231: Behind the Scenes of HobbyScool’s Affiliate Program Launch
In this episode, I’m bringing you behind the scenes of what’s been happening at HobbyScool as I work toward one of my big-picture goals: turning this business into a $1 million sellable brand.
That goal has helped me think differently about how we grow, and I want to share how that’s led to something new we’re building for 2026.
You’ll hear how I explored different paths, from physical locations to partnerships and what finally clicked. I walk you through how I mapped out a full year of events, why that became the foundation for our new affiliate program, and how we’re making it easy for creative business owners to plug in and earn consistent income.
If you’ve ever wondered how ideas evolve into action, I think you’ll enjoy this one.
What You’ll Learn:
Why I set a goal to grow HobbyScool into a $1M+ sellable brand
The thought process that helped me evaluate new directions
What I learned from mapping out our 2026 event calendar
How that calendar became the anchor for a full affiliate program
Who we’re inviting in as partners—and why it’s a win-win
How Pinterest and blogging are helping us reach the right people
What to do if you want to become a HobbyScool affiliate
If you’re curious about how affiliate programs actually come together or you’re a creative blogger looking for recurring income, this might spark some ideas for you.
I’m linking to our affiliate info page in the show notes. I’d love for you to take a look and see if it’s a fit for your business.
Mentioned in this episode:
HobbyScool Affiliate Info Page
Behind the Scenes: How I Built HobbyScool’s New Affiliate Program Step by Step
One of the goals I set for myself this year was to grow HobbyScool into a $1 million brand. Something that could eventually run without me and even be sold one day if I chose to go that route. I’m not planning to sell anytime soon, but having that goal has helped me think differently about how we grow.
In this post, I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at what’s been happening inside HobbyScool and what we’re building for 2026. I’ll walk you through how I explored new directions for growth, why I built out a full 16-month calendar, and how all of that led to the launch of our affiliate program. If you’re a creative business owner or just curious about how new ideas come to life, I hope this gives you something to think about in your own business too.
Why I Set a $1M Goal for HobbyScool
This wasn’t about chasing flashy numbers. I set the $1 million goal as a way to push myself to think long-term and to make decisions that would add value to the business. When you’re building something that could run without you, or even be sold one day, it forces you to look at your business differently.
I started asking better questions:
What would make HobbyScool more valuable?
What parts of the business need to be systemized or automated?
What kinds of assets could live on without me?
That mindset shift was the starting point for everything that came next.
Exploring Different Paths for Growth
At first, I thought about expanding HobbyScool into physical locations. Think AR Workshop-style franchises: places where people could come in, create something fun, and connect with others in person. I still love this idea and may revisit it down the road.
But after really thinking through the logistics, I realized the timing wasn’t right. It would take a lot of energy, and I wanted something that could scale more quickly and sustainably.
So I started looking at other verticals:
Corporate wellness programs, where companies buy annual passes for employee workshops
Parks and recreation departments or senior centers looking for creative activities
Loyalty programs like AARP that want to offer meaningful perks
As I explored these options, I noticed a common theme: they’d all want to see a clear calendar of events before saying yes.
Building the 2026 Event Calendar
That’s when I decided to map out the entire year of HobbyScool workshops for 2026. One new event each month, each with a clear theme and creative focus. I wanted people to be able to look at our offerings and immediately know what they could join, promote, or offer to their audience.
We announced the full calendar and the feedback was so encouraging. Our community loved seeing the whole year at a glance. That clarity gave me the green light to move forward with the next phase.
Why an Affiliate Program Made Perfect Sense
The more I looked at our audience and community, the more I realized that partnerships would be the most natural next step. I’m thinking about two main groups of partners:
Creative bloggers and influencers—people with engaged audiences who love our workshops and want to earn from sharing them
Bigger brands and organizations—companies who want to promote us through newsletters or content and offer value to their communities
To make it easy for both groups, I built out a 16-month affiliate calendar, completely done for you. It includes every major event, campaign, and even Black Friday promotions, with key dates and links. That way, partners can plan ahead and slot promotions right into their content calendar.
For creative business owners, this becomes a recurring, consistent revenue stream, with no guesswork.
How We’re Reaching the Right People
Once we had the affiliate calendar and materials ready, my assistant and I built a hub: our affiliate info page. It includes everything potential partners need to learn more and sign up. We also emailed it out to existing speakers and affiliate contacts.
To bring in new partners, I wrote three blog posts aimed at creative bloggers and optimized them for Pinterest search. One of them is called “How to Monetize Your Craft Blog Without Selling Your Own Products”. Our next step is to continue using Pinterest as a discovery tool and start reaching out directly to potential partners we’d love to work with.
Want to Be a HobbyScool Affiliate?
If you’re a creative blogger or business owner looking for consistent monetization opportunities, we’d love to support you. The promo calendar is done, the systems are in place, and we’re here to help you plug in and get started.
You can check out the affiliate info page to see if it’s a fit. And if you know someone who would love this, feel free to pass it along.
Final Thoughts: Just Take the First Step
What I really want to share here is that this didn’t come together all at once. It started with one small question, then led to a calendar, which led to a new idea, which led to action. That’s often how it works.
If you’re stuck on something in your business, I encourage you to take one small step. You never know what it might lead to.
Thanks for reading and thank you for being part of this journey with me.
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Transcript:
[00:00:00]
Welcome to the Creator's MBA Podcast—your go-to resource for mastering the art and science of digital product entrepreneurship. I'm Dr. Destini Copp, and I help business owners generate consistent revenue from their digital product businesses without being glued to their desks. I’m so glad you’re here.
Hi there, Destini here, and welcome back to the Creator's MBA Podcast. I’m excited you’re joining me today because I’m pulling back the curtain on what’s been happening behind the scenes at HobbyScool and giving you a look at where we’re headed in 2026.
[00:01:00]
As I work toward my goal of turning HobbyScool into a $1 million brand—something I could potentially sell one day—I’ve started to look at the business through a new lens. That goal has challenged me to think differently about growth.
Instead of focusing only on what we’ve always done, I’ve started asking new questions: What revenue streams make us more valuable? How can we create something that runs without me doing everything? And how do we build assets that someone else would actually want to buy?
[00:02:00]
That’s when I started exploring different models and verticals. One of my first ideas was to franchise HobbyScool into physical locations—something similar to AR Workshop, where people can come in, create, and spend time with friends. I still love this idea, and I think it would be an incredible in-person experience to pair with our online events.
But after sitting with it, I realized the logistics and timing weren’t right. I also had to ask myself: Do I really have the energy to take that on right now?
[00:03:00]
So I shifted focus and looked at opportunities that already had built-in audiences. I started exploring verticals like corporate wellness programs—selling companies annual workshop passes for their employees. That’s something we’ll likely pursue in 2026.
I also looked into senior centers and local parks and rec programs. They’re always searching for creative, engaging activities. And even loyalty programs like AARP—organizations that want to offer fun perks to their members.
[00:04:00]
But as I kept exploring, I realized all of these groups would need to see our full calendar of events before saying yes. That’s when I sat down and mapped out our entire 2026 schedule: 12 brand-new workshops, one each month, each with its own theme.
We announced the full calendar, and the feedback was immediate and really positive. People loved being able to see the whole year at a glance. And that gave me the clarity I needed to take the next step: building partnerships.
[00:05:00]
One of our big focuses for 2026 is launching an affiliate program and bringing in top partners. I’m thinking about two main groups: first, craft bloggers and creative influencers with engaged audiences; and second, larger companies and brands who might want to promote us to their communities or include us in newsletters.
[00:06:00]
I know from my own business how helpful it is to have a promotional calendar, so I created one just for our affiliates—a 16-month done-for-you calendar that includes every event, every campaign, even our Black Friday promotions. Everything is mapped out, including when affiliates will receive their promo materials so they can easily slot it into their content plans.
For bloggers and creators who want consistent monetization opportunities, this calendar is gold.
[00:07:00]
Once I had the idea in place, my assistant and I built a dedicated affiliate info page. It’s a hub where potential partners can see our calendar, learn about the commission structure, and sign up to become an affiliate.
This week, we emailed it to all our existing speakers and affiliate contacts.
[00:07:30]
I also wrote three blog posts to help attract the right people. These are SEO-focused posts designed to rank on Pinterest—since that’s where many creative bloggers hang out. One post is called “Best Affiliate Programs for Creative Bloggers,” and the others follow a similar theme.
Next, we’ll be using Pinterest to help people find us, reaching out to potential partners, and building relationships. My goal is to make it easy for the right people to say yes.
[00:08:30]
So if you’re a creative blogger—or you know someone who is—I’d love to hand over this done-for-you promo calendar. You can start earning recurring monthly revenue by becoming a HobbyScool affiliate.
I’ll include the link to our affiliate info page in the show notes, so you can check it out.
[00:09:00]
More than anything, I wanted to walk you through the real journey that led to this. It wasn’t one big idea—it was a series of small steps. Each decision led to an “aha” moment, and that led to the next.
If you’re stuck on something right now, just take one small step. That’s often all it takes to get moving in the right direction.
Thanks again for being here. I’ll see you in the next episode of the Creator’s MBA Podcast.
[00:09:30]
And if you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you left a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite platform. Thanks for listening—and have a great day!