Why Creators Are Making More Money Off Social Media Than On It

Forbes

20-04-2025

Sierra Fernald just launched her first course, "The Escape Plan"
In 2025, the term 'influencer' no longer tells the full story. According to Kajabi's new State of Creator Commerce report, over half of content creators now identify as entrepreneurs. This is a shift that marks a new era in the creator economy. Unlike the social-first creators who rely solely on brand partnerships or platform bonuses, 'entrepreneurial' creators are building businesses that go beyond the social platforms, tapping into digital products and services to generate real, sustainable income.
Not only are these entrepreneurial creators earning more, they're also feeling more confident. Kajabi's data shows that entrepreneurial creators make 25% more than their social-first counterparts and are 20% more likely to report higher self-confidence and self-esteem. With platform volatility on the rise (for example, fears of a TikTok ban or ongoing political concerns around Meta), creators are actively bringing their monetization strategies off-platform and into their own hands. Perhaps one of the most essential aspects of all, you don't need hundreds of thousands of followers to do it. Some of today's most successful creators are thriving with audiences under 20K.
Hailey Young made $2,000 in her first weekend selling digital products.
When Hailey Young launched her YouTube quilting channel in 2021, she was a stay-at-home mom earning about $500/month through AdSense and affiliate links. 'The idea of needing to double or triple my video output just to increase my income felt impossible,' she says. In 2023, everything changed when she launched her first digital product and ran a flash sale to a long-forgotten email list resulting in an additional $2,000 in one weekend.
That single decision unlocked a six-figure business. 'I realized I didn't need to create more content—I needed to build smarter systems,' Young explains. With funnels and flash sales, she built a repeatable revenue stream that gave her financial control outside of the algorithm. 'Digital products felt like flipping on a money faucet,' she says. 'Now I have real control over my income—and a business I can sustain.'
Sierra Fernald just launched her first course, "The Escape Plan"
Sierra Fernald's journey began with her sharing travel moments online and landing the occasional brand deal. But after years of chasing the algorithm and spending countless hours pitching and negotiating, she realized she needed a better system. 'It was like being in a constant loop of trying to prove my worth,' she says. 'One month I'd land great deals, and the next, crickets.'
Now Fernald is shifting away from brand reliance and into entrepreneurship, building her first course, "The Escape Plan", designed to help others build nomadic, sustainable lives. 'It's not necessarily making me more just yet, but the hope is that it creates breathing room—to create from inspiration, not stress.' Her long-term vision is a business that serves her community directly, without relying on whether Instagram decides to show her content to three people—or 30,000.
Prasha Dutra has generated $850,000 in total revenue.
TEDx speaker and founder of the Believe in Your Brilliance Academy, Prashha Dutra built a coaching business that has generated $850,000 in total revenue, helping more than 600 women secure $200K+ jobs. She's no stranger to the content game—but she's clear about where she places her energy: 'Brand partnerships and content monetization can be unpredictable and often undervalue your expertise,' she says.
Instead, Dutra built a service-based business around her deep expertise in career coaching for women in STEM. 'Many content creators make the mistake of diversifying too early,' she explains. 'The deeper I went into my niche, the more valuable my services became.' What began as a podcast evolved into a high-ticket, high-impact business that has outpaced most influencer brand deals and given her full autonomy in the process.
Entrepreneurial creators are shifting the narrative away from vanity metrics and toward meaningful income. They're building memberships, launching digital downloads, creating online courses, selling e-books, and generating podcast revenue. With more predictability, more autonomy, and often more alignment with their values, these off-platform ventures are turning creators into business owners.
As these creators prove, you don't need a massive audience to pull it off. As these three creators show, success in the creator economy isn't about follower count, it's about building something sustainable, intentional, and truly your own.