profile

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 Studios
Featured Post

Maybe you’re already doing the right thing

Hi Reader, People have been saying I seem to be really into rebranding things lately. Which is fair because last week, I announced that I’ve rebranded my podcast from Billion Dollar Creator to The Nathan Barry Show. I made a little video about it below, but in short… Fun fact, my first podcast was actually called The Nathan Barry Show. So you may be wondering why I didn’t just stick with that, and why we started a whole new podcast with a different name. The reason we started a new podcast,...

Podcast: Nathan Barry, Ali Abdaal

Hey Reader, How do you stand out and build a memorable personal brand? Something I talk about a lot is the idea of “teaching everything you know”. You don’t have to be an expert to teach. People are seen as experts because they teach. And there’s always someone one step behind you who can learn from where you are. But if all you do is teach and create how-to content, your brand will lack soul and people won’t connect with you as much. A good way to think of the content you create is to...

Video: Lex + Kit

Hey Reader, Have you been playing around with AI tools like I have? While LLMs can be useful for generating ideas, they often struggle to produce anything you’d feel comfortable publishing. At least, not without a ton of edits. At best, you might get a decent outline but not exactly a solid first draft. I noticed that Nathan Baschez has been trying to tackle this problem with the AI writing tool he’s building called Lex. Something that significantly helps improve the quality of generated...

Hi Reader, Last week, I had Mark Manson on the podcast. While he’s most known for being the bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, he’s also built a substantial YouTube channel with millions of subscribers. During our podcast together, I asked him about longevity. Specifically, what does it take to make it in the creator economy for 10 or more years? What is the difference between those who endure and those who fizzle out? Here is my summary of his answers: 1. Don’t lose...

Kit: Direct Sales Flywheel

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....