Interview with Ross O'Lochlainn
Founder, Conversion Engineering
Interview Summary
Ross O'Lochlainn, author of "Open Every Day," built a course business without traditional launches. His method: create courses on-demand from real client needs, use them as low-ticket "intent signals" to identify prospects for higher-end programs, and think in two-year timelines instead of cramming everything into 12 weeks.
Why the Launch Model Burns Everyone Out
Ross is blunt about the problem with traditional course launches: they are exhausting, feast-or-famine, and often create courses nobody asked for. His alternative is what he calls being "open every day" — an always-available enrollment model where courses are created iteratively from actual client needs. When someone asks him for help with a specific problem, he records the workshop live. The third time someone asks the same question, that recording becomes a structured course. "Ship early, ship often," he says. The result is a library of courses born from real demand, not hypothetical curriculum planning.
No one really wants your course, no one wants the videos, no one wants the worksheets. They don't want to spend any of the time going through it. What they want is the outcome on the other side of that.
Courses as Intent Signals
In Ross's model, low-ticket courses are not the revenue center — they are qualification tools. When someone buys a $47 course about email funnels, that purchase signals they have a specific problem Ross can help with at a deeper level through his year-long "Chamber" program. The course gives the student real value while also revealing whether they are a fit for higher-end engagement. This inverts the typical course creator's business model: instead of courses being the product, they become the top of a services funnel.
The Time Horizon Problem
Ross identifies a pattern that most course creators miss: "Most people stuff two years' worth of execution into a 12-week course." A student might learn everything they need in 12 weeks, but implementing those lessons in their real business takes much longer. Ross structures ongoing engagement in 6-8 week "quests" focused on one specific bottleneck at a time, rather than trying to solve everything at once. "It's like a video game," he says. "The community becomes more of a hub where you're the games master and we figure out what your six-week quest is."
Most people stuff two years' worth of execution into a 12-week course.
Ross's Action Steps
Ross recommends these 3 steps to improve your course planning:
Create courses from real client sessions
Instead of pre-building a massive course, record your live workshops and client sessions. The third time someone asks for the same help, that is your signal to structure a course from the recordings.
Use a consistent workshop structure
Follow a repeatable format (Why → Principles → How → Do It Now) so recordings can be easily cut into standalone lessons without re-recording. Consistency makes production almost effortless.
Think in two-year timelines, not 12-week sprints
Structure ongoing engagement in 6-8 week "quests" focused on one bottleneck at a time. This matches how adults actually implement changes in their real lives and businesses.
About Ross O'Lochlainn
Founder, Conversion Engineering
Ross O'Lochlainn is the founder of Conversion Engineering and author of 'Open Every Day.' A former engineer turned marketing consultant, he runs 'The Chamber,' a year-long consulting program for established experts. His methodology eliminates the traditional launch model in favor of always-available, iteratively-created courses built from real client needs.
Listen to the full episode
From Course Lab with Abe Crystal & Ari Iny on Mirasee FM