How TCommerce helped Tongue-Tied School to raise money for charity

Jul 4, 2024

In Birmingham, Alabama, pediatric dentist Richard Baxter, DMD, MS assists professionals to recognize and treat the teeth and tongue tension.

The quest for answers, which was triggered by to twins' birth in 2014, resulted in the establishment of Tongue-Tied Academy that is a platform that aims to address the issue of tongue-tied, that is a prevalent however undiscovered problem.

Since the launch of the program in 2020 the course has had over 1,500 students enrolled and it has donated 100% of the earnings to local and international charities.

The author explains how he developed the online course company, and how TCommerce played a role in the success of his business.

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He found his niche

As his daughters were infants He noticed that they were wearing tongue ties that were limiting their capacity to nurse. After finding a dentist who could treat them with lasers for their tongue ties which allowed them to nurse much more easily. "The dentist recommended that I pay attention to the problem of tongue ties for children since it's more prevalent than we believe. About one in four kids have one" Baxter tells .

Then, people started asking him questions about his tongue and lips tie. In search of more information that he could find, he delved into each guide and class on the topic but realized that there weren't many sources available. He was then able to perform this laser tongue tie technique. After helping patients and addressing the mother's queries and questions, he started posting an article for his blog on the process. A growing number of clients contacted him seeking his knowledge, so he decided to release and write the book Tongue Tied, in 2018. "People read the book and were still interested in learning more," Baxter says. Baxter.

The next step was to establish an online school . When the dental clinic closed due to the flu pandemic He had already written the 200 pages curriculum. He was able hire a film crew to film the flagship course of 25 hours even when the clinic was closed.

He signed up

One of the main factors that has contributed to the success of the Tongue-Tied academy is the connection it created with providing an incredibly seamless platform for course delivery.

"What's amazing is the capability to divide the class into lessons and sections." Baxter discusses.

With , he was in a position to present his data in bite-sized chunks along with adding questions at the end of each section. In addition, he has added chapters from his book to the program. "I consider it advantageous to include different kinds of content to my lessons and not just video clips," he reveals.

He's an avid user of the feature that can automatically produce a certificate for students. "I can do none of the work for my course each day, aside from responding to questions in discussion since everything is done automatically," he says.

The process of making a purchase was made easier through TCommerce

The transition to TCommerce from Stripe was instrumental in enhancing the process of making checks for the students of Tongue-Tied Academy. Actually, he feels that using TCommerce has caused the company to lose revenues. However, since moving away to the Stripe integration, the checkout process has been made much simpler as per Baxter.

It is compatible with a variety of payment options, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, Baxter says that TCommerce facilitates transactions in a seamless way, making it easy and convenient for all users.

"You are able to simply click the button, input your personal identification number to purchase a class" states Baxter. "It's an a lot simpler alternative to putting all of your data into a ."

Moreover, 's automated the calculation of tax on sales reduces administration burdens and helps ensure compliance with the requirements of the various state regulators. Baxter claims that funds he makes from his classes can be deposited much more ease than when he used the previous payment provider.

"I don't even think about the possibility because it's so simple," he says. " Payments can handle every detail for me and then the cash shows up in the bank accounts. ."

With plans to launch an updated version of his flagship course this spring, Baxter plans on using the order bump feature that permits customers to purchase another course at a lower cost without slowing the purchasing process.

He drove impact through charitable causes.

After the funds have been transferred to the bank account of the banker, he then gives 100% of the earnings to charities.

From assisting clean water projects from assisting clean water projects across Africa as well as Asia to support rehabilitation initiatives and combating human trafficking efforts, Baxter's commitment to community welfare illustrates the Academy's larger goal of social care. "I do not need extra stuff," he says. "We own a house We have cars, we're in good ."

"If I can aid the baby that couldn't feed previously or has colic and is having a hard time that's a good reason to do it," he continues.

He introduced various versions of his program

To accommodate the different requirements within his audience, Baxter launched a condensed version of the course tailored to professionals like lactation consultants and speech therapists. This LITE Version course, priced at $495, offers an enlightening and concise overview of the subject catering to more students.

Every course has an continuously updated format which means that students are able to enroll at any time they'd prefer. "Teaching the course online has made it easy for students to take advantage of it," he says.

Additionally, these classes also provide American Dental Association-approved continuing education credits. "We use an accredited CE provider. That means that they may use it towards renewing their licenses," Baxter explains.

The flagship course, however it cost $2600. The content--combined with CE certification--helps users understand the value.

He designed a very easy customer journey

Despite its success, Baxter says that he doesn't have much of a marketing strategy.

The typical customer experience starts as the customer reads his book. If they would like to find out more about the subject, the book will guide readers to Tongue-Tied Academy.

If he's giving talks at conferences and events typically, the attendees join his list. Once people are added to his directory of email addresses, they receive an email sequence by MailChimp informing them of his website.

He defined success as a person.

Baxter describes success as having the capacity to expand his knowledge. "It's not just me doing this," he says.

"We have over 1,500 patients who have completed our program. If each patient sees one patient a day that's more people than I can ever manage alone. ."

Furthermore what he defines as success is based on educating those who provide care, supporting parents and ensuring more people receive treatment--all by using the funds to support charities across the globe.

If you're designing an online course, the person who is creating it must find their own interest. "It could be anything at all," he declares. "And whatever you're looking for, you could create a whole course with it. ."

"Just be yourself," Baxter encourages. "I'm not a online-course guy. I'm a dentist. It's just something I have put out. The last time we had the honor to be among the top ten courses of ."

Prior to the creation of Tongue-Tied Academy, he created two courses himself that cost $99 each, which approximately 10 students took part in. "I learned a lot from this experience" said the teacher. I could get more high-quality video and also create an excellent course using Tongue-Tied Academy ."

"You could fail a few occasions," he adds, "but that's just an aspect of learning. It's only a matter of making a mistake in the event that you don't take the lessons learned from it. ."

As Tongue-Tied Academy continues to evolve driven by a unwavering commitment to education as well as service, its legacy of empowerment and charity serves as a source of inspiration for aspiring teachers and innovative thinkers alike.

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