Nathan Barry, the visionary founder and CEO of ConvertKit, has successfully grown his email marketing platform for creators into a thriving business with over $33.4 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). Reflecting on this extraordinary journey, Nathan recently shared a Twitter thread highlighting the top 10 lessons he's learned along the way. In this blog post, we've transformed his insights into a comprehensive guide, offering valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and creators seeking to emulate ConvertKit's success story.

Success Takes Time

Nathan revealed that two years into ConvertKit, he was only making $2k/month in revenue and was close to shutting down the business. However, a year later, the company reached $100k/month. Patience and persistence are crucial for long-term growth.

Go All-In Sooner

Initially, Nathan ran ConvertKit part-time alongside other projects. He wished he had gone all-in sooner, as waiting two years caused a slump in momentum.

Embrace Direct Sales

Nathan learned that direct sales are crucial for growth, even though they may not seem scalable. Doing things that don't scale can eventually enable channels that do.

Niche Down

ConvertKit initially targeted a broad audience, but focusing on professional bloggers was a turning point. Eventually, the platform expanded to serve various creators.

Prioritise Product Quality

Focusing on product quality is essential for reducing churn and retaining customers. Regularly talking to customers and using the product yourself can help identify areas that need improvement.

Build a Culture of Execution

Nathan emphasised the importance of hiring experienced professionals, offering competitive pay and equity, and pushing for results.

Address Deliverability and Fraud

Handling spammers and fraudsters is a significant challenge. Building a strong compliance team and using machine learning models can help tackle these issues.

Meet Customers and Partners in Person

Nathan stressed the importance of face-to-face meetings with key customers and partners. These connections are invaluable for building relationships and fostering trust.

Use Workshops to Create Urgency

Workshops and webinars can create a sense of urgency for potential customers to purchase your product. In 2016, ConvertKit used partner workshops to scale from $100k to $500k in Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR).

Transition from Cost Center to Revenue Center

Nathan shared that ConvertKit is now paying creators over $1 million per month through its Commerce and sponsor network, moving from being a cost to creators to generating revenue for them.

These 10 lessons from Nathan Barry's journey with ConvertKit offer valuable insights for entrepreneurs and creators looking to build and scale their businesses. By applying these lessons, you can navigate the challenges of growing your business and achieve long-term success. If you'd like to read Nathan's original Twitter thread for yourself, check it out below.