I'm a designer who turned into a writer who turned into a startup CEO. My mission is to help creators earn a living. Subscribe for essays on building an audience and earning a living as a creator.
More than a name change
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Hey Reader, When people heard me say I’m making “the biggest announcement in ConvertKit's history”, most thought I meant the name change. It’s true: we are renaming the company from ConvertKit to Kit. We help creators do so much more than convert, so it only makes sense. But we’re also changing the name to reflect our expanded vision: We are building the operating system for the creator economy. The “big announcement” for me wasn’t the name change; it was the app store. Launching an app store enables us to focus even more on improving the core product. Rather than spread our product team thin, now anyone can build on the platform and expand what Kit can do. The features in your Kit can be tailored just for you. When we asked creators what else they needed in their business, they said they didn’t want an all-in-one platform. They didn’t want features a mile wide and an inch deep just so someone could check a box on a marketing page. But when we asked what they did want, they effectively described an all-in-one platform. 😂 “I don’t want to use duct tape and string to stitch together the tools to run our business,” they said. “I wish a single platform would be flexible and powerful enough to meet the needs of my scaling business.” So how do you do both? How can you make an all-in-one platform when everyone’s needs are so different? How do you get the benefits of all-in-one software while still having real depth to each feature? I spent a lot of time wrestling with this. Here's an example: a common feature request we get is to add community features. It seems like expanding the core product would be justified, right? But there’s a huge hidden cost: spreading our product development team thin and never really building the depth of features you deserve. Instead, we decided to build an app store and partner with the best players in the space—like Mighty. We get to stay focused on our core features and Mighty continues to build the best community features for creators. And what are those core features? Speed, performance, extensibility, a great dashboard, and the writing experience. These are the things every creator needs. Apps fill in the gaps. Apps are more than an integration. An integration shares data and lets you stitch things together. But an app extends functionality as well. Apps natively solve problems. Apple, Shopify, and WordPress have all nailed this strategy, but it hasn't happened yet in email. It's a big undertaking, but one I know our community is ready for. The move lets us focus even more on improving the core product to make your life better. You don’t have to worry about us spending time building a bunch of features that aren’t relevant to you—apps can solve unique problems for each creator. That’s part of why we’re changing the name; it’s your Kit. You get to choose what goes in your Kit. This is just the start of the APIs. What’s coming next will likely be the ability for apps to install a dashboard widget and content library integrations so images from apps will be available when you go to add media. Some apps I’d love to see someone build are a very lightweight video course hosting tool that plugs into Commerce as well as an SMS platform. Maybe that’s you? Check out our apps to find new ways to save time and drive more sales (the first 5 are really clever!). Request an app if you have an idea you’d like to turn into reality. Apply for developer access if you’d like to build apps for the creator economy. PODCASTIf I Wanted to Build a $5M Creator Business in 2024, I’d Do ThisIn this episode, I’m joined by Ricky Zhang, founder and CEO of Prince of Travel. We delve into Ricky’s creator business and the specific strategies he can employ to scale it from $1.3M to $5M and beyond. Many creators get stuck around $1M/yr. You have to think differently to scale beyond $5M/yr. We cover:
Watch or listen to episode » VIDEOHow to get the most out of ConvertKit’s free planIf you missed it, we recently launched the Newsletter plan, which gives you up to 10,000 email subscribers for FREE. Our $0 plan is perfect for creators who are focused on building their audience. We’re invested in your growth and want you to have the freedom to do so as you build your audience and learn to monetize. Brad Hussey shows you how to maximize the free plan's features. BOOKThe Hard Thing About Hard ThingsThis book offers practical advice for navigating the challenges of running a business—especially during tough times. There’s no fluff. Horowitz doesn't shy away from talking about failure, tough decisions, or the emotional toll that comes with being in charge. Have a great week! —Nathan P.S. If you work at a large platform serving the creator economy and are interested in partnering on an app, let me know! |
Nathan Barry
I'm a designer who turned into a writer who turned into a startup CEO. My mission is to help creators earn a living. Subscribe for essays on building an audience and earning a living as a creator.
Hi Reader, One benefit of founding ConvertKit (soon to be Kit) is I get a front row seat to what’s working for the most successful creators. There are so many different kinds of creator businesses and various strategies people use to grow, but there’s one thing they all have in common: Successful creators don't go on this journey alone. I’ve yet to see any successful creator “make it” without connecting and collaborating with others in their space. It’s certainly true in my journey as well....
Hey Reader, Have you been considering building a personal brand but never seem to get around to it? Part of the reason may just be that it feels like too much work. But it may also be because you: Lack clarity - What will your brand even be about? Procrastinate - Will you get around to doing it next year? Fear being criticized - What will other people think of you? Don’t have enough time - Will you ever get a spare moment? Want everything to be perfect - Will things ever be good enough? If...
Hi Reader, As a natural introvert, I was someone who went to conferences and talked to no one. So it’s kind of crazy that now I regularly speak on stage in front of large audiences. Sometimes, that audience is my own company. This week, I’m on a team retreat with most of our 83-person team. At ConvertKit (soon to be Kit), we host two annual retreats every year. It’s an important part of our company culture, especially as a fully remote team. I was thinking back to our first retreat in 2016...