Often new course creators come to the table with a couple ideas that feel TOTALLY different. Nora, an accountant, is debating teaching a course on Excel spreadsheets—or one on acrobatic yoga. Lin, a professional photographer, might teach a course on video editing—although she loves making epic party food and wonders about teaching a course on nachos. Ankur, the CEO of Teachable, might teach a course on app development—but he'd also love to share his love of Cricket. (Hi, Ankur!)

Notice a trend? One topic is usually something you feel you should do—the smart option. And the other is something that sounds like a dream to you—the adventurous option. There's not one clear answer here. The truth is, something different might make sense for everyone, and you'll have to decide which route to take. That said, if you're having trouble deciding what course topic to focus on, these questions should help you decide.

• Which course idea is the easiest, fastest and least expensive for you to create?
  • When you pick something, easy, fast and inexpensive to create, that means you are taking away some of the blockers that could prevent you from making progress.
• Which course idea will you enjoy the most?
  • When you pick one that you enjoy the most, you are more likely to be able to have energy and motivation to keep doing this.
• Which course idea aligns with your long-term goals?
  • When you pick a topic that aligns with your goals, it means you are more likely to sustain a business around it.