đź“ť usncan Note: The Surprising $10B Creator Secret: Small Audiences, Huge Paydays
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When Kajabi announced that its creators had surpassed $10 billion in total earnings, it marked a defining moment for the digital entrepreneur. Behind that eye-popping figure lies a new model in how creators think about their value, their audience and their businesses. And unlike the creator stereotype of chasing brand deals and algorithm luck, Kajabi entrepreneurs are building lean, profitable and fully owned businesses.
“We just announced that Kajabi creators have surpassed the $10 billion in creator revenue mark on the platform,” said Allie Fernando, VP of Brand Experience at Kajabi. “It’s been an awesome celebration.”
So how did they get there? The answer is a blend of data-backed strategy, platform consolidation, community focus and what Dominique Broadway, a personal finance creator on the platform, calls “ownership.”
From Content Creator to Business Owner
“I am not a creator. I am a salesperson,” Broadway told me. “I have a product that I know will change your life. So I’m going to do everything I can to show you the value of that product and get you to purchase it.”
Broadway, who built her brand teaching financial literacy and investing, saw her first major success on Kajabi when she launched a course that netted $66,000 in 12 minutes. Since then, she’s scaled to multimillion-dollar months by embracing a blend of digital products, data-driven sales funnels and community-building.
Her business model, she explained, is primarily memberships and courses. “We don’t really do as much one-on-one coaching. It’s more in the groups and the memberships in the community.”
This mirrors Kajabi’s broader trend toward sustainable, recurring revenue. As Fernando put it, “We’ve seen a huge shift in the market from just online courses to thinking about things like subscription services… creators are really leaning into community.”
The Myth of Massive Followings
For many aspiring creators, the idea of earning six figures online seems like a distant dream reserved for influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers. But Kajabi’s internal data tells a very different story.
“The average six-figure Kajabi creator has between one to 10,000 followers, email lists of 4,000 people, and just 309 paying customers,” said Fernando. “Isn’t that just mind blowing?”
This is where the “ownership model” becomes pivotal. Kajabi creators focus on turning social media followers into email subscribers, then into paying customers. Social becomes the top-of-funnel; the business happens elsewhere.
“Think of it as building your audience on social and your business on a platform like Kajabi,” Fernando said. “You only need to have around 300 people paying you to have a six-figure business because you’re exchanging value.”
Multiple Streams, One Platform
Another key to creator success? Diversification.
Kajabi’s data shows that creators with five revenue streams and product bundles earn 4.5 times more than those with a single offer.
“You launch a first product… maybe it’s a course,” Fernando explained. “Then you ask, how do I continue to support those and future audience members in a journey? Maybe it’s another course, or a community, or a newsletter.”
Broadway agrees. Her team recently launched an AI-driven signal tool to help students with real-time investing decisions. “It’s been a great additional piece that we tack on in addition to the education,” she said.
Built-In Infrastructure
When asked what made Kajabi the right platform, Broadway cited both function and foresight. “We needed functionality that made the course easy to go through, with quizzes and progress tracking. Other platforms didn’t have that. Kajabi did.”
Just as important is the backend visibility. “You can see what someone has bought, how much they’ve completed, how many of your courses they’ve purchased, the lifetime value of that customer,” she said. “It’s been really cool… We can literally go back and see from the very first free webinar what someone engaged with.”
This kind of CRM-like infrastructure has allowed Broadway to optimize marketing, reengage lapsed leads and upsell with intent.
Millionaire Stats, Minimal Overhead
According to Kajabi, nearly 1,800 creators have earned over $1 million through the platform. Seventy have crossed $10 million and a few have exceeded $100 million.
What’s perhaps even more remarkable? The average six-figure creator on Kajabi works just four days a week and has a team of two or fewer.
“Digital businesses require very little overhead,” Fernando said. “Really all you need is a platform like Kajabi. Maybe a team member to help with strategy or design. That’s it.”
This leanness makes it possible for creators to focus on high-leverage activities. As Broadway explained, “Imagine if you had brand deals and platform checks, but also a community or course that’s selling daily. It relieves so much stress and gives you more creative freedom.”
Rethinking the Creator Journey
For creators just starting out, Broadway advises beginning with what people already come to you for. “It’s typically the thing your friends and family ask you about all the time,” she said.
Fernando added: “Start an email list today. Move people to a space where you own the connection. And if you’re scaling, think about tool consolidation. You don’t need a Frankenstein tech stack.”
As for what’s next, Broadway is expanding her brand beyond finance into AI, partnerships and tech tools. She’s also focused on “getting people out from behind their computers” and back to in-person experiences.
Fernando, meanwhile, hinted at Kajabi’s AI roadmap: “We’re not interested in slapping AI onto a shiny new feature. We want the entire platform to be built on AI principles so creators can click a button and have magic happen in the background.”
The Creator as CEO
Ultimately, Kajabi’s $10 billion milestone highlights the evolution of influencers to creators to CEOs.
“The ones who scale to seven figures? They’re data-oriented. They’re thinking about funnels, email sequences, the customer journey,” Fernando said. “Maybe it’s not them doing it personally, but they hire someone who can.”
And it all circles back to ownership. Ownership of audience. Ownership of product. Ownership of business.
As Broadway puts it: “We have a product that can change lives. Why wouldn’t we do everything in our power to sell it?”
This article is based on an interview with Allie and Dominique from my podcast, The Business of Creators.
