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#49: Nathan Barry on Growing ConvertKit from Side Project to $900,000+ in Monthly Recurring Revenue

About the Episode:

In today’s episode, we’re talking to Nathan Barry, the founder, and CEO of ConvertKit, an email marketing suite of tools for professional bloggers that originally started as a side project. Oh! And check out my comparison of ConvertKit vs AWeber vs Mailchimp to see which email marketing tool is best for your needs.

Nathan is a man of many talents. He’s launched products, built iPhone apps, grown audiences, written books, and designed websites. Now, Nathan dedicates all of his time to growing ConvertKit which recently passed $920,000 in monthly recurring revenue, and he somehow finds time to still speak and write about marketing.

Today’s interview is another that I originally did for The Inside Sales Summit a few months ago—the online event I co-hosted with Close.io (the inside sales CRM of choice for startups) and we had over 8,000+ people join us to learn about all things sales from speakers like Chase Jarvis, Vanessa Van Edwards, Hiten Shah, Neil Patel, Noah Kagan and more.

So, if you like what you hear today and want to keep this going—regardless of what your side project is—then check out the other 54 interviews just like this over at insidesalessummit.com. But for today, we’re here with Nathan Barry.

 

In Today’s Episode, We Talk About:

[02:41] The first major client for ConvertKit.
[04:56] The ROI on partnerships arrangments at ConvertKit.
[06:01] How he brought his very first customers with ConvertKit, including some incredible step-by-step advice about how to pick a well-defined niche.
[10:35] The kinds of prospecting techniques used by his sales team.
[16:02] How he convinces prospects to switch from competitors services.
[19:40] What he feels is the biggest mistake people make when they are trying to sell.
[23:39] The most important deal he’s ever closed.
[28:21] The most difficult negotiation he’s ever been a part of.
[31:09] The best investment he’s ever made in terms of building his selling skills.

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Connect with My Guest:

ConvertKit

Nathan on LinkedInTwitter, and Instagram

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If you enjoyed this episode of The Side Hustle Project, I would love your support. Head over to the show on iTunes or in the Apple podcast app and give us a rating please! And as always you can catch every episode on the Apple podcast app, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for tuning in.

In this episode, we're talking to Nathan Barry, the founder and CEO of ConvertKit, the go-to email marketing platform for professional bloggers. Nathan walks us through his journey from landing his first paying customers for ConvertKit while it was still a side project, all the way up to building a team, reaching $900,000+ in monthly recurring revenue, how they've used partnerships to reach that milestone, and more...

Hi I'm Ryan Robinson

Blogger, podcaster and recovering side project addict. Head of Content at Close. Join me here, on ryrob.com to learn how to start a blog, make money blogging and grow a profitable side business. Be sure to try my popular free keyword research tool & AI article writer tool, as well. Somehow, I also find time to write for publications like Fast Company, Forbes, Entrepreneur, The Next Web, Business Insider, and more. Let’s chat on Twitter and YouTube about our feelings (and blogging, of course).

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1 reply to “#49: Nathan Barry on Growing ConvertKit from Side Project to $900,000+ in Monthly Recurring Revenue”

  1. To grow a side hustle project from the bottom just like the rapper Drake started is a sure shot way to never forget your humble beginnings. Affiliate marketers, side hustlers, and bloggers learn to appreciate everything that kind of revenue when they stay focused on building their businesses and reaching their financial goals while working from your home computer, laptops, and smartphones.

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