Why I’m Refocusing on Courses - In a Time When Industry Voices Say Courses Are Dead
For the past few years, I’ve repeatedly heard the claim that people aren’t buying online courses anymore, particularly self‑study ones. That in the age of AI, information has become worthless, and unless you’re holding people’s hands through implementation, courses simply won’t sell.
I listened to the reasoning. I tested it. I followed the advice. And then, based on lived experience rather than hearsay, I changed my mind.
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How I Ended Up in the Online Course World
In November 2020, a month after renting a home on the Greek island of Evia, the second pandemic lockdown came into full force. In Greece, that meant everything was closed apart from supermarkets and chemists for over six months.
During that time, the online world started to feel like a warzone. Lockdowns, masks, vaccines. The polarisation was intense. I found myself spending far too many hours down rabbit holes. Astrology forecasts. Spiritual predictions. Trying to make sense of where everything was headed.
Then, after a particularly disturbing and irresponsible broadcast from someone I respected, I knew it was time to step back. I left the Facebook groups, stopped watching YouTube videos, and avoided the news, all in an effort to protect my nervous system and my peace.
What I did instead was channel my energy into developing some of my former live workshops into small, digestible self‑study courses.
I didn’t realise it at the time, but I was entering the online course market at its absolute peak. People were stuck at home and, like me, were looking for something useful to do with their time.
Six months later, I was earning around $1,800 per month in course sales, largely from writing blog articles. By the end of 2021, that number had grown to $10,000 per month.
A big contributor to those sales was a shift I made with my email list, moving away from an “anyone can join” model to one where only clients and students could subscribe. That one decision dramatically changed the quality of my audience and the way my courses were received.
When the Narrative Started to Shift
Throughout 2022, my courses continued to sell consistently. Then, as life returned to normal in 2023, sales did begin to slow.
At first, I assumed that this was only happening to me. But soon, I started hearing others speak about the same trend. People weren’t buying courses the way they had during the Covid years.
Around the same time I noticed a number of business coaches saying some version of “In the age of AI, people aren’t buying information anymore. They’re buying implementation.”
On the surface, this made sense. If people could ask ChatGPT anything, why would they buy a course?
So, in the spirit of experimentation, I closed enrolment to most of my tiny courses and merged two of them into a live program. It was gamified, included calls, and was designed to encourage accountability, completion, and implementation.
The program sold very well. Engagement was high. The students were great. And by the end of it, I was exhausted.
More importantly, the results students achieved were no better than when I had offered the same material as a self‑study course.
That’s when something important clicked.
What I No Longer Believe About Implementation
I stopped believing that people won’t buy courses unless you hold their hand through implementation.
I’ve seen many of my students not only complete self‑study courses, but genuinely obtain the results they were after — without needing live calls, accountability structures, or ongoing support.
For the people giving that advice, implementation support may genuinely be essential. But that doesn’t mean it’s universally true, or true for me.
I have a strong message, a clear way of thinking, and a brand built on discernment. People don’t come to my work because they need someone to chase them. They come because they resonate with how I think and how I do business. They want to engage with my ideas, not just anyones ideas.
And here’s what else I’ve noticed.
People who struggle with implementation tend to struggle with it across many areas of life, even when accountability and support are present. In those cases, the issue isn’t course design. There are other elements at play that sit well outside the scope of any program.
Sometimes, despite our best intentions, we sign up for things we simply can’t get to. Life happens. I’ve done this myself, and then returned to the material months, or even years, later when the timing was right.
Also, a few of my students told me quite plainly that the very tools designed to support implementation, such as progress boards and rewards for completing a milestone on time, actually stressed them out. They felt pressured, monitored, and unable to move at their own pace.
Not everyone wants to move as quickly as possible. The pave of implementation is highly individual.
The Emails That Made Me Pivot Back
In the months that followed, I started receiving emails asking when my self‑study courses would be available again. Not requests for more calls. Not demands for community spaces. They simply wanted to get on with it.
They didn’t need cheering on. They didn’t want to slow down to accommodate group pacing. They trusted themselves to engage with the material in their own way, in their own time.
That feedback affirmed what I knew to be true. .
So I slowly reintroduced my tiny courses in their original self‑study format. This time with a some human element that supported implementation without adding unnecessary layers or requiring me to be constantly present
This also allowed me to position my courses as a service rather than a digital product, avoiding the complexity of becoming an international sales tax collector.
As a result, my tiny courses started selling again, quietly, consistently, and without ongoing effort on my part. People discovered them through blog articles or YouTube videos, followed a thread of resonance, and made a considered decision.
Are People Really Not Buying Courses Anymore?
All through 2025, I continued to hear business coaches insist that people simply aren’t buying courses anymore. I listened. I reflected. And then I looked for evidence.
I couldn’t find it.
Not only are my tiny courses still selling, but I continue to buy courses from others myself. In fact, throughout 2025, I averaged roughly one course purchase per month, and many of them have played a meaningful role in my work and personal life.
What I feel has changed is not people’s willingness to learn through courses, what’s changed is tolerance for noise, pressure, and unnecessary complexity.
Where This Leaves Me Now
In 2026, I’m leaning further into building a passive marketing ecosystem that allows my work to be quietly discovered and chosen by the right people.
I’m continuing to offer my foundational course How To Market Quietly & Still Be Successful and my Human Design for Business courses.
I’m relaunching one of my most popular courses Create a Tiny Course, that helps you translate your expertise into an impactful course, so you create leveraged income and serve more people — without more client facing time.
And I am offering live calls and real time support inside my mastermind and Build Your Quiet Marketing Ecosystem.
Tiny courses aren’t dead. And people are still buying them. They just need to be designed and offered in a way that is sustainable and that clearly communicates their value to your ideal buyer.
Have a question or a takeaway from what I’ve shared here? Let’s chat in the comments ⤵
Danielle Gardner
The Quiet Marketer
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