How TCommerce helped Tongue-Tied School to raise money for charity
in Birmingham, Alabama, pediatric dentist Richard Baxter, DMD, MS, helps empower dental professionals to detect and treat lip and tongue tie.
The journey, triggered through the birth of his twins in 2014, led to the establishment of Tongue-Tied Academy , a platform dedicated to addressing an issue that is often ignored and not recognized.
Since launching the program in 2020, there have been more than 1,500 learners enroll and has made sure to donate all profits to local and international charities.
Here's how he created his online course business--and how TCommerce was instrumental in boosting his growth.
Skip ahead:
- He found his niche
- The sign-up was made using
- He made it easier to complete the checkout process with TCommerce
- He drove impact through the charity
- He released different versions of his class
- He created a simple customer experience
- He defined success as himself
He found his niche
When his girls were babies, he discovered they were tied to their tongues that were affecting the ability of nursing. When he found a dentist do a laser treatment on the tongues of their children which allowed them to nurse much more easily. "The dentist advised me to watch for tongue ties in children because they're more prevalent than most people think; around one out of four children have one," Baxter tells .
Then, people started asking his opinion on tongue and lip ties. In search of more information about the topic, he read every course and book related to the topic, only to discover that there weren't many sources available. Then he learned to perform the laser tongue tie technique. After treating patients and answering the mother's queries and concerns, he began writing a blog post about it. As time went on, more and more people reached out to him to seek his advice which led him to publish and write the book Tongue Tied, in 2018. "People had read the book, but still wanted to learn more," says Baxter.
He determined that his next step was to create his own online academy . When his dental office shut down due to the outbreak, the dentist had written the script, which was over 200 pages long. He then hired a film crew to record the course's 25 hours of flagship during the time that his office was closed.
He signed up
The key to the success of Tongue-Tied Academy is the relationship it has formed with providing a seamless platform for course delivery.
"What's great is the ability to arrange the lessons into modules." Baxter shares.
With , he was able to offer his material in bite-sized portions as well as add quizzes at the conclusion of each course. Additionally, he adds chapters from his book to the software. "I appreciate that it allows me to include different kinds of content in the lesson rather than just videos," he reveals.
He's a huge fan of 's feature that allows the automatic generation of a certification for his students. "I needn't do anything for the class every day apart from responding to the questions in discussions since everything is automated," he says.
The checkout process was made easier with TCommerce
Transitioning to TCommerce from Stripe proved instrumental in optimizing the process of checking out for Tongue-Tied Academy's participants. In fact, he thinks that the use of TCommerce is causing him to lose fewer sales; since switching to the Stripe integration that process, checkouts have been made much simpler, according to Baxter.
With support for various payment options such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, Baxter says that TCommerce provides a smooth transaction making it easier to access and more convenient for users worldwide.
"You are able to click an icon, swipe your ID with your face, and purchase a course," Baxter says. Baxter. "It's much simpler now instead of having to enter all of your information in a ."
"I don't even think about this because it's easy," he says. " Payments handles everything, and the money just appears in my accounts of banks. ."
In the hopes of launching an updated version of his flagship course this spring, Baxter plans on using the option of ordering bumps, that will allow customers to add on another course at a discounted rate--without ever slowing the process of purchasing.
He was able to make an impact with charity
When the funds are deposited in the bank account of his, he donates 100% of the earnings to charities.
From supporting clean water initiatives across Africa and Asia in support of rehabilitation efforts and preventing human trafficking, Baxter's commitment to community welfare exemplifies the Academy's broader goal of social care. "I do not need any anything else," he says. "We own a house, we have cars, we're in good ."
"If I am able to help a baby who couldn't nurse before or who is colicky and having a hard time, it's all worth it," he continues.
He has launched various variations of his class
In recognition of the diverse requirements within his audience, Baxter launched a condensed version of the course designed to professional professionals, such as speech therapists and lactation consultants. This LITE Version course, priced at $495, offers a concise yet powerful examination of the subject offering a wider range of learners.
Every course he offers includes an evergreen structure, so people can sign up anytime they'd like. "Teaching this course online has made it easy as is possible to access," he says.
Additionally, these courses provide American Dental Association-approved continuing education credits. "We use an approved CE provider. This means that you can apply it toward their license," Baxter explains.
The flagship course, however, is priced at $2,600 The content, when paired with CE approval--helps people see its value for money.
He created a simple customer journey
Despite the success of HTML0, Baxter says that he doesn't have much of a marketing plan.
In general, the journey of a customer starts when the reader reads his book. In the event that they wish to know more about the subject and more, the book directs readers to Tongue-Tied Academy.
If he is speaking at events or conferences, typically attendees can sign up for his email list. If they sign up to his list of email addresses, they're received an email from MailChimp which directs people to his content.
He defined success for himself
Baxter defines success as the ability to multiply the knowledge he has. "It's not me alone doing this," he says.
"We have over 1,500 patients who have taken the course. If each of them sees even one patient a each day that's more people than I can ever manage alone. ."
Additionally the definition of his success is based on educating the providers, helping parents, and ensuring that more patients receive care, all while utilizing funds for charitable causes across the globe.
In the process of making an online course the creator should seek to discover their own passions. "It can be anything," He states. "And whatever the case that you want to make, you can create a course with it ."
"Just do it!" Baxter encourages. "I'm not an online course guy. I'm a dentist. But I just put it out there, and last year we had the honor to be among the top ten courses in ."
Prior to establishing Tongue-Tied Academy, he created two courses himself, each costing $99 and around 10 people took. "I took my lessons from this," he says. I received better-quality videos and designed a flagship program through Tongue-Tied Academy ."
"You might fail a couple instances," he adds, "but it's one of the stages in learning. You're only in danger of making a mistake if you don't take the lessons learned from it. ."
The HTML0 Tongue-Tied Academy continues to evolve driven by a unwavering commitment to service and education and its history of empowerment and altruism serves as a beacon of inspiration for students and educators alike.