Failing to convert a small following into paid clients

Hey community :) I'm starting out as a facilitator/workshop creator and have difficulty in attracting paid clients. I would be super glad to learn more about successful practises to land a first paid client.

Here's the status quo: With a colleague I created a meetup group where we give free workshops that teach Design Thinking. We have given almost 30 workshops on this topic with an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars. We became super confident in creating and giving workshops and have 700 group members. However, we FAIL to make any money out of it. We tried charging small amounts on meetup and creating a 2 day flagship course, but generated no money and even not really interest.

Would be extremely happy about any strategies or tips on how to successfully attract paid clients.

Also, I'm a big fan of conversations that create mutual benefits. In exchange to a more in depth strategy or tips on getting clients, I could offer to explain how we built this following on meetup and answer probably all your questions about design thinking.

Many thanks in advance!

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