Jerald Ward

Why this persona fits the audience

He publishes webinar, waitlist, and checkout-adjacent pages for his newsletter and online course. He builds them himself from notes in Notion, forms in Google Forms, and a free site builder, and has never paid for a dedicated landing-page tool.

• Age: 31
• Location: Chicago, IL, USA
• Occupation: Course creator
• Income: $68k
• Education: Some college
• Company size: 1 (himself)
• Years in role: 5

“I'd rather spend an extra hour figuring out how to make a free tool do exactly what I need than pay for something that's overkill and complicates things.”

Jerald Ward, 31, is a Chicago-based independent course creator who has carved out a niche teaching practical skills in digital marketing and online business management. His journey into entrepreneurship began during his brief stint in college, where he realized the traditional academic path wasn't aligned with his desire for hands-on learning and immediate application. He discovered a passion for teaching and sharing knowledge, initially through informal workshops and then by building his own online presence. Jerald operates entirely as a solopreneur, a decision driven by his deep-seated value for autonomy and his preference for simplicity in his business operations. He meticulously crafts his online courses, leveraging Notion for content structuring and outlining, and Google Forms for initial audience research and feedback. His approach to building the public-facing elements of his business—webinar registration pages, waitlists, and checkout pages—is characterized by extreme resourcefulness. He has consistently utilized a free website builder, piecing together functional, albeit basic, pages without ever investing in dedicated landing page software. This DIY ethos stems from a combination of budget sensitivity and a genuine enjoyment of the problem-solving aspect of technology. His income of $68k reflects a steady, albeit not extravagant, success built over five years, reinvesting most profits back into content development and marketing experiments. Jerald is driven by the desire to create valuable educational content and empower others, finding deep satisfaction in seeing his students achieve their goals. He recently decided to focus on refining his existing course funnel rather than immediately launching new products, aiming to optimize conversion rates and improve student retention before expanding his offerings. This decision underscores his pragmatic approach to growth, prioritizing sustainable systems over rapid, potentially unstable expansion. His relationship with time is one of careful allocation, ensuring dedicated blocks for creation, marketing, and personal development, while his relationship with money is one of mindful stewardship, always seeking the most efficient use of resources.

Background & daily life

A day in their life

Jerald's typical weekday begins around 6:30 AM. After a quick coffee and reviewing his Notion task list, he dedicates the first few hours to deep work, often scripting new course modules or refining existing lesson plans. Around 10 AM, he shifts to marketing tasks, drafting newsletter content or updating his webinar registration page. Lunch is a simple, healthy meal prepared at home. The afternoon might involve troubleshooting a minor website issue, responding to student inquiries, or researching new content ideas. He aims to wrap up his core work by 5 PM, leaving evenings for personal reading, exercise, or planning the next day. He avoids working late unless absolutely necessary, valuing his downtime.

Lifestyle

Jerald lives alone in a functional, well-organized one-bedroom apartment in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. His living space is minimalist, prioritizing utility and calm over clutter. He's a creature of habit, waking early to make coffee and review his daily task list before diving into work. Weekends often involve exploring new coffee shops for a change of scenery or catching up on personal projects. He cooks most of his meals, focusing on healthy, simple recipes. Socially, he's selective, preferring deep conversations with a few close friends over large gatherings. His financial habits are conservative; he prioritizes saving and reinvesting in his business over discretionary spending.

Work life

Jerald's work life is entirely self-directed. As a solo course creator, his days are a blend of content development, marketing, and technical implementation. He spends significant time structuring his online courses in Notion, meticulously outlining modules and lessons. He then translates these notes into engaging webinar presentations and creates the necessary landing pages for his newsletter sign-ups and course checkouts using a free website builder. He manages his email list and customer interactions, often troubleshooting technical glitches himself. The pressure comes from the constant need to attract new students and keep his existing ones engaged, all while managing his limited budget and time.

Relationships

Jerald is primarily influenced by his online network of fellow course creators and mentors he follows on YouTube and podcasts. He has a small circle of close friends from college who understand his entrepreneurial journey, offering occasional moral support. His family is supportive but doesn't fully grasp the nuances of his online business. He values constructive feedback from his newsletter subscribers, which he uses to refine his course content.

How they decide

Jerald is a research-heavy decision-maker, especially when it comes to tools or processes that impact his business. He'll spend hours comparing features, reading reviews, and watching tutorials before committing. He prioritizes functionality and cost-effectiveness, often opting for free or low-cost solutions that require a steeper learning curve. He's not easily swayed by hype and prefers to see tangible results or clear evidence of value before making a change.

How they sound

Jerald speaks in a clear, measured tone. He's articulate and tends to explain concepts thoroughly, reflecting his teaching background. He avoids overly casual slang or jargon, preferring precise language. His cadence is steady, not rushed, and he often pauses to gather his thoughts. He's not prone to hyperbole and tends to downplay his achievements, focusing more on the process and the lessons learned. He might use phrases like 'essentially,' 'the core idea is,' or 'what I found was.'