Want to learn how to easily get your first 5,000 subscribers? Download this free eBook to learn how.

So, I have some big news - I QUIT
Last Updated November 25th, 2019

So, I have some BIG news…

I am quitting online courses.

(And don’t worry. If you already invested in one of my courses, you won’t lose access. The website will still live on. I’m just done selling them after one final enrollment period).

“Why? ARE YOU CRAZY!?!?!”

No.

I’m not crazy.

“IS THIS A SCAM? A TRICK? A GIMMICK?”

Absolutely not.

It’s real.

“OKAY TELL ME EVERYTHING.”

Sure.

Here’s the full story…

The Golden Years

I started Social Triggers in 2011.

I had the worst haircut.

The worst handwriting.

And the worst video quality…

…but things still went great.

I had no idea how I planned to make money, but I didn’t care. I just liked sharing cool content, psychology research, and applying it directly to online business.

I wrote. I had a marketing podcast before podcasting was cool. And I filmed YouTube videos.

And I built a following pretty damn fast. Millions of visitors. Almost a half a million email subscribers. And I was making millions of dollars.

It was so strange, too. I grew up poor. My dad was in jail most of my life. My mom was on welfare. And I was surrounded by drug addicts who would steal money from my mom. Things were pretty bad.

And now, I was an “internet guru” teaching other businesses how to start and grow their business. And it was working. Like crazy.

It was the golden years for Social Triggers…

And Then Something Went Wrong In 2015…

I didn’t spot it at the time.

However, look at the facts:

I published a video on YouTube in September 2015, and then I never published one until March 2017 – almost a 2 year hiatus.

I released this infographic on Facebook in November 2015. It went super viral. People ended up stealing it and pretending like they made it, but this is literally how I felt at the time… even when business was going great.

And even though 2016 went on to become my best year in business, I felt more and more burnt out.

Enter 2017.

I Felt Burnt Out – BAD

I finally realized I was suffering from burn out, and I knew I needed to do something about it.

So, I started experimenting with new business ideas and business models.

1. I experimented with a social skills course, and even though I loved teaching it, I didn’t thinK I could scale it. So I killed the project.

2. I launched a fitness coaching program. This was out of left field, of course, especially for me, so I partnered with a fitness expert to deliver it. This also went well, but I didn’t think I would find that business interesting, either.

3. I began researching physical product businesses. I talked to the owner of a childrens’ toy company, and thought about partnering up with them to bring children toys to market. I also talked to an apparel company and thought about marketing clothing.

4. I launched a high end mastermind where successful business owners paid $25,000 to join for 6 months for both business advice and coaching.

5. I hired a new videographer to create videos, and then proceeded to make… almost no videos.

Even though this sounds like I was all over the place, I can tell you that, it’s because I was all over the place. I was experimenting, and trying to find something else I could do here at Social Triggers that would alleviate the burnout.

None of it worked.

And that’s when I realized it’s because Social Triggers was a great business…

…but I didn’t understand WHY I was doing it.

Sure, I enjoyed helping business owners, and watching them get results is absolutely amazing, but I felt myself wanting to do something bigger. Something more important. Something that could impact more people, in more ways.

And quite frankly, build something that could become a huge business that regular people would know about.

But Then I Got Lucky After One Conversation…

So, there I was. It was the end of summer of 2017, and I was telling my friend about my problems at his lake-house in Connecticut.

And he said, “So, let’s start a new company. I’ve been thinking about getting into the health and wellness space. You interested?”

“But I don’t have an audience in that space, but I have an idea. I’ve been talking to another friend about doing this for years, and maybe now is the time to do it.”

So, I called her up, and within about 2 weeks, I co-founded a new company called Truvani, where we sell health and wellness products (like protein powder, marine collagen, turmeric, bone broth, etc).

We kept the company lean, at first.

We had a crazy idea to use high quality ingredients in our products… it’s crazy because even the companies who say they use high quality ingredients had lower standards than we had… and I wasn’t sure if it would work out.

But still, by November 2017, we pre-launched our first product – a turmeric supplement. And things went very well. So well, in fact, that I finally felt alive again.

LOOK HOW MUCH FUN I WAS HAVING:

First, I truly believed in our mission – creating high quality supplements, with real food ingredients.

Second, the challenges associated with a physical product business were exciting.

And finally, I felt like I had some new things to talk about for Social Triggers.

So, I Did Something Even Crazier…

I started 2018 strong. I started a daily vlog where I wanted to take people “behind the scenes” of my daily life of running 3 separate companies – Social Triggers, Zippy Courses, and Truvani.

Like I didn’t have enough on my plate already, but whatever. I jumped and planned to figure it out as I went along for the ride.

At first.

I published one video every single day. There was no real “purpose” behind the video a day ordeal other than the fact that I’ve always been a creative at heart and felt like I had something to say.

We did cool videos, too.

I played chess.

I taught random business and life lessons from the park.

I told the story of the Empire State building being built in a year.

But all the projects began to add up. It was too much work.

It Became Too Much – And Then I Had To Get Honest

When we began shipping our first Truvani product, and launched it to the world, I realized something…

Starting a business like Truvani was invigorating. I was doing something that I believed mattered for the world. And I was having a lot of fun doing it.

…but the work from all of my businesses began to pile up.

I had a daily vlog. Social Triggers. Zippy Courses. Truvani.

And it all came to a head when we started shipping our first product from Truvani at the end of February 2018.

We began shipping it, and launched it again, and everything went so well, that I was left thinking, “Wait a second. Truvani has some real legs here. Maybe I need to focus on this 100%.”

And the work was becoming TOO MUCH, but I thought I could handle it.

And Then I Got HUGE News

I found out I was having a baby.

So, there I was.

I had so many different priorities on my plate, and something HAD to give. I quit vlogging on the drop of a hat. I didn’t have the time, and something had to give.

And then I thought about axing Social Triggers…

…but would I really do that?

Social Triggers?

My reputation.

My personal brand.

My business.

Would I really just walk away?

I wasn’t so sure.

Social Triggers was my baby. And now I would be going dark. I’d disappear from the public eye, and go “behind the scenes” in a different company.

I was still an owner. A co-founder. But I wouldn’t be the Derek Halpern that everyone knew and loved (and maybe hated).

I Deliberated About This Decision FOR MONTHS

I loved Social Triggers, and I loved my new business. But things started going so well at Truvani, that the work kept piling up.

We launched our first product in February 2018. We launched another in May. Another in July. And now, in 2019, we’ve launched a complete catalogue of products.

I slowed down on content creation here…

…because my heart was all in on Truvani.

Then My Daughter Harper Was Born…

Her name is Harper Halpern.

She’s pretty cute, if I say so myself.

And I plan to dress her exactly how I dress.

A year later…

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:

Black sweat pants. Black t-shirt. Sparkling shoes.

Now…

One of the things I believe in most is taking decisive action, and it’s an example I’d like to set my daughter as she gets older.

Winners don’t hem and haw. Winners pick a direction, and go in that direction.

So, I STOPPED Selling Online Courses…

Yep.

In 2019 I basically stopped completely.

There was one thing I did not anticipate though…

People kept emailing me and asking to join the courses that I no longer sold.

This was an interesting problem.

The courses were valuable.

The courses were truly “evergreen.”

And if someone bought these courses, they would still find the value they were looking for.

However, I just couldn’t dedicate the time to “managing” the whole thing.

So, I just didn’t sell them.

However, about a month ago, someone asked me if I was going to offer them on sale again this year like I did last year.

I resisted at first.

Then, I sent an email a couple of weeks ago to see if other people would be interested…

…and hundreds of people said heck yes.

So, I decided to do it all over again.

A one time sale on my flagship online courses

You Can See All The Details Right Here

I’m selling the courses for up to 75% off.

For new enrollments.

It’s pretty crazy.

But I’m only doing this because I know they can help. You can read more here.

Now, if you don’t have any interest in online courses…

No worries.

If you’re on my email list, you’ll still get emails.

I just do not intend on selling courses for a looooooong time.

If you want to learn more about the new company I co-founded, here’s the link.

Check Out Truvani

If you want to see the “behind the scenes” of my new life…

…I highly suggest you follow me on Instagram.

GO FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM.

And if you want to hear more about when I launch my courses for the last time, look for an email from me real soon.

Spread the love!

Join OVER 200,000 subscribers

GET FREE UPDATES

Click here to sign up

Need more? Choose your path below

53 comments Leave a comment
Amith

Thanks for sharing this post. Helpful and Informative.

aamir wisal

Amazing work. Please keep continue your good work and keep posting these interesting articles.this post is very helpful.Appreciate it for this grand post.I think the subject matter here is real superb.I have been examinating out some of your articles and it’s pretty clever stuff.I neeed to to thank you foor this wonderful read.
Thanks you shared great content.keep it up

Kris

Derek! Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations!
I live in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York, and work as a BackGround (BG) actor aka “extra” for film and TV shows. I’ve been keeping notes and plan to write a novel or novella about my experiences … “Extra Confidential”. Anyway, I’m a writer, actor, musician, photographer, creative entrepreneur. I’ll probably see you in Union Square Park and when that happens, I’ll say hi.
cheers, and congratulations!
Kris

Ben

Derek, Truvani looks really fantastic, and it’s great that you should focus on 1 thing only, your new baby! Best wishes Ben

Ulises

Hey Derek, I was a Zippy Courses client for a few years. I have to say I was really waiting for this piece of content ever since you abruptly disappear from YouTube ( the Vlog ). I thought, well, he probably got really busy and decided to stop the vlog. But you not saying a word about it I felt a little bit like I “got stood up”. So I thank you for this post. We do care about you, I have learned most of what I know about online marketing from your content. I congratulate you for your little girl, I also have a 7 month old and it’s a joy. All the best with your new venture and don’t just disappear, from time to time let us know about you. All the best and keep the good work!!

Stefano t

Hi Derek,
How about setting up an online academy in order to study your courses paying a monthly fee?

Cheers

Ricardo de la Rosa

Congrats on your new baby Derek!

I think you choose well, and it’s always important to remember that being online doesn’t mean being married to the Internet, you can always be on and off, without the needed of selling something or being worried about people.

That’s the beauty of the Internet: you can be as free as you want, first you and then the others.

See you soon!

Jayne

Well, I guess this is an era. Your message made me sad but happy for you. There is a saying that everything must end one time or the other. When I took your course (Blog that convert) it was the first you ran. I was planning to get back to it for review (this is a real evergreen program), but never got to it. I was also planning to register for other programs, unfortunately my health decided to give me trouble. Maybe your products will help! I am very much into alternative health, supplements (I buy a lot of those from Life Extention) and nutraceuticals (I am writing abook about these right now); so our path may connect again. Perhaps when you willsettle into your routine at Truvani, you may get back (at least part time) to social triggers?

Congratulations for both babies; and good luck with your endeavor

Hank Whittier

That’s great news Derek! Like everything you’ve done, you’ll find a way to win! The health and wellness business is great! Your daughter is beautiful! Maybe we’ll see you at an Expo!

Heidi

Wow Derek what a ride. Thanks for sharing and congrats on your new ventures and lots of space.
Air of what you said I can 💯 resonate with. Thanks for all your awesome content over the years and I’ll miss your courses. But looking forward to what you’ll be up to next. Congrats on Harper!

Lizzy Love

Congrats on the new baby, she is darn cute! I love her all black outfit with sparkling shoes! Wishing you all the best for the future!

Kimberley Rossiter

I truly enjoyed reading this. And, seeing pics of that cute baby girl! Thank you, Kim R.

Elena

Thanks Derek! Always appreciate your authenticity, honestly and transparency. We and our businesses evolve. It’s part of the joy and journey. That’s for sharing yours with us and modeling that.

Thanks too for keeping courses live. I bought Blogs that Convert and still haven’t maximized it. Will do so one day.

Enjoy your baby, life and new business. 🙂🙌🏽

Roxanne Reyes

Awww..Derek I kinda feel sad and happy for you at the same time. I am sad that you’re ending Social Triggers or putting it on the back burner for a while, but still producing awesome content. But happy that you’re spark is back and you have an adorable little girl in your life. So are you getting married now? I mean it makes sense right? New baby new business new wife. Anyways I know you must have the coolest life at the moment, so stay lean and healthy and oh keeping doing what you love. Keep up the good work!

Cindy

Wow! Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful daughter!
All the best with your future endeavours, and thank you for all the inspiration you have given out over the years.

Marleen Renders

Hi Derek & everyone else reading this!
Thanks so much for your work so far. Loved to read that you’ll still be blogging when you find something interesting to share.
I wish you alllll the best in both your personal life (yay daughter!!) and your businesses. I love that, for you, running two highly successful online businesses IS taking it slower and brings you more meaning.
I’ll definitely keep following you.
Have a great 2019!

Chris

Congratulations on the baby! Plus another great piece of content, double whammy supplier

Cathy Sirvatka

Wow, I’m feeling really sad. I mean I get that you’re still going to be around, but like someone else said, it’s the end of an era. I have learned so much from you. But nothing can remain the same forever, and I sensed your burnout. You have to do what is right and healthy for you and your family. I’m so proud of you and impressed with your honesty and proactive choices. Clearly Truvani is gonna fly high and you with it. God bless you and your sweet sweet little girl. I’ll see you in Instagram world.

Chris

Congrats on your daughter, and also the decision. It’s great to see the deliberate action here. It’s so hard to stop doing all the “other stuff” and focus on one particular thing.

Any advice you can share on how you’re able to channel your energy specifically through to the one business?

diane

Congratulations Derek! Can’t wait to see what you will share, thePsychology research aspect has always been my favorite part of your business.to me you are a differentiator in howyou deliver the content and in the content you deliver.

Keep doing you! We will all benefit from you not being pulled in so many directions.

Good Luck I know you will do great!

Rado1

Good luck.
As a father of 3y old lady, I understand your focus on family.

I like to read your articles, I like your voice in podcasts and videos. Will always wait for your new stuff.

Have a nice day.
//Rado1

Allyson Scammell

Thanks for sharing your inspirational story, Derek. You are definitely more than just a brain to me. I bought Blog That Converts back when you were a poor hand writer. 🙂 I went through burnout late this year and made the decision to do things differently. It’s hard bc my brain says grow and drive on, and my heart says go for a walk and watch the deer out my back window. Did you wrestle with your brain voice and your heart voice on this decision?

Jeremy Dyen

Derek. I love the authenticity of this post. I wish I had gotten business savvy BEFORE my first child was born. Nonetheless, my wife and I have found much success since launching our business — also in the health and wellness space — in 2015.

I have been following you since you did an affiliate launch of sorts with Clay Collins back in maybe 2012. Although I was a fence-sitter almost the whole time, I always value your content. Ultimately, we shifted from trying to do info-products to physical products and had a HUGE shift and early success.

Thanks for being real, being insightful, and being bold! I’ll keep following. And, congratulations on success with Truvani!..And, no less, your baby girl who is destined to rebel against you dressing her like you! 😉

Kareem Elsayed

What a real post. Mad respect for following your heart. Truvani is a great company with a great mission. My wife and I already tried a few products and they are of the quality we’d expect from Vani tbh. And with your support, you can make sure these great products actually reach people. I was wondering what happened to your daily vlog but I had a feeling it was too much. Yea I miss it, but I’m happy you’re happy and working on something meaningful. My best wishes for your happiness and success. Oh and enjoy fatherhood my friend.

Lori

Just purchased your Blog that Converts???

Are you saying there will be no further follow up??? no support should we
need it? will the full course be sent out? very frustrated as many people have just registered.

thanks

    Derek Halpern

    Where did you get that idea? Did you read the blog post? I literally said right int he blog post…

    “(And don’t worry. If you already invested in one of my courses, you won’t lose access. The website will still live on. I’m just done selling them after one final enrollment period).”

    Also, you can still email our team and ask for support. I thought I made it clear. I’m not going to leave customers in the lurch ;-P. Come on!

Steve

Good on you Derek for the honest and real update of where you’re at. I chased on online dream for years, achieved only a fraction of your success and like you, am searching for something that will truly give a rewarding next step.

Very best wishes with your future ventures 🙂 It would be great if we could somehow collaborate at some point.

Adam

Wow. Feels like the end of an era.

I’ve been following you since 2012, got “Start Your Blog Right” and never stopped. “Yes Engines” was the breakthrough and literally life-changing. It helped us transform our fledgling Hungarian blog company trying to live off of the ever shrinking ad market into a full-fledged course business with 3500+ students. 6 years later and we’re growing a new company in the UK that would never have existed without us taking your courses. I can honestly say my life would be totally different without you and I’ll always be grateful for Social Triggers and the honest effort you put into it.

Good luck on those new horizons, dude.

    Derek Halpern

    🙂

Jeremy L Smith

You can’t quit, I just found you! Lol. Seriously though, good for you. I’ve been poking around your site and your content, I think, is largely evergreen. So we can all still benefit. Best of luck to you!

    Derek Halpern

    I’m just quitting selling my online courses ;-).

Johanna Nichola

Congratulations Derek! You’ve contributed so much to the digital world – thank you!
All the best with your new life and new love.

Diane

Thanks for keeping it real and letting your followers know where you’re at. Appreciate that.
One question – what about Zippy course platform? Will that fold too or will you be maintaining it?

Thanks again and best of success.

    Derek Halpern

    As I mentioned in the message, Zippy isn’t going anywhere. We’re keeping that up. I am just personally no longer creating and selling online courses.

Juliette

Hi, Excellent post. Look forward to your future projects/ posts. All the best!
Juliette

Mariam

Oh no! I am happy for you because it’s important to be passionate about your work and love what you do, otherwise it becomes a soul sucking chore.

However, I am super upset for me because I’ve been saving up money slowly to take more of your courses. I only took Blog that converts 2.0 and wanted to take others in time.

So what will happen to your courses? Are you planning on licensing them out to others? Maybe you can turn them into evergreen content and people can keep buying them 🙏

    Derek Halpern

    They will still have a website, we just won’t sell them any more in 2019.

Scott

YOU KNOW THE FOOD BABE!!!

Sarah

Derek, thank you for this. I too have been feeling good settled with my life. My baby changed me lots too. You made me realize that there’s no one ‘made it’ life for any of us.

Evan

Good for you, man. Follow your passion. Get clear on your purpose. Find great work/life balance. Be a good husband and father. You’ve got this.

William

I first found you when searching for “how many characters per line” should be in a blog post. I was fascinated by your combination of advice backed by psychological research. Often the results of some experiments were very counterintuitive. But I’ve read and applied much of what you have produced. And it moved me from a brick and mortar coaching business to an online model. And I applied Blog That Converts very effectively.

But I’ve also been following your personal journey. Your $300 haircut and your heart arrhythmia problems. As an entrepreneur, I could sense your ups and downs as you tried new areas off interest and developed new products. In a way, I patterned much of my business response by imitating your “vibe” (well, not quite as New Yawk–I’m a laid back Cali guy). You are one of the only people I recommend to others asking for online business advice.

I’m sure you will prosper both financially and personally in any venture you attempt. Best of success. William

Daniel Lona

Derek – For your sake, I’m glad you found something that you can feel truly passionate about. Few things are more important than that. Speaking for myself, and as one of your customers, though, I’m sorry to hear that you’ll be leaving the space that you’ve been so extraordinary in. You were a true inspiration to me as a business coach. You taught business principles better than almost anyone I knew. I absolutely LOVED your daily vlog from earlier this year and the lessons you gave. While you have to follow your passion, I sure hope you can still find time to help entrepreneurs and speak on camera – very few in this world do it as well as you. Thank you for everything you’ve done, sir.

Jena Castro-Casbon

I am SO PROUD of your Derek. Having bought almost everything you’ve sold (including a spot in your fitness program) I can truly say that much of my success is due to your influence.

All the best in this new business venture but mostly, enjoy being a dad and partner.
Jena

Michelle

I’m glad you’ll continue to share your “big mouth.” I’ve appreciated the content you’ve shared. Even more, I’ve enjoyed you being you. And I’ve learned much from that alone: it’s possible to be successful being authentic. Thanks!

Vanessa

You are one of the few influencers I follow. I resonated as I studied Psychology.

Sometimes is good to be all over the place. To experiment brings clarity.

A baby changes our brains. I can attest that because I had my own last year. Our time has to be more focused. And now we REALLY NEED a purpose.

And this is the first time I write a comment on a marketing blog. It’s worth it 🙂

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Jessica Scheer

Congrats Derek! Harper is beautiful and I love reading this update. It’s been fun watching Truvani from the sidelines. Looks like you and Vani are building a really awesome company. Wishing you the best xoxo Jess

Samantha Scruggs

Derek! I thoroughly enjoyed (and still enjoy!) being a Blog That Converts customer. And I used it to start/launch my blog in 2013 which is still hanging out in internet land (although not updated very frequently!). And now as a Real Business Owner (Private Practice FTW!), I still go back to some of your content strategies (SPS especially – hope it’s ok that I say that here) in order to update my content when I’m feeling up for it. I have 3 kiddos as well and there does seem to be very little time! It’s important that the time we spend we do what’s passionate.

That being said, I’m opening up an e-commerce and soon to be brick & mortar health food store and it would be SO FUN to sell Truvani! Where can I find more info?

PS Vani is local to me in Charlotte I think! I’ve never met her but I would love to. Lisa Leake is in my town too. From what I understand, they’re besties.

Samantha

Private

Derek
Congrats on your new baby. It’s a true and most wonderful blessing to be a dad. I have a 6yo daughter and it’s just amazing. Best wishes.

As for your post, it’s seeming to me that online courses may be getting wayyyyy over saturated. I’ve seen other “online course” folks throw in the towel to do something else. Thoughts?

    Derek Halpern

    What you call ‘throwing in the towel,’ isn’t really what’s happening here. It’s about a long-standing desire to find meaning, and something that’s interesting to me. Unlike most of the people who are “throwing in the towel,” I’ve been at this for a decade now. Building a real business. Not just lying to people like most of those other clowns 😉

      Sergiu

      Hey Derek, I’m glad you are working on something you really believe is important.

      I recommend to go through Simon Sinek’s Why discovery process (maybe with one of his coaches), you’ll be able to clearly articulate your personal life purpose, which is the source of meaning.
      It’s helped me a ton with clarity on what makes me fulfilled and happy. I haven’t found anything better than this.
      I know… this is just some unsolicited advice from a random long-term subscriber. I also believe you’re open-minded and you’ve surely heard of Simon Sinek’s work. It’s the real deal.

      Congrats on everything!

Mario G

You’re the man Derek, I’m sure everything will be a huge success. Congratulations on the next chapter.

Jana

While I’ve never used your courses, I’ve followed you as an influencer for my own entrepreneurial efforts. You’ve been a great voice of knowledge having tried many things. Thanks for sharing your journey. Best of luck with your new family and company!

Sandra

Congratulations, Derek!

You know it’s funny – I always thought you were an exceptional guy (smart and ambitious) and I respected your work. But I totally had this feeling about you (I mean that you’d stop doing SocialTirggers) in 2017 already. And here you are, telling us just that. 🙂 Funny. Anyway, very happy for you, I’m sure you feel somehow liberated and lighter. Have tremendous joy with your little Harper and good luck with any new adventures you’ll have. <3

Sandra

Leave a comment