Founder stories
$100K ARRin 1 year
4 milestones
Current revenue
2025 gross. ~30% net margin ($650K profit). Original cohort course retired 2023; Second Brain Enterprise AI program generated ~$1.5M in 2025.
Produktivitätsexperte startet Kohorten-Kurs und baut ein $5M-Geschäft pro Jahr auf
Founder
Tiago Forte
Solo-Gründer•Non-technical•USA
Commitment
Full-timeExperience
First-timeProduct
Kohorten-basierter Kurs zum Thema Personal Knowledge Management.
Type
Info-ProduktIndustry
BildungModel
Einmalige ZahlungMarketing Strategy
How Tiago acquired customers
Growth Channel
Communities
Tech Stack
Tools used to build Building a Second Brain
ZoomCircleEmail marketingPayment processing
The Full Story
Tiago Forte kündigte spontan seine Beratungstätigkeit mit nur einem Monat Ersparnisse. Er erstellte einen Kurs auf SkillShare, der auf Platz 2 der Plattform rangierte.
Kohorten-Modell
Nach einer Live-Kohorten-basierten Schreibkurs 2016 startete er seine erste BASB-Kohorte im Januar 2017 mit 25-30 Personen.
Skalierung
Es dauerte mehrere Kohorten, um $100K ARR zu erreichen. Jetzt bei Kohorte 15 mit 5.000+ Lernenden und $5M pro Jahr bei $1.500 pro Schüler.
- Erste Kohorte: 25-30 Schüler
- Aktuell: 5.000+ Lernende
- Jahresumsatz: $5M
- Preis: $1.500 pro Schüler
Key Takeaways
1
Validiere deine Unterrichtsfähigkeit zuerst auf Plattformen wie SkillShare
2
Kohorten-basiertes Lernen führt zu besseren Abschlussquoten
3
Starte klein (25-30 Schüler) und iteriere basierend auf Feedback
4
Premium-Preisgestaltung ($1.500) ist mit transformativen Ergebnissen möglich
Originally published onDisco
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Pattern
$100K ARR
Channel
Communities
Output
Action checklist
What premium should unlock here
- A concise strategy brief from the story
- Comparable founder examples to benchmark against
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Milestone Journey
Tiago achieved 4 milestones on the path to $100K ARR
Erster Kunde
$10
1 month
February 2016
68% faster
vs avg 3 months+1 month to next milestone
$1K MRR
$1,000
2 months
March 2017
81% faster
vs avg 11 months+1 month to next milestone
$10K MRR
$37,000
3 months
April 2017
86% faster
vs avg 1 year+9 months to next milestone
$100K ARR
$100,000
1 year
January 2018
65% faster
vs avg 3 years1 year
Total journey time
4
Milestones achieved
Tiago's Path to $100K ARRPremium
The journey, decisions, and context behind this milestone
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Building a Second Brain make?
Building a Second Brain reports $2.1M ARR as of December 2025. 2025 gross. ~30% net margin ($650K profit). Original cohort course retired 2023; Second Brain Enterprise AI program generated ~$1.5M in 2025. Source: Forte Labs blog (Tiago Forte).
What is Building a Second Brain?
Kohorten-basierter Kurs zum Thema Personal Knowledge Management. It operates in Bildung.
How long did it take Building a Second Brain to reach $100k arr?
Tiago Forte took 1 year to reach $100k arr with Building a Second Brain.
Was Tiago Forte a solo founder?
Yes. Tiago Forte built Building a Second Brain as a solo founder.
What marketing channel did Building a Second Brain use to grow?
Building a Second Brain grew primarily through Communities.
What industry is Building a Second Brain in?
Building a Second Brain operates in Bildung.
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