Most people think that in order to make more money, you need to DO more. More hustle. More to-do lists. More strategies. And while, yes, taking more action can create more opportunities…
What really made the difference in growing my online course business past 8-figures wasn’t what I did – it was what I stopped doing.
So, today, I want to share three things I quit doing that changed everything. I’m not talking about tactical stuff like launching or posting on social media – I’m talking about deeply ingrained habits that were quietly sabotaging my success.
This episode is for any course creator who feels like they’re doing all the things but not seeing the results they want. I hope what I share today helps you feel a little less alone – and maybe even gives you permission to finally let go of what’s been holding you back.
My name is Caitlin Bacher, CEO of Scale With Success®, and I’m on a mission to help course creators all over the world grow their business in a way that is profitable and scalable. I’m sharing revealing insights about what it really takes to scale an online course business to millions of dollars per year. Join me here to discover the tough decisions I’ve had to make, the biggest failures I’ve had to bounce back from, and the learnings that emerged every step of the way. I’m so grateful that I have the chance to tell you everything right here on Scale With Success®: The Podcast. Let’s get started.
Today I’m sharing 3 things I’ve had to let go of in order to scale my course past 8-figures.
Let’s get into it.
1. I Quit Expecting to Fail.
In the early days of my business, I lived in fear that everything I was building was going to come crashing down. And sometimes, it felt like it was crashing down.
I’ll never forget one afternoon in my first year of business when I mistakenly triggered an automated email that went out to ALL my customers saying they were about to be rebilled.
Now, NOBODY was actually going to be rebilled and it wasn’t even possible for me to rebill them, but somehow I did something that caused the email to go out.
I was doing all my own customer support at the time, and the emails started flooding in. People were upset, confused, scared.
I sat on my bedroom floor in tears, frantically responding to messages, trying to reassure everyone it was a glitch and then – just to really drive the moment home – my power went out.
There I was. No Wi-Fi. No customer access. No way to fix what I’d broken.
And I remember thinking, This is it. This is the moment my business dies.
Up until that point, every mistake I made was just more “evidence” that I wasn’t cut out for this. That I didn’t belong in the world of online business. That failure was inevitable.
But what I didn’t realize then was:
It wasn’t the mistakes that were sabotaging me – it was the expectation that I would fail.
That belief was clouding everything. I didn’t see the kind customers who were encouraging me to hang in there. I didn’t see the sales that were still coming in that day.
I was only looking for confirmation that I was doomed.
Something had to give – and that something was ME.
So I made a choice – one that changed everything: I decided to let go of the belief that I was destined to fail.
And instead, I tried on a new belief: My success is inevitable.
It didn’t mean I stopped making mistakes. It meant I could finally learn from them instead of letting them define me. It meant I could see problems as temporary instead of fatal.
And that small, subtle shift helped me bounce back faster, stay grounded, and grow way more sustainably.
2. I Quit Trying to Control Everything
At one point in my journey, I was convinced that success was only possible if everything went perfectly.
Perfect systems. Perfect timing. Perfect team. Perfect performance.
So what did I do? I tried to control everything.
I micromanaged tasks. I obsessed over details. I held the weight of the entire business on my shoulders and told myself: This is what it takes.
I remember hiring my first VA – a lovely, capable person – but, instead of trusting her to succeed, I jumped in to fix everything the second she had a question.
Rather than coaching her through where to find that information, I did it all myself.
And because I never let her learn, she kept needing my help.
And because she kept needing my help, I started resenting her.
Not because she wasn’t capable – but, because I wasn’t letting go.
I was so afraid that something might go wrong that I made myself the bottleneck.
And just three months in…she quit.
That was my wake-up call.
Instead of spiraling into self-blame, I got curious. What belief was driving me to hover, fix, and control everything?
It was this: I thought I had to control everything in order to succeed.
But, the truth?
I never had control.
Tech breaks. Algorithms change. People leave. Mistakes happen.
No amount of planning or worrying gives you actual control.
What it does give you is burnout, resentment, and a team that doesn’t trust you.
Letting go of control wasn’t a one-time thing. It was (and is) a daily practice. It required me to go back to that core belief: My success is inevitable – even if things don’t go according to plan.
Once I really accepted that, I was able to lead better, delegate more, and build a business that could grow without me hovering over every decision.
If you’re someone who’s afraid to let go, I want to offer this: Letting go isn’t giving up – it’s giving your business the space it needs to grow.
3. I Quit Needing Everyone to Like Me
This one was sneaky because even after I believed my success was inevitable…and even after I stopped trying to control everything…
I still desperately wanted to be liked.
And the moment I felt like someone didn’t like me –
A client.
A team member.
A comment section stranger –
I spiraled.
I bent over backwards trying to prove I had good intentions. I avoided conflict. I watered down feedback. I over-explained everything and sounded defensive.
But, here’s the truth no one wants to say out loud:
The bigger your audience, your team, or your client base gets – the more opportunities there are for someone to not like you – even if it’s for a second, a day, and sometimes forever.
You can’t control how people perceive you.
Letting go of your need to be liked doesn’t mean you don’t care. It doesn’t mean you don’t lead with integrity. But, it does mean that trying to be liked by everyone is a trap.
It forces you to take your eye off the goal and get distracted by things you have no control over.
If your mission is to make a real impact – to say something bold, build something meaningful, and take a stand for what’s right – you can’t afford to be distracted.
Letting go of the need to be liked is liberating. Not because you become careless, but because you finally get to focus on what really matters: showing up as your most aligned self for the people who are ready for you.
And spoiler alert? The people who love your work need you to stop tiptoeing around everyone else.
So, if you’re on the journey of building a profitable, scalable course business with more ease and alignment – here are three things I recommend letting go of:
1. The expectation that you’ll fail. Instead, try on the belief that your success is inevitable.
2. The need to control everything. Instead, learn to trust your systems and the people you bring in to help.
3. The fear of not being liked. Instead, stay grounded in your values and let your mission speak louder than your fears.
None of these shifts happened overnight. But, each one created a ripple effect that allowed me to build a business that’s not just profitable – but sustainable, scalable, and genuinely fulfilling.
Thanks for being here today. If this episode resonated, I’d love it if you shared it with a friend or fellow course creator who might need this message, too.
Don’t forget to tune in next week for another episode of Scale With Success® The Podcast.
And remember – your success?
It’s already happening.
Are you sick and tired of launching and looking for a proven method to generate consistent revenue from your online course on autopilot?
Sign up for my free masterclass, “How To Generate Launch-Sized Revenue Without Launching” and I’ll show you how our clients are making MORE money in LESS time than they ever did while launching.
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Today’s episode is brought to you by Scale With Success® Accelerator — an online course designed to help you generate launch-sized revenue without lanching. If you want to learn MORE about our proven method for success, click here to watch my free masterclass. See you in there!
