When you have a side hustle idea that is online based, it can be challenging to know where to start. The online world has so many options and opportunities for entrepreneurs who want to build an online business that if you face this difficulty, this is only your welcome to this world.
However, have you ever wondered if you have a skill that people would pay for? A hobby you can teach others about online? If so, and your answer is “yes,” online workshops or courses might be the perfect side hustle idea for you.
But going back to the main problem, how can you start with this? Here, we will discuss how to sell online workshops as well as what you need to consider before getting started. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure it isn’t a waste of time.
What Is the Idea About?
A few years ago, people were lazy about assisting a course every day or investing hours going to a place to take their classes even if this was only once or twice a week, but they had to.
This is why online courses became so popular: because they save everyone the hustle of wasting time going somewhere, and classes can be taken in the comfort of their homes or even while working.
However, it wasn’t until 2020, due to the pandemic and lockdowns, that people started to wonder, “what can I learn online?”
Don’t get us wrong, we know online courses or workshops have been around for a while, and many take them over others, but finding good ones and saying that over 50% of the population chose them over face-to-face ones before 2020 is a lie.
Since everyone had to stay at home and some had quite the difficulties in doing something else besides going to work, the online option because more requested than ever.
This is why this side hustle is such a good idea even when this pandemic, although we still need to wait, is coming to an end. As a result of all these months, people don’t want to quit this comfort of staying home or having classes anywhere and anytime they’re able to.
So, basically, the side hustle idea is to start designing your own online workshops based on talent or knowledge you have. Just keep in mind this: you have to be good at it.
If you feel capable of teaching someone a language, new skill like programming, or something that you can put into videos and guidelines, then you’re ready for the show.
However, suppose you’re not confident enough in your knowledge about a specific topic you’re considering. In that case, you either have to look for another one or quit the idea if it feels like the workshop will end up being mediocre.
The answer to the question on our headline is simple after what we said. The first one? Just sell courses, but online.
Should You Sell Online Courses?
After what we said, you probably have the answer to this question. However, we want to make sure that you’re not excluding yourself from this opportunity or, maybe the opposite, diving into it when you’re not capable enough.
To determine this, we will go over a few questions we hope you answer with all honesty:
- Are you an expert in your field?
This is probably the most crucial question to ask yourself. The only thing worse than not being able to sell what you’re teaching is having people who buy your online course and feel cheated because you don’t know what you’re teaching.
If this is not something that applies to you, find somebody who does have the knowledge or skillset in your field of online courses and work with them so they can teach it while you do everything else.
This can be a side hustle that relies on teamwork, but if you are dealing with an answer that involves not teaching something properly or not having someone to team up with, then say goodbye to this as hard as this sounds.
- Are you organized?
This can feel like a weird question, but online workshops require you to be someone that can handle several tasks and know how to put everything together in order for others to understand it.
It is never too late, and we encourage you to get started if you don’t consider someone organized. Find tools that will help you manage your time and online courses such as ClickUp, mind mapping, or graphic organizers like Trello or Asana.
- Do you have the equipment?
Online workshops are everything about materials and how you present the topics and learnings to your future students.
Therefore, you will need a decent computer, camera, and microphone that works properly.
Unlike other side hustles, this one does require some investment in terms of the quality of the equipment you have. A computer that runs Word or Excel is great, but you will have to edit videos and work through creating some books and guidelines.
This requires different software and enough space.
- If your answers are “yes,” go for it. If they’re “no,” you can work it out.
You don’t have to quit the idea if you are willing to work around what you need.
Everything can be learned, even a new discipline, or acquire specific knowledge to work towards offering a course.
Therefore, evaluate yourself and if you’re missing something, start working on it and remember: talent is required in some cases, but if you know what you’re teaching, that’s enough to start.
Expenses & Earnings: Talking About Numbers
So, being real with the side hustle, do we think anyone can afford it? Yes and no.
We like to focus on affordable options that most people or everyone would be able to start, but it is true that everything depends on someone’s situation and how much the person is willing to invest in it.
In the case of selling online workshops, we already mentioned you might need to go over more expenses than usual considering the computer, microphone, and equipment you will need and if you don’t have it already.
But overall, this side hustle isn’t expensive to start with.
If we focus on equipment for a bit, you can make your current computer work as long as you take the time to learn how to use the required programs and believe it will handle the videos and content to work with.
As for the camera, your phone can do it along with its microphone if it works properly. You can always run a test and give it a try.
If you feel like having to spend, focus on the options that offer more for less.
Most people who have to invest in it, including a new computer, camera, and microphone, can expect between $500 to $700. Some even go up to $1.000-1.500.
However, everything is a matter of budget, and how much you’re betting for this side hustle like, for example, do you want it to be a long-term and even full-time source of income?
As for selling your workshop and where, platforms like Udemy are perfect, and you only pay a commission or fee for each person who buys it. You don’t have to pay anything before that so we can say it is free if you want to start.
Now, moving on from expenses, what about how much you can earn?
Your income will vary depending on how long your workshop is, the material it contains, for who it was designed, and how much you think it is worth.
Most online courses range from $15 to $50, being the cheapest ones for those with only 2 to 5 hours of classes and specific materials to learn.
Meanwhile, workshops that focus on over 15 hours of classes and a lot of practices and material can easily cost $50 or more per student.
On average, people who start selling a course, a basic one, earn between $100 to $150 a month, and the first two or three can be slow. But if you bet on the option and are patience, this course can become an excellent passive income.
Some experts make over $1.000 a month with their workshops, and even those who started with a simple one but it is good, continue making money with it, and we are confident the revenue goes over $500 monthly.
Take Your Time to Research
If you decide to bet on this side hustle, don’t be in a hurry.
Designing a course is a long process, and you have to be patient.
It requires creativity, patience, self-analysis of your needs and knowledge in order for the online course or workshop to be successful.
Also, you have to research your competitors and look for some ideas and assess the market. Imagine you are interested in buying to know what will sell well and how you can work around your workshop.
This advice applies to the information, topics, and order of your course. If you want to design it properly, don’t stick to what you already know and try to expand some of the information.
And remember this as well: be confident when you’re teaching and have some practice before going for the final version.
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