I’m all about learning and expanding skills and absorbing knowledge, and I even have a personality test that proves it. 😉 Courses can be a great way to learn and advance your business. HOWEVER, you do need to be smart and not get into a buying frenzy when it comes to courses. I know so many boss ladies who have invested thousands in courses that have never been completed or used. So I wanted to share with you just a few questions to consider before pressing that next buy button.

Is it directly related to your current goals?

Are you buying the course because it relates to your current goals, or building skills you need right now? OR Is just something you think you MIGHT need in the future? Maybe a little FOMO action happening?

Unless it applies to what you need right now for your skill set or your business, it’s best to hold off on pressing buy. There are so many different directions and things you can focus on when building your business; it’s not helpful to add something else to your plate you can’t use immediately. It’s not a good investment to take hours on something you have no plan to execute.

Trust me, it will be offered again, and if not by that person there is someone else out there offering the same thing. It’s true!

What are your expectations from the course?

Related to the question above but also important to consider separately. It’s easy to get blinded by the flashy emails and buy now button, so stop and consider the following:

Have you taken time to evaluate if this course is going to give you the skill/knowledge/tools to reach the goal you think it matches?

What is your learning style? And does it match your needs? Not everyone works well without direct feedback or opportunities for plenty of questions.

Is there an accountability aspect to the course that encourages you to keep going? What are “extras” offered beyond the course material? What kind of medium is the course material?

All of the above questions are important to determine if a course REALLY meets your needs. Again, if this one course does not check all your boxes, I’m sure you can find something that is a better fit. Do your RESEARCH!

How many other courses have you bought and not completed?

Do you maybe have a course buying problem? Recognizing you have a problem is the first step 🙂 Honestly, if you buy you should be completing them, period.

But my criteria for a “problem” would be if you have more than 3 courses you bought and have not completed. You need to set a limit for yourself and set aside time to take advantage of what you are already buying. Continuing adding to the pile without using them is just throwing money away.

Have you set aside time to complete that course?

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. You can’t take on something new without giving something up. So when you sign on for a course, you need to figure out how you are going to make time to complete that course.

Do NOT buy a course without considering the time commitment and scheduling in the time to take that course as soon as you hit buy. Not taking this step is one of the best ways to guarantee that course is going straight to your closet of never completed courses.

Would your problem be better solved through customized help?

Are you trying to solve a problem in your business with the course? The issue with trying to solve a particular problem with a course is that it’s not going to give you a customized solution. If you want to learn how to get started with Facebook ads then yes a course will most likely give you that answer. However if you are looking to understand the best platform to invest advertising dollars into, it’s not going to be your answer because it’s only for that platform and it’s not geared towards your target market. You would be better off investing in a customized social media strategy.

There are a lot of boss ladies I’ve talked to that have invested thousands in courses never completed that would have been a lot better off investing in one-on-one help. They would have gotten that problem taken care with less money and less of a time investment.

Always consider if a customized, personalized solution might be a better fit.

Again, I’m not bashing courses! I just want to make sure all my fellow bosses are making smart investments because I do know how shiny and flashy the buy button can seem. Just remember before you hit buy, a course is not always your best solution.

While we are on the topic of customized, personalized solutions, I do want to remind you that I offer a variety of packages that might just fit your business struggles. The core of my packages are problem-solving, customized solutions to YOUR business struggles.

Need a little help sorting out your focus for your next 90-days in your business? Grab the 90-Day Focused Action Plan Worksheet. Before you buy that course, is it part of your strategic focus?