Is there an ideal time to create my course?
When’s the best time to create my course?
Once we know that creating a course is what we want to do then the next question comes:
Is there a right time to go about starting it?
In this second part of our two-part guide, we’ll explore how to know when it’s the right time to get going.
Timing is everything.
Our priorities…
The reason timing is so important is that we have a lot of competing priorities in our lives today.
It’s super common for us to have three to five big priorities, goals, or projects at a time. Which means it’s crucial to consider that creating a course is not a quick one-and-done kind of thing.
It’s an ongoing, long-term process.
There are a lot of voices out there talking about creating something quickly to earn passive income.
Sure, someone could put together a course on how to make a baked potato. It would literally take an hour or so to put together and sell for a small price. And don’t get me wrong, I love a good baked potato!
But I'm talking about courses that help people learn the kinds of skills that take time to develop and require support and guidance. Powerful courses that impact people's lives in meaningful ways.
Those kinds of courses require our full presence to research, test, collect feedback, make improvements, and put ourselves out there in a new and vulnerable way.
Our time and energy…
Course creation also requires our time and energy. Emotional and physical energy.
The amount we devote to our course really depends on how quickly we want to create it, what our motivation is behind it, and how much help we're wanting along the way.
It could be a couple of hours a week or a few hours a month.
But, it's not a quick walk in the park or a little thing to do on the side when we feel like it.
It is, however, an incredibly humbling, introspective, and powerful experience. When we pour so much of our heart and creativity into this work, it feels so rewarding!
So, the question we want to ponder is:
When can our course creation be one of those three to five priorities in our lives that we can set aside time and energy to dedicate to?
Support also matters.
Creating on our own…
Another important consideration is our level of resourcefulness and how much we want to be a part of creating our course.
We could DIY our course if we want. Creating it on our own can be done virtually (pun intended!) for free.
It will take longer but when we don't have a ton of resources (specifically, financials) we tend to have more time on our side.
Creating with support…
It's also important to think about what we need in order to do this project well. And not just do it well but also enjoy the journey so we don’t get stuck in overwhelm.
Many of us want support to keep us going especially when things get challenging or we hit a roadblock. This kind of guidance can be invaluable.
If we don't want to do the entire course creation process on our own, we can choose the kind of support we want and how much of it we want.
Financial stability helps a lot.
This project takes time…
Another aspect to consider regarding finances is where we are in our professional development.
As a business owner, for example, creating a course is not going to be ideal if I’m already feeling unstable with the money my business is making right now.
This project takes time and it’s important to wait until we’re in a good place financially so that we can give it the creative space it needs to develop without pressure.
Financial stability takes time…
Creating powerful courses is a great way to have financial stability and sustainability in the long term.
But it’s definitely not something we can make money from immediately (or at least a significant amount).
So when considering timing, having some stability allows us to set aside time and funding for the long-term game.
The course itself isn’t the only piece to consider.
Creating the course is obvious…
There are two really big parts to creating a powerful course.
One is actually having the time and resources to create the course itself. We already know that requires introspection, research, testing, collecting feedback, refining, and all of that.
Enrolling students is not so obvious…
And then there is a completely different part of this process, which is less obvious.
That’s finding potential students and bringing them to our course. Traditional business people call these the marketing and sales elements of the course product.
And depending on how many students we want and how much we want to make from the course, this can take a varying amount of time, effort, and funding to build.
Creating an audience and building a following is a vital part of the process because no matter how great our course is if no one knows about it or is taking it, what’s the point?
If growing and nurturing an audience isn’t something we're already doing in some capacity, that's something to consider doing either before embarking on this course creation journey or after. Whether now or later, it’s a critical piece to consider.
There’s no need to rush or add pressure.
So all in all there's a lot to consider here.
And I truly believe that it’s worth taking the time and the consideration to make sure this is something we want to embark on.
If now isn’t the time…
Timing is really where it’s at. If we want to create a powerful course and we can be honest with ourselves that right now is just not the time, that is gold.
Clarity = gold. And that helps us move forward.
If we have too much on our plate, or our finances are tight, or whatever it is, it's way better to know that now.
Let’s put it on our desire list (or wherever we hold our great ideas), send it out to the ether, and know that it's something we want to bring in and create space for.
And in the meantime, there's still a lot we can do to stoke that fire of creativity and prepare for when we are ready.
One of those ways is to come up with a course idea and start exploring what that course can become.
Then, when the timing is right, we'll have something to work with and won't be starting from scratch. We’ll have momentum on our side!
If now is the time!
I’m happy to support you wherever you’re at.
If you have ideas or a strategy in mind and you're not sure where to go next, you're welcome to join the Course Creation Cafe (it’s free!) to receive tools, inspiration, and support from me and a community.
I'd enjoy helping you figure out when the right time is for you!
Feel free to put any questions or comments down below. And I'm excited to hear about what you envision creating or what you've already created that you want to turn into a powerful course.
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Who wrote this blog post?
I'm Dori Iris, Founder of DIZI strategies, encouraging and supporting big-picture thinkers to bring their vision to life and contribute to a better world.
I welcome any of your thoughts or questions! Feel free to add them in the comments section below.
