Jeannie Cahalane
Most online course platforms focus on content delivery, but few truly prioritize learner success. Heights Platform takes a different approach, blending project-based learning, community engagement, and AI-driven automation to help creators not only share knowledge but turn it into a thriving business. Co-founder Bryan McAnulty shares how Heights is reimagining online education—giving creators the tools to teach effectively, grow sustainably, and build engaged learning communities without technical complexity.
Bryan McAnulty (second from left) with the Heights Platform team.
1. What inspired the creation of the Heights Platform, and how does it align with your mission to help creators turn knowledge into income?
Bryan McAnulty: I started Heights Platform because I saw digital marketers and creators using these marketing tools to sell courses, but the end product that they were selling felt like a bunch of videos behind the paywall rather than an experience designed to help somebody learn and get results. Suppose social media platforms are designed to keep you on the platform as long as possible so they can show you more ads. Why can’t we apply some of those principles to help people learn instead? I also felt community was such an important missing piece, so Heights Platform is an all-in-one course creation and community-building software.
2. Heights Platform uniquely integrates project-based learning. Can you explain its significance in improving student outcomes?
Bryan McAnulty: The kinds of courses that our creators are teaching are generally creative subjects. The best way to learn those things is not by taking a quiz on them but by actually putting your knowledge into practice. Our approach to this with our unique projects feature is to have students demonstrate what they’ve learned and then interact with and learn from each other as well. Because as a creator, you want to get your students results, and when you do, not only are you making the impact that you wanted, but that’s how you keep them around as customers and get great reviews.
3. How does Heights AI Coach assist creators in building and scaling their online businesses?
Bryan McAnulty: Heights AI Coach is one of the many features of Heights AI. It’s the first autonomous coach for creators; unlike ChatGPT, where you have to ask it questions, Heights AI Coach asks you questions and learns on its own, giving you automatic weekly tasks and recommendations on how to grow your business based on your unique goals. Most creators using Heights Platform are solopreneurs, and generally, one of the first people that they would want to hire would be a coach. Heights AI Coach is the next best thing to help provide tailored marketing advice for your business.
4. What makes Heights Platform stand out compared to other online course platforms?
Bryan McAnulty: In addition to our strong focus on learning, community, and gamification elements, Heights AI is really something that separates Heights Platform from our competition. We’re making it so creators get to focus on the fun part of creating. They don’t have to learn how to use the software anymore because Heights AI Chat can not only answer your questions about how to use it, but it can actually help make edits to your settings for you. The product generator can help you set up all of the products inside your offer and then generate a complete web page based on your description of colours, your copy, and your product info, all automatically linked to your product’s checkout page.
5. With integrations like Zapier and Stripe, how does Heights simplify the business side of online education?
Bryan McAnulty: Another differentiator with Heights is if you want to collect payments with Stripe or PayPal through Heights’ checkout, you can collect one-time, installment plan, subscription plan, or pay-what-you-want payments, and Heights Platform charges zero additional transaction fees. Integrations like Zapier are available on all of our plans so that creators can connect Heights Platform to whatever services they like.
6. Can you share a success story of a creator who achieved remarkable outcomes using the Heights Platform?
Bryan McAnulty: There’s a misconception in the online course space that some entrepreneurs think everyone successful with online courses must be a digital marketer selling to other course creators. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only are there so many niches where creators are successful, but there are creators successful in niches that you’ve probably never heard of. One of my favourite examples is a creator teaching music theory for the hammered dulcimer. And as a musician myself, I didn’t even know what that instrument was when I first heard of it. And despite this being something that would be a seemingly unpopular niche, they’ve generated over six figures and counting in revenue from their courses.
7. What industries or niches have benefited the most from Heights’ capabilities?
Bryan McAnulty: The majority of our creators are those who are solopreneurs selling some information online. But where Heights is a little bit different is we’re not forcing you into one business model of only courses or only memberships. With Heights Platform, you can choose whatever model makes sense for you, and you can adapt if you find something that works better for you. So, if you want to sell courses, if you want to sell downloads, if you want to sell community memberships, if you want to sell coaching, all of that is possible with Heights Platform.
8. How does Heights balance robust customization with ease of use for creators with varying levels of technical expertise?
Bryan McAnulty: With Heights Platform, we really aim to make it as easy as possible for you, the creator, to focus on creating and not have to worry about the technical side. With the capabilities of Heights AI to help set up products for you, edit products, answer questions, show charts/analytics, generate web pages, give you marketing advice, help you with email copy, etc. Heights Platform is like the equivalent of having your own AI team working with you.
9. What challenges have you faced while developing Heights Platform, and how did you address them?
Bryan McAnulty: At Heights, we are a bootstrapped and remote team. And for the most part, our competition is venture-backed companies that have been in the market longer than we have. As a bootstrapped company, we don’t have millions of dollars to pour into advertising, but I’ve purposely turned down funding because I want to stay bootstrapped. While it has disadvantages, it also has many advantages, allowing us to create what we want on our terms, which will allow us to build the best product possible.
10. What personal sacrifices or pivotal decisions have shaped your journey as a founder?
Bryan McAnulty: A pivotal moment for me was when I really committed to going all-in on Heights and started hiring teammates who would work with me full-time. The decision to put everything I could into it and take on the responsibility of having a team felt like a big one at the time. I’m proud to share that those same teammates I first hired are still with us today.
11. What does success look like for you and Heights Platform in the next 5-10 years?
Bryan McAnulty: Even though we just released Heights AI 2 at the end of last year, and to some, it might feel like Heights AI can help them with anything, we’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s possible. I am truly excited for the next ten years and to see what I will be able to help creators accomplish with Heights.
12. What does a typical day in your life as a founder look like, and how do you stay motivated?
Bryan McAnulty: Motivation isn’t really a problem for me because every day, I get to do exactly what I want! Heights is really the dream product that I wanted to create, and I get to build it every day with a team I enjoy working with. Typically, I’ll start work relatively early in the morning and get some focused work done related to the product before interacting with my team and customers. I’ll then catch up with anybody I need to on the team. Then, in the afternoons, I can record episodes for my podcast, The Creator’s Adventure. I generally then finish work before dinner and spend dinner and the rest of the night with my family.
When I first became an entrepreneur, I thought that I didn’t need a schedule; I could do whatever I wanted. But after being in business for more than 15 years and now having a team and a family, I realized that having a schedule makes things easier so I can focus on what is important to me.
Editor’s Note
Few founders think as deeply about the intersection of learning and business as Bryan McAnulty. Rather than just providing a space to host courses, Heights Platform is built to ensure creators and their students achieve real outcomes. His approach challenges the idea that online education is simply about selling content—it’s about creating meaningful experiences that drive engagement, retention, and long-term success. For Bryan, the future of online learning isn’t just about more courses; it’s about making every course count.
