This page showcases 50 online course examples to be inspired by!
We've focused on people teaching interesting & creative topics, to show that online courses are not just for people in business and marketing niches.
There are painters, musicians, travel bloggers, tattooists, goat keepers & more!
So take a look around, be inspired by what's possible & use it as inspiration for your own online course creation!
Who Makes Online Courses?
It's a common misconception that you need to be teaching business or online marketing to have success with online courses.
There are thousands of people out there teaching a whole range of skills like yoga, sewing, watercolor painting, baking, how to speak English..... and loads more, as you'll see below!
The interesting thing is, the sorts of people creating online courses is really varied.
Sure, there are some big-name internet marketing gurus like James Wedmore and Pat Flynn with successful online courses, but there are way more regular everyday people making their courses and seeing some great results.
The majority of people creating online courses:
- Aren't internet marketing gurus
- Aren't qualified teachers
- Aren't tech wizards
- Have never made an online course before
With the best online course platforms, the technology for making a course is really easy to use these days, so the field is wide open for anyone with a good idea to make a side or even full-time income teaching online.
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Teachable
Teachable is one of our favorite all-round platforms for creating & selling beautiful online courses. Transform your experience and know-how into a thriving knowledge business.
50 Online Course Examples
Below is a list of 50 regular everyday people who have found success; earning money and sharing their passions through online courses.
The list is broken up into different niches and features a wide range of online course topics - proving that the option to create an online course is there for anyone with a passion and knowledge in their field.
1: Hobbies & Skills
GroCycle teach people all around the world how to grow gourmet mushrooms, and how to set up and run a mushroom farm
Dave Fox is a global storyteller who's visited over 50 countries & teaches online courses on travel writing & travel journaling.
Lee Wasilenko is a game developer and virtual reality enthusiast who teaches how to make games for different virtual reality platforms
Brendan Jackson teaches a comprehensive & popular online course about tattooing, covering everything from basic techniques to advanced level body art.
Deborah Niemann moved to the country and took up homesteading after her 1st child was born and now teaches online courses on raising goats.
After teaching traditional courses for many years, Guy Windsor brought his knowledge online as well with a series of courses on historic European martial arts.
Asad Chaudhry started a YouTube channel teaching card magic tricks, and after building a following he creating a collection of more in-depth online courses.
This New York comedy venue has built an online course featuring some of it's favourite comics teaching aspiring comedians how to improve their standup acts.
Carolanne Caron helps triathletes & competitive swimmers reach their goals with online courses to improve freestyle and open water swimming.
Rachel Smith has built a popular Youtube channel & online courses, helping non-native speakers with the nuances of English pronunciation & conversations.
2: Arts & Crafts
Cinnamon & Jason have created a thriving business based around children's dolls clothing designs & online courses in sewing, design & pattern making.
Angela built a popular YouTube channel teaching watercolour painting techniques & now offers a series of more in-depth online courses teaching watercolour painting.
Shannon Rogers started with a blog about traditional woodworking and with so much interest in the topic he then built a course on traditional handtool techniques.
After teaching live workshops for many years, David Kessler has brought his knowledge online with this course teaching how to create abstract paintings.
Jessica has more than 50 short and comprehensive courses teaching a wide range of subjects like Digital Scrapbooking, DIY Photo Album Design & Photoshop for Kids.
Inspired by watching Toy Story as a kid, McCoy Buck became an animator and, alongside his own creative work, he also teaches a range animation online courses.
Diane Bleck teaches people how to unlock their creativity & bring their ieas to life through doodling and visual thinking.
Mimi G started her blog as a hobby, and after her YouTube channel took off she launched a membership site with a series of courses teaching people how to sew.
A self-taught cake maker, Darlene started a blog about her love for creating amazing cakes, which has grown into a collection of courses on cake decoration techniques.
3: Health
After a bout of ill health Peta Shulman set up a health food business and has now branched out with an online course helping people transition to a whole food diet.
Set up by a group of therapists eager to improve on the mental healthcare system, Healbright offers online courses covering a range of subjects in mental wellbeing.
Steve Kamb has created a thriving community & set of courses focussed on helping self proclaimed 'nerds and average Joes' to loose weight, get fit & feel good.
Sally Twellmen has created a course helping people make big changes to their life & health through diet, meditation & cultivating a new mindset.
Long time friends Allison & Michelle have created this 12 day dairy detox course to help people get started with a vegan diet.
Deanne Love is a former primary school teacher turned hula hoop instructor teaching people all around the world how to spin a hoop for health & happiness.
After teaching in-person courses, Helen Plass has now created a handful of online courses supporting women through pregnancy, birth & early motherhood.
After many years in an Asian monestery, and at the request of one of his teachers, Burgs moved back to the UK to teach meditation via retreats & online courses.
After overcoming fatique, exhaustion & depression through practising Qigong, Sifu Anthony Korahais now teaches a range of Qigong courses online to help others.
Russel James teaches a range of beginner and advanced online courses on everything to do with raw food eating.
4: Lifestyle
Mariah Pastell lives off grid in a mobile eco trailer and she has created an online course to help people downsize and transition to a simpler life in tiny home.
Run by a team of nature enthusiasts, this school has a range of online courses focussed on nature connection, rewilding, foraging, tracking & more.
The Denning family, who 'world school' their 7 kids as they travel the world, have created a series of courses on homeschooling, travel & inspiring the life you want.
Justin Rhodes built a popular homesteading Youtube channel and has now created a membership site with lessons on keeping chickens, bees, & permaculture design.
Bob & Audrey Meisner help married couples to find deeper connection, work through their problems & enjoy a fulfilling married life through their online courses.
Hand in Hand have created a number of courses to assist parents in creating strong & loving connections with their children.
A mother to 8 children, Jennifer Roskamp has mastered the art of living frugally and has a handful of online courses teaching people how to live happily with less money.
Laura Morris has a YouTube channel and a series of 4 online course where she teaches people how to transfrom their home and life with Feng Shui.
Jackie Nourse has been travelling for more than 15 years and, after building a popular podcast, she now has a course about how to plan & travel on a budget.
Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist has created a 12-week online course designed to help people own less, live more, and discover the life they want to live.
5: Music
Rob teaches 2 online courses: one in percussion and another for aspiring musicians about how to successfully audition for orchestra jobs.
Scott Levine has created an online course with more than 100+ hours of step by step lessons on how to play bass guitar & a range of different bass techniques.
This online school teaches range of courses for music therapists, such as music therapy for autusim & music therapy to alleviate anxiety.
Bree Noble set up the female musician academy with lessons teaching women how to make a name for themselves in the Indie music industry.
A complete look at the production process from a song's beginning (songwriting and pre-production) to its completion (editing, mixing, and mastering).
A highly sought after vocal coach, David Lee Brewer has created an online course to make his teaching available to more people than he could ever work 1-on-1 with.
Created by music teacher David Brown, this online school teaches everything you need to learn to play the piano, from beginner to advanced.
Jane Cavannah has taught the flute for more than 22 years and has brought her expertise online with a series of courses on different flute techniques.
Henrique De Almeida is an expert drummer who has created a library of online courses for new and professional drummers.
A complete collection of lessons and courses from beginners to advanced, Nigel McGill has created a popular online school teaching how to play the saxaphone.
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So there you have it: 50 online course success stories & examples of everyday people creating online courses on everything from doodling to playing the saxophone!
As you can see, creating an online course can be a fantastic opportunity for bloggers, business owners, and hobbyists to showcase and share their knowledge with their audience.
Each of the teachers listed above started their businesses with a passion and and a wish to share that passion with others.
By sharing this knowledge online, they have been able to showcase themselves as experts in their fields, build supportive communities and make some good income.
From painting to virtual reality game developers, online courses can turn a hobby into a career, and turn a small business into one that can generate six figure incomes.
The thing that all these people have in common is that they took action and decided to share their skills & knowledge with the world.
If you're feeling inspired and have something you want to teach in an online course, I have a number of articles on this site which can help. Here's a few to begin with:
- How To Create An Online Course (Ultimate Beginners Guide)
- How To Choose An Online Course Topic That Sells
- How To Validate Your Online Course Idea
- How To Choose Your Online Course Platform
If you'd like to see what online courses actually look like on the 3 most popular online course platforms, then check out some examples here:
- Teachable Course Examples
- Kajabi Course Examples
- Thinkific Course Examples
Also, sign up to my email list for more free tips including this free eBook to help get you started:
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