How This CNA Made $3,400 Selling a Mini Course About Basic Elderly Care

The Real-Life Case Study That’s Inspiring Other Healthcare Workers to Start Online Businesses

You’ve probably heard that people are making money online, but what about CNAs—Certified Nursing Assistants? Is it really possible to go from bedside care to building a digital product that earns real income?

The answer is yes.

In this case study, you’ll learn exactly how Jasmine, a full-time CNA with no marketing background, launched a simple mini course on basic elderly care and made over $3,400 in three months—working part-time and using only her laptop, some free tools, and a few beginner-friendly platforms like Bluehost, Square, and Constant Contact.

This isn’t a story about overnight success. It’s about taking what you already know, packaging it the right way, and building a business that can grow over time.

Let’s walk through her story—step by step.

Meet Jasmine: A CNA Who Wanted Something More

Jasmine had been working as a CNA for eight years in both nursing homes and private homes. She loved helping seniors and building trust with families, but the long hours and emotional stress were taking a toll.

She didn’t want to leave healthcare—but she needed a second stream of income that wouldn’t burn her out.

One day, she googled “how to make money online as a CNA” and found a few articles about selling digital products and creating mini courses.

She had never taught anything before, never built a website, and had zero online business experience.

But she knew elderly care. And she knew that thousands of people were out there searching for help—family caregivers, new CNAs, and even home health agencies.

So she gave herself a 30-day challenge: Create and sell her first online mini course.

Step 1: Choosing Her Course Topic

Jasmine made a list of what she knew best:

• How to communicate with confused seniors

• How to clean and change patients properly

• How to prepare meals for older adults

• How to create a daily care routine

• How to talk to family members about care

After reviewing caregiving groups on Facebook and forums like Reddit, she noticed a common question.

That was her lightbulb moment. She decided to create a course called:

“Essentials of Elderly Home Care: A Beginner’s Guide for Family Caregivers”

Step 2: Creating the Mini Course (In Just 2 Weeks)

Jasmine kept it simple. She planned her course to include:

• 5 short video lessons (each under 10 minutes)

• 2 downloadable PDFs (a daily care checklist and a bathroom safety guide)

• 1 short quiz to reinforce learning

• A certificate of completion for family caregivers

Tools Jasmine Used to Build It:

• Google Slides – For the video lesson content

• Loom – To record her screen and voice

• Canva – To create the checklist and certificate

• Google Docs – For the written lesson summaries

The entire course was saved in Google Drive folders. She then uploaded her course materials to a private section of her website.

Total time to build the course: 12 daysTotal cost: $0 (She only used free tools at this stage.)

Step 3: Setting Up Her Website with Bluehost

Jasmine didn’t want to host her course on a crowded platform like Udemy. She wanted to own her website and brand.

She signed up for Bluehost and followed the simple steps:

1. Registered her domain: CaringAtHomeCourse.com

2. Used Bluehost’s 1-click WordPress install

3. Chose a clean blog/course theme

4. Added key pages:  – Home  – About Jasmine  – Course Info  – Contact  – Blog

She also added a “Buy Now” button that linked to a payment page powered by Square (more on that below).

Within 48 hours, she had a professional site that explained her offer clearly, with space to grow in the future.

Step 4: Getting Paid with Square

Jasmine didn’t want to deal with invoicing or complex e-commerce tools. She just needed a way to accept payments safely and easily.

She created a free Square account and set up a product checkout page:

• Product name: “Essentials of Elderly Home Care”

• Price: $59

• Description: What’s included in the course

• Confirmation email with link to course login page

Customers paid with credit card, and Square deposited funds directly into her account.

This made it easy for Jasmine to stay organized and professional, even with a small audience.

Step 5: Growing an Email List with Constant Contact

Rather than chasing followers on social media, Jasmine focused on building an email list of people genuinely interested in home caregiving.

She signed up for Constant Contact and created:

• A free opt-in offer: “Daily Elder Care Checklist (PDF)”

• An email welcome series:  – Email 1: Welcome and download link  – Email 2: A personal story from Jasmine’s CNA career  – Email 3: Tips for creating a safer home environment  – Email 4: Introduction to the full mini course

She added signup forms on her blog and homepage, and used Constant Contact’s automation features to send emails without doing the work manually.

After 3 weeks, she had 212 subscribers.

Within 5 weeks, her email list generated her first 14 sales.

Step 6: Promoting the Course (Without Social Media Ads)

Jasmine didn’t want to run paid ads—so she relied on grassroots methods to get traffic to her course:

• She joined 5 Facebook Groups for family caregivers and shared free tips (with permission from admins)

• She answered questions on Quora and Reddit, linking to her blog posts

• She created 10 Pinterest pins using Canva that linked back to her course landing page

• She emailed local home care agencies and senior centers offering a free preview of the course

She didn’t go viral, but the traffic added up—especially because her website and email list were set up to convert visitors into buyers.

Jasmine’s 90-Day Results

By staying consistent and focused on one product, Jasmine hit her first milestone faster than expected.

Here’s what she earned in her first 3 months:

• Total course sales: 58

• Course price: $59

• Gross revenue: $3,422

• Net after fees and expenses: About $3,100

• Time spent weekly: 4–6 hours

She’s now working on creating two more mini courses:

• One for new CNAs

• One focused on dementia care in the home

What Jasmine Did Right (And What You Can Learn From It)

Here’s why her business worked—without a big budget or audience:

1. She picked a very specific problem to solve.Instead of trying to help “everyone,” she focused on family caregivers who were caring for an elderly loved one for the first time.

2. She kept her course short and practical.No fluff. Just quick, clear solutions delivered through video and printables.

3. She owned her platform.With Bluehost, Square, and Constant Contact, she didn’t rely on social media or crowded platforms to run her business.

4. She built an email list.Most of her sales came through her email welcome series—not through random clicks.

5. She promoted consistently.She didn’t post everywhere. She focused on niche caregiver communities and shared genuine value.

Tools Jasmine Used (And You Can Too)

Here’s the complete tool stack that powered her mini course launch:

• Bluehost – For her domain and WordPress website

• Square – For payments and checkout

• Constant Contact – For building and automating her email list

• Google Slides & Loom – For creating course videos

• Canva – For designing printables and Pinterest pins

• Google Drive – For organizing course content

You don’t need fancy software or a big team. You just need the right structure and a clear problem to solve.

Final Thoughts: CNAs Have Untapped Knowledge—and Now, a Way to Profit From It

If you’re a CNA, you’ve spent years developing skills that most people don’t have. What feels routine to you—like dressing wounds, handling dementia behaviors, or calming an anxious senior—is incredibly valuable to someone else.

You don’t need to wait for someone to give you a raise. You can create your own opportunity.

Start with what you know. Package it simply. And follow Jasmine’s path.

Ready to launch your first mini course? Here’s how to start:

1. Set up your website with Bluehost:  Start here

2. Collect emails with Constant Contact:  Build your list now

3. Get paid with Square:  Create your checkout link

You have what it takes. Start small. Stay focused. And build something that works—just like Jasmine did.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 

Adella Pasos has over 35,000 subscribers on YouTube. This Entrepreneur and Marketing Expert has shared her passion for growing brands from the ground up. She’s worked with Startups, Small Businesses, Fortune 500 Corporations and Entertainment Talent to help them recognize the value of marketing, and give her clients the ability to access their niche market via online, social media, mobile, merchandising, and events.

She hosts the What’s Your Game Plan TV show features: Free Expert Advice, and Growth strategies for Business Owners Across the Globe. Access thousands of FREE Tips, Trends & Tools to Move Your Business Forward!

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 

📢 Business Resources You Can Use

✔ Get your website name — Bluehost

✔ Branding Services — Fiverr Pro

✔ Create a New LLC — MyCorp

✔ SEO & Market Research Tools — SEMRush

✔ Logo & Brand Design Services — 99designs

✔ Best Email Marketing Tool for Beginners — Constant Contact

✔ Accept Credit or Debit Cards — Square