When I started CDO School in 2022, I built it mainly to introduce a new brand to for my popular, 6 and 8-week cohorts I was leading at Second Wave Dive. Since 2019, I've been focused on helping mid-career design professionals unlock their business potential and reposition design as a different type of competitive advantage for companies.
While the Second Wave Dive name resonated with me, my interests in expanding the type of work I do was changing and I needed a brand name that more represented these cohorts. I continue to be fiercely dedicated to helping design leaders like you do the best work of their careers. But over time, we’ve increasingly seen our members interested in cohorts, but lacking the energy to fully participate.
After 5 years into a pandemic, significant shifts in global affairs, and the rapid pace at which technology is changing, I can see that many of you are tired. The constant need to be online has taken a toll. But, there's been another shift I've seen as well. Members continue to get significant value in the materials and programming inside CDO School.
When I interviewed our community to get the story behind this trend, one thing became clear; members get more value from CDO when they consume it on their own terms.
A year ago, I made our first significant change in the CDO School product. I begin shifting it from live, cohort-based learning to "design leadership school in your pocket." Continuing this pivot helps our members to choose how and when they engage, while getting access to me, peers from around the world, and our high-quality materials at a much lower price point than a live cohort.
You might ask “why?”
For the past year, our members have highlighted four main benefits from CDO School compared to other professional development programs:
- The breadth and depth of content - The most common feedback I receive from new members is how much they appreciate the breadth and depth of content inside CDO School. I've spent over 5 years building out CDO School, continuously improving the experience and adding more features. There's no other place where you can get the collection of content, made specifically for design leaders, all in one place at one price.
- No pressure to participate publicly - Community is about connection, not a digital tool. It feels weird being inside a large Slack or Discord "community" that's mostly silent. The pressure to engage in social media feeds can be overwhelming. CDO School is designed for action, not likes and comments.
- Business Savvy meets Street Smarts - In every single course, program, or piece of content, we understand that a skill is only so good as the context in which our members work in. At the end of the day, the biggest challenge our members face is not learning Business, it's dealing with dynamic and ever changing shifts in decisions, partnerships, and communications.
- Choice in how to learn - It's important you're able to learn when the time is right for you, not at the whim of an instructor. At CDO School, our members get out only what they feel comfortable in committing to. As their desire for benefits increases, their commitment to learning increases accordingly.
Ultimately, providing these benefits boils down to a single truth: very few problems at work are solved by knowing MBA stuff alone. We're committed to helping you with the real-world challenges of being a design leader.
Additionally, I don't believe you should be paying $7,000 to learn business skills. Getting help going from where you are to where you want to be should be accessible. My commitment is to innovate and deliver the highest-quality content at a price that won't break your budget.
Because of this, I had to reevaluate the product and pricing structure to better accommodate the needs of design leaders like you, while continuing to deliver a world class experience at an affordable price.
The New Features in CDO School
In line with our commitment to helping design leaders drive more impact in their work, and to decrease the time it takes for teams to realize the main benefits of using CDO School, we’ve rolled out the following new features:
1:1 Personal Coaching with Ryan Rumsey
Skip the AI chatbots or high-priced coaching that breaks your budget. CDO School members can now get real, human guidance from someone who's been in your shoes. Go deeper with direct access to me, CDO School founder Ryan Rumsey. Unlike typical live cohorts or on-demand courses, coaching provides you personalized, on-going support that adjusts, and moves with you. Send me a DM, and I'll personally respond within 48 business hours.
Group Role-Playing
Practice your most awkward, messy, and complex conversations – from difficult team dynamics to stakeholder negotiations – without the pressure to get it right. Forget passive learning, practice being in the hot seat, facing different real-world scenarios to sharpen your presentations before it's go-time. Act in roles other than your own to understand the perspectives of others and develop a sense of what pressures they're trying to relieve.
Daily Audio Tips
Receive quick learnings when you're short on time and energy. CDO School's daily audio tips provide give you wisdom on the go. Practice daily with bite-sized audio tips you can listen to on the go. Each tip is less than 3 minutes long, delivered Monday thru Friday, because some of the best lessons come in small packages.
👇 Here's a sample!
Team Pricing
The most powerful way to quickly up-skill your design leadership team. CDO School for Teams is our boutique leadership training programs for in-house teams looking to develop and support their managers at scale. Get group discounts, custom reporting, optional live instruction with Ryan, and more.
Our Proprietary Courses, Events, and Resources
Not only do we have new features, we continue expanding and updating everything that has made CDO School unique thus far.
- 13+ On-Demand Courses - Pragmatic. Effective. Systematic. Take one of our popular courses to multiply your effectiveness in business, and see yourself within it.
- Weekly, Live Events - From Drop-in Office Hours to Manager Circles, our calendar is made to fit your busy schedule, not compete with it.
- Boutique Resource Library - Save weeks of work with our proven tools and templates. Over 100+ Figjam Templates, 30+ Step-by-step Plays, 100+ Ready-to-use Documents, a 100+ Hours of Video Replays from past workshops and live sessions.
Introducing our New Pricing and Packaging
Today, we are introducing a new pricing structure with these features. And, for the first time, you can browse through everything with 7-day, free trials.
The updated pricing model will enable you to:
- Try CDO School for 7 days before committing
- Work directly with Ryan Rumsey through 1:1 coaching at an affordable price
- Attend our programming on your terms and schedule
- Reimagine Design Leadership without changing who you are
View Pricing Page for More Details
What Does This Mean for Current Members?
Because we've essentially been running in Beta with this new model, existing members will continue to get the original pricing they signed up for. It's important we honor our original promise, and also thank them for trusting us.
There are two things changing about the individual membership:
- New Individual Members: Will be able to access everything in CDO School at our new pricing.
- Renewing Individual Members: Will be able to access everything in CDO School at our original pricing as long as they continuously maintain their membership.
Given the changes, we want to make sure anyone who wants to buy the current membership has the chance to do so. You can lock-in the current pricing of CDO School ($300/yr for Basic or $500/yr for Pro) by November 8, 2024, and we will honor the current pricing for you.*
With CDO School, I am committed to continuously improving the platform to meet the evolving needs of design leaders. I can’t wait to show you what else we’ve been working on to fuel learning for design leaders, and drive growth in your career.
If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please feel free to contact me here.
Cheers,
Ryan
* If you're already a member of CDO School, you'll be able re-purchase your subscription at the original price as long as you remain a member. If you cancel your membership, you will need to join at the new price point.