The solopreneur training economy is booming. In the U.S. alone, 60,000-70,000 independent business owners provide professional training. They’re nimble, scrappy, and full of ideas you can steal for your association’s professional development programs.
Our source today is Alicia Katz Pollock of Royalwise Solutions. She went from computer consultant to the Queen of QuickBooks, building over 70 courses, earning CE provider certification from the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), and creating multiple revenue streams. Alicia’s journey, featured on John Leh’s Talented Learning podcast, offers a masterclass in sustainable growth.
As Founder and Lead Analyst at at Talented Learning Research and Consulting, John recently shared more details with Apti about what associations can learn from Alicia’s experience. “I’ve met solopreneurs who intentionally stay small and others who bootstrap their way into large-scale continuing education companies. In both cases, the common thread is focus: a clearly defined audience, clear value, and disciplined execution. If one person can monetize expertise effectively, associations with far more resources and reach should be able to accomplish even more.”
Here are eight strategies associations can borrow from the solopreneur playbook.
Use Social Media to Grow Association Education Programs
Alicia didn’t chase bookkeepers as clients—they found her. Because she consistently posted on Facebook and LinkedIn, the algorithms recommended her QuickBooks content to the right audience. Her client base shifted from 100% business owners to 75% bookkeepers, her ideal market.
Find out where your market actually spends time. If your target audience is on LinkedIn, build a content plan and get member and employee ambassadors to help you deliver it.
Scale Association Professional Development Through Employer Partnerships
Most associations focus their marketing on individual members. Alicia took a different approach when she started targeting accounting firms for bulk registrations and learning subscriptions.
Look beyond your usual suspects. “The key for every association is to define and understand its extended value chain and then deliberately invest in building stronger relationships with key constituents across that ecosystem,” John says.
Start by talking to industry employers. Let their feedback on training needs guide your program development. Sell them learning subscriptions or bulk registrations. You might find a revenue stream you didn’t know was there.
Break Association Education Content Into Flexible Learning Modules
Microlearning modules boost completion rates and satisfaction because they fit into people’s actual schedules.
Alicia records her seven-hour live bootcamps and breaks them into smaller on-demand segments that work both as courses and as a searchable library. Learners can consume an entire course or cherry-pick specific modules using a keyword-searchable catalog.
Design Association Curriculum for Long-Term Learner Engagement
Think of rapid industry changes as a retention strategy, not a maintenance chore. When there’s always something new to learn, you can count on repeat business. Alicia revises her courses every two years at least. Because students return year after year, she calls it her “job security.”
“A common blind spot for associations is assuming members are the only audience or learning demand is episodic,” John observes. “Associations that shift toward managing long-term learner relationships make far stronger content and technology decisions.”
Build Multiple Revenue Models for Professional Development Programs
Most associations rely heavily on conference revenue and one-time course purchases. Solopreneurs are profiting from a different approach.
Alicia uses three revenue models that associations can adapt:
- Ad hoc course purchases with lifetime access
- Learning paths with bundled pricing—organized from basic to advanced and by topic
- Tiered membership models: community tier (weekly webinars, bi-weekly Q&A) and coaching tier (monthly one-on-one sessions)
“One of the most effective strategies I see involves shifting from ad hoc, course-by-course pricing to an ongoing subscription model,” John says. “Platforms that support curated libraries, learning paths, subscriptions, and community interaction are especially well-suited to sustain that ongoing learner relationship.”
How to Select an LMS for Association Professional Development
Don’t choose technology based only on today’s needs or whatever looks shiny in a demo. Map your three- to five-year strategic vision first. Prioritize features that matter for your future: gamification, certification capabilities, AI integration, marketing tools, and integration with your existing association management system.
“To future-proof your learning programs, choose a platform that supports growth beyond ad hoc course sales,” John advises. “Look for solutions designed around subscription models for individuals as well as organizations—a system that can serve multiple audiences while enabling bundled libraries, ongoing access to education, and community engagement.”
The technology landscape has grown dramatically in recent years, giving you more options but also a greater need for strategic thinking. “The most common mistake associations make is selecting technology based on demos or feature lists instead of aligning the platform to their long-term learning and revenue strategy.”
Use Your Association Community to Grow Education Programs
Associations have something solopreneurs don’t: an existing community. Yet many underutilize this asset for educational program growth.
Alicia asks members to share courses on social media to reach beyond her existing audience. She makes it easy with social media templates, email copy, and promotional materials. She rewards advocates through a 10% affiliate referral credit built directly into her LMS. “It helps us get people into the seats and creates a revenue stream for the people who are sharing and communicating with their community,” she says.
“When done well, affiliate or referral programs can be a smart way to extend reach, with trusted members and learners as advocates,” John says. “The upside is clear: lower-cost growth, higher-quality leads, and incentives that align with learning goals, whether that includes points, gifts, discounts, or bonuses for referrals.”
“However, these programs fail when they’re hard to understand, tough to track, or feel overly commercial. The key is to keep it simple, make rewards meaningful but appropriate, and ensure the program reinforces the association’s mission rather than distracting from it.”
Use AI to Scale Association Professional Development Programs
Alicia relies on AI to generate NASBA-required glossaries, translate her entire library to Spanish, and deploy chat agents that search her content library. “Solopreneurs also use AI to generate assessments, personalize learning paths, and reduce administrative work that would otherwise require a team,” says John.
“The most promising AI applications deliver real value by scaling content across audiences, improving discovery and recommendations, automating translations and accessibility, streamlining reporting, and facilitating learner support.”
This AI gap reflects a broader mindset difference. John says, “Associations often view learning technology as a support tool, while corporate training and education companies treat it as a growth engine. Corporations design platforms around scale, revenue, and ongoing engagement, whereas associations tend to focus on internal efficiency and member service.”
Bridging this gap starts with how you design your programs. If you’re expanding your professional development offerings or rethinking how you deliver them, Apti can help. We design educational programs that engage learners and help associations grow their revenue and advance their mission. Contact us to talk about your professional development goals.