| name | course-business-model-stack |
| description | Use when modeling course business holistically. Stack = layers of revenue streams.
|
Course Business Model Stack
Course business stack: free content (top) → course (middle) → premium tiers (high). Multiple revenue streams stack.
Revenue stream layers
Bottom (free):
- Blog, YouTube, podcast
- Lead gen, audience building
Middle (course):
- $99-297 main course
- Mid-tier flexible products
Upper-middle (cohort):
- $497-997 cohort
- Premium community + access
Top (mastermind):
- $4,900+ elite
- Premium 1:1 + small group
Each layer feeds next.
Per-layer economics
Free: $0 direct revenue, audience builds
Course: $99/customer × 1,000 customers = $99K
Cohort: $497/customer × 200 customers = $99K
Mastermind: $4,900/customer × 20 customers = $98K
Total annual: $300K from 3 paid tiers. Free layer not direct revenue but enables 3 paid layers.
Building the stack
- Start with free (build audience)
- Add course (validate paid)
- Add cohort (deepen value)
- Add mastermind (premium)
- Add adjacent products (cross-sell)
- Eventually: enterprise / B2B tier
Layered over 3-5 years.
Where this fits in the X3 empire
Business model architecture for CardPrepAI Academy long-term.