TL;DR: When Duke student Katie Xu took a gap year to focus on content creation, she never expected it to turn into a six-figure business. But after going all in on her social content and launching her Stan Store, she turned her love for brand strategy into a booked-out Creator coaching business that fits into her demanding academic schedule. Find out how she did it.

Balancing college with Creator-Entrepreneurship isn’t easy—but for Katie Xu, it’s become the norm. Between lectures and late-night study sessions at Duke University, she’s built a six-figure Creator education brand from the ground up.

But it didn’t happen by chance. It happened because Katie dared to step away from conventional paths and pursue her passions. What started as a gap year project has grown into a sustainable business that has helped hundreds of thousands of Creators find their voice online.

Katie’s journey hasn’t been effortless. But with grit, creativity, and her Stan Store, she’s designed a fulfilling business that fits into her busy schedule. Discover how she turned her creative passions into a six-figure Creator business in just one year using Stan.

The Challenge: Balancing College Life and a Creator Career

Katie has been experimenting with content creation since she was 10 years old, posting her first YouTube videos before most kids her age even had accounts. But as she got older, she stopped seeing it as a viable path forward.

“I was definitely a people pleaser when I was younger, and I didn’t really let myself make decisions for my own life. I focused a lot on my resumé and getting into a good college.”

It wasn’t until after her first year at Duke, when she began handling a startup’s social media, that she fell back in love with the strategy and creativity of brand building.

“After that summer, I started making my own content again.”

This renewed passion led her to take a gap year from college to pursue content creation and consulting full-time. She started documenting her entrepreneurial journey and helping other Creators and business owners refine their social media presence.

As her audience grew, her content focus naturally evolved into sharing social media tips and personal branding advice. But even as she gained clients and momentum, she questioned her expertise—especially as a student.

“I didn’t really feel like I had a voice. I just had a lot of struggle with imposter syndrome, and I still experience it all the time. Feeling like I’m not an expert.”

When she returned to Duke, the pressures of entrepreneurship became overwhelming. Balancing exams, deadlines, and client calls left little room for creative thinking. Her bandwidth felt stretched thin, and she wondered if she could keep her business going.

To move forward, Katie needed a frictionless way to run her business. Something that could work in the background and allow her to grow on her own terms while finishing her degree.

The Solution: Streamlining Her Business with Stan

That’s when Katie found Stan. It laid the foundation for her Creator business, giving her the tools she needed to start small, experiment, and land more clients through instant calendar bookings.

By bringing everything into one simple storefront, she could finally focus on school while her business continued to run in the background.

She set up her Stan Store and launched her first offer: one-hour strategy calls for aspiring or seasoned Creators who felt stuck in a creative rut and needed guidance on their content strategy.

Now, Katie considers Stan an essential part of her brand—a single link that houses all her offers and lets her keep more of every sale.

“I made my first dollar online through Stan. It really sparked my entrepreneurial journey and gave me the tools that I needed to start really small, start testing, and see who would be interested in what sort of messaging I could have online.”

The Results: From Gap Year to Six Figures In One Year

In just one year, Katie scaled her business to six figures using Stan. Now, she has built an audience of over 850 email subscribers and more than 160,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram.

But her success goes far beyond numbers. Katie has reignited the creative spark she had as a child and turned it into new opportunities. From working with clients she admires to speaking at SXSW, she’s built a life she never imagined—all because she decided to bet on herself.

Instead of waiting until graduation to start her entrepreneurial journey, Katie built a business that fits into her lifestyle right now. Along the way, she has helped hundreds of thousands of Creators gain confidence in themselves.

“The best part about working with clients, creating content, and seeing the impact that it’s had is definitely getting to see these people be more themselves on camera. And knowing just how much more fulfillment they can have in their life through learning how to be themselves.”

As a full-time student with a demanding workload, Katie used to struggle to balance everything. Now, with Stan running her systems in the background, she has more mental space to prioritize what matters most to her: creating, connecting, and building a business she loves.

“If content creation is something that I actually want to do, it’s something I have to prioritize.”

What’s Next: Creating More Space for Creativity

As Katie finishes her studies, she’s focused on working toward her goals and reducing friction in her creative process. These days, she keeps her recording equipment close by at all times so she can film instantly when inspiration strikes.

She’s also eager to help revamp Duke’s Creator Lab Club, fostering a group of creatives and entrepreneurs that can riff on ideas, collaborate, and support one another.

“Without these communities and friends, I wouldn’t pursue what I do nearly as confidently as I can. Because every time my friend wins or succeeds at something that they’ve been working towards, not only am I so happy for them, but it reminds me that I can do it, too.”

Looking ahead, Katie plans on helping even more Creators find their voice, unlock their superpowers, and make an impact on a larger scale.

Ready to launch your own Creator business? Stan Store is the easiest way to get started. Try it free and see why Creators like Katie love monetizing with Stan.

Follow Katie’s journey:

Stan Store: Katie’s Stan Store
TikTok: @katiexsocials
Instagram: @katiexsocials