"I don’t have time to create online courses!" – Many trainers, coaches, and consultants are familiar with this thought. Online courses are popular in further education, but as a self-employed person, time is always tight! We explain to you why the argument "no time" costs you more time and money than you need to invest.

"Actually, I should take care of online courses, but I just don’t have the time for it" – this is probably one of the most common sentences from self-employed educators when it comes to digitalization. Often, the topic of "online courses" gets postponed repeatedly with this argument. This is understandable: As a self-employed person, you don’t just create trainings and coaching. In-person time, marketing, sales, and customer care are also high on your priority list.

However, the last few years, and especially the last few months, have increased the pressure: Traditional in-person events are less desired (or currently not possible), and online formats are highly sought after by customers and companies.

So how does the mindset "I have no time for online courses" become a blockage for your business? And how do you solve it?

3 Solutions for "No Time for Online Courses"

Of course, you can’t just extend your day by a few hours. Basically, you have three options to overcome the time blockage:

1. Change your mindset for online courses

Using your time wisely is important as a self-employed person! How you use your time is fundamentally a question of your prioritization: Which actions can you benefit from the most in the future? If you don’t have time to create online courses, you may not see the benefits clearly enough:

If you invest time now in your own online offerings, you can save a lot of time in the future and generate additional income. Online courses replace the "time-for-money model" for trainers and coaches. Normally, you spend a lot of time traveling and attending in-person events. With online courses, you become spatially and temporally flexible:

You can convey your knowledge either completely online or shorten your in-person time with an online accompaniment (Blended Learning). As a third option, you can also replace in-person sessions with webinars (virtual blended learning): This allows you to be present while saving on travel time and costs.

Online courses also help you if you can’t attend an in-person event, for example, if you get sick (more in the article: "I’m sick, what now?").

As you can see, online courses offer you diverse advantages and ease your future as a self-employed trainer, coach, or consultant. Therefore, the first step is to prioritize "creating online courses" higher and to change your mindset toward the topic. Invest the time in online courses now and save more time in the future than you invested.

Online courses are easy for trainers to create and save a lot of time in the long run.// Source: blink.it

2. Use the current crisis time for online courses

The crisis situation of the Corona pandemic has hit many educators hard: Most trainers have lost a large portion of their planned in-person events without replacement – this means huge revenue losses. However, this also gives you (involuntarily) much more time to create your own digital "Plan B".

If you use this time for online courses, you gain two advantages right away:

1. You can offer existing clients an alternative who had to cancel previously planned appointments. Many companies are currently relying heavily on online courses and blended learning for continuing education in the home office. Here you have the opportunity to welcome your clients with the right offer and to bind them to you despite the crisis.

2. You will reach new target groups with online courses who found your previous in-person offering uninteresting: You have a broader reach since you do not have to travel. Additionally, you can train more participants simultaneously in an online course. (More on this in the article "Win new customer groups for your training")

So far, it is unclear how long the contact restrictions will last. You can use online courses repeatedly, easily and quickly adjusting to further cancellations. Therefore, view the situation as an opportunity and invest your freed-up time in future security: Digital education will remain relevant even after the crisis!

3. Save time with the right learning platform

Perhaps you have already looked at different platforms for online courses. Many are real "spaceships": Huge and very time-consuming to learn and operate until you can really use and start them. This is mainly because many common LMS are designed for companies. Additionally, typical LMS are not good software for blended learning. You can solve this problem by choosing a learning platform that is tailored to your needs as a self-employed trainer.

An appropriate system should meet these five requirements to save you a lot of time and unnecessary effort:

1. The setup must be easy, even for tech beginners without extensive IT knowledge. This means that the platform must be ready for use right away, without needing an IT specialist or waiting weeks before you can start.

2. It must have a user-friendly interface where you can find your way around immediately, without spending hours or even days training.

3. The functions must be clear, following the principle of "as much as necessary, as little as possible".

4. It must allow a wide variety of media so that you can immediately integrate all the content you digitize. (Here you can find tips and tools related to digitizing your training content.)

5. The operation must also be easy for your participants so they can quickly find their way around and learn effectively in the online course.

For example, blink.it meets these five points: The learning platform was originally specifically developed for trainers, coaches, and consultants who want to create online courses easily and quickly – without special IT skills and without long training.

The easiest way to start with online courses is blended learning: Use your existing content from in-person events and combine it with a supporting online course.