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.

Just over a year in, Verbal to Visual now hosts over 1,300 members total. And Doug gives his members a few different ways to access his wells of content.  

His main offering? Verbal to Visual: All-Access Pass, which bundles access to the overall Verbal to Visual membership community with Doug’s full library of self-paced sketchnoting courses, plus weekly live webinars for $19.99 per month. 

For members who want to focus only on a specific journey, Doug also bundles each of his courses with the overall community for a one-time fee, including: 

• 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.
• Digital Sketchnoting – Workshop Series $29.99
  Focuses on helping participants develop a sketch noting process using the unique capabilities of a digital note-taking device. 
• 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.
• 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.
• How to Make Sketchnote Videos $49.99
  Teaches the core techniques and principles for making engaging hand-sketched videos.
• 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.
• Sketchnoting Side Hustle $39.99
  Offers members the tools to start earning an income from their sketchnoting skills.

Within the main community space, Doug keeps things 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.

Additionally, Doug shares his latest YouTube videos and podcasts in the main Activity Feed to kickstart meaningful conversations. Plus, 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.