# David Siteman Garland

> David Siteman Garland (DSG) is a St. Louis-based entrepreneur, author, and online course pioneer who turned a Bar Mitzvah savings account into a multi-million dollar media and education empire. Founder of The Rise To The Top — self-branded as 'The #1 Non-Boring Resource For Building Your Business Smarter, Faster, Cheaper' — he has generated $10M+ in online course sales, built an email list of 85,000+ subscribers, and taught 5,000+ students in 100+ countries through his flagship program Create Awesome Online Courses. A Wiley-published author, Inc. 500 honoree (#938, 2017), and co-founder of software companies Course Cats and Nrdly, DSG is also the founder of STL Maccabi Basketball and grandson of cancer research philanthropist Alvin J. Siteman.

- **Role:** Founder at The Rise To The Top / Create Awesome Online Courses
- **Organizations:** The Rise To The Top, Create Awesome Online Courses, Course Cats, Nrdly (formerly Conversion Cats), LeafBridge, Siteman Garland Enterprises, STL Maccabi Basketball
- **From:** St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts, Women's Studies, Washington University in St. Louis
- **Known for:** $10M+ in total online course sales, Inc. 500 #938 (2017), Wiley-published author: 'Smarter, Faster, Cheaper' (2010)

## Career timeline

- **2002** — Enrolls at Washington University in St. Louis, majors in Women's Studies
- **2006** — Graduates WashU; co-founds Gateway Division of the Professional Inline Hockey Association (PIHA); serves as goalie for the Southside Snipers
- **2007** — Launches 'Get Inline,' a weekly radio show on 1380 AM St. Louis; first show scripted word-for-word
- **2008** — Funds The Rise To The Top with Bar Mitzvah savings; launches local ABC TV show after purchasing airtime; wins Telly Award
- **2009** — Transitions to online format; pioneers Skype video interviews; first guest: Peter Shankman (HARO founder); interviews Seth Godin, Tim Ferriss, Gary Vaynerchuk, Tony Hsieh, Daymond John
- **2010** — Publishes 'Smarter, Faster, Cheaper' (Wiley); featured in NYT, WSJ, CNN; named Top 60 Web Influencer by The Influencer Project; grows email list to 100K+
- **2011** — Launches first online course 'Create Awesome Interviews' at $495; first launch generates $19,800; grows to $250K/year
- **2013** — Drops $100K Citrix sponsorship; discontinues podcast Dec 31; launches Create Awesome Online Courses — first 5-day launch generates $275K-$311K
- **2015** — Co-founds Course Cats WordPress platform for course websites; CAOC student Rene Christine makes her first $3,000 course sale
- **2016** — Revenue reaches $2.5M; launches Conversion Cats; total webinar sales hit $5.5M; single partner webinar with John Lee Dumas generates $220K-$230K
- **2017** — The Rise To The Top ranked #938 on Inc. 500; projected revenue surpasses $3M; CAOC student Rene Christine reaches $1.7M in sales
- **2018** — Publishes '7 Steps to Creating, Promoting & Profiting from Online Courses' (Kindle)
- **2020** — Co-founds Nrdly (formerly Conversion Cats) — website platform for authors and content creators
- **2022** — Co-founds LeafBridge (e-commerce software); featured on EOFire Classic; total course sales surpass $10M
- **2024** — Founds STL Maccabi Basketball — St. Louis's first competitive Jewish youth basketball program; launches fall 2024 with 8 second-grade boys
- **2025** — STL Maccabi Basketball expands to 2 teams / 16 players; The Rise to the Top active with 85,000+ email subscribers

## Achievements

- $10M+ in total online course sales
- Inc. 500 #938 (2017)
- Wiley-published author: 'Smarter, Faster, Cheaper' (2010)
- Telly Award winner for The Rise To The Top on ABC
- Named Top 60 Web Influencers by The Influencer Project
- Iron Man Magazine 'Most Inspiring Fitness Transformation' award
- 85,000+ email subscribers; 6,000,000+ total content views
- 5,000+ students taught in 100+ countries
- Single webinar generating $311,000 in 5 days (2013)
- Partner webinar with John Lee Dumas: $220,000-$230,000 single event
- Featured in New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, CBS MoneyWatch
- Founded STL Maccabi Basketball, St. Louis's first competitive Jewish youth basketball program

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — STL Maccabi Basketball expanded to 2 teams / 16 players for 2025 season
- **2024-11** — Create Awesome Online Courses enrollment page updated
- **2024-09** — STL Maccabi Basketball launched with 8 second-grade boys
- **2024-04** — The Rise to the Top website updated with new positioning: 'Transform your expertise into a profitable legacy'
- **2022-01** — Featured on EOFire Classic discussing Nrdly and bootstrapping software companies
- **2020-01** — Co-founded Nrdly (website platform for authors/creators), rebranded from Conversion Cats

## Links

- Website: https://therisetothetop.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsitemangarland/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/therisetothetop
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/therisetothetop
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidsitemangarland/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/david-siteman-garland
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-28