Is this whole 'creator' thing just a pyramid scheme?
the content trap
Just threw another $150 at a creator who probably doesn't need it.
Stared at the purchase confirmation for a solid minute. Another "masterclass" promising to turn me into a "money making creator".
This is the one though, right? This course is definitely going to give me all the answers that the previous five couldn't. (It won't.)
And I can't help but wonder if this whole "build a brand online" thing is just an elaborate pyramid scheme where the only people making money are the ones selling courses about how to make money.
You've probably had the same thought at 2am, blank screen in front of you, wondering why the hell you're trying to be a "creator" when you could just... not.
Is creating online just another trap I've fallen into because some persuasive dude in a rented Airbnb convinced me it was the path to freedom?
But here's the question that bugs at me: what's the alternative?
Working for someone else until you’re 65? Stuck at desk with 20 vacation days a year (if you're lucky) and asking permission to attend your kid's school play?
Is that actually so bad though?
Steady paycheck. Benefits. Structure. No constant self-doubt about whether your "authentic voice" is resonating with your "ideal avatar."
I don't know anymore, and that's the truth.
But I do know is this: the middle ground is pure hell.
You know the middle ground, where you're half-committed to your 9-5 while also half-committed to your "side hustle." Where you're not fully present in either world, always distracted by the other, always feeling like you're falling behind in both.
I've spent three years in that middle ground. Working a job I am increasingly checking out of, while also trying to build something of my own on the side.
My energy is scattered and my progress is minimal in both directions.
The reality is creating online isn't inherently a trap. But treating it like a get-rich-quick scheme absolutely is.
And here's what nobody tells you in those compelling course sales pages: building something meaningful takes ages. Not weeks. Not months. Years.
That isn't particularly appealing, is it? You want "success" now.
Look, millions of us drag ourselves to jobs we don't particularly love every day just to pay the bills. That's normal. That's life.
I'm not saying you need to become some saint who never thinks about money. Fuck that. You absolutely should learn how to make money from your work online, that's how you get to keep doing it.
But if you're going to become a creator and still treat it like another joyless job you do just for the money... what's the bloody point? You've just swapped one form of misery for another.
So what's the answer?
I think it's this: you need decide what game you actually want to play.
If you want to build something of your own – whether that's content, products, or services – do it because you genuinely enjoy the process. Because you'd do it even if the money was slow to come (which it will be).
Do it because you want to discover what you have to say. Because you want to clarify your own thinking. Because it scratches an itch that nothing else does.
Don't do it for the promise of "passive income" or "location freedom" or any other enticing buzzword.
And if you decide that actually, you'd rather have a job you don't hate that pays the bills and gives you time to live your life? That's a completely valid choice too.
Just pick one and commit.
The only real trap is the middle ground. The halfhearted attempts, the constant second-guessing, the endless consumption of "how to" content without ever really doing the thing.
Let’s not do that.
What game do you actually want to play?
Pick a path, then play it with everything you've got.
Cheers,
Karl
P.S. If you're like me and decided that yes, creating online is your path (despite the obvious challenges), then focus on making it sustainable. Build systems that don't burn you out. Create things that energize you rather than drain you. And for god's sake, stop buying courses for a while.