Inside Liz Wilcox’s Surprising First Purchase as the New Owner of SPI – You Won’t Believe What It Is!
Ever wonder what it’s like to take over a well-oiled content empire like Smart Passive Income? Spoiler alert: it’s much more than just owning a website or snagging a hefty email list—though those are key pieces of the puzzle. I dove headfirst into the SPI universe, inheriting everything from podcasts and courses to social channels and even some quirky domain names Pat Flynn collected over the years. But here’s the kicker: transforming an audience’s trust isn’t an instant download; it’s a journey I’m genuinely pumped to embark on. So, what’s next for this digital treasure trove? Reviving social media, reimagining content, and growing fresh connections with the incredible SPI community—minus a few personal accounts like Pat’s YouTube and Instagram, of course. Ready to peek behind the curtain and see how we’re shaking things up? LEARN MORE.
The website and all its published content
This one seems the most obvious. I now own this website and the rights to it, etc.
The email list
Of course, one of the most valuable assets to any business, I wouldn’t have bought SPI without the email list attached to the sale.
When I purchased it, there were about 92k people on the email list. Now we are sitting at about 85,500. This was on purpose! I wanted to slowly trim the email list of people who wouldn’t like the fact that Pat was changing things, emailing more, removing the Unstuck Newsletter, etc. It seems to have worked really well, because the reception of me as the new owner has been nothing short of humbling and beautiful.
Pat was right… the SPI audience is truly the best! If you’re not on the email list yet, I’d love for you to take our quiz and get started.
The podcast
Not only did I acquire the Smart Passive Income podcast, I also got the AskPat podcast and the Community Experience show, too.
The monetized content
Yep. All courses, previously recorded workshops, templates, and other sold materials under the SPI brand (made by either Pat or Matt) stayed with SPI, and therefore I own.
I will slowly have to revamp these as they become outdated, etc. But for now, they will continue to live inside our SPI Community.
The YouTube channel
But not the one you’re thinking of. Pat has his own YouTube channel with nearly half a million subscribers. He kept that one. I got this one. And I’m working on growing and monetizing it. This will be a huge part of the plan moving forward, so subscribe and watch a video or two, please!
Social Media
I got the Facebook page, LinkedIn account, and X. Together, that’s about 184,000 followers across all platforms. That said, these pages are mostly “dead” and Sandy and I have been working hard the last month or two to revive them. Wish us luck.
Feel free to follow us on your preferred platform. Or even on my Instagram.
Fusebox
This is a podcast player that can be used across the web. From your site to an online course to a private community or even an ecommerce storefront, the player works just about anywhere online.
This little software is something I am super interested and excited about growing!
Various Domains
Pat has bought a lot of domains over the years. Some of them seem incredibly valuable and I plan on listing them for sale.
Anyone interested in howtostartapodcast.com? Just holler at me. I gotta pay SPI off somehow!
License to teach the Superfans System
Pat wrote the book on Superfans, literally. And recently, he created the Superfans System based on his Pyramid of Fandom. He was kind enough in our deal to offer me a license to teach and promote this framework. It’s a good one, so I was happy!
6 months of Pat and Matt’s attention and work
Usually when someone takes over a company, the previous owners stay on to help with the transition. SPI was no exception. Matt worked really hard behind the scenes to help me with finances, leadership skills, and team management.
Pat stayed on to help with content and execute our shared vision of how we would introduce me to the audience.
Both are staying on in an informal capacity after the 6 months because they’re genuine and want to help. Pat will be on the podcast once a month until 2027 and at least once a quarter in 2027.
Of course, I’ll have him back anytime he is interested!
What I didn’t get in the sale
As mentioned above, I did not get Pat Flynn’s personal YouTube channel. I also did not get his Instagram profile.
But most importantly, not all the trust you have for Pat was instantly transferred to me simply because “my name is on the deed” now.
That’s something both Pat and I knew from the beginning that I was going to have to earn. And I’m so excited to try. Thanks for following along. I’ve got lots of ideas in store on how to grow each asset of SPI…and I look forward to your help with it.
xoxo
