Triathlete's knowledge commerce journey goes from coaching to courses to membership community
Holding a doctorate in exercise physiology and conducting peer reviewed research, and instructing Olympians and professional Ironman athletes somehow wasn't sufficient for Dan Plews. Dan Plews. Also, he's a triathlete himself and is the current Ironman Age Group World Championship Course Winner record holder. He ran an 8:24:36 time.
In the wake of the victory and his advanced education on the subject He was able to answer a lot of inquiries, particularly about his diet that is low in carbs and how to apply it for long distance triathlons.
Thus that's why Dr. Plews decided to monetize his knowledge with Endure IQ and added 'knowledge creator among his many professions. Let's explore his journey.
This interview has been slightly edited to improve clarity.
Coaching quickly led to courses
At first in the beginning, Dr. Plews started out with direct coaching. He noted there was only so much he could do with one-on-one sessions.
In 2019, Endure IQ got its start. "I had so many [questionswhich I thought I'd create an online course. At first, I thought, 'Oh, I'll just build a simple white course that could be put up on PowerPoint'. But then, I spoke to one of my friends and he said, "Well If you're planning do this, you may as well do it properly.'"
There are now four core courses as well as other mini-courses. Dr. Plews says, "Our classes are ten modules long and about ten to fifteen hours of instruction. Customers get access to the course for a time period of 10 to 12 weeks as well as access to the instructors." Courses are accredited through affiliations with The American College of Sports Medicine, National Strength and Conditioning Association and USA Triathlon.
Courses begin
EndureIQ did a soft launch of their course LDT One-on-One. "We told them we'd like limit it to 50 people at first, and it went on sale in just three minutes." Dr. Plews recalls.
The classes were extremely popular! But, the response was massive. Dr. Plews quickly learned his students wanted to keeping access to the materials and the instructor-led webinars even after finishing the course.
The situation presented him with the challenge of needing to offer ongoing assistance. The following is his thoughts about this dilemma:
"I wanted to avoid having the course available indefinitely, as it would give people the opportunity to ask questions forever and ever that is at your at your fingertips but that's not the way the system of education operates. If you're a university student taking a class that you are enrolled in, you have access to the expert, your teachers throughout the course, but you don't get the right to have them answer your questions all the time throughout your life."
Responding to customer demands and creating revenues
Then that Professor. Plews discovered a way to satisfy the demand of customers in addition to earning recurring revenues using the same course material. He came up with a five-dollar per week subscription for access to course material as well as webinars for those who finish their course.
"I have added this service almost immediately. This is a good choice because there are a lot of customers who have returned," he shares.
He charges $5 per week for each course the student ever took in order to reward loyalty for students who have taken many classes. Dan has reported that he had 175 members within the education community at the time of our interview. So, he can generate a considerable quantity of income each week simply by providing access to materials for the course and being able to answer questions.
Subscription revenue opens doors
In the present, subscriptions bring in revenue, and the revenue in turn facilitates other potential opportunities for the company.
Dr. Plews says, "The most significant benefit of the subscription model is the ability to make better business decisions. If you can be assured of a higher revenue stream and you're able becoming a little more knowledgeable about the company you're using and the places you're placing your money since you're less at risk. In contrast, when you're 100 100% dependent on sales, you don't know what each month is going to bring."
He also noted that the existence of an active community also has a benefit in that it provides a pool of people with whom he could survey to find out about the creation of new courses, or any other feedback.
However, Dan is realistic about how to build the success of a membership-based community. "The disadvantages of it is that it's always on," he says, "There is quite a lot of support for customers that is part of a subscription model because people always have questions."
Start your subscription business
At , we're working to create a society where everyone can create an existence and a business on the basis of their understanding. Like in the case of Dr. Plews' experience, we're here to support people who want to create predictable, steady revenues so that they can concentrate on different business objectives.
Fully explore what is on offer, and begin building your subscription business during your no-cost 14 day trial of!