How long does it take to go through the course?

The course is on-demand and self-paced so you can go as quickly as you’d like or take your time. I recommend spending one month on the Focus and Create modules because these sections really set the foundation of your business. Once you have completed those two modules, you can start selling your work! You don’t need to have completed the entire course before you can get clients - in fact, this course is very effective as “on-the-job” training, meaning that you are implementing the lessons as you’re selling your work and talking to clients. You’ll be able to skip around in the course too, so if you’re getting on a client call tomorrow but are not there in the course yet, just jump to that lesson! Similarly, since you have lifetime course access, you can always come back to reference specific lessons if you run into a sticky situation and need to read through the suggested policies one more time. If you go through the entire course at once and take all the actions as you go, it will probably take about 2-3 months to implement, assuming this is your side hustle!

Is this course only for calligraphers who want to run their business full time?

Absolutely not! The results shared on this page are all from fellow side-hustlers or full-time moms. In fact, by taking this course you’ll learn how to run your business in a way that saves you time. Let’s say you want to make $1,000 a month from your calligraphy. If your current average deal is $100, you need 10 clients to meet your goal. But if after taking this course you’re able to book $300 - $500 deals to start, you only need 2-3 clients a month to meet your goal. That’s a lot less time spent on client communications, marketing, going to the post office, etc!

Will this course be helpful for me if I’m outside of the US?

Yes! I have taught my programs to mentees and students all over the world, including Canada, Ireland, Nigeria, Iceland, the list goes on! The concepts I teach in this course are universally applicable, just keep in mind that you are the expert on your local market on things like buyer demand, trends, taxes, and legal policies. My philosophy is to teach you how to think about your business, not tell you what to do, so that you can apply the concepts in a way that works best for your culture and region.

How do I know if I want a product or service based business?

Calligraphers can be either product or service based, and in most cases will have a mix of both, but you’ll usually lean more one way. It’s important to identify which type of business you want to be because it heavily affects your marketing and sales strategies.

A product based business essentially means that you have or want to have an online shop. Clients are more likely to come to you looking for something specific, usually a single item. Because of this, you ideally want to create multiple products and variations of those products so that your client can find exactly what they’re looking for. Client interactions are often limited to checkout transactions, and there may not be any direct communication outside of the purchase.

A service based business has a portfolio (usually an Instagram and/or website), but usually doesn’t have a direct option to buy. Clients are likely to come to you with their vision and general ideas, and want some help to nail down what they need. They’re more likely to buy multiple items from you, thus spending more money. You’ll have direct conversations and often build a relationship with your client. The best way to think about a service based business is to think about a wedding florist: they have a portfolio and will consult with you specifically on what you need based on your wedding colors, vibe, budget.

As far as determining which business model is right for you, ask yourself how you want to engage with your clients. If you currently have a shop, ask yourself whether you have it because you want to be a product based business, or if that just seemed to be the easiest way to start a business. If you enjoy working with clients and want to work weddings, I would encourage you to consider a service based business, where you’re more likely to find your dream clients and book larger deals without shortchanging yourself on price.

Will my first wedding job be four-figures?

Only time will tell :) My job is to teach you how to become a wedding calligraphy service provider in the most direct way, using the strategies that have worked for me and my students, but I can’t guarantee any specific results. What I can tell you is that by using the same methods I’ll teach you, I’ve been able to book jobs over $1k regularly. It would be a reasonable expectation that you’ll start with three figure wedding jobs, and as you grow your portfolio and implement course strategies, that you would be able to expand your deals to book four figure jobs over time.

Do I need any equipment or software to take the course?

The Pro Wedding Calligrapher course is built on the Thinkific learning platform, which runs in your browser on desktop, laptop, tablet, or your mobile phone. No software download is required and the course is accessible on-demand 24/7. To see full system requirements and supported browsers, click here.

All of the tools, templates, and worksheets in the course are PDFs, Google docs, Google sheets, or YouTube videos, which are all accessible for free once you are in the course. For the best course experience and to more easily use the tools provided, a laptop or tablet is recommended. The course provides some suggested software tools to help run your business, but these are optional and discount codes are provided where available.

What is the refund policy?

Due to the digital nature of the course, the course is non-refundable since you will have immediate access to all content. For this same reason, there are no refunds for future price changes or promos. Please reach out to shaochen@monsteragold.com if you have any concerns!

I have other questions!

I'd be happy to answer them! Email me at shaochen@monsteragold.com.