This visual note-taker combined courses and membership for a $300k+ business

Doug Neill knew he wanted to help people master the art of visual note-taking. But when he decided to merge his interest in sketch noting with his background in teaching, he wasn’t sure where the journey would take him.

He started with a WordPress site, where he built online courses and resources around the concept of sketch noting with the help of a handful of plug-ins. But between technological frustrations and a lack of dedicated community space for his course members, Doug quickly found himself outgrowing the platform.

He started eyeing his next move, but could only find course-only options like Teachable and Kajabi. Then, he came upon an episode of Tara McMullin’s What Works podcast that featured Mighty Networks founder and CEO Gina Bianchini. This piqued his interest:

With a Mighty Network, Doug could do more than just offer courses. He could build a community for sketch noters, where they could learn alongside each other and share their experiences with each other, too. And he could do it on an easy-to-navigate platform that was available on the web and native mobile apps.

A new home for his fellow sketch noters in place, Doug took the next step.

Doug quickly created his Mighty Network, Verbal to Visual, and signed up for the latest Community Design Masterclass. But as he started transitioning his courses in early March, the pandemic started ramping up:

With that in mind, Doug sped up his move. With the help of Community Design, he reworked what the Verbal to Visual community would look like, transferred all six of his established courses, and started developing a seventh.

He decided that he would run his newest course live—building out lessons as he went. That way, he could get feedback from members, and make sure he understood the questions that people had about the topic:

It also meant he would be able to give his initial course members a behind-the-scenes look at his process of brainstorming and building a course. Doug figured the added access to him as an instructor was an easy way to give those members added value:

After a couple of weeks, Doug was ready to launch.

Four months in, and Verbal to Visual hosts over 800 members total. Within his network, Doug offers his courses, which are one-time payment, and a separate subscription community membership that he runs out of a Group.

The Verbal to Visual Community, priced at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year is open to anyone who is interested in mastering sketch noting and is bundled with access to the overall Mighty Network.

Doug keeps the Community organized with a weekly calendar with daily activities, including a question of the week every Monday, and a sketch noting prompt every Wednesday.

He also puts on two live webinars a month. Towards the beginning of the month, he hosts a Mastermind style webinar, where members can talk through challenges and set their monthly goals. Mid-month, Doug hosts office hours, where he encourages his members to engage in Q&A and free-form discussion.

While the Verbal to Visual Community currently has about 100 members—mostly graduates of one or many of Doug’s courses—Verbal to Visual’s courses bring people in the door. Each course, and the community membership, is bundled with free access to the overall Mighty Network, which offers its own activity feed where members can discuss coursework or other relevant topics:

• An Introduction to Visual Note-Taking $49.99
  This course helps members engage their visual brain and develop the skill of sketching out ideas with text, layout, imagery, and color.
• Sketchnoting in the Classroom $49.99
  Aimed exclusively at instructors and educators, this course gives teachers the tools to help their students develop their own visual thinking skills.
• How to Make Sketchnote Videos $49.99
  Teaches the core techniques and principles for making engaging hand-sketched videos.
• Learn a New Language $49.99
  With this course, members learn to use a combination of words and visuals to help them master a new language.
• Build an Online Course with Sketchnotes $99.99
  Helps participants turn their own passions and skills into a transformative educational experience for others.
• Learn in Public $49.99
  Gives students the foundation for future careers by teaching them to document and share their own skill development.
• Digital Sketchnoting $29.99
  Doug’s newest course focuses on helping participants develop a sketch noting process using the unique capabilities of a digital note-taking device. Since it’s in development, he’s currently offering it at a discounted, early bird rate.

Prospective participants can also take advantage of one of Doug’s course bundles, which combine his material at a discounted rate, including The Classroom Teacher bundle, priced at $89.99, which offers access to three of Doug’s courses; and the Dedicated Professional, which bundles four of Doug’s courses and is priced at $124.99.

Back in the main Verbal to Visual  Mighty Network, Doug shares his latest YouTube videos and podcasts to kickstart meaningful conversations. He offers one-on-one coaching calls, allowing new course or community members to take part in a 30-minute phone call with him at no cost. In return, and with their permission, he records and releases the chat as a podcast to his larger audience:

Doug’s move to Mighty Networks has also inspired him to create new content, like a his video series, Sketchnote Breakdown, where he interviews experienced sketch noters. For course and community members, he hosts it as an online event, where they can attend live and ask questions. Afterward, he makes it available on YouTube for his other followers:

Doug is already making plans for the future of Verbal to Visual. He’s hoping to create a visual roadmap to help guide prospective course and community members toward the course option that fits them best. He’s also planning on implementing price bumps in early 2021: 

But for now, Doug is happy with the new heights he’s reached with Verbal to Visual’s in its new home—and the deeper connections that his new membership has enabled:

1. People learn better together. Once Doug was able to start offering a community alongside his courses, he instantly saw deeper levels of engagement all around. Those connections are the bread and butter of your community—and the thing that offers your members a unique, high-value experience.
2. You don’t need hours of planned content to create a course. When you run a course live as Doug did you can build your lessons as you go, using your course members’ feedback to guide you along the way.
3. Facilitating a course to community transition is easier than you think. With his courses, Doug offers his members the opportunity to get acquainted with his style and enjoy the perks of being a part of Verbal to Visual. Once they’ve completed their course, it’s an easy next step to join the Verbal to Visual Community, where they can continue to invest in what they’ve learned.