I think I built a Liberal Arts college on the internet
In the past 2 years, the IndieThinkers.org operation has grossed $189,305, if you combine the course system ($126,254) with the Pro membership ($63,051).
I'm most proud to say I've paid other lecturers a huge chunk of that. I've paid other lecturers about $63,000, or about $12,000 per lecturer on average. It's a bizarre fact that I pay lecturers substantially more than the average adjunct professor commands from any university in the world.
It helps disaffected academics and more academically-inclined creators grow their audience, collaborator network, and monetization power. And for less advanced people who are nonetheless passionate about maintaining an active intellectual life, it provides a variety of support structures for doing so, and opportunities for learning from the more advanced members.
I just figured that if I could build a standalone business enough to replace my professor salary, then from there I could just do research and write books and spin off auxiliary content full-time in a leisurely, creative lifestyle.
