The Biggest Mistakes I Made as a Course Creator (So You Don’t Have To)

If you’re thinking about creating a course or digital product to sell online, pay close attention—because I wasted months of my time and over $1,000 making mistakes that could have been avoided. If you want to build and sell a course the right way, learn from my failures so you can start strong without hitting the same roadblocks.

The False Belief That Delayed My Course Launch

For years, I held back from creating a course because I believed I had to be an absolute master at my craft before teaching it. I thought I had to reach an elite level—like some ultra-expert filmmaker—before I was “qualified” to teach anything. That was a huge mistake.

The reality? You don’t need to be the world’s best—just good enough to help people who are a few steps behind you.

Let’s break it down:

• If you’re a level 7 in your skill set, you can still teach and provide massive value to those at levels 1-6.
• Most people buying courses aren’t looking for expert-level, $2,000+ training. They just need someone a few steps ahead to help them level up.
• The true experts are too busy doing the work to teach full-time. That’s why there’s so much opportunity for people who know how to explain and simplify skills.

Once I realized this, I knew I was ready to create a course. But then I made another critical mistake.

Mistake #1: Creating a Course Without Market Validation

I knew I wanted to teach something related to media, content creation, or branding. But instead of talking to real potential buyers, I just assumed I knew what they wanted. I figured:

• “Everyone struggles with social media and content marketing.”
• “If I can teach people how to document their journey online, they’ll love it.”

So I jumped straight into scripting, filming, and editing my course for weeks.

After endless retakes, deleting and reshooting videos, and obsessing over details, I finally asked myself:

“Wait… does anyone actually want this?”

The truth? I had no idea.

I spent a full month creating something that wasn’t even properly validated. I never asked my audience directly if they wanted it. Instead, I just assumed based on general comments and social media trends.

How I Should Have Done It Instead:

✅ Talk to the market first. Before creating any content, ask your potential buyers what they need help with. DM them. Interview them. Start conversations.

✅ Find the real pain points. Don’t just assume—get actual feedback on what problems they need solved.

✅ Test the idea in a free group training. Instead of spending weeks filming, do a live training session. If people show up, engage, and rave about it—you’re onto something.

Mistake #2: Shooting a Full Course Before Selling It

Once I started recording, I went deep into production mode. I had a detailed outline, wrote out my script, set up all my camera gear, and spent weeks filming and re-filming.

Then, when I was finally done? I realized I had wasted my time.

• My content was too advanced for beginners.
• The lessons didn’t fully align with the audience’s biggest struggles.
• I spent time teaching editing techniques when most people needed content strategy instead.

And worst of all? I had no way of knowing if this was even something people would pay for.

The Right Way to Do It:

✅ Sell the course before you build it. Offer a beta version or pre-sale to see if people will actually buy. If no one buys, you just saved yourself weeks of work.

✅ Create a simple, low-production MVP (Minimum Viable Product). Start with a rough draft. Do a live Zoom session instead of recording a full course.

✅ Focus on transformation. A course isn’t just information—it should move people from point A (struggling) to point B (getting results).

Mistake #3: Getting Biased Feedback from Friends & Beta Testers

After finishing my course, I gave free access to a group of people I knew would support me. I figured:

“If they love it, I’ll know it’s good.”

Sure enough, every single person said it was amazing.

The problem? They weren’t real customers.

• They knew me, so their feedback was naturally positive and supportive.
• They didn’t pay for it, so they weren’t true indicators of the market’s willingness to buy.
• Their feedback didn’t help refine the offer, because they weren’t actual paying customers.

How I Should Have Done It Instead:

✅ Only take feedback from real buyers. If someone isn’t willing to pay—even a small amount—it’s not real market validation.

✅ Charge for beta access. Even a $50 buy-in shows that people are actually interested.

✅ Get testimonials from real customers. People who pay for the course will give you honest feedback on what’s missing and what truly helped them.

Mistake #4: Running Facebook Ads Without a Validated Offer

Once my course was “done,” I figured I’d start driving traffic. So I jumped straight into running Facebook ads.

Here’s what happened:

• I spent $1,000 on ads over a month.
• I only got one sale.
• That one person later asked for a refund.

Turns out, my ad messaging was completely off—because I had never actually spoken to my ideal customers about their real struggles. I was advertising a “solution” to a problem they didn’t actually care about.

The Right Way to Advertise:

✅ Build an audience first. Run a Facebook group, grow an Instagram, or start a YouTube channel with free value before spending on ads.

✅ Test your messaging with organic content. See what resonates before wasting money on paid traffic.

✅ Only scale ads once you’ve made organic sales. If your course isn’t selling organically, ads won’t magically fix it.

The Smarter Way to Create and Sell a Course

After wasting months and burning money, here’s how I’d actually do it if I were starting today:

1. Build a Facebook Group First

Start by gathering an audience of people who actually want what you’re selling. Engage with them, post value, and understand their struggles.

2. Offer a Free Group Training

Test your course idea with a live workshop or webinar. Record it. See how people respond.

3. Pre-Sell the Course

Before making ANY content, sell a beta version of the course. If people buy, you now have real validation.

4. Create the Course Based on Real Feedback

Build the course around what people actually ask for, not what you assume they need.

5. Scale Up with Paid Ads

Once the course is selling organically, then you can use ads to scale.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Waste Your Time Like I Did

I wasted months and over $1,000 making a course that wasn’t even tested. If you want to build a successful online course, talk to the market first.

💡 Remember:

• You don’t have to be an expert—you just need to be a few steps ahead.
• Don’t create the course before you know people will buy it.
• Get paid first, then build.

If you found this helpful, drop a comment—what’s been your biggest struggle in course creation?