My "Failed Cohort Launch" Made $7,773 (Here's What I Learned)
Lessons from launching my cohort program
Welcome to issue #7 of Side Hustle Stories. Each week, I share honest lessons from building a creator-led business while balancing a FT job and family life. No fluff. Just stories, frameworks, and behind-the-scenes decisions from someone doing the work in real-time. If you're building your own thing on the side—or want to—you’ll feel right at home here.
I wanted 30 students for my third cohort of The Impromptu Speakers Academy.
I got 9.
At first, I panicked. Should I refund everyone? Cancel the whole thing?
But after some reflection (and polling my community), I decided to run it anyway. And that was a great decision.
Here's the full breakdown of what happened, what I learned, and why sometimes your "worst" launch teaches you the most.
The Numbers
Revenue: $7,773 from 9 students
Expenses: $2,750 (VA, tools, platforms)
Net Profit: $5,023 (64.6% margin)
Time Invested: 80 hours total
Not a whole lot given the time spent. I was exhausted from it.
I charged between $797-$997 depending on whether people were on my waitlist. 442 people joined that waitlist, but only 9 converted. That's a 2% conversion rate, which stung.
I felt terrible about it. I was hoping for a $30K launch and instead didn’t even top my previous cohort launch a few months prior (~$8900 made in that one).
What I Did
My promotion strategy was pretty aggressive:
Built the waitlist for 5 weeks across all my social platforms
Created a 14-day preview course (170 people joined)
Sent 2 emails daily to my general list during open cart
Sent 3 emails daily to my waitlist
Made 53 personalized videos for engaged subscribers
Hosted a welcome event for early buyers
As for email metrics:
My waitlist emails averaged 45% open rates and generated just 2 unsubscribes per email.
My general list emails dropped from my usual 40% open rate to just 28%, with 30 unsubscribes per email (10 above normal)
The panic moment: After getting only 9 enrollments instead of 30, I seriously considered refunding everyone and calling it quits. I was worried about ruining my reputation and losing the chance to ever repackage the program.
So I wrote a post inside of Jay Clouse’s The Lab Community. I posted:
"If your launch completely flops, would you refund customers who paid you or give them a coaching lesson for free to be able to cancel the program? Or put it out and fulfill what you promised?"
The responses were clear: 70% said "Go through with the program. It's a time commitment but you can always learn from it, even if you don't do it again." Only 18% said to give free coaching and refund, and 12% said just refund and apologize.
That community feedback shifted everything. Instead of seeing 9 students as a failure, I saw it as a chance to over-deliver and learn.
What Actually Worked: Running The Program
For the actual program, I ran 4 live sessions per week over 5 weeks. Mondays were theory, Thursdays were practice. Each session was 1.5 hours. I had to run AM really early before my day job and late in the afternoon when I could take a break from the day job. I did this to accommodate different time zones, which I don’t think I would do again.
I do highly recommend running cohorts at a 5 or 6-week length and running two live sessions like this per week. It’s a good enough length to make people see improvement. The space to apply key aspects of the curriculum on Thursday’s helped solidify the learnings from my students.
The small group was incredible. 7 out of 9 students showed up to every single session. Only 1 never showed up at all. People were connected to each other. Practice sessions were fun and lively. I really enjoyed them.
The testimonials speak for themselves:
Carlos, Product Manager: "Impromptu Speaking Academy is the single best investment I've made in my communication toolbox. It turns everyday speakers into strategic communicators... while prepping for a high-stake meeting at work, I clearly mapped what I wanted the audience to know, feel and do. I also used a few frameworks strategically to facilitate the conversation. The leadership called it 'the most productive meeting I've seen in a while.'"
Jenny, Project Manager: "ISA changed the way I think of myself as a presenter! Preston's course helped me to structure my thoughts, highlighted the necessity of clarity in what I am delivering... I highly recommend ISA if you're aiming to establish your 'presence in the room', level up your sales game, are a new job hunt, or on a career advancement path."
Olivia, HR Leader: "Before the ISA, I wasn't able to understand why my points were not coming through in executive leadership meetings. After the ISA, the feedback I had been receiving came full circle in that I could finally understand, through Preston's frameworks, feedback, and coaching, why my points were buried in my thoughts."
The small format let me over-deliver. I got to know each student personally and tailor examples to their specific situations. It was exhausting but incredibly rewarding.
What Definitely Didn't Work
Email overload. I sent way too many emails. My general list normally has a 40% open rate. During the launch, it dropped to 28%. I got 30 unsubscribes per email instead of my usual 20. People literally told me I was spamming them.
Short-form content reliance. I've been focusing on TikTok and Instagram, but those platforms don't build the deep trust needed for higher-ticket purchases. YouTube's long-form content would serve me better.
Personalized videos. I spent a full day making 53 custom videos for engaged subscribers. Got maybe 3 sales from it, but I'm not even sure those people saw the videos. The deliverability was questionable and the time investment was massive.
Burnout city. Running live sessions while working full-time nearly broke me. I was doing 10+ hours of ISA work per week on top of my day job.
What I'm Doing Differently
First, I'm embracing the "failure." This cohort taught me more than any successful launch could have.
Email strategy: Max one email per day during launches to my general list and probably sticking with 2 for my waitlist. Quality over quantity. My audience isn't going anywhere if I don't bombard them. I also probably won’t automatically add people to waitlists using a link trigger. That over-inflates the actual number of people on your waitlist.
Content shift: Moving toward YouTube for trust-building. Short-form gets attention, but long-form gets wallets.
Program format: Building a self-serve version for people who can't afford $800 or can't attend live sessions. Maybe a hybrid model with optional coaching calls.
Pricing validation: The price wasn't the problem. Nine people paid $800+ happily. I just need to reach the right people the right way.
Platform diversification: Relying only on email for sales is limiting. I need multiple touchpoints.
The Real Win
Here's what I learned: this cohort wasn't a detour from building my business. It was the bridge to the next version.
The feedback I got is now shaping my self-serve course. The testimonials are building trust for future launches. And honestly? Teaching 9 motivated people was way more fun than trying to manage 30.
Sometimes your "worst" launch gives you exactly what you need. Not the revenue you expected, but the clarity you didn't know you were missing.
The business world loves to celebrate the big wins. But there's gold in the small ones too. You just have to be willing to dig for it.
What else would you like me to share from this launch? What “failures” have you experienced building your creator-led businesses?
Talk soon,
Preston