Today I want to tell you about a money/business principle that changed the way I conducted my business forever.

Long back I read a short but fantastic book called The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D.Wattles

This book was written in 1910 and the teachings in this book gave birth to very famous books like The Secret, Think and Grow Rich, etc. In fact this is called as the original Think and Grow Rich.

One of the principles that I learned in this book was about the concept of product value and cash value.

Product Value is the value that your customer receives when they purchase your product/service.

And Cash Value is what you get in return from them when they buy your product/service.

According to the author, the Product Value always has be way way way higher than the Cash Value you get.

What does this mean in the online coaching world?

It simply means that you create a quality course but sell it at a slightly lesser price.

So the product value is greater than the cash value.

Here’s why this process works:

The customer doubts why you are selling your course at such a less price.

But because the price is less, they buy your course.

But they are hesitant that the product value will be lesser because the cash value is lesser.

But inside the course they discover that you have given immense product value.

Way more than what they paid for.

This shocks their system. Pleasantly.

Because in life we are not used to the product value being greater than cash value.

We always feel cheap things are of a bad quality.

You have to take advantage of this mentality.

The shock they receive changes their perception about you.

They are not able to find any faults.

And they finally realize they benefited more than what they paid for.

Such a person will do something for you which no other marketing tactic will do, which is, spread word of mouth.

And next time you have any offering, this person will buy without even thinking twice, EVEN IF THE CASH VALUE IS HIGHER.

This is the reason why I have always sold my courses/workshops at a lesser price that what my competitors do.

Because I am always looking at the Customer LIFETIME VALUE and not just at the cash value of that particular transaction.

And it really works.

For instance, sometimes when I announce to my existing customers that an advanced photography workshop will take place soon, it gets fully booked inside even 30 minutes sometimes.

Why?

Because of that shock they received when they interacted with me for the first time.

This principle goes against what my competitors are teaching their students.

They are telling their students to price their courses as high as possible.

I had written an article earlier on why this is the wrong strategy.

I also suggest that you get your hands on The Science of Getting Rich. It’s only Rs.29 on Kindle.

It’s not a perfect book by any means but it does have some amazing principles like this one.

And the best part is that you can literally finish that book inside 1 hour.

I hope this tip helps you.

Regards,

Kush Sharma

Click Trainers

The post The Principle that Changed the Way I Conducted Online Business Forever appeared first on Click Trainers.

Next year I will be completing 10 years as an entrepreneur and one of the common reactions when I tell this to people is – “Wow Kush, you are lucky you have been able to do something you are passionate about.“

They could not be more wrong.

Back in late 2012 when I was starting out, even I believed that I wanted to do something I was passionate about.

But by 2015, I had received quite a number from checks.

What kind of checks?

Not the types that fill your bank account.

I am talking about reality checks.

The reality is that your passions can and will change.

So if you based your work solely around your passion, things can get tough for you.

I was a photographer and it’s one of those fields that comes to the mind first when someone talks about passion.

But trust me, even photography gets boring after some time.

That’s how we humans are.

We change.

But entrepreneurship is not a child’s game.

If you stop being passionate, will you stop working?

Your passion can go away but your bills won’t.

How will you pay those bills?

That’s why the number one priority should always be making money.

That should be your passion.

Till the time you don’t have a steady supply of money that guarantees a comfortable life, you should work even if you don’t feel like working.

If that means you have to keep doing a dead end job, you do it.

I know this sounds a bit negative but if you have followed me for sometime, you would know that I’m a real coach, not a fake guru.

That’s why I like to give real life advice.

Money is the most important thing you can be passionate about because it makes other passions possible.

There is nothing wrong with thinking about a passionate life but when you do, a better approach is to think and plan by taking into account your whole life, not just your work.

Because even if you find your passion but outside of work your life is miserable, you will soon lose that passion for work also.

On my left calf, I have got the word “Totality” tattooed.

That is to remind me of always taking every decision by keeping the total life in mind.

Once you develop that ability, things will not get easier but you will start to get more meaning because you would be able to push through even when times get tough or your work seems boring.

So work on making your whole life a passion.

Because that is the ultimate passion which you will never get bored of.

Regards,

Kush Sharma

Click Trainers

The post Why “Follow Your Passion” is NOT good advice appeared first on Click Trainers.

Right from the time we are kids, we are always told that hard work is the key to success.

But I have a slightly different point of view.

Because “work” itself has a very subjective nature.

Let me demonstrate this by giving you an example from an experience I had back in 2013 when I was starting out as an entrepreneur.

I was just starting out with my photography workshops in Pune and I used to use two methods of promotion to get students:

• Facebook ads
• Offline promotions like sticking flyers in cafes, outside commercial buildings and near tapris.

Let’s look at the work involved in these two activities:

Facebook ads

• Me sitting in Starbucks and executing a few clicks

Offline Promotions

• Designing flyers by hiring a freelancer graphic designer
• Getting the flyers printed out
• Moving around the city to find places where I could stick the flyers
• Taking permission to stick the flyer

The second activity was certainly very exhausting. It was certainly “hard work”.

But here’s the thing:

When I looked at the data of my results, what I found was that the offline promotions resulted in ZERO conversions.

Not one. Not two. ZERO.

Whereas the activity which I could have done being half-asleep in an air conditioned room resulted in ALL the conversions.

On the face of it, running Facebook ads did not feel or seem like hard work, but it is what got results.

It was so easy that I actually used to feel guilty about it.

And this is the important point.

I felt guilty because just like everyone else, I had been conditioned into thinking that work always has to be hard and unpleasant.

And understanding this point is very important if you are to be an entrepreneur.

Because in a job, “hard work” will always be appreciated since an employee is not accountable for the company’s bottom line. As long as the manager/supervisor feels the employee is a hard worker, the employee usually faces no issues.

That’s one of the reasons why companies hire people with higher GPAs. Because they know such people will be diligent and hard working.

But in entrepreneurship, there’s no one to fool.

The joke will be on you.

You only have to do that which is effective, whether it is hard or easy.

Your focus has to be only on results.

The “deep conditioned satisfaction” of hard work is not important.

And this is a great thing.

Because it means you can do less and yet get fantastic results, something which is not possible as an employee.

As an employee, you cannot tell your boss – “I did what’s necessary and now I want to go home and relax.“

This is why I love entrepreneurship. It rewards REAL work. Not hard work.

I don’t even call it smart work. I call it REAL work.

REAL work is more important than hard work.

Even most entrepreneurs fall for the myth of hard work and tell you things like – “You have to work 16-18 hours everyday as an entrepreneur and have sleepless nights.” It’s simply not true if you understand the nature of REAL work.

I am not against hard work.

But the correct way to work hard is to find the REAL work and increase its frequency.

If you understand this, you will realize Entrepreneurship gives you the ultimate freedom to express yourself and your work in a way that fits your innate nature and personality.

You can run things YOUR WAY.

The REAL WAY.

P.S – Last year, I wrote another similar article on the topic of hard work, titled Talent vs Hard Work. Check that out too.

Regards,

Kush Sharma

Click Trainers

The post The illusion of Hard Work appeared first on Click Trainers.

I have just released a brand new short course on Udemy called 10 Laws of Online Entrepreneurship and Digital Marketing.

For the next 4 days, it will be free and you can get it by using the link below:

​Laws of Online Entrepreneurship and Digital Marketing​

After 4 days, this course will be turned into a paid course so make sure you get your hands on it as soon as possible.

This is a course which will forever be updated since I plan to create 100 laws.

This is a very important course because each law will teach you an important principle to follow when it comes to running an online business.

I hope you like this course.

Don’t forget to give me a review on Udemy when it asks you.

P.S – I’m also soon starting the development of a new online course which will deal with the topic of using a Green Screen.

Regards,

Kush Sharma

Click Trainers

The post Get my new course for FREE appeared first on Click Trainers.

Some tough love today.

I always dread big sports events like the Olympics.

Because they always result in the most useless type of news being shared till you can’t ignore it and are forced to check what the fuss is all about.

So I finally gave in and decided to see what the commotion was all about.

So a guy named Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal.

So what?

Why is everyone going crazy behind this event?

How does it relate to you?

Is he your relative or friend?

It’s definitely a fantastic achievement but the only people who should be really and genuinely happy about Neeraj winning a gold medal are Neeraj, his family, close friends and his team members.

Anyone else who is celebrating this victory is trying to fill themselves with a fake pride.

Why is this pride fake?

Simply because you don’t even have a 0.0000000001% contribution in what he has achieved.

So why are you celebrating?

Just because he’s a compatriot?

The only time we should celebrate a compatriots victory is when our soldiers and armed forces personnel fight for us.

The rest of the time it is just a fake pride.

Real pride is always associated with what we do ourselves.

For that you have to change your mindset from being a passive audience to an active creator.

You have to go from a consumer mindset to a producer mindset.

There’s nothing wrong with watching TV to relax but to celebrate something in which you had no part to play is just unacceptable for the self-respect of a producer.

I want you to take a vow and start producing something from today itself.

Whether it’s an online course, a book, a podcast, a blog or whatever, it doesn’t matter.

But today I want you to take a vow to become a producer.

Today I want you to get up from the audience seat and have the courage to walk on to the stage.

The internet has given an opportunity to everyone to reclaim their own stardom.

And I want you to grab that opportunity with both hands.

And never look back!

Regards,

Kush Sharma

Click Trainers

The post What about your medal? appeared first on Click Trainers.

I follow a very successful entrepreneur whose Instagram account got shut down for no reason.

He posted this today on Facebook:

​

This is why I keep saying your business should never rely on social media.

The number one rule of an online business is to always build your email list.

That’s why I emphasize so much on creating a lead magnet course in Online Course Launchpad.

Your email list can never be taken away from you.

Unlike social media followers, not even your email marketing provider can take it from you.

That’s why an email list is counted as an actual asset when it comes to accounting for businesses.

I talk more about this in detail in my article on the TikTok ban that happened earlier this year.

I hope this tip helps you grow your business in a correct and secure manner.

Regards,

Kush Sharma

Click Trainers

The post Never rely on social media appeared first on Click Trainers.

Do you struggle with taking decisions?

I used to be like that too.

In fact let me tell you a story.

Back in 2013 when I was starting my photography education business, I was confused about what to name it.

I narrowed it down to two choices:

• Kush Sharma Photography.com
• Creative Pad Photography.com

But between these two, I could not decide for MONTHS. I was going crazy.

So I decided to see a Jyotish.

Can you believe that?

I decided to see a freaking astrologer just to choose a name for my business.

Even the astrologer was shocked. He said – “People come to me for career, marriage, etc. This is the first time someone is coming to me for a domain name.“

I told him – “By the way things are going, choosing the correct digital marketing strategy will be more important than choosing the correct partner. So get used to it.” (I was not wrong, was I?)

Anyway, he told me to go with Creative Pad Photography.

But little did he know that I was not a superstitious person and the only reason I had come to him was so I could see his choice and then do the opposite.

So I chose Kush Sharma Photography.

Obviously that was still a small decision as compared to what we can face in life. So I knew I had to become better at this art.

Apart from the usual strategies like listing down the pros and cons, considering the worst possible outcome,etc., here are two other strategies that helped me a lot:

1. The strategy of not making a decision at all

Trust me, this is a very under-rated strategy.

A lot of times when we are faced with a tough decisions, we always think of A or B.

But there is also a C.

C is not to take any decision at all.

Because that is also a decision.

And this is my favorite strategy because it fits well with my lazy personality.

But it’s very effective.

Because from what I have seen, a lot of problems simply disappear on their own if you just let time take care of them.

In fact I used this strategy to solve one of the biggest and serious dilemmas of my life which I thought would never be solved.

But it did.

Simply because I took the decision of not taking any decision.

Maybe one day I will be vulnerable enough to tell you what exactly that issue was.

2. The strategy of courage

So while the first strategy is my favorite, sometimes you might be required to take A or B. C wouldn’t be feasible.

In that case, the answer is courage.

Not the courage to take the decision, but the courage to face the consequences.

What you have to understand is that we cannot foresee the future.

A may be good/bad. B may be good/bad.

No one knows.

So it’s best to detach yourself from the outcome and instead tell yourself -“Whatever comes from this decision, I will accept it. But I am going to make the choice. I don’t care whether it will be good or bad. I just know that I will accept the consequences because it’s my decision.”

Now it does not matter whether your decision is correct or not. That is not important because you have already accepted responsibility. You have superseded both A and B by becoming unconditional.

I used this strategy last year when I decided to start Click Trainers. Because I already had an existing business, it was not an easy decision since I was starting from scratch.

Some nights I would get palpitations and anxiety and I would get a little scared.

But I told myself -“This is what I wanted and if palpitations or anxiety or something much more serious are the consequences, then I will accept it. It’s the price to pay for taking the decision.”

Using both these strategies has made me much better at taking decisions and has improved my overall life quality.

And I hope it helps you too.

By the way, I ultimately did end up discarding Kush Sharma Photography.com and going for Creative Pad Photography.com.

The Jyotish was right after all.

Make of that what you will.

Regards,

Kush Sharma

Click Trainers

The post How to take tough decisions appeared first on Click Trainers.

Usually in my one on one sessions, I mainly deal with issues related to Online Coaching.

But last week, I had a different request.

One of my students took a session with me because he felt his personality was not “businessman like“.

He told me – “Kush, I am a simple person. I feel business requires you to be emotionless and cunning.“

I could totally understand where he was coming from because back in 2012, I felt exactly like that.

I am from an Army family and no one in our family had ever been in business so even I had doubts like this when I started.

But trust me, most of my photography students worked with me exactly because of that. Some of them even told me that you did not appear “commercial” and that’s why we decided to come to you.

Because here’s what you have to understand and this is the advice I gave to this person:

You NOT being cunning and NOT being emotionless is your greatest strength.

Because by being cunning you can certainly win respect but not affection.

And nowadays, to win the trust and affection of your customers is the most important thing.

People (including me) are fed up of “shrewd and clever” business-minded people.

Because such people only think of money and are very selfish in their approach. That’s why majority of the internet marketing “gurus” get a bad name. Their whole approach is that of desperation.

And with that desperation, even if you gain success, you will lose yourself.

Remember, business is just a name given to barter.

How you barter is not so important as what you barter.

If you give solid value through your products and services, then there’s not need for any other drama.

You can completely be yourself and still do well.

Never ever trade your authenticity for anything else.

That’s the only barter you should avoid.

Regards,

Kush Sharma

Click Trainers

The post “Kush, I’m not cunning enough!” appeared first on Click Trainers.

No matter what your profession is, you can earn more by teaching in it than doing it.

If you are an immigration lawyer servicing clients, you can make more by creating a course that teaches people how to get a PR/Green card.

If you are a photographer, you can earn 10X by teaching photography than doing it (personal experience speaking here)

If you are a stock trader, you can earn more by creating a stock trading course.

If you are a cook, you can earn more by creating a cooking course (even Sanjeev Kapoor went into teaching)

I can go on and on but you get the point.

But why is this the case?

Simply because teaching is easily scalable (especially with online courses and webinars).

For example, if I’m a photographer, I can only get paid for my time since my service depends on my presence and execution. But If I’m selling a photography course, I can sell the same course to the entire world.

The only industry that is similar to this is the SaaS (Software as a Service) industry but it’s way more complicated to execute than creating an online course and selling it.

So the next time someone tells you “Those who can’t do, teach!“, just say “Well, those who can, should too!“

Regards,

Kush Sharma

Click Trainers

The post Why teaching is better than doing appeared first on Click Trainers.

Can you feel the change around you?

COVID has changed EVERYTHING!

Big companies are not able to cope up. Cost cutting seems to be the hot topic!

Why?​
Because this pandemic has revealed one major truth about work, which is, LESS IS MORE!

• There is no need of fancy coffee machines
• There is no need of fancy glossy glass buildings
• There is no need of fancy formal clothes
• There is no need of fancy useless meetings
• There is no need of fancy inflexible timings
• There is no need of fancy protocols

There is only the need of one thing – of delivering value!

How it is delivered does not matter as long as it is delivered!

The same change will hit the outdated education industry soon. Here’s what will happen:

Traditional colleges and universities with physical classes will soon be extinct.

Because they simply won’t be able to keep up with competitors offering online courses.

Because the online education model gives one MASSIVE advantage – it is scalable with very less cost!

And it can be done BY A SINGLE PERSON!

Automation is your new employee!

And this employee doesn’t care about Employee of the Month award or appraisals!​
This employee works 24/7 without asking anything in return!

This employee will enable you to create the company of your dreams all by yourself!

I am soon going to complete 10 years in entrepreneurship and I have NEVER had a single HUMAN employee!

And I have done all this with just a laptop and internet and wearing bermudas and slippers and working from cafes!

It’s not easy but it’s simple!

And you can do it too!

So are you going to wait?

Or are you going to take advantage of this massive shift!
The choice is yours!

Regards,

Kush Sharma

Click Trainers

The post This is the age of Solopreneurs appeared first on Click Trainers.