Content Entrepreneurs Are the New CEOs: Inside Kajabi’s 2025 Creator Commerce Report

We told them so.

Four years ago, The Tilt launched for content entrepreneurs — creators, like you, building a business around content products, not a social media following.

Yesterday, you were the headlining takeaway of Kajabi’s 2025 State of Creator Commerce report.

“The power dynamic is shifting. Creators are stepping into their full potential — not just as influencers, but as entrepreneurs. They’re owning their audience, their products, and most importantly, their revenue.

“This is the rise of Creator Commerce — a movement where creators call the shots and keep 100% of what they earn.”

Now that’s news we love to hear, not because it reinforces what we’ve been saying for years but because it means more creators see entrepreneurship, not influencing, as the path forward.

Read on to discover what 1,700-plus creators had to say.

Entrepreneurial creators vs. social-first creators

Social-first creators still depend on algorithm whims, brand deals, and monetized views. Entrepreneurial creators have diverse income streams, building direct customer relationships, and — most importantly — owning their audience and revenue.

Fifty-nine percent identify as entrepreneurs, a 16% increase over last year. Even better, these entrepreneurial creators see revenues 25% greater than social-first creators.

Over half (55%) of those entrepreneurial creators attribute direct access to their audience as the most important factor in their success.

Helpful Resource: 5 Things To Do To Move From Rented Land

“Videos are marketing, community is customer, and income is made on building trust. That’s entrepreneurship,” Cassie Ho, founder and CEO of Blogilgates, which includes a popular fitness channel on YouTube, tells Kajabi.

Helpful Resource: Why and How To Build a Free Community

Entrepreneurial creators (39%) are also more likely to see niche expertise critical to their success than social-first creators (22%). Your niche is akin to your content tilt.

Helpful Resource: What is a Content Tilt?

Revenue rises and declines

Is entrepreneurship a proactive or reactive decision? It likely is both. However, it’s clear that creators depend less on social-related revenue streams. This year, creators report a 33% drop in platform payouts, a 36% decline in affiliate marketing, and a 52% decrease in brand deals.

On the plus side, creators have seen increases this past year in:

• Podcast revenue (+47%)
• Digital download sales (+20%)
• Educational content (+14%)
• Membership groups (10%)

The five most popular revenue streams outside of social media for all creators include educational content, consulting/coaching, memberships, merch, and digital downloads. (Creators with communities generate two times more revenue than those who don’t.)

Helpful Resources: 

• How To Add a Paid Community Revenue Stream

• Diversify Your Revenue With a Book 

• 5 Mistakes Creators Make With Merch (and How To Fix Them)

And we’ll conclude with this intriguing (and enticing) stat for content entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurial creators are 20% more likely to report better self-confidence and self-esteem compared to social-first creators.

Celebrate with your fellow entrepreneurial creators at CEX, named one of the top 15 events for entrepreneurs in Forbes, this August. Learn, network, and grow your content business! Register now.