Goal of this Lesson:
Help you understand why we’re using this specific set of tools and how each piece plays a role in your course-selling machine — all without the expensive recurring monthly cost (minus hosting).
🎯 The Big Idea
Most course platforms are expensive and locked down. You pay $100/month (or more), and still don’t fully own your website, your student data, or your content delivery.
In this course, you’ll build your own version of those tools — using free (or ultra-low-cost if you want some extra features) to software that you control.
Here’s the stack we’ll use, and what each part does:
🧱 1. WordPress (Foundation)
Your website runs on WordPress — the most popular website builder in the world. It’s:
Free and open source
Supported by thousands of plugins
Flexible enough to build anything
Fully yours to control and customize
🎨 2. Astra Theme (Design Framework)
Astra gives your site a clean, fast, and mobile-friendly design with:
No bloat
Easy customization
Perfect integration with Elementor
🧲 3. Elementor (Drag & Drop Page Builder)
Elementor is how we build your pages. It lets you:
Drag and drop sections, headlines, videos, buttons, and more
Design pages without touching code
Customize everything visually
🛒 4. WooCommerce (Payment System)
WooCommerce turns your WordPress site into a store. We’ll use it to:
Sell your course as a product
Accept payments via Stripe or PayPal
Send order confirmation emails
Handle checkout and purchase protection
🔁 5. FunnelKit (Sales Funnel Builder)
FunnelKit helps you build a sales funnel — a guided path that turns visitors into buyers. With it, you can:
Build a landing page → checkout → thank you page flow
Add order bumps, upsells, and custom offers
Customize the checkout experience
We’ll use the free version, and it’s more than enough.
📬 6. FluentCRM (Email System)
FluentCRM lets you send emails directly from your WordPress dashboard. You can:
Collect leads and build your list
Send automated email sequences
Tag and segment users
Send one-time broadcasts
No third-party email tool needed — it all runs on your site.
🎓 7. LMS Options (You Choose)
You get two ways to deliver your course:
Option 1: Tutor LMS (Free Version)
Built-in lesson structure
Progress tracking, quizzes, and student dashboard
Option 2: My Custom CRM Method
Uses regular WordPress pages and posts
Fully flexible and easier for simple courses
Includes built-in tracking and progress (you’ll see how)
You’ll get a full walkthrough of both — and you can choose what fits your style best.
📹 8. Presto Player + Video Hosting Options
To deliver your course videos, we’ll use Presto Player along with your choice of hosting:
On-Site Hosting – upload videos to your own WordPress site (best for short videos + small traffic)
Bunny.net – low-cost, high-speed video CDN (just a few cents per GB)
Unlisted YouTube (optional) – quick, but can show the video url.
Presto Player gives you:
Clean, unbranded video players
Playback speed controls
Chapter markers
Protection from downloading
🧠 Why This Stack Works So Well
🔓 You own everything (no platform lock-in)
💸 You save money (under $5/month to run)
🧰 You stay flexible (customize anything you want)
🚀 You stay in control (no surprise shutdowns or pricing changes)
✅ What to Do Before the Next Lesson
That’s your tech stack.
Later, I’ll show you how to install and activate each of these tools on your WordPress site.