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Greg Smith
Co-Founder & CEO of Thinkific
Greg Smith is the Co-Founder and CEO of Thinkific, a leading platform that enables entrepreneurs to create, market, and sell online courses and membership sites. Under his leadership, Thinkific has grown significantly, serving over 77,000 entrepreneurs across 190 countries and generating nearly $2 billion in revenue for its users.14
Background and Career
Before founding Thinkific in 2012, Greg worked as a corporate lawyer specializing in securities law. His transition to entrepreneurship began when he launched an online LSAT preparation course as a side project, which quickly became more profitable than his legal career.135 This experience highlighted the potential for online education and inspired him to create Thinkific, alongside his brother Matt Smith and co-founders Miranda Lievers and Matt Payne.3
Achievements
- Thinkific's Growth: The platform has empowered countless individuals to monetize their knowledge through online courses. Since its inception, it has facilitated the creation of thousands of courses that have reached millions of students worldwide.45
- Public Company: Thinkific went public and achieved a remarkable annual recurring revenue (ARR) of $65 million, showcasing its significant impact in the ed-tech space.46
Personal Interests
Outside of his professional endeavors, Greg enjoys kiteboarding, spending time with his family, and engaging in outdoor activities such as camping and playing board games.12
Education
Greg holds a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of British Columbia.25
His journey reflects a strong commitment to helping others succeed in the creator economy, making him a notable figure in the online education sector.
Highlights
I suffered from insomnia for years — and it peaked right as Thinkific started taking off (not a great time as you can imagine). I also had my first kid then too so that may have had a small impact on sleep ;-)
But I’ve made a lot of progress in addressing my sleep issues and last year, I took another big step:
I all but eliminated alcohol from my life.
It’s a journey I’m still on and it’s been a process. There was one turning point in November of 2022 where I had 2 glasses of wine and slept 0 hours that night.
During that sleepless night, I told myself: I’m done with drinking.
I made it a few months but then went out for dinner one night and when I was in the bathroom, someone had poured me a glass of wine. I drank it because I didn’t want it to go to waste.
I didn’t sleep well that night either.
Eventually, I realized that if I wanted to quit, I needed to be flexible with myself. I couldn’t set absolute rules. (BTW: this isn’t good advice for everyone mind you, if it’s an addiction, that requires a different approach.)
The rules I set for myself: If there’s really good wine at the table being served with food or it’s an occasion where we’re celebrating something, I’ll give myself an ounce — and that’s been more than enough for me to enjoy what I love about wine without the negative impact on sleep.
Last year, I think I only had a total of about 6 drinks. My sleep is better and I don’t miss it at all.
I realize sobriety is a nuanced topic and we all come to that journey from different backgrounds and lenses, but I’ve been hearing more about people choosing this path or working towards it for the many health benefits.
Has anyone else cut alcohol out of their life (or are thinking about it)? How did you manage to do it? Curious to hear what others’ experiences have been.
Your creator business needs a recurring revenue model. Yes, there’s the financial stability aspect, but in my experience, the benefits extend beyond that.
Here’s how recurring revenue models can transform a business, and why creators should consider them 👇
