Not Everyone is a Superstar - Just Keep Going

Hi There,

I'm Denise and I have been on Udemy for a few years. I have 10 courses.

I thought I'd share some of my thoughts about NOT being the most successful of Udemy instructors.

I think when you first come to Udemy it can be easy to give up before you have even got going with creating your course. Or you create your course and it isn't successful at all and you feel deflated.

It's comparisonitis!!! Comparing yourself to other people.

Some course creators just nail their course and their niche and are immensely successful from the word go.

I want you all to know that there is room for everyone to get some success and over time you can be more successful. It just takes more time and perseverance for some / many people. Don't give up. Learn.

For me I overcome my technical shortcomings just by learning bit by bit. It was an enormous mountain to climb.I am still learning.

I have become more successful and Udemy does reap rewards as long as you keep at it

Sometimes it is important to keep in your mind that there are course creators who earn nothing but also there are course creators who earn a fortune. However there are a lot more who earn somewhere inbetween and that is ok and can pay your bills or help you earn extra money if you have lost your job, you need more money, you need to work flexibly because of family commitments, you have been ill or you are retired.

Just keep the end in mind and your reason, your why for create online learning

Kind Regards

Comments

  • SharonRamel
    SharonRamel Posts: 1,312 rolemodel rank

    Absolutely @DeniseFletcher
    - I think we started around the same time. I earned little to nothing in my first months and was hopeless with every technical aspect of course creation. What a steep learning curve we both continue to be on.

    Perseverance and being willing to keep on doing our best to bring out the 'best we can offer'.

  • I'm doing the same way and believe will achieve what I've planned.

    Thank you for the motivation

  • Hi Denise,

    I am very curious. One of your courses, "Boost Your Career Success by Developing Your Soft Skills", has got 15,850 students and 9,472 ratings - that's nearly 60%.

    How have you managed to get such a high number of ratings?

    Phillip

  • Chrystie
    Chrystie Posts: 536 Udemy rank

    Love this message @DeniseFletcher
    ! It's true at Udemy and also in life! I remember launching my first online course and making $12k. I was so disappointed because I had high hopes of making 6 & 7 figures like all of the other course creators I followed. That comparisonitis really got me down!

  • It's a Udemy for Business course so they tend to Review more @PhillipBurton
    which can be a little nerve wrecking as they can review slightly lower and more critical - yikes!
    Also it's a very short course so they complete it quicker - they tend to like that and it fits in with the work environment.

  • Exactly! Let me share what happened to me lately. Because of Covid, my courses got attention and revenue soared. This year my monthly revenue is above $10K. When I first hit this number I was very happy. And interesting thing happened to me. After months of above $10K, I started to compare myself with Udemy superstars and felt miserable. I felt ashamed of myself because I felt very happy for a small success compared to those Udemy millionaires. I felt I needed t hustle more to earn more. No piece in mind, always felt being pushed. Honestly speaking, I feel so even now. But after I read your post, I feel better now. So, thank you!

  • SharonRamel
    SharonRamel Posts: 1,312 rolemodel rank

    I think every instructor that has persevered, put their heart and soul into their courses, learned as the years have passed - continues to put into this business is a superstar.

  • Thank you for your comment @Shigeru_M
    - sometimes being grateful for the small wins is a good habit.

    In looking upwards to compare maybe it is also good to look downwards

  • Yes it is easy to give up when the going gets tough. We both know many who have not felt they could persevere.

  • When I started I watched alot of videos on YouTube about Udemy earnings. The most helpful was by Louise Croft but when I didn't see the results she was having, I became demotivated. Then as chance would have it I came across a topic which had high demand but low supply which hardly ever happens. Suddenly I had a best seller and was being reviewed on blogs all over the net without trying. Since then my income has skyrocketed. I'm not a millionaire off the back of Udemy but I am meeting my financial needs with a bit of headroom. If there is one thing I wish I had done differently it would be to have put more research into demand for the topic in the early days because I made courses in crowded niches.

  • Very well said, Denise !!

    We have to remember, that for every Udemy millionaire, there are literally thousands of us who are not millionaires. In fact, many of these Instructors may make very little, and some nothing at all.

    And these thousands won't post anything on these forums, only some of them will.

    So before concluding that you are a failure, remember that !

    For me this is my second innings. I made quite a bit in my first. But this one is a lot more fun, and creative !

  • Vlad_B
    Vlad_B Posts: 113 specialist rank

    "We would all like to be in that millionaire club" - not everyone. I would prefer a few thousands a month, especially if it were be a steady income stream (even though yes, I know it sounds like a salary, not an income from an online business).

    Why would I choose that (if I were given a choice)?

    Because after a certain point, it's not about the money, really.

    And what is more important - "enough money" give you freedom; "too much money" start to get the freedom away from you.

    With kind regards,

    Vlad.

  • Thanks for this Denise! I had almost quit. But I just completed my second course and will keep at it, partly because of this post! Appreciated!