As a graduate of Make It Work Online 2018, I get asked what it’s really like inside the program, so I’m sharing all the gritty details here in my completely honest review of Jenny Shih’s Make It Work Online business coaching program.
Below is my review, some thoughts of who MIWO is right for, details of how much Make It Work Online costs, and whether I think it’s worth it, and a bunch of FAQs. So if you want to know if Make It Work Online is right for you, keep reading.
Note: I originally published this review in January 2019, and updated it in January 2020 to reflect my most current thoughts.
What is Make It Work Online?
Make It Work Online is a 12-week coaching intensive by Jenny Shih for women who want to earn a full-time income doing work they love, on a schedule that gives them the freedom they crave.
If you haven’t met her yet, Jenny Shih is an uncompromising business coach who has taught more than 25,000 women (including me) how to earn a full-time income working 30 hours per week or less as online, service-based entrepreneurs.
She’s all about creating success without sacrificing the things that are most important to you personally.
Here’s the blurb from the site:
What sets Make It Work Online apart is that you get a support network of coaches:
Your own personal copy coach: When it comes to online business, it’s your words that will make you money. You’ll be assigned a copy coach who will personally guide you to become the best copywriter you can possible be. The net result? You’ll never need to hire a copywriter again.
Your own personal business coach: There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to business strategy, which is why your business coach will work with you to formulate a strategy tailored to you and your unique circumstances. With their detailed personalized guidance and support you’ll waste no time in setting your rates, designing your packages, and most importantly, signing paying clients.
Your own personal community: With Structured Peer Coaching, Jenny takes peer support to a whole new level. You get both a Pod Mastermind and Power Group to help you work through assignments, receive feedback, and increase accountability so you can effectively apply what you learn as you go through the program together.
Here’s what you walk away with from this one-of-a-kind coaching intensive:
A clear and concise message that everyone understands.
At least one new, compelling offer (that people will actually buy) fully implemented and ready to go.
A consistent outreach plan so you know exactly what to do to get clients.
Fresh copy on your website that speaks to your target client, making her hungry to hire you.
A clear action plan to guide you through the next six months (or more) of your business growth.
A support network of coaches and business owners to help you move forward with confidence.
Boatloads of confidence to make money doing what you love.
You also get a ticket to an exclusive three-day, in-person retreat, Make It Work Online® LIVE—$1,999 value.
No more doubt. No more fear. No more uncertainty. You know deep in your bones that you are creating the business you’ve been dreaming of.
My 100% honest review of Make It Work Online
When I took the plunge and signed up for MIWO, I knew I wanted a strategic plan that would just tell me what to do, step-by-step. I got that, and it is super clear, very detailed, and amazingly reliable. Score.
I also got a community of women doing the same things as me, struggling in the same ways, celebrating similar successes, and pushing me to go further than I ever could’ve on my own.
And it’s not just the peer community that is amazing… I’m not a touchy-feeling kinda gal, so I was really surprised at how much I benefitted from the individual guidance from the coaches.
I signed up because I like Jenny Shih and her attitude toward being successful without sacrificing the things that are important (health and family time, for me). So I was a bit gutted when I realized she wasn’t the only coach, and I’d be working with all these other coaches who I knew nothing about and surely weren’t as good.
I was wrong.
Having a ton of other coaches in the program—and having coaches personally assigned to me—meant I got really fast, intimate help on every front.
It’s kinda magical how they were able to help me see why I was really struggling with various things, and help me push through. I am forever grateful for their attentiveness and insight.
Since we’re being honest here, I was super sketched out when I got details of my Power Group (that’s the peer support group that meets weekly). The three other women sounded nothing like me.
One was an energy coach, one did something with sound healing, and another mentioned numerology in our first email exchange. I googled “numerology” but still don’t get it. And sound healing?! Holy woo-woo.
These women were experts in things I didn’t even know existed.
It turned out those women are crazy woo-woo!
And they’re trying to make a business work online (like me), figuring out landing pages and email lists and opt-ins (like me), and are friendly and encouraging (like I try to be).
Our businesses and life approaches are very different but I got real benefit from being connected with them. They gave me insights I’d never have reached alone, and did for months after we finished the program, as we continued to meet up.
I’m still working through the Make It Work Online content. I think there’s enough there to keep me going for a couple more years!
It’s impossible to complete everything in the time available, but MIWO provides all the resources you need to keep going once the program is officially over.
My business certainly isn’t perfect now I’m a Make It Work Online graduate. I get frustrated I can’t do everything at once, and I’m a constant work-in-progress.
But I am a mission miles ahead of where I ever could’ve been without the program. And for that, I am forever grateful.
Who is Make It Work Online for?
Okay, now we covered my thoughts, let’s talk about you. Is Make It Work Online right for you? Maybe.
First, I’m assuming you’re not a douchbag. MIWO seems to self-regulate by only attracting decent, good-hearted, human beings just who want to do better. Douchbags seem scared off, and rightly so. They wouldn’t fit in.
That’s why my Power Group worked, I think. We are very different, but all non-douchbags.
You do have to be a service-based business owner. Those running product-based businesses might get value, but it’s really focused on service-based stuff.
You need to have at least started your business, even if only just. You should know what you want to do and have a website, even if it’s bare bones and kinda embarrassing.
I’d have loved to have seen men in the program, but Jenny Shih is pretty open about primarily serving women, so she can help with their unique struggles. I guess sometimes women can feel intimidated to ask questions and be vulnerable when men are in the room, so there isn’t any of that. I did see that Jenny specifically says they serve and welcome all gender identities though, which is cool.
Those things given, it’s for anyone who’s struggling in their business journey. In 2018, there were:
Some who were fresh at it, and feeling completely overwhelmed and freaked out;
Others, like me, refocusing their businesses and wanting to get it right because they were so sick of trying things and having them not work out;
Some who had been going at it a while and were fed up of working so hard but not seeing any results; and
A few transitioning their successful offline business online, because they wanted to work remotely and have some flexibility.
We all benefitted hugely from the content.
What do I use most from Make It Work Online?
There’s a lot of MIWO content that I used once and then moved on from, because once something’s set up, you can forget about it for a while. But a resource I use frequently is the consult call script and follow-up emails scripts. They are GOLD.
My consult calls are now faster, much more comfortable and less intimidating, and more successful. I really enjoy consult calls now, instead of feeling pressure and awkwardness every time.
And it’s faster to write follow up emails, and have them actually convert, when I follow the guidelines in the scripts.
What is Make It Work Online NOT?
It’s important to know that Make It Work Online is not a do-it-yourself or do-it-when-you-have-time program. The most important aspects for me were the homework reviews and feedback. You have to do the work week-by-week in real time to get that.
There are homework deadlines (which are amazing for ensuring you get off your ass and do the work) and personally-assigned copy coaches, business coaches, and success coaches who review your homework, ask questions, and give advice.
It’s not general advice, either. They walk through your assignments and make detailed comments.
Everyone will be different, but I suggest ensuring you can give it at least three hours a week to get the studying and homework done, then an additional two hours a week for coaching calls.
How much does Make It Work Online cost?
For 2020, Make It Work Online costs $4,700 USD, and a payment plan is available.
That includes the free ticket to the Make It Work Online Live event, worth $1,999.
Is Make It Work Online worth the cost?
To some, this will be a steal (especially those who’ve taken five-figure business coaching programs and still feel they’re drowning. A few of you have told me about those experiences.)
But if you’re like I was this time last year, this is a decent chunk of change, and it might make you feel queasy. I know. I wrestled with the decision for a while.
In the end, the hubby reminded me that you get what you put in to something.
New businesses require some investment to be successful.
I’ve been running my own business for years and writing for over a decade, but in January 2018 I decided to refocus my business and go in this new direction. It felt like starting from scratch and it was a bit scary.
My husband knows how it felt.
He owns his own home renovations company, Green Goose Renovations & Construction, and when he started, he had to buy tools, a truck, and shirts with his logo on so he doesn’t look like a bum when he shows up at client’s homes.
The hubby with the first cheque he ever earned in his own business.
Since then, he’s bought a trailer, more tools that help him work faster and to a higher standard, more shirts (why he wants to wear white shirts on a construction site, I’ll never know), and various other bits and pieces.
His business is successful, most of his jobs come through word-of-mouth, and he has a great reputation for his craft. But he had to invest some money up front, and a bit more as he went along, to get everything rolling.
I decided to do the same, and I’m really glad I did.
You have to figure out what’s right for you and your finances, but for me, it was worth investing some money to get this new business direction going.
And the truth is this: I felt a bit battered and bruised from trying things online and having them fizzle out. My website has been through SO MANY iterations. I’ve flip-flopped over my ideas for offerings. I needed to do something different.
Why does Make It Work Online cost more than B-School or other programs?
Make It Work Online costs more than B-School (Marie Forleo’s course) and some other programs because it’s not just a course or just business coaching. It’s both. It’s a weird, mutant program, halfway between a course and coaching. I don’t know of anything else quite like it.
There’s a ton of course content, videos, PDF guides and worksheets, but I don’t think it’s accurate to call it a “course.”
It also has this huge personalized coaching component. I mean, it’s a group couching program, and there are group calls where you benefit from hearing others being coached and can be coached yourself. But you’re also assigned three coaches who are responsible for you over four months.
I haven’t taken B-School or any other coaching program. I looked at B-School but it didn’t appeal as much to me. It felt like it was more focused on learning than doing.
Make It Work Online has a lot of learning and, because every single person gets their homework reviewed every week, there is a ton of doing.
Now, since I didn’t actually take B-School, my impression might be wrong! I know some people who took B-School and loved it (including Jenny Shih herself). So you’ll have to do some research and make the best decision for you.
How are you involved in Make It Work Online now, Liz?
Drumroll please…
I am a copy coach for the 2020 MIWO program!
I loved being in the Make It Work Online community so much that when Jenny Shih announced she was hiring for the 2019 program, I jumped on it and applied to be an Assistant Copy Coach.
I went through a LOOOONG hiring process with about fifty hoops to jump through, and became part of the team. Yay me. In 2020, I’m still around, but this time as a full-fledged Copy Coach.
So if you join, I’ll be in there with you. You’ll be assigned a copy coach to work directly with you, and IT MIGHT BE MEEEEEE! There are several copy coaches in the program so we can each give our attention to a small group of clients. I can’t guarantee you’ll be in my group, but fingers crossed!
I’m also an affiliate, which means if you join through my link, I’ll get a commission.
I’ve never promoted anyone else’s program before, but wanted to share this because it helped me grow my business so much last year, and I know it will help you hit your business goals.
I’d be shouting about this anyway, and the program investment is that same for you either way, so it’s a win-win.
Why are you promoting someone else’s program, Liz?
Obviously, I love Make It Work Online, and I’m eager for more people to fall in love with working for themselves, and making a good income with it.
I truly believe Make It Work Online will help others do that, just as it did for me.
I also think it’s a vital step for a lot of people who land on my site.
I attract many people who want to start a business around a book idea they have. Often, they want to start speaking about their own life experiences to inspire others, and know telling their story through a book will help them do that.
The most common reason people inquire with me but don’t get started on their book is that they haven’t got their business house in order yet.
You don’t need a thriving business to write a book. But successful non-fiction authors are people who know how a book fits into their bigger business strategy. They’re not just writing a book, but writing a book to build their business.
Some people aren’t there yet.
They come to me eager to get their story on the page, but they’re jumping the gun.
They need to get their business off the ground first, then write a book to further build their business. It can be done the other way around; you can build a business around your book, but I think that’s harder.
The people best suited to work with me are already running a business. But for those who aren’t quite there yet, or aren’t feeling confident and seeing the business results they want, I know MIWO will help get them there.
Quick questions about Make It Work Online
I had a lot of questions before signing up for Make It Work Online, and you might too!
If you’ve landed straight into this FAQ section, scroll up to read my full, honest review of Make It Work Online (I took it in 2018). If you just want a quick answer, or are in the midst of deep research (my kinda person), keep reading.
Here are some common, quick questions about Make It Work Online and my personal answers.
Q. When does enrollment open for Make It Work Online 2019?
A. Enrollment for Make It Work Online opens on January 27, 2020. You have to apply to be accepted into the program, and applications close on January 30, 2020 at 6 pm Pacific. Apply here.
Q. How often does Make It Work Online run?
A. Once a year.
That said, Jenny Shih is always making changes to improve the program. This year it is bigger than last, and I wouldn’t be surprised if next year it changes a little or a lot. Translation: the price may change next year! Or the dates. Or the availability.
Q. How much does Make It Work Online cost?
A. In 2020, Make It Work Online costs $4,700 USD, and a payment plan is available.
That includes a free ticket to the Make It Work Online Live event, worth $1,999.
Q. Can I get a taste of what it’s like to work with Jenny Shih and her team?
A. Yes! If you’re reading this before the end of January 2020, join the free Facebook group to access the workshop. This is only available for a limited time, so check it out ASAP.
Q. What dates do you have to be available for Make It Work Online?
A. Make It Work Online 2020 runs from February 10, 2020 to May 11, 2020. Bonus week starts May 18, 2020.
There is also an optional live retreat in Corvallis, Oregon in June 2020. If you join MIWO 2020, you get a free ticket that’s worth $1,999.
Q. How much time does Make It Work Online take?
A. It’ll be slightly different for everyone, but about:
1 hour a week for a group coaching call (not necessarily live, can listen to a recording),
2 hours a week for a small, power group call (must be live at a mutually agreed-upon time),
1 hour a week to study the course material, and
1 hour a week minimum to do homework.
You might need or want to spend more time than this, though. I spent considerably more time on my homework because I was dedicated to getting results.
Make It Work Online is a time investment, which is the only way to push your business forward.
Q. I can’t afford the program but really want to join. What should I do?
A. Oh my, this is a tough one. I know how it feels to really want something but not be sure you can afford it. I don’t know your financial situation or your comfort level with money and debt, so I can’t answer directly. This will have to be your decision. Email me if you want to let me know your circumstances and chat through some ideas.
Q. I live in [Europe/South America/the Bermuda Triangle/other place that is not America]. Can I do Make It Work Online?
A. Yes! You need to speak and understand English, but your language needn’t be perfect. The coaches are very patient and can go slow for you.
The teachings are about making your business work online, so it doesn’t matter where you’re located (as long as you have internet access). The lessons are relevant wherever you are.
In some ways, they’re even more brilliant for people living in random places, as they free you up to make a great income even when there aren’t many opportunities in your local area.
Q. I’m not exactly sure what business I want to start. Is Make It Work Online right for me?
A. Probably not. You really need to be clear on what you want to do before entering into the program. If you think you can get clear on this before the programs starts then go ahead! But you do need to know what your business will do.
Q. I’m only working part-time on my business and have a full-time day job/am a mom/am doing other things. Can I join Make It Work Online?
A. Yes.
In my 2018 class, there were many women for whom their business was a side hustle while they worked, parented, or fulfilled other commitments. You will not be alone!
Have other questions?
Email me and ask. I’ll personally respond with my completely honest answer for your unique situation.
I’m looking forward to seeing you in the program!