How Website Builder helped The eLearning Designer’s Academy simplify its stack and scale on Circle
Overview
After launching a community on a whim in 2020, The eLearning Designer's Academy has grown into a thriving 11,000-member platform—all powered by Circle. Now, founder Tim Slade is using Website Builder to simplify his stack even further, accelerate growth, and bring his brand under one roof.
Usually, simplifying things for me meant sacrificing the user experience—or vice versa. With Circle, I finally don't have to choose.
Before
From side project to scalable business
What started as a single online course quickly became something bigger. In 2020, Tim Slade—an instructional designer with nearly two decades of experience—launched The eLearning Designer's Academy to help others sharpen their skills and build their careers.
I didn't even plan to start a community,” Tim admits. “I was launching a course and thought it'd be nice to give people a place to connect.
But it took off. Five years later, his Circle-powered community has evolved into a thriving academy with 11,000+ members, cohort-based programs, private workshops, and a vibrant, connected learning experience.
Challenge
More growth, more tools, more problems
As Tim's community grew, so did the complexity behind the scenes.
He was juggling:
Thinkific for courses
Slack for community
Zoom for events
Webflow for his website
Everything felt stitched together—which made it harder to deliver a seamless member experience and even harder to manage day to day.
Why Circle
One platform for a seamless member experience
Moving to Circle was a turning point.
Circle wasn't just a place to host conversations,“ Tim says. “It became the foundation of everything I do.
With Circle, members can enroll in courses, join live workshops, access gated content, and participate in discussions—all in one place. What started as a course add-on is now a cohesive, community-powered ecosystem.
How Tim rebuilt his site in days with Website Builder
When Tim heard Circle was launching Website Builder, he jumped at the chance to join the beta. Most of his business already ran on Circle—but his Webflow site, while polished, still felt disconnected from the seamless experience he wanted to offer.
If I wanted a new landing page, I had to loop in a contractor," Tim says. "It might take weeks, and it never felt fully integrated with my community.
That all changed with Circle's Website Builder.
Within days of early access, Tim rebuilt 75% of his site—no developers, no designers, just him.
He no longer needs outside help or waits to ship updates. He can move fast, save thousands, and trust that every page connects seamlessly with his community.
Now he launches pages in real-time—course sales, workshop hubs, and sponsorships—without juggling tools or breaking the experience.
It's so much faster. I can experiment. I can launch things on my own—and everything feels consistent because it's all inside Circle.
Tim has always looked for ways to simplify his business, but in the past, that usually came at the cost of user experience. Not this time.
This is the first time I can simplify my work and improve the experience for members.
And he's not done. With forms and a few more customizations on the way, Tim plans to move fully off Webflow—and bring his entire front-end into Circle.
Transformation
Fully on Circle
Five years in, The eLearning Designer's Academy is more than just a course. It's a thriving business—powered by community, content, and connection.
And Tim is all in.
His next move? Consolidating even more of his stack into Circle—including email—so every part of the member journey lives in one place.
What keeps him here isn't just the product. It's the pace—and the partnership.
I've sent in over ten pieces of feedback, and I've already seen most of them come to life in the product. That never happens anywhere else.
Tim knows what it's like to be stuck on platforms where feature requests sit untouched for years. With Circle, he sees momentum. He sees care. And he sees a roadmap aligned with where he's going.
Circle isn't just helping him simplify—it's helping him scale.
