The Power of Niche: A Tailor’s Journey to Course Clarity

When you’ve spent decades mastering your craft, it’s natural to want to share every ounce of that knowledge.

This was precisely the case with our client, an expert tailor with over 30 years of experience. He was eager to create an online course covering the entire art of tailoring, from basic alterations for beginners to advanced bespoke suit-making techniques for seasoned professionals.

Two key motivations drove his vision: leaving a lasting legacy and generating passive income as he prepared for retirement.

However, there was a fundamental problem—his course concept was far too broad.

Trying to cater to everyone is a fast track to confusing your audience and diluting your message. Instead of inspiring and engaging learners, it creates a sense of overwhelm. The result? A course that misses the mark.

What he needed was clarity and focus.

That’s where we stepped in.

The Challenge – Too Much, Too Soon

 The client's initial vision was ambitious—multiple classes covering various tailoring topics.

At first glance, it seemed impressive. But beneath the surface, a serious issue emerged.

Without a clear target audience or central theme, the course risked becoming an overwhelming labyrinth of information. It lacked direction, making it hard for learners to connect or know where to start.

This is a challenge we encounter often.

Many experts believe that sharing their knowledge will make their course more valuable. They equate comprehensiveness with success. However, this approach often leads to confusion rather than engagement.

Unfortunately, this often backfires. Without a specific group to serve, the message gets lost.

If potential students can’t immediately see how a course is relevant to their needs, they will move on.

Our tailor's challenge was to narrow his focus and speak directly to the people who would most benefit from his expertise.

The Solution – Finding a Niche

To help the client move forward, we recommended a strategy focused on defining his audience and understanding their core challenges.

 The plan he was to follow looked like this:

1. Identify the Target Audience

We needed to clarify who this course was really for. After some discussion, fashion design students emerged as an ideal fit.

They would likely value his expertise and benefit from practical, hands-on techniques not often taught in university programs.

2. Understand Pain Points

Next, we explored the struggles these students faced:

• Lack of access to mentors with real-world experience.
• A need for clear, actionable steps to master tailoring skills.

The course could provide tangible value and stand out by addressing these pain points.

3. Develop a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

We crafted a compelling USP:
"Learn the art of tailoring from a 30-year veteran with insider tips to fast-track your skills."

This positioned the course as a trusted resource built on decades of real-world experience.

The Framework – 5 Phases of Course Development

We outlined a five-phase course creation framework to simplify the process and give the client a clear roadmap. While others typically describe three phases, our five-phase structure provided focus, breaking the journey into manageable steps in the key areas. Five phases is no more work than three. It simply segments activities into cleaner, more digestible steps.

 Phase 1: Planning

Like most things in life, sound planning is essential.

This phase focuses on creating a strong foundation. Activities include:

• Defining the course objectives and learning outcomes.
• Identifying the core audience and their needs.
• Researching competitors to understand gaps in the market.
• Outlining modules and the overall content flow.

A solid plan helps prevent scope creep and ensures the course stays aligned with its goals.

 Phase 2: Designing

This phase is where the course structure takes shape. Mapping out the details of each module and lesson. Key activities include:

• Developing a detailed syllabus.
• Deciding on formats (video lessons, PDFs, quizzes, etc.).
• Designing branding elements, such as visuals and tone of voice.

The focus here is on creating an engaging, logical progression for learners.

 Phase 3: Creating

Now, the content comes to life. This is often the most time-intensive phase, involving:

• Recording videos and developing course materials.
• Editing and enhancing content with graphics and animations.
• Writing scripts, handouts, and supplemental resources.

It’s essential to test the content to ensure it’s accessible and user-friendly across different devices.

 Phase 4: Publishing

Once the content is complete, it's time to upload and configure the course on the chosen platform—Kajabi in this case. Activities include:

• Organizing modules and resources.
• Setting up navigation and student dashboards.
• Performing technical checks to ensure a smooth user experience.

This is also when key pages, like the sales page and course introduction, are created.

 Phase 5: Promoting

With the course live, the next step is marketing. Even the best content needs a strong promotional strategy to attract students. Activities include:

• Developing email and social media campaigns.
• Offering free lead magnets to build interest.
• Engaging early students to collect feedback and testimonials.

Consistent marketing efforts are essential to build momentum and sustain enrollments.

Whilst phases 1 to 4 follow in sequence, some activities in phase 5 can be carried out whilst working on the other four.

 Progress and Clarity

With a structured plan and a clear audience, the client is now on a much stronger path.

He’s working through the phases of course creation with renewed confidence.

He's reduced the overwhelm of trying to do too much at once by narrowing his focus.

This progress is a reminder of how powerful niche targeting can be.

Key Lessons for Course Creators

Here’s what you can take away from this client’s journey:

• Don’t try to teach everything to everyone. Focus on solving specific problems for a defined group.
• Follow a structured process. Breaking your course into phases helps prevent overwhelm and keeps you on track.
• Use the right tools. Platforms like Kajabi streamline both the creation and marketing of your course.

Final Thoughts

Are you facing similar challenges with your course idea? Whether you’re an expert tailor or a thought leader in another field, the key to success is clarity.

Define your audience, understand their needs, and create a course that speaks directly to them.

Take the first step—start mapping your course strategy today. You have the knowledge; now, it's time to ensure the audience does, too.