Episode 141: What the best courses have in common (and it’s not what you think!)

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on what truly sets the most successful online courses apart (and trust me, it’s probably not what you think!).

As part of my 10 Steps to Online Course Success series, I’m diving into Step 6: building a clear, simple and powerful course framework.

In this episode, I share why having a solid framework is the missing key for so many entrepreneurs, how it can transform scattered ideas into a structured journey and why simplicity is your biggest strength when it comes to creating scalable, results-driven courses.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by course creation or struggled to map out content that actually delivers results then this episode is packed with practical tips, clarity, and real talk from my own experience.

So grab your notebook, tune in and let’s uncover the secret sauce behind building a course that truly works… for you and your students!

Transcript

Karen [00:00:01]:
Hello and welcome to the Online Business Uncovered podcast. This is episode 141 and in today's episode I'm going to be sharing with you the one thing that the most successful courses have in common. And I don't think it's going to be what you think. So let's jump right in and let's get started. 

Welcome to Online Business Uncovered. I'm your host, Karen and I really do appreciate you hitting the play button to listen to today's episode. Now today's episode is sponsored by my free community, the Digital Creators Hub. So if you are looking to start your online business and start to create a business that really is going to be working for you in 2026, then head on over and join for free.

Karen [00:01:01]:
Just go over to www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com/community because in there you will have access to my monthly masterclass plus lots of different resources that I've curated to help you get started. As I said, it's completely free and it's the perfect place to connect with other entrepreneurs to get some support and be the to hear about my upcoming in person workshops. 

Speaking of which, I would also like to invite you to my free masterclass on the 26th of November at 5pm UK time where I'm going to walk you through how to create your passive income strategy for 2026. So if you want to gain access, head on over to my website, go and join the community and come and be a part of the conversation. 

Okay, so let's jump into today's episode and today I am talking about Step six of the Course Creation series. Now for those of you who are brand new to this podcast, over the past six weeks I have been sharing my 10 steps to online course success and today I'm going to be sharing Step six in that process. So if you are curious about creating an online course, maybe it's been on your to do list forever and 2026 is going to be the year that you actually get it done, get it out in the world so you can start making money. Then this series is going to really help you because I'm breaking it down and I am trying to deliver it in a way that makes sense because I feel like this is a topic that can be quite overwhelming because there's a lot of different steps involved and a lot of things to think about.

Karen [00:03:13]:
And so the purpose of this series is to deliver the sort of step by step process, if you like, in a way that is going to make sense And I really hope that that what I've shared so far is really landing with people and it's making sense. You understand what is needed, when it's needed, and why it's needed. And now we're going to be talking about the one thing actually that can can make such a difference when it comes to creating a successful course. But if you are new to this podcast, then please go and check out my library. I have got so many episodes in the archives ready to be listened to. We're on 141. The past six episodes are all about creating an online course. From how you know why create an online course to how to choose the best online course topic, to the secret to creating a course that people actually want.

Karen [00:04:22]:
And it may actually surprise you what that looks like, what to charge for your online course. Because I know pricing is one of those stumbling blogs. And I know this because I have so many people say to me, I don't know what to charge for my online course. So in that episode, episode 138, I break it down and I give you some things to think about. So if you are choosing your pricing, it's done. With strategy in place, I've also lost the week before last shared about the one thing that can really elevate your course sales. So that's looking at your course promise and what you're promising your audience. And then last week I spoke about the hidden ingredient behind every profitable course.

Karen [00:05:10]:
So I encourage you, please go and have a listen and reach out to me. Let me know what you think and if you've had any aha moments because. Because sometimes it helps to have something broken down in a way that makes it digestible and is why I'm here, to make course creation something that you can do so that you can actually turn your expertise into money. So today I'm going to be sharing step six, which is going to be a really powerful step because it's what turns a bunch of scattered ideas into a really clear, a really simple and structured journey that will actually help your students to achieve results. So what I'm talking about is your course framework. Now, it's really interesting because I have a lot of conversations with people that have created a course. And what I've come to learn is that many entrepreneurs actually skip this process of outlining their framework ahead of creating the content. Which is something that really surprises me because it's how do you even know what to create and what your audience needs if you haven't established what your framework is? Now the framework is Your course's skeleton, it's what everything sort of sits on.

Karen [00:06:52]:
So having a really well thought out framework is going to be a vital step because it's the backbone of your course. Now, framework is just a simple structure that takes your students from point A to point B in a really clear and repeatable way. So your framework is going to be your method, and your method is the vehicle that's going to drive your students towards results. Now, without having a really good framework in place, your course is most likely going to feel messy and most likely overwhelming, both for you as a creator and your students. But with it, everything will click into place. You will have a clarity about the journey that you're taking your students on, and your students will get to understand your process and then your message will become memorable. So it's not really just about having good content in your course. It's about having a clear path that builds momentum and, of course, confidence for your learners as well.

Karen [00:08:13]:
So how do you actually map out a profitable framework? So here's what I recommend. Always start with the transformation. What is it that you want the end result to be? What is the final destination of your course? Now, if you can nail that, you will create a course that delivers a result for your student because it will be so outcome focused. Rather than just providing your student with a ton of content, it'll be content that has purpose. So number one is always start with a transformation in mind. So, for example, by the end of this course, my student will be able to and then outline what it is they'll be able to do. Are you going to be shifting a perspective? Are you going to be teaching a new skill? Are you going to be giving them something that they haven't had before? So get really clear on what that looks like as well and really think about how that's going to help them in their life. And don't underestimate this.

Karen [00:09:36]:
I think sometimes we can be guilty of underestimating the power of what we're teaching. But if you can teach one thing that moves the needle for your student so they can move forward in their life, then that could be really powerful. So get really clear on what that transformation is and what that's going to look like for your students. Number two is work backwards. What steps are. Is somebody going to need to get to that transformation? Because these are going to become your core stages. They're going to hold your course together. Think of your course like a map and your modules are the stepping stones.

Karen [00:10:26]:
It's your modules are the pathway. So where do your students need to go to get to that result? So really kind of outline what that looks like as well. Number three is keep it simple. You don't want to be over complicating it. So stick to three to five main steps that are going to give enough structure without making your students overwhelmed. And then number four is break each step down into bite size lessons. Each lesson should answer one clear question or solve one small problem that moves your student forward. So try not to throw everything in the kitchen sink at this.

Karen [00:11:19]:
You want to keep it simple. And I know sometimes simplicity can actually be really complicated, but you should only be including in your course the stuff that needs to be there. If it's a nice to have you get rid of it because you don't want to overwhelm. It's really easy to have a tendency to want to give, give, give. And I think this is something that I can be guilty of. I delivered a strategy session yesterday with a new client and I was so tempted to just throw loads of things at them because I could see what they were going to need in the future. And I wanted to really equip them so that they can actually achieve the results. But they don't need that.

Karen [00:12:14]:
That's stage two. They need stage one. So sometimes we can sort of focus on getting them to the end destination and focus on step 10, when really all we need to do is teach them step one. So just really hone in on what outcome do you need to teach and only focus on moving your students towards that outcome. Sometimes less is more. Even though it can feel difficult trying to strip things back, especially if you, you're like me and you just want to kind of just throw a ton of stuff at it. You just want to give because you want to provide that value. The value comes in achieving the result and having a very simple pathway to get to that result.

Karen [00:13:06]:
So don't underestimate that power now. My first online course, I crammed so much stuff into the course, it was almost like one big giant program all about branding. I mean, I mapped it out on Trello and even now when I go back and I have a look at it, I feel overwhelmed just looking at that board because I wanted to give as much value as possible. But the reality is it was just leaving people overwhelmed. So stripping it back and really just focusing on clear steps that is going to get my students where they needed to get to means that my students could move through the course faster, they got better results, and I felt more confident in the thing that I was delivering. That's when I realized that simplicity really is the secret to scalability. We think that actually we need to do a ton of stuff in order to be able to scale it, but it's simply not true. When your course has a clear framework, it is so much easier to sell, teach, and even repurpose later into other products or offers.

Karen [00:14:39]:
So here's your challenge for the week. Start sketching out your own framework. Map out the main stages that your students will need to go through from where they are right now to where they want to be. And when you've got that rough draft, then that's when you need to go through it and double check that everything you've included is going to be needed. Now, I would love you to share that with me. So reach out to me on Instagram Karendel Digital Coach and if you need help with this, then download my easy course Kickstarter Kit where I walk you through how to plan and outline your online course in three easy steps. I will add the link to the show notes, but also go and Visit my website, www.sell your brilliance online. It's there.

Karen [00:15:42]:
It's only 27 quid and I've had some great feedback. My goal with that is just to simply remove the overwhelm and show you how to really streamline your ideas so that you can create a really simple framework that's going to move your students from where they are right now to where they want to be in the easiest way possible. So when you have a really simple, powerful framework, everything in your online course will fall into place. Every course that I've created and I've sold, I start with the framework. I just map out where I want my students to get to the transformation that I want them to have. I work backwards, I keep it simple and I map out a very clear and simple pathway. And once you have that, creating the content for your online course will feel so easy because you'll only have to focus on the content that needs creating. So this is one step that I encourage you to do because it will take your online course to I really encourage you to follow this step because it will help you to create a profitable online course.

Karen [00:17:16]:
Now, next week I'm going. I'm going to be moving into step seven where I'm going to show you how to bring your lessons to life and so you can so that you can start recording your content with confidence. But until then, keep it simple, keep it structured, and keep showing up for those people that need your brilliance. Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode. I hope it's given you some clarity and sparked some new ideas. If you found this helpful, then I would love you to share it with a friend or a fellow entrepreneur who is also building their online business, because it might be exactly what they need to hear today. 

And if this episode has you thinking that you're now ready to get started with turning your expertise into income, then I would love to invite you into my free community, the Digital Creators Hub, where inside you'll get access to free tools, resources, you'll get my monthly masterclass replays, and you'll be the very first to hear about my upcoming workshops. Just head on over to www.sellyourbullingsonline.com/community.

Karen [00:18:35]:
I will be back next week with another episode, but until then, have a wonderful week.