Lori Gold: How a Travel Advisor Became a Six-Figure Education Entrepreneur

Meet Lori Gold, a travel expert turned online educator. Originally a travel advisor focused on the stunning offerings of the Mexican Caribbean, Lori turned the tides of her career during the global pandemic, channeling her expertise into a thriving online educational platform.

• Earned half a million dollars on Kajabi without any paid advertising
• Built a membership of more than 1700 people — and counting
• Created a thriving niche community with less than 10k followers on social media

Lori's product offering is as unique as her journey, characterized by a deep-dive focus into a very specific niche. "My audience and my product are small," she shared. "I teach travel advisors about the Mexican Caribbean. So it's the most niche audience that you can find." This daring embrace of niche education is the secret sauce behind Lori's success. She leans into the specificity of her knowledge, imparting valuable insights through masterclasses and a membership program.

Shaping her career amidst the upheaval of a global crisis, Lori's entrepreneurial roots trace back to a critical decision. She candidly confessed, "I enjoyed teaching so much more than working with clients. I was making the same amount of money or more, and with a lot less stress. That’s when I realized I wanted to do this full-time."

Today, this empowering decision helped her generate revenue exceeding half a million dollars, all while doing what she loves, teaching about a destination she adores. Through Kajabi, Lori reinvented her career, and in doing so inspires us that within any niche there’s a community waiting to learn, though Lori encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to go as narrow as possible, at least at the beginning.

“I know that a lot of people do the same things and I've seen a lot of courses offering the same things. The more niche you can get the better because there’s less of a chance that someone else will be doing it, and you'll have less competition out there."

The Challenge: Stepping into Unchartered Entrepreneurial Waters

In a time when global shifts were impacting the travel industry, Lori recognized an unmet need in her community of travel advisors. She found that there was a wealth of scattered information about the Mexican Caribbean resorts that advisors were unable to collect and digest efficiently. "These are the resorts, these are what they are, this is where they are. It's just information that they could probably find, but I'm making it easy to get and digest," Lori explains. Her challenge was clear: Create a concise, easily digestible resource that saves travel agents time and effort.

The consequence of not addressing this challenge? Lori knew that her community would continue to struggle, their potential left unfulfilled due to information overload. Yet, as she prepared to cross the threshold of innovation and fulfill this need, Lori grappled with anxiety and uncertainty. "I don't even know where to begin. I've never done anything like this before. I've never taught anyone before. I've never used any sort of tools except for Zoom and I have no idea what to do," Lori confessed. Where others might have seen obstacles, Lori saw opportunities, charting her path toward entrepreneurial success.

The Solution: From Idea to Action with Kajabi

Few will argue that finding the right platform can be incredibly daunting, but sometimes, a fellow trailblazer in the industry points towards the path of illumination. That’s what happened with Lori. She reached out to a friend in the industry who was already hosting classes. His one-word answer: "Kajabi."

Unsure but committed to her purpose, Lori took a leap of faith. She chose Kajabi without even checking out any other tools, and that decision marked a pivotal point in her journey. Lori understood that her mission required a tried and tested solution to fuel her foray into entrepreneurship. "I just went for it and here we are," she reflects, her experience a shining example of going with your gut and strategizing from there.

With Kajabi, she created a thriving platform that provided organized and easily digestible information on the Mexican Caribbean for travel advisors. The platform's user-friendly interface and powerful functionalities became a springboard for Lori's master classes. Her membership program also found a solid foundation in Kajabi, allowing it to continually grow and support her tight-knit free community.

“I love being able to help the members of my membership which in turn helps them with their own businesses. Because I invested in Kajabi, and my members are investing in their businesses through me, they are more successful and making more money. It’s a beautiful cycle.”

The Results: Celebrating a Niche Community's Success

The transformative journey of Lori’s entrepreneurial endeavor is a remarkable narrative of success rooted in passion and nurtured by Kajabi. Venturing from a career as a travel advisor to an online entrepreneur, she discovered a calling that didn't just replace her original career's earnings but rewarded her beyond expectations. Lori's journey culminated in mind-blowing revenues of high six-figures, highlighting her monumental achievement and the efficacy of Kajabi's platform.

With Kajabi, Lori was given more than just a platform for her master classes or a home for her membership program, and she delighted in how her audience could easily access and consume the valuable information she provided. "I'm not telling my members something profound. It’s something that's factual," Lori said of her content, proving that even the most straightforward knowledge could be invaluable when presented in the right way to the right audience.

Lori’s membership includes a resource library, access to past and future masterclasses, Zoom office hours, weekly newsletters, and more. By offering a variety of exclusive content, resources, and networking opportunities, Lori showcases the endless options entrepreneurs can incorporate into creating membership programs that propel them toward success no matter the niche.

A bonus benefit of Kajabi was the creation of a community. "I started with the community, and I didn't have to find the people," Lori revealed, emphasizing her reverse approach compared to others. Lori already had her community from her prior career, yet Kajabi allowed her to maintain it, grow it, and profit from it without losing her personal touch. Lori’s success is a guidebook for aspiring entrepreneurs who sometimes have trouble recognizing where their audience already exists.

Looking Ahead: Building Upon Success

In 2024 and beyond, Lori envisions a growing portfolio of immersive master classes and an even more powerful, supportive community. Driven by her commitment to "provide free content and always be there for [her] community," she’s gearing up for a revamped membership portal, further optimizing her offerings.

Lori's profound achievements speak volumes for the transformative power of the Kajabi platform, and her thriving business, fueled by her ambition and facilitated by Kajabi, is a testament to the platform's game-changing capabilities.

For Lori, the key to her success lay in the incredible community she built before launching her courses, a community she truly listens to. "Something I do every single month within my membership is creating more courses based on what I see the need for in my community," Lori shares. Rather astutely, Lori advises starting with the audience, nurturing the community, and then crafting offerings tailored to their needs.

Lori is proof that you don’t need to have a large audience - all you need is your expertise and fierce determination to make your online business dreams a success.

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