Customer Example

How This IT Professional Scaled Their Online Business to $1M in Revenue

Via Monstra IT professional Johan Arwidmark headshot

IT consultant and instructor Johan Arwidmark from Mirolus tried moving their IT training business online in 2018, but it didn’t take off. When he found Thinkific in 2021, everything changed. “Thinkific matched exactly what we needed out of an LMS,” says Arwidmark.

At the time of finding Thinkific, education had turned on its head due to the covid-19 pandemic. ”In-person training was gone overnight. That’s when the whole IT industry began taking online classes,” he shares. 

By combining his consulting background with his passion for teaching, Arwidmark creates stand-out courses for the Mirolus training brand, ViaMonstra Online Academy. These courses draw on his extensive experience to provide practical, results-driven training tailored to the needs of professionals. “There are too many courses out there where instructors are only instructors—they don’t have any footprint in the real world. They can quote a book but they haven’t been out there spending evenings and nights troubleshooting real problems.”


According to Arwidmark, all of the ViaMonstra instructors—20 in total—are consultants who work in the IT field for a living; training is simply an addition to their existing work. This, he says, is why they’re able to offer next-level instruction, as their teaching is based on real-world problems and practical problem-solving.

Since hosting their courses on Thinkific, the company has brought in 8,600 students, 65,000 course enrollments, and over $1M in revenue. Here’s how Johan Arwidmark successfully transitioned from in-person technical training to a thriving online education business.

8,600
Students
1M+
Revenue
65,000
Course enrollments

1. They hosted live courses

Johan Arwidmark chose to deliver his courses in a live format, prioritizing real-time interaction with students.

After reviewing and testing several LMS’, Thinkific felt like the right choice. While he toyed with the idea of building a system to host everything himself, the idea was overwhelming; he knew there would be challenges with managing payments, security, and administration. 

 “Using Thinkific was a no-brainer. We wanted to offer live training but also have a platform where students could revisit recordings and continue to engage.”

Arwidmark’s process is streamlined; all courses are conducted live via Zoom and later uploaded to Thinkific as recorded sessions. A video editor refines the recordings, ensuring they are polished and professional before being made available on the platform. This combination of live and recorded formats allows students to learn flexibly while maintaining the interactive quality of live sessions.



2. They streamlined sales via group orders

One of the most impactful features Johan Arwidmark has leveraged on Thinkific is group orders. This tool simplifies the process for companies to purchase multiple seats in a course for their staff, significantly reducing administrative overhead.​​ The best part: there’s no need for workarounds or additional integrations—everything is done through the built-in checkout. Group orders is one of many features on TCommerce, Thinkific's suite of selling, payments and admin tools. “Without this feature, customers would have to contact us, we’d need to create an invoice, and then we’d have to manually enroll students. The automation saves us so much admin work.”

Group orders have become a revenue driver, accounting for approximately 20% of ViaMonstra’s annual income. Each order typically covers five to 20 seats. This feature not only makes purchasing easier for clients but also enables his team to focus on delivering high-quality training rather than managing administrative tasks.

3. They maximized efficiency with Thinkific’s integrations

Arwidmark takes full advantage of Thinkific’s integrative capabilities to streamline operations and enhance his business. In fact, by leveraging Thinkific’s integrations and automation, Arwidmark has built a scalable system that supports both his business growth and his commitment to providing high-quality education.

TCommerce features like order bumps—which is a way that allows creators to offer additional products in the checkout when students purchase something—have significantly boosted sales. Plus, he says that the platform's user-friendly checkout process keeps transactions seamless for customers.

Recently, Arwidmark has implemented Thinkific Communities to foster engagement with students and enhance the learning experience. This feature allows creators to build an interactive, communal learning experience with the purpose of driving student engagement and connection. The team also uses Thinkific Payments—which is the platform’s built-in payment processor—and it has proven reliable and hassle-free. “It’s been great; we’ve had no problems,” he shares.

Beyond the platform’s features, Arwidmark integrates Thinkific with tools like Zapier, Mailchimp, and Google Analytics, enabling more robust marketing, communication, and performance tracking. 



4. They evolved their online courses

Arwidmark’s training programs have come a long way since their initial launch on Thinkific. At the start, the offerings consisted of a handful of six-week training courses featuring weekly, two-hour Zoom sessions. These early courses were limited in number, providing a modest starting point. Today, his repertoire has grown to include over 20 different courses offered throughout the year.

In addition to these foundational courses, Arwidmark has introduced masterclasses—intensive programs spanning three to five full days. These masterclasses combine in-depth teaching with hands-on labs, allowing students to apply their knowledge in real-world scenarios.

Currently, Arwidmark delivers 10 masterclasses annually, alongside five to six courses each quarter. He believes that rotating course offerings quarterly is more effective than providing evergreen content. Limited enrollment windows create a sense of urgency, while varying the course topics keeps the content fresh, relevant, and engaging. At most, any given masterclass is offered twice per year.

The courses from ViaMonstra are available through two purchasing options: individual enrollment or a yearly bundle subscription. The bundle gives students unlimited access to all standard courses but excludes masterclasses, which are sold individually due to their higher cost and specialized nature. It took him a while to figure out pricing, but now he has a system. Masterclasses are priced around $3495, the academy courses are $295, and the yearly subscription for academy courses is $695.

5. They provided high-value engagement

When asked how people discover his courses, Arwidmark credits his company’s robust marketing efforts.

The strategy combines several activities: social media outreach, targeted advertising, and leveraging the industry-wide recognition of their instructors. These instructors, who are well-known experts in their fields, play a significant role in widening their reach.

The company maintains a strong presence on platforms like LinkedIn, X, BlueSky, YouTube, and Facebook. However, what truly sets them apart is their emphasis on community engagement. “Engagement is our backbone,” Arwidmark explains. “Our vision is to give back to the community because it’s been instrumental in shaping who we are today.”

For them, giving back involves speaking at industry conferences, including recent appearances at a Microsoft conference. These events help to raise awareness of their brand and introduce new audiences to their online courses.


6. They honed their funnel

Another key aspect of Arwidmark’s marketing strategy is offering free courses via a funnel.

Each month, the team releases a 90-minute ‘mini-course,’ which is available to anyone who registers via email. This not only provides value to the audience but also helps grow their email list. “We follow up with students afterward as part of our marketing efforts,” Arwidmark notes. 

These students are also added to the company’s monthly newsletter, keeping them informed and engaged.

The free courses act as the entry point in their marketing funnel. In addition, the company offers other lead magnets like digital downloads, webinars, and ebooks to attract and nurture potential customers. Plus, the team runs free weekly office hours on YouTube every Wednesday, open to anyone who wants to attend. Arwidmark also posts thousands of social media updates annually to stay relevant and connected to the ViaMonstra audience. 


7. They targeted a specific audience

While it can feel tempting for creators to target a wide audience, if you’ve read any of the Thinkific stories, you’ll notice that each featured creator has one thing in common: they focused on a specific audience.

In Arwidmark’s case, he targeted his online courses to Arwidmark’s courses to IT professionals—and offered in-depth technical training tailored to their needs. His audience, which ranges from ages 20 to 65, are mostly based out of North America and Europe.

For online creators looking to reach their audience, Arwidmark shares valuable advice:

“Find the funnel that works for you.”

For ViaMonstra, the funnel—which provides free content—has proven to be a cornerstone of their success. By prioritizing connection and generosity, Arwidmark has built a loyal audience while maintaining a strong professional reputation.

"Our growth stems from engaging deeply with our community, sharing free resources beyond our core training, and providing valuable insights."

8. They didn’t give up

Arwidmark has set an ambitious goal for 2025: increasing his student base by 20%. His advice for others aiming to achieve similar growth is simple yet profound: don’t give up. “It will take time to start; it’s always slow at the beginning, so expect this and don’t let it deter you.” 

He believes that by staying patient and persistent, success becomes not just a possibility but a certainty. 

Inspired by the ViaMonstra journey? Make 2025 the year you monetize your expertise. Sign up for a free Thinkific trial today!