Why I’m Discontinuing My Online Courses

Entrepreneurialism

Jul 21

I love teaching, and I believe in the power of small business for both the economy and the brave people who pursue entrepreneurship. Owning a business provides freedom and fulfillment that’s difficult to find in a job.

I started my photography business in 2013, and later shifted to small business marketing in 2016 when I realized that’s what people were asking for and that I was actually good at it. (Thankfully this coincided with when I realized I hated weddings!)

What led me to teaching online

Around 2017 I began teaching in-person classes at my studio, focusing on helping small business owners with their own marketing, such as social media, email newsletters, and website design, as well as business fundamentals. I felt called to shift these classes online, so in 2019, I did. I offered three mini courses (Facebook Facelift, Instagram Insight, and Create With Canva), along with three signature courses (Digital Photography 101, Business 101, and Marketing 101).

When COVID happened I could no longer offer in-person classes, so I focused my efforts on these online offers. Throughout the years, I’ve made updates to these courses, and rebranded Business 101 to Begin Your Business and Marketing 101 to Self-Employed School.

I also launched the Debug Your Business membership, which led me to discontinue my mini courses and shift their content online.

I loved the idea of passive income, and being able to reach business owners around the world.

But unfortunately, that dream never took off.

What led me to quit

For years I waited, marketing my courses, spending more time than I’d have liked on social media, pushing myself to record YouTube tutorials and then Instagram reels, hoping this free content would bring in paying students. But it rarely did.

Despite the lack of success, I persevered, doing my best to manifest sales and clear any energetic blocks around them. I did so much work on myself, but despite that, I’ve felt this underpinning of hopelessness, disappointment, and even desperation.

But still I pressed on, undergoing multiple rounds of major updates on my courses for better user friendliness and to reflect new information I had gained and wanted to share.

The hope of being able to replace my 1:1 work with passive income - and the potential to make a lot of it - kept me holding on.

Until it didn’t.

I’ve been feeling unsettled, unhappy, and like I didn’t have a purpose. While I’ve heard from people I’ve run into at the grocery store or on walks outside that they appreciated my reels or my email newsletter, my followers haven’t grown much, my post engagement is low, and my email list is pretty much the same.

While I know these metrics aren’t always an indicator of success, it’s disappointing to pour so much effort into something for it to only receive a couple of likes. Maybe a comment or two.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I was tired of working for free, hoping it would pay off, and to not even receive a good response on all the free effort I was putting out.

So I made the decision to quit.

While I’m honestly exasperated to have spent countless hours working towards something that didn’t pan out, to have focused so much effort and passion on it to just give up, I feel like if it was meant to happen, it would have happened by now. Or at least that I wouldn’t be feeling this way, that I’d have a strong conviction to keep going.

But I don’t anymore.

I’ve shared in my weekly newsletter that I have been feeling a shift in my business, though I’m not entirely sure how that looks. While I still don’t, it’s slowly coming into focus.

Recently I read this book that inspired me to focus on how I want to feel and to follow that. One night when I should have been falling asleep, I was feeling especially down about my business, and I talked to my husband about it. He asked a profound question that led me to make the final decision: “Do you really want your courses to be successful?” As in, do I want to take on the work that goes along with selling them: The course maintenance, answering questions in my Facebook group, customer service, and online marketing, especially social media.

Turns out, I don’t.

I turned 30 earlier this year, and with that milestone came the realization that I want simplicity. I want to be able to fully disconnect from work and to not worry about having to answer emails and DMs or lose a sale and feel tapped into business when I check my personal Facebook account and see a notification that someone left a question on my Facebook group.

So, as with all major decisions in my life, I made this one quickly and fully committed. The following day I sent my students an email informing them that their course would no longer be active after 90 days.

I shifted my Instagram account away from being business-based, release the pressure I’ve felt to post.

I reflected on the platforms and channels I’ve been using, and determined that I actually do enjoy sending my email newsletters and writing on my blog, but I want to do it differently.

Where I’m heading

There are so many topics I’ve connected with people on over the years. Oftentimes I have shared beyond the topic of business in my Instagram Stories, which has resonated with my audience. So I’m expanding the range of topics I discuss to include minimalism, wellness, and financial literacy.

And all of this ties into my desire for simplicity.

I changed my tagline from “Your zillennial business and marketing mentor” to “Downshift from the hustle to slow, simple living.”

I rebranded my weekly newsletter to The Downshift Diary (subscribe here!), and while I’m not sure if I’ll make money from this venture, it feels right. It doesn’t feel draining like my online courses did, it actually fills me up.

I also decided to discontinue my website design and consulting services, though I may make exceptions from time-to-time. There’s so much more that’s filling my life, and I want to focus on that. (I’ll go more in-depth in The Downshift Diary.)

But before I conclude this post, I want to thank you. Whether you’re an online course student, a former client, a follower, or a friend, thank you for reading this post and supporting me and my business. I appreciate your engagement and hope I can be of inspiration to you.