Create & Sell Online Courses

Make and sell online courses that teach valuable skills.

About Create & Sell Online Courses

What is Course Creation?

Online courses package your knowledge into video lessons, worksheets, or guides that people pay to access. Once created, your course can sell while you sleep, travel, or work on other projects.

You don't need a teaching degree or fancy equipment. If you know how to do something others want to learn—whether that's Excel, guitar, fitness, photography, or language learning—you can create a course.

Why Courses Work for Nomads

Scalable Income

Unlike trading time for money, courses sell unlimited copies:

Teach once, sell forever
No scheduling headaches
Income while you travel

Low Startup Costs

You can start with:

Smartphone for recording
Free editing software
Gumroad for selling (no monthly fee)

Flexibility

Create on your schedule from anywhere with internet.

What Can You Teach?

Find Your Topic

You can teach anything you know that others want to learn:

Category	Examples
Software skills	Excel, Photoshop, Canva
Languages	English, Spanish, Japanese
Creative skills	Drawing, music, writing
Fitness/wellness	Yoga, meal prep, meditation
Business	Freelancing, marketing, sales
Hobbies	Photography, crafts, gaming

Validation

Before creating, check if people actually want it:

Search YouTube for similar topics
Look at Udemy for existing courses
Ask in relevant communities
Pre-sell to gauge interest

Course Types and Pricing

Type	Length	Price Range
Mini-course	1-2 hours	$19-49
Standard course	3-8 hours	$49-199
Comprehensive course	10+ hours	$199-497
Cohort/live course	Weeks	$200-1,000+

Start with a smaller course. You can always expand later.

Creating Your Course

Simple Process

Outline - List what students need to learn
Record - Film lessons (screen recording works)
Edit - Clean up audio, trim dead space
Upload - Put on your platform
Launch - Tell people about it

Equipment (Budget Start)

Item	Cost	Notes
Smartphone	Already own	Good enough to start
Lapel mic	$20-50	Big audio improvement
Ring light	$20-40	Better video quality
Free editing	$0	DaVinci Resolve, iMovie

Good Enough Beats Perfect

Your first course won't be polished—and that's fine. Students care about the information, not production quality. A helpful course filmed on a phone beats a slick course with no substance.

Where to Sell

Starter Platforms

Platform	Best For	Cost
Gumroad	Starting out	Transaction fees only
Teachable	Growing	From $39/month
Udemy	Built-in audience	Revenue share

Building Up

As you grow, consider:

Patreon for ongoing content
Maven for live cohort courses
Your own website for full control

Getting Your First Sales

Start With Who You Know

Friends interested in the topic
Social media followers
Online communities you're part of
Email list (even if small)

Build an Audience

Long-term success comes from audience:

Start a blog in your niche
Create free content on YouTube
Build an email newsletter
Share tips on social media

Simple Marketing

Show behind-the-scenes creation
Share student results
Offer early-bird discounts
Ask happy students for reviews

Realistic Expectations

First Course Income

Most people's first course earns $100-1,000 total. That's normal. It's a learning experience.

Building Over Time

Stage	Typical Monthly
First course	$50-200
Established	$500-2,000
Multiple courses + audience	$2,000-10,000+

Success comes from iteration: create, learn, improve, repeat.

Tools for Course Creators

Creation

Notion for outlining
Google Drive for storing files
Loom or OBS for screen recording
Canva for graphics

Selling

Gumroad (simple, low cost)
Teachable (more features)
ConvertKit (email marketing)

Working While Traveling

Pros

Create content anywhere
Sales happen automatically
Async work with students

Challenges

Need quiet space for recording
Good internet for uploading
Discipline to create consistently

Who Should Create Courses?

This works well if you:

Know something others want to learn
Can explain things clearly
Are willing to put in upfront work
Don't need money immediately
Enjoy teaching and helping

It's harder if you:

Need income right away
Can't identify a teachable skill
Hate being on camera or audio
Won't do marketing
Give up easily

Getting Started

Pick one skill you can teach
Outline 5-10 lessons
Record with your phone
Upload to Gumroad
Tell everyone you know
Improve based on feedback

Your first course won't be perfect. But it will teach you everything you need to make your second one better.

The Bottom Line

Course creation is one of the most accessible paths to passive income. You don't need credentials, expensive equipment, or a huge audience to start. You just need knowledge someone else wants and the willingness to share it.

Start small. Create something helpful. Put it out there. Learn and improve.

Your knowledge has value. Package it and share it with the world.

Business Models

Product-Based 📦Content-Based ✍️Service-Based 👷‍♂️

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be an expert to create a course?

You don't need to be a world-class expert—just a few steps ahead of your students. If you've learned a skill, solved a problem, or achieved something others want to achieve, you can teach it. Being relatable often matters more than credentials.

What equipment do I need to start?

You can start with just your smartphone. A decent microphone ($30-50) helps audio quality. Many successful courses are just screen recordings with voiceover—no fancy camera needed. Start simple and upgrade as you earn.

How long does it take to create a course?

A focused mini-course can be created in a weekend. A full course typically takes 2-8 weeks of part-time work. Don't over-engineer your first course—start small, get feedback, and improve.

Where should I sell my course?

Gumroad is simple and cheap to start. Teachable and Thinkific are good for growing. Udemy has built-in traffic but takes a big cut. Start where the friction is lowest and move up as you grow.