On this week’s episode of the Area of interest Pursuits podcast, Veronica Llorca-Smith and I focus on how she constructed a six-figure portfolio profession by turning one space of experience into related revenue streams. Her enterprise contains Substack, a paid neighborhood, teaching, programs, boot camps, public talking, and 4 books. Somewhat than treating these as separate companies, she makes use of the identical concepts throughout codecs.
That method helps her create income with out reinventing her enterprise every time. Publication posts can turn into programs, workshops, teaching provides, or guide materials, whereas the neighborhood retains her near what folks need. Her story reveals how one subject can assist a broader enterprise.
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Constructing One Enterprise Round A number of Earnings Streams
Veronica describes what she does as a “portfolio profession.” As an alternative of pondering of herself as somebody working a number of separate corporations, she sees one profession made up of a number of pillars.
That distinction issues as a result of the items assist one another. A publication publish can result in a training shopper, turn into a part of a course, assist a workshop, or ultimately contribute to a guide.
Her enterprise did not start with all these items directly. She began with writing, noticed what resonated, and regularly added new codecs as alternatives arose. As we speak, the portfolio contains:
- A free Substack publication and paid membership
- One-to-one teaching
- Digital programs
- Small-group public talking boot camps
- Company talking engagements and workshops
- 4 printed books
- A neighborhood that feeds curiosity into lots of the different provides
That development is without doubt one of the extra helpful elements of Veronica’s story. She did not create an elaborate enterprise construction first after which hunt for patrons to fill it. She constructed one piece, listened to what folks wished subsequent, and expanded from there.
Rising the Neighborhood Earlier than Monetizing Extra
Veronica launched The Lemon Tree Mindset on Substack in February 2023. She initially selected the platform as a result of different writers really helpful it, not as a result of she had created an in depth monetization plan.
One characteristic made Substack particularly helpful for what she wished to construct: discovery contained in the platform itself. Notes give creators a social layer the place individuals who have by no means subscribed can encounter their posts, work together with them, and be part of the publication.
For Veronica, e-mail grew to become extra necessary than chasing follower counts as a result of it gave her a direct relationship with the folks fascinated by her work. She now refers to these folks as a neighborhood fairly than an viewers. The publication has grown significantly:
- Round 14,000 complete subscribers
- Roughly 11,000 English subscribers
- Greater than 3,000 Spanish subscribers
- About 3% of subscribers are paid members
- The paid neighborhood generates roughly $25,000 per 12 months
That 3% conversion price was decrease than Veronica initially anticipated. She had heard estimates suggesting that 5% to 10% of free Substack subscribers may ultimately turn into paid.
As an alternative of spending all her vitality pushing 3% towards 5%, she began eager about what else she may provide the a lot bigger group which may by no means need a recurring paid subscription. That shift led to teaching, programs, workshops, and different methods for folks to purchase from her on their very own phrases.
Changing Free Consideration Into Paid Presents
Veronica’s method to paid content material has advanced via trial and error. Her present philosophy separates info from implementation.
She’s snug sharing a considerable amount of info for free of charge. Paid provides turn into extra enticing after they present private suggestions, structured workout routines, frameworks, direct assist, or alternatives to work alongside different folks. Her paid neighborhood contains experiences which can be troublesome to breed via a regular article:
- Devoted chats the place members can ask particular questions
- Customized suggestions tied to a person member’s scenario
- Peer connections which have led to visitor posts and podcast collaborations
- Month-to-month enterprise roundtables centered on a selected subject
- Alternatives for members to make use of the group as a sounding board
Veronica has modified these experiences as member conduct has modified. Conventional webinars and one-way masterclasses as soon as labored nicely, then participation started declining towards the tip of 2025 and into 2026.
After asking members what they wished, she discovered that interplay was changing into extra interesting than merely watching one other presentation. That led her towards targeted enterprise roundtables the place members may focus on issues with one another fairly than solely listening to her educate.
Reusing One Subject Throughout A number of Merchandise
One motive Veronica can assist so many income streams is that she not often treats a chunk of content material as one thing that has just one use. She typically chooses one theme, develops it throughout a number of publication posts, and later packages the fabric into a special format.
Her current work round portfolio careers is an effective instance. As an alternative of publishing unrelated articles from week to week, she created a serialized assortment of eight posts across the subject. That sequence produced outcomes earlier than the course even existed:
- The eight posts generated greater than $1,200 in incremental paid-subscription income.
- They gave Veronica direct suggestions on which elements of the subject her neighborhood.
- The completed materials created the inspiration for a portfolio profession course.
- They added movies and workout routines so the course supplied a special expertise from the publication posts.
The arduous pondering had already occurred throughout the writing course of. Creating the course grew to become extra about structuring, packaging, recording, and presenting materials that already existed.
This can be a main theme all through Veronica’s enterprise. Content material does not must disappear after publication. A targeted sequence can turn into an asset that feeds a number of elements of a creator enterprise for months or years.
Promoting Programs Round Current Demand
Veronica entered digital programs comparatively not too long ago. She printed her first one round Could or June of 2025. Since then, she has created 5 authentic programs and translated two into Spanish, for a complete of seven course merchandise. A lot of the written materials got here straight from work she had already printed.
Her best-performing course has been The Substack Bestseller, which teaches folks the way to develop on Substack. The timing, her present presence on the platform, and her standing as a Substack bestseller all added credibility to the provide. Her expertise has additionally proven her how closely course income relies on launches:
- Programs generate round $1,000 monthly on common.
- Veronica estimates roughly 80% of a course’s gross sales occur throughout the first month after launch.
- Gross sales proceed afterward, although at a a lot decrease tempo.
- Programs can even add worth when bundled with teaching or workshops.
Not each course has carried out equally nicely. Her course about monetizing experience via public talking has offered fewer copies by itself as a result of the subject appeals to a narrower group.
Veronica nonetheless considers it helpful as a result of it helps a bigger public-speaking enterprise. Round 50% to 60% of scholars in her talking packages select a package deal that features the course. That makes course gross sales just one solution to choose whether or not the product is worth it.
Operating Small Workshops for Larger-Worth Assist
Veronica additionally runs public-speaking boot camps for individuals who have already got experience and wish to flip it into paid company talking, webinars, workshops, or keynotes.
Somewhat than creating a big class, she retains every group deliberately small. These packages present extra private consideration whereas giving her management over when she runs them. The format is concentrated:
- As much as 10 individuals
- Three periods held throughout three consecutive days
- Roughly 90 minutes per session
- Day one covers the speaker’s basis and signature subject
- Day two focuses on attracting alternatives and constructing visibility
- Day three covers pricing, provides, agreements, cancellation charges, and speaker bureaus
Every workshop can produce roughly $3,000 to $4,000 in income. Veronica can schedule additional periods throughout months when one other revenue stream, comparable to company talking, is quieter.
Her method to filling them can be extra selective than mass promotion. Somewhat than repeatedly sending the provide to her complete e-mail listing, she identifies folks in her neighborhood who’ve already expressed curiosity in talking and contacts a small quantity straight.
In a single instance, she would possibly attain out personally to round 15 related folks. The pitch turns into extremely particular as a result of she already has some context about what these persons are making an attempt to perform.
Utilizing Public Talking because the Major Income Driver
For all the eye given to newsletters and digital merchandise, public talking stays Veronica’s largest supply of revenue by a large margin. Her background helps clarify why. Earlier than changing into a creator, she spent greater than 15 years in company roles with corporations together with Apple and Estée Lauder, main groups throughout Asia.
That have provides her materials she will take again into the company world via management, communication, productiveness, and associated displays. Her talking economics look significantly totally different from her lower-priced digital merchandise:
- Workshops are round $3,000.
- Keynotes and bigger displays can attain round $5,000.
- A busy month would possibly embody 4 or 5 periods.
- These months can produce roughly $15,000 to $20,000 from talking alone.
The problem is predictability. Company shoppers determine after they want audio system, so Veronica can’t management the schedule as simply as she will together with her personal boot camps.
Her different income streams present a helpful counterweight. If talking slows throughout a selected interval, she will lean extra closely right into a workshop, course launch, teaching, or one other provide. Collectively, these streams have helped her construct a six-figure enterprise.
Publishing Books for Authority Extra Than Royalties
Books have been a part of Veronica’s enterprise earlier than the publication grew to become profitable. In actual fact, her first guide helped expose a serious downside in her early technique.
She self-published The Lemon Tree Mindset in early 2023 and noticed only a few gross sales. That have helped persuade her that making a guide with out first constructing a neighborhood made promoting a lot tougher.
She later self-published a second title and launched one other via an impartial writer. Finally, she determined she wished expertise working with one of many world’s largest publishing corporations.
Somewhat than pitching in every single place, she studied how main publishers are structured. Penguin Random Home, for instance, operates a whole bunch of imprints, so she targeted on figuring out the portion of the group most intently related to her geography and subject.
That analysis led to a cope with Penguin in Southeast Asia. She secured the settlement earlier than writing the manuscript and spent roughly a 12 months engaged on the mission earlier than its 2025 publication.
Financially, books stay her smallest pillar:
- Veronica says a big writer could provide royalties round 8%.
- A publishing deal nonetheless leaves substantial advertising and marketing work with the writer.
- Guide gross sales and royalties have been disappointing relative to her different revenue streams.
- She has continued publishing as a result of the advantages lengthen past direct gross sales.
With the ability to describe herself as an writer printed by Penguin carries weight with company shoppers. Her books have additionally led to invites to literary occasions in locations together with India, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
One guide, The Anti-Procrastinator, later grew to become each a Gumroad course and a company workshop. Meaning the unique mental property now reaches far past copies offered at bookstores.
Connecting Each Supply Into One Ecosystem
The recurring sample in Veronica’s enterprise is that she creates round themes fairly than remoted merchandise. As soon as a subject earns consideration, she asks how that very same experience may work in one other format. A publication subject would possibly turn into a course. A course can sit beside teaching, a workshop, or a bunch program.
A guide can create credibility for talking whereas supplying mental property for an additional product. A paid neighborhood can generate income whereas introducing Veronica to the folks almost certainly to purchase these different provides. The person items incessantly lead into one another:
- Free content material introduces Veronica’s concepts.
- Electronic mail retains her related straight together with her neighborhood.
- Paid memberships create recurring income and deeper interplay.
- One-to-one periods reveal recurring issues value fixing.
- Repeated questions can turn into course subjects.
- Programs assist workshops and bundled packages.
- Books create authority and new content material belongings.
- Company talking produces the biggest particular person transactions.
This construction helps clarify how Veronica maintains so many actions. She’s not developing with a separate enterprise concept each time she creates one thing. She takes experience she has already developed and asks the place else it might probably create worth.
Selecting Focus With out Attempting to Do All the things at As soon as
Being current in additional locations doesn’t suggest producing unrelated materials for each platform. Veronica’s method begins with focus.
She recommends figuring out one subject the place you could have helpful experience after which making a targeted sequence round it. Somebody educating podcasting, for instance, may create eight or ten items that transfer from choosing an idea via publishing a present.
As soon as that sequence exists, a number of further provides turn into potential with out selecting a totally totally different subject:
- Add a training name for individuals who need private suggestions.
- Bundle the sequence right into a structured video course.
- Run a workshop for individuals who need direct interplay.
- Use questions from these periods to form future content material.
- Flip confirmed materials into longer-form mental property later.
This sequence retains the deal with serving the identical kind of particular person in a number of methods. Every format provides prospects a special degree of entry, comfort, construction, or private assist.
For creators who really feel stretched by the thought of being in every single place, that distinction issues. The aim is to not create extra unrelated work. The aim is to let your greatest work journey additional.
Remaining Ideas
Veronica Llorca-Smith’s enterprise reveals how one space of experience can assist a number of related revenue streams. Her Substack neighborhood brings in about $25,000 yearly, whereas workshops can generate $3,000 to $4,000 every and company talking can attain $15,000 to $20,000 in busy months.
Programs add one other income stream, with roughly 80% of gross sales arriving throughout the launch interval. Her books earn much less straight, however they’ve constructed credibility, created talking alternatives, and supplied materials for programs and company workshops.
The important thing lesson is to get extra worth from work you could have already created. A publication can turn into a course, a course can assist a workshop, and a guide can strengthen a talking enterprise. Collectively, these items can kind a diversified six-figure enterprise.
