Matt Koval has spent a lot of time thinking about how to be successful as a creator: He started making YouTube videos in 2008 and about four years later became an employee for the video-sharing site. That tenure, which ends March 1 when he joins startup Mighty Networks, gave him a window into a big challenge facing many creators: how to turn their online audience into a business that lasts. 

“It's super exciting to get popular and to feel that dopamine and confirmation that you are special because so many people like what you do,” Koval told The Information in an interview. “Fame is fleeting.”