creating A COURSE HAS BEEN ON YOUR TO-DO LIST LONG ENOUGH
The Strategist is an AI powered Claude skill that coaches you through every key course decision one box at a time so you stop spinning and start building with total confidence.
🧠 Six decisions. One conversation.
Sound Familiar?
You have a course idea. Maybe a great one. But every time you sit down to build it, the same questions derail you.
Who is this really for? Is the topic too broad? What should you charge? What do you even teach first? So you open a new tab. Then another. You spend 45 minutes reading articles that all say different things, close everything feeling more confused than when you started, and the course stays on your to-do list for another week.
And here's the part nobody talks about: even if you push through the confusion and build something, a course that started without a solid foundation tends to struggle. The messaging is fuzzy. Students buy it, do a module or two, and drop off after a module or two. You wonder what went wrong.
The problem is not that you don't know enough. The problem is that you're trying to make six big, connected decisions alone, without a framework, and without someone who knows how to teach.
You don't need more research.
You need TO finally get started.
Build It Fast.
Build It Right.
WATCH YOUR STUDENTS GET REAL RESULTS
The Strategist is a Claude skill built on the Key Decisions Playbook framework from The Effective Course Creator program. You install it once, open a conversation in Claude, and it coaches you through every foundational decision your course needs before you write a single lesson.
But here's what makes it different from a template or a prompt list: it's built around the same instructional design principles that make courses actually work. Not just get done. Work. Your decisions in The Strategist connect directly to your students' results later.
Think of it like this: A course that starts with the right foundation takes less time to build, is easier to sell, and gets your students better results. The Strategist makes sure you're starting from the right place, so everything you build from here sticks. And just to be clear: The Strategist is AI powered, not AI dependent. It uses Claude to do the heavy lifting on research and coaching. But the decisions? Those are yours. You stay in the driver's seat the whole time.
Good Decisions.
Real Results.
Most AI tools help you build faster. That's useful. But faster in the wrong direction is just faster to a course that doesn't work. The Strategist is built on 8 years of instructional design expertise — the same framework I use to help students create courses that actually get results.
AI is the tool. You are the brain. There's a big difference between an AI that does things for you and one that thinks alongside you. The Strategist is the second kind. It brings the research, the framework, and the coaching. You bring the expertise. Together you make decisions worth building on.
🎯
Decisions Drive Transformation
Every decision The Strategist walks you through, from your audience to your promise to your course format, feeds directly into how well your course transforms your students. This is not busy work. It is the foundation your results are built on.
📐
Proven Instructional Framework
The Key Decisions Playbook was developed from years of working with course creators as an educator with a master's degree in education. When you get these decisions right, your course is easier to build, clearer to market, and more effective for your students.
⭐
Your Students Actually Finish
Courses that start with a clear transformation in mind have students who complete them and rave about the results. That means better testimonials, stronger word of mouth, and a course you feel genuinely proud of selling again and again.
Speed matters. But so does building the right thing. The Strategist gives you a faster path forward, grounded in the decisions that make courses actually work.
Six Decisions.
One Conversation.
In order, one at a time, no skipping ahead — because these decisions build on each other.
01 Your Perfect Person
Define exactly who your course is for: their real problem, their deeper emotional struggle, what they've already tried, and what their life looks like on the other side. This is the decision that shapes every lesson you write.
02 Your Profitable Problem
Get clear on the specific problem your course solves and write your Profitable Promise Statement: "I help [who] solve [problem] so they can [result]." This is the sentence your whole course is built on and it tells you exactly what belongs in your curriculum and what doesn't.
03 Your Platform and Tools
The Strategist cuts through the research paralysis and gives you a clear framework for choosing your course platform and tech setup. No more comparing 14 options and closing your laptop in overwhelm.
04 Your Course Type
Mini-course, signature program, or something in between? This decision is based on your audience, your topic, and your goals — not whatever everyone else seems to be launching. The right format is the one that matches the transformation your students need.
05 Your Price
The Strategist runs live market research on your niche, looks at real competitors and pricing, and walks you through the decision based on actual data — not a random number you pulled from the air.
06 Your Course Name
Walk away with a course name and tagline that communicate the transformation clearly. Not just something that sounds good — something that makes your ideal student stop scrolling and say "that's exactly what I need."
SIMPLE BY DESIGN
How It Works
Install the Skill
Download The Strategist file and install it in Claude (I'll walk you through it). It takes about two minutes. You only do it once.
Start the Conversation
Tell The Strategist your course topic. It immediately runs live market research on your niche - competitors, real pricing, how your audience describes their pain — and shares everything before you fill in a single box.
Walk Away With Your Plan
The Strategist compiles every answer into a complete Key Decisions document. Six decisions made. Every answer in one place. A foundation you can actually build from (and that your students will feel from day one.)
This Is For You If...
✓
You have real expertise and paying clients and you're ready to package what you know into a course that actually gets your students results.
✓
You've started your course before and got stuck. Usually at "who is this actually for?" or "what should I charge?" You need a clear system this time.
✓
You want AI to help you make better decisions, not just hand you a generic template to fill in. There's a big difference and you know it.
✓
You care about your students actually getting results — not just buying your course. You want to build something you're proud to sell again and again.
✓
You're not super techy but you're willing to learn. You want beginner-friendly guidance and zero overwhelm. That's exactly how this is built.
✓
You're done researching and ready to commit to a direction. You just need the right foundation and someone to think it through with you.
This is not for you if...
You're not ready to make real decisions and commit to a direction. The Strategist will coach you through every question — but it can't want this for you. You still have to show up and do the work.
Hey! I'm Kristin
I'm a former teacher with a master's degree in education. For the past 7 years I've been helping online business owners create courses that actually work — meaning their students finish them, get results, and come back for more.
I didn't just stumble into course creation. I have a real educational background, and I've spent years applying those principles to the online course world. I know what makes a course stick and what makes it fall flat. And the number one thing I see? Courses that started without a solid foundation...fuzzy audience...unclear transformation...wrong format for the topic...it all traces back to the decisions you made (or skipped) at the very beginning.
The Strategist walks you through the exact framework I walk every student through. Over 1,900 students. Eight years of refinement. The Strategist puts that same coaching into a Claude skill you can use today — so you start building on a foundation that actually holds.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Real Results From Real Course Creators.
"I sold OVER 24 spots in my Mamatography class! To say I'm a happy client of Kristin's is an understatement. She has been BEYOND helpful, uplifting, and exactly what I needed to get my course off the ground."
Brittney E Photography,
Photographer
"It was so powerful to be able to tap into Kristin's insights and expertise — with someone who actually knows what they're talking about when it comes to building a course that works. I'm really excited for the changes we made."
Cynthia Samanian, Culinary Creator
"I enrolled 17 students in my first course launch. I am so glad I decided to join the Effective Course Creator program. I have completed and presented my course and the feedback has been amazing."
Ida Lee Henderson, School of Production Accounting
"It was incredibly helpful to have Kristin help me with finalizing my modules, answering my questions, and propelling me forward with excitement and clarity. I finally feel like I can do this!"Karla Weaver, Homeschool Coach
READY TO GET FINALLY STARTED?
Simple Pricing.
One Decision Away.
$97 gets you The Strategist skill, ready to install in Claude today. One session and you'll have every key decision made.
(Beta Pricing Good Until June 30)
Questions? Email support@kristinmaahs.com
Questions? Good.
What exactly is a Claude skill?
A Claude skill is a custom file you install directly in Claude.ai. Once it's installed, The Strategist is available in any Claude conversation. It gives Claude a very specific job — coaching you through your Key Decisions the same way I would if we were face to face over zoom.
Do I need a paid Claude account?
According to Claude you don't need a paid account, but I find that because of the nature of this work, a pro account is needed. That's currently around $20 per month — (go verify the current price at claude.ai before purchasing, as pricing can change.) If you're serious about using AI in your business, it's worth every penny.
I already have a course idea. Do I still need this?
Probably yes. Most course creators think they know their idea — then discover halfway through the build that their audience is fuzzy, their price doesn't match the format, or their transformation statement isn't clear enough to sell. The Strategist catches those problems early, before they cost you months of rework and students who don't finish.
How long does one session take?
Most people work through all 6 decisions in one focused session — usually 60 to 90 minutes. You can also pause and come back. The skill stays installed in Claude and picks up whenever you're ready.
What does "live market research" mean?
At the start of your session, The Strategist searches the web for competitors in your niche, real pricing, and how your audience actually describes their problems. It shares everything it finds with you before you fill in a single box. You don't have to do that research yourself.
Why does the foundation matter so much for student results?
Because everything in your course flows from these decisions. Who you're talking to shapes your lesson structure. Your transformation statement shapes what belongs in the curriculum and what doesn't. Your format shapes how students experience the content. When these are off, even a well-built course can underperform. Get them right, and the rest of the build gets a lot easier.
Is this part of a bigger program?
Yes. The Strategist is Team Member 1 in the Effective Course Creator Ai Playbook — a complete suite of 7 AI specialists that cover every step of building and launching a course. (Coming September 2026.) You can start here and upgrade later, and your $197 applies as a credit toward the full program. (Note price increases June 30.)
Is this just AI doing everything for me?
No. The Strategist uses AI to run live market research and coach you through each decision, but it doesn't make the decisions for you. It asks the right questions, surfaces real data, and helps you think it through. You're the expert on your topic. The Strategist just makes sure you're asking the right questions before you build.
Stop Guessing.
the Right Course.
One session with The Strategist and you'll have every key decision made — and a foundation designed to get your students real results. No more stalling. No more starting over.
