The Stella Way Consulting
The Stella Way is an Australian instructional design consultancy founded by Kat Sorbello that helps subject matter experts, coaches, and educators design, create, and launch online courses through 1:1 consulting, DIY courses, and Done-For-You build services, with a specialized RTO compliance practice.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersSantiago, Chile
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Stella Way Consulting does
The Stella Way is an Australian instructional design consultancy founded and operated by Kat Sorbello as a sole proprietorship, helping subject matter experts — coaches, trainers, educators, and entrepreneurs — design, create, and launch online courses. The company sells four core service lines: a six-week 1:1 consulting program (AUD$1,500) with weekly coaching calls and Voxer access, a self-paced DIY course product distributed through Thinkific, project-priced Done For You course creation engagements, and Course Audit services. A fifth specialized offering targets Australian Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) with aXcelerate LMS setup, compliance assessment development, and eLearning design, underpinned by the founder's aXcelerate Certified Partner status and prior in-house Onboarding Manager experience. Three free lead magnets (a downloadable eBook on course creator mistakes, a live virtual workshop on Agile course design, and a course planning template) feed the top-of-funnel, alongside a blog (20+ posts from 2021–2025), a YouTube channel, and a private Facebook Group hosting weekly live sessions.
The underlying technology is an integrated delivery stack rather than a proprietary platform. Course delivery runs on Thinkific (LMS), with content authored using iSpring Suite, Articulate Rise/Storyline (SCORM), Google Slides, and Canva. Marketing automation is built on Mailchimp and Zapier; analytics on Google Analytics and Mixpanel. AI tools (ChatGPT, Synthesia, Yoodli, Quizgecko, Freepik AI Image Generator, Eraser.io, Copy.ai, SafetyCulture AI) are used as productivity multipliers for content creation. The proprietary intellectual property is methodological — a 3-Step Course Planning framework (Goal → Outcomes → KSAs), a 5 Steps to Success framework, and an iterative/agile course creation approach — none of which are formally protected by patents or trademarks.
The business operates on a hybrid GTM model: sales-led for the AUD$1,500 consulting and quote-based DFY/aXcelerate engagements (closed after a free 20–45 minute discovery call booked through booknow.thestellaway.com), and product-led for the DIY course on Thinkific with a freemium lead magnet. Additional revenue comes from a Thinkific affiliate referral arrangement. Operating geographies span Australia and Chile (evidenced by university clients), with a claimed global delivery footprint. The company is bootstrapped, with no external funding, no disclosed headcount beyond the founder, and no M&A or leadership change activity in the available record.
The Stella Way Consulting firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Stella Way Consulting
- Legal name
- The Stella Way
- Website
- https://thestellaway.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Stella Way is an Australian instructional design consultancy founded by Kat Sorbello that helps subject matter experts, coaches, and educators design, create, and launch online courses through 1:1 consulting, DIY courses, and Done-For-You build services, with a specialized RTO compliance practice.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Stella Way Consulting industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Instructional Design Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Train-the-Trainer & Instructor Enablement Services (BPAEANAL)
Keywords
Where The Stella Way Consulting is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santiago
- HQ country
- Chile
- HQ region
- Latin America
Markets served
The Stella Way Consulting business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- 1:1 Online Course Consulting: A 6-week structured coaching and accountability program with weekly 1:1 calls, Voxer access, template access, and a free self-paced course (valued at AUD$997). Sold at AUD$1,500 per program. This is the primary premium service offering.
- DIY Online Courses: Self-paced online course sold through Thinkific teaching clients how to design, create and launch their own online courses. Enrolled students pay for access to the curriculum.
- Done For You Course Creation: Full-service course creation where the company builds the course from existing material or from scratch on behalf of the client. Includes design, creation, launch support, video editing, content design, interactive activities, assessments, payment gateway setup, sales landing pages, email funnel templates, and Zapier automations. Pricing is quote-based and project-scoped.
- Course Audits: Expert audit of an existing online course from sign-up to completion. Clients hire an expert to evaluate and improve their existing course. Pricing is quote-based.
- aXcelerate Services for RTOs: Specialized setup, training, and compliance services for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) using the aXcelerate LMS. Includes system configuration, workflow management, compliant assessment development, eLearning design (SCORM), and staff training. Sold as project-based consulting engagements.
- Thinkific Affiliate Revenue: The company earns affiliate commissions from Thinkific course platform referrals through a tracked affiliate link displayed on the website footer.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 1:1 Design Your Online Course Consulting — 6-week coaching program |
| Freemium | Monthly | Self-paced DIY Online Course on Thinkific |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Done For You Course Creation — full-service project |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | aXcelerate Services for RTOs |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Stella Way Consulting product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Stella Way Consulting is an instructional design consultancy that helps subject matter experts, coaches, trainers, educators, and entrepreneurs design, create, and launch online courses. Core offerings include 1:1 six-week consulting (AUD$1,500), Done For You end-to-end course creation, course audits, a self-paced DIY course sold via Thinkific, and specialized aXcelerate LMS setup and compliance services for Australian Registered Training Organisations.
Product overview
The Stella Way Consulting is an instructional design consultancy that helps subject matter experts build and launch online courses. Their portfolio consists of four core service offerings: Online Courses (DIY self-paced training), Course Audits (expert review services), 1:1 Online Course Consulting (6-week structured coaching program), and Done For You Course Creation (full-service course build). They also offer specialized aXcelerate LMS services for RTOs. The company uses a lead magnet strategy with a free eBook on course creation mistakes, a free workshop on design methodologies, and a free course planning template to attract and qualify prospects before pitching their consulting services. The company operates primarily through the Thinkific course platform and integrates with tools like Mailchimp (via Zapier), Google Slides, Articulate Rise/Storyline, and Google Analytics/Mixpanel for analytics.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Online Courses (DIY) A self-paced DIY course teaching subject matter experts how to design, create, and launch online courses. Delivered via the Thinkific platform and packed with tips, templates, and resources for course creators.
- Course Audits Expert audit of an existing online course from sign-up to completion, evaluating and improving engagement and completion rates. Quote-based, project-scoped engagement.
- 1:1 Online Course Consulting A 6-week structured coaching and accountability program with weekly 1:1 calls, Voxer support (Mon-Fri), feedback on course outlines and content, Google Folder access with templates, and a free self-paced course (valued at AUD$997). Sold at AUD$1,500 per 6-week program.
- Done For You Course Creation Full-service end-to-end course creation, building the course from existing material or from scratch on behalf of the client. Includes design, creation, launch support, video editing, content design, interactive activities, assessments, payment gateway setup, sales landing pages, email funnel templates, and Zapier automations. Quote-based, project-scoped.
- aXcelerate Services for RTOs Specialized setup, training, and compliance services for Australian Registered Training Organisations using the aXcelerate LMS. Includes system configuration, workflow management, compliant assessment development, eLearning design (SCORM), and staff training. Project-based consulting engagements.
Quantifiable outcome
- A client designed 75% of one course within 4 weeks on their own, and together with The Stella Way designed 6 courses in 7 weeks — a claimed 450% productivity increase.
Companies that use The Stella Way Consulting
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Stella Way Consulting technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration12 records
AI capability7 records
Feature3 records
The Stella Way Consulting partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- ThinkificcoreThinkific is The Stella Way's recommended course platform. The company holds an affiliate partnership with Thinkific, earning commissions on referred customers through a tracked affiliate link on the website footer (thinkific-associate-white.svg). The founder also sells her own self-paced course through the Thinkific platform and publishes content about Thinkific tutorials and integrations.
- aXceleratecoreThe Stella Way is an aXcelerate Certified Partner. The founder led a former career as an Onboarding Manager at aXcelerate, giving the company first-hand expertise in aXcelerate setup, configuration, workflow management, and automations. The company provides specialized services for RTOs using the aXcelerate LMS, including system configuration, compliance assessment development, eLearning design, and staff training. Case studies for aXcelerate implementations are featured on the portfolio page.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Stella Way Consulting competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Maven: Cohort-based course platform that recruits and supports expert instructors to launch live, premium courses — a partial overlap in 'enabling experts to teach online' but focused on live cohorts rather than self-paced design.
- Yukon Learning: Specialist Articulate (Rise/Storyline) training and course development partner serving organizations and individuals — a comparable small specialist firm in the same SCORM/Articulate instructional design space.
- Circle: Community and course platform purpose-built for creators, with deep overlap in target customer and value proposition around helping experts package knowledge into paid learning experiences.
Broad incumbents
- Teachable: Major course creation platform with creator resources, coaching programs, and an in-house 'Teachable HQ' educational content arm — serves the same aspiring course creator audience with platform + education rather than 1:1 services.
- SweetRush: Large US-based eLearning and instructional design agency serving Fortune 500 clients with custom learning solutions — a much larger incumbent in the same instructional design / course creation services space The Stella Way occupies.
- Allen Interactions: Established custom eLearning design and development firm offering instructional design, scenario-based learning, and SCORM authoring services — directly comparable service offering at much larger scale.
- Podia: All-in-one platform for selling courses, downloads, and memberships to creators and small businesses. Comparable audience (independent course creators) but competes as infrastructure rather than consulting.
- Kajabi: All-in-one creator platform (courses, coaching, communities, email, websites) targeting the same knowledge-entrepreneur customer base, competing for the same end-customer wallet with software rather than services.
Direct peers
- Amy Porterfield: Online marketing and course creation expert selling her own courses, podcast-based coaching programs, and high-ticket consulting to entrepreneurs and SMEs — directly comparable to The Stella Way in target customer (course creators), GTM (discovery-call + course sales), and methodology-driven value proposition.
Others
- Thinkific: Course creation platform and The Stella Way's primary distribution partner and affiliate. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem participant shaping the same course-creator market, though Thinkific sells software infrastructure rather than consulting services.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Stella Way Consulting social profiles
Digital presenceThe Stella Way Consulting financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Stella Way Consulting leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Stella Way Consulting funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Stella Way Consulting M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Stella Way Consulting
What does The Stella Way Consulting do?
The Stella Way Consulting is an instructional design consultancy that helps subject matter experts, coaches, trainers, educators, and entrepreneurs design, create, and launch online courses. Core offerings include 1:1 six-week consulting (AUD$1,500), Done For You end-to-end course creation, course audits, a self-paced DIY course sold via Thinkific, and specialized aXcelerate LMS setup and compliance services for Australian Registered Training Organisations.
Is The Stella Way Consulting a public or private company?
The Stella Way Consulting is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Stella Way Consulting founded?
The Stella Way Consulting was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Stella Way Consulting based?
The Stella Way Consulting is headquartered in Santiago, Chile, in the Latin America region.
How does The Stella Way Consulting make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. 1:1 Online Course Consulting is the primary driver. The others are DIY Online Courses, done For You Course Creation, course Audits, aXcelerate Services for RTOs and thinkific Affiliate Revenue.
Who are The Stella Way Consulting's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Maven, Yukon Learning and Circle. Broad incumbents are Teachable, SweetRush, Allen Interactions, Podia and Kajabi. Amy Porterfield is listed as a direct peer. Thinkific is listed as an others.
Does The Stella Way Consulting have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Stella Way Consulting.
What industry is The Stella Way Consulting in?
The Stella Way Consulting's product category is Instructional Design Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEANAL, Train-the-Trainer & Instructor Enablement Services. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.