As working professionals, be it anything from a lawyer, nurse, doctor, accountant, realtor, dentist and everything in between, we have the propensity to develop BURN OUT. Let’s face it, before we went to school, most of us were not aware that we would be exchanging our time for almost every dollar we earn. If many of us had known this, many of us might have picked a different field. Regardless, here we are as professionals who must see clients, patients, and so forth to make a living. There is little opportunity for us to build passive or partially passive income streams as standard working professionals.
Furthermore, most of us are working for others or if we do have our own business/practice, we are self-employed and slaves to the business. Again, we are stuck exchanging our time for dollars and ultimately this results in an unbalanced and work-filled life. While this is great for those that truly are passionate about what they do, for many it becomes redundant, and a time sink on our life. There has got to be something better out there, right?
Do you truly want to work into your 50s and 60s exchanging your time for dollars?
Do you want to continue to contribute to your retirement accounts in hopes it will be enough to retire?
Do you want to continue being involved in potential regulatory hell holes?
Are you sick and tired of the liability and constant expectations from your colleagues and clients/patients?
It gets old… and it can get old fast which is why at the age of 35 I decided to venture out of my comfort zone as a nurse practitioner to start an online education business. I wanted my time BACK! I needed to develop a passive income stream so I could get my life back. Working in urgent care and emergency departments was slowly stealing the joy out of my life. I had little opportunities to earn money without having to work another shift or working overtime. I am sure this resonates with many of you as well.
I started The Elite Nurse Practitioner at the end of 2019 and launched my first course in March of 2020 (talk about crazy timing!). After my initial course launched generated well over $30,000 in 7 days, the light bulb went off in my head: THIS IS WHAT I NEED TO FOCUS ON! Why? Because I was making money when I was sleeping… Sure, the initial work involved in the course development was significant, but now I had a product that resulted in perpetual and generally hands off income. To date, that course has generated close to 7 figures in revenue! Compound that with dozens of other courses and I built a business valued into the 8-figure range – all within 3-4 years!
Building an online education business targeting professionals (nurse practitioners in my case) gave me the ticket to early retirement and financial freedom. Additionally, it gave me back my LIFE!
- I no longer had to work hours and hours to make a living.
- I no longer had to sacrifice precious time with friends and family to work.
- I no longer had to sacrifice my mental health in the name of my “profession.”
- I no longer had to wake up at a specific time and rush to work to see patients (or clients in many of your cases).
I basically gained the ability to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, with whoever I wanted within reason! It was one of the most freeing experiences of my life.
Starting a profession focused online course business not only gives you back your time and builds a passive income stream, but it does so many other things for you:
- It accelerates your ability to build TRUE wealth without significant liability or time investment.
- It allows you to build a scalable business that can work for you, or you can sell in the future.
- It gives you the opportunity to share YOUR unique knowledge with your profession and the world.
- It allows you to become a teacher and mentor to thousands of people.
- It gives you tremendous purpose outside of the day-to-day rat race of being a professional.
- And ultimately it lets you be your own boss!
Outside of the clear benefits of starting an online course business that targets professionals, there are multiple reasons why a professional course business can be so lucrative:
- This type of business does take time to build, but once everything is built out, it requires little ongoing input from you outside of content development! It can be a “set it and forget” kind of business.
- It generates income 24 hours day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year… You literally will sell courses when you sleep and even during holidays like Christmas. The income stream NEVER stops.
- The startup costs are minimal when compared to opening a standard “professional business.” You can get an online course business up and running for less than $10,000. The more you budget for it though, the higher a return on your marketing spend you will see.
- It is VERY easy to market a profession focused online course business. I honestly feel like it is an absolute CHEAT CODE in the online course industry. Why? Because you can target your profession specifically.
- Professionals generally make a great living; therefore, they have the disposable income to spend on continuing education. Additionally, many professionals have continuing education stipends they can use FOR YOUR PRODUCTS! A total win!
- It is a high margin business! Outside of marketing costs, your expenses are minimal. If you are not achieving close to 80% margins, then you are doing something wrong.
- It is very rewarding creating a digital business and seeing it flourish. Many of us lose our creativity as a professional but an online course business can respark that inside of you!
- You do not need to provide official continuing education credits/hours to build a profitable course business, but if you go down the route of becoming accredited, it will most certainly increase your profitability.
And to summarize the benefits of starting an online course business:
Your courses can be seen as a high value product in the online course industry. Most courses online are generally low quality, low value, and low return on investment courses. Teaching someone how to quilt or implement a workout routine into their life doesn’t provide significant value. But a course that enhances the professional’s life and career is seen as very high value! Compound that with the fact that many professionals are starving for new knowledge, and you have an amazing business opportunity!
If you are toying with the idea of starting your own business or pivoting into another business as a professional, then ask yourself these questions:
- Are you getting burnt out exchanging your time for income?
- Are you looking to build a passive income stream?
- Do you want to share your unique knowledge, skills, and experiences with your profession?
- Do you want to build a scalable business that is lean and profitable?
- Do you want to be professionally free?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then starting a profession focused online course business could be a great idea and your ticket to financial freedom. It was for me!
I am not trying to sell you anything. My goal is to get your mind thinking outside of the box as a professional. You do NOT need to exchange your time for dollars to earn a living. You can still be part of your profession and start a business that truly works for you instead of slaving away in the office seeing patients/clients.
I developed ProCourseStart with the simple mission to help professionals develop a passive income stream so they can get their life back. Sure, I developed a master guide that is literally a step by step blueprint on how to start a course business the right way (my course business is an 8-figure education business!), but my objective is not to make money anymore because I really don’t need it, so that is why my course is cheap when you consider it is a business blueprint on how to build a multi-million dollar course business. Just because it is cheap, it doesn’t mean it is not comprehensive and valuable!
This is one of many articles here on ProCourseStart.com, so feel free to subscribe to our email list. Read the articles and watch my videos for more information on how to start a profession focused online course business. It is free for you to benefit from because I know many of you are in the same place as I was 5-6 years ago: burnt out and living out of balance. Trust me, there is light at the end of the tunnel and infinite opportunities out there to propel your professional and financial life to the next level!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need accreditation to sell profession-focused courses?
A: No. Accreditation can multiply your sales, but it’s not required if your course solves real problems and provides actionable knowledge.
Q: What if I don’t have time to start this business?
A: Building a course business doesn’t require quitting your day job. Many professionals start theirs by dedicating 5–10 hours a week until their course income exceeds their salary.
Q: How much can I realistically make?
A: A single profession-focused course priced at $500 and selling just 30 copies a month generates $15,000/month. Scale it with additional products, and you’re looking at six or seven figures annually.
Key Takeaways
- Profession-focused courses sell for significantly higher prices than general online courses.
- Professionals have built-in buying power through continuing education budgets and disposable income.
- A niche course business leverages your existing knowledge with minimal startup costs.
- Targeted marketing to a specific profession is dramatically cheaper and more effective than trying to sell to the general public.