The Way TCommerce Powered Tongue-Tied Academy to raise money for charity
In Birmingham, Alabama, pediatric dentist Richard Baxter, DMD, MS can help dentists to recognize and treat tongue and lip relationships.
The journey, triggered through the birth of twin daughters in 2014, resulted in the establishment of Tongue-Tied Academy , a platform dedicated to addressing a widespread yet underrecognized issue.
Since the launch of the program in 2020, the instructor has had more than 1500 students sign up and donated all the proceeds to international and local charities.
This is how he came up with the online course company, and how TCommerce contributed to his success.
Skip ahead:
- He found his niche
- The sign-up was made with
- He made it easier to complete the checkout process using TCommerce.
- He drove impact through charitable donations
- He introduced different variations of his course
- He developed a basic customer experience
- He defined success him
He found his niche
When the girls were young, he discovered that they had tongue ties and this was hindering their nursing ability. Upon finding a dentist to treat them with lasers on the tongue tie which allowed them to nurse much more easily. "The dentist suggested that I watch for tongue ties in kids because it's more common than people realize; about 4 out of 5 kids are wearing one" Baxter tells .
Soon, people began asking him about tongue and lip tie. Wanting to learn more about the topic, he read each course and publication related to the topic, only to discover that there weren't many sources accessible. Then he learned to use lasers for the tongue tie procedure. After assisting patients and answering the mom's questions and concerns, he began writing an article on his blog about the procedure. A growing number of customers contacted Baxter to ask for his expertise and he finally decided to publish and write a book, Tongue Tied, in 2018. "People read the book and were still interested in learning more about the subject," says Baxter.
He determined that his next task was to develop his own online academy . In 2020, when his dental office shut down due to the outbreak, He had already completed the over 200-page course script. He later hired an film crew to record the course's 25 hours of flagship during the time that his office was closed.
He signed up for
The key to the success of Tongue-Tied Academy is the partnership it has with creating a seamless system for the delivery of courses.
"What's great is that I can organize the lessons into modules," Baxter shares.
With , he could offer his material in bite-sized portions as well as add quizzes at the final part of every section. Additionally, he adds chapters from his book to the software. "I appreciate that it allows me to add different types of content in the lesson instead of just video," he reveals.
He's a big fan of 's feature that allows him to automatically generate a certificate for his students. "I don't have to do much for the course every day other than answer the discussion questions since everything's automated," he says.
He simplified the checkout process with TCommerce
Transitioning to TCommerce from Stripe was instrumental in optimizing the process of checking out for participants of the Tongue-Tied Academy. In fact, he thinks that the use of TCommerce has made him lose more sales. However, since moving away to the Stripe integration and the process of checkout has become much easier, according to Baxter.
It supports a range of payment options such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, Baxter says that TCommerce ensures a seamless transaction process, facilitating accessibility and convenience to users around the world.
"You are able to click the button, enter your ID with your face, and take a class," Baxter says. Baxter. "It's an a lot simpler rather than putting everything you know in ."
"I never even think about it because it's so easy," he says. " Payments will take care of everything, and the money just appears in my accounts of banks. ."
Baxter plans to release an updated version of his most popular course in the spring of this year, Baxter plans on using an order bump feature which allows customers to add on another course for a reduced price, without ever slowing the process of purchasing.
The impact he made was through charitable causes.
When the funds are deposited in the bank account of his He then donates 100% of the earnings to charities.
In addition to supporting clean water initiatives in Africa and Asia as well as assisting rehabilitation and anti-human trafficking efforts, Baxter's commitment to community welfare exemplifies the Academy's broader purpose of providing social assistance. "I do not require anything else," he says. "We have a home and cars, we're in good ."
"If I can aid the baby that couldn't feed previously or is colicky and having a hard time, it makes it the effort worthwhile," he continues.
He has launched various variations of his course
Recognizing diverse needs within the population he served, Baxter launched a condensed version of his course that is designed to professional professionals, such as lactation consultants and speech therapists. The LITE Version course, priced at $495, is a succinct yet impactful study of the topic, offering a wider range of learners.
Each of his courses includes an evergreen structure, so people can sign up anytime they'd like. "Teaching the course online has made it accessible as possible," he says.
Additionally, these courses provide American Dental Association-approved continuing education credits. "We use an approved CE provider. This means that the students can count it towards their dental license," Baxter explains.
The flagship course, however, is priced at $2,600, the content--combined with CE certification--helps users see the return on investment.
He designed a straightforward customer journey
Despite his success, Baxter says that he does not have a marketing plan.
In general, the journey of a customer is initiated when a person reads the book. If they decide to know more about the subject then the book will guide readers to Tongue-Tied Academy.
If he is speaking at events and at conferences, generally people in the audience will sign up. If people sign up for his email list, they're sent an email sequence from MailChimp that directs them to his blog posts.
He defined success for himself
Baxter says success is the ability to multiply his expertise. "It's not just me doing the same thing," he says.
"We have 1,500 people who've taken our course. If they each see just one patient every time, it's far more people that I've ever been able to treat alone. ."
Further what defines success for him entails educating providers, assisting parents and making sure that more patients receive care, all while utilizing funds for charitable causes across the globe.
If you are making an online course it is recommended that the creators find for their interests. "It could be anything at all," He says. "And whatever it is that you want to make, you can create the course you want to with it. ."
"Just do it!" Baxter encourages. "I'm not a online-course guy. I'm a dentist. But I just put it out there, and last year, we were honored to be in the top ten courses on ."
Prior to the creation of Tongue-Tied Academy, he created two courses himself, each priced at $99that around 10 people were able to take. "I took my lessons from this," he says. I received better-quality videos and developed a flagship course with Tongue-Tied Academy ."
"You might fail a couple of times," he adds, "but that's just part of the learning process. It's only a mistake if you do not learn from it. ."
as Tongue-Tied Academy continues to evolve driven by a unwavering dedication to education and service, its legacy of empowerment and altruism serves as a beacon of inspiration for aspiring educators and changemakers alike.