Who Is an Edupreneur (Educational Entrepreneur)? Sharing Knowledge as an Idea for the Future

Today's world offers unprecedented opportunities for sharing knowledge. Thanks to the internet, we can learn almost anything online – but more importantly, each of us can become a person who teaches others. More and more people are discovering that sharing their own knowledge can be not only a passion but also a way of life. This is how the phenomenon of edupreneurs is born – educational entrepreneurs combining a love of education with an entrepreneurial spirit. In this article, we will explain in a friendly way who an edupreneur is, look at the growing trend of online courses, provide inspiring examples of such individuals, and suggest how you can start sharing your knowledge and build a future-proof career.

Who Is an Edupreneur?

Edupreneur (a blend of education and entrepreneur) is simply an educational entrepreneur. This is a person who turns their knowledge, experience, or skills into an educational product or service and builds their own business around it. In simpler terms: an edupreneur teaches others (like a teacher) but does so on their own terms and often in their own business (like an entrepreneur). This can take various forms – from creating online courses, through conducting webinars and training sessions, writing e-books and guides, to consultations or one-on-one mentoring.

The key is that an edupreneur independently runs their "educational business". They do not just work on salary at a school or training company, but develop materials themselves and offer them to audiences, often with the help of internet platforms. This gives them full control over content, teaching format, and how they earn from it. An edupreneur is typically someone who noticed they possess valuable knowledge or skills worth sharing with a wider audience – and decided to make it their own venture.

Importantly, anyone can become an edupreneur who has passion and competence in a given area. You do not need to immediately start a large company or invest large sums of money. In the digital era, even a single person with a good idea can reach thousands of people hungry for knowledge. All you need is an idea of what you want to teach and the desire to put it into action. Then you need a bit of entrepreneurial drive – that is, planning how to reach those people and how to organize your educational activities. Sounds ambitious? Perhaps, but thousands of people around the world have already taken this path and shown that it is possible.

The Trend of Sharing Knowledge Online – Education as a Global Phenomenon

Before we move to specific examples of edupreneurs, it is worth looking at the broader context. It turns out that sharing knowledge on the internet is not a passing fad but a lasting and growing trend shaping the future of education and work. The online course and e-learning market is developing at a breakneck pace, which is visible both in numbers and in everyday life.

Just a few years ago, online courses were somewhat of a novelty – today they are a common form of learning. The global e-learning market value in 2024 is estimated at approximately $325 billion, while in 2015 it was around $107 billion. Such a leap speaks for itself. Learning through the internet has become an integral part of our world. Forecasts indicate that this market will continue to grow dynamically – education is moving online just as banking and shopping did before.

What is driving this growth? Primarily changes in lifestyle and work. The modern job market requires continuous lifelong learning – people must constantly improve their qualifications, retrain, and learn new technologies. Online courses offer incredible flexibility: you can learn anywhere and anytime, at your own pace, often cheaper than traditional training. Add to that technological progress – widespread access to the internet, smartphones, educational platforms – which makes learning within arm's reach.

The COVID-19 pandemic only accelerated these trends, forcing the world to move education online. However, importantly, the boom in online courses did not slow down after the pandemic – quite the opposite, people got a taste of this form of learning and continue to use it. For many companies and institutions, e-learning has become the standard for employee training, and for individuals – a convenient way of personal development.

The numbers are impressive. It is estimated that the number of people using course platforms worldwide reaches hundreds of millions. For example, global MOOC platforms (Massive Open Online Courses, such as Coursera, edX, or Udacity) had approximately 180 million registered users in 2019, and in 2021 already over 220 million. This shows how enormous the hunger for knowledge is and how many people want to learn online. This trend is also visible in Poland – the native Navoica platform (free online courses) saw a jump from approximately 75,000 users in March 2022 to over 124,000 a year later. Online education has thus become a global and lasting phenomenon.

Growth in the number of new users on the Coursera platform from 2016 to 2021. A clear spike is visible during the pandemic period, but the growth trend was present even before that. Online education attracts more and more knowledge-hungry people year after year.

For a potential edupreneur, this situation is great news: there is enormous demand for knowledge. Since millions of people want to learn a wide variety of things online – from programming, through foreign languages, to yoga and personal development – this means that your knowledge can also find an audience. The internet ensures that even niche topics can gather a sizable community of learners spread across the world. The market is global, and the barrier to entry is relatively low. In other words, there has never been a better time to share what you know and build your own edu-business.

Different Paths of Edupreneurs – Examples and Inspirations

Since we already know that the demand for knowledge is huge, let us look at specific examples of how edupreneurs put this into practice. There is no single correct model here – there are many paths of edupreneurship, just as there are many fields and passions. Here are a few typical scenarios that show who an edupreneur can be:

- A teacher becomes an entrepreneur: Imagine an English language teacher who taught in a school for years. She notices, however, that thanks to the internet, she can reach a much wider group of students on her own terms. Such a teacher creates her own website and develops an online English learning course. She publishes video lessons, exercises, and hosts live conversation sessions. As a result, thousands of people use her courses – not only from Poland but also the diaspora abroad. She herself earns more than in a traditional school, while having greater freedom in content selection and scheduling.
- An industry expert shares knowledge: Take an experienced digital marketing specialist who worked in agencies and gained valuable knowledge about social media. Such a person can become an edupreneur by first building a personal brand – for example, running a blog, YouTube channel, or LinkedIn profile where they share advice. When they build an audience that trusts their expertise, they release a paid online course teaching step by step, for example, how to create an effective social media campaign. Or they organize paid live online workshops. Their business is based on the fact that companies and marketers want to learn from a practitioner with experience.
- An educational influencer: In the era of social media, many influencers have gained popularity by educating their viewers on specific topics. For example, a science popularizer on YouTube who explains physics or biology phenomena in an accessible way can monetize their activity by publishing a book or e-book with interesting facts, offering a paid subscription with additional materials, or organizing paid online lectures for their community. Similarly, a fitness trainer from Instagram can sell proprietary training and diet plans in the form of a video course or app. Influencers often start by sharing knowledge for free, but when they gather a large audience, creating premium educational products is a natural next step.
- An enthusiast turns a hobby into a course: An edupreneur can also be someone who had nothing formally to do with teaching but mastered a skill brilliantly and wants to help others master it. For example, a photography enthusiast who learned to take great photos – instead of just showing them off online, can prepare a photography course for beginners. This could be a series of instructional videos, a platform with online lessons, or even a mentoring program with individual assessment of student work. Such an enthusiast turns their hobby into income while gaining satisfaction from helping others develop the same passion.

As you can see, there are countless models. Edupreneurs are individual teachers, coaches, trainers, as well as small educational businesses often created by one or a few people. They can operate locally (e.g., an online course aimed mainly at Polish audiences) or globally (a course in English sold worldwide). They can rely on their own website and mailing list, or use large marketplaces like Udemy or Skillshare, where courses are sold en masse. What unites them is one thing: the idea of turning their own knowledge into a valuable educational product for others.

Such examples show that being an edupreneur is a very flexible career path. You can adapt it to yourself: teach what you know best, in a format that suits you, at the scale you desire. Some edupreneurs earn an extra few hundred zlotys a month sharing knowledge after hours, while others create thriving businesses that provide them with a full livelihood (and sometimes substantial profits). Everything depends on ambition, commitment, and the idea. Most importantly, however, you have this opportunity – whether you are a teacher, expert, or simply an enthusiast with a unique skill, you can join the ranks of people who successfully teach online on their own terms.

How to Become an Edupreneur and What Tools to Use?

Thinking that edupreneurship sounds interesting but do not know where to start? Relax – starting your own educational project online today is easier than ever. Here are some tips on how to take the first steps and what tools can help you:

First: discover what you can offer. Look around your own experience and passions. Think about what you are good at – what skills, knowledge, or talent do you possess that could be valuable to others? We often underestimate our own competencies, yet perhaps you know a foreign language well, can program, paint watercolors, manage stress, or have experience running a small business. Each of these things (and countless others) can become the subject of a course or training. The key is to find something you want to and can share. Also think about what brings you joy – it is easier to become an edupreneur in a field you are truly passionate about, because then sharing it is enjoyable.

Second: check the need and market. Once you have an idea of "What could I teach?", find out if others need it. Do not be discouraged – on the internet, there are takers for almost every niche, but it is good to narrow down the audience. Look for Facebook groups, forums, comments – are people asking questions on this topic? What problems do beginners have in this field? You can also ask friends if they would be interested in such a course. The important thing is to understand what value you can provide and to whom. If you see that your knowledge can solve someone's problem (e.g., teach a skill that is difficult for someone to master on their own), that is already a great sign.

Third: start with small steps. You do not have to create a full, multi-hour course with professional production right away. Try your educator role on a smaller scale. For example, write a series of tips on a blog, record a short tutorial on YouTube, host a free webinar or online workshop. This way, you will get comfortable with sharing knowledge and collect your first audience reactions. You will see what questions they ask, what they find most interesting, and what they struggle with. By building a small community of people interested in the topic around you, you will gain confidence that it is worth going further. This is also the time to refine your teaching style, test different formats (do you prefer writing, speaking, or perhaps both) and gain your first fans of your knowledge.

Fourth: choose a format and platform. When you feel you have developed material and want to create a full-fledged educational product, it is time to choose how to make it available. There are many options – you can prepare a video course (the most popular form), an email course, an e-book with exercises, a podcast with lessons, or even a paid mastermind group. Choose what best suits your topic and audience. Then think about where to place your product. The good news is that you do not need to code a website or platform yourself – there are many ready-made tools that will do the technical work for you. Platforms like Teachable, Kajabi, or the Polish Publigo allow you to easily upload course materials, set prices, integrate payments, and manage student access. Thanks to them, you can focus on the substantive content, while technical matters (such as user login, email delivery, payment collection) are already solved. Moreover, many of these tools require no coding – they are designed for course creators who want to quickly and easily start selling. You can usually take advantage of trial periods or free plans to test which platform suits you. It is truly amazing how the barriers to entry have been lowered today – a few clicks and your course can be available to people from around the world.

Fifth: be persistent and keep learning. Paradoxically, being an edupreneur means you are constantly learning too – not only in your field, but also how to teach others better, how to run an online business, and how to reach new audiences. The first version of the course does not have to be perfect. What matters more is simply starting. Over time, by collecting feedback from participants, you will improve materials, develop new modules, perhaps create additional courses. Building an educator brand is a process: it requires consistency, authenticity, and care for your community. Do not be discouraged if the scale is small at first – every great edupreneur once started with a handful of students. The most important thing is that you are doing something meaningful: helping others grow. Financial success will come over time as a result of delivering real value.

Discover Your Competencies and Share Them with the World

Perhaps now you are thinking: "Could I really become such an educational entrepreneur?". The answer is: yes, if you want to! Edupreneurship is a path for open-minded people who believe in the power of knowledge and want to share it. You do not need to be a celebrity or a professor with titles – on the internet, what matters is whether you can help your audience learn something or achieve something. Often it is enough that you are one step ahead of your students in a given topic and genuinely want to teach them that step.

Think of all the skills, experiences, and interests you have. Do you cook great home meals? Know about gardening? Or perhaps you have been through an interesting personal development journey, learned to manage your time, or mastered the art of public speaking? Your competencies are a treasure waiting to be discovered. Somewhere out there are people who would like to learn what you already know. So why not make it easier for them?

The path of an edupreneur is full of satisfaction. You see real impact – your students gain new skills, thank you for help, and achieve their goals. It is an incredibly uplifting feeling when you know that someone's career picked up thanks to your lessons, or that someone found a new passion thanks to your course. Additionally, it is a future-proof path – the demand for online education will only grow along with progress and changes in the job market. By becoming an edupreneur, you are betting on the future, in which continuous learning is the norm and competencies are changing like never before. In such a future, people who can teach others will always be in demand.

Finally, it is worth emphasizing: an edupreneur is not just a profession, it is a certain mission. A mission of sharing knowledge, inspiring others to grow, and changing people's lives for the better through education. If you feel this resonates with you – give it a try! Take a small step today. You could, for example, write down an idea for the first module of a course, share one piece of advice on your social media profile, or check out course platforms and see how others do it. Every great project started with a small idea.

Perhaps you will turn out to be the next edupreneur who turns their knowledge into success, helping hundreds or thousands of people in their own learning. Even if this sounds like a dream to you right now – remember that we live in times when such dreams are easier to realize than ever. You have within you a unique set of competencies and experiences. Share them with the world – because sharing knowledge is one of the most satisfying and future-proof things you can do. Good luck on your edupreneurship journey!