The Nathan Barry Show

In today’s episode, I sit down with investor, entrepreneur, and content creator, Sahil Bloom (in front of a live audience) to unpack the key strategies and lessons that will help you achieve longevity and sustainability in the creator economy.

Sahil has had a fascinating journey, transitioning from the world of private equity to making a name for himself in the creator economy (his bi-weekly newsletter alone has more than 400K subscribers). Upon entering this new sector, Sahil found himself occupied with the question of how to ensure longevity and set about putting together the ideal business operating system for content creators. 

In today’s conversation, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how Sahil built a thriving ecosystem as a content creator by acquiring businesses that would resonate with his audience and partnering with the right collaborators. You’ll also hear Sahil’s answers to live audience questions where he sheds light on finding the right partner, knowing when to pivot, and the future of the creator ecosystem.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How Sahil became one of the first people to popularize the use of long-form on Twitter
• Why to focus on building an audience with whom your work resonates rather than chasing vanity metrics
• How to figure out if you're creating inspiration-driven content operation-focused content (and where you lie on the spectrum)
• How to escape the need to create new content daily by putting strategies in place
• How to use flywheels as the operating system for your business
• How to find the right collaborators
• How Sahil uses agencies to turn cost centers into profit centers
• When to pivot on a project or company
• Habits for creating and managing your time as a creator

Links & Resources:

Today, I talk to Darrell Vesterfelt, who is a longtime friend who helped grow ConvertKit in our craziest growth times (from $100,000/mo when he joined to $500,000/mo in just over a year).

Darrell is one of the best marketers I know. He is the Founder and former CEO of Good People Digital, the Co-Founder of Homestead Living, and Co-Founder and COO of the School of Traditional Skills.

In this episode, Darrell breaks down the goal and execution of an online summit that accumulated an astonishing 101,000 attendees as a brand-new brand! Tune in to find out why you can’t have a marketing strategy without value and vice versa.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Darrell’s transition from New York to homestead; how his marketing skills translate to homesteading.
• The importance of authenticity in the homesteading world.
• A rundown of Darrell’s various businesses.
• The publication and publishing house, Homestead Living: what inspired it and where it’s going. 
• The structure, marketing strategy, execution, and conversion rate of the School of Traditional Skills Summit.
• The best marketing strategy according to Darrell.

Links & Resources:

In today’s episode, I’m joined by PJ Taei, Founder and CEO of Uscreen, an all-in-one video monetization platform for content creators that helps them build their brands and grow their businesses. 

The creator economy has changed a lot since PJ first founded Uscreen in 2015. And in that time PJ has managed to grow Uscreen to $20 million a year in revenue, representing sought-after clients and their channels, like Yoga with Adrienne and Justin Rhodes’s streaming platform, Abundance Plus. 

Our conversation gets into some pretty fascinating topics, like what to do when major competitors enter your field, the trial and error involved in getting your pricing right, and why true fans are so valuable for content creators looking to monetize. PJ also sheds light on what motivated him to bootstrap his company and expands on why it’s so important to stay in touch with the needs of your customers as you grow!

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How Uscreen supports creators by helping them sync their offerings on one platform.
• What helped PJ recognize the need for a service like Uscreen.
• When to fear a major competitor coming in and why you should never underestimate a small company.
• The importance of continued focus on the customer as you grow along with actionable advice on how to stay in touch with their needs.
• How to find the right balance between trial periods, free content, and attracting paying customers.
• Why PJ decided to bootstrap instead of pursuing funding and what he has learned from the experience.

Links & Resources:

In this episode, I talk to Susie Bulloch, who runs Hey Grill, Hey, which started as a wildly successful food blog (to the tune of a million dollars or more a year in revenue). Then she did something that I absolutely love: she used her online business to kickstart a physical products company. Her sauces and rubs company in the barbecue space is now about to overtake the blog in revenue.

The online world of content creation is vastly different to the product manufacturing space, and as Susie explains, she is grateful that she didn’t know too much before she made the transition. Her top piece of advice for anyone interested in doing the same thing is to make products with the intention of fulfilling a need, not just because you have an audience online. 

Susie describes herself as “terrifyingly driven,” and during our conversation, she talks about how she went from “I could never” to doing it all, the importance of celebrating business milestones, the value of having someone ask you, “Why?” regularly on your entrepreneurial journey, and her goal of increasing the representation of  women-owned brands in the barbeque space!

In this episode, you'll learn: 

• The value in working for other people before starting your own company. 
• Why it’s always worth taking the time to be grateful for the journey you are on and celebrating your achievements.
• What the life of a “terrifyingly driven” entrepreneur looks like. 
• How to build trust within your community so they are happy to pay for your offerings.
• The only piece of advice Susie would give to someone interested in transitioning from online content creation to product manufacturing. 

Links & Resources:

Today, I sit down with the Head of Deliverability at ConvertKit, Alyssa Dulin, to shed some light on the often mysterious game of getting your email into the right inbox. Alyssa's expertise about what creators need to focus on and the most recent developments in the email marketing space can truly take your company's reach to the next level!

Deliverability has always been a huge part of what we offer at ConvertKit, and Alyssa unpacks the most important pieces of this puzzle, covering sender reputation, effective cadences, and setting and delivering on expectations. As with so much of our philosophy, it is all about playing the long game over short-term wins and shiny statistics. 

You’ll get a look behind the scenes at how the world of email actually operates and evolves, the important conversations that happen between providers, as well as some helpful practical tips and common mistakes to avoid. Be sure to join Alyssa and me for this illuminating chat. 

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The biggest factors that contribute to reaching your audience's inbox.
• A simple and comprehensive definition of deliverability.
• How to think about the important aspect of reputation management. 
• The real value of custom domains and dedicated IPs.  

Links & Resources: