I’ve said it a hundred times and I’ll say it again – creating my very own online course transformed my business. Not only did it allow me to break through the income ceiling I was hitting when I solely relied on brand collaborations, but it allowed me to serve my audience on a much larger scale. Online courses changed the way I earned money, and it increased the impact that I wanted to deliver to my customers. If you’re finding yourself strapped for time while wanting to serve your audience in more ways than you currently are, you might be ready to create your very first online course. There are other telltale signs that you are ready for this next step in your business. Here are 6 signs you’re ready to create an online course.

6 Signs You’re Ready to Create an Online Course

Trust me when I say you’re more ready than you give yourself credit for. If you’re anything like me, your mindset blocks (particularly that pesky little imposter syndrome of yours) are getting in the way of the creation of your very first course. My tip for getting out of your own way (and moving past your mindset blocks) is to focus on facts. This list of signs is a great way for you to give yourself a reality check on your readiness to create your very first online course. Starting with…

1) You Have an Established Audience

Notice that I said “established” audience and not “huge”. Despite what you might think, you do not need to have a large audience or following in order to create an online course. The difference between having an established audience versus a large following is that your audience, no matter the size, is interested and highly engaged in your content and what you do.

I’ve seen course creators with no more than 2000 highly engaged followers make a huge profit from selling their course. But I’ve also seen influencers with massive followings who struggle to sell a low-ticket digital product.
Having an established audience on any platform is a great sign that people are hyper interested in what you do, what you have to offer, and what they can gain from your knowledge.

2) You’ve Achieved a Transformation That Others Want

Whether it’s weight loss, time management, or even mastering the art of DIY nails – people crave transformation. It’s the reason why many people (including myself) have turned to Google and typed in “how to *insert transformation here*”. More often than not, your transformation begins with YOU!

This could be anything from how you left your 9-5 job to become a travel blogger to how you organized your living space like pro (and everything in between). If you need help finding the transformations you’ve created for yourself, take a look back at where you were 5 years ago. Was there anything that you struggled with back then that you’ve completely mastered?

3) You’ve Created a Transformation for Others

Are people actively approaching you for your expertise? Identifying the transformation that you’re already providing your audience is much easier for coaches, mentors, and service providers.

For example, if you’re a virtual assistant who specializes in calendar and inbox management, you could create a course all about how your ideal clients can manage their calendar and inbox like a professional. That way, they don’t necessarily have to hire you. They could simply purchase your course, learn the ropes directly from you, or hand it off to their virtual assistant who might not have expertise in that area.

Another example would be if you’re a fitness coach who works one on one with your clients to help them achieve more flexibility. You could package your expertise into an online course to provide more of your audience with the same transformation that your one on one clients want.

If you’re a blogger or an influencer – listen up! Although people might not be hiring you for a specific transformation, it doesn’t mean that you don’t possess the ability to provide a transformation that your particular audience craves. This brings me to my next point…

4) You’re Receiving Questions From Your Audience

“Can you teach me how to use miles for airfare?”

“How do you build a capsule wardrobe that never goes out of style?”

“I need help getting started with selling digital products on Etsy!”

These questions are telltale signs that your audience wants to learn from you. Even if you don’t provide a service or coaching, receiving these types of questions (especially if you’ve received them multiple times from different people) is a great indication that you’re ready to create an online course.

Scroll through your DMs and comments on Instagram and take note of the most frequently asked questions you’re receiving from your audience. Aside from telling you that you’re ready to create your very first online course, the most frequently asked question could even be your very first course topic.

5) You Have a Desire to Help More People and Create a Bigger Impact

What ultimately inspired me and gave me the push I needed to create both The Influencer Bootcamp and The Blogger Bootcamp was my desire to help more people and create a bigger impact. I knew how my life changed when I finally left my 9-5 and accomplished my (then) dream job of getting paid to travel the world. I also knew that many women wanted to leave their cubicle jobs in pursuit of a lifestyle like mine.

It was this passion for helping other women create the life of their dreams that led me to create both of my courses. Aside from my courses, creating a bigger impact and helping more people is at the core of what I do. It’s what I remind myself of when I create free content on social media, my blog, newsletters, and my podcast – Her Life By Design. It was also what led me to launch my mastermind.

If you have a desire to help your audience and create a huge impact on their lives (and thus, the world), then launching a course will help you get your knowledge in more hands. It makes your knowledge and expertise more accessible and available to more people, and that will ultimately make a huge difference.

6) You Want More Freedom

Creating an online course can help you gain more freedom in the general sense of the word. Whether it be more freedom with your time, finances, and location, an online course can help you free up your time, increase your income, and give you location independence.

Don’t get me wrong – creating an online course is a lot of hard work. But that hard work will pay off in the long run when your course sales are running on autopilot. 

An online course can take your coaching, service-based, or mentoring business from fully booked out to maximizing your knowledge so that you can help your clients without needing your one-on-one attention or time.
Similarly, as an overbooked influencer or blogger, you can start diversifying your income by creating an online course that helps your audience solve a problem. That way, you don’t need to keep trading time for money as you constantly pitch, negotiate, and execute on brand collaborations.

To simply put – even though creating an online course will require time and hard work in the beginning, in the end, it will turn into a source of passive income in your business. Once the creation and tweaking phases are done, it’ll work hard in the background to help you attract and serve more clients than you ever could before all without requiring your direct time and attention.

Your Audience Are Ready and Waiting for Your Online Course! 

Creating an online course is a great next step for you if you’re…

• Wanting to scale your business
• Tired of trading time for money
• Receiving lots of questions from your audience about your knowledge and expertise
• Ready to create more impact and make your knowledge more accessible

Even if imposter syndrome is telling you that you’re not ready, or that you aren’t qualified to teach a course, this blog post is a great way to check-in with the facts.

Chances are, you’re more capable and ready to create an online course than you believe you are. And if you check off at least one of these 6 signs, I can already tell you that your audience will be waiting for your first online course with bated breath.

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