Month: February 2024

  • Skool Review: Is It the Course & Community Disruptor?

    Skool Review: Is It the Course & Community Disruptor?

    Is Skool the next big thing in the course creator and community-building genre? Let’s take a closer look at what the Skool platform is all about and its potential to disrupt the content creation and community-building industry.

    Let me tell you, I’ve been among the crusaders for this fantastic course platform. With that said, you and I can agree that I have mostly great things to speak of. As a member and community owner, it has been a game changer. I’ll tell you why.

    Skool Community

    What is Skool?

    At its core, Skool is more than just an educational platform; it’s a vibrant community of communities. Imagine a space where you’re not just consuming content in isolation but engaging with a community of other learners who share your aspirations and challenges.

    To make it extra unique, you can join other communities that interests you. You are not limited to just one but more than two that you resonate with; And it just keeps growing.

    The Skool Community stands out for its collaborative environment, where members can exchange ideas, provide feedback, and forge valuable connections. This sense of belonging and mutual growth is what sets Skool apart in the digital education and community-building space.

    Create your account and discover communities

    The Skool Platform

    In a nutshell, Skool is the perfect membership platform for almost any internet business you can think of. You can either build a free, private, or paid community for your members. The Skool platform offers direct messaging capabilities, community gamification, and it is only the beginning.

    One thing I appreciate about Skool is how it feels like it’s made just for us. It’s all about diving into new learning without getting lost in the process. The platform itself? Super user-friendly. Whether you’re after marketing tips, leadership skills, or the nuts and bolts of any other digital business, it’s all at your fingertips; And it’s tailored for us solopreneurs and small business owners, making every click worth your time.

    Who Is the Skool Platform Built For?

    Skool was built for creators in mind. However, don’t forget about the many ways you can take advantage of with group model memberships. It’s not just exclusive to the creator. It’s for anyone who can create content, build a membership community around it, and utilize it for a variety of purposes.

    If you are a business owner, a coach, a course creator, or an influencer – this may be your platform. If you have been dreaming of building your first online community, or you are ready to make the switch – the Skool community is for you.

    On the flip side, the Skool Community is the place for individuals to find the groups they resonate with the most. There’s a variety of Skool community categories that are available. You’ll find the complete list below.

    • Arts & Crafts
    • Beauty & Fashion
    • Business
    • Cars
    • E-commerce
    • Finance
    • Gaming
    • Health & Fitness
    • Love
    • Health & Fitness
    • Music
    • Personal Development
    • Pets
    • Productivity
    • Real Estate
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Tech
    • Travel
    BUILD YOUR FIRST SKOOL COMMUNITY TODAY

    My Official 2024 Skool Review

    I’ve joined the Skool community since August of 2023. I’ve considered other platforms such as SamCart, Teachable, and Teachery. I was looking for a platform that offers both course and community in one without having having to code or invest a lot of time building it.

    However, the one thing that sold me was its community feature. Not just building or joining a single community – but the ability to join as many as I feel compelled to be a member of. Let me break down the features I adore (and you might too).

    Skool Chat Feature

    Private messaging

    I really like the direct messaging capability of Skool. You can easily connect with anyone within the community. 

    Who knows? It could be the place where you meet a future business partner or collaborator.

    Skool Calendar

    Skool Event Calendar

    With the Skool platform event calendar, you can schedule events (as a group owner) for everyone to see.

    It takes reminder workload off your plate and community members can add it to their own calendar with a click of a button.

    Vice versa, if you are a member, you can easily see the calendar so you can keep up-to-date on what’s happening in the group you belong in.

    Skool Gamification Feature

    Gamification features

    Each Skool community has its own unique gamification system of up to nine levels. The person who contributes the most in a specific group gets recognized and gets to put their name in the Leaderboard Hall of Fame.

    Who doesn’t love a good level of competition?

    Skool Membership Access

    Course-specific access

    If you are a Skool platform community manager/owner, you can grant specific members access to exclusive classroom content. Meaning, you can have a free community but still have your paid courses or programs within the same community.

    As a group member, you can easily switch between communities with a click of a button. 

    Skool Community Use Case Scenarios

    As an up-and-coming membership platform, Skool already has a variety of use case scenarios I can see.

    1. Coaching Programs. If you are a coach thinking of or transitioning to group coaching, this is a great way to do it. You can expand your one-on-one service to a more group-centered approach.
    2. Community Forums. Just like any regular forum software, anyone interested in a more simple and straightforward forum management will find Skool just right.
    3. Customer Support. If you have a business and would like to have your own CRM, Skool is a great choice because of its user-friendliness. It will be easy to navigate for your clients which can increase customer satisfaction. With the private messaging feature, you can provide live support exclusively for paid clients.
    4. Course Membership. The epitome of Skool is by far its course creation feature. Hence, this is perfect for busy course creators who want to publish seamlessly so they can move on to their next task quickly.
    5. Funnel-Building. One can start a free group membership and use it as a marketing advantage by funnelling free clients into paid programs.
    6. Creator Community. For individual creators, this can act the similar to Patreon or Medium.
    7. Exclusive Community. As mentioned, you have the option to choose whether to set your group as free or paid (currently capped at $999). The Private setting keeps outsiders from seeing what’s inside your group. Note that it will still be discoverable in the community directory.
    8. Masterminds. Just like a course community, you can use Skool as a hive for your program mastermind, similar to a course membership.

    Skool Alternatives

    Skool is still a budding course and community platform. If you are looking for alternatives that have been in the bullpen for some time, the list below should help you.

    1. Circle (starts at $99/mo). Tested by many creators, Circle is a robust platform that is perhaps closest to Skool. It is used by prominent names in the marketing industry such as Pat Flynn and Brendon Burchard. Other than that, I prefer the layout, design, and simplicity of Skool.
    2. UTeach (starts at $0/mo). An affordable alternative to Skool, you can start a community by purchasing the add-on at $29/mo. As you may already know, you get what you pay for, which means there won’t be as many features using the free version.
    3. Teachable (starts at $0/mo). With their community in Beta, you can have a course + community starting at $59/mo.
    4. Kajabi (starts at $149). By far the priciest of all, Kajabi is another excellent alternative to Skool. 
    5. Podia (starts at $0/month). Worth mentioning, Podia is another affordable platform that competes with Skool. You can create a free account to test the entire platform. I have taken classes from creators who host their courses here and the interface is nice and clean.
    6. MemberUp (starts at 49/mo). A sleek and modern course + community platform specially made for creators. 
    Selfmade Brand Skool Community

    If you’re looking to start your own community and you want an easy-to-use platform, I highly recommend Skool. Not only do I find it fun to use, but also highly engaging. There is less interface clutter and more user engagement. 

    Would you like to try it? 
    If you use 👇 my link to start your Skool Community, I will help you set it up and give you a walkthrough of the platform. Plus, I will give you the image templates I used for my own community.

    🤎 TRY SKOOL FOR FREE

    TL;DR

    If you skimmed (and I’m judging) the article, here’s the summary for you. The Skool platform is a course and community building place for creators, business owners, and individuals. It’s a great alternative to Facebook groups, Thinkific, or Circle. Despite it still being new in the market, it has garnered thousands of users worldwide and it just keeps improving year after year.

  • How Costco Utilizes Demographic Customer Statistics to Optimize Warehouse Inventory

    I was on Facebook today scrolling away (wasting precious time) when I came upon an article by Business Insider. The title read: Meet the typical Costco shopper – a 39-year old Asian American woman earning more than $125,000 a year. Well, isn’t that the headline?

    It was interesting to me because I am Asian and I have a Costco membership. Who doesn’t have a Costco membership nowadays? But what was more interesting was that I was today years old when I learned that Costco was founded where I live – the great Pacific Northwest! 🤯 Seriously mindblown.

    Costco Warehouse Building

    Costco ranked as the third highest grossing retail giant in the US with a whopping $217.53 billion in annual revenue (2022). The company just won’t stop growing – but how?

    The five key techniques that Costco utilizes to generate more revenue year after year

    Well, it seems that they grow by following the numbers. What do I mean by that? It’s simple, they go with their statistics, utilize outside resources such as Numerator, compile the data and interpret what their research tells them. With the data they have, they apply excellent marketing techniques to automate their sales.

    Costco understands their demographics

    Demographic customer statistics includes information such as age, gender, income level, household size, and geographic location. This provides them valuable insights into the characteristics, preferences, and behaviors of their different customer segments. By analyzing these statistics, Costco gains a deeper understanding of its customers and can tailor its inventory accordingly.

    Speaking of which, have you noticed how their Asian product selections have grown through the years? I wonder why? 🤔

    Costco segments their user base

    One of the key ways Costco uses demographic customer statistics is by segmenting its customer base. By dividing customers into different groups based on their demographics, Costco can identify patterns and trends that help inform inventory decisions. For example, if the data shows that a particular store has a higher concentration of families with young children, Costco can prioritize stocking items that cater to this demographic, such as baby products, snacks, and household essentials.

    More so, here in the PNW, I have observed that there’s more Asian products coming in every time I pay a visit. Perhaps  the reason is accurate segmentation. Well done, #Costco.

    As I was saying, segmenting customers also allows Costco to personalize the shopping experience. By understanding the unique preferences of each segment, they can create targeted marketing campaigns and promotions that resonate with specific groups of customers. This not only improves customer satisfaction but also helps drive sales and increase customer loyalty.

    Costco identifies emerging trends & demands

    The demographic customer statistics that Costco collects play a crucial role in helping them identify emerging trends and anticipate customer demand. By analyzing the data, Costco can spot changes in consumer behavior and adjust its inventory accordingly. For example, if the statistics reveal a growing interest in organic and sustainable products among a particular demographic, Costco can stock more of these items to meet the increasing demand.

    Additionally, by examining data from different geographic locations, Costco can determine which products are popular in specific regions and adjust its inventory accordingly. This ensures that each warehouse is stocked with the products that are most likely to sell well in that particular area.

    Ah, the beauty of data.

    Costco collaborates with different suppliers

    Costco’s use of demographic customer statistics goes beyond just inventory management. The company also shares this data with its suppliers, fostering a collaborative relationship that benefits both parties. By providing suppliers with insights into customer preferences and demand, it enables them to develop products that align with the needs of its customer base. This collaboration helps ensure that Costco’s inventory remains relevant and appealing to its customers.

    This clearly shows the importance of collaborating with others (a.k.a. other people in your industry as an online business). The symbiotic relationship will not only help you grow but thrive in competitive markets. So, whatever industry you are in, know that collaboration over competition sometimes is the key you might be missing to scale or grow your digital business.

    Continuous adaptation & improvement

    Lastly, Costco understands that customer preferences and demographics are constantly evolving. To stay ahead of the curve, the company regularly updates its demographic customer statistics and adjusts its inventory strategy accordingly. By continuously monitoring and analyzing data, Costco can adapt to changing trends and ensure that its warehouse inventory remains in line with customer demands.

    This means that as a digital business owner (or any business owner), ongoing research is the law. Otherwise, you risk getting left behind.

    The conclusion

    In conclusion, data is a key factor in optimizing online business success. By segmenting customers, identifying trends and demand, collaborating with others, and continuously adapting, you will continue to meet the needs and preferences of your customer/client base. This data-driven approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also contributes to the overall success of any online business.

    The TL;DR

    If you skimmed through and landed here, here’s your Too Long; Didn’t Read summary (and I’m judging): Costco uses statistics to drive their annual revenue higher each year. Up-to-date and evidence-based data is important when doing research. It will take your digital business to new heights.