For the next few episodes, Course Lab is going beyond the design of courses and diving deep into the platforms that host them. We are talking with industry leaders about their vision of the future and what that means for you as a course creator. Today, we feature Greg Smith, co-founder and CEO of Thinkific, an all-in-one software platform designed to help people create online courses and memberships.

In this episode, Danny, Abe and Greg discuss industry trends and incredible opportunities available for niche educators. The future of education seems to be trending in a way that puts the student at the helm, as opposed to standardized experts. That trend is creating enormous opportunities for those who have knowledge to share and a passion for sharing it.

Thinkific has just released a trends report covering the creator economy titled Closing the Gap. This report features unprecedented insights about the creator economy—who is excelling within it, and what’s in store for the space. Here is your access to the free, full report, eLearning Trends | Thinkific.

In this episode we discuss:

• How community integrates into the learning experience and how it can change the sales funnel.
• The future of diverse niches and the opportunities it presents.
• Opportunities available for serious course builders and hobbyists.
• Where is the market saturated and where are the still-golden opportunities?
• Danny and Abe’s debrief.

“You can go more and more narrow with a niche, or you can go deeper and deeper with the transformation, and in both cases, the shallow and wide is where it’s very saturated.” ”

“I think more and more, we’re seeing people niche down and be more comfortable teaching from their own perspective, from their own background, giving their own slant on a topic, or teaching it a certain way, and I think that helps move us away from any kind of saturation.”

Greg Smith

Greg Smith is the Founder and CEO of Thinkific, the leading platform for creating, marketing and selling online courses and membership sites. Greg is passionate about helping entrepreneurs create or grow a business around their own passions, knowledge or skills.

Prior to launching Thinkific, Greg was a corporate lawyer for one of the largest law firms in the country. During this time, he launched an online course as a side project, which allowed him to share his passion and expertise with thousands around the world. Revenues from his course soon surpassed his salary as a lawyer.

Since then, Greg and his team at Thinkific have grown to power the courses for over tens of thousands of people in 190 countries, which have taught millions of students.

When he’s not empowering knowledge entrepreneurs, Greg can be found kiteboarding, sitting around a campfire, playing board games, and spending time with his wife, daughter and son.

Resources or websites mentioned in this episode:
Mirasee 
Greg’s website
Greg’s LinkedIn
eLearning Trends | Thinkific

Credits:
Guest: Greg Smith
Hosts: Danny Iny & Abe Crystal 
Producer: Cynthia Lamb 
Executive producer: Danny Iny
Assembled by: Geoff Govertsen
Audio Post Supervisor: Evan Miles, Christopher Martin
Audio Post Production: Post Office Sound
Music soundscape: Chad Michael Snavely

Music and SFX credits: 
Track Title: Bossa BB
Artist Name(s): Marie
Writer Name: Chelsea McGough
Publisher Name: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

Track Title: Grace
Artist Name(s): Shimmer
Writer Name: Matthew Wigton
Publisher Name: BOSS SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONS

Track Title: Carousel Lights
Artist Name(s): Chelsea McGough
Writer Name: Chelsea McGough
Writer Name: Matthew Wigton
Publisher Name: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION
Publisher Name: BOSS SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONS

Track Title: Coo Coos
Artist Name(s): Dresden, The Flamingo
Writer Name: Matthew Wigton
Publisher Name: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION