This might sound strange….
But I’m a little envious of you.
Because you’re in the same position I was a few years ago when I first thought about creating my own course.
For me it was a big decision as I hate putting myself up front…
And despite my years of experience helping others create successful courses, newsletters and membership sites, I had as many doubts as you might have…
Was I brave enough to step out in front of the world with my advice?
What would be the right topic to start with?
Would I enjoy doing it?
But then I went ahead and made that big step – as I hope you will – and it was one of my best ever decisions.
When you run your own business you get more choice.
I get to choose when I work – balancing how to spend more time with my family, enjoy more financial freedom and have a much better pace of life.
I want the same for you.
Because nothing beats that buzz of launching your first successful online course and seeing it succeed.
However, I do understand if you’re uncertain.
You’re probably wondering what topic you could possibly choose, and if you have what it takes to share information with others.
To help you, I’m going to quickly take you through an easy process for choosing a topic that’s right for you.
Even if you already have an idea that’s screaming out at you now, I’d recommend read this, as you may well think of something that’s even better in the process.
STEP ONE – Self Audit
When was the last time you sat down and listed all your experiences and skills?
Unless you are job hunting and putting a CV together or have a LOT of time on your hands, then it’s probably a long way down your to do list.
But it’s not until you devote a bit of time to reflecting on who you really are that you can start to identify strengths that could make you money.
So the first part of the process is to sit down with a big piece of paper – or a blank Word document if you prefer – and write down things that you know how to do.
I’ve listed some really random examples to give you an idea of just how diverse this can be…
- You developed your own bookkeeping system
- You had experience upholstering furniture to sell online
- You have tutored people in a foreign language
- You’ve had a couple of short stories published
- You train local restaurants in food hygiene
- You once organised a successful local event
- You run a successful Social Media account
If you’re a sales trainer, business consultant, relationship counsellor, career advisor or have any role in which you coach others in a skill, then that should be something you consider first.
The great thing about creating a course is that it will allow you to take on all the clients you want without working longer hours. By allowing people to buy a course, you get paid multiple times where you would normally only get paid once.
However if you aren’t in that kind of role, don’t worry, just think about the skills you’ve picked up in life.
For instance, have you ever…
- Owned, directed or managed a business?
- Run a team?
- Recruited or trained people?
- Been a PA or virtual assistant?
- Built websites or IT systems?
- Designed brochures, flyers, adverts and webpages?
- Taught someone a skill that has helped them move up the career ladder?
- Provided a freelance service for money?
- Worked in alternative health? Physio? Therapy?
- Successfully imported products?
These are just a handful of prompts to get you thinking about different topic areas. The next step is to narrow it down…
STEP TWO – Find Your Niche
Your self-audit might bring up some broad topic areas. For instance…
Recruitment techniques, sports physiotherapy, importing tea, building websites, creating your own trading plans, social media advertising…
Now think about what kind of niche courses you could offer within your broad topic areas.
- Facebook marketing for companies in the building trade
- Food hygiene for mobile food and drink traders
- How to recruit graduates in the media sector
- Sports physio for school hockey coaches
- How to create and sell imported Matcha Tea
- How to create an eCommerce platform for an independent clothes shop
These are smaller niches within the topic which you could turn into a course. Obviously, this part of the process may produce even more options as you break a topic down into different niches.So the next step is…
STEP THREE – Refine Your Search
Now you need to run those idea through a few more checks.
Check #1 – Have You Achieved Real Results?
You don’t need to be the expert in your field but you do need to have had a real result from the information you will share in your course – either for yourself or for other people.
In other words, what you want to teach must work…
Check #2 – Is the process repeatable?
What you share must be repeatable. Someone should be able to take the information and apply it themselves in order to get a similar result.
It could be a methodology, tactic, strategy, recipe or system. Something that can be turned into a series of practical steps.
Check #3 – Does your course topic solve a problem?
If your course topic can’t solve a problem for someone it will be much harder to sell – so if you are down to a few different options choose one that does.
Check #4 – Are there competitors?
It sounds counterintuitive but it is good news if there are lots of competitors out there. It means there is a proven demand (in my Course Creation Academy I show you how to use competitors to your advantage)
Check #5 – Would you feel comfortable talking about the topic?
A course is a bit like sitting down with a virtual stranger and sharing what you know.
Would you be able to chat, in-depth for an hour, on your chosen topic with someone? Would you feel comfortable being interviewed?
If the answer is ‘yes’ then that’s another tick….
Check #6 – Do you enjoy it?
There’s been a lot of discussion over the last few years about making your ‘passion’ your career. This might lead you to believe that you should only choose a course topic that is related to your greatest passion.
This isn’t quite true…
Of course, you have to enjoy doing it, but it doesn’t have to be your number one passion if something else is a better fit.
For instance, I love helping people create courses, I’m great at it, and I know I can help someone turn what they know into a successful course. But I have a lot of other interests in my life that may come higher up on my list of what I ‘love’. However, that doesn’t mean they are the right thing to teach in a course.
After all, I’m not sure anyone would buy a course on Netflix bingeing!
All you want to focus on is finding something that will provide a solution to a problem which people are facing.
So… has this got you thinking?
I hope so!
By digging deep into your life, you should be able to find areas where you have valuable expertise.
If you think you’ve found your niche, please do get in touch. I’ll show you exactly how, step-by-step, to create your first online course.
You can reach me at [email protected].
Did you know I also frequently run FREE online masterclasses which show you how to build best-selling online courses (without the tech overwhelm)?
I’d love to help you too!
To see when I’m running my next free online session and to secure yourself a place click here now.
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