How I Made $500K in 4 Days (And Why Online Courses Aren’t Dead)

I didn’t have “have my biggest launch ever” on my 2026 Bingo card.

But last week, I ran a 4-day sale for my Ultimate Bundle®… and it brought in over $500,000.

And honestly?

I walked around all weekend in a bit of a daze.

Because just three months ago, I ran a $350K launch.

And everywhere you look right now, people are saying:

• Courses are dead.
• Launches are dead.
• Webinars are dead.

So what gives? If everything is “dead,” why are my launches getting bigger?

Let me show you exactly what happened.

The Webinar Stats (Because Numbers Matter)

I hosted one live webinar.

That’s it.

Registered: 11,000
Show-up rate: 25%
Conversion rate (on webinar): 5%+

For context: industry standards for webinar conversion are usually 1–2%.

So yeah. This one performed.

Now I know what you’re thinking.

“She must have spent a fortune on ads.”

Nope.

Ad Spend Breakdown

Here’s the real breakdown:

• Live Webinar Ad Spend: $22,611.89
• Sales Promo Ad Spend: $1,555.93
• Total Launch Ad Spend: $24,167.82

I spent about $24K to generate $500K.

This wasn’t a “throw money at Facebook and hope” situation.

And my only other launch-specific expenses were:

• Zoom upgrade: $100
• Launch email copy: $3,200

That’s it.

So if it wasn’t “luck” or insane ad spend… what was it?

What Actually Made This Launch Work

There isn’t one magic trick. And I wish I could tell you there was. But here’s what mattered most.

1. I Re-Recorded the Entire Ultimate Bundle®

In December, I re-recorded the entire program and I documented the process publicly on Instagram. Instead of just talking about the Ultimate Bundle®, I showed it. Behind-the-scenes. Updates. Decisions. Improvements. It built anticipation naturally.

2. I Lean Into Trends — Fast

When my social media manager texted me about a TikTok terms-of-service trend, I didn’t overthink it.

I recorded a quick Reel.
Made the CTA to register for my webinar.
Moved on.

Speed matters more than perfection.

3. My Webinar Is Alive — Not Scripted to Death

If there’s a breaking legal update, I add it. If there’s urgency in the market, I address it. My webinars evolve in real time and people can feel that!

4. I Use VideoAsk in My Show-Up Sequence

This has been huge! Before the webinar, I invite registrants to send me:

• Video messages
• Voice notes
• Text questions

Two big things happen:

1. I get insanely good voice-of-customer data.
2. I send personalized responses back to hundreds of people.

That connection boosts show-up rates and trust and trust converts.

5. I Treat Ads Like Content (Not Interruptions)

My ads don’t feel like ads. I spend serious time on:

• Concepts
• Scripting
• Filming
• Editing

They function like extended social media content and my ads manager is phenomenal. But I’m deeply involved. Ads amplify what already works. They don’t fix weak messaging.

The Hard Truth About Why This Worked

Now for the part nobody loves hearing. The #1 reason this 4-day launch made $500K?

It’s the culmination of 10 years of work.

• I’ve talked about the Ultimate Bundle® every week for 8 years.
• I’ve shown up when I was sick of talking about it.
• I’ve refined the messaging endlessly.
• I built a small but mighty team after years of doing everything myself.

My Director of Ops, Lindsey, Slacked me over the weekend to say, “This is a testament to all the hard work you do between launches honestly.” I’ve built genuine relationships with cool people in the online biz world, who I can drop a text or email to saying, “Hey, can you promote my free training?” and they do.

So… Are Online Courses Dead?

No. Bad offers are dead. Weak positioning is dead. Copycat marketing is dead.

But:

• Strong messaging
• Real authority
• Long-term audience building
• Deep trust

That works better than ever. If you’re building an email list, refining your positioning, and staying consistent? You’re not late.

So!

​Not too shabby for a launch in my entrepreneur gap year, lol. 

​What questions do you have? I’m all ears. Comment below! I read and respond to everything you send.

​Since I just spilled all my deets — can you do me a quick favor?

​I recorded a podcast episode for you that’s coming out in a few weeks about how I’m building my Substack (to nearly 1,000 subs!)…

I’d love for you to subscribe to my (free) Substack, Beyond Business, here→

And if you want the full breakdown of how I built an $8M digital product business with just two offers — evergreen funnels, email strategy, launch playbook and all — I wrote it in my book, When I Start My Business, I’ll Be Happy.

How I Set My Goals

If your January resolutions have fallen off a cliff, I’m here to say: who cares!

That’s not the best way to set business goals, anyway.

In this week’s new episode of my podcast, On Your Terms®️, I invite you to steal my monthly goals method and how it’s what lets me pull off $500k launches.

 Listen here→ THE MONTHLY GOALS METHOD (Steal This)

Links You’ll Love

LEGAL MISTAKES TO AVOID

10 years in, I see new entrepreneurs make the same legal mistakes over and over. I went on Gillian’s pod to share which ones you should avoid:

Work Less, Earn More with Gillian Perkins: Ep 311: The Biggest LEGAL MISTAKES New Business Owners Make→ Listen on Apple, Spotify, YouTube

YOUR NEXT LISTEN

Any time Barrett Brooks speaks, you should listen.

​My friend Barrett is an incredible executive coach for high-level entrepreneurs and the owner of Presence Based Coaching, one of the best coach training companies. He also just so happens to be the former COO of Kit.

Basically: he’s a wealth of knowledge who you need to listen to. And I was lucky enough to go on his podcast, Good Work, this week: 

Good Work with Barrett Brooks: The Quiet Grief Behind Growth→ Listen on Apple, Spotify, YouTube

GROW YOUR BIZ (WITHOUT SOCIAL MEDIA)

Anti-Social Reset – My friend Holly Marie Haynes is hosting a 3-day live, paid working challenge where she will help you reset how you attract clients—without relying on social media, chasing algorithms, or adding more content to your plate Grab your seat → (affiliate link)

PS. If you made it this far… congrats! You’re my favorite reader. I can’t wait to write to you next week..I’m taking myself on a solo trip somewhere to reconnect with my Dad in spirit. Some people say it’s the most magical place on earth. I can barely get through this week knowing where I’m headed…

And I’ll definitely be covering it all over on my (more personal, behind-the-business-scenes Substack.)