The Truth About Monetizing One Product Idea In Multiple Ways

Do, Sell, Teach: The Framework That Turns One Idea into Multiple Income Streams

Sep 14, 2024

Quick Update:

I will be co-facilitating a workshop session at the Service Design in Government conference in Edinburgh over the week. If you’re in or around Edinburgh or you’re attending, make sure we meet and say “hi!”. My session is titled: Intuition vs Evidence: Designing for Unspoken Needs.

[⏱️ Reading Time: 12 minutes ]

There’s a quote I come back to often.

One that’s shaped the way I think about business, and how we turn our ideas into something valuable.

It’s from Aristotle:

"Those that know, do. Those that understand, teach."

There’s a twist to this ancient wisdom.

And I’ve found that it actually mirrors something even more ancient from the book of Daniel:

Those who know, will take action. Those who understand, will teach many.

The difference between knowing and understanding isn’t just semantics—it’s about depth and mastery.

Those who simply know will DO - because if you know better, you will do better.

But those who understand go further.

They have the wisdom to TEACH.

Because teaching requires more than just what you know.

It includes how you DELIVER what you know.

Then there’s another layer I’d like to add — SELL.

Because those who know, and those who teach must know how to SELL.

While this newsletter isn’t about marketing yet, let’s tie ‘selling’ to how you deliver what you know.

This simple framework I’m about to show you helps solopreneurs monetize their expertise in multiple ways.

I call it The Do, Sell, Teach Product Ecosystem Builder™.

The Do-Sell-Teach Product Ecosystem Builder™ by Dayo Samuel

Do, Sell, Teach: Delivering Your Methodology as a Product

In past newsletters, we've worked through 3 crucial pillars: Message, Market, and Methodology.

By now, you should have a clear message — the core promise of your product — and a defined market — the audience that needs what you offer.

Most importantly, you’ve developed a methodology — your unique process for delivering value to your market.

But here’s the thing: Your methodology lays the foundation.

It’s not the final product.

The magic happens when you package your methodology in multiple ways, making it accessible to different people, in different formats.

That’s where the Do-Sell-Teach framework comes in.

It's a simple yet powerful approach to monetize your methodology by delivering it through three distinct modes, creating more value and more revenue streams.

Think of it as the logical next step to package your message and methodology into actual products.

Let me remind you of what you’ve already built:

Your message answers the question, "What is the one core promise I am making to my audience (market)?"
Your market defines, "Who are the people that will benefit from this message?"
And your methodology outlines, "How will I take my market through a process to achieve the result promised by my message?"

Now, here’s what I’ve learned after years of experimenting with different business models: Your ideas are worth more than one product.

Let me say that again, so it sinks in:

You can turn one idea into multiple revenue streams.

The key is HOW you package and deliver it.

There’s a mode for packaging your product, and there’s a mode for delivering it to your market.

Let’s start with packaging.

Mapping Your Methodology to Do-Sell-Teach

So, how do you take your methodology and package it using the Do-Sell-Teach model?

Layer of Product type - The Do-Sell-Teach Product Ecosystem Builder™ by Dayo Samuel

Here’s how I help clients do it:

DO: This is where you offer your methodology as a service. You work directly with clients, taking them through your step-by-step process.
- For example, one of my client’s methodology is about guiding businesses through a change management process, so your DO product could be a consulting service where you walk a company through the entire transformation.
- This is where you are hands-on, working closely with your clients to ensure they achieve the outcome promised by your methodology. You are the product here—directly delivering your expertise. This is where most people are.
SELL: Next, you can sell your methodology in a more scalable form. Instead of working directly with clients, you create products that allow them to implement your methodology themselves.
- This could be a toolkit, a set of templates, or a step-by-step guide based on your methodology. For my change management client, it could be a comprehensive workbook with templates, scripts, and timelines that businesses can use to execute the process themselves.
- Here, your creation is the product. You’re offering them something tangible they can use without needing your constant involvement.
TEACH: Finally, you can teach your methodology. You package your knowledge and expertise into a format that helps others learn and apply your process.
- This might be an online program, a series of workshops, or a group coaching program. You’re helping others understand your methodology and giving them the tools to implement it on their own.
- In the change management client example again, you could offer a training program where you teach business leaders how to apply the principles of change management within their organizations.

How I’ve applied the Do-Sell-Teach framework in my own business and how others I’ve seen do too:

Canva:

DO: In 2022, I moved to the UK and started offering Canva design services on Fiverr and Upwork. I was working hands-on with clients, creating custom videos and designs.
SELL: Later that year, I attempted selling custom-made Canva templates on Etsy, allowing people to purchase a toolkit they could use without my involvement.
TEACH: Back in 2020, I created a Canva Video Editing course on Udemy, which now has over 13,000 students. I packaged my knowledge into an online course that continues to generate passive income even today.
Bonus DO-TEACH: Now in 2024, I’ve begun running custom workshops teaching businesses and communities how to use Canva in their marketing workflows—directly teaching my methodology to small businesses in the UK that need hands-on guidance. (By the way, next workshop is October 19 if you’d like to come).

Let’s look at Janice CK with Notion:

DO: Janice offers personalized Notion consultations, working one-on-one to guide clients through organizing their workspace so they can unlock time & money.
SELL: She sells a Notion template library, where customers can purchase pre-made templates to use on their own.
TEACH: Janice teaches a course called "Writer's Hub OS in Notion", where she helps writers create personalized systems using her Notion methodologies. (And she’s writing a newsletter for us soon, too).

And one more, @MeetKevon when he was all about Build in Public:

DO: He offered coaching, helping clients build their brands publicly. This made up less than 10% of his income but provided hands-on value.
SELL: He developed an array of digital products on building in public, and Twitter, accounting for about 20% of his revenue.
TEACH: Kevon created a cohort-based course on building in public, making up over 60% of his income, where he teaches his methodology to those ready to learn and apply it themselves.

This tells you this framework is applicable to any domain of expertise.

How to Deliver Your Product

Now that you’ve packaged your product using the Do, Sell, Teach framework, the next question is: How do you deliver it?

How will you get this to your clients?

Furthering our visual model, there are 2 ways: Directly (with your involvement) or Indirectly (without your full involvement)

Direct vs Indirect - The Do-Sell-Teach Product Ecosystem Builder™ by Dayo Samuel

This is where something I learned from Matt Church, back in 2015, comes in, offering a guide on how to deliver your ideas directly or indirectly.

He breaks down delivery into three approaches — Tell, Show, Ask — that fit perfectly with our Do-Sell-Teach framework.

Tell, Show, Ask - The Do-Sell-Teach Product Ecosystem Builder™ by Dayo Samuel

Tell: This is about delivering ideas by telling stories or sharing insights and instructions.
- For Do, you’re offering direct advice and mentorship.
- For Sell, you’re providing indirect knowledge products like books or resources.
- For Teach, you’re speaking, guiding, and training others in groups.
Show: Here, you’re guiding people through a learning process.
- For Do, you’re a mentor, showing clients how to achieve specific outcomes through your direct service.
- For Sell, you’re creating guides or templates that “show” clients how to use your product.
- For Teach, you’re leading workshops or courses where you show people how to apply what you’ve taught.
Ask: This is the coaching side, where you ask powerful questions that lead people to their own insights. (Unlike what most people think coaching is… But that’s a conversation for another newsletter.)
- For Do, you’re coaching one-on-one, leading clients to their desired outcomes.
- For Sell, you might offer interactive products that coach people through a process, like a guided workbook or a conversational AI tool.
- For Teach, you’re facilitating group coaching or training, asking questions that help others uncover deeper understanding into your methodology.

Each of these approaches helps you deliver your methodology in different ways, whether it's one-on-one (direct), or one-to-many (indirect).

Someone recently asked me:

“Dayo, why are you not charging for all these things you teach in your newsletter?”

My long-winded answer?

The Internal Conflict: DO, SELL, TEACH, Repeat

11 years ago, I ran into an internal conflict.

It was 2013, and I had just discovered the concept of a knowledge-based organization from reading The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker.

I went all-in, restructuring my entire business into a knowledge-based practice.

I believed wholeheartedly in selling knowledge, but then, something happened.

I started hearing—and reading—everywhere that people weren’t buying information anymore.

They were buying transformation and implementation.

And that’s where the conflict began.

I was the guy doing all the backend work for big names, helping them create their products, design funnels, launch podcasts and restructure learning programs to be more effective.

I was a DOER, through and through.

But I was also a TEACHER.

In fact, I couldn’t help but teach—it was as natural as breathing.

Every time I learned something new, once I processed it, I had to share it.

And so I was caught between doing and teaching, knowing that both had value but unsure how to reconcile them.

Here’s what I’ve learned since then:

You do better when you combine the three modes—Do, Sell, and Teach.

Offering a direct service (DO), creating scalable products (SELL) so your time is not tied to what you do, and teaching others to replicate success (TEACH) lets you turn one idea into multiple income streams.

What I do in my newsletters is teach because that’s the first stage in the value spectrum for you and many others reading this.

The transformation and implementation of what I’m teaching is worth more than the information itself.

Now, to better understand the value of each mode, it’s helpful to think about a spectrum. Let me introduce a third concept to you.

The Value Spectrum : How Do-Sell-Teach Works Together

There’s a spectrum of value, from simple information products (low value) to fully done-for-you solutions (high value).

At each point in the spectrum, a different delivery mode works best.

This spectrum isn’t just about price.

It’s also about your level of involvement (whether low or high) and the complexity of the problem being solved (simple or complex).

What you need to understand the most here is:

All products do not offer the same level of value, but each one can serve your market at different points in their journey.

All together - The Do-Sell-Teach Product Ecosystem Builder™ by Dayo Samuel

Here’s how you can leverage The Do, Sell, Teach Product Ecosystem Builder:

DO: At the high-value end is done-for-you service. This is where you fully involve yourself, helping clients implement your methodology. You take on their problem and deliver a customized solution. Think consulting, 1-on-1 coaching or personalized services. It’s time-intensive and high-touch, but it commands a premium price. Clients who need direct help and are ready to invest will turn to these offerings.
SELL: In the middle of the spectrum are done-with-you products. You create tools, templates, or resources based on your methodology, and the client uses them to solve their problem independently. Think guides, templates, or toolkits. These offerings are scalable, low-touch, and can sell on autopilot. They’re ideal for clients who want help but don’t need direct involvement.
TEACH: At the lower end of the spectrum are information products—concepts, tools or ideas that clients can use independently. These products are also scalable and less personalized, but valuable for those who prefer to DIY. Examples include courses, workshops, or group coaching. These (sometimes) entry-level offerings provide value without requiring high commitment from you. They’re ideal for clients who need guidance but are ready to put in the work themselves.

The Do-Sell-Teach framework allows you to position your methodology across this entire spectrum, offering something valuable for each stage of your client’s journey.

It’s like creating a product ecosystem. When you combine all three modes, you create a journey for your clients:

Some will start by buying your product (SELL).
Then they might realize they need more hands-on help (DO).
Along the way, they might enrol in your course to learn the why and how (TEACH).

A note for the Multi-skilled Solopreneur reading this:
When you build a product ecosystem — combining different offerings like these —it keeps things fresh. You avoid the boredom that comes with doing one thing repeatedly, and you get to explore multiple interests while serving your market in different ways.

The Message-Market-Methodology work you’ve done so far is the foundation.

Now it’s time to turn that into a product ecosystem.

Do, Sell, Teach helps you monetize your methodology across multiple modes, while Tell, Show, Ask provides the delivery channels.

Don’t limit your methodology to one mode of delivery.

Package it, deliver it, and let your clients engage with it in the way that works best for them—whether they need your direct service, your tools, or your teaching.

Next Steps: Action Steps to Apply Do-Sell-Teach Today

Now that we’ve broken down Do, Sell, Teach and layered in how you can deliver each mode, let’s get practical.

How do you apply this to your business?

Look at the Methodology you’ve already developed: Revisit the framework you’ve developed from past newsletters.
Map it across the Do-Sell-Teach spectrum: Break your methodology into a service (DO), a product (SELL), and a teaching experience (TEACH).
Choose your delivery mode: Are you telling, showing, or asking? What does your market need most? Direct mentoring, hands-on help, or learning resources?
Use the Spectrum of Value: Determine whether you’re offering information, components, or implementation for each stage of the journey.
Build your ecosystem: Package your methodology in multiple ways and deliver it to different audiences.

By taking these steps, you’ll not only build a well-rounded product but also give your market multiple ways to access and engage with your expertise.

Live courageously,

Dayo Samuel

PS: What’s the most important action you need to take from this newsletter? Reply or comment and let me know and I will hold you accountable.