How Todor Transformed Rigging Frustrations into CGDive

Rigged for Success: How Todor Turned His Passion into a Thriving Course Business

From frustration to expertise, learn how Todor built CGDive, an online course academy that simplifies Blender rigging and animation for creators worldwide.

Discover the inspiring journey of Todor, the founder of CGDive, an online platform dedicated to making Blender rigging and animation easier to learn

Here’s a quick glimpse of his achievements:

Built a successful YouTube channel featuring in-depth Blender tutorials
Designed structured courses based on real student challenges and feedback
Fostered a supportive learning community through Discord, where students exchange ideas and grow together
Utilized OnlineCourseHost.com (OCH) to simplify course delivery and improve the student experience

Curious about how he made it all happen?

Keep reading to find out!

Table of contents

You can also check out all the free guides available at the Course Creator Academy by clicking on the Academy link on the top menu.

Here are other inspiring journeys of course creators:

From Frustration to Opportunity: The Birth of CGDive

Like many course creators, Todor didn’t start out in education. Before CGDive, he was busy with contract work, until the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything.

With his client work slowing down, he finally had the time to focus on something he’d always wanted to do: teaching CG.

His breakthrough moment came from personal experience. During a project, he struggled with character rigging so much that it brought him to tears (his words!).

In one of my recent projects at the time, I had to do character rigging and animation. And I found it incredibly challenging. In all honesty, I cried tears of frustration while working on it (but don’t tell anyone!).

(the dragon that made me cry 😂)

That’s when he found Blender's Rigify, an auto-rigging tool, and learned it. Seeing a need for detailed Rigify tutorials, he created a comprehensive course, "Rig ANYTHING with Rigify."

The positive response confirmed he had a knack for teaching, and CGDive was born.

The Journey to Launching His First Course

Launching his first course was both challenging and rewarding for Todor. With no prior experience in course creation, he had to learn how to select the right recording software and structure his lessons effectively.

His process, though full of trial and error, was built on a solid foundation:

Identify the need:

“If I struggle with something and can’t find the information I need, chances are, there are many others facing the same problem.”

Plan carefully: He meticulously outlined all the key topics, broke them down into smaller, digestible lessons, and ensured a logical flow before hitting record.

“The process itself isn’t complicated, but executing it from start to finish requires time, patience, and dedication.”

Leverage the community: Rather than trying to do everything alone, Todor reached out to other Blender content creators for support and cross-promotion.

“In the Blender community, simply being humble, acting normal, and creating genuine connections goes a long way.”

A major factor in gaining traction? Generous affiliate commissions.

“I also offered my peers an affiliate deal. (Don’t be stingy with affiliations!) Again, it depends on the niche, but in the Blender space, 20–30% seems to be the sweet spot.”

This approach not only helped him get his course in front of more people but also strengthened relationships within his niche.

Overcoming Challenges as a Course Creator

Todor faced many hurdles—technical, mental, and logistical.

From learning screen recording and audio editing to overcoming self-doubt about his accent and speaking style, he had to simplify his process to stay focused.

Here’s what helped him push through:

No music
No fancy effects
No on-camera appearances
No flashy animations

Instead, he focused on clear, structured content—and it worked!

Course Creation Process: From Idea to Execution

Over time, Todor has refined his course creation approach, but the fundamentals remain the same:

Generating Ideas: If Todor encounters a problem and struggles to find clear answers, he knows others likely have the same challenge.

“Scratching your own itch” is a great starting point.

He also keeps an eye on social media and community discussions, paying close attention to recurring frustrations.

"As your community grows, things get a lot easier. Your audience will tell you what they need. Even early on, when my community was small, I noticed that if at least three people asked about the same issue, it was worth exploring.”

Structuring the Content: Planning is essential.

“Winging it” only works if you’re a top expert in your field and people are begging for any insight you can share. That’s not most people - and it’s certainly not me."

Todor approaches his courses with the mindset of a learner, ensuring his content is structured in a way that’s accessible to his audience.

“Here’s a little secret: when I first start working on a new course, I’m usually not an expert on the topic. But I see that as an advantage.

Why? Because I’ve just gone through the same struggles as my audience. I understand their pain points clearly. This makes it much easier to create a course that is at the skill level of my target audience.”

Delivering with Confidence: By the time he records, he knows his material inside and out. “

"Even though I am not an expert at the start, by the time I am ready to record, I know my material inside and out! I believe that is the essential ingredient for delivering the content with confidence."

He also experiments with different recording techniques, whether speaking while recording or adding a voiceover later, refining his approach to best suit his teaching style.

Standing Out in a Competitive Market

While the Rigging & Animation niche isn’t oversaturated, Todor still focuses on differentiation. His strategy?

Deep understanding of his audience’s struggles:

"Understanding my audience and delivering exactly what they need goes a long way."

Investing in copywriting and persuasive communication (an area he’s actively improving!):

"One skill I believe is crucial is copywriting (or as I like to think of it, “persuasive communication” or just “getting people to notice you”). It’s not enough to create a great course; you also need to convey its value clearly and compellingly. That’s something I’ll be focusing on, and I highly recommend it to others as well."

Strong community engagement:

"As for competition, I consider myself lucky. The Rigging & Animation niche is far from saturated. Instead of competing, most of us are friends. We support and cross-promote each other.

So I find fostering good connections in my space to be a huge advantage. A strong community and genuine relationships can often be more powerful than the latest marketing tactic."

One of his biggest realizations? Marketing is just as important as course creation.

Keeping Learners Engaged and Motivated

To boost engagement, Todor has started incorporating gamified elements into his courses:

Progress-tracking visuals – Small dopamine boosts to celebrate wins
Bite-sized lessons – 15-20 minute sections to avoid overwhelm
Student challenges – Encouraging learners to pause and apply their knowledge before continuing

These small touches make a big difference in keeping students motivated.

The Most Memorable Student Impact

One student requested a discount on Todor’s Rigify course due to financial struggles. He gladly provided free access.

Someone once emailed me requesting a big discount on my Rigify course. They were living in a lower-income country and struggling financially. I was happy to give them free access."

A year later, that same student emailed back

"About a year later, I received another email from the same person - but this time, the message was completely different. They told me that learning rigging had helped them secure jobs and significantly improve their financial situation. What’s more, they were now able to help their father rebuild his home.

It was truly mind-blowing to realize that my little niche course could have such a profound impact on someone’s life."

Key Advice for Course Creators

Todor has the following advice for other course creators looking to scale their online course business.

Understand your audience – The better you know their struggles, the more valuable your course will be.
Keep it simple – “Done is better than perfect.” Prioritize completion over perfection.
Plan your content – A well-structured course is far more effective than one created on the fly.
Engage with your community – Genuinely supporting your audience fosters loyalty and trust.
Master marketing and copywriting – These skills will significantly amplify your success.
Build real relationships – In smaller niches, collaboration often leads to greater opportunities than competition.

What’s Next for CGDive?

Right now, Todor is focused on launching

"Right now, I’m focused on launching my newest course: “Rigging Isn’t Scary”, which covers the Fundamentals of Manual Rigging in Blender."

"The community has been asking for various advanced rigging solutions, but I felt it was crucial to establish a strong foundation first. This course took over three months to complete, and here’s the exciting part - I’m strategically releasing it for free!"

"It might just be one of the most comprehensive free rigging courses ever!"

He sees it as both a way to give back to the community and strategically grow CGDive for future advanced rigging courses. 2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year!

Favorite OCH Features & Tools

Todor loves OCH’s bulk email feature for student communication, analytics tools for engagement tracking, and the solid hosting platform.

His other main course creation tools include:

FIFINE mic (affordable yet high-quality)
OBS Studio (free screen recording)
TimeBolt (paid tool for faster video editing)
DaVinci Resolve (free video editor)
Photopea (free Photoshop alternative)
Blender, the backbone of all his content!

And, of course, OnlineCourseHost.com for creating and hosting his courses online.

Final Thoughts

Todor's journey from rigging challenges to a successful online academy shows the importance of persistence, smart planning, and understanding your audience.

His story shows the value of focusing on learners' needs, building connections, and improving teaching and marketing skills. Aspiring course creators should know that being slightly ahead, sharing knowledge, and delivering value is key.

So, what’s holding you back from starting your course?

If you want to explore Todor’s courses, visit CGDive or check out his YouTube channel for free tutorials on Blender Rigging!

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Let me know in the comments below what other topics you would like me to cover or any questions that you have.

Thanks for reading… and enjoy the course creation process! 😉

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