7 Reasons Why Sole Proprietors Should Launch an Online Course

Hi, I'm Takeo Fujii.

The market for online courses is large, and the demand is even greater now that the new coronavirus is spreading.

According to a 2020 research report, the global e-learning market is expected to reach $374.3 billion by 2026.

It is precisely because of these unstable times that the number of people who want to acquire professional skills and new knowledge continues to increase. In other words, online courses are a business model that will continue to grow rapidly in the future.

Online courses, which allow anyone to study anywhere, anytime, with just a smartphone, will become the standard for education in the future.

And this is also an opportunity for sole proprietors.

Online courses are a business where you can teach your knowledge to others online. Besides, it is highly profitable and the hurdle to start is low.

Why should I create an online course?

As you know, sole proprietorship is a vulnerable position. While there is a lot of freedom, there is no guarantee of monthly income. I've seen many sole proprietors who are busy trying to secure their monthly sales.

Creating an online course is exactly what I would recommend to such busy sole proprietors.

You want to make consistent sales every month, but you're busy trying to secure sales for the month. If you are one of those people, please read on from here.

Let's first take a closer look at the benefits of setting up an online course for sole proprietors.

The advantages of setting up an online course are as follows

1) You can influence many people.

The first benefit of starting an online course is influence.

In other words, by starting an online course, you can share your knowledge with others and influence them.

The strength of the online world is its diffusive nature, which means that you can approach the whole world in an instant. Some people get burned on the Internet, while others please millions on YouTube.

Online courses can influence people in Japan and around the world. It's not just an education business. A single online course can change their lives, and their lives can be changed.

(2) Generate revenue.

For a sole proprietorship, the most important thing is "revenue". In other words, the money that comes into your hands.

Online courses allow you to sell any kind of knowledge. You can sell your expertise and skills as an online course at any price.

For example, gardening, dieting, learning, sleep, travel, relationships, spirituality, and any other genre of knowledge can become a product.

If it is really useful to your students, a large number of them will pay to take your online course.

The best part is that once you create and set up your online course, the rest will sell automatically. In fact, I have sold almost all of them without even giving them away.

Anyone can start.

The third advantage of starting an online course is the low hurdle of getting started.

The system to start an online course and the know-how to create it are already available. I also share information on this site, don't I?

In other words, you are ready to start an online course. Anyone can start an online course business from scratch.

There are already several systems that provide all the functions of creating an online course, having students take it, and receiving the revenue.

Moreover, such a convenient system is now available at a price that even sole proprietors with limited budgets can easily implement. You can start from around 3000 yen per month.

4) Not bound by location.

Nowadays, the term "telework" has become commonplace. The style of working from home has also become popular.

We live in an age where we can work anywhere as long as we have a laptop and an internet connection. By the way, I'm not working at home, but at a nearby graveyard.

You can set up an online course and sell it in Japan or even around the world without being restricted by location.

If you want to start an online course, you can start it anywhere as long as you have an internet connection and a computer. So, you can earn revenue freely from online courses wherever you are.

(6) Low cost

This is the seventh reason why you should start an online course. That is "low cost".

You don't need to manufacture, stock, or deliver any products. There is no need to hire employees.

This is truly a great advantage for sole proprietors.

The reason why the cost is so low is that all online courses are completed on a single computer.

You can also create an online course in PowerPoint (Keynote for Mac). The cost is zero, right? You sell the online course you created for a fee. That's all there is to it. It's that simple.

As you can see, the cost to start is not high. At the most, it costs less than 10,000 yen per month. You don't need a full-fledged camera to shoot video, but you can use your smartphone. The video quality of smartphones is quite high.

Online courses are actually easy to start.

(7) You can start with less time.

And the seventh advantage of creating an online course is that you are not bound by time.

If you can work for one hour a day, you can create one online course in a week.

Or, if you are too busy every day to take the time at all, you can make it on your days off or weekends.

In this way, you can freely decide your own schedule for creating online courses.

One of the advantages is that time is not squeezed.

8) You can build a brand of experts.

When you start an online course as a business, people will think of you as an expert.

In other words, you can establish your branding as an expert by offering online courses.

You will be branded as an expert and a specialist by others.

This is a big advantage. When it comes to Coke, it's Coca-Cola. When it comes to hamburgers, it's "McDonald's". In this way, when people think of "00", they become aware of "Ano".

As a result, you will no longer be involved in business competition, and you will be able to sell "only because you sell online courses.

Steps to start an online course

This section explains the steps to start an online course as a business.

Please follow the steps below to create an online course. This is the most orthodox way.

1) Come up with ideas for online courses.

First, you need to decide what you will teach in your online course.

If you are wondering what kind of online courses to sell, do some self-analysis. Identify your areas of expertise, what you are good at, what you can do, and your abilities and skills.

You don't have to be an expert right now. It is enough that you know a little more than others. Still, online courses can be a business.

You can teach the knowledge you need to those who are at the level you can teach. In other words, it is enough if you try to teach beginners and inexperienced people. Try to come up with ideas with peace of mind.

Research the customer's problems and issues.

Once you have decided on a topic for your online course, research the market and customer demand for it.

There must be other competitors in the subject you are trying to enter. What online courses are they offering?

Also, find out what kind of problems and issues the customers are aware of.

Create an outline for the online course.

The next step is to create the actual content of the online course.

Let's start with the outline. In other words, the framework.

Think about what kind of online course content you want to create. You can use a mind map to make an outline.

Create the content for the online course.

Once you have created an outline, you can actually create the content for the online course.

First, keep it in mind. You don't have to be a perfectionist.

It is important to market your online course even if you think it is 70% complete. You can always update your online course. You can recreate it.

Sell first, then listen to your customers' opinions and make improvements.

Don't be afraid to start an online course. Everyone has the same starting point.

(5) Provide online courses.

When the online course is ready, here are the next steps.

Prepare a place for your students to learn the online course you have created. Some people upload their online courses to YouTube and give the video link to their students, but it is difficult for students to learn.

We need to make online courses stress-free to learn. To do this, it is important to create a membership site where only students can learn online courses.

The system for running online courses is also introduced in this blog. Please have a look.

Now, you can quickly start an online course as a business in five steps like this. It doesn't sound too difficult, does it?

Even sole proprietors who have their own main business can easily start.

Why you should start taking online courses now.

The demand for e-learning continues to grow every year. And now is truly a good time to start online courses. Online courses may become the most orthodox way of learning in the next few years.

With that in mind, one option for sole proprietors is to start up an online course now.

There are already systems and methods available to start online courses. There is no reason not to do it. Why not start an online course as a business?