Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Is content creation becoming the new 9-to-5? It sure seems that way. Weโve gone from kids dreaming of becoming astronauts to aspiring YouTubers รขโฌโ and as much as I love life as a full-time internet pro, staying in this game has meant learning to operate like a business. Because hereโs the reality: The creator economy is evolving fast, and keeping up means finding fresh ways to stay ahead and monetize.
So, whether youโre a creator aiming to thrive, an advertiser wondering what tools creators need or a business owner exploring an on-camera career, hereโs your go-to guide for navigating the creator economy.
Related: 5 Fast Tips for Finding Immediate Success in the Creator Economy
First thingโs first: Treat it like a business
The most successful creators know theyโre more than just a profile รขโฌโ theyโre a business. Look at MrBeast, Alex Cooper and Marques Brownlee. What started as creative expression and community building for them has evolved into media empires.
Unlike traditional creators who risk the fleeting nature of social media, these creators tapped into the right opportunities, teams and strategies to turn what they do into something far bigger. So, as youโre thinking about those โsilly little TikToksโ or โyet another podcast,โ reframe your mindset. This could be your chance to build a life youโre excited about.
Next up: Raise the stakes
I was part of the team that produced a reality TV show on Amazon Prime, and if thereโs one thing reality TV taught me, itโs that you have to constantly raise the stakes. Every episode has to feel a little more intense than the last one. Social media is no different.
That might mean introducing long-form content to deepen connections, starting a newsletter for regular insights or expanding beyond just one platform. Itโs your job to make sure your influence doesnโt settle into one space.
Invest in the right tools and teams
As creators with production powerhouses right in our pockets, weโre taught to bootstrap and hold on to 100% of our revenue, shares and IP. And while keeping as much control as you can is wise, collaboration is essential if you want to stay competitive.
I onboarded my management team two years after I started taking my content seriously, and itโs 10xโd my revenue, not to mention the boost itโs given my brand in a crowded industry. But in addition to human resources, investing in the right tools can be transformative.
HubSpotโs new AI-powered Breeze Agents are specifically designed to support creators in critical areas. The Breeze Prospecting Agent helps streamline lead generation by analyzing intent signals and sending personalized outreach messages, making it easy to scale client engagement and build your base without the manual legwork.
In addition to that, Breeze Customer Agent offers automated customer support around the clock รขโฌโ perfect for creators selling products or courses, as it handles common inquiries and directs complex issues to the right person. This saves time and lets you focus on creating while maintaining a seamless customer experience.
If expanding your content reach is your goal, Breeze Content Agent makes repurposing content a more efficient experience. For example, upload a single video, and it can generate blog posts, social snippets and landing pages in your brand voice, saving hours youโd otherwise spend reformatting. Using tools like these maximizes productivity and frees you up to focus on your zone of genius and creative work that actually drives growth.
Related: 6 Skills You Need to Become a Successful Online Content Creator
And remember รขโฌโ youโre always leaving money on the table
New creators often think the only way to monetize is through brand partnerships and affiliate programs, but the truth is, your opportunities are endless.
As a โcreatorpreneur,โ Iโve launched coaching programs, digital products รขโฌโ you name it. But even that barely scratches the surface. When youโre planning to launch, instead of asking yourself what to sell, try identifying โwinning concepts.โ For example, one of my most popular TikTok series focused on the power of vision boards. It went viral three years in a row, and thatโs when I realized I was sitting on an untapped opportunity.
So, I set aside an hour to outline and script a mini-course, another hour to film it and two more to edit and create promotional pieces. Priced at $11.11 (for all the spiritual baddies), itโs generated thousands and now lives on as a passive income stream.
I didnโt need to reinvent the wheel or brainstorm for hours รขโฌโ the idea had been in front of me for years. And every time I post, I find new winning concepts to build on.
Building a sustainable career as a creator isnโt just about posting content and becoming the next โit girlโ รขโฌโ itโs about understanding that this could be your next big venture and the key weโve been needing in this economy to create generational wealth.