THE VIFLY GUIDE · CHOOSE AN ACTIVITY
Teach a skill through a learning journey built around practice.
A useful course enables someone to do something they could not do before. Before recording hours of video, check that the problem exists and that your method actually helps solve it.
A clear offer.
An identified client.
A skill you can explain and demonstrate
Initial creation, assistance, revisions and updates.
BEFORE YOU START
Is this the right model
for you?
A relevant audience and proof of teaching ability; a large community alone is not enough.
An option to explore if.
You have mastered a skill, can demonstrate it and know how to explain the steps. You are willing to design exercises, address difficulties and keep the content up to date.
- A skill you can explain and demonstrate
- A learning progression and useful exercises
- Support and assessment that match the promise
Hold off for now if…
Postpone the project if your expertise consists only of automatically compiled content. An expensive course does not become legitimate because a tool can produce it quickly.
- Costs to plan for
- Significant design time; recording, hosting and support costs need to be calculated.
- Stock and delivery
- No physical stock; content to maintain and learners to support.
A CLIENT, A NEED, A DELIVERABLE
What exactly can you sell?
Example offers to adapt to your skills. None of these formats guarantees demand or a sale.
A practical workshop in a small group
People who share a practical difficulty.
A limited objective, a demonstration, practice time and feedback; access and follow-up terms stated.
A short, self-paced course
An audience able to work independently with a specific prerequisite.
Ordered lessons, resources, quizzes and a final project with explicit criteria.
A supported course
Learners who need feedback on their work.
A programme, assessed work and follow-up appointments with a realistic participant capacity.
FIND BUYERS BEFORE PRODUCING EVERYTHING
Where can you find your
first clients?
An audience is just one possible channel. A useful conversation with the right person often teaches you more than an untargeted post.
Ask the people concerned
Ask what they are trying to do, where they get stuck and which solutions they use. An expression of interest is not a sale: also check their availability and ability to pay.
Show a sample that helps people learn
Offer a demonstration or exercise that represents your teaching approach. The excerpt should help people assess the level, format and prerequisites without inventing a certification.
Start with a manageable group
Present the workshop to your relevant professional network or to a suitable community with its agreement. Explain the schedule, programme and any pilot status before taking payment for an enrolment.
Approach prospects with a relevant message and an easy opt-out. The rules differ by audience and channel: CNIL guidance ↗.
- 01
Express an observable skill
Write down what the learner will be able to do, for whom and with what prerequisites. Avoid general promises such as becoming an expert or earning a guaranteed income.
- 02
Test a workshop before a large catalogue
Prepare a short progression and a central exercise. Check understanding with a small audience and use their questions to identify the lessons actually needed.
- 03
Build and define the sale
Describe the programme, duration, support, access and terms. Check distance-selling rules and the formalities specific to vocational training when your activity falls within that scope.
- 04
Observe the results produced
Track completed exercises and difficulties, beyond videos watched. Plan corrections and updates; recorded content still requires work.
GUIDANCE, NOT PROMISES
What the figures tell us.
And what they do not tell you.
Market data, a statistical income measure and your sales scenario measure different things. Always keep the period and population beside the figure. The suggested actions alongside them are our editorial analysis.
2025 data · Eurostat
34,8 %of EU internet users have used online learning
Courses or learning materials used during the three months before the survey.
Free content is included. This figure does not represent the proportion of people buying courses.
Read the source and its scope ↗2026 Barometer · France Num
21 %of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises took digital training in 2025
A signal to assess against your expertise and a specific learning problem.
The survey does not state the budget paid to an independent trainer.
Read the source and its scope ↗We have not identified representative official national statistics that allow reliable comparisons of beginners' earnings from UGC, affiliate marketing, templates or subscription content. The simulator's amounts are therefore adjustable assumptions, rather than average earnings for these activities.
MAKE THE PROJECT'S ECONOMICS WORK
A sale does not become
your entire income.
Use the same period for every field: a pilot, a month or a launch. Start with sales actually received, after refunds and excluding VAT.
- Price × salesRevenue excluding VAT
- - purchases, tools, fees, advertising.Full costs
- − a reserve you chooseScenario balance
TEACHING EXAMPLE · NO GUARANTEED INCOME
- Revenue excluding VAT
- 960 €
- Balance after costs and reserve
- 520 €
- Balance per hour spent
- 13 €
Understand the starting example
Hypothetical example of a first cycle: 12 enrolments at 80 € generate 960 € in turnover. With 200 € in assumed costs and a hypothetical reserve of 240 €, or 25 % of turnover, the illustrative balance is 520 €. The 40 hours include creating this first version, promotion and learner support; sales are not assured.
This balance is not net income for tax purposes. The calculation determines neither social contributions due, income tax nor VAT. It does not replace a complete budget or a check of your applicable regime.
Check the framework for my activity ↗Include the cost of creation from the start, then decide how to spread it across several periods. This educational balance excludes differences in actual charges, personal income tax and VAT treatment; it is not net pay.
THE POINTS THAT CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING
What is best avoided.
A certificate of completion is not automatically a diploma, recognised qualification or professional certification.
If the service falls under vocational training, check the declaration of activity and associated obligations; Qualiopi and funding are subject to separate rules.
Plan for support requests, updates and access conditions after purchase.
Use only materials and examples that you are authorised to share with learners.
FROM THE MODEL TO AN UNDERSTANDABLE OFFER
VIFLY tools
that support this project.
Content attracts attention. The offer provides clarity. The journey guides people towards an action. Choose only the tools useful to your current stage.
Build the learning journey
Explore modules, lessons, quizzes, exercises and tracking tools in the VIFLY course studio.
See how it works ↗Plan support
Present the appointments associated with your offer if your format includes individual conversations.
See how it works ↗Show the sample and programme
Guide interested people towards your course presentation and its next step.
See how it works ↗BEFORE THE FIRST SALE
A professional framework
suited to your activity.
French guidance checked on the guide's verification date. The applicable regime depends on your profession, customers and circumstances; consult the sources and get help where needed.
Register and invoice
Choose the appropriate framework, check the formalities and organise quotes, invoices and payment tracking. Receiving payment online does not make the activity invisible.
Official procedures ↗Inform and respect the customer
Clarify the seller's identity, offer, price, deadlines and applicable rights. A digital product does not automatically exclude the right of withdrawal.
Online selling rules ↗Check the rules of the profession
Coaching does not remove the qualification requirements of a regulated activity. Vocational training has its own formalities; a platform does not create eligibility for funding.
Training requirements ↗ · Regulated professions ↗For data, prospecting and creative work: CNIL ↗, commercial influence ↗ and VIFLY AI guide.
QUESTIONS BEFORE CHOOSING
Straight answers.
Should I create the entire course before testing demand?
A limited workshop can test the teaching approach and demand before more substantial production. If you sell before delivery, clearly state the content, schedule and applicable terms.
Is every educational video vocational training?
The classification depends on the content, objective and framework of the service. Consult the official rules and the DREETS if your offer aims to develop professional skills.
Does an online course produce passive income?
It can be sold several times, but acquisition, support, possible refunds and updates remain necessary. Initial creation time must also be included in your calculation.
METHOD & SOURCES
Help with choosing,
with visible limitations.
Guide written by VIFLY and checked on 24 October 2026. Recommendations reflect editorial judgement. Calculations are hypothetical, and statistics retain their original period and scope. We do not give occupations profitability scores or present turnover as disposable income.
The links to studies and public authorities below contain no referral parameters added by VIFLY. VIFLY pages help you put the guidance into practice. To report an error or information that has changed, contact us.
View the guide's sources
- INSEE · self-employed income 2024 ↗30 June 2026
Economically active micro-entrepreneurs on 31 December 2024, France excluding Mayotte and agriculture. Online and offline activities, both main and supplementary.
- France Num · survey 2026 ↗Updated on 12 October 2026
A survey of 9 655 French micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Business practices, rather than service providers' earnings.
- FEVAD · ecommerce review 2025 ↗11 February 2026
The French market for products and services, including major players. Sector revenue, not an individual's margin.
- Eurostat · online learning 2025 ↗19 March 2026
European Union internet users, with usage during the three months before the survey. Free and paid resources combined.
- Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr · task scam ↗7 October 2026
Warning signs and procedures for victims of fake online jobs.
- DGCCRF · pyramid schemes and MLM ↗28 August 2025
The distinction between real sales and payments mainly linked to recruitment.
- Service Public · selling online ↗19 June 2026
Seller information, contracts, consumer rights and obligations according to the customer group.
- Service Public · training activity declaration ↗27 November 2025
Vocational training, formalities and the distinction from leisure courses.
- French Ministry for the Economy · commercial influence ↗Accessed on 24 October 2026
Transparency in commercial content and creators' responsibilities.
- CNIL · prospecting by email ↗Accessed on 24 October 2026
Consent, information and the right to object according to the audience and channel.
- DGCCRF · dropshipping responsibilities ↗Accessed on 24 October 2026
The seller remains responsible even when a supplier ships directly.
- Service Public · starting a business ↗Accessed on 24 October 2026
Formalities and a regime suited to the activity; check your personal circumstances.
- Ministry of the Economy · copyright and image rights ↗Accessed on 24 October 2026
Permissions and limits on using content.
- Service Public · regulated activities ↗Accessed on 24 October 2026
Qualifications and authorisations to check for the profession concerned.