Not every business owner is ready for an online course.
:::: ducks from tomatoes someone will inevitably throw :::
Seriously though… hang with me for a minute more.
I get that it would be easy for me to get you all rallied up about the power of courses and how they got me off the trading time for money hamster wheel in my own business.
OR to spout off all of the results myself and the hundreds of women I’ve worked with in the past few years have celebrated by turning our 1:1 offers into online courses
OR to tell you that you can be selling your own online course in as little as 14 days, without a single module even created.
OR to share a million other things about how transformative adding an online course can be to your business.
But the truth is that none of the above matters if your specific business isn’t ready for an online course just yet.
So, instead of selling you on “the dream”, I feel this is important to write for the woman who wants a more straightforward approach to course creation.
If that’s you, let’s get to it!
SIGN 1: You have a monetizable skill set that you have already been using to generate results for others.
Are there people already paying for the results you can provide with your skills? Have you already been supporting people with your skill sets to know that you can bring certain results?
This could be through 1:1 or Done for You work, previous work experience, free clients, in person or online workshops and/or hosting community events. Essentially, you’ve already put your skills to the test in front of real humans.
You don’t have to be the “#1 expert” out there or anything even close to the unrealistic expectations we can put on ourselves at times. However, if you don’t have experience in the skill sets you are selling, I highly encourage you to go do that first and then come back to creating an online course.
NOTE: I know that a lot of people will tell you that you can start your business with an online course as your first offer. And, theoretically, you can. You can do whatever you want. Just know that it will be a much bigger hill to climb as you aren’t able to confirm if you even WANT to do this work long term or if you can produce the results you are promising at that point.
SIGN 2: Your audience is already buying courses.
I know, this may seem like an obvious point but it’s important to be said, especially for those with niches in the B2C space (business to consumer).
As much as you may know that your audience could benefit from an online course, if they don’t believe they can solve their problem, it won’t matter.
The easiest way to find this out is to look at what’s already out there in your industry. Are there already online courses being sold to your audience?
If not, this is a clear sign that it’s because they prefer a different method of education.
This could be ebooks, live workshops or a multitude of different options.
Do not take it as a sign that no online courses in your industry means that you are “breaking new ground.” What you’ll actually be doing is constantly trying to move the boulder up the hill, and feel frustrated in the process.
SIGN 3: You are both clear and lit up about the transformation and/or results you provide.
This goes hand in hand with why I don’t suggest creating a course until you have helped others already achieve results in this area.
Just like any new offer in business, a course will take both time and work to develop, sell and scale. You’ll also, inevitably, run into roadblocks along the way.
If you aren’t lit up by what your course offers, you will throw in the towel at the first roadblock, keeping you from seeing the success you deserve. #marathonmentality
Also, by already helping others achieve results, you can’t help put gain valuable clarity on what people come to you for the most. This clarity allows you to simplify course creation in your business because you’re no longer trying to do everything – only what your audience needs the most.
SIGN 4: You are in a place where diversifying your income is no longer optional.
This could happen for one of two reasons.
One, you have experienced the client reliant rollercoaster that can happen when your main offer is 1:1 or Done For You work and want more stability during down times.
Or, two, you have been finding yourself capped out on 1:1 or Done for You work and don’t want to move into a business model that has others doing the work for you (agency, coaching team, etc.).
In either case, creating a course will allow you to reach more people, while providing a new revenue stream into your business that can be scaled as little or as much as you’d like.
What Did These Signs Say for You?
Are you ready for a course in your business?
If you’d like to go even further into this, I have a quick (and free!) six-question quiz you can take to get more specific about your business and needs.
By the end of this quiz, you will be provided an evaluation of where your business is currently and what to expect on the online course journey (including your current strengths and any gaps that need to be bridged first).
Even better?
You’ll also be provided with a complete roadmap for creating, launching and/or profiting from an online course so, whether you are brand new to course creation or trying to revive an existing course, you know EXACTLY what to expect every step of the way.
