By Contributor,Ian Shepherd

Copyright forbes

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The creator economy is now forecast to reach $600 billion by 2030 according to a new report from ThriveCart, with much of that growth coming from education. As demand for AI skills explodes and formal institutions fall behind, creators are emerging as the fastest, most effective engine for retraining the global workforce.

While universities scramble to adapt to the demand for AI education, creators are already delivering practical, in-demand training at scale. According to the report, 57 million Americans are seeking AI skills right now, yet fewer than 9 million are getting access. Universities are meeting just 0.2% of that demand.

“There has been a push in multiple countries through formal education systems to do more,” said Ismael Wrixen, CEO of ThriveCart, during our recent conversation about their 2025 Creator Economy Industry Report, “but it might be too little, too late.”

The Creator Economy as Retraining Infrastructure

The ThriveCart report estimates the creator economy will grow from $250 billion in 2023 to $600 billion by 2030. Much of that growth will be driven by AI-enabled tools and a redefinition of how learning is accessed and delivered.

“We’re expecting nearly 40% of workplace skills to become obsolete or retooled,” Wrixen told me. “Accenture recently went through a retooling exercise with 11,000 staff. So the opportunity here isn’t just for individuals, companies are investing in this transformation too.”

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Companies are already reallocating budgets accordingly. Corporate training spend dropped 3.7% to $98 billion in 2024, while external learning solutions surged 23% to $12.4 billion. Businesses increasingly want practical, fast, proven skills from independent experts.

Tayler Schweigert, founder of the lifestyle and e-learning brand LoveLifePassport is blunt about who fills the gap: “Traditional education moves too slow… Creators are fast, adaptive and deeply connected to real-world needs.”

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Specialization is a Requirement

“Specialization is now mandatory,” Wrixen said. “The market has stopped rewarding the loudest voice and started rewarding the most precise one.” Data from ThriveCart confirms that creators focusing on ultra-specific niches command 3–5x higher prices and earn 47% more engagement. Examples include burnout recovery for healthcare workers and productivity for ADHD entrepreneurs. The personal development market alone is expected to grow from $48.4 billion in 2024 to $67.2 billion by 2030.

Schweigert echoes the economics behind that move: “People pay more for precision… specialists win. Own a category so completely that price stops being the issue.”

“People are paying for real solutions to real problems,” Wrixen noted. “The more specific and well-timed the offer, the more you can charge. We’ve seen creators consistently move audiences from free offers into paid memberships, and even into five-figure masterminds.”

From Freebies to Five-Figure Offers

The top-performing creators on ThriveCart follow a model Wrixen calls “value-first education.” “The most successful creators offer something for free first — a document, webinar, or mini-course,” he explained. “Then they scale into paid products, memberships, and even five-figure mastermind events.”

That full-funnel strategy is helping creators build resilient businesses. ThriveCart powers over $2 billion in annual transactions, 65,000 businesses, and supports more than 12 million enrolled students worldwide. “We help people make their first dollar, but also support those doing seven and eight figures,” Wrixen said. “Creators can embed ThriveCart into any tech stack or use it end-to-end… keep creators in control of their margins and growth.”

Schweigert offers a concrete funnel example: “We added a low-ticket subscription funnel — €1 to €29 into a premium membership — and it exploded… That single funnel brought in over seven figures in annual recurring revenue.”
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Why Community Is the New Currency

“Instead of starting every new product from scratch, the best creators build communities,” Wrixen said. “That gives them retention, feedback and advocacy.” ThriveCart’s infrastructure supports these communities with built-in LMS tools, analytics and conversion optimization features.

But it’s the creator’s understanding of their niche audience that drives long-term success. “Talk to your customers,” Wrixen emphasized. “Don’t try to perfect something for six months… Put out something simple, gather feedback, and improve.”

Skills > Experience

Wrixen believes the labor market is undergoing a meritocratic reset. “The workforce is going to be judged on skills, not experience,” he said. “And creators are the ones teaching those skills at speed and scale.”

Their data backs it up. 39% of workplace skills are expected to be obsolete by 2030, yet only 9% of companies are making meaningful progress on digital transformation. The digital transformation market itself is expected to grow from $2.2 trillion in 2024 to $10.9 trillion by 2032. Creators who teach implementation are commanding premium pricing. Courses teaching practical AI workflows, prompt engineering and soft skills for remote work are rising fastest.

Schweigert says the creator path has already crossed into the mainstream: “Ten years ago it was a side hustle. Today, it’s a full-blown industry… We’ll see creators with CFOs and COOs — the new small-business economy.”
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Why Creators Will Win the Re-skilling Race

AI-generated content already makes up 74.2% of new web pages. That noise is a threat to traditional content models, but a signal for creators who offer depth. “The best creators talk from actual experience,” Wrixen said. “And if they don’t have that yet? Go get the skill. Learn it, teach it, monetize it.”

Schweigert’s scaling advice is built for this new reality: “Simplify… Focus on one funnel, one message, one irresistible offer. The jump from six to seven figures is sales psychology; seven to eight is systems and leadership.”

Whether it’s Agile project management, wellness coaching, cybersecurity, or Excel mastery, the rules of the creator economy have changed. Success is now defined by:

Ultra-specific expertise

Measurable outcomes

Direct community engagement

The New Builders of the Knowledge Economy

As AI reshapes the global economy, creators are stepping into a role that universities and corporate L&D teams simply can’t fill fast enough. They are building the new knowledge economy from the ground up.

“This is a reordering,” Wrixen told me. “Creators who understand these shifts have the chance to build something far more sustainable than likes or followers. They can build businesses that teach, transform and scale.”

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