The most important advice I have for course creators is to give yourself the gift of a spacious launch timeline. I get it; once you have validated the product, you start to feel the pressure to get it to market as soon as possible. After all, aren't you missing out on sales by not launching ASAP? From, what I've seen in my experience of launching my clients and my products probably not…

Rushing launch prep usually only leads to more stress, more overwhelm, FEWER SALES & often, a healthy case of burnout.😩

Creating a spacious timeline that creates breathing room helps you hit your goals and deliver a WOW-worthy experience for your students and creates an experience for you that you can actually enjoy. 😊

So what does a spacious launch timeline look like?

I typically recommend 8-12 weeks. And if you are newer to launching, are still working to build your audience, or are DIYing some of the components yourself (which is perfectly fine in the beginning), I absolutely encourage you to give yourself the gift of a minimum of 12 weeks.

Because life happens, creativity blocks are a thing, and something will, without a doubt, go wrong. Also, it's just lovely to be able to take a break when you need it to refill your cup—true story: A mid-launch Gilmore Girls binge is a critical part of my execution process.

A couple of other things to consider when planning your launch timeline:

• When was the last time you launched this product? (You don't want to burn out your audience.)
• Do you need time to grow your audience to meet your launch goals?
• What does your schedule look like? Do you have any holidays, personal events, or vacations planned?
• Are you creating all of your launch assets from scratch, or are you rinsing a previous repeating launch? Be sure to leave time for the actual launch and launch preparation so you don't burn yourself out.

There are so many reasons to give yourself a spacious launch timeline, but the biggest reason is that it creates white space.

And white space, my friend, is where the magic happens. 🪄

I was lucky enough to have a mentor who would constantly remind me to schedule in my white space back in my retail days.

What is white space, you ask?

White space is just that. It's a spot on your calendar where you have nothing planned on your calendar. It makes room for reflection, creativity, and refinement. When you've got your head down, plowing from one task to another and in time scarcity mode, it is scientifically proven that your imaginative powers are diminished. On the other hand, when your days aren't overbooked, you have the bandwidth for insight, forward-thinking, and better focus.

A spacious launch timeline makes room for easy-breezy execution & optimization.

So what does this look like in IRL? Here is the template of a typical timeline we use at the Launch Collaborative:

• Week 1 - Strategy, Decision Making & Planning - Make all the big decisions related to your launch's who, when, and how. And break down your strategy into a streamlined execution plan.
   
• Week 2 -4 - Content Creation and Execution - Write the copy, design the pages and connect all the tech. The more you can automate before your launch date, the more present you will be able to be for your potential students.
   
• Week 5 - Optimization & Promo Starts - Test and tweak your launch components to ensure you deliver a fantastic experience for your community and shift your focus to promote your live launch event.
   
• Week 6 - Launch Event Happens & Enrollment Opens- Kick off your enrollment period with a high energy and education event And begin to invite your community to invest in your program.
   
• Week 7 - Nurture your audience, answer questions & close the cart - Continue to share the logistical information of your offer and the benefits of joining to help your community determine if they want to invest in your program.
• Week 8 - Rest & Reflect - With your launch behind you, get some much-deserved R&R and dive deep into your launch results.

There you have it, the tried and true timeline that we follow at The Launch Collaborative; feel free to tweak and make it your own ( Just try not to speed it up ). Building a profitable and sustainable business takes time, but giving yourself grace and space will allow you to enjoy the process.