and how it became industry standard * The three key elements most people miss that make or break these campaigns * Real case studies from students who've made $10K-$100K with small email lists * Why audience priming matters more than audience size * How strategic email sequencing drove 50% of sales in the final 6 hours each day * Why Black Friday is really about validation, momentum, and list-building (not just sales) * The psychology behind urgency and exclusivity that makes this strategy work GET BLACK FRIDAY IN A BOX: https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/black-friday BLACK FRIDAY CASE STUDY: HOW I MADE $158K IN 2024 (FREE): https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/casestudy [https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/casestudy]  Support the show [https://thesweetestdigs.lpages.co/pp-webinar/]