From YouTube Tips to a Paid Course: Laura Doman on On-Camera Confidence, Human Connection, and Scaling Coaching

[00:00] Micah: Hey, everybody. It is Micah Mitchell with Membarium, and I have a wonderful guest with us. Laura, please say hi to the audience.

[00:06] Laura: Hey, everyone. Nice to meet you. I'm Laura Doman.

[00:10] Micah: All right. So Laura and I talked about a week ago, and I just thought the whole conversation was fascinating. You're fascinating. And I wanted to pick your brain and record it. So to start off, can you explain to people where you are in the process of building this business that you're growing up? I know you have done some things and not others. So how would you describe where you're at in the process?

[00:32] Laura: Thank you. That sounds great. I would say I'm still at the beginning to early intermediate stages, meaning I have a methodology. I have a program. I've got a lot of the infrastructure, a website, landing pages, sales funnel, lead magnet, the whole business with that. I also have about two or three years worth of individual videos that currently reside on YouTube, which I've been building long before I decided to hang out my shingle. But what I really want to be able to do is to add a passive income stream to what I'm already doing, which is primarily either one-on-one coaching or perhaps leading group workshops for small businesses to corporations. And it's just something that I know I need to do because the videos on YouTube are really not situated for that. And there's no way to lock them down. And I want to make a proper course out of all the ones that I have. So right now I am in the process of planning out what those videos would be. And most importantly, where I should host them, how I should be restructuring everything, and really just getting started because I know it's going to really help escalate everything I'm working on.

[01:41] Micah: Gotcha. Perfect. Thank you for sharing. So you've got, I would maybe put it, it's almost like you have a lot of the ingredients, like you said, website, landing pages, you've made the videos, but they're just not yet in a format that helps you make the passive income.

[01:54] Laura: I would even back that up because right now what I have are a number of playlists on YouTube, and they were really more intended as one-offs, which I would put on blogs. I have a LinkedIn newsletter. I would send it to clients directly. And of course on social media. And one of those playlists is all in the landscape format, the long form, horizontal. But I also have many videos that are more current that people really love. Each one under a minute long, but they're shot in the vertical format portrait, because that's where they were intended for. What I want to do is to be able to create something that brings the best of both worlds so that there are modules and it makes more of a teaching structure. So that's why it's hard to be able to bundle anything I have. And I know I need to make something a little bit more polished as well.

[02:42] Micah: That makes sense. Would you, out of curiosity, would you say that you have created most of the content out of your head, just not in the right format? Or is there a bunch more in your head you still need to get out?

[02:53] Laura: I think the material is already there. And like I said, I've been putting it out there for some time now. It's just a matter of reformatting it. So when I talk about the different types of my programs or the different sections of it, there's a logical flow. Right now I can order them on my YouTube playlist the way they are supposed to be seen,

[03:13] Micah: but it really needs more of a formal structuring. And I love the idea for people to see these are all the different steps

[03:20] Laura: that you'll take and this is your progress so you can match it. There would be worksheets, everything that of course includes. So I guess formalizing is the best word I can come up with to describe what I need to do.

[03:32] Micah: Gotcha. So with the content you have out there already, is it driving traffic to your website or is it just getting views on social?

[03:42] Laura: It's a combination of things. I find that I get attention from both ends. I get people who are wanting to work with me one-on-one to be guests on a speaker for their masterminds and stuff like that. And I do have some people checking out the website, but it's really hard to track. I can't really tell unless I ask somebody. So there's no back-end system for matching that. I think most people think of it as, oh, this is a nice little tip of the week. And I want to go beyond being that nice, helpful lady who shows up on LinkedIn multiple times during the week, giving you some great free advice to be able to be, hey, I'm a coach at a different level now and you can work with me and this is how we can do it. So there's a big difference.

[04:27] Micah: Perfect. Perfect. So I want to kind of go forward in a minute, but first of all, let's go backward and tell me who are you trying to serve? Where did this expertise come from? What were you doing before all this?

[04:37] Laura: Let me just tell you a little bit about my background and what I'm doing now, and maybe that'll put in perspective. Overall, I'm a corporate turned creative. Way back when the dinosaurs were roaming the earth and we were dialing for dollars, I was in IT sales. So I sold the big iron and I did the dot-coms, the startups and all that. About 10 years ago, I decided I wanted to reinvent myself and follow a passion. So I went in the completely different area. And I became, and I am still doing this, I'm a working professional actor for film, TV, commercials, industrials, and then I also do voiceovers. So while I have been promoting all that work, I noticed a few years ago a lot of business people could not really effectively talk to camera. They weren't comfortable. They weren't confident. They didn't know really how to use it. I saw speakers who are great on stage who don't know how to use the medium. And I just saw those who were trying to get those media interviews that, again, didn't know how to make the leap from being great in person to really shining when it comes to broadcast TV.

[05:39] Micah: So what I'm doing now, and this is where it's all formalizing, I bring in my background in sales, public speaking, of which I do a lot.

[05:48] Laura: And from the technique I learned from being in front of the camera all the time as an actor to create that kind of methodology. So what I am doing is working with people one-on-one or coming in to run workshops and specialized training to help folks figure out how they can get much better on camera. So they show up charismatically. So they're able to build their visibility, how they're able to attract and close deals. Because so much work is being done online now. And the truth of the matter is, if you're not comfortable and if you're not showing up online as the powerhouse you really are, as the expert you are, you're probably not being noticed or remembered. Or you are so stiff. I hate to say it, but you're boring. And the truth of the matter is, boring is going to keep you broke. It's the presence that keeps you going. It's the presence that's going to get you paid. And so I help people be able to show the authority and all of the credibility they have through the camera. So I hope that's not too long-winded an answer.

[06:49] Micah: No, not at all. And I was thinking coming into this, I could use some coaching because like you've got the right lighting and backdrop and audio and you know how to present yourself. And I'm like, T-shirt, hat, I'm on brand. It all depends on your audience. That's true. That is true. I do think, I do wish though, and maybe this is ego or something, but yeah, I wish I could look more professional, right? Dress up my content a little bit better. Who do you want to serve with this? So let's assume that people are coming to you. Who's your ideal person?

[07:17] Laura: The ideal person is somebody who knows they have to get better on camera for video, online, whether it's going to be in meetings or even talking to their own employees. And they've already tried stuff that's out there. Maybe they look for free advice through YouTube videos. Maybe you found mine. Maybe you were paying for some speaking or presentation training or maybe even got some actor training and nothing's really working. What I do is I strip away a lot of the junk that a lot of other people put on training for speaking to camera. And what I do as an actor is be able to show you how to be yourself, how to be able to connect through and break through that fourth wall. Because especially with AI, nothing sells more now than human. And by the way, for anybody who's worrying about how they come across, and Micah, you come across pretty well. You look great. Okay, you're hard on yourself. Kick that devil off your shoulder. Because the way you're, yep, they're gone. You got a mean girl living rent-free in your head? You're evicted. You're evicted. The truth of the matter is be yourself. You don't want to be a train wreck if you can help it. But people do love to see a train wreck. Show them how you rise above it. But don't be afraid to show your flaws. Be yourself. And so what I do is help you be able to get past all the worries, all the old stuff you might have been taught, and to be able to let the human being come through in a professional way. And there are a lot of different ways of handling that. So I'm not just focusing on it like a film producer would be. Let's get the lighting right and the sound. I'm focused on the person and the connection. Because that's really what acting is about. And reacting. Connecting. Making somebody feel something emotionally. AI is not going to probably make you feel anything except maybe a little laughter if you find something silly going on. But people's BS meter is so high. They just don't want it. And they don't trust it. And I can give you examples of commercials that flop because people rejected the AI. And sometimes they just wondered, is this real or not? It's kind of like the old Memorex coming back to us, if you remember that with the photos. But, you know, that's the gist of it.

[09:28] Micah: Gotcha. So I find it intriguing that somebody would, all the use cases basically of being good on camera. It's not just maybe making your YouTube video. But it is one-on-one selling. If you get a consultation, you have to close that deal. How's that coming across? The group coaching, all the things. And there's definitely only so much AI can do. It's a double-edged sword. Because even yesterday I was in a little call and we were saying, the one guy who's an IT security guy, don't do that at all. You can't give it this access and that data. And on the other end of the spectrum, one of my friends is saying that she's, I'm going to do it. I'm not like, it helps me be fast, right?

[10:03] Laura: And so it's like this, you can be really quick.

[10:05] Micah: But then whatever comes out the other end is maybe a security risk.

[10:08] Laura: But maybe like you're saying, just not really able to connect with a real human. No, I see it all across the board. You have to be able to get their attention and keep it right from the very beginning. And you have to be honest and you have to be yourself. And you have to be comfortable and confident. You were asking me what kind of people need it? The folks that know that they need to improve. But sometimes they've got to get over not feeling good on camera. Oh my God, I'm getting old or my face is breaking out or whatever that is. Knowing to know how to use the camera. Being able to take stage skills, put them on screen or getting ready for that interview. It's just people come from all different areas. But you've got to stand out and you don't have much time to do it.

[10:51] Micah: So you've got to do it right off the bat. Yeah, really good point. Catch their attention instantly or they're gone. So let's go back to like you and your business. So you have, you've put your content, a lot of it out on YouTube. Like you said, a lot of them were one-off videos, self-enclosed, but then you put them into playlists.

[11:08] Laura: You mentioned that when you build a course, you might add in worksheets and all these different elements.

[11:13] Micah: I'm sure to help guide and coach and a path for them to walk through. What parts that you've done so far were easier than you thought? And what parts that you've done so far were harder than you thought?

[11:23] Laura: I haven't really started putting the whole course together except on paper right now. And I don't think anything has really been hard. Because I know my stuff inside and out. And having been on the other side of it as a business person, I know how to relate it to business. It's just mostly finding the time to be able to do it. And especially the hard part that I'm facing now is being able to put those courses together quickly, easily, and know that it's done. Rather than trying to figure out some software on my own, wondering if it's going to break. Sometimes a done-for-you solution is really the best way to go. Even if you step into it in a small way. So that's probably the biggest obstacle. And even like speaking on camera, it often keeps people from getting started. If I had someone I was working with one-on-one, like yourself, I probably would feel like, Okay, he's waiting for these videos. Somebody's expecting him. That kind of lights a fire under me too. And I'm able to crank him out. And instead of thinking, I've got to get all the pieces ready. I've got to figure out the platform. I've got to figure out how to do it. I've got to get all this together. Sometimes it's easier to do it with a partner. Or coach, mentor. That sort of thing.

[12:33] Micah: Yeah, absolutely. It's interesting you mentioned like the easy to use or the all-in-one is nice. Because our first interaction was actually about whether or not you might want to use Membarium. And after a minute, I was like, yeah, maybe don't use Membarium. I still love talking to you. But it might slow you down, right? Because it is a little more complicated. And if you're at your stage beginning, you just want to get it done. Get it out there. See the response. And then maybe later, when you have more complicated needs, right? Move to something like this. That's part of, I guess, what intrigued me is I think you have your head on straight. Even though you've done IT, you understand IT. You're not like, oh, because I know of these mainframes, I need a mainframe. It's like, what's the simplest, easiest, fastest? And like you said, you still get it.

[13:14] Laura: Yeah, ideally. I would be able to start working with you guys in a package that made sense. And it would be done for you, already built for an end user. So honestly, I don't have the time. Because I'm still doing all my professional acting work, as well as working on this business and managing clients. So I may end up finding that there is a smaller situation, a solution that doesn't really fit me perfectly, but it's enough to get it going. And then when I start making enough revenue from that, and I feel like I'm ready to expand, and I feel secure about it, or maybe I want to tweak it some more,

[13:46] Micah: I can hire somebody to work with you guys and to figure it all out for me.

[13:52] Laura: So it's taking it in little chunks and pieces, that pathway.

[13:56] Micah: That makes sense.

[13:57] Laura: So for you, the content is easy.

[14:00] Micah: The presentation is easy. You're just looking for the structure to put your course in. That's right. And let me ask you this. What do you think a course is going to do for you? I have my ideas of what, right? Like I sell software for it, but what do you think it's going to do for you?

[14:14] Laura: I've been running into this already with several clients. Some people may not be ready yet to invest in what they truly, really need. And they might want to have a taste of what it is that you do, and maybe something at a lower price point that makes sense. Right now, I can offer some various consulting packages, work with them in a smaller number, cover one area they want. But I often hear they would love to be able to have a course that they can go through on their own time, get the basics, and then work it with me. And so for me, the solution would be, yes, let me get this course together. It would be perhaps more within their budgets. And then I can either offer a consulting or a coaching session or a package of four that they can add on to, which, of course, can lead them into working with me more often. And so this would open up a whole level of folks who may just be waiting on the wings. So they're attending free masterclass after free masterclass, and they get on the same stuff. But I really think that this is going to be a great point. Maybe not the very entry point, but that next secondary one, if you think of a ladder where it's almost free at the bottom, and then they try a little something, and then you build up. This would be something I think that I would grab a lot of clients for very seriously.

[15:33] Micah: Nice. Yeah, that I think is the strategic use of a course is, hey, you don't need to pay me for 12 hours to tell you something I've already recorded. Here you go. Do it on your own time. And they come to you.

[15:45] Laura: Yes. And furthermore, Michael, what I can see it doing is I build up and I have groups. Everybody starts with the course, and then it goes into a group setting. So in many ways, it could be a foundation for what I'm trying to do.

[15:57] Micah: Yeah, get everybody on the same page.

[15:59] Laura: Yeah.

[16:00] Micah: Yeah, that makes sense. And I like it because there is another course mindset where people are saying, I'm going to build up the big giant course and sell it for $2,000, and that's all I'm going to do, passive income forever. But I like that you're saying, no, I actually want to work with people. There's just maybe a gap between them discovering me and them working with me personally that could be better than my YouTube playlist.

[16:20] Laura: Exactly.

[16:21] Micah: And another problem with a YouTube playlist is it's hard to be able to monetize it.

[16:26] Laura: I would have to, and it would look awkward. First of all, I would have to make every single video in a playlist unlisted. And in my short series, I've got 56 of them. And I give everybody the links. And it can be a bit confusing. But I'm honestly thinking I do teach a lot. And I partner up with other people. And creating even mini courses. Something that's maybe two or three modules. Something like a master class that's broken up into digestible bits where, hey, go off and try this. Now let's come back and do that. And so I see it as a huge step. And I think that's what a lot of people are hungry for.

[17:02] Micah: Yeah, it makes sense. And I think I feel your pain as a content creator. Because, for example, we for years had customers coming in. Hey, is there like a course or something I could book at to learn this and that? And it's not really. Let's just book a call. I'd love to make that course. But it's not made yet. Yeah. Once you have it, though, it's like an asset, right? Even if you haven't sold it yet, it's like a kinetic asset or a potential asset.

[17:23] Laura: It also adds credibility, Micah. Because very often people are asking, so what assets do you have? And I can list everything. The course is the one thing that I do not offer.

[17:33] Micah: Because I got these YouTube videos.

[17:36] Laura: It's still amateurish.

[17:37] Micah: So if you're trying to play in the big leagues, I think that's an important component.

[17:42] Laura: And there's so many platforms to put it on that people want. They want to see, do you have it on this? Do you have it on that? How can I get to it? And it gets confusing. So trying to put everything in one place makes it so much easier for everybody.

[17:56] Micah: Yeah, it almost reminds me a little bit of a book, in a way, where, like you're saying, it builds credibility. It may not be that you're planning to sell a million books, but you are now an author. You are now a course creator.

[18:07] Laura: Exactly.

[18:08] Micah: Yeah.

[18:08] Laura: And I got one of those, too. So I know what you're talking about.

[18:12] Micah: Perfect. So is the course the very, very next step? There's nothing in your way. You just got to build a course.

[18:17] Laura: Pretty much. I'm structuring also a VIP half day for people who want to work, like in a smaller portion. Like, let's cover all this stuff, but let's do it in four hours and just bang it out. But the course, yeah, that's on my list of my big things I got to do this year. And I have no trouble putting it together and creating it. I got to find the time for it. But I also, I'm a planner. I'm sorry. I come from IT. I'm a businesswoman. And I like to know where it's going. And I don't want to spend all this time creating something. And it's just hanging out there while I try to figure everything else out.

[18:48] Micah: That's not a bad thing to be strategic and smart about it.

[18:51] Laura: No. I was taught to do it right the first time if you can. And that's the way I go about it.

[18:56] Micah: That really leads me to my next point. Because I was going to say some people might take one of your, they might just take some of the content you've already made and repurpose it into a course, which is a little bit lazy. Like maybe it's a slightly better format, but also a little bit, a little bit janky. So I agree doing it right the first time. And I do, I would second to the idea of doing a mini course for sure. Because a course can keep like expanding. Oh yeah, we got to talk about that for them to get this. And then pretty soon it's, you know, overwhelming.

[19:23] Laura: It's going to evolve. Because already my program is moving into two different areas. Maybe for the solopreneur, the entrepreneur, the small business person, the speaker, the on-camera confidence, knowing how to work with the camera. But there is something at a higher level, which is executive presence. For that mid-level executive who wants to be able to speak well to the board in person or on camera. The people who want to be able to do the media, who have to get that authority transmitted through the camera. That's something a little bit different.

[19:53] Micah: So having courses for every different level, when you put those mini courses together, what do you end up with?

[20:00] Laura: A super course. And it can just take you through that. So that's how I'm mapping it out in my mind.

[20:06] Micah: I love that idea. I don't think I've ever heard the term super course, but that makes so much sense. Yeah, build the minis and combine them together. So to share a little bit, last year we did a live event and we turned it into four courses. Because instead of four modules in one course, we thought four mini courses. And it didn't do much, meaning we didn't market it as heavily as we could have. But now almost a year later, I just started a joint venture based on that content being there. Because they were basically saying, oh, hey, you have these assets. I have those assets. Let's join venture.

[20:38] Laura: So it is.

[20:39] Micah: And I think for you, for example, and anybody who does what you're about to do, which is create a really high quality version of it.

[20:46] Laura: Yeah.

[20:47] Micah: That can last so long. That can be good for five years, 10 years, depending on the subject matter. Are you planning? So in your case, for example, with the looking good on video. Have you thought about the shelf life of it? Are you going to avoid talking about specific tech and make it generic so it doesn't need to be updated? Or do you want to dive into the tech?

[21:07] Laura: I'm going to challenge something right here and there. And that's thinking it's static. The world is moving. And things change. And the best courses will keep the core principles and the teaching. But new ones will be added on. For example, somebody created a course about what I'm doing, let's say, five years ago. They didn't talk about AI. If you don't bring that up, you create extra modules. And for those who've already subscribed, they're grandfathered in. And there are times when technology is going to just upend everything. Think of the people who created stuff before COVID. You didn't have this virtual network in the virtual world like it is. It accelerated that entire technology easily about 10 years ahead of where it should have been. We would just be starting to dive into it right now. And sometimes you're going to do a complete refresh of your course. And if you keep anything too long, the honest truth is we all get older. And if you see somebody who looks like she's in her retirement years, but you're seeing a 30-year-old on camera, you're going to immediately think, this is old stuff. I can't trust them. Are they even doing it or are they writing on their laurels? Because one thing that you learn when you are an actor, a speaker, somebody dealing one-on-one with people, you're not presenting to a faceless audience that just takes whatever you have. You are speaking conversationally to one person. And you are obliged then, as a provider, to be able to give them the most up-to-date information you have

[22:33] Micah: and make it relevant and not try it out old stuff.

[22:37] Laura: That works for old movies and old TV shows, but you know what you're getting. But if people are coming to you to learn, they want to know what's relevant today. So if you were to come to me and we were talking about putting your videos on LinkedIn and how to leverage it, I'd say, let me tell you about Brew360, the new algorithm, which doesn't matter how much content you're putting out. It's the engagement. If I didn't include that information, you're going to be operating as if it were 2024, 2025, and it's not going to work for you. So you can't be afraid to keep it dynamic and keep it refreshed. It's incredibly important.

[23:12] Micah: For sure.

[23:13] Laura: And I like your idea of here's the core thing,

[23:16] Micah: and I'm just going to add on a module for this new tech rather than maybe some of them merit redoing the whole thing again, or it's been so long, redo it. But I do think patching it for technology makes sense.

[23:27] Laura: Not even patching it, expanding it, and therefore your subscribers see that they're getting more value. Oh, I bought this three years ago, and I'm able to watch it again, and it's been updated, and I've got three more modules that are just handed to me.

[23:41] Micah: I like your language, expanding instead of patching. I'm too much of a software guy. It's patch it.

[23:47] Laura: Yeah, kludge. I know all about that.

[23:51] Micah: Did you mention you also have a little bit of a legal background?

[23:55] Laura: No, but I do play one on TV. Seriously. Medical professionals too. That would be so useful. It would be very useful. But you know what? It helps to network and make friends. And then when you do need to do something, especially if it's legal or healthcare-related, go to a professional. Please, it's one thing to look up how to figure stuff out on your website with YouTube. But if you've got a serious problem, or you want to safeguard yourself, I get nothing from saying this, but go see a proper doctor and go see an attorney who's above board. It'll save you a lot at the end.

[24:30] Micah: I was going to say, but my cousin knows so much. No, just kidding.

[24:32] Laura: Oh, of course we do. That's another conversation.

[24:37] Micah: Exactly. Let's future pace this. So let's say that you make the course of your dreams.

[24:41] Laura: Yes.

[24:42] Micah: And you've got it now. And, you know, when somebody is not ready for you, you're like, no problem. Here's this course and so on. What is your next step? Are you done? Not necessarily done creating, because obviously you'll do little things, but is there another major component that you feel you have to add after the course?

[24:57] Laura: Turning it into a workshop, you expand. For example, I work with a lot of individuals and small companies. I'm a corporate gal at heart. I love working with the big companies and seeing their vision, working with the employees, mid-level and the executives. This is how you can expand it. See this course, see all that. Now let's tailor it for your organization. So you have something that's already completed that'll probably satisfy 80% of the people out there. The old 80-20 creative principle, but their 20% of them will say, my situation's a little different and we need to have this element in that. It's fine. Let's tailor it. So either it could be presented as they learned it and saw it, but to a bigger group, or why don't we just add on to it, but we're going to do it just for you and we can do it in a live in-person session or I can do it recorded, but some special attribute. So whatever that is, again, it is a nice foundation, a starting point, or it just might be like, this is a preliminary course and now I'm going to repurpose and rethink things for something else. So it'll be a launch pad. And honestly, we never know how our businesses are going to evolve. I've got an idea, but as far as I'm thinking of it, it is growing and it's scaling, but the core principles are there because how to be effective to human beings hasn't really changed in millennium. Underneath it all, it's storytelling and there's a lot to that storytelling. This is just another way of doing it and it's not going to be going away. It's just one more way to interact with people.

[26:30] Micah: Yeah, it just evolves. Human nature isn't changing as much, right, as the world around us. I think you have a great understanding of how to package your same concepts into all these formats, like one-on-one, group, all this. How do you think about the pricing of those things? You're going to have, I'm sure, high one-on-one costs. How do you price the course compared to that? Is it like an hour, two hours of your time? Is it super cheap? You just want to give them the info or you're trying to, you mentioned passive income as the course. Do you see that as a big moneymaker or just a component that like helps people through your business?

[27:02] Laura: I'm going to give you two answers. The first answer is that it's going to be a value and it's going to be based on volume. And it makes it a lot easier for a lot of your JV partners, joint venture partners, to be able to do it. Because, for example, when I partner up with somebody and there is a referral fee that's based, when it comes to the time I'm putting in and my effort one-on-one, I'm not going to be able to give them as big a percentage because otherwise it doesn't make sense for me. But if I have something already created and what's very common is I might just say, yes, you sell somebody on my course and I'm going to give you half of it, half that revenue. And that's only very attractive. The other way of taking a look at it, which is also very popular, is I have a mini course. Maybe very two, I would say three, let's deal with odd numbers, shorter modules, maybe each is 10 or 15 minutes long, to target a specific area. It's kind of like your one-hour masterclass, just broken ups. They feel like they're getting more than they are and it's in nice bite-sized chunks. When you are invited to be a speaker at a conference or you're going to be, let's say, a headliner at a summit or anything else, you tell people, you book a meeting with me and I'm also going to give you this free course. Or if you just want people to see who you are, you might even offer it to a partner.

[28:25] Micah: Yes, for you,

[28:26] Laura: I will make this course available to anybody you bring within the certain timeframe. So use it strategically. And then of course, you can always lock it down if you wish. But I see it as a way of being able to bring in good qualified leads, helping those people who are more or less tire kickers, but they're willing to part with a few dollars and those who are serious about it,

[28:46] Micah: but they want a test drive

[28:48] Laura: before they go any further. Then we'll sell them the Ferrari.

[28:52] Micah: Yeah, gotcha. So you, correct me if I'm wrong in restating this, but to you, it really is more of a strategic piece than like the linchpin, the main moneymaker.

[29:03] Laura: I think so. Of course, it could surprise you. I'm also going to tell you that I love performing and I don't think it would ever happen, but if I got a lead role at a hit TV show, I'm not going to have a whole lot of time for coaching. So this is something that would become my main revenue in this area of my business. But I would say that I probably will do very well with volume. And I would say though that the linchpin is probably going to be me because what I'm teaching is the human element and how to do it. And most people want to have that person giving them individual advice or working and tailoring it to a specific group. I could be wrong. We're going to find out, but I think it's well worth the effort. I don't see how it can go wrong.

[29:48] Micah: Yeah, I agree.

[29:49] Laura: I think it makes sense

[29:50] Micah: almost no matter what, right? And especially we talk about maybe the shelf life or how often you have to update it. But even if you're updating it often, it's probably not more than once a year. And so it took that.

[30:02] Laura: And you know what? Maybe it's my perspective. It's probably different from most other people who would be listening to this podcast. I'm an actor. I am a voice actor. People are going to determine whether we're a good fit for a role or if they want to watch us or listen to us based on our demos, our theatrical reels. What have you done lately? And we are of the mindset, you've got to refresh that. You want to refresh them every couple of years. People don't want to see old stale stuff. Things move. Things change. If I'm doing a commercial voiceover demo, what people are looking for in commercials changes. We don't have those big announcer voices. And I'd just be really popular to have the millennial voice. I really don't care. Whatever. And that's changed. So if you don't keep up, you're not going to be relevant and nobody's going to want to work with you. So you've got to be ready to be able to refresh your material. And it can actually be fun once you get into it. Because what you're telling me is people are not comfortable on camera themselves and I can help them with it.

[31:03] Micah: Yes, they are not. I'm even not. Like I said, I do my best and I've had time, but especially in the beginning it's like, this is the worst thing in the world. Most of my videos were not. Oh, my face. It was my screen for that reason.

[31:14] Laura: You know what you're telling me, Micah? You guys at Membarium need to have me come in. I need to do something special for you to, not just for, no, you're doing fine, but for any of your clients who are trying to figure out, I don't want to get, I don't know, I don't know. Create something for them, either live or recorded class. You know what I mean? I was going to throw it

[31:34] Micah: back at you and be like, where's your course? We could JV on your course.

[31:37] Laura: I think we need to talk about that, don't we?

[31:40] Micah: We do. I love, by the way, that you talk and you refer to acting quite a bit. I remember on our first call

[31:46] Laura: you mentioned there,

[31:48] Micah: and maybe you can share your point here, just about how most actors are not really working full-time, right? There's very few who are full-time actors and the rest have side gigs.

[31:57] Laura: Yeah, most people think of the A-listers. Guess what, people? It's like your athletes. You're going to have a few people at the very top that are going to get all the attention and they're going to be making most of the money. But most professional working actors who are very good, the ones that you see almost every week on TV or in films or in commercials, I know him. He looks awfully, where did I see him? Those people may be earning a nice living as an actor, but it's very cyclical. Most often, they're going to be doing things on the side and the majority of actors,

[32:31] Micah: you know,

[32:31] Laura: making enough to live on. That's why there's always that trope of somebody's working in the service industry or they've got other jobs. And it's also true with voiceover. With voiceover, though, you have a much better opportunity to be able to sustain yourself full time. But acting is a passion and it's an art. And it takes a lot of training. They often say it takes 10, sometimes 20 years to get good. And that's a long time to put in and it's a big investment. But people do it because they love it. But if you think you're going to start off and all of a sudden be a star, probably not. But there are so many ways you can have an exciting, fulfilling career

[33:09] Micah: or enjoy doing it

[33:11] Laura: on the side.

[33:13] Micah: Yeah, it makes sense. And I could see a lot of them, like yourself, doing coaching, right? Meaning, like you have a lot of charisma, a lot of stage presence and so to get on one-on-one coaching calls.

[33:24] Laura: Oh, yeah. And working with corporate, for example, if you watch some of these movies, the film and TV, it used to be film actors would look down on TV. It was a secondary medium and that changed really right around the 60s

[33:35] Micah: and once you had

[33:36] Laura: syndication going on and the same attitude was film and TV actors would look down on commercials. Oh, you're selling yourself. You're just selling out. I hate to tell you, commercials pay a heck of a lot of money or they can. And then you've got corporate industrials where I do a lot of those. That means you're creating training films for companies. You can also voice them. They have to get the word out to employees as well as their own commercials. And there's a lot of opportunity out there. And for anybody who always thought, I always wanted to be an actor,

[34:07] Micah: but, you know,

[34:08] Laura: that's for young people or I missed the boat. No, there's a lot of opportunity for older folks and they want real people, not glamorized versions of who you think you should be. The same thing goes when you're on camera. I'm going to circle right back to it. You don't have to be perfectly polished. You don't have to look, you don't have to look like an AI. People don't want it.

[34:28] Micah: Show up as who you are.

[34:30] Laura: I was just talking to a woman yesterday and she clearly is in her retirement years and she was just so self-conscious about bags under her eyes or her teeth weren't perfect. I said, look, you're talking to experienced people who want help as they move into their retirement years. You think they really want to talk to a 25-year-old where the light seems to be glinting off of her teeth? No, they want to talk to somebody who's been where they are who knows the ropes. You're much more relatable. Stay with it. You're human.

[35:02] Micah: That is cool. What have we not talked about yet? Let me ask you this. What is the big goal with your business? Would you just do this for another 10, 20 years or if it got big, would you sell it and do something different?

[35:14] Laura: I'll tell you, I'm the Energizer Bunny. I'm going to keep going

[35:17] Micah: until I fall over

[35:19] Laura: until I'm permanently horizontal. I am having the time of my life. I love it. I love meeting all the people. I like helping and teaching. I'm at that stage of life where you want to be able to give and be able to share what you know and it's very fulfilling

[35:35] Micah: and of course

[35:36] Laura: I want to run it as a business. So until it gets to the point I can't do it anymore, I don't see any reason to stop and you would be surprised by how many people I have met, not just in their 50s or even 60s but 70s and 80s they got amazing businesses and there's no reason why they can't have courses either especially if they have health problems, this is something else, if they have health problems down the road and we all get detoured or they're no longer able to work it can be a passive income stream for them just like you see some of the families, the estates of these very famous actors that are capturing their likenesses or their voices for AI with their permission, you don't do this without permission that's something else that they might be able to use as a constant revenue stream for who knows how long.

[36:25] Micah: So the nice thing

[36:26] Laura: about the courses and when you deal with video is you're capturing that moment in time and depending on what you have to say maybe it won't get outdated.

[36:34] Micah: Yeah, I'm sure some of it is very evergreen like some videos.

[36:38] Laura: Oh yeah, mindset things, life coaching, basic financial principles, the things that I'm teaching, how to be able to present yourself well and for people to like you and want to know you and trust you. That stays evergreen. The technology is always going to shift. The world's going to shift. Yeah, but it's something that'll last.

[36:57] Micah: What, so we have AI here. What do you see as the next big shift? Are you thinking about virtual reality or do you just not think about the...

[37:08] Laura: I have been in virtual reality projects for the past five, eight years. Yeah, and they're a lot of fun. Mostly like on camera but sometimes I've been giving voice to them. It's very interesting and now Apple was coming out with its goggles. I forget what they were calling them. Thinking it was the next best thing and people said no. Yeah. Sometimes you're finding you're not going in a straight line and you're going up, up. If people don't like something it's not going to work. I honestly think there's going to be a big backlash. It's already starting with AI. It's a great tool but too many people are using it for their creative work and most folks and I know I'm included maybe you are too stop it. It can be funny and entertaining if you tell me it's AI but don't try to fool me and I find myself getting a little ticked off. You think that I'm that stupid to believe this crap?

[38:02] Micah: Yeah.

[38:04] Laura: The other thing I was going to say is what happened during COVID? We were able to meet virtually like this all the time. People were hungering

[38:11] Micah: for contact.

[38:12] Laura: Human contact. That is not going to change.

[38:18] Micah: Yeah. Absolutely. I remember

[38:20] Laura: I forget exactly

[38:21] Micah: what year it was but it was when people started doing events again and all the people coming to them were just so excited to be there like they would go to anything and I was the same way just to get out.

[38:32] Laura: We're social animals. The whole thing is especially if you're going to create something that is going to be recorded or it's coming through the virtual world make it feel like it's happening right now and that the person cares about you. Kind of goes back to what I'm saying. You talk to one person. You're not talking to a bunch of people

[38:51] Micah: and please

[38:52] Laura: for anybody out there who's thinking they could do a course and just read the words so they're sounding proficient. No. If you don't know how to use a teleprompter or anything else like that it's going to kill you and nobody's going to watch you. You have to look right now I'm getting into my program but you got to look right into the camera. You got to talk from your heart your head trust your expertise. Don't rely on crutches that are going to just trip you up

[39:15] Micah: and ruin the whole

[39:16] Laura: darn thing.

[39:18] Micah: Yeah. That's great advice. There's such a I went to a workshop basically and different people were stepping up in front of the camera like a minute at a time right?

[39:26] Laura: Oh yeah.

[39:27] Micah: And somebody who doesn't know how to do what you're saying make great eye contact put some emotion and energy into it

[39:32] Laura: you're just like

[39:33] Micah: dying for them and no one's going to buy from that and it's just bad.

[39:37] Laura: I see some of those folks because I'm in a speaker program and the biggest problem that I see is people are so focused on getting their introduction in in under a minute that they're just so worried they got a clock in the head they've got somebody a clock keeper up here and somebody up there and they're just like it's a race and nobody listens to what they're saying or they're looking down here and nobody wants to see the top of their head they want to see them they just don't know how to speak comfortably and that is one of the biggest issues that you can have. Sorry. It's just so noticeable.

[40:13] Micah: It sure is. I love talking to you because it's so easy. You're a professional you know what you're doing you got the presence. It's just easier

[40:20] Laura: and I think similarly

[40:22] Micah: if I'm watching a sales video with you being like this I'm going to get through more of the sales video

[40:27] Laura: right than not.

[40:29] Micah: Like the money the dollars and cents difference of great presence is very felt. I feel like for myself I'm okay on stage like people have said oh you're good on stage which to me is weird because before that I just made screen flow videos but yeah this medium here I'm definitely I know I'm amateur.

[40:46] Laura: Wait a minute I'm going to stop you right then and there because right now you are framed beautifully you've got good lighting and sound. I probably would move the camera a little bit so you're looking directly into it instead of a little bit farther down. Right now you just have to get a little more confident. This was like one client I worked with who thought she had to have everything scripted out because she had to get every point across perfectly and know how to move and it was a matter of a slap in the face I've almost wanted to tickle her just so that she would relax. Just like all the speakers that I see in my program it's get over it you're fine you know your stuff if you have to these are certain props these are techniques to keep you on track but just talk and when she was able to make that shift it opened everything up

[41:29] Micah: so you're doing

[41:30] Laura: very well actually you're doing better than let's say 90% of the people that I often talk to.

[41:35] Micah: I appreciate that.

[41:36] Laura: You might just want a little polish here and there but don't take away from the unique mica because that's important.

[41:42] Micah: Thank you Laura I appreciate that. Let me end with this unless there's if there's any other thing you're itching to say but I would just ask

[41:48] Laura: since you've been

[41:49] Micah: so helpful how can people reach out to you and contact you and maybe get your help or get on the list for your course?

[41:55] Laura: I would love to yes reach out to me the easiest way is my website that's my name lauradoman.com and if you're on LinkedIn it's easy too at lauradoman and I've got a LinkedIn newsletter that's been going on for over two years with a lot of tips and hints and things like that so make sure that you subscribe.

[42:18] Micah: Perfect. We'll put links to that under the video as well for sure. Any last thoughts for somebody out there who's maybe even in a similar position to you or maybe even a little bit before you they haven't done the things that you've done yet but want to?

[42:30] Laura: Okay you're talking about like with the courses or in general?

[42:33] Micah: With building your business in the direction of courses

[42:37] Laura: but I know you've done

[42:38] Micah: a lot to prepare for this right?

[42:41] Laura: I would say get your mindset it's a positive attitude and visualize what you want to do and know you can do it any of those past experience and skills you have they are brought in front and center and they can get you started you have more abilities than you think and it's just a matter of what you really want to do and what you want to speak about that you're passionate about so if you're just going to get started take a survey of everything that you've done and get a feeling for what makes you happy and if you're not really sure go back and think what did you really like doing when you were a little kid? What did you always want to be? Now maybe you want to be a firefighter and it's a little bit late to be a firefighter maybe that's not what you're going to pursue but if you always wanted let's say to be a writer or that you wanted to be able to help people there's no reason why you can't get started but if you don't take those first steps you're never going to get to step number two

[43:38] Micah: the weirdest thing

[43:39] Laura: for me was when I first started out 10 years ago I had my corporate identity in my head that's who I was and people asked me so what do you do and for the first time I said I'm an actor and it almost felt like imposter syndrome but the more you say it and the more you believe it and think it it becomes so

[43:57] Micah: and there's a lot to that visualization

[44:00] Laura: that mindset and the willingness also to have fun with it it's experimentation but have a great time be like that little kid and try something new and do something that really means something to you because then you will last in it and not just give up

[44:17] Micah: I love that this stuff is hard and frustrating and so yeah if you don't have a passion for it it's hard to get through such great advice such a great interview Laura thank you so much

[44:27] Laura: oh it's my pleasure thank you so much for having me you're welcome