Taking forever to create your course, program or membership? Try this instead

I see so many business owners spending weeks and months (or longer!) building out their online course, group program or membership—and then wonder why it doesn't sell. In today's episode, I'm sharing 3 reasons why *now* is a good time to launch your offer, wherever you're at.

– The 2 common mistakes to avoid when building your online digital product.
– How launching your offer *before* you've even created it can save you so much time and energy.
– Why building your course, program or membership is easier when you're getting *paid* to build it for your students.
– How giving your students what they actually need, rather than trying to guess what they need, will make your offer so much more effective and efficient.
– The benefits of generating consistent income by creating an offer suite that sets you up for success.

Have you ever found yourself sitting on a new idea for an offer, like an online course or membership programme, and just can’t seem to finish it? Maybe you started outlining it or even creating some lessons, but for some reason, you never quite got to the finish line. Months go by, and you still haven't put it out there into the world. If this sounds familiar, you might be making one of two common mistakes. In this episode, I’m going to talk about these mistakes and what you can do instead.

Mistake #1: Overloading Your Offer with Content

The first mistake is creating an offer and then trying to fill it with so much content and “value” that it becomes overwhelming. This happens most often with online courses but can also affect group programmes and memberships. Many people think that the more content their course has, the more valuable it is. They add longer lessons, more modules, and endless bonuses, thinking this is what people want. But the truth is, adding more content can actually make your offer less valuable.

The real value of an offer is how quickly it can take someone from having a problem to experiencing a transformation. If it takes them longer to get from problem to solution because there is too much content, that actually makes your offer less valuable. Think about buying a car. A car that gets you from point A to point B quickly and efficiently is more valuable than one with lots of bells and whistles that gets you there slowly. The same goes for your offer. Your audience doesn't want all the possible lessons for every possible scenario. They want a direct path from their problem to the transformation they are seeking.

Mistake #2: Striving for Perfection

The second mistake that keeps people from launching their offers is wanting it to be perfect before putting it out into the world. But here’s the thing: It’s never going to feel perfect to you. You are your own biggest critic, and you know all the flaws in your work. However, an offer cannot be perfect until it is tested with real humans. You are building it in a vacuum, and you need real-life feedback to refine it.

Once you get it out there and real clients go through it, you'll start to see where adjustments need to be made. You might find that a concept you thought would take a week to grasp takes three weeks, or something you expected to take a week is done in a day. But you won't know these things until you test it in the real world. By waiting for perfection, you risk spending years on a half-built offer and then wonder why it doesn’t sell. Often, it’s because you’ve focused so much on perfecting the content that you forget to market and sell it. People don’t buy offers just because they’re valuable or perfect. They buy because they have a need.

The Solution: Launch First, Build Later

The best way to create something truly valuable and actually sell it is to launch it first. This might feel scary, but selling your offer before you’ve created it or while it is half-built can be a game changer. Let me explain why.

Test Your Idea

Launching before you create allows you to test whether your idea is something people want. It helps you see if your messaging aligns with how your ideal clients understand the problem your offer solves. Too many people spend time, money, and energy creating something that nobody wants. Testing your idea first saves you from investing in an offer that isn’t going to sell.

Get Paid to Build It

By launching first, you get paid to build your offer. Many business owners are busy with client work and can’t afford to let go of a client to free up time to build a course or programme. However, if you can create enough time to launch it, and your launch is successful, you’ll have some income to use, allowing you to free up your schedule to build the offer. This provides a cash injection that gives you the flexibility to create.

Create a Deadline

Selling your offer first creates a deadline. If you've been procrastinating, it’s likely because it’s not a priority among other urgent tasks, like client work. A deadline makes it a priority. Somehow, when something becomes a priority, you find the time to get it done. It’s no longer a “maybe someday” item on your to-do list.

Co-Create with Your Buyers

My favourite reason for launching first is that you get to co-create your offer with your buyers. When you create the offer as you go, lesson by lesson, you are giving your audience what they actually need. Instead of guessing, you see firsthand where they struggle and adjust accordingly. As an expert, it can be hard to put yourself back in the shoes of someone who doesn’t know what you know. When you work alongside your audience, you understand what they don’t know and can tailor your content to fill those gaps.

Teaching live allows you to pivot and tweak without re-recording lessons. Once you’ve taught it a few times, you can record it and sell that version. Encourage feedback and questions during live teaching to identify and address knowledge gaps efficiently. This method ensures you only create what is necessary for their transformation, saving time and effort.

Ready to Launch Your Offer?

If you've been sitting on an idea or seeking clarity on your offer before launching, my short three-hour course, Offer Less, Sell More, is perfect for you. It helps you figure out what you are selling, set up your entire offer suite, and make consistent income without constant launching or complex evergreen funnels.

Check it out at stephtaylor.co/OLSM, or send me a DM on Instagram at @stephtaylor.co with the word “OLSM,” and I'll send you the link.

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