Top 5 Essential Tools for Creating an Outstanding Online Course

Create your online programme that allows you to reach more people, make a bigger impact, and generate recurring income using these tools.

Written by

Jackie Van Baren

Published on

September 28, 2024
In: Online Course Creation

In my recent conversations with experienced women in business—hairdressers, financial advisors, physiotherapists—it’s become clear that they all share a common goal: to stop trading their time for money and to start leveraging their skills and knowledge in a way that scales. The question is, how do you achieve that without feeling overwhelmed?

I’ve been helping coaches and business owners for over a decade to create online programmes that allow them to reach more people, make a bigger impact, and generate recurring income. But to do that successfully, you need the right tools. If you’re ready to take your business to the next level and craft an online course or programme, here are the top five tools I recommend:

1. Kajabi: Your All-in-One Course Platform

Kajabi is the foundation for many of the successful online programmes I’ve helped create. It allows you to host your course, manage your community, and even run your marketing campaigns—all from one platform. With Kajabi, you won’t need to juggle multiple systems; everything is centralised to make your life easier.

Whether you’re a hairdresser offering online tutorials, a financial advisor running workshops, or a physiotherapist sharing wellness programmes, Kajabi provides an intuitive platform to house your content.

2. Stripe: Simplifying Payment Processing

One of the biggest hurdles when transitioning to an online business is figuring out how to collect payments smoothly and securely. That’s where Stripe comes in. It integrates seamlessly with Kajabi (and other platforms), so you can accept payments globally, whether you’re selling courses, memberships, or coaching packages.

3. Loom: Recording Made Simple

Every online programme needs quality video content, but that doesn’t mean you need to be a video production expert. Loom is my go-to for recording lessons, demonstrations, and personalised feedback for students. Its ease of use allows you to focus on the content, not the tech.

4. Canva: Designing Course Materials

First impressions matter, especially online. Canva is an easy tool for designing professional-looking course materials—whether it’s a branded workbook, presentation, or social media graphics. You don’t need to hire a graphic designer to create polished materials that reflect your expertise.

5. Zoom: Hosting Live Sessions

Even if your program is self-paced, adding live elements like Q&A sessions or workshops can boost engagement. Zoom is perfect for hosting live classes, client consultations, or virtual networking events. And the best part? You can record these sessions and repurpose them as additional content for your course.

So, what do you say, ready to build a scalable business?

By leveraging tools like Kajabi, Stripe, Loom, Canva, and Zoom, you can easily create a course or programme that not only shares your expertise with a wider audience but also generates recurring income. These tools help streamline the process so that you can focus on what you do best—sharing your knowledge and helping others succeed.

It’s completely understandable if all this seems a little overwhelming. There are so many components to get your head around (properly)!

Over the coming weeks and months, I’ll be sharing the best bits of what I know so you can learn and grow alongside me. Stay tuned for the next update… coming soon!