Short answer: I launched Ascendia OS, my marketing and sales operating system for coaches, and made $50k in sales in the first three weeks using one strategy: a pre-recorded 5 day free experience that gave people five days of free access to the software, with a daily 20 minute training and an action step that meant using it. I pitched on day three, kept cart open for five or six days, ran an encore the following week and used low cost ads to keep new people coming in. You don't need software to copy it: the structure works for any offer, and the step by step version is below.

Coming into 2026, I made the biggest pivot of my business. I stopped some big revenue streams that had worked for years and launched a brand new company: a software company. Not an add-on to my existing business. A completely separate company, starting from zero, without taking money out of my other business to fund it.

I did that deliberately, because I wanted to document exactly what I'd do if I was starting again with nothing. In the first three weeks, Ascendia OS made $50,000 in sales. Here's exactly how, and then how to run the same launch for your own offer.

This is part of my ultimate guide to a 6 figure course launch, and it's the launch model I use for everything now.

Why I built software in the first place

Before Ascendia OS, I'd already turned my expertise into an AI product. I trained a custom AI on my frameworks, methods and programmes so clients could get instant answers and help implementing, like having me in their pocket. I launched it at four figures, it got over 100 sign-ups and brought in six figures in new sales.

But I hit a problem. I'd built it inside someone else's platform, and some people simply didn't want to use that platform. It affected sales, and I realised I didn't want my business to depend on another company's product. So I pivoted quickly and built my own. That became Ascendia OS: a marketing and sales operating system that learns about your business, builds your strategy and creates what you need to implement it.

So what is Ascendia OS now? It's an all-in-one platform with an AI marketing team built in. It plans. It creates. It builds. You tell it your goal, approve the work, and get back to doing what you love. Your funnels, website, CRM, email, courses, community, calendars and DMs all sit under one login and one bill, so it replaces the stack of separate tools most coaches pay for. Because, honestly, you didn't start a business to get a degree in marketing. See inside Ascendia OS at ascendiaos.io →

What I did: the launch in 8 steps

Step 1: Build an offer that answers the objections

In 2025 we'd seen a dip in sales on our traditional programmes. When I looked into why, the reasons were clear. People were bored of courses. They'd bought plenty already. They were overloaded with information, and they didn't have time for another 100 hours of training. They wanted implementation, not more information. So the offer had to solve all of that: software that doesn't teach you what to do and leave you to it, but actually helps you do it. Then the price:

• $97 a month, which builds recurring revenue.
• $997 for the year, which brings cash in now.

Offering both was intentional. I wasn't funding this from my other business and didn't want a loan, so I needed cash in to fund marketing for future launches. But I also wanted recurring revenue so each month doesn't start from zero. My goal is 1,000 members in the first 12 months.

Step 2: A free experience that lets people try before they buy

This was the core of the whole launch. Instead of a live challenge, I created a 5 day free experience, completely pre-recorded, with five days of free access to the software.

• Every day, a 20 minute training drops. Short and straight to the point, because long sessions mean people drop off.
• Each training gives one learning point and one aha moment, showing people their missing gap.
• Each day ends with one action step: go into the software and use it to create the thing you just learned about.

That action step is what makes the difference. By day three, people had built real things for their business. They'd had results. The group was flooded with people asking how they could keep access before I'd even pitched. It's the free gym pass, applied to expertise.

We offered a free route and a paid VIP upgrade for those who wanted extras. Free brings more leads. A low price brings more committed ones. We've tested different price points for the upgrade and somewhere between $11 and $17 seems to be the sweet spot.

Step 3: Get people to actually show up

100 people opting in doesn't mean 100 people taking part. So we stacked the reminders: emails, WhatsApp messages, calendar invites so each day's session sits in their phone even though it's pre-recorded, and reminders in the community group. Even then, a big chunk won't participate. Which is exactly why step five exists.

Step 4: Pitch on day three, cart open for five or six days

We open cart on day three, the Wednesday. That gives me three chances to sell inside the experience, on days three, four and five. Cart stays open until Sunday night, then the bonuses for that round end. Founding members got a founding rate locked in, plus bonuses that genuinely added to the result: a strategy day, visibility in front of my audience, and a behind the scenes breakdown of the launch itself.

Step 5: The encore (the step that made the biggest difference)

The week after cart closes, we announce an encore: "Missed the five days? Here's one more chance." Same experience, same automation. It works for two reasons. The community is buzzing with people sharing their wins, so everyone who missed it has serious FOMO. And people who took part or bought can become affiliates and promote the encore to their own audiences, which brings in a whole new group.

Step 6: Ads that run in layers

New people need to keep finding you. We use The $5 a Day Ads Strategy in three layers: engagement ads showing short, valuable videos to a cold audience; lead ads sending people who've watched to the free 5 day experience; and retargeting ads to everyone who opted in, selling during the launch. Start at $5 a day and increase the budget as it proves itself.

Step 7: Upsell into high ticket

The $997 offer is the cash in bank offer. From there, the next step is a high ticket mastermind. If 100 people buy at $997, that's nearly $100,000. If 20% of them upgrade to a $10,000 offer, that's another $200,000. Two offers, one strategy.

Step 8: Review, then rinse and repeat

After each round, once the encore is done, I take a day and go through all the data. What worked, what didn't, what we'll improve. Then we duplicate everything and run it again, roughly once a month. Because it's pre-recorded and my content is batched, the launch runs with my team and without me being live. During one of these launches I was on holiday in France.

How to run this launch for your own offer, step by step

You don't need software. Here's the same structure for any coaching, course or service offer.

Step 1: Find the action step that proves it works

Ask: what could someone try, use or create for free in five days that would prove my offer works for them? That's your daily action step. Information alone won't do it. A template they fill in, a tool they use, a piece of content they create, a plan they build.

Time: one hour. Done when: you have five action steps, one per day, each producing something real.

Step 2: Record five 20 minute sessions

One learning point, one aha moment and one action step each. Day three includes the pitch.

Time: two to three days. Done when: five sessions are recorded and uploaded, each under 25 minutes.

Step 3: Build the sign-up, the reminders and the group

An opt-in page with a start date, a thank you page offering a small VIP upgrade, daily email reminders, calendar invites and a community space where people share their wins.

Time: one to two days. Done when: a test sign-up receives the welcome email, calendar invites and group link.

This is exactly the job Ascendia OS was built for. The Launch Manager plans the experience from first email to cart close, then sets it up to run again on repeat. The Funnel Builder builds your opt-in page, VIP upgrade and checkout inside your account, and the Email Marketer writes the daily reminders.

Step 4: Write the pitch and the cart

Pay in full and payment plan options, a deadline for the bonuses five or six days after day three, and bonuses that add to the result rather than padding the value.

Time: half a day. Done when: the sales page and checkout are live and tested.

Step 5: Fill it

Promote for one to two weeks: your content, your email list, guest spots, and $5 a day ads. Work out your leads target first using how many leads do I actually need?

Time: one to two weeks. Done when: you've hit your sign-up target or have a plan to close the gap.

Step 6: Run it, run the encore, review

Run the five days, close cart, announce the encore the following week, then take a day for the data. Improve one thing and run it again next month.

Time: about three weeks per round. Done when: you have your numbers (sign-ups, participation, sales) and one improvement for next time.

Worked example: a $497 programme

Example only, to show the maths. A coach sells a $497 programme and runs this launch to 500 sign-ups.

The gap between 3% and 10% is the whole point of the action steps, the day three pitch and the encore. Same number of leads, more than three times the sales.

Copy and paste templates

Benchmarks

• 20 minutes per daily session.
• Pitch on day three, cart open five or six days.
• $11 to $17 for a VIP upgrade has been our sweet spot.
• 10 to 12%: my launch conversion. 3%: the industry average.
• $5 a day to start ads, increased as they prove themselves.
• About once a month: how often we rinse and repeat.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: Five days of information. Fix: every day needs an action step that produces something real.
• Mistake: Long sessions. Fix: keep them to around 20 minutes.
• Mistake: Pitching only on the last day. Fix: pitch on day three so you get three chances to sell.
• Mistake: No encore. Fix: always run it. People who missed it are often your easiest sales.
• Mistake: Building your business on someone else's platform. Fix: own the thing you sell where you can.
• Mistake: Changing everything after round one. Fix: review the data, improve one or two things, run it again.

Your action plan

Today

• Write the one action step that proves your offer works.
• Outline five days using the schedule template.

This week

• Record five 20 minute sessions.
• Build the sign-up page, VIP upgrade, reminders and group.
• Set your sign-up target with the leads maths.

Next 30 days

• Promote for one to two weeks, then run the five days.
• Run the encore the following week.
• Review the data for a day, improve one thing and book the next round.

Prefer to start free? The Revenue Leak Audit shows you 12 places your business is quietly losing money. For the full launch process, read the ultimate guide to a 6 figure course launch, and for the bigger picture of growing without adding hours, read how to scale without working more hours.

Frequently asked questions

How did Ascendia OS make $50k in three weeks?

With a pre-recorded 5 day free experience that gave people free access to the software, a 20 minute training and action step each day, a pitch on day three, cart open for five or six days, an encore the following week and layered $5 a day ads.

Does this launch strategy work without software?

Yes. The key is a daily action step that lets people try your method and get a result before they buy. That could be a template, a tool, a plan they build or content they create.

Why pitch on day three of a five day experience?

It gives you three opportunities to sell inside the experience, on days three, four and five, while people are at their most engaged.

What is an encore in a launch?

A repeat of the experience the week after cart closes, for people who missed it. Wins shared in the community create FOMO, and past participants can promote it as affiliates.

Should I offer monthly or annual pricing?

Both, if you can. Monthly builds recurring revenue. Annual or pay in full brings cash in now to fund your next launch.

Laurie Burrows is a UK-based marketing and sales strategist who has built a business that's generated multi-seven figures in sales through social media and digital marketing. Today, Laurie helps business owners use social media, content and digital marketing to get seen, attract more clients and make more sales. She's also the founder of Ascendia OS.