6 minute read

A decade ago, the idea of earning a living by posting online seemed like a novelty. Now it’s a global economy worth an estimated $250 billion according to Goldman Sachs, with estimates predicting this to be almost half a trillion dollars by 2027.

Millions of individuals who once saw themselves as hobbyists have become business owners in their own right. The rise of the “creator economy” has blurred the lines between personal branding and enterprise.

It’s not just about influencers anymore; it’s a structural shift. It’s a network of designers, editors, agencies and management teams turning independent creators into scalable brands.

From Personality to Business

In the early days of social media fame, creators relied solely on charisma and timing. These days, it’s infrastructure. Creators treat their output like production lines – analysing engagement, measuring conversion, and diversifying revenue. And the most successful ones are not the freelancers doing this informally, they’re the small companies built around one face.

A YouTuber or podcaster might now employ editors, accountants, even assistants. Many operate limited companies with proper payroll systems.

The business model isn’t entirely different from that of a traditional SME. It just starts with a camera, not a storefront, and what they “sell” looks different.

Platforms like Patreon, Substack or OnlyFans have accelerated this shift. They allow creators to monetise directly, but also demand structure. Subscription tiers, exclusive content, brand deals – it’s a workload that needs management. And this is when professional agencies step in.

The Role of New Management Teams

Digital creators might front the brand, but behind them sits a growing army of management teams focused purely on creative operations.

An OnlyFans management team, for instance, does far more than admin. Teams like this handle marketing strategy, analytics, content scheduling, compliance and audience development.

These teams help creators understand what works, what they need to do to grow and protect their business and brand long term.

What was once spontaneous creativity is now a structured, driven production and one which allows creators to scale while also being a reliable partner that has their back.

Corporate sponsors now look for managed talent. An agency-backed creator delivers briefs, tracks metrics and invoices properly. In business terms, this is the supply chain.

Professionalism is Changing Perception

For years and even in recent times, online content work carried a stigma – it was seen and still is by many who don’t understand it, as unstable or unserious. But the numbers tell a different story.

In the UK, creators are now recognised as a legitimate economic force. They contributed roughly £2.2 billion to the economy in 2023 and supported around 45,000 jobs.

The same Goldman Sachs study estimated there are around 50 million influencers worldwide (correct as of 2024). And these influencers range from full-time professionals to side income earners. Analysts expect that share to grow steadily as digital tools and remote work expand and become more mainstream.

And the rise of professionalism in this industry has spawned the need for new service industries—legal, accounting, HR management —standards in the business world, but adapted specifically for the digital entertainment industry. The ecosystem around the creators is now almost as complex as traditional entertainment or media.

The New Marketing Ecosystem

Marketing has evolved step by step. Audiences trust individuals more than institutions, and creators now function as their own channels. Instead of hiring an agency, a brand might collaborate directly with one creator to target a specific audience. Or more precisely, their specific demographic.

It only works if the creator operates as a business, with scheduled deliverables and contracts. And it’s why the management team matters. They bridge that gap between the creative and commercial sides of the transaction and translate artistic instinct into measurable campaigns.

This mirrors earlier shifts in indifferent sectors. Musicians needed labels, athletes needed agents. Digital creators need management – not to control them but to stabilise the business side.

What Established Businesses Can Learn

It’s easy for traditional businesses to not fully understand this type of work and view the entire process as chaos. But there are clear lessons here that any business can benefit from, regardless of sector.

  • Agility over hierarchy. Creators pivot overnight when something stops working. Companies bogged down in processes lose that flexibility. Shrinking decision chains helps here.
  • Direct connection beats distance. Creators succeed because they know their audience personally. Businesses that build this same loop can resend faster, act transparently and earn similar loyalty.
  • Authenticity sells. Audiences trust imperfection. Creator brands thrive because they show processes and mistakes. That same rawness makes established brands more believable, too.
  • Collaboration works better than command. The best creator agencies don’t dictate content; they support it. The same principle applies to internal teams in standard businesses: it’s guidance, not control.

Managing Growth Risk

Growth brings structure and risk. Taxation, intellectual property, burnout and online safety. All part of the business landscape.

Creators depend on algorithmic platforms they don’t own. This is why professional guidance is critical. The strongest agencies diversify income streams, protect rights and push creators to think like entrepreneurs. 

For a management firm, that means balancing creative freedom with operational discipline – exactly the challenge any modern business faces.

The Cultural Shift Behind It All

What is striking here isn’t just revenue – it’s autonomy. After years of corporate instability, realtors have built a model of independence that actually pays.

Creators build brands without investors, scale globally from a bedroom and connect to audiences without the middleman.

It’s a rather quiet decentralisation of commerce – it’s personal, flexible, and borderless.

But that freedom comes with new pressures. Each creator becomes their own HR department, PR agency, and finance team, which is why professional support matters – editors, strategists, and managers are all part of the process, and they are who keep creativity from collapsing under admin.

The Future of Digital Business

The creator economy won’t replace traditional business, but rather it extends it. Moving forward, expect more hybrid structures, boutique studios acting like agencies, individual creators running multi-person remote teams, and brands behaving more like media outlets.

A home studio and an analytics dashboard can now outperform old marketing budgets. And the model works because creators own their own content data and direction – control that most corporations traded away years ago.