Founder stories
$100K ARRen 1 year
4 jalons
Current revenue
2025 gross. ~30% net margin ($650K profit). Original cohort course retired 2023; Second Brain Enterprise AI program generated ~$1.5M in 2025.
Productivity Expert Launches Cohort Course, Builds $5M/Year Business
Fondateur
Tiago Forte
Fondateur Solo•Non-technique•USA
Engagement
Temps pleinExpérience
Première foisProduit
Cohort-based course on personal knowledge management.
Type
Produit d'InformationSecteur
ÉducationModèle
Paiement uniqueStratégie marketing
Comment Tiago a acquis ses clients
Canal de croissance
Communautés
Tech Stack
Outils utilisés pour construire Building a Second Brain
ZoomCircleEmail marketingPayment processing
L'histoire complète
Tiago Forte 'rage quit' consulting with a month of savings. He created a course on SkillShare that became #2 on the platform.
Cohort Model
After taking a live cohort-based writing course in 2016, he launched his first BASB cohort in January 2017 with 25-30 people.
Scaling
It took a few cohorts to hit $100K ARR. Now on cohort 15 with 5,000+ learners and $5M/year at $1,500 per student.
- First cohort: 25-30 students
- Current: 5,000+ learners
- Annual revenue: $5M
- Price: $1,500/student
Points clés à retenir
1
Validate teaching ability on platforms like SkillShare first
2
Cohort-based learning creates better completion rates
3
Start small (25-30 students) and iterate based on feedback
4
Premium pricing ($1,500) is possible with transformational results
Publié à l'origine surDisco
Inspiré par le parcours de Tiago ? Générez une idée de business dans le secteur Éducation grâce à l'AI et aux données de vrais fondateurs.
Parcours des jalons
Tiago a atteint 4 jalons sur le chemin vers $100K ARR
Premier Client
$10
1 month
February 2016
72% plus rapide
vs moy. 4 months+1 month jusqu'au prochain jalon
$1K MRR
$1,000
2 months
March 2017
82% plus rapide
vs moy. 11 months+1 month jusqu'au prochain jalon
$10K MRR
$37,000
3 months
April 2017
86% plus rapide
vs moy. 1 year+9 months jusqu'au prochain jalon
$100K ARR
$100,000
1 year
January 2018
69% plus rapide
vs moy. 3 years1 year
Durée totale du parcours
4
Jalons atteints
Le parcours de Tiago vers $100K ARRPremium
Le chemin, les décisions et le contexte derrière cette étape clé
Débloquez le parcours complet de Tiago
Découvrez l'analyse complète : stratégie de lancement, méthodes de validation, coûts de démarrage, expert analysis, replication playbook, et bien d'autres insights actionnables.
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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 year-in-review.
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 Communautés.
What industry is Building a Second Brain in?
Building a Second Brain operates in Éducation.
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