Know + Tell Find your thing →
HELLO WISE ONE

You know more than you think.

What you've learned is worth sharing.

Courses. Workshops. Books. Coaching. Newsletters. Podcasts. Communities. Countless ways to tell them what you know.

Find your thing → ← takes about 5 minutes
You know
Financial Freedom

SHARE YOUR EXPERTISEYOU GOT SH*T WORTH SHARING.

You're old enough to know a thing or three.

There are 25-year-olds with 100,000 followers explaining how to optimize a life.

Meanwhile, you've spent 20 or 30 years actually living one.

You know your sh*t.

You made mistakes. Solved problems. Built things. Raised kids. Lost money. Made some. Changed careers. Learned trades. Mastered crafts. Survived industries. You got POVs.

That counts.

Read the manifesto →

School taught us show and tell.
Life gave you stuff worth showing and telling.

TEACH WHAT YOU KNOW ONLINEShow us what you know.

You know
(Van) Life

FIND YOUR THING · FREE BUSINESS IDEA BUILDERWhat the hell do I know and what should I do with it?

You probably don't think of it as expertise. That's okay. Answer six questions and we'll help you see what's in there, who wants it, and the best first thing to make.

  1. 01I don’t know what I know
  2. 02I know what I know
  3. 03I know who might want it
  4. 04I know how I want to share it
  5. 05I have a thing
Question 1 of 6 · I don’t know what I know

What do you know?

Start with what you’ve spent the most time doing. It counts even if it doesn’t feel like expertise.

Stuck? Ask yourself: What do people always ask you about? What did you learn the hard way? What could you explain for an hour without notes?

What kind of knowledge is it?

HOW KNOW + TELL WORKSWe do this backwards. On purpose.

Most creator-economy advice says
Build an audience.↓Figure out what to sell them.
Know + Tell says
Know something useful.↓Find the people who need it.↓Build something for them.

You're not an aspiring influencer. You already have something of value. The audience is out there, looking for it.

WAYS TO SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW: COURSES, COACHING, NEWSLETTERS & MOREIt might be easier than you think to tell what you know.

You could make:

A 20-minute class A weekend workshop A newsletter A YouTube channel A podcast A book A consulting practice A community A paid guide A coaching practice A collection of tutorials A membership A combo. Or something nobody else knows how to do

The format should fit the knowledge, not the other way around.

Explore the Library →

THE LIBRARY · REAL PEOPLE WHO TURNED EXPERTISE INTO A BUSINESSMeet people who got sh*t going.

Real people. Real knowledge. Not celebrities with eight million followers. People sharing with people, doing what you could actually do.

From small, one-person channels to large multi-channel businesses, here's some folks to model after.

See all 41 examples in the Library →Browse guides by craft →Show us what you know: get in the Library →
Hands holding a small USB power meter MEDIUM
Electronics repair · YouTube, courses & community

Joey Does Tech

Joey

A repair enthusiast who teaches people to diagnose and fix electronics, with practical courses, group troubleshooting and a paid learning community. People pay not just for information, but for help with their own projects.

Start a YouTube channel → youtube.com ↗
Fresh vegetables, avocado and spices on a table SMALL
Personal finance · Education & training

Healthy Rich

Dana Miranda

A personal-finance educator who built an independent platform around financial advice that reflects a wider range of people’s lived experiences. Her work includes educational resources and training for educators and nonprofit organizations.

Monetize your expertise → healthyrich.co ↗
A colorful Italian village on a seaside cliff SMALL
Italian cooking · Online membership

Rustico Cooking

Dino and Micol

A couple with complementary backgrounds built an online membership teaching authentic Italian regional cooking. It goes beyond recipes to explain techniques, ingredients and the traditions behind the food.

Start a cooking channel → rusticocooking.com ↗
Students raising their hands in a classroom MEDIUM
Teaching teaching · Blog, courses & products

Dave Stuart Jr.

Dave Stuart Jr.

A middle-school teacher who started writing online about his professional practice. The blog grew into a business supported by writing, courses and digital products, without his having to leave the classroom to get started.

From classroom to online → davestuartjr.com ↗
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Digital products · For women over 40

Pam Allen

Sadie Smiley Media

After decades working as a waitress, she explored online business, learned to create digital products with Canva, and developed educational offers and memberships for women seeking more financial independence.

Sell your knowledge online → pamallenonline.com ↗
A glass jar labeled Retire, filled with cash and coin rolls SMALL
Reliability & retirement · YouTube

Joe Kuhn

Joe Kuhn

He worked at Alcoa for 32 years and retired as a plant manager in 2019. He had no intention of starting a YouTube channel and has since made more than 400 videos.

Consulting after retirement → youtube.com ↗
A mechanic’s hand working under a car on a lift SMALL
Car repair · YouTube

South Main Auto

Eric Obrochta

A small-town shop owner in upstate New York who films real diagnostics on real customer cars, supported by channel memberships.

youtube.com ↗
Dan Carlin in front of a wall of episode artwork SMALL
History · Podcast

Hardcore History

Dan Carlin

A former broadcaster telling long, deeply researched stories from history. Episodes are free; the back catalog is sold.

dancarlin.com ↗
A stack of Austin Kleon’s book Don’t Call It Art SMALL
Creativity · Newsletter

Austin Kleon

Austin Kleon

A weekly email of ten things he found interesting, alongside a blog and small books about creative work.

austinkleon.com ↗
A bowl of treats held out to backyard hens SMALL
Backyard chickens · Blog & books

Fresh Eggs Daily

Lisa Steele

Practical, natural advice for backyard flocks, grown from a blog into books and a long-running show.

fresheggsdaily.blog ↗
Charles Dowding holding a basket of fresh vegetables in his garden MEDIUM
Gardening · YouTube, courses, books

Charles Dowding

Charles Dowding

Decades of growing vegetables without digging, taught through free videos, paid online courses, books and visits to his garden.

charlesdowding.co.uk ↗
Janet Lansbury’s parenting books on a café table MEDIUM
Parenting · Podcast, books, courses

Janet Lansbury

Janet Lansbury

A respectful approach to raising toddlers, shared through a popular podcast, books and an online course.

janetlansbury.com ↗
Stacks of books on a table by a harbor at night MEDIUM
Publishing · Newsletter & classes

Jane Friedman

Jane Friedman

Decades inside the publishing industry, turned into a paid newsletter for authors, online classes and consulting.

janefriedman.com ↗
Video thumbnail of a physical therapist demonstrating a tight neck MEDIUM
Physical therapy · YouTube & products

Bob & Brad

Bob Schrupp & Brad Heineck

Two physical therapists explaining aches and fixes in plain language, supported by product reviews and recommendations.

bobandbrad.com ↗
Close-up of a hand-tied bow tie MEDIUM
Life skills · YouTube & book

Dad, How Do I?

Rob Kenney

His father left when he was 14, so he started filming the basics a dad would teach, like tying a tie or changing a tire. The channel drew millions of subscribers and became a book.

youtube.com ↗
A finished patchwork quilt draped over a chair LARGE
Quilting · Tutorials into a company

Missouri Star Quilt Co.

Jenny Doan

Started a quilt shop for retirement money during the recession. Her son suggested YouTube tutorials; they turned a small Missouri town into a quilting destination.

missouriquiltco.com ↗
A row of electric guitars on a stand in a recording studio LARGE
Music · YouTube, book, courses

Rick Beato

Rick Beato

A record producer and teacher explaining why great songs work, with a music theory book and courses behind the channel.

youtube.com ↗
A guitarist writing notes while practicing LARGE
Guitar · Lessons, app, books

JustinGuitar

Justin Sandercoe

Free, structured guitar lessons that grew into an app, songbooks and paid courses.

justinguitar.com ↗
Hands holding dahlia tubers on a flower farm LARGE
Flower farming · Workshops, books, seeds

Floret

Erin Benzakein

A small flower farm that teaches growers through online workshops and books, and sells the seeds to go with them.

floretflowers.com ↗
An electrician working on a breaker panel LARGE
Electrical trade · Training

Mike Holt Enterprises

Mike Holt

An electrician who became the go-to teacher of the electrical code, with books, videos and exam prep for the trade.

mikeholt.com ↗

There's as many ways to teach as there are teachers.

Explore the Library →

ABOUT KNOW + TELLYou don't have to become a creator.

You don't need a ring light.

You don't need to dance on TikTok.

You don't need 100,000 followers.

You don't need to call yourself a thought leader.

Or (worse) an influencer.

You don't even have to be particularly good at the internet.

You just need to know something somebody else wants to know.

WHAT’S HOLDING YOU BACK?Everybody has a “yeah, but…”

The doubts that stop most people are the same handful. Pick yours, and we’ll take it on honestly.

“I’m not good with technology.”You don’t have to be → “I don’t want to be on camera.”You don’t have to be → “Who am I to teach this?”Exactly the right person → “Will this mess up my Social Security?”What to check first → “I don’t have time.”Start with an hour a week → “I don’t have money to start.”You barely need any → “Nobody would pay for what I know.”Here’s how to find out → “I’m too old to start something new.”Experience is the point →

Read the whole thing: What’s holding you back →  ·  Rather start in person? Teach a class locally →

USING AI TO SHARE WHAT YOU KNOWAI knows a lot.

But it hasn't lived your life.
You have.

AI can help you organize what you know. Turn a conversation into a course outline. Turn a workshop into a book. Turn an hour of talking into ten pieces of content. What it can't replace is the thing you bring to the table: your experience.

write this down ↓

Don't ask AI what you should know.

Tell it what you know.

See what AI can do with what you know →

MODERN TOOLS FOR TELLING: HOW TO CHOOSE A COURSE, COACHING OR NEWSLETTER PLATFORMSix kinds of tools. Here's what each one does for you.

You don't need all of them, and you don't need them all at once. Most people start with one or two. Here's what each kind does, when it's the right place to start, and where it usually fits in the order.

  1. 01AI assistants
  2. 02Email & newsletters
  3. 03Video & audio
  4. 04Coaching
  5. 05Courses & workshops
  6. 06Community
01

AI assistants

Your thinking partner.

What it does

Helps you get what’s in your head onto the page: outlines, lesson plans, names, first drafts, emails and descriptions. It does the busywork so you can do the knowing.

Start here if

Almost everyone. It’s the quickest way to turn a jumble of experience into a plan, and it makes every other step faster.

Try this first

Ask Claude to interview you about your work for 20 minutes, then turn your answers into a lesson plan. Or ask it to brainstorm 20 names for your business.

Tools to look at: Claude, Canva

02

Email & newsletters

An audience that’s yours.

What it does

Collects the people who want to hear from you and lets you reach them directly, with no algorithm deciding who sees it.

Start here if

You want to test interest before you build anything, or you like to write. It’s also the first thing to add once anything else is running.

Try this first

Send one useful tip a week for a month. If people open it and reply, you’ve found your audience.

Tools to look at: Kit, beehiiv, Substack

03

Video & audio

Show it. Say it.

What it does

Records and edits video and podcasts from your kitchen, garage or van, without a studio. Some let you edit a recording as easily as editing a document.

Start here if

You explain best by showing how it’s done or by talking it through.

Try this first

Record yourself doing one task you know cold. Five minutes, one take, no script.

Tools to look at: Riverside, Descript

04

Coaching

Get paid to help, one person at a time.

What it does

Lets people book time with you and pay up front. Scheduling, reminders and payments are handled for you.

Start here if

You like working with people and want to earn sooner. Every session shows you what people really ask, and that becomes your course later.

Try this first

Offer three paid sessions to people who already come to you for advice.

Tools to look at: Calendly, Stan Store, Zoom

05

Courses & workshops

Package it once. Teach it many times.

What it does

Hosts your lessons, videos and worksheets, and handles sales and student logins. Run it live as a workshop, or let people learn at their own pace.

Start here if

You already know what people struggle with and the order to teach it in. If you don’t yet, start with coaching or email and come back here.

Try this first

Run one live 90-minute workshop before you build a full course. It becomes your tested outline.

Tools to look at: Skool, Teachable, Podia

06

Community

Bring your people together.

What it does

A private online space where members ask questions, share progress and learn from each other, not just from you.

Start here if

You already have a group (a club, a class, regulars) or your topic is better together, like crafts, hobbies or big life changes. Otherwise, add it after a course so students keep going.

Try this first

Invite 20 people who already ask you questions into a free space for one month.

Tools to look at: Skool, Mighty Networks, Circle

Know + Tell is free. Some tool links pay us a commission; here’s how we choose.

Not sure where you fit? The Business Builder puts these in the right order for you, based on what you know and how you like to share it.

Find your thing →

THE TOOLKIT: COURSE, EMAIL, PODCAST & COACHING TOOLSYou don't need to know how to build an online business.

You need to know something. Technology has gotten remarkably good at handling the rest.

Create it.
Record, write and design with what you own.
Sell it.
Payments, pricing and checkout, handled.
Teach it.
Courses, cohorts and workshops.
Publish it.
Newsletters, books, video and audio.
Find your people.
Email, search and communities.
THE BEGINNER STACK

One pick per job. Start with these, and add more only when you need it.

Know + Tell is free. Some tool links pay us a commission; here’s how we choose.

Thinking and drafting
Claude ↗
Outlines, lesson plans, emails and first drafts. Your behind-the-scenes partner.
Your email list
beehiiv ↗
A free newsletter that can grow into paid subscriptions.
Only want to write? Try Substack
Video and audio
Descript ↗
Record, then edit video or audio as easily as editing a document.
For interviews and podcasts, try Riverside
Selling sessions and small products
Stan Store ↗
A one-link storefront for coaching, guides and downloads. No website needed.
Want a fuller storefront? Try Podia
Live workshops
Zoom ↗
Teach a live class from your kitchen table. Pair it with a free ticketing page.
Ticketing: Luma
Course and community
Skool ↗
Lessons and a members’ community in one simple place, with low-cost plans to start.
Want a polished standalone course? Try Teachable
When you’re bigger
Once you have a steady audience and paying members, these give you more room to grow.
Get a toolkit matched to your plan →

FIVE QUESTIONS TO START A KNOWLEDGE BUSINESSFive questions. One at a time.

Everything on Know + Tell is organized around the questions you'll actually ask, in the order you'll ask them.

Want the long version? Read From Know to Tell, the complete step-by-step guide →

01 KNOW What do I actually know? Articles, prompts, exercises and the Business Builder. 02 FIND Who would care? Audience discovery, niches, examples and demand. 03 TELL What’s the best way to share it? Formats, teaching styles and the Library. 04 BUILD How do I turn it into a thing? Courses, books, workshops, coaching, communities. Tools live here. 05 GROW How do people find it? Email, social, search, communities and partnerships.

START YOUR SECOND ACTSo what are you waiting for?

You spent years learning it. Now somebody else gets to learn it from you.

KNOW + TELL. Get started →