Stephanie Obi is an online course launch strategist who helps women create and sell profitable courses. Over the last six years, Stephanie has helped to bring digital entrepreneurship to Nigeria, empowering women to take ownership of their own wealth. Her clients have used her framework to clarify their course ideas, launch irresistible courses, and impact lives in a transformational way. To find out more about her work, you can visit www.stephanieobi.com.

Q: What's your background, and what are you working on?

I have a Bsc in Computer Science and an MBA but eight years ago, I got interested in organising training programs. It started as an experiment. I started by hosting workshops where I would teach young women how to start an accessories business.

This was a topic I was very passionate about because I had run a part time accessories business since my second year in the university. I saw how empowering it was to have a business and I wanted to show other women how to get started.

When I started to market my workshops online, a lot of people who were not living in my city were interested in the training and this inspired me to launch an online course so that they could watch the training from wherever without having to travel to my location.

When I started to see the impact my online course was having in the lives of women all across the world, I decided to go full time on my online course business and to create more courses.

After launching a series of successful online courses, people started to reach out to me to ask me how I was successfully creating and selling my online courses, and this led me to what I’m now working on.

I have a 90 day program that teaches entrepreneurs how to create and sell profitable online courses, called Course Launched Delivered

We’ve trained hundreds of women already and we’re still trying to scale up our impact. Very recently, I got awarded with the Beta Gamma Sigma Award for Entrepreneurial Achievement and I’m very excited to see that the impact of our work being recognized.

Q: What motivated you to get started with TrainQuarters?

When I started helping women entrepreneurs to create online courses, I started to notice that they were struggling with the tech.

When I created my first online course, I didn’t have an issue with tech because I had a tech background and I was not intimidated by all the different platforms, but my clients were not like me.

They were struggling with all the different tech tools they had to learn and this stopped them from launching their online courses.

They became my inspiration. I decided to create a very easy to use online course platform that won’t overwhelm them so that they can get their message into the world and this is really how TrainQuarters was born.

Q: How have you attracted clients and grown your company?

I’ve attracted clients by nurturing an online community and listening to what they need help with.

There was a time when I used to be focused on what I thought they needed, but when I started listening to them and helping them to get to where they wanted to go, it became easier to get clients.

I’ve also leveraged social media, I create free content all the time, I’m consistently growing my email list, offering free webinars and executing launch campaigns that will convert my followers into clients.

I’ve also found that as I share my stories, people connect with me emotionally and decide to sign up for my online course because they see a bit of themselves in me.

Q: What are your goals for the future?

Our goal is to continue to help female entrepreneurs to create, sell and scale their online courses through our signature online course, and our tech platform, TrainQuarters.

The reason this is so important to us is because an online course is a more scalable way of impacting lives and helping people get results.

If more entrepreneurs are successful with their online courses, a lot more people will get the tools they need to actually improve their businesses, relationships, health, etc.

Q: What are the biggest challenges you've faced and obstacles you've overcome?

My biggest challenge became my biggest opportunity.

When I transitioned from my 9-5 to pursue my business full time, it was incredibly difficult for me to be profitable in the first two years.

I didn’t know how to consistently attract customers to sign up for my online course and after a while, I began to doubt myself and I wondered whether I really made the right decision.

It was really tough to remain in business because my business was not earning enough money and I had used up all of my savings.

When the turning point came and I finally learnt how to attract customers, it helped me to understand where other course creators are struggling and how to help them.

My mess became my message.

Q: What's your advice for female founders who are just starting out?

Get help as soon as you can. There are many things you’ll have to figure out and it can get exhausting when you keep trying out things that don’t work. There are no self made people anywhere. If you want to grow, get a tribe of supporters.