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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.

Kit: Direct Sales Flywheel
Featured Post

What I got wrong implementing flywheels at Kit

Hey Reader, If you’re like a lot of creators I know, you feel like you have to put in a lot of effort just to get by. Things are going okay in your business right now, but growth is slow, and you can’t help but feel like you should be getting better results for how hard you work. You create, you promote, you sell, and you feel like you’re doing all of the “right things”, but you’re not seeing the return you want, and it definitely doesn’t feel easy. It’s certainly nothing like the dream you...

Hey Reader, Today is a big day. ConvertKit is now Kit: the email-first operating system for creators who mean business. And this is just the beginning… Becoming Kit isn’t just a name change or a new logo—it’s the start of a new era for our company and product. Learn more at kit.com » PODCAST How to Launch a $5,000 Course That Actually Sells What does it take to transform your knowledge into a profitable online course? In this week’s episode, I coach Sean Sweeney, a real estate expert who’s...

Aaron Francis

Hey Reader, If you read this newsletter, you’re someone who thinks a bit differently than the average person. There are many people who are chasing the next dollar and looking for new ways to make money on the internet. They follow a formula, and it’s obvious. Their work lacks substance, and something is missing. I mentioned Aaron Francis last week as an example of someone who has built a strong personal brand. But Aaron has also taken a different path in terms of putting real character and...

Hey Reader, Do you ever worry about getting laid off? What would you do? Aaron Francis started work just like he did every morning only to learn his company was downsizing. And he was a part of the layoffs. After the shock of losing his job subsided, he wrote a post on X announcing the news to his 30,000 followers. What followed was pretty incredible. He got a huge outpouring of support, yes, but more importantly, he got job offers. A lot of job offers. Aaron had been teaching everything he...

Video: Our new logo (and the story behind it)

Hi Reader, With ConvertKit becoming Kit, we’re undergoing a full rebrand. We’ve been sharing the journey in our Rebranding in Public documentary series. It’s today’s episode, you’ll get the first look at our new Kit visual identity. Watch the full behind-the-scenes process in episode 3: Video: Kit logo reveal Watch now » —Nathan

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....

nathan recording in studio

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...

silhouette photo of people

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...

Building 5 Studios in 7 Days

Hey Reader, Do you have 10 new ideas every day? Do you struggle with choosing which ideas to pursue? Having a ton of great ideas may seem like a good thing, but if you’ve experienced it, you know it can be stressful. When you’re feeling conflicted about your ideas, it can cause split focus, resulting in none of your projects getting the attention they deserve. You don’t want to throw any of your ideas away, because you know some of them are really good. But you also don’t want to keep feeling...

How Lauren Kay used social media and ConvertKit to grow her email list from 500 to 25,000 subscribers in less than a year

Hey Reader, "Charge more" is common advice. Chances are, it’s good advice. Because if you’re wondering whether you’re charging too little, you probably are. But that’s not actually the biggest launch mistake I see. Here are the top 5: Mistake #1: Lack of tiered pricing The biggest mistake I see creators make is having only one price for their product. This leaves a lot of money on the table as it prevents you from generating more revenue. Tier-based pricing unlocks various hacks you can use...