194: Why is creating an online course so difficult?

You're brilliant at what you do because you've spent years developing your knowledge, building your skills and helping clients achieve results so why is it that when you sit down to turn all of that expertise into an online course, suddenly everything feels so overwhelming?What should you include?What should you leave out?How do you structure your lessons?How do you know whether anyone will actually want to buy it?If you've ever found yourself asking these questions, you're certainly not alone!In this episode of Online Business Uncovered, I'm exploring why so many experienced business owners struggle to package their knowledge into an online course (even when they're incredibly good at what they do!).I share my own experience of creating my first digital product and online course back in 2019, including the imposter syndrome, self-doubt and endless questions that came with stepping out of my comfort zone as a service provider and into the role of an educator.We explore why being an expert and knowing how to teach your expertise are two completely different skill sets, why knowing too much can actually make course creation harder and why creating more content doesn't necessarily mean creating a better learning experience.I'll also walk you through 3 essential things to get clear on before you start creating your course: the outcome you want your students to achieve, the audience you're creating it for and the structure that will help them get from where they are now to where they want to be.If you've been thinking about creating an online course but feel overwhelmed by where to start, this episode will help you approach the process with greater clarity and confidence.Ready to turn your expertise into income?Come and join me inside the Sell Your Brilliance Hub, my online community for entrepreneurs who want to create digital products, online courses and memberships that help them generate income beyond the hours they work.You'll find practical training, resources, masterclasses and a supportive community to help you turn your ideas into action.Join my free community: https://www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com/communityRemember, you don't need to know everything about creating an online course before you begin. You just need to identify the result you want to help somebody achieve because your expertise is valuable. It's time to make it work harder for you.BOOK A DISCOVERY CALLSupport the showWANT TO FIND OUT MORE?Passive Profit Accelerator - click hereEasy Course Kickstarter Kit - click hereSell Your Brilliance Online Membership: Click here to get started!GET IN TOUCHWebsite: https://www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com/Instagram: karen_digitalcoachLinkedIn: Karen DaviesGOT A QUESTION?Want to ask me a question, suggestion for an episode or maybe you would like to be a guest?Email me at [email protected]

What does it REALLY take to host an online business summit?...and what happens when things don't quite go according to plan?After 10 months of planning, organising and promoting, I finally brought my very first Online Business Growth Summit to life.Over 300 people registered, brilliant experts came together, and across three days we explored what it takes to build, sell and grow a successful online business.Behind the scenes? Well, that's a very different story!There were unexpected challenges, disappointing experiences, technical hiccups and moments when I seriously questioned whether I'd taken on more than I could handle and while I'm incredibly proud of what I created, some of the biggest lessons came from the things that DIDN'T go to plan.In this episode of Online Business Uncovered, I'm taking you behind the scenes of my first online summit to share the highs, the lows and the lessons that have changed how I think about entrepreneurship, business growth and what's possible when you stop letting fear hold you back.This episode isn't really just about hosting an online summit. It's about having the courage to pursue something bigger, even when you don't have all the answers. Whether you're thinking about launching your first online course, creating a digital product, starting a membership or taking your business in a completely new direction, I hope this episode reminds you of something important.You're probably far more capable than you give yourself credit for.Sometimes, the biggest breakthroughs happen when you stop questioning whether you can do something and start finding a way to make it happen.Ready to turn your expertise into income beyond your time?Come and join me inside the Sell Your Brilliance Hub, my online community for entrepreneurs who want to turn their knowledge, skills and experience into scalable digital products, online courses and memberships.Join the community hereBuilding a business that gives you more freedom isn't about working harder. It's about learning how to make your brilliance work for you.BOOK A DISCOVERY CALLSupport the showWANT TO FIND OUT MORE?Passive Profit Accelerator - click hereEasy Course Kickstarter Kit - click hereSell Your Brilliance Online Membership: Click here to get started!GET IN TOUCHWebsite: https://www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com/Instagram: karen_digitalcoachLinkedIn: Karen DaviesGOT A QUESTION?Want to ask me a question, suggestion for an episode or maybe you would like to be a guest?Email me at [email protected]

You can be absolutely brilliant at what you do but if you struggle to sell it, growing your business is always going to feel harder than it needs to.For many small business owners, sales can feel uncomfortable as we don’t want to come across as pushy, we worry about hearing “no” and when someone doesn’t buy… it can be very easy to take that rejection personally.What if we stopped thinking about sales as selling and started thinking about it as simply helping someone solve a problem?In this episode of Online Business Uncovered, I’m joined by sales trainer Steve Bridson as part of my special Online Business Growth Summit Speaker Series to explore why so many brilliant business owners struggle with sales and how changing the way you think about selling can make a huge difference.We talk about why sales is really a conversation, the importance of understanding the problem your customer is actually trying to solve and why asking the right questions can be far more powerful than trying to persuade someone to buy.We also explore why you shouldn’t take a “no” personally, how knowing your sales numbers can help you improve your results and why the best sales strategy is often the one that feels natural and authentic to you.If you know you’re brilliant at what you do but selling still makes you feel uncomfortable, this episode will help you look at sales in a completely different way.BOOK A DISCOVERY CALLSupport the showWANT TO FIND OUT MORE?Passive Profit Accelerator - click hereEasy Course Kickstarter Kit - click hereSell Your Brilliance Online Membership: Click here to get started!GET IN TOUCHWebsite: https://www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com/Instagram: karen_digitalcoachLinkedIn: Karen DaviesGOT A QUESTION?Want to ask me a question, suggestion for an episode or maybe you would like to be a guest?Email me at [email protected]

Are you trying to market your business to everyone?It might feel like keeping your audience broad gives you more opportunities to make sales but it could actually be making your marketing much harder.In this episode of Online Business Uncovered, I’m joined by customer attraction specialist Emma Mills as part of my special Online Business Growth Summit Speaker Series. Emma has over 40 years of marketing experience and specialises in helping small business owners simplify their marketing and get much clearer about exactly who they want to attract.We explore why understanding your ideal customer goes much deeper than creating a traditional customer avatar and why knowing their age, location or interests isn’t enough. Instead, you need to understand the problems they’re trying to solve, what they really want and why they would choose to buy from you.We also talk about why trying to speak to everyone can weaken your messaging, how getting clearer on your audience can help you create better digital products and offers, and why one audience, one problem and one clear outcome can be an incredibly powerful place to start.If your marketing feels complicated, your messaging isn’t quite landing or you’re struggling to sell an offer you know has value, this episode will help you strip things back and focus on what really matters.BOOK A DISCOVERY CALLSupport the showWANT TO FIND OUT MORE?Passive Profit Accelerator - click hereEasy Course Kickstarter Kit - click hereSell Your Brilliance Online Membership: Click here to get started!GET IN TOUCHWebsite: https://www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com/Instagram: karen_digitalcoachLinkedIn: Karen DaviesGOT A QUESTION?Want to ask me a question, suggestion for an episode or maybe you would like to be a guest?Email me at [email protected]

More revenue doesn’t necessarily mean more freedom.You can be making more sales than ever, growing your business and increasing your turnover… yet still find yourself wondering: where has all the money gone?In this episode of Online Business Uncovered, I’m joined by Wealth and Money Coach Rae Armand as part of my special Online Business Growth Summit Speaker Series to talk about what happens after you make the sale.Rae is a Chartered Accountant with a Master’s in Finance who has spent years working inside hundreds of businesses, and she brings a fascinating perspective to the conversation about the difference between revenue, profit and real financial freedom.We explore why chasing bigger revenue numbers isn’t always the answer, why your business should be built around the life you actually want to live and how understanding the true value of your time can help you make better decisions about where your energy should be going.Rae also shares her simple “stop doing list” exercise to help you identify what you can delegate, why business owners need to look beyond profit and start thinking about wealth, and the important distinction between your business generating cash flow and actually creating financial freedom.Your business isn’t the end goal... it’s merely the vehicle that can help you create the freedom, choices and lifestyle you really want.Rae will also be joining me at the Online Business Growth Summit this October, where she’ll be diving deeper into how you can move from making sales to building profit, wealth and ultimately greater financial freedom.BOOK A DISCOVERY CALLSupport the showWANT TO FIND OUT MORE?Passive Profit Accelerator - click hereEasy Course Kickstarter Kit - click hereSell Your Brilliance Online Membership: Click here to get started!GET IN TOUCHWebsite: https://www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com/Instagram: karen_digitalcoachLinkedIn: Karen DaviesGOT A QUESTION?Want to ask me a question, suggestion for an episode or maybe you would like to be a guest?Email me at [email protected]

What happens when your potential customers stop searching Google and start asking ChatGPT instead?The way people search online is changing. More people are turning to AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini to research businesses, compare solutions and decide who they want to work with.So the big question is... will AI recommend your business?In this episode of Online Business Uncovered, I’m joined by GEO Copywriter and AI Search Visibility Specialist Rae Dillon as part of my special Online Business Growth Summit Speaker Series.Rae introduces us to Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and explains how it differs from traditional SEO, why AI search is becoming increasingly important for small businesses and what you can do to improve the chances of your business appearing in AI-generated search results.We explore how AI tools decide which information to use and recommend, why simply using the right keywords is no longer enough and why clarity, trust and evidence are becoming such important parts of your online visibility.Rae is one of the expert speakers joining me for the Online Business Growth Summit, a FREE 3-day online event designed to help service-based business owners build more income, more freedom and less reliance on selling their time.During her session, How to Make Your Offer Visible to AI Search So the Right People Find, Trust and Buy It, Rae will share practical steps you can take to improve your visibility in AI search.BOOK A DISCOVERY CALLSupport the showWANT TO FIND OUT MORE?Passive Profit Accelerator - click hereEasy Course Kickstarter Kit - click hereSell Your Brilliance Online Membership: Click here to get started!GET IN TOUCHWebsite: https://www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com/Instagram: karen_digitalcoachLinkedIn: Karen DaviesGOT A QUESTION?Want to ask me a question, suggestion for an episode or maybe you would like to be a guest?Email me at [email protected]

What if your podcast could do more than simply grow your audience?Podcasting takes a LOT of work. Planning episodes, recording, editing, publishing, promoting… and then doing it all over again the following week.So if you’re using a podcast to grow your business, there comes a point where you need to ask... is your podcast actually helping you make sales?In this episode of Online Business Uncovered, I’m joined by Adam Schaeuble, podcasting expert, speaker and master when it comes to launching, growing and monetising podcasts.Adam and I explore how to stop thinking about your podcast as simply another content channel and start treating it as a genuine business asset.We talk about why downloads aren't necessarily the metric you should be obsessing over, the importance of attracting the RIGHT listeners and how to create a clear pathway that moves people from listening to your podcast to taking the next step with your business.We also explore how your podcast can support the sale of your online courses, digital products, memberships and other offers (without every episode feeling like one big sales pitch!).Adam is also one of the expert speakers joining me at the Online Business Growth Summit, where he’ll be sharing his session, The 3 Week Content Campaign: How to Sell Digital Products to Podcast Listeners.If you already have a podcast but you're struggling to understand how it fits into your wider sales strategy – or you're thinking about launching one and want to make sure it actually supports your business then this episode is for you.BOOK A DISCOVERY CALLSupport the showWANT TO FIND OUT MORE?Passive Profit Accelerator - click hereEasy Course Kickstarter Kit - click hereSell Your Brilliance Online Membership: Click here to get started!GET IN TOUCHWebsite: https://www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com/Instagram: karen_digitalcoachLinkedIn: Karen DaviesGOT A QUESTION?Want to ask me a question, suggestion for an episode or maybe you would like to be a guest?Email me at [email protected]

If you’re trying to grow an online business, chances are you’re spending a LOT of time marketing it.Social media, emails, networking, content creation… organic marketing can be incredibly powerful but it also relies heavily on one thing... your time.In this episode of Online Business Uncovered, I’m joined by Meta Ads and Digital Marketing Expert Tammy Pereira as part of my special Online Business Growth Summit Speaker Series.We explore how paid advertising can help you create a more consistent and predictable way of getting your offers in front of the right people, without needing a huge advertising budget.Tammy shares what you need to have in place before you start running ads, why paid advertising isn’t a magic fix for an offer that isn’t selling and how you can start testing Meta ads with a budget of as little as $5 a day.We also talk about how AI is changing the advertising landscape and making it easier for small business owners to create, test and optimise their campaigns.If you sell online courses, memberships or digital products and you’re ready to explore ways of growing your audience without relying entirely on organic marketing, this episode will give you plenty to think about.Tammy is also one of the expert speakers joining me at the Online Business Growth Summit this October, where she’ll be delivering her session, How to Grow Your Digital Product Business with $5/Day AI Ads.BOOK A DISCOVERY CALLSupport the showWANT TO FIND OUT MORE?Passive Profit Accelerator - click hereEasy Course Kickstarter Kit - click hereSell Your Brilliance Online Membership: Click here to get started!GET IN TOUCHWebsite: https://www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com/Instagram: karen_digitalcoachLinkedIn: Karen DaviesGOT A QUESTION?Want to ask me a question, suggestion for an episode or maybe you would like to be a guest?Email me at [email protected]

If you want to grow your online business, building an email list is one of the most valuable things you can do but how do you actually get people to join it?In this episode of Online Business Uncovered, I’m joined by creative copywriter Hayley Hickmott-Maurice, founder of Head and Heart Messaging (as part of my special Online Business Growth Summit Speaker Series).Hayley believes great messaging needs both strategy and soul. It needs to support your wider business goals, but it also needs to sound like you, connect with real people and give them a reason to trust your business.We talk about why so many businesses get their messaging wrong by focusing on themselves rather than the person they’re trying to reach, and how shifting the focus back to your audience can completely change the way your marketing lands.We also dive into lead magnets and email list building.Hayley explains why one of the biggest mistakes you can make is trying to solve too big a problem with your lead magnet. Instead, a strong lead magnet should focus on one specific problem your ideal customer is already experiencing and give them a useful, achievable solution.We explore how to identify that problem, how to use your lead magnet to attract the right people and why moving your audience from social media onto your email list gives you an opportunity to build deeper relationships over time.Because growing an email list isn't simply about collecting email addresses.It's about creating an audience of people who have actively chosen to hear more from you, nurturing that relationship and ultimately creating a natural pathway towards your paid products, programmes and services.We also discuss the growing role of AI in content creation and why Hayley believes the human elements of your messaging (your personality, experiences, values and understanding of your customers) matter more than ever.BOOK A DISCOVERY CALLSupport the showWANT TO FIND OUT MORE?Passive Profit Accelerator - click hereEasy Course Kickstarter Kit - click hereSell Your Brilliance Online Membership: Click here to get started!GET IN TOUCHWebsite: https://www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com/Instagram: karen_digitalcoachLinkedIn: Karen DaviesGOT A QUESTION?Want to ask me a question, suggestion for an episode or maybe you would like to be a guest?Email me at [email protected]

Launching your online course, programme or digital product doesn’t need to be complicated but as business owners, we have a habit of making it that way!We convince ourselves we need complicated funnels, loads of tech, perfectly written emails, huge audiences and elaborate launch strategies before we can possibly put our offer out into the world.But what if you stripped it all back?In this episode of Online Business Uncovered, I’m joined by Matt Hall (as part of my special Online Business Growth Summit Speaker Series) to talk about why we need to stop overcomplicating our launches and focus on what actually helps us get our offers in front of the right people.We explore some of the common mistakes business owners make when launching, why it’s so easy to get caught up in everything we think we should be doing and how simplifying the process can make it much easier to actually get started and make sales.Creating your offer is only one part of building scalable income… at some point, you have to put it out there and ask people to buy it!If you have an online course, programme or digital product sitting on your laptop because you’re overwhelmed by the thought of launching it or you’re creating something new and wondering how on earth you’re going to sell it then this episode is for you.BOOK A DISCOVERY CALLSupport the showWANT TO FIND OUT MORE?Passive Profit Accelerator - click hereEasy Course Kickstarter Kit - click hereSell Your Brilliance Online Membership: Click here to get started!GET IN TOUCHWebsite: https://www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com/Instagram: karen_digitalcoachLinkedIn: Karen DaviesGOT A QUESTION?Want to ask me a question, suggestion for an episode or maybe you would like to be a guest?Email me at [email protected]