In recent years we have seen a meteoric rise in the number of online courses being delivered.

It makes sense when you think about it. Everyone knows something about something. It’s just a matter of getting the content organized in a way that others will find valuable and the marketing it accordingly.

Sure, you could go the Udemy route, but you might be wasting your time depending on your goals.

In most cases people want to build a small business around their online courses, and the vast majority of course creators have honest intentions. They have a solution that helps others and they look to be (rightfully) compensated.

But there is an unfortunate “dark side” to the online course business. It’s not unique to this industry but it is important to recognize that it does exist.

There are people and organizations who will sell you online courses purely on hype. Their promises and intentions are shady at best. I am sure you have seen what I am talking about.

Courses that over-emphasize obtaining “easy money” (no such thing), “working a couple hours a week” (no such thing), or “done for you” methodology (no such thing) don’t have your interests as a priority. They want to sell you on a pipe-dream to get your money.

These kind of offerings exist in many different niches, but probably the most guilty industries are online business, marketing (paid advertisements and search engine optimization), and health & beauty.

Now to be clear: there are legitimate programs in these areas. For example, DigitalMarketer.com puts out some fantastic online marketing training on a regular basis (and a ton of valuable free content).

I understand that most of you reading this know that if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.

However, we are all human and susceptible to our moments of weakness. This article is just a quick reminder to be strong and to trust your instincts! 🙂