{"id":15484,"date":"2020-07-03T08:03:29","date_gmt":"2020-07-03T08:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/?p=15484"},"modified":"2022-03-09T02:02:54","modified_gmt":"2022-03-09T02:02:54","slug":"valeria-symonds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/valeria-symonds.html","title":{"rendered":"How Dr Valeria Symonds of Symondsresearch.com Traded Lecturing at University to Grow Her Online Training Company"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>Who: <strong>Valeria Symonds<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Website: <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/symondsresearch.com\">symondsresearch.com<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Course Topic: <strong>Train the Trainer<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Interesting Stats: <strong>5-figures from courses in 8 months<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Who_are_you_and_what_course_have_you_created\"><\/span>Who are you and what course have you created?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Hi. I am Dr. Valeria Lo Iacono and the main course that I offer online is a <a href=\"https:\/\/symondsresearch.com\/train-the-trainer-online\/\">&#x2018;Train the Trainer&#x2019; course<\/a>. It&#x2019;s a 30 + module course that people can do in their own time from anywhere.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_market_does_your_online_course_serve\"><\/span>What market does your online course serve?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>My site as a whole is targeted at freelance and corporate trainers. The online &#8220;train the trainer&#8221; course helps those new to provide training who want to understand the basics of pedagogy i.e. teaching methods and techniques.<\/p>\n<p>Having taught in several universities in the UK and in South Korea, this course helps others become the best trainer possible.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-16010\" src=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-3.png\" alt=\"Valeria Symond Photo\" width=\"500\" height=\"491\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-3.png 950w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-3-300x295.png 300w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-3-80x80.png 80w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-3-768x754.png 768w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-3-50x50.png 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>What&#x2019;s the biggest benefit of taking your course?<\/h2>\n<p>The key benefit is that it should help you to better understand some key techniques that really can make a difference to you as a trainer.<\/p>\n<p>For anyone who wants to be an online trainer and seeks to get repeat business, I think it is important to get a grounding in basic teaching methods. Being a good trainer means learning how to deliver training in such a way that people want more and more of what you offer.<\/p>\n<p>You want them to be asking about a follow-up course, for example. Or asking what other courses you offer online.<\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;train the trainer&#8221; course, is a great way to hone your skills.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_did_you_get_into_the_market\"><\/span>How did you get into the market?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I taught at a couple of universities in the UK (in Bath and Cardiff) and I also taught as a lecturer in Seoul, Korea.<\/p>\n<p>I have thus been involved in education and teaching for a while and it&#x2019;s quite a natural path for me to provide online training in teaching skills.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_did_you_decide_to_create_an_online_course_in_the_first_place\"><\/span>Why did you decide to create an online course in the first place?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I already offer offline <a href=\"https:\/\/symondsresearch.com\/training-course-materials\/\">course materials for corporate and freelance trainers<\/a> and for HR departments&#xA0;but I found that some trainers were also keen on learning how to improve their teaching skills.<\/p>\n<p>So I basically developed the online trainer the trainer course because of the demand and requests from my customers.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Did_you_have_any_moments_of_doubt_before_you_createdlaunched_it_If_so_what_made_you_turn_it_around_and_do_it_anyway\"><\/span>Did you have any moments of doubt before you created\/launched it? If so what made you turn it around and do it anyway?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I never had any doubts but I wasn&#x2019;t looking forward to the technology used to finish the course. I had to learn how, for example, to use <a class=\"thirstylink\" rel=\"sponsored\" title=\"Camtasia\" href=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/go\/camtasia\" data-shortcode=\"true\">Camtasia<\/a> the video editing tool and that took some time I have to say! &#x263A;<\/p>\n<p>Also finding the right video camera (I ended up with a Logitech HD webcam) and then I spent ages messing around trying to work out the best way to get high-quality audio recorded. I learned a lot myself when I created this course.<\/p>\n<p>I knew I could create the course because I have developed lesson plans and teaching plans at the university level so this is bread and butter for me. The struggle thus was never in the content and in the ability to deliver training but in getting used to the tools to make an online course.<\/p>\n<p>The way I turned around my lack of technical expertise really was a combination of asking my husband and trial and error. Patience also helps!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-16009\" src=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-2.png\" alt=\"symondsresearch.com resources\" width=\"1200\" height=\"503\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-2.png 1200w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-2-300x126.png 300w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-2-1030x432.png 1030w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-2-768x322.png 768w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-2-50x21.png 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What%E2%80%99s_your_online_course_like\"><\/span>What&#8217;s your online course like?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The course is a combination of PowerPoint presentations recorded with my audio on top. I am in the introduction video though speaking and there are also some text-only lessons, but only a limited few.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_long_did_it_take_you_to_create_your_course\"><\/span>How long did it take you to create your course?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I did a lot of planning because I wanted to be sure that the flow of the course was right and I wanted to make sure I covered all the things that I know freelance trainers want to know about, whilst also including key teaching methods and ideas. So overall the 35 or so units took me 3 weeks to create.<\/p>\n<p>So in terms of the process, I started with going through emails and seeing what trainers had been asking me to cover first of all. Next, I went to the teaching materials that I used for my university lecturing work and looked back at all of the pedagogy documents.<\/p>\n<p>After that, I mapped out everything that I needed to include, and from this I formed the <a href=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/online-course-outline.html\">outline for the course<\/a> on a whiteboard in our office.<\/p>\n<p>Then I got to work on all the PowerPoint presentation designs and then got my husband to proofread everything. Finally, I set about recording everything and then gradually I uploaded all of the units on <a class=\"thirstylink\" rel=\"sponsored\" title=\"Teachable home page affiliate link\" href=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/go\/teachable\" data-shortcode=\"true\">Teachable<\/a>, which we use to host our online courses.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-16012\" src=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-5.png\" alt=\"symondsresearch.com video\" width=\"1200\" height=\"668\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-5.png 1200w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-5-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-5-1030x573.png 1030w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-5-768x428.png 768w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-5-50x28.png 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tell_us_a_little_about_the_process_of_launching_your_course_and_getting_your_first_sales\"><\/span>Tell us a little about the process of launching your course and getting your first sale(s).<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One of the key techniques I used for getting my first students was to utilize my mail list. I have a number of freebies on my site. I&#8217;ve always tried to make sure that they are high-quality. I have a free 54-page Teaching Activities eBook, for example, available on the home-page, and it&#x2019;s got 25 activities detailed in it that trainers can use in their training and lesson plans.<\/p>\n<p>From the freebies, I have built up a mailing list of a few thousand freelance trainers. Two months before I launched the train the trainer course, I ran a pre-launch promo offering 25% off of the course cost for any pre-launch signups. So, even before the course went live, I had 7 people waiting to start the course.<\/p>\n<p>From thereon I have mentioned the course in a few of my regular newsletters and I also have CTAs (call-to-action) in a number of the posts on <a href=\"http:\/\/symondsresearch.com\">symondsresearch.com<\/a>. From the CTAs I get sign-ups for the course.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_you_have_a_lead_magnet\"><\/span>Do you have a lead magnet?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Yes, my lead magnets are absolutely central to how I build my email list and how I promote my courses. I think that it is important to build a certain level of trust with people who are considering parting with their hard-earned money, and so I try to show that quality and attention to detail are also important to Symonds Training.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-16015\" src=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-8.png\" alt=\"symondsresearch.com checklist\" width=\"1200\" height=\"707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-8.png 1200w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-8-300x177.png 300w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-8-1030x607.png 1030w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-8-768x452.png 768w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-8-50x29.png 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What%E2%80%99s_the_traffic_strategy_that_works_best_for_you\"><\/span>What&#8217;s the traffic strategy that works best for you?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For traffic, we (my husband and I are a team of two) focus very heavily on creating high-quality blog posts to draw in traffic for our training site. We try to focus on providing genuine and good information, just like I see here on Course Method. So we try to build great content where people will want to return because the guides are genuinely useful for online trainers.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_online_course_platform_are_you_using\"><\/span>What online course platform are you using?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I have tried two different <a href=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/online-course-platforms-guide\">online course platforms<\/a>. These <a href=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/thinkific-vs-teachable.html\">platforms are Teachable and Thinkific<\/a>. We found <a class=\"thirstylink\" rel=\"sponsored\" title=\"Thinkific home page affiliate link\" href=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/go\/thinkific\" data-shortcode=\"true\">Thinkific<\/a> very difficult to use and very user-<em>un<\/em>friendly. We did not like <a class=\"thirstylink\" rel=\"sponsored\" title=\"Thinkific home page affiliate link\" href=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/go\/thinkific\" data-shortcode=\"true\">Thinkific<\/a> at all.<\/p>\n<p>So then we tried Teachable and found it a million times easier to use, much better design, and much more user-friendly. So at the moment, we are using <a class=\"thirstylink\" rel=\"sponsored\" title=\"Teachable home page affiliate link\" href=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/go\/teachable\" data-shortcode=\"true\">Teachable<\/a>. The only thing we do not like is the price, so we are always looking out for new other platforms to try.<\/p>\n<div class=\"cg-box-layout-three    cg-black \" ><div class=\"cg-layout-row\"><div class=\"cg-layout-img\"><div class=\"cg-li-photo\"><a href=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/go\/teachable\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"cg-aff-link \" data-post-title=\"Teachable Promo\" data-aff-link=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/go\/teachable\" data-post-type=\"box\" data-post-id=\"66704\"><img src=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/teachable-promotion.png\" class=\"cg-img-1\" alt=\"Teachable Promo\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"cg-layout-content\"><div class=\"cg-text\"><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Check_Out_Teachable\"><\/span>Check Out Teachable<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p>Teachable is one of the top online course platforms used by successful course creators interviewed on coursemethod.com. It is easy to set up and build your site pages, and the course area looks great.&nbsp;<\/p><ul><li><strong>Price Range:<\/strong> $0 (+ transaction fees) to $299\/month<\/li><li><strong>Most Popular Plan:<\/strong> Pro Plan at $119\/month<\/li><li><strong>Annual Discount:<\/strong> Yes, take 17% off!<\/li><li><strong>Free Trial:<\/strong> Try out <a class=\"thirstylink\" rel=\"sponsored\" title=\"Teachable home page affiliate link\" href=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/go\/teachable\" data-shortcode=\"true\">Teachable<\/a>&rsquo;s core features for free<\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"cg-lc-button\"><span class='cta-copy'><a href='https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/go\/teachable' class='cg-one-button cg-btn cg-blue  cg-aff-link ' data-post-id='66704' data-post-type='box' data-aff-link='https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/go\/teachable' data-style='default' data-post-title='Teachable Promo' data-extra='' style='' target='' rel='nofollow' >Try Teachable Free<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"cg-disclosure\">*Our content is reader supported, which means when you buy from links you click on, we may earn a commission.<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_there_any_features_you_wish_it_had\"><\/span>Are there any features you wish it had?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>No, Teachable has everything we need and in truth, there are no features that we need that <a class=\"thirstylink\" rel=\"sponsored\" title=\"Teachable home page affiliate link\" href=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/go\/teachable\" data-shortcode=\"true\">Teachable<\/a> does not already have.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_made_you_decide_to_use_your_chosen_platform_over_others\"><\/span>What made you decide to use your chosen platform over others?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I knew that we needed a professional-looking platform and <a class=\"thirstylink\" rel=\"sponsored\" title=\"Teachable home page affiliate link\" href=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/go\/teachable\" data-shortcode=\"true\">Teachable<\/a> definitely has the design that looks professional.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_other_tools_do_you_use_to_run_your_online_course_business\"><\/span>What other tools do you use to run your online course business?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We only really use <a class=\"thirstylink\" rel=\"sponsored\" title=\"Teachable home page affiliate link\" href=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/go\/teachable\" data-shortcode=\"true\">Teachable<\/a>, at least in terms of the platform for hosting the courses we do online.<\/p>\n<p>I use Canva, Photoshop, and <a class=\"thirstylink\" rel=\"sponsored\" title=\"Camtasia\" href=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/go\/camtasia\" data-shortcode=\"true\">Camtasia<\/a> for the design of the course.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-16014\" src=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-7.png\" alt=\"symondsresearch.com graphic\" width=\"1200\" height=\"657\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-7.png 1200w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-7-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-7-1030x564.png 1030w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-7-768x420.png 768w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-7-50x27.png 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_books_or_training_programs_have_you_found_useful_on_your_journey_to_a_successful_business_owner_that_others_might_find_valuable_too\"><\/span>What books or training programs have you found useful on your journey to a successful business owner that others might find valuable too?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A &#x2018;Teaching and Supporting Learning&#x2019; course for university lecturers that I did at the University of Bath, UK, was extremely useful for me as it taught me about pedagogy (teaching methods). I also did another course aimed at lecturers at Cardiff Metropolitan University in Wales, UK and that was also very useful indeed.<\/p>\n<h2>Do you have any big mistakes you&#x2019;ve made along the way that you&#x2019;d be willing to share?<\/h2>\n<p>I am trying to think of a mistake but I honestly cannot think of one. This perhaps reflects the fact that I do not tend to think in terms of mistakes but learning experiences. I can get distracted too easily when I make these courses.<\/p>\n<p>When I&#8217;m designing a course, I can end up distracted by looking at Facebook or reading the news online. So certainly I wish sometimes I could be more disciplined.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Please_share_some_idea_of_revenue\"><\/span>Please share some idea of revenue.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I only started the business i.e. putting training programs live about 8 months ago and so my income is not huge but it is in 5-figures. Due to the income, I have made this my full-time career now and I have given up university lecturing.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Please_tell_us_a_little_about_what_the_money_you%E2%80%99ve_earned_from_your_course_has_done_for_you\"><\/span>Please tell us a little about what the money you&#8217;ve earned from your course has done for you.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I use the income from both my online and offline classroom courses and materials to cover my own salary. So I make enough to cover my own salary. I don&#8217;t yet make enough to take that exotic annual &#x2013;week vacation to Hawaii that I dream of &#x263A;.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-16011\" src=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-4.png\" alt=\"symondsresearch.com free ebook\" width=\"1200\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-4.png 1200w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-4-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-4-1030x573.png 1030w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-4-768x427.png 768w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-4-50x28.png 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_addition_to_revenue_are_there_any_numbers_you_would_like_to_share\"><\/span>In addition to revenue are there any numbers you would like to share?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I do not have many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.co.uk\/corporatetraininguk\/\">followers on Pinterest<\/a>, but I have managed to maintain over 100,000 a month views which is a good start for year 1 I think. On my email list, I have gone over the 1,000 mark.<\/p>\n<p>Things in truth for me have NOT happened overnight but have been a steady increase over the last 8-10 months, through hard work.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_has_creating_your_course_done_for_you_personally\"><\/span>What has creating your course done for you personally?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I have to be honest and say that it hasn&#x2019;t really made a difference to me in terms of confidence as I got that through doing a Ph.D., academic teaching, and presenting at academic conferences in the last 5 years.<\/p>\n<p>What I have perhaps gained though is confidence in terms of being online and seen by the world. That would be what I have personally gained.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_you_have_a_story_of_a_transformation_from_any_of_your_clients\"><\/span>Do you have a story of a transformation from any of your clients?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Yes. Indeed. That is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. I think as I genuinely do care about the people I train.<\/p>\n<span class='bctt-click-to-tweet'><span class='bctt-ctt-text'><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcoursemethod.com%2Fvaleria-symonds.html&#038;text=Seeing%20others%20develop%20and%20seeing%20them%20genuinely%20grateful%20for%20the%20help%20you%20give%20them%20%28even%20if%20they%20are%20paying%20clients%29%20just%20makes%20the%20work%20always%20fun.%20-Valeria%20Symonds%20&#038;via=course_method&#038;related=course_method' target='_blank'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Seeing others develop and seeing them genuinely grateful for the help you give them (even if they are paying clients) just makes the work always fun. -Valeria Symonds  <\/a><\/span><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcoursemethod.com%2Fvaleria-symonds.html&#038;text=Seeing%20others%20develop%20and%20seeing%20them%20genuinely%20grateful%20for%20the%20help%20you%20give%20them%20%28even%20if%20they%20are%20paying%20clients%29%20just%20makes%20the%20work%20always%20fun.%20-Valeria%20Symonds%20&#038;via=course_method&#038;related=course_method' target='_blank' class='bctt-ctt-btn'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n<p>One of my clients started off new to freelance training, but she makes a living herself from her home in the United States.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-16013\" src=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-6.png\" alt=\"symondsresearch.com facebook\" width=\"1200\" height=\"697\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-6.png 1200w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-6-300x174.png 300w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-6-1030x598.png 1030w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-6-768x446.png 768w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valeria-Symonds-6-50x29.png 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_advice_do_you_have_for_people_just_starting_out\"><\/span>What advice do you have for people just starting out?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The one key thing I would say I would have changed is to have started building my mailing list from day 1 when I started the business.<\/p>\n<span class='bctt-click-to-tweet'><span class='bctt-ctt-text'><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcoursemethod.com%2Fvaleria-symonds.html&#038;text=Having%20an%20email%20list%20is%20essential%20as%20it%20is%20your%20direct%20connection%20with%20your%20potential%20customers.%20-Valeria%20Symonds%20&#038;via=course_method&#038;related=course_method' target='_blank'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Having an email list is essential as it is your direct connection with your potential customers. -Valeria Symonds  <\/a><\/span><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcoursemethod.com%2Fvaleria-symonds.html&#038;text=Having%20an%20email%20list%20is%20essential%20as%20it%20is%20your%20direct%20connection%20with%20your%20potential%20customers.%20-Valeria%20Symonds%20&#038;via=course_method&#038;related=course_method' target='_blank' class='bctt-ctt-btn'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n<p>Building trust with people is a great way to build confidence and to get the sale.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Learn_more_about_Valeria_Symonds_of_SymondsResearchcom\"><\/span>Learn more about <strong>Valeria Symonds<\/strong> of SymondsResearch.com:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Website: <a href=\"https:\/\/symondsresearch.com\">symondsresearch.com<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.co.uk\/corporatetraininguk\/\">Pinterest<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/symonds-research\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/symondsresearch\/\">Facebook<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCB4gOJMlmAmo1Qgw0ksXDRw\">YouTube<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/symondsresearch.com\/coaching-employees\/\">HR Training<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Who: Valeria Symonds Website: symondsresearch.com Course Topic: Train the Trainer Interesting Stats: 5-figures from courses in 8 months Who are you and what course have you created? Hi. I am Dr. Valeria Lo Iacono and the main course that I offer online is a &#x2018;Train the Trainer&#x2019; course. It&#x2019;s a 30 + module course that people can do in their own time from anywhere. What market does your online course serve? My site as a whole is targeted at freelance and corporate trainers. The online &#8220;train the trainer&#8221; course helps those new to provide training who want to understand the\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16008,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[87],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":5}},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Dr Valeria Symonds of Symondsresearch.com Traded Lecturing at University to Grow Her Online Training Company | Course Method<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Find out how Dr. Valeria Lo Iacono of symondsresearch.com went from lecturing in university to selling courses online by learning about pedagogy with her &quot;Train the 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