# Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex Roman > Small business news, stories and events about how solopreneurs make money. What you need to know to grow your small business through wild times. Get useful advice, relatable vulnerability and encouraging camaraderie. Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### About Revenue Rulebreaker URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/about/ Last updated: 2026-09-11T21:31:58.000Z ***Revenue Rulebreaker*** 🎲 produces stories and events about how microentrepreneurs actually make a living online. Here we cover hard won wins from lovable underdogs—not blowhard outliers who build their business on personality, unearned money or cons. We examine repeatable practices for business building and we enjoy lifestyle stories that feature the unconventional ways entrepreneurs live. We want all entrepreneurs to achieve livable wages, but we are anti-capitalist in our approach to making money. Think *Apartment Therapy* but for the internet business owner. Instead of peering into apartments, we're getting an insider view into someone's business. Realistic revenue numbers. Actual experiences. Relatable stories. We're focused on solopreneurs and microentrepreneurs. The majority run service-based businesses, but many are exploring alternative revenue streams, exploring media, digital products, memberships, courses, books, speaking and beyond. That's what we're here to surface: the real story behind the revenue numbers. *Revenue Rulebreaker* is always practical, ruthlessly vulnerable, and on a good day, delightfully entertaining. *Rulebreaker* is a member-backed publication, [written for and funded by the Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/). Most of the site is paywalled but [the newsletter is free](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/newsletter). ## About publisher Lex Roman Hey, I’m [Lex Roman](https://lexroman.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I’ve been an entrepreneur for 6+ years. When I started I thought my only two options for running a business were start a software company or run a consulting business, so I chose the latter. Two years in, I was itching for another business model. Over the last 6 years, I've made money in all kinds of ways: from clients, memberships, subscriptions, digital products, sponsorships, events, speaking, writing, and licensing. I love the freedom that working for myself has given me and I love understanding how other people make the money that leads to that freedom but I think a lot of the stories out there gloss over important details. So here, at *Revenue Rulebreaker*, I ask a lot of questions and I dig a lot deeper than your typical business blog so you know what you're getting into when you chase after something. Find more about my background and my other projects at [lexroman.com](http://lexroman.com/?utm%5Fsource=revenuerulebreaker.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral) or [follow me on LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/in/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [Contact me](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/contact/) or reply to the newsletter. ![Lex Roman](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Untitled-design--68-.png) ## How this started I started a newsletter and podcast called [Low Energy Leads](https://lowenergyleads.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in 2023 to cover different ways creatives find clients. We did 50 episodes and I wrote more than 75 guides and breakdowns on the tactics. I was going to shut down Low Energy Leads in October 2024 but it was saved by [the Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/), my paid contributors. Everything from Low Energy Leads lives here now and *Revenue Rulebreaker* (the website you are on now) covers a wider range of revenue streams. [Check out all the topics](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/topics/) ↗️ ## What to expect here **Free subscribers can expect:** - Twice monthly newsletters - Occasional free posts on the blog - Free previews of paid posts **Paid subscribers can expect:** - Fresh subscriber-only posts on making money online and living [the dirtbag lifestyle](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/dirtbag-lifestyle/) - Access to the full archive on *Revenue Rulebreaker*, including all of [Low Energy Leads](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/low-energy-leads/) - Access to the [Paid Newsletter Playbook](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (everything you need to run a paid subscription newsletter) - Invites to special events, mixers and collaborations (Legends tiers only) - Your name on [The List of Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/) (Legends tiers only) - Fun surprises 🎉 along the way like sticker packs, free trainings and trip invites (Legends tiers only) [Become a Legend](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/membership) ### Topics URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/topics/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T20:26:50.000Z _No content available._ ### Recommendations URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/recommendations/ Last updated: 2025-04-11T02:02:34.000Z _No content available._ ### Build your internet business with the Revenue Rulebreaker newsletter URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/newsletter/ Last updated: 2025-09-13T22:47:23.000Z _No content available._ ### Tip Jar URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tip-jar/ Last updated: 2025-12-09T00:30:56.000Z # Tip Jar ### Advanced User Settings URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/advanced-settings/ Last updated: 2025-05-23T01:41:20.000Z _No content available._ ### Group Subscriptions URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/group-subscriptions/ Last updated: 2026-01-14T02:49:35.000Z _No content available._ ### Buy a Group Subscription URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/buy-group-subscription/ Last updated: 2026-01-14T02:49:29.000Z _No content available._ ### Give the Gift of Legends URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/gift-subscription/ Last updated: 2025-11-21T18:32:48.000Z You will be charged $99 one time and then, they will be able to upgrade on their own to keep their subscription going after that. ### Welcome Legend! 🏆 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/welcome-legend/ Last updated: 2025-07-07T22:53:40.000Z Just a couple quick questions if you have a minute. You'll hear from me in your inbox soon too! Thanks for being a Legend :) If the form below doesn't load fast enough, [open it here.](http://lexroman.fillout.com/legendswelcome?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/07/legend-2-15565.gif) ### Substack Policy URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/substack-policy/ Last updated: 2026-07-28T22:58:58.000Z *Updated July 28, 2026* Going forward, I am not supporting Substack publishers who make money there. I was once a tech worker. After wrestling with too many moral quandaries about helping bad guys grow their revenue, I quit. For good. In 2021. Now, I'm an indie creator who helps other indie creators. For very little money. It's ok with me that it's not a lot of money because I believe that what we're doing is important. We're carving out space on the internet that has been taken from us by billionaires in media and billionaires in tech. We're reclaiming our voices away from AI and algorithms. And we're creating communities where people feel they belong at a time when we've never been more divided and lonely. Substack runs counter to all that. They are backed by billionaires—and some of Silicon Valley's WORST venture capitalists including Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz who [hired an unqualified known murderer](https://fortune.com/2025/02/05/daniel-penny-andreessen-horowitz-a16z-investing-david-ulevitch/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) just to prove a political point and Peter Chernin, [Rupert Murdoch's former COO at NewsCorp](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/feb/24/rupert-murdoch-peter-chernin-leave-news-corp?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) among other questionable characters like data schmuck Nate Silver and Skims CEO and Kardashian collaborator Jens Grede. I have written extensively about [why Substack is a problem](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/audience-hackers-vs-craftsmen/) and [how they steal your audience and your revenue](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue/). And I do not under any circumstances believe they are the right place to start your media venture now. But my bigger concern is that they are re-monopolizing media. There's a reason why their platform is so exciting to so many billionaires and I believe it's because they now see it as a place to control media and public thought. The trajectory of Substack is reminiscent of Facebook with Cambridge Analytica and Twitter with Elon Musk's buyout. It's the same reason Trump is so obsessed with TikTok. With so many mainstream news reporters from CNN, the Washington Post and the New York Times opening shop there, not to mention politicians like [Karen Bass](https://mayorkarenbass.substack.com/) and [Tulsi Gabbard](https://tulsi.substack.com/), Substack is becoming a major political influencer and not in a good way. [The State Department's](https://statedept.substack.com/) even got a Substack, for god's sake. There is nothing "independent" about Substack. Suffice it to say I want no part in this and I feel that me helping writers grow their revenue on Substack contributes to this dystopian future. If I wanted to help bad guys do bad things, I'd go back to tech and at least get a cushy payout. I charge very low, accessible rates because I want to build OUTSIDE the system with you. Not directly into the pockets of billionaires. ## Here's my Substack policy moving forward, as of July 2025: ### For existing subscribers using Substack **I am not kicking anyone out.** If you're already with me, you can stay with me, even if you plan to stay on Substack. If you'd prefer to leave my world, I'm happy to pro-rate a refund too. I understand that leaving Substack is a big decision and a complex one and I'm not trying to pressure you to do anything. Roughly 30% of my paid subscribers use Substack. I just don't want that metric becoming the majority so I'm drawing a line now. This project becomes not worth it to me at some point if so much of my work is helping Substack grow because it undermines my mission to empower independent media and independent creators. ### For new subscribers using Substack - **If you are making money on Substack or plan to build a business there, this is not the place for you.** There are other revenue growth people who support Substack users and I recommend you check them out. I will refund you if this accidentally happens. - **If you are publishing to Substack as a marketing activity only**, you can still join us but just know that a lot of my audience growth posts do not apply to Substack as their tooling does not follow best practices and is missing a lot of functionality. - **This policy ONLY applies to Revenue Rulebreaker paid subscribers (Backstage Passholders and Legends).** Get in touch if you have questions: [lex@revenuerulebreaker.com](mailto:lex@revenuerulebreaker.com) --- **What about beehiiv and other venture backed newsletter platforms? Aren't they just as bad?** I do think all venture-backed tech should have a giant warning label and I'm definitely weary of where beehiiv will go next. At this moment, they do not have a social feed or a media stream so there's no way for beehiiv or its investors to control media or public thought. They also don't touch your audience at all or sell things to them without your permission. beehiiv doesn't remotely have the traction and mainstream buy-in Substack does. If any of that changes, we may have a similar situation to evaluate. With all tech—venture-backed or not—it's important that we avoid platform reliance. We are at their whims and any tech platform that can screw us over to make a buck, will do so. The way we win is by not relying on any one of them to run our whole business. Spread yourself out. Host on your own domain. Backup your audience lists. Know your distribution paths. Have alternate options ready. **Lex, you sound like an alarmist about all this!** To that I say: you need to start reading [404 Media](https://www.404media.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Ed Zitron's Where's Your Ed At](https://www.wheresyoured.at/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), and [Paris Marx's Disconnect](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-subscription-fatigue-is-not-our-problem/). ## More good reads about Substack - [How Substack steals your audience and your revenue](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue/) - [Why Substack's new valuation means a monopoly is brewing](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-substacks-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing/) - [Best alternatives to Substack](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/best-alternatives-to-substack/) - [How to migrate away from Substack](https://www.paidnewsletterplaybook.com/how-to-migrate-from-substack/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Why these writers left](https://www.talkscratch.com/why-cant-writers-seem-to-quit-substack/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [The Substack Tax](https://www.theverge.com/tech/927294/substack-tax-ghost-beehiiv?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Welcome to Revenue Rulebreaker! URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/welcome/ Last updated: 2026-05-26T20:50:54.000Z Want an income that supports your lifestyle without making you miserable at work? You're in the right place. Be part of the creative network of over 350+ entrepreneurs behind this project when you [join us in Legends](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/membership?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ****Get 2 months free when you join us now.** [Get Legends for $79/yr ](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/11-10-2025-01-17-38-welcomespecial) 🎲 This is *Revenue Rulebreaker*, where we cover: - The ups and downs of owning a business - Finding customers, buyers and clients - Growing your online audience - How specific revenue streams work (digital products, memberships, affiliate income, sponsorships, services and more) - The lifestyles and working styles of unconventional entrepreneurs Three times a week, you'll get a fresh edition in your inbox with my latest take on what online business owners are toiling over and how to glide your way through it. The newsletter is free but all of the good stuff is paywalled just for Legends. [Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/) are a creative network who back this project, and in return, they are rewarded with networking, collaborations, free promotion and more. Why Legends? What I've noticed after working with 100s of entrepreneurs over the years is that the biggest problem everyone faces is **getting in front of the right audience.** I have turned Legends into a space where you can meet the right people, collaborate to grow your audience and get shout outs year round—from me and from other Legends. ### **Become a Legend now and get 20% off your first year—only $79 for the WHOLE YEAR!** [Get the special](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/11-10-2025-01-17-38-welcomespecial) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/MatchedUpMixer--2-.png) Photo of one of our Legends mixers **🏆 Perks of being a Legend:** - 3 free classified ads in my newsletter to sell your wares and promote your shit (this perk pays for the cost of membership alone!) - Shout outs on my newsletter when you join and whenever you have something you're launching or celebrating (check out [this example](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/email/edd5b721-08f0-45af-9568-bdf985e8463c/)) - Invitations year round to collaborations we do in the Legends network like Legends Wishlist, [Loose Ties Scavenger Hunt](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/loose-ties-scavenger-hunt/), and [Secret Santa Swap](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/your-invitation-to-the-secret-santa-swap/). - Invitations to members-only mixers where I match you with a curated set of connections based on your audience and focus - A listing in [our Legends Directory](https://legends.revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) where Legends look for people to collaborate with, refer and hire - Preferential treatment at all times because I like you the best (plus many other Legends will treat you as a "preferred vendor") - All access to my paid content (everything here on [RevenueRulebreaker.com](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and everything at [PaidNewsletterPlaybook.com](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)) - Discounts on [my public events](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/) - Bonus perks that [we unlock every 100 Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-perks-of-being-a-legend/) **All for $79 your first year—you get 20% off now! And it's $99/year after that.** [Get the 20% off special](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/11-10-2025-01-17-38-welcomespecial) The thing is: Business media is collapsing with everything else. Forbes is pay-to-play. So is Entrepreneur Magazine. Fast Company, Inc Magazine, TechCrunch...they're barely still around. A lot of the info we're being fed as entrepreneurs is basically a sales funnel for someone else's business. That sucks. And it's not helpful when you're trying to see clearly what's ahead for your own company. [*Revenue Rulebreaker*](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and The Legends Network are here to offer you something more personal. Stories from entrepreneurs *like you* doing the kinds of things you want to be doing. "How to" guides that you can actually follow. Revenue breakdowns that give you enough information to make good decisions for yourself. And rich relationships with other entrepreneurs building in the same direction as you. This blog is fun, but it is also deeply practical. Readers tell me they've booked clients, sold classes, won over paid subscribers, booked sponsorships and more just from the posts behind the paywall. [![Site topics screenshot](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-26-at-3.40.58---PM.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/topics/) Browse [all the topics](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/topics/) By the way, I'm [Lex Roman](https://lexroman.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I'm a former tech worker turned blogger. I pivoted my podcast [*Low Energy Leads*](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-low-energy-leads-show-for-creative-entrepreneurs/id1685342303?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) into what's now *Revenue Rulebreaker*. I started my own business in 2019 doing growth consulting. I've been a service provider for many years but I got kinda sick of it and wanted to be experimenting more broadly with ways to make money (and I wanted to know everyone's secrets to how they did it too). That's how we got here. This isn't a funnel for anything else. I'm not gonna sell you on my services or get you to buy my smoothies. I just want to produce cool, interesting stuff you see yourself in. Captivating stories. Detailed guides. Fun events. If you want to back this project and be part of the creative network that benefits from it, you should [join us in Legends](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/membership?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). **Get 20% off your first year when you join us now.** [Get 20% off your first year](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/11-10-2025-01-17-38-welcomespecial) The *Revenue Rulebreaker* newsletter comes out three times a week. You can also [check the site](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/) or [get the RSS](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/rss) for fresh stories all the time. See you in these wild internet streets, Rulebreaker! 🎲 Lex ![Some of the Legends hanging out (Sophia + Abhishek in India, Pame + Devin in Japan, Rachel, Jessica, Tina, Gina and Raven in NC)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/Ralieigh---1-.png) Some of the Legends hanging out (Sophia + Abhishek in India, Pame + Devin in Japan, Rachel, Jessica, Tina, Gina and Raven in NC) ### Are you moving from Substack to a new platform? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/substackswitch/ Last updated: 2025-09-16T22:26:07.000Z Hey there! This is an expired offer. You can still book a 1:1 call with me but they are back to their regular price of $1000\. I completely understand if you don't have $1000 but I don't offer consulting for less than that. [Book a 1:1 ](https://savvycal.com/lexroman/powerhour?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) You're leaving Substack...or you're thinking about it...and your biggest fear is: losing your audience and revenue growth. First of all, you have nothing to be afraid of because [Substack has been stealing from you this whole time](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). BUT also, I get it. They made a lot of false promises. Hid the truth in their analytics and left you wondering how much Substack really has helped your publication. I can help you make this move with confidence when we make **a Substack migration revenue plan.** ### Your Substack migration revenue plan can include: - Choosing the right platform for your revenue model. - Running a switch raise to fund this transition. - Running a subscriber drive on your new platform. - Creating automations that ensure continued conversion. - Talking through other revenue streams that can augment your income. ### Book your session and get: - The 1 hour session to make this migration revenue plan together. - 30 days of email support for us to troubleshoot as you implement the plan. - 1 year in [my Legends membership](https://lexroman.com/legends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) where you get access to all my paid content on running subscriptions, booking sponsorships, selling digital products and more, plus event invitations and collaboration opportunities. ### There are ONLY 3 of these available. You must purchase by August 31 and you must book your session in September, November or December of 2025. --- ### Who am I meeting with? Me! [Lex Roman](https://lexroman.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Here's some highlights about me: - I led growth design projects at companies like Gusto, Burner, Toyota, Nissan, Prosper, Macys.com and The Black Tux where I worked on everything from checkout flows to churn reduction. My specialization has been revenue growth since 2014 and I have 10+ years of experience with subscription businesses. - I launched my first paid subscription newsletter in 2020 ([LA Pays Attention](https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/mail-in-ballots-civics-covid-19/la-pays-attention-civic-engage?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)) and it was later acquired by the [LA Public Press](https://lapublicpress.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). - I launched my signature membership, Growthtrackers, in 2022 and it became my full time income for two years, making me over 6 figures in revenue. - I run two subscriptions now: [Legends](https://lexroman.com/legends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (for this newsletter) and the [Paid Sub Playbook](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/upgrade?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (for journalists), which make up [about 60% of my revenue](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-much-money-i-made-the-first-half-of-this-year/) and the rest is sponsorships, digital products and paid trainings. ### Frequently Asked Questions **When do I need to book this?** You need to buy it by August 31 and you need to book your call in September, November or December. **Is this just for Substack publishers who are leaving?** No, you can also book this if you want to make a subscription launch plan or a subscription growth plan. One caveat: you can't be planning to STAY on Substack. You either have to be leaving OR you have to be on another platform. **How should I prepare?** I would prepare the following: \- Your top three sources of list growth (from what you can glean in Substack analytics) \- Your top three recommenders in the recommendation engine (and how much subscribers they are yielding monthly) \- Your existing revenue numbers from subscriptions (or other sources) \- Your ideal monthly or quarterly revenue target \- I'd also look at the following platforms and have an idea of which you're thinking of switching too (it can be another one also): [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Buttondown](https://buttondown.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [beehiiv](https://beehiiv.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Kit](https://kit.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). **What are we going to accomplish on this call?** We're going to make a realistic plan for you to hit your revenue target as you leave and after you leave. It can include how to raise transition funding, subscriber drives for your relaunch and ongoing conversion of paid subscribers. **What can I do with the 30 days pro support?** You can email me how the plan is working for you and we can adjust the plan as you execute it. I'm here to cheer you on and provide realistic information on what will work based on your publication, your audience and your goals. **What's included in the Legends membership?** See for yourself when you take a cruise around [Revenue Rulebreaker](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). You'll also have access to the Paid Newsletter Playbook (which is on the move from [JournalistsPayThemselves.com](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)). Plus, you'll get invites to events and collaborations like the [mixer I'm hosting in September](https://lu.ma/jy0ig6aq?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and our Secret Santa Swap taking place in November. ### Show us how you spent your week URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/sunsama-challenge/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T02:47:20.000Z **Brought to you by Sunsama.** The only task manager, calendar, and daily planner for modern professionals. [Try Sunsama free for two weeks](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [![Sunsama logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/06/Untitled-design--27-.png)](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- You've heard me talk a lot about how much [Sunsama](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) has changed how I see and spend my time so this month I'm inviting you to a fun little challenge! Show us how you spent your week on LinkedIn and win prizes. ### One lucky winner will get: - 6 months of Sunsama - A $100 Visa Gift Card to take you and your favorite person out to dinner with all that free time you scored\* ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/1-1.png) ### How to join the challenge: - [Sign up for Sunsama](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) using my link (if you haven't already) - Use it for at least a week - Take a screenshot of your Weekly Review showing us how you spent your time - Post that screenshot on LinkedIn and [tag me](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Sunsama](https://www.linkedin.com/company/sunsama/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - If you can't tag me or want to make sure I see your entry, send me a link to your post by replying to this email [Try Sunsama FREE](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/Where-to-find-this-view.png) You have through November 30 (US time) to do this. It's gotta be on LinkedIn. Everyone who's not already on a paid plan with Sunsama is eligible. We'll choose a winner at random after the month wraps up. Your odds are pretty good because this challenge is just for us and usually no one does the stuff I ask! Prove me wrong! You can say whatever you want about your screenshot. Tell us more about how you spent your time. Tell us what the recap doesn't show. Tell us what you think of Sunsama. (Probably avoid calling this a "contest" as LinkedIn doesn't like those, but you can call it the Time Well Spent with Sunsama Challenge.) I can't wait to see how you spent your time! [Try Sunsama FREE](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) \*JK you can do whatever you want with the gift card 😄 --- ### Skim more of my posts about Sunsama [This daily planner is beloved by entrepreneurs with ADHDI was sick of everything taking 10x longer than it should. Here’s how I changed my daily work routine.![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-53.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/Copy-of-RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails--27--2.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/this-daily-planner-is-beloved-by-entrepreneurs-with-adhd/) [How to manage your time when you’re bad at managing your timeI thought I’d tried every planner in the world. I’d never tried this.![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-54.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails--23--4.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-manage-your-time-when-youre-bad-at-managing-your-time-featuring-sunsama/) [Timeboxing for people who hate timeboxingHow I plan my day (when I have no plans) with Sunsama’s automated timeboxing![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-55.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails--39-.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/timeboxing-for-people-who-hate-timeboxing-with-sunsama/) [Is this work-life balance?The one thing that changed how I spend my days![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-56.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/Thumbnailworklifebalance-2.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/is-this-work-life-balance-made-with-sunsama/) [My goal setting methodHow I turn big goals into daily stuff I can actually do![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-57.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/Copy-of-RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails--6--1.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/my-goal-setting-method/) ### Contributor Guide URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/contributor-guide/ Last updated: 2026-04-27T13:52:34.000Z Last updated April 27, 2026 Thanks for your interest in writing for **Rulebreaker*! Pitches are closed right now while I work on finding the voice of this publication again. [Get on our newsletter](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/newsletter?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to find out when new pitch calls are open. **All stories should have a clear, singular and riveting angle related to running a business on your own. This is an independent publication where the stakes are high and stories need to be clickworthy. I only publish 2-3 contributions a month. Please read below to learn more about what I'm looking for. — Lex** *Revenue Rulebreaker* produces stories and events about how microentrepreneurs actually make a living online. Here we cover hard won wins from lovable underdogs—not blowhard outliers who build their business on personality, unearned money or cons. We examine repeatable practices for business building and we enjoy lifestyle stories that feature the unconventional ways internet entrepreneurs live. Imagine *The Cut* but for the internet business owner. We're focused on solopreneurs and microentrepreneurs. We are writing for businesses led by one or two people. They might have a small team or collaborators but we cater to the founders. **Most of our audience is "creative entrepreneurs," meaning designers, writers, marketers, strategists, coaches, developers, and journalists.** The majority run service-based, remote businesses, but many of them are developing alternative revenue streams, exploring media, digital products, memberships, courses, books, speaking and beyond. We're here to surface unheard stories and actionable ideas our readers can apply to their own business. *Revenue Rulebreaker* stories aren't just blogs about business. They have a bite to them that pulls you in like [this story about paywalls](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-thought-paywalls-were-unethical-this-is-why-i-started-paywalling/) and this one on [branding while Black](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/branding-while-black/). Ruthless, relevant and entertaining. I am looking for pressing, gritty, engaging, insider stories that are super relevant to my base. [Skim the archive](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) before pitching me to get a sense of what we publish. ## 📥 How to pitch Revenue Rulebreaker Send your pitch [via email to Lex](mailto:lex@revenuerulebreaker.com) and put "Contributor Pitch" in the subject line. Do not send full pieces. A short pitch with a potential headline and [your nut graph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nut%5Fgraph?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (what your story would cover) is sufficient. Current rate is $200 a story, no matter how long. I publish 2-3 guest contributors a month and I get only 20 or so pitches per month so your odds are good if your story is good! **Make sure to include in your pitch:** - What the angle is. Where's the story going? What's your perspective? What's the audience takeaway? Don't just pitch a topic. - Who the story is about (name names—you or other people. Tell me who you are covering in this story and what your relationship is to them, if not about you.) - At least 2 published writing samples - Your bio and links to learn more about you If you want to pitch multiple stories, you can put them in the same email. Please share more about you and how to find you online in your pitch. I need to know you are a real person and that my audience can trust you. **I strongly prefer you have an existing online presence (a website, social profiles, published work.)** If I can't figure out who you are, what your business/background/expertise is, it's very hard to accept that pitch. Show me (and my audience) that you exist online and let me do my own research about your work. Remember that how you write your pitch tells me a lot about whether or not your writing style will work for this publication. ### The kinds of stories I'm looking for I am looking for timely, super fresh takes that show us an unheard of side to business. All stories need to target creative solo entrepreneurs who operate in a digital world. Rulebreaker readers like a little struggle, controversy or gossip. They especially love strong opinions, strongly held and people who wear their values proudly on their sleeve. Consider why now is the right time to tell this story. In general, I don't publish "here's how my whole business works" stories and I don't publish stories that are just pitches for what you sell. Think about a story you'd be excited to read. I prefer first hand accounts, written by entrepreneurs, but will consider lightly reported or community sourced pieces too, especially from writers who have experience with the topic they are pitching. If you pitch something about someone who is not you, tell me who that person is and share a link so I can learn more about them. **The stories I publish:** - Have a genuinely unusual or rarely heard perspective - Are entertaining and well written (not just dry facts) - Crack open ONE revenue stream that's hard to tackle by giving us insider details of something you did to make money - Give us a new way to think about our own business model within the context of our current times - Help us learn how to make money by teaching us one repeatable strategy (with evidence and examples) - Inspire us with unconventional lifestyles of entrepreneurs **A few great examples from our archives:** - [You kiss your grandmother with that podcast title?](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/you-kiss-your-grandmother-with-that-podcast-title/) - [The email that saved my business: How one bold ask tripled my rates overnight](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-email-that-saved-my-business-how-one-bold-ask-tripled-my-rates-overnight/) - [I just launched a new group program. Here's exactly how it went.](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-just-launched-a-new-group-program-heres-exactly-how-it-went/) - [Want to start a creative collective? Read this first.](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/want-to-start-a-creative-collective-read-this-first/) - [I ran an experiment to see if I could get people to pay me to pitch them. Here’s what happened.](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-ran-an-experiment-to-see-if-i-could-get-people-to-pay-me-to-pitch-them/) - [Why entrepreneurial journalism is the next era of content creation (and why it makes sense for entrepreneurs)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-entrepreneurial-journalism-is-the-next-era-of-content-creation-and-why-it-makes-sense-for-entrepreneurs/) ### Common reasons I don't accept a pitch - Ignoring the instructions on this page - Pitching me anywhere but in my email like I asked - Sending full stories (don't send full stories!) - Sending me their whole life story or a story about how their entire business works instead of a single story pitch with an angle - Sending a story pitch that is a tee up for your offer. If your post could be a sales webinar, I'm not interested. - Pitching super generic stuff or topics like "memberships"—I need to understand what story you are telling to accept it. It should have a beginning, middle and end. - Not including who the story is about. You must explain who the story is about to have a story pitch. A vague concept is not a story pitch. - Sending story pitches that have nothing to do with business. This is a business publication. - I can't find you anywhere online and I cannot validate you are who you say you are (my audience needs to be able to learn about you and trust you.) Include links! ### Stories I don't need - Leaving corporate for entrepreneurship - How I made 6 figures doing XYZ - Gimmicks that worked for you once ("I made $4k in a weekend." "I sold a $5 digital download on a billboard.") - Stories about real estate or short term rentals (I never take these) - Stories about brick and mortar, textile, culinary and physical product businesses (in general, I don't take these. If there's an online/ecomm component or a really compelling angle, I will occasionally consider them, but it's not our core editorial interest. We serve digital entrepreneurs.) ## 🖊️ How to write for Revenue Rulebreaker Once your pitch is accepted, here's some things to keep in mind while you write. Also, check out some of [the pieces on the site](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/topics/) for examples of the style of this blog. - No AI is allowed in your writing. You cannot use AI to draft any language in the final article. If I find out AI was used in the writing, I'll pull the story. You can use AI to brainstorm or organize your research, but you can't let it write for you. - Write in your voice, from your perspective. We tend to write very casually here, like we're recounting the story to a friend, but if that's not natural for you, write how you write. (See [Maliha's post on membership](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/one-years-worth-of-lessons-from-running-a-membership/) and [Taiwo's post on rate raising](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-email-that-saved-my-business-how-one-bold-ask-tripled-my-rates-overnight/) as examples) - Assume your reader is smart, informed and can keep up with you. *Revenue Rulebreaker*'s audience is not new to business and they are paying a lot of attention to what's going on around them. It's good to explain new concepts or link out to explanations, but you don't need to break everything down like it's a business class. - Avoid generalizations and generic advice. We want your story or someone else's story, not vagaries about groups of people. - Our readers appreciate radical honesty and deeper-than-social-media vulnerability, but no need to fabricate any feelings that weren't there. If you were confident you had a slam dunk the whole time, tell us! If you were crying up until your breakthrough moment, tell us that too. - Give us all the details. We want to see screenshots of emails. Pictures of the process. Actual revenue numbers. Exactly what you said. Exactly what you did. - Make it a fun read. Not mandatory, especially if your story offers us excellent, practical takeaways, but readers around here love when something is extremely opinionated or unexpectedly human. You can also incorporate cultural moments (like Justin Bieber "standing on business") if that flows naturally too. - Pay attention to your use of special formatting. Avoid overusing quotations, italics, em dashes and line breaks. ### Notes on your format - Grab the reader with your opener. Figure out why they might care about your subject and lead with that why to get them hooked. - Use subheadings to break up sections and make your piece skimmable (we use sentence case not title case for headlines and subheads.) - In your closer, tell us your takeaway or what you think our takeaway should be. If possible, tie it back to your opener. - Avoid big words that people might have to look up. Aim for 6th grade reading level. - Use specific examples from one business (yours or someone else's) - If talking about data, you must cite your data. - Minimum word count is roughly 600 words. No maximum word count. - For your contributor bio: Make sure to provide your photo, a 1-2 line bio and any links you want. Here's an [example guest bio for reference](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/author/maliha/). I am not at all picky about grammar. I will run spell check on your piece and give it a light edit. We don't follow any style like AP or Chicago Style because I don't understand why I should care about this yet, but at some point someone will make me care about it and we'll pick a lane later. ### Requirements for getting paid It's important to me to pay you quickly and I make every effort to do so. I pay on story receipt, not on publication, but you need to follow my invoicing guidelines to get paid fast: - Send your invoice with your draft. Your invoice MUST arrive in a separate email from your story. **I do not pay with PayPal or Venmo.** - **Preferred method of invoicing**: Use [Stripe](https://stripe.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or another digital invoicing tool like Wave, Harvest, or QuickBooks to email me a payable invoice. Enable credit card payment if possible (much preferred) and if not, include bank transfer as an option through your invoicing tool where I can add my bank details directly and avoid having to do a wire transfer. - **If that's not possible**: Set up an account on [Wise](https://wise.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and email me a PDF attachment invoice (NOT an editable document) with the subject line **"Invoice: Your story title or name."** Be sure to include all of your Wise account information so I can pay you (Wisetag, Full name on account, Your address, Bank name, Bank address, Account number, Routing number, Account type). Account must be under your name. - **By submitting your invoice**, you are warranting that you're an independent contractor and that you're responsible for all your own federal, state and local taxes. Read more in our [Contributor Agreement](https://lexroman.fillout.com/writeragreement?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Thank you from the bottom of my heart for contributing to this labor of love. 🎲 Lex [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) | [Contact](https://lexroman.com/contact?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Join us for our fall series Sept 10-Nov 30 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T17:52:52.000Z View the full calendar on Luma for upcoming events or learn more about them below. [View calendar](https://luma.com/lexromanwashere?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## 🍂 Fall event series We're back with an event series on paid speaking, selling books and getting clients from email. Join us from Sept-Nov to crack these business models wide open. September: Land paid speaking gigs October: Sell more books as an indie author November: Convert buyers from email **Save big when you buy a Season Pass.** $79 for paid subscribers. $149 for the public. That's 6 events FREE for paid subscribers and 3 events FREE for everyone else. [Get a Season Pass](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see these! ## 🎤 September: Land Paid Speaking Gigs ### Thursday, September 10: Find Your Signature Talk Topic with Antonio Neves Everyone needs a signature talk. Something only they can talk about that becomes their calling card for paid gigs or for attracting an audience. But how do you figure out what yours is? ​In this session, professional keynote speaker and author [Antonio Neves](https://www.theantonioneves.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) will guide you to find the topic you should use to book your next speaking gig. That topic that you should be known for. The topic that will get you paid! [Find Your Signature Talk Topic with Antonio Neves (Fall Event Series) · LumaEveryone needs a signature talk. Something only they can talk about that becomes their calling card for paid gigs or for attracting an audience. But how do you…![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/favicon-97552f70-4776-499d-bdc7-7cb34dbbd651.ico)Lex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/9280b41a-f766-46cb-a79f-f4e3f9cbf794-9c421853-4cfc-42ac-80db-902fdf5b4b66.png)](https://luma.com/38hrd7eq?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Thursday, September 17: Where To Book Paid Speaking Gigs with LaShonda Brown You want to get out there with your message. Maybe you've booked free speaking gigs or guest talks but you're ready to get paid! This session will help you make the transition from free to paid speaking. ​In this session, [LaShonda Brown](https://lashondabrown.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) will share the best ways to start getting paid to speak and her secrets for booking well paying gigs. LaShonda is a keynoter and workshop facilitator who travels around the world speaking and teaching. If you've never experienced a LaShonda Brown session, just know she's going to give us the inside scoop and hidden tricks that really work. You're in for a treat! [Where To Book Paid Speaking Gigs with LaShonda Brown (Fall Event Series) · LumaYou want to get out there with your message. Maybe you’ve booked free speaking gigs or guest talks but you’re ready to get paid! This session will help you…![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/favicon-01ee6878-210c-468b-96ff-ec74042997ef.ico)Lex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/3767c89c-3ab7-4b8c-82a6-dfc7b449052d-0164b6fc-cb55-4390-a3a3-bdee8ded1761.png)](https://luma.com/97v91gxj?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Tuesday, September 29: Seeds and Summits with Lex Roman Seeds and Summits is a monthly session where we discuss what experiments you tried this month (seeds) and we celebrate what worked (summits). It's a heartwarming reflection session that helps you cement and celebrate progress and build on it more effectively. ​You'll leave this session with a concrete idea of what's working for you, a mood boost from celebrating wins and a momentum acceleration from your peers. [Seeds and Summits: Metabolize Your Month with Lex (Fall Event Series) · LumaSeeds and Summits is a monthly session where we discuss what experiments you tried this month (seeds) and we celebrate what worked (summits). It’s a…![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/favicon-30e86679-ba47-4524-8858-3d421147a688.ico)Lex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/23fef92c-f2d6-4a8e-9e20-e04b686171f3-a33bcd57-6229-4793-ab25-4364f720781b.png)](https://luma.com/3xgqv7qp?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## 📚 October: Sell More Books ### Tuesday, October 6: Grow Your Newsletter as an Author with M.G. Herron All authors benefit from an email list, but growing a newsletter as an author is different than growing any other kind of newsletter. You want to build an audience of readers who will buy and read your books. But where do you find them? ​In this session, [M.G. Herron](https://www.mgherron.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) will take us through the foundations you need in place, the most common ways authors grow their newsletters and some experimental techniques you can try. [Grow Your Newsletter as an Author with M.G. Herron (Fall Event Series) · LumaIn partnership with Lulu. Sell your books worldwide with their scalable tools for indie publishers. All authors benefit from an email list, but growing a…![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/favicon-2215852b-535b-403e-8864-4edd5cfd599e.ico)Lex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/eee389ea-0fbf-426e-8ea1-6329f6401b02-ade70ad8-754a-4f65-bad9-6fe171080ce2.png)](https://luma.com/xtfxatkd?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Tuesday, October 20: Sell With Facebook Ads as an Author with M.G. Herron Indie authors are using Facebook ads to sell books. But selling books with Facebook ads is different than other types of campaigns. You want to know it's going to be a good use of your money and time before you start. ​In this session, [M.G. Herron](https://www.mgherron.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) will take you inside how he runs Facebook campaigns to sell his books. We'll cover types of creative, testing that creative, types of campaigns and where those campaigns should be sending your readers. [Sell With Facebook Ads as an Author with M.G. Herron (Fall Event Series) · LumaIn partnership with Lulu. Sell your books worldwide with their scalable tools for indie publishers. Indie authors are using Facebook ads to sell books. But…![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/favicon-ca0f3f98-ceca-4728-9a4e-796f3e5c7d5d.ico)Lex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/cdb96ad8-b60e-4c9a-98ec-796779b45391-96565b7d-5c50-43df-935e-dce1acb8ee3f.png)](https://luma.com/f4bahxzi?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Thursday, October 29: Seeds and Summits with Lex Roman Seeds and Summits is a monthly session where we discuss what experiments you tried this month (seeds) and we celebrate what worked (summits). It's a heartwarming reflection session that helps you cement and celebrate progress and build on it more effectively. ​You'll leave this session with a concrete idea of what's working for you, a mood boost from celebrating wins and a momentum acceleration from your peers. [Seeds and Summits: Metabolize Your Month with Lex (Fall Event Series) · LumaSeeds and Summits is a monthly session where we discuss what experiments you tried this month (seeds) and we celebrate what worked (summits). It’s a…![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/favicon-8c78df74-331d-420f-b78c-25b1ecbe1841.ico)Lex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/230020b4-63fd-4a8e-ab1e-3a880ccb2fc4-00662db8-27b1-4256-b564-93798231f91b.png)](https://luma.com/jygp1ja7?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## 💌 November: Convert Clients with Email ### Thursday, November 12: Write Emails People Want to Read with Lex Roman You know you should have an email list. People are opening the emails. But it's not really going anywhere. Let's turn your list around and make people wanna read your emails! ​In this session, we're going to workshop how to write nurturing emails your clients will want to read. You'll learn how to turn your business services, successes and stories into interesting fodder for emails. We'll talk about subject lines, formats and topics to cover to warm up potential clients. [Write Emails People Want to Read with Lex (Fall Event Series) · LumaYou know you should have an email list. People are opening the emails. But it’s not really going anywhere. Where is this mythical land of selling from…![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/favicon-bc24a4c4-20c7-4c0d-b0f8-fc0b1b0a7f69.ico)Lex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/6fdd4afd-9cff-48f7-8eae-e3a7afe34c82-d92c9374-96ef-41c5-92a9-4edb1f1838eb.png)](https://luma.com/wocmwora?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Tuesday, November 17: Convert Clients with Email with Lex Roman You've heard people convert clients via email but you've never experienced it. Where is this mythical land of selling from email? ​It's right here! In this session, we'll look at the techniques that make converting from email possible. You'll learn how to get your potential clients to self-identify from your message, book calls or convert directly from your email newsletter. [Convert Clients From Your Emails with Lex (Fall Event Series) · LumaYou’ve heard people convert clients via email but you’ve never experienced it. Where is this mythical land of selling from email? It’s right here! In this…![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/favicon-e46693e4-c2fe-4410-a163-2cd885162ca3.ico)Lex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/83691288-cd59-486a-9055-ba0ed98a8d35-eeca32d4-4cbd-4f75-8b12-6d14748ebcd4.png)](https://luma.com/h1tdlkii?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Monday, November 30: Seeds and Summits with Lex Roman Seeds and Summits is a monthly session where we discuss what experiments you tried this month (seeds) and we celebrate what worked (summits). It's a heartwarming reflection session that helps you cement and celebrate progress and build on it more effectively. ​You'll leave this session with a concrete idea of what's working for you, a mood boost from celebrating wins and a momentum acceleration from your peers. [Seeds and Summits: Metabolize Your Month with Lex (Fall Event Series) · LumaSeeds and Summits is a monthly session where we discuss what experiments you tried this month (seeds) and we celebrate what worked (summits). It’s a…![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/favicon-6a0e0990-e22d-4649-8d0f-6c3f6bbb1efb.ico)Lex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/a3602c20-79d5-4ab4-ae56-3411eae590ea-be2b0602-72a1-466d-a4cc-e0bfbfe0e076.png)](https://luma.com/sj0ul0w1?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) LOG IN TO SEE PAID SUBSCRIBER DISCOUNTS! Buy a Season Pass and get 3 sessions FOR FREE. Just $149 for the season. [Get a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## View the calendar RSVP for individual events on the calendar [Lex Roman · Events CalendarView and subscribe to events from Lex Roman on Luma. Events for indie business owners. Get a Season Pass for all Jan-Mar 2026 events and save 62%: lexroman.com/seasonpass![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/apple-touch-icon-9.png)![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/calendar-social-image)](https://luma.com/lexromanwashere?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## Looking for past events? Find the recaps and recordings here [Events - Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanInfo and recaps from Revenue Rulebreaker’s live events on growth and monetization![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-129.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/revenue-rulebreaker--24-.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/events/) ## About our events You've got business goals but it's super lonely slogging through a massive to do list by yourself in a dark basement. The only thing that saves me during those times is community events where we come together to reflect out loud, get some good intel and make better decisions about what's next. So, I'm bringing back events this year! We're gonna see how this goes but people do really enjoy my events so I'm making a bet that you want to come to more of them. **These events are not classes. They are guided workshops.** I will set the stage and provide a structure for us, but I will be counting on you to bring your business vision, data and interests to make our time together matter. COME READY TO CHAT PARTY PEOPLE! Most events are paid or for paid members. Some are free. Subscribe to my mailing list to receive updates on them! ### Play Outpost bingo! URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/outpost-bingo/ Last updated: 2026-01-11T03:38:28.000Z **In partnership with** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- 💡 Heads up! You can still play Outpost bingo but the prizes are wrapped so it's just for fun. The bingo card has good stuff for set up though so it's useful to grab. You already know I think every Ghost publisher needs to integrate [Outpost](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for running their subscription business. Outpost is a marketing and monetization tool for Ghost. It's super powerful and offers everything from smart email automations that encourage upgrades and renewals to automated podcast episode pages. [Try Outpost](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) I explained [how I set up Outpost in this YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSqn67-iwfk&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and I [interviewed Aftermath's Riley MacLeod](https://newsletter.projectc.biz/p/aftermath-s-move-to-ghost-had-a-lot-to-do-with-outpost?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Tangle's Issac Saul](https://newsletter.projectc.biz/p/how-did-tangle-get-to-70k-paid-subscribers-with-outpost?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) about how they use Outpost. I find it to be pretty intuitive but I hear all the time from publishers who are newly taking the reigns on their subscription business...*Lex, where should I start with Outpost?* That's why I made you OUTPOST BINGO. It's everything I recommend you start with to get Outpost making money for your publication. **Join us in playing and submit your card by January 9th to win prizes!** ![Outpost Bingo cards](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Untitled-design---2025-12-15T090955.666-1.png) ## How to play Outpost bingo 1. Download the bingo card above 2. Mark off boxes as you set them up (see below for more detailed instructions) 3. [Submit your finished card](https://lexroman.fillout.com/outpostbingo?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) by **Friday, January 9th.** You can use the Canva template to "mark" off the boxes or use annotations on your phone or computer to scratch them off. Whatever's easiest for you. **Your goal is to complete the whole card!** Everyone who uses Ghost (or is moving to Ghost) is eligible to win prizes. ### Win one of these prizes 🏆 All the top scores will be entered to win. Winners will be chosen randomly. - **Prize 1:** $100 credit to your Outpost account - **Prize 2:** 1 year of the Backstage Pass, which includes all access to paidnewsletterplaybook.com and revenuerulebreaker.com - **Prize 3:** A live session with me to review your Outpost Autoresponder Emails ### What each box on the bingo card means - **Free space:** Sign up for a [free trial with Outpost](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - **Failed payment flow:** Turn on the Failed Payment Flow. There's already templates in there, but you can turn on as many as you like (I recommend all of them! Get that money back!) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-05-at-2.45.01---PM.png) - **Free welcome email:** Edit and turn on at least ONE free welcome email. This greets new newsletter subscribers. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-05-at-2.46.04---PM.png) - **Add tip jar to nav:** Grab your tip jar link and link it in your navigation or in your email template. This is already set up so you just need to copy the link and put it somewhere. Make sure Stripe is hooked up so you can get that cash! ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-05-at-2.48.22---PM.png) - **Thank you message for tip jar:** When people tip you, you can thank them! How cool! Set up a thank you message for your contributors. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-05-at-2.49.35---PM.png) - **30 day renewal reminder:** Add a reminder for your annual subscribers that their subscription is going to renew and encourage them to stay! There's already a template for you. Just update it and turn it on! ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-05-at-2.51.15---PM.png) - **Member clean up:** Use this tool to remove free members who unsubscribed from your newsletter. Ghost charges you for all members, regardless of whether they get your newsletter. Smash the button and Outpost does the rest! ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-05-at-2.52.55---PM.png) - **Paid welcome email:** Edit and turn on the email that welcomes paid subscribers. There's two spots for this. Either counts for bingo (and I recommend both). Do this under Other->Upgrades or under Welcome Flow->Paid. One is for people who pay right away and the other is for people who upgrade from a free subscription. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-05-at-2.54.14---PM.png) - **Retention offer:** Outpost co-founder Ryan told me to add this one because it's super effective at getting people to come back. If a monthly subscriber cancels, you can send them an offer to stick around. Edit the template and turn it on! *💡 Pro tip from Ryan: offer them a discount on an annual sub—it works better and brings in more revenue!* ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-05-at-6.36.58---PM.png) ### Have questions? [**Send me a note**](https://lexroman.com/contact?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) **or tag me on social. Happy bingo playing! 🎱** If you have trouble downloading the bingo card, you can also [access it here.](https://www.canva.com/design/DAG6gDefUjw/q6L8uHO9lg1fWu0jxc-EUw/view?utm%5Fcontent=DAG6gDefUjw&utm%5Fcampaign=designshare&utm%5Fmedium=link&utm%5Fsource=publishsharelink&mode=preview) ### Code of Conduct URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/code-of-conduct/ Last updated: 2026-01-18T13:58:07.000Z *Last updated: January 18, 2026* First of all, thank you for being here. It's so rad to be able to connect with other entrepreneurs and talk about the real issues facing us every day. I get that you have many options for where to do that and I don't take for granted that you're choosing to spend some time here. The goal of this Code of Conduct is to ensure our community stays healthy and functional for the majority of people in it. Why the majority? Why not everyone? Because sometimes making the majority of people feel included means you end up excluding some people. That's never our goal, but it's the reality of a messy, diverse world. This space is radically identity inclusive and as such, it's not the right space for people who have problems with pronouns in bio, nor is it a space for racists, sexists or xenophobes. We don't tolerate identity-based hate period, and if I hear about any, you'll get a note from me and you'll be removed from our spaces. Deeper than that, I want to make sure this remains a collaborative space and not a place where people are getting pitched endlessly. That is not an ok use of our community tools and events. We are here to build real relationships and collaborate in mutually beneficial ways. ## Guidelines for interacting in our spaces These guidelines are mainly for [The Legends Network](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/legends/) but they also apply to events and our community in general. The topline is to focus on connecting and building real relationships, thoughtfully and with clear intention. It's extremely important to me that people feel valued in this space and that they're not getting sold to here. - **Build a relationship first.** Legends and the Rulebreaker community are places to do business, but the way we operate here is by getting to know each other. Move with the mindset of figuring out who you want to get to know, spend time getting to know them and the business stuff will become clear. - **Please don't pitch other people unless you're asked to.** I LOVE LOVE LOVE hearing that y'all are hiring each other but unless someone reaches out with clear intent to hire you, please avoid pitching them like they're a lead. What's more common in this network is collaborations, referrals and amplification (online boosts, shares, content collaborations) so that's what you can explore. We know that people need to get their bag, but if I learn you are pitching a lot without permission in our space, I will remove you. - **Please no "pick your brain" chats.** Y'all know how I feel about this. Keep it mutually beneficial! If you find yourself wanting a pick your brain chat, you probably need to hire that person for some consulting. - **Be mindful about who you reach out to and why.** It's not appropriate to ping every single person you come across here for a coffee chat. Have a reason to connect. That reason does not need to be transactional but it should be common ground, shared audience, something meaningful. - **Know your audience.** We have had some issues in the past where collaborations go off the rails because of a major audience mismatch. Before inviting someone to collaborate, check in that your audiences are aligned. Otherwise, you can waste each other's time. Not a huge problem if it happens once, but if it's happening a bunch, it becomes an issue I pay attention to. - **Be clear about your intent when messaging people.** - "I'd like to invite you on my podcast" - "I wanna hear more about coaching that little league team" - "It looks like we live in the same town. I'm wondering if you'd want to have coffee in person." Your intention does not need to be even business related, but it's super helpful if you're clear about what you wanna get out of the connection. You can absolutely ask for a "get to know you" conversation, just be clear that's what you'd like to do. - **Co-create this space:** I invite you to take an active role in shaping this community. If you see something that could be better, tell me and let me know how you'd like to be involved. - **Self-sufficient participation:** I LOVE hearing from you, especially what you're up to and what I can promote for you, but when it comes to events and collaborations, I really deeply appreciate when you read my notes and follow my instructions. You matter to me, but there's also a couple hundred others who I prioritize too. Your kindness on my time by doing things like submitting the forms I ask or looking for your answers first in the post FAQs is not only helpful but necessary to continue this operation. - **Tree of trust:** Information shared in private spaces like our events, mixers or collaborations should not be broadcast elsewhere without the explicit permission of the person who shared it. --- If you would like to make suggestions on our Code of Conduct or if you'd like to report an issue, [please contact Lex](mailto:projects@lexroman.com). ### Contact Revenue Rulebreaker URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/contact/ Last updated: 2026-02-17T18:36:57.000Z Reach out about getting a team plan for your group or organization, about guest writing for *Rulebreaker* or about partnering with me. If the form doesn't load below, [open it here](https://lexroman.fillout.com/rrbcontact?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). **Looking for a 1:1 session?** Those are $1000 for one hour and they include a year long subscription to Legends. [Learn more and book](https://savvycal.com/lexroman/powerhour?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). **Want to guest write for me?** Check out the [contributor guide](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/contributor-guide?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ### Become a Lifetime Legend 👑 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/lifetime/ Last updated: 2026-02-17T19:02:04.000Z Lifetime Legends make an upfront commitment and investment in the Legends Network. They help me fund this project and all our endeavors while we grow to our reader-sustained goal of 500 active Legends. For that, they get many rewards! ## What are the perks of being a Lifetime Legend? **You get all the same perks as all Legends:** - All paywalled stuff from Revenue Rulebreaker - All paywalled stuff from The Paid Newsletter Playbook - Special invites year round to collaborations and mixers with other Legends - Free shoutouts for your business in my newsletter - A custom sticker pack once a year - A listing in [the Legends Directory](https://legends.revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - Invite to my Earnings Calls **Plus, you also get:** - [All digital products](https://shop.lexroman.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in my shop - A crown on [The List of Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/) - Occasional early access to stuff (like the Legends retreat) - My forever gratitude for taking an active role in building this network with us - Never having to pay a subscription fee :) [Become a Lifetime Legend](https://buy.stripe.com/5kQ4gzaiAd7w2lD42Zao80a?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## How does it work? 1) Pay a [one time fee of $499](https://buy.stripe.com/5kQ4gzaiAd7w2lD42Zao80a?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and get Legends access forever. If you have already been a paying Legend, I will refund back what you've paid so far towards Legends. 2) When I receive your payment, I will add a complimentary subscription inside [*Revenue Rulebreaker*](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and the [*Paid Newsletter Playbook*](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for you. I will also send you your store code. 3) You'll be crowned on the List of Legends and you'll be in a special group of people I give preferential treatment to. ## Who should become a Lifetime Legend? Legends tend to be creative or creator entrepreneurs. You can check out some of the current Legends in [our Legends directory](https://legends.revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Note that I don't allow [Substack publishers](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/substack-policy/) in my subscriptions or programs. *Have questions about Lifetime Legends?* [*Contact me!*](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/contact?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## Posts ### What you need to know in online business news: Week of September 14 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-you-need-to-know-in-online-business-news-week-of-september-14/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T23:40:32.000Z The media is having a real meltdown about AI and whether they're ending humanity or not. Luckily, Dr. Timnit Gebru is here to keep us all pointed at the correct villain. Gebru also has a [book coming out next year](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Deep-Unlearning/Timnit-Gebru/9781668093078?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) on this subject. WordPress is still in unsteady waters after its [CEO came back](https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/11/matt-mullenweg-tells-automattic-staff-in-slack-hes-back-in-control-after-ceo-ouster/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) two days after being forced to take leave by their board, [writing on X](https://x.com/photomatt/status/2098446534677590301?s=20&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), "If you don't have a coup attempt every few years, you're not hiring strong enough leaders." We got an excellent reveal from a former Evernote employee about what's about to happen to Airtable, since both companies were bought by the same tragic owner. And Flodesk made a big show at a small event, inspiring me to write about something other than how much I think their software sucks. Here's shaping up this week... _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Legends Plug-in Session (Legends Only) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/legends-plug-in-session-legends-only/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T18:07:50.000Z I'm trying something new—a session to ask questions about Legends. ​This session is designed for **new Legends** who want to know how to get more out of the network OR **Legends plugging back in** after being away. But all Legends are welcome! ​The agenda is mostly your Q&A. I can also share what's coming next inside Legends. ### Should you bother with Black Friday as a service provider? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/should-you-bother-with-black-friday-as-a-service-provider/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T12:51:56.000Z Black Friday's a popular time to run your biggest sale of the year, but should you even be doing a sale? It's an obvious yes for retailers, but if you're a service provider, your holiday sales strategy isn't so straight forward. It never occurred to me that I could leverage Black Friday back when I was a tech consultant. You're not gonna offer the team at Dropbox or Stitch Fix 20% off your services just because the mall's having a party. None of my peers ever bothered with seasonal promotions. Few of us marketed publicly at all, outside of having a website and a LinkedIn profile because most of our bookings came through relationships. When I rejoined Instagram in 2021 to get in front of small businesses, I learned about that holiday sales weren't just for e-commerce brands, they could also be used in the service realm. I saw other web designers, copywriters, and marketers running flash sales, promoting bundles and packaging special offers. Not only that, I learned that they were making good money doing it. Since then, I've been sucked into the holiday promotion machine more than once. I relish an excuse to promote. I love the pageantry of creating a campaign, making graphics, writing social posts, drafting emails and landing pages—but I rarely stop to think, does this even make sense for me? Or for my audience? Marketers call this "not being strategic" and I've been ignoring their pleas to DO STRATEGY FIRST for decades. The longer I'm in business, the more I realize they're right. If you don't operate from a place of logic, data and intent—even for a small sale—you grind your own energy down and you get next-to-nothing in return. This year, I'm determined to do holiday promotions right. I thought you might appreciate a reset too so I spoke to a few marketing experts about how we can better conceptualize our approach for this season. ## The holidays can be a good excuse to drive urgency...if the timing works for your audience "The number one clothing sales time of year is not Black Friday or Cyber Monday. It’s Back-to-School," Lysandra Weber told me. [Lysandra](https://www.lysandraweber.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) founded and ran her own clothing brand for over a decade but now she's a Marketing Consultant for creative businesses. She said a lot of stores hit the wrong sale period, focusing on the winter holidays when everyone else is running sales and missing out on when their customers were actually shopping for new clothes. Too many entrepreneurs hop on the bandwagon of what everyone else is doing (guilty as charged) and not enough think about the seasons through the eyes of their audience. Now that Lysandra's consulting clients, she won't be running her own promotion during the Black Friday weekend because her clients are in their busy season. Instead, she'll be amplifying them and supporting their needs. Post-holiday, when it's time to start thinking about new year's budgets and plans, she'll market packages that help her clients prep for next year. Black Friday and all related holidays (Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, December holidays) can be a good excuse to force urgency to buy, according to Tina Bar-On, if your audience is shopping for what you do. [Tina](https://www.tinabar.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)'s a Fractional CMO with expertise in e-commerce growth. She reframed holiday promotions as "Q4"—meaning that if your client pipeline isn't full enough, you can use holidays as a way to hit your goals anytime during the quarter. How might you do that? Tina says name your goal first. Decide how many client leads or signed contracts you need to fill your pipeline and use the holidays as a reason to reach out to lost leads, past clients or potential clients. One technique Tina said doesn't get used enough is letting clients know you'll be raising your rates in the new year and offering a lock-in of this year's rate if they sign by a certain time. Bigger corporate clients are pretty checked out starting on Thanksgiving so if that's your base, you want to open conversations about what next year looks like now. You also want to be aware of their budget cycles and whether or not their budget resets in January because that determines when they're booking services and how much they're spending. Some organizations need to commit budget before the end of the year and they welcome your thoughtful proposals. Others are in their peak season and they aren't in the headspace to engage with you so a holiday promotion might be wasted on them. Using a holiday as a deadline can work, but only if your clientele is already in buy mode for your services. ## Targeting your sales pitch can save you time and make you money It's so tempting to take a digital product you have and throw it on sale, but all the marketing experts I spoke to said you need to be more strategic than that. You might have more than one audience and more than one offer. You need to choose what to promote based on your sales goals and based on what actually helps your audience in this season. The more targeted you get, the better your results. Data-Backed Marketing Strategist [Ally Anderson](https://akaridigital.ca/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) recommended using the holiday season to reach people who have been considering working with you and just need that right offer. "Think about the people who have been on your list for a long time, but haven’t bought. Do you have a really quick and easy offer that will get them off the fence and in the door?" Ally said. That should be a starter offer—like a power hour or a paid workshop—they can easily say yes to, giving you room to sell them on your services at their regular price later. Clarify who those people might be by segmenting your email list with open, click and tag data. If you're promoting a lot this season, segments can help you sell the right thing to the right people. You can let people opt-in to a waiting list or opt-out of a promotion to keep your list high quality. That might involve building a separate landing page for your holiday promotion or creating an automation. You can also get intel from your audience before you set a direction. Copywriter Blythe Alpern said it can be good to put feelers out early, maybe even run a poll or a survey to see what your potential clients are most interested in right now. [Blythe's](https://www.wordwomancreative.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) background is in advertising. She's worked with major brands like McDonald's and Ford and now, she primarily focuses on beauty and lifestyle brands. No matter how big or small your target client, Blythe says you need a concept for your campaign. "Bring people into your world. Even if you're a small business owner, you're still a brand who offers an experience. Take them on a journey and provide an incentive for them to sign up," Blythe said. One of Blythe's ideas you could try was dropping hints on your different channels about what your holiday package might be and turning it into a scavenger hunt leading up to your promotion. She also said the offer itself could be what's interesting. The example she gave was [Dear FoundHer](https://www.dearfoundher.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) bundling their membership and their Substack subscription together for the first time. I love the public scavenger hunt idea because even if you end up targeting your campaign pretty narrowly, it allows people who might not even be on your email list or who've never made themselves known as a potential client to come forward as interested. Both Blythe and Tina suggested having a waitlist people opt-into for your holiday promotion, if you're marketing something widely. Otherwise, Tina said you can just send one on one emails to potential or past clients with a personalized message, a problem you believe they have and a time-bound holiday offer. "Hey, I know you love to go to Disneyland. What if you could go to Disney and I took care of this big problem that is weighing on your mind?" Tina said, sharing what these kinds of emails might look like. If you're selling your holiday package in this targeted way, you can skip all the landing pages, social media and email marketing. Just include a link to book a call or a clear prompt for a reply and run your normal sales process. ## Products are an obvious discount but services and memberships are more about packaging If you decide to promote a digital or physical product, you do probably need to run a sale, most of the experts I talked to agreed. That's what's expected at this time of year and that's what everyone's trained to look for. It's easy enough with a product because, once you've covered your costs, the rest is all profit. That's not the case with services where you're on the hook to deliver something new. "There's not a margin on my expertise," Lysandra told me. "I am not a big fan of offering sales on service-based businesses because theoretically, one should be priced appropriately already." Lysandra's thinking more about how to leverage her services to hit her goals this season, both in serving clients better and in reaching more clients. She wants to grow her email list so she's considering doing a giveaway of her 75 minute marketing deep dive to motivate the right people to join her newsletter. She also has a membership for artists and makers which is [offered at a sliding scale](https://app.acuityscheduling.com/catalog/c9693670/?categories=Marketing%20for%20Makers%20-%20One%20Community%2C%20Sliding%20Scale%20Payment%20Options&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) from $10 to $75 USD a month so a discount doesn't make sense. Instead, she might offer those members a percentage off one of her entry level services as a one time promotion. If your membership has a fixed price, it could make sense to run a sale though. I've had good luck running introductory promotions on my paid subscription this year and that's exactly what I'm thinking about doing for Black Friday too. Tina said if you do run a sale on your membership or digital product, you might want to frame the discount as cash off rather than as a percentage. $50 off your first month might sound more appealing than 20% off. I've been testing "Get 2 months free" which has been working well as a starting offer for the Legends subscription. Beyond having clients lock-in a rate, you can also create special holiday packages for the problems you know they have at the end or beginning of the year. That doesn't mean you have to redo your whole service menu. It's all in the positioning, according to Tina. Avoid generic messaging about your services and instead, tailor your outreach to problems you know your clients have *right now*. "The [Airtable news](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/airtable-was-just-acquired-by-bending-spoons-goodbye-to-airtable/) is a perfect example. They might not even know it's a problem, but they're going to find out in January when all their stuff breaks. Build awareness of the problem and say, by the way, I have a holiday package where I'll get this done for you by the end of the year," Tina said. ## Start teasing your promotion a month or two ahead whether you go big or small I wanted to know how far ahead we need to get ready as solopreneurs because I'm always seeing warnings that *if you started planning Black Friday in July, you're too late*. That seemed wrong to me for how nimble us tiny businesses are so I asked Blythe and Tina what the right timing is if you don't have physical goods to manufacture or storefronts to adorn. Both of them said a month or two should be enough time to start running your holiday campaign. Even less if you opt for the targeted one on one approach. Blythe suggested warming your audience up in October for a November promotion. Plug blurbs about what's coming in your email newsletters and on your social channels every week or two leading up to the actual sale. You want to "build some buzz," she said. But Blythe also warned us not to run heavy marketing for two months and then ghost our list after that. If you're planning to make a big push in November, you need to schedule some communications for December and January too. One or two emails a month that lets your audience know you care about showing up for them year round. You can use this buzz to build your email list too, Tina says, using the waitlist to gauge interest in your promotion. You also need a consistent visual people can recognize whenever you talk about your holiday offer. Once you get closer to the promotion period, you can increase your frequency of promotion, sending more emails and doing more social posts. I call this "putting people in consideration mode" because they're seeing your convincing messaging everywhere you show up and start to really think about buying. Blythe said don't go overboard by sending multiple emails a day and, if possible, let people opt out of the segment if the offer's not right for them. ## Shape your campaign with the data you already have You're not starting from scratch, even if you've never run a Black Friday campaign before. You've got piles of emails, social posts, landing pages and other assets you can learn from and reuse for your holiday promo. One mistake entrepreneurs make with Black Friday and other holidays is running an unproven offer—something that doesn't get purchased consistently. You want to make sure whatever you're selling is optimized for people to buy it and there's no bugs or confusion that would get in the way of purchase. Ally said you can gather three metrics to help you troubleshoot: 1. Number of unique visits on your landing page 2. How many of those showed "purchase intent" by adding something to a cart or filling out an inquiry form 3. How many sales you had "When you track those three numbers you'll be able to identify your bottleneck: 1) If you're doing a good enough job making people aware that you are running a sale \[unique visits\], 2) if your offers (or their sales pages) are resonating, \[purchase intent\] or 3) if there's friction on your site impacting conversions \[sales\]," Ally wrote in an email to me. Then, you can address the problem before running your Black Friday campaign. You can do this for your last holiday promotion, for your last promotion in general or just take a sample time period. Find this data in your website analytics and in your checkout system or payment processor. Hopefully, some of that messaging is already working for you and you can reuse it. Blythe suggested checking email analytics and social media engagement for posts that worked during any promotional period. She wrote more about this process in a guest post for [Entreprenista](https://www.entreprenista.com/articles/the-3-part-framework-for-building-a-successful-holiday-campaign?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and she told me you should repurpose that material, updating anything out of date and adding your new promotion in. If your messaging feels stale, a great hack she offered us is to grab your recent client testimonials and share their success stories. You can plug those into existing email templates to update them or you can send a whole new series of client wins ahead of your promotion. ## Team up with other business owners but rethink the charity tie-in One thing I heard a ton while asking other entrepreneurs what they do for Black Friday is promoting affiliate deals from other businesses. That can be a way to make spare cash whether or not you participate with your own sale. Tina agreed this is a great strategy to employ, but she said the max is three offers. Don't overwhelm your people with a giant list to consider. Just curate three or less that really align with what they need. Another idea I'm seeing this year is raising money for charity alongside a sale, but Lysandra recommended a better way to approach this. "Don't have it be based on how much people are buying from you. It feels disingenuous because you're literally using the nonprofit to make more money for yourself," Lysandra said. She's been working with nonprofits for years and she's the board chair of a land conservancy nonprofit. "What we have seen to be effective for Giving Tuesday \[from the nonprofit side\] is donor matches." Contact the nonprofit with a matching donation offer—a donation amount you commit that they use to raise an equal amount from their base—then send your audience over to their website to participate in that campaign. Lysandra said it's important the nonprofits own their messaging and their donation pipelines. She added that if your matching donation is significant to the nonprofit you choose, they'll promote you on their channels so your business will still benefit. Of course, you can always just give them a cut of your profits separately too. --- I've honestly never planned a Black Friday or Cyber Monday promotion more than one week ahead of time and the most money I've ever made during that period was maybe $2-3k. Talking with these marketing experts finally got it through my skull that I need to start planning now if I want my Black Friday offer to pay off. As someone with a fixed membership price and a crystal clear end of year goal that I'm extremely motivated to hit, I can see how a well-organized holiday campaign could help me make it happen. And now, I know exactly what I need to do. Choose the right offer for my audience. Start teasing the promotion. Make it enticing to join now. The conclusion I came to for service providers was that targeted asks to sell your services might make more sense than a blanket sale. We can write all the email newsletters, landing pages and social posts in the world, but it won't replace the relationship we create when a client feels seen and heard. A few personalized notes can go a long way to close your quarter strong and to pre-book projects for next year. Seasonal sales strategies can work for you, but you need to develop them around what your audience is thinking rather than what every other business is doing. Your promotion might not be a sale but a solution to a problem they have at this time of year. If you can match that timing to your audience's mindset, you'll see success during any season. ***What season matters most for your clients or customers? Share your thoughts in the comments.*** ### Ask The Legends: What's your dream destination for a business trip? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-whats-your-dream-destination-for-a-business-trip/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T06:36:25.000Z ## The question: What's your dream destination for a business trip? ### The context: We're exploring how and where to book paid speaking gigs this month so I'm curious what's your dream destination for a talk? Or a retreat? Or a conference? Where in the world are you hoping your business takes you in the next year? *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Baby latch on to me: Nathan Fielder, Elizabeth Holmes and the constant chase to stay relevant URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/baby-latch-on-to-me-nathan-fielder-elizabeth-holmes-and-the-constant-chase-to-stay-relevant/ Last updated: 2026-09-10T17:17:24.000Z I once asked an activist friend how they managed to go viral every single day. They said, "I tap into a conversation that's already happening." That's what came to mind when I saw the news about Nathan Fielder and Elizabeth Holmes' [new documentary](https://www.vulture.com/article/nathan-fielder-surprise-documentary-mfl-newsletter.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), *You Can See Everything*. What keeps you relevant is your proximity to other relevant people. Every story about this surprise film has said that Elizabeth Holmes asked Nathan and Lance Oppenheim, his co-director, to document her last days of freedom before prison to "[clear her name](https://www.engadget.com/2252334/new-elizabeth-holmes-documentary-nathan-fielder-and-lance-oppenheim-coming-from-a24/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)." But if you want to clear your name, you don't bring a documentary crew into your house and you certainly don't work with Nathan Fielder. This is the guy who designed [a giant puppet version](https://www.threads.com/@mush%5Fdoom/post/DdCXJ2giR3E?xmt=AQG0rjCnygv6X7zFjmgsYOfs7z0AseiYEIWvMZGIdSbvGTM4Ik-knl6JJQYjDa1uYK-2STYj&slof=1&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) of someone else's mother with the capability to breastfeed him. You get Fielder involved because you know you're about to fade into obscurity behind bars. Coasting off his popularity to keep people talking about you makes [clemency](https://www.forbes.com/sites/walterpavlo/2026/06/30/elizabeth-holmes-doing-her-time-and-contributing-to-prison-community/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) much more likely. As for Nathan, he's never needed star power (or scam power) to get viewers, but it doesn't hurt to make a movie with a certain *je ne sais* con. Elizabeth's one of very few people who is as hard to read as Nathan, as demonstrated in [their haunting trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGJSRFWALTI&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). The absurd unraveling of the character she created paired with Nathan's desire to be the most off-putting person on screen is sure to be an attractive chemistry for audiences. Perhaps it's an interesting artistic challenge for him, but Holmes' involvement also makes his film immediately more palatable to a wider range of people than his past projects. Notable that it premiered at Telluride, a film festival that [caters to the rich](https://crookedmarquee.com/learning-to-love-the-wonderful-elitist-telluride-film-festival/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)—unlikely to be Nathan's core fanbase. I really hate that I'm most definitely going to watch it but I didn't come here to craft an essay about documentary film. I want to talk about why more of us need to leverage each other's salience the way Fielder and Holmes are here: Your proximity to people who are already in the conversation is what keeps you relevant. I was diagnosed at a young age with starting conversations people don't want to have. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Ask The Legends: Are there any types of clients that are off limits? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/are-there-any-types-of-clients-that-are-off-limits/ Last updated: 2026-09-10T15:02:16.000Z ## The question: Are there any types of clients that are off limits? ### The context: In light of designer [Jessica Hische taking heat for working with Meta](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/best-of-small-business-news-week-of-september-7-to-11/) on an AI logo, I'm curious if you have types of clients you wouldn't ever work with.—Lex *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Best of small business news: Week of September 7-11 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/best-of-small-business-news-week-of-september-7-to-11/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T23:30:35.000Z It's a holiday week in the United States, Canada and Brasil but online businesses rarely take a break like our governments do. I'm kicking off this week following up on some stories we were tracking last week. I am on the lookout for news about Airtable. Their deal with Bending Spoons was [just finalized at the end of last week](https://pulse2.com/bending-spoons-completes-acquisition-of-airtable/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and we are all expecting layoffs and price hikes to be coming next. I'm also watching Stripe closely on their acquisition spree, though rumors say that they have [possibly stalled on trying to buy PayPal](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-28/advent-stripe-consortium-is-said-to-drop-pursuit-of-paypal?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (according to Bloomberg) which is GREAT NEWS FOR US. Payments monopolies are bad. Here's what else shaping up this week... _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Me? Get paid to speak? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/me-get-paid-to-speak-15-entrepreneurs-share-how-they-landed-their-first-paid-speaking-gig/ Last updated: 2026-09-06T10:05:14.000Z 15 entrepreneurs share how they landed their first paid speaking gig _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Ask The Legends: Do you embrace the hustle of Q4? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/do-you-embrace-the-hustle-of-q4/ Last updated: 2026-09-06T03:22:20.000Z ## The question: Do you embrace the hustle of Q4? Or take it easy? ### The context: First of all, I know it's not Q4 yet. I'm seeing lots of chatter about it being HUSTLE SEASON between summer and the winter holidays. Some people are saying it's time to go balls to the wall. Others are saying those people have been poisoned and need to chill the fuck out. Where do you fall? Is it time to run head on into your goals? Or is it time to hibernate? —Lex *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Legends Retreat 2026: Trip Guide URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/retreat2026/ Last updated: 2026-09-10T15:24:49.000Z Everything you need to know about our retreat in Antigua, Guatemala _This post is for subscribers on the Legend Status, Legends Lifetime and Legends Partner Status tiers only._ ### Ask The Legends: Who would you sell your company to? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/who-would-you-sell-your-company-to/ Last updated: 2026-09-03T03:28:21.000Z ## The question: Who would you sell your company to? ### The context: It's no secret that I hate acquisitions but I was pleased to see Pat Flynn's choice to sell his company to Liz Wilcox this week. That feels like best case scenario for a founder who wants to make an exit. I'm curious if you ever think about selling your company now or in the future and who might be a good, ethical buyer for you. You can name an actual company or a type of company or share thoughts about this in general.—Lex *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Liz Wilcox buys Pat Flynn's Smart Passive Income. Finally, a heartwarming acquisition we can get behind. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/liz-wilcox-buys-pat-flynns-smart-passive-income-finally-a-heartwarming-acquisition-we-can-get-behind/ Last updated: 2026-09-03T18:43:30.000Z **Updated September 3: Added examples of other creator business exists and added Andy Dehnart's* Survivor *story on Liz* I've been wondering what's up with Liz and Pat teaming up these past few months. They keep emailing us at the same time. They're wearing matching t-shirts. Was she working for him? Was this a partnership? Now, it's clear. Pat just [sold his business, Smart Passive Income](https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/blog/note-from-the-new-owner/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), to Liz. In my view, this is the best possible exit for any business and it's one all creators should learn from. I've never paid much attention to Pat Flynn but this deal makes me an immediate fan. He didn't want to sell SPI to investors or private equity who would destroy it. He sold it to another creator who would breathe fresh life into it. Certainly that makes him less cash but it's an ethical exit that takes good care of his audience while allowing him to move on with money in his pocket. I'm estimating this was a low 7 figure sale because Pat alludes to getting 8 figure offers though it's possible they worked out some kind of longterm profit sharing model. This peer-to-peer sale is a rare move at a time when creator businesses are highly sought after by soulless finance types. Starter Story got [bought by HubSpot](https://www.adweek.com/media/hubspot-media-acquires-starter-story-youtube/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) earlier this year. TBPN was [sold to Open AI](https://openai.com/index/openai-acquires-tbpn/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) a couple months later. Successful YouTubers have been handing their channels [off to private equity](https://dailydot.com/youtube-channel-private-equity?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) firms. It's notable to me that all of these exits are getting mainstream media coverage when Pat and Liz's deal has seen not one single article all year. Pat was early to the content sales game launching Smart Passive Income in 2008, just 3 years after YouTube went live. SPI is a content and course business that helps creators make money through things like email marketing and YouTube. Pat wrote the book [*Superfans*](https://patflynn.com/book/superfans/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) about how to build a powerful audience and he's a big YouTuber and podcaster too. Liz Wilcox is an email marketer, famous for her [$9 email template membership](https://lizwilcox.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and her stint on *Survivor*. **Related story:* Read Legend Andy Dehnart's coverage of Liz's time on Survivor* [An Applebee’s tantrum makes Survivor 46 even more of an unhinged mealWe were eatin’ good in the neighborhood on Survivor 46, episode 10, which served up incredible drama and comedy, thanks especially to Q and Liz.![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/favicon-37966a23-aa99-4feb-8e54-c44835b0bfaf.png)reality blurredAndy Dehnart![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/survivor-46-liz-applebees-2a34c01b-8f61-42e1-ba06-9bbd78270e46.jpg)](https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2024/05/survivor-46-episode-10-run-the-red-light-recap/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) What's Pat gonna do next? He's building his Pokémon business, [Deep Pocket Monster](https://deeppocketmonster.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). In his interview with Liz about the sale, he talks about [being the next Mr. Rogers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XaI2X5yEtE&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to help kids and families navigate in confusing times. He also references Walt Disney's legacy building an immersive brand around great stories. Pat recently bought a $3M studio to support his foray into filmmaking. Selling a creator brand without the creator attached is hard to do. Pat is the face of Smart Passive Income and it will be a major shift for his fans and customers to see someone else instead. "It was never about me. It was about the kind of people we attract," he said on the podcast they released today, which speaks to his intention to build a self-driving community where he's not the linchpin. But this leadership change only works because Liz has just as big a personality and she has her own audience. He didn't sell this to some no name wannabe. Liz is a viable leader because she stands on her own with a compatible vision for SPI. She has the skills to execute it and the entertainment chops to keep it interesting. Also, Pat has managed to build [his personal brand](https://patflynn.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) separate from SPI, writing books, speaking and advising creators. While he's selling off his biggest project, he still has plenty of IP that he holds exclusively. ![Courses on the Smart Passive Income website](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/09/Courses-Smart-Passive-Income-09-02-2026_09_30_AM.png) Courses on the Smart Passive Income website As for what Liz will do now that she's in charge, she says she's focused on getting creators more wins (win is an acronym she's using as part of her transition message—What's Important Now) through fostering community and running coworking sessions. She wants to highlight case studies from more accessible creators on the podcast, not just the most famous ones, to widen the audience. Legend Sara Obando was [recently featured](https://open.spotify.com/episode/2E9YUXZEG69CAH09FIFchP?si=ab70d85004f64dae&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in their List Building Live series. “Around here, we’re not trying to make a killing. We’re just trying to make a living,” Liz said in their announcement episode. That said, she knows lots of us are curious about what this acquisition is like on her side, so she's [selling behind the scenes emails](https://stan.store/SPIMedia/p/nosey-notes?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) of her SPI reign for $20\. I truly love to see this. I hate watching people who launched fearlessly independent businesses sell out to the greedy villains of Wall Street. I get that business is about money, but our businesses are not just about money. If they were, more of us would work in finance or military defense where that money actually is. This is the kind of transition more creators should be planting the seeds for. Finding compatible buyers, investors or partners who share our vision and take care of our customers. Finding people who don't just want to buy companies. They want OUR company. It's a unique and special thing that Pat and Liz are doing and I'm excited to see where they take both of their ventures next. ### Sponsorships expert Justin Moore launches "Sponsor Mole," a new app to help you find and pitch brand deals. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/sponsorships-expert-justin-moore-launches-sponsor-mole-a-new-app-to-help-you-find-and-pitch-brand-deals/ Last updated: 2026-09-02T02:32:58.000Z *Disclosure: Justin Moore is a paid subscriber of this publication but he didn't pay for this story or ask me to write it. It was relevant enough to share with you.* --- Sponsorships expert Justin Moore launched [Sponsor Mole](https://sponsormole.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) today, a new app to help you find and pitch brand deals. For those who are tired of sourcing their own sponsorships, searching for contacts or figuring out what to pitch, you might find what Justin built useful. Before you read more, you should know that I am a certified Justin Moore fanboy. I have his book [*Sponsor Magnet*](https://sponsormagnet.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), I went to his conference by the same name. I've been to his challenges. I've seen him speak live. I am consistently impressed with his advice and his execution. Sponsor Mole was no exception. I attended the [online launch event](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7500161301814558720/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for Sponsor Mole today with about 100 other people to see how the app works. The promise of Sponsor Mole is that it will "dig up your next brand deal." In the demo, Justin showed how you can connect your channels, choose your niche and location and Sponsor Mole will serve brand deal ideas to you. You can also search for contacts directly if you know which brands you want to work with—you'll get an email address for the influencer partnerships contact. Justin said they partner with sales intelligence platform [Apollo](https://www.apollo.io/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to grab those email addresses. Sponsor Mole can find unique pitch angles for you based on recent campaigns a brand has in the wild and it can draft pitch emails for you. Looking at the demo, I was questioning how much of this any AI chatbot could do versus what might be unique about Sponsor Mole, but it was clear that Justin built his own best practices into the tool. He walked us through a sample pitch and it's structured much like he recommends in his book with recent campaign intel, audience info, one sample link and an actual pitch. Even if you rewrite this—which I would because I can't stand how AI writes—it's some pretty helpful training wheels for your pitches. ![Sample pitch from Sponsor Mole (Image from their website)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/09/pitch-generation.webp) Sample pitch from Sponsor Mole (Image from their website) You can also manage your sponsorships inside the tool, tracking which deals you close and who you've reached out to. The lowest subscription tier offers this feature along with brand contact lookup. If you want pitch help and weekly recommended brands to pitch, you need the middle tier (called Pro right now). To me, the most useful part of Sponsor Mole is that it trains you on how to run your own sponsorship business. Even if you don't use the pitches it writes or if you can find the contact on your own, it's a pre-built system that walks you through every step of the process, in the way Justin recommends you run it. ![Deal tracker from Sponsor Mole (Image from their website)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/09/deal-tracker.webp) Deal tracker from Sponsor Mole (Image from their website) The other part that resonated with creators on the call is that finding the right brand contact is time-consuming. Most of us are using LinkedIn for this and Sponsor Mole's base tier is [cheaper than LinkedIn Premium](https://expandi.io/blog/linkedin-account-types/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). They also said you won't pay for searches that yield an incorrect brand contact. You can flag them and get credited back. I might have rose-colored glasses on about this launch since I really believe in what Justin is doing for creators, so let me play devil's advocate for a bit. Justin made a compelling sales pitch today and it was one that was hard to say no to, but what went through my mind is how frequently I pitch new brands compared to working with the same ones over and over again. The answer is infrequently. I also tend to pitch brands that aren't working with any creators or ones that aren't online much. It's rare that I cold pitch, though I am doing it more and more the longer I'm in business. Sponsor Mole is built with AI and uses AI for a lot of its functions, including "[outreach drafts and brand research](https://www.creatorwizard.com/terms-of-sale?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)." For those of us weary about AI, that might be a turnoff to using this tool. During the demo, I was looking for telltale signs that the app was designed by AI too—like weird buttons that don't need to exist and extra useless information—and I didn't see any. I do think it was designed with AI, but it also seems to be fairly refined to only include what Justin and team wanted creators using. One last thing to know is that Sponsor Mole does operate primarily in English but it handles brand deals worldwide. You set your location when you signup and it should serve you relevant brands and contacts for your location. Ultimately, Sponsor Mole won't fix your sponsorship business or solve underlying problems that could be impacting your sponsorship business (like not shipping content or not having a clear audience), but for creators who do a decent volume in sponsorships, it could be a big time saver if it works well for you. Sponsor Mole is not cheap. The Pro tier, which has most of the key features, is $999/year. There's a launch special to get it 50% off right now. The lowest tier, which just includes finding brand contacts and the deal tracker, is $249/year. There's no discount available on that one right now. My take is that if you're already in the sponsorships business and it's sucking a lot of your time to handle pitching, you're who this tool is for. If you're just getting started and have not yet pitched very much, I think you need to do it the hard way before you appreciate and use something like this sufficiently to get your money back. The ROI is obvious if you book a deal or two per year, but you need to be the kind of person who books more than that already. Check Sponsor Mole out at [https://sponsormole.com/](https://sponsormole.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Best of small business news: Week of August 31-September 4 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/best-of-small-business-news-week-of-august-31-to-september-4/ Last updated: 2026-09-05T01:07:27.000Z It's a nice and slow Monday for small business news. Not much going on other than the US and Canada still at odds about their trade agreement. We'll be paying a lot more for many types of goods starting September 8 if they don't figure it out. Apple's gearing up for their big iPhone event next week so it's a good time to rush out to the Apple store if you've been meaning to upgrade. I've got some alts for Loom if you're bailing on them with the price hike. I'm keeping an eye on what Stripe is up to ([read my updated story](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/stripe-makes-a-play-to-buy-paypal-with-their-private-equity-buddy/) on what's been happening with their acquisitions) and Airtable's [projected downfall](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/airtable-was-just-acquired-by-bending-spoons-goodbye-to-airtable/) post-Bending Spoons buyout. Here's what's shaping up this week... _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The quiet dismantling of government contracting programs and how minority-owned businesses are fighting back URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-quiet-dismantling-of-government-contracting-programs-and-how-minority-owned-businesses-are-fighting-back/ Last updated: 2026-08-30T10:30:19.000Z If you find yourself traveling through Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport, you might stumble upon a local restaurant named Paschal's. It's a plain looking establishment with a warm buffet full of soul food in front. You wouldn't think much about how this place came to be while enjoying their famous Southern fried chicken, but their existence takes us back decades into the fight for Black-owned businesses to simply have the opportunity to do business with the city. Paschal's was founded in 1947 as a small sandwich shop in Atlanta's Historic West End by two brothers, James and Robert Paschal. They quickly [grew from there](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/paschals-restaurant/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), expanding their restaurant, adding a motel, and opening a jazz club. Their venue—La Carrousel—was [the only nightclub in the city](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paschal's%5FLa%5FCarousel?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to allow Black patrons at that time. By the 70s, business and living conditions were finally starting to change, thanks to decades of civil rights work, much of which happened at Paschal's. Their restaurant was a favorite gathering spot of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and his colleagues. *Ebony* magazine dubbed Atlanta [the Black Mecca in 1971](https://atlantastudies.org/2025/07/24/afro-self-determinism-and-the-rise-of-the-black-mecca/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), citing the success of the Paschal brothers as part of the progress. Maynard Jackson became [Atlanta's first Black mayor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maynard%5FJackson?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) a few years later. One of Mayor Jackson's key projects was expanding and updating the airport, hence why it bears his name. Along with that airport development came new contracts for vendors to service the facility and Paschal's was well-positioned to be part of it. They linked up with a Memphis-based corp named Dobbs House, who were already involved in the airline business nationwide, to pitch a joint venture running food, beverage and retail at the Atlanta airport. Together, they [won the 15 year contract](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/paschals-restaurant/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). It was one of the largest government contracts ever won by a minority-owned business. Paschal's would go on to [run concessions at 18 airports](https://paschalsatlantaairport.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#heritage) at the height of their operation and to win additional contracts with Hartsfield-Jackson airport. You can still taste a piece of their legacy if you stop by Concourse B. ![Photos of Paschal's journey from 1978 to today](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/James-and-Robert-Paschal-in-their-restaurant.png) Photos of Paschal's journey from 1978 to today I wasn't around to interview James and Robert Paschal about the moment when they signed that first contract but I imagine it felt like taking one big whack at a racist system that was only going to keep crumbling down. Yet, here we are 46 years later, plastering over all the doors they pried open. ## The elimination of minority business enterprise programs The Paschals were trailblazers in what would become known as minority business enterprise programs (MBE). Governments award millions of dollars in contracts to provide goods and services every budget cycle but, until these MBE programs came about, nearly all of that money went to companies led by white men. The federal [Office of Minority Business Enterprise](https://www.mbda.gov/node/302?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) was opened in 1969 after President Nixon signed an executive order to address income inequality. Cities and states followed, creating local offices to assist historically under-resourced business owners. Until Trump resumed office in 2025, the United States had thousands of MBE programs supporting minority-owned, women-owned and veteran-owned businesses in sourcing and securing government contracts. Even with all those programs in place, these so-called "disadvantaged businesses" were only winning [10% of federal contracts](https://www.thirdway.org/report/vital-signs-the-health-of-minority-owned-small-businesses?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), as of just a few years ago. The game was still rigged, but at least you had a place to get information and governments had minority contracting targets to hit. Now, we are facing the sudden closure of these MBE offices as Trump and his cronies take aim at anything remotely connected to diversity, equity and inclusion. Earlier this month, Kansas City [pulled the plug](https://www.communityvoiceks.com/2026/08/17/kcmo-ends-minority-women-business-program/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) on their Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise program after 45 years. Charlotte [closed](https://www.doa.nc.gov/news/press-releases/2026/07/09/state-budget-eliminates-program-nc-historically-underutilized-businesses?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) their Office of Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB) in July. Orlando [suspended](https://www.orlandoweekly.com/news/orlando-moves-to-replace-minority-business-program-to-comply-with-trump-administration/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) their MWBE program last summer. So did [Fort Worth](https://fortworthreport.org/2026/03/15/contractors-seek-new-small-business-certification-after-fort-worths-dei-goals-dropped/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). There's legislation [moving through congress](https://www.govexec.com/management/2026/05/legislative-proposal-would-eliminate-contracting-preferences-minority-women-owned-businesses/413393/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to cement Trump's executive order prohibiting these kinds of initiatives, but it hasn't become law yet. Cities and states are just getting a head start. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/The_Atlanta_Constitution_1989_02_25_47.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/The_Atlanta_Voice_1983_03_26_1.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/The_Atlanta_Constitution_1989_01_25_1.jpg) Newspaper clips from the Atlanta Voice and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 1983 and 1989 about the city's MBE program Entrepreneur Christine Edwards Pitkin brought this to my attention via Threads in the wake of the Charlotte HUB office elimination. Christine has helped [dozens of Charlotte-based business owners](https://www.threads.com/@missedwardsclt/post/Dag3NyalI5H?xmt=AQG0I09pFDyUUUZLHXzrAaf6xgmt%5F2uZFt8sNC7PD6QvRQ&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) learn about their local program and win business saving government contracts. She recently [wrote an op-ed](https://qcnerve.com/opinion-north-carolina-just-closed-the-door-on-my-business-and-thousands-like-it/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) about why the eradication of these programs means less minority-owned businesses will survive longterm. In her piece, Christine talks about the doors that opened she was able to get as a HUB certified business. She was added to the state vendor list and invited "to subcontract on two large-scale municipal consulting projects in Charlotte." Her experience with HUB showed her how powerful the relationships, training and revenue could be when you worked closer with the government and she started coaching other entrepreneurs on how to get access to these opportunities. It's not that businesses like Christine's can't take government contracts anymore but we've traveled back to the time to before the Paschals' won their landmark deal. The odds are substantially worse for minority-owned business owners going after these contracts now. The certification process is more vague and prime contractors—the companies that typically win government projects—no longer have to meet targets by bringing in a diverse range of subcontractors, which means less minority-, women- and veteran-owned small businesses will be offered starter opportunities. 625 companies [who were registered](https://www.qcitymetro.com/news-buzz/new-nc-law-forces-charlotte-to-overhaul-contracting-program-52ae210f?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) as a minority- or woman-owned business in Charlotte all have to re-certify themselves in the city's new "neutral" small business program. Now, they're competing in a bigger pool with companies who have more likelihood of getting contracts over them due to relationships or monetary resources. "With the [new law](https://www.doa.nc.gov/news/press-releases/2026/07/09/state-budget-eliminates-program-nc-historically-underutilized-businesses?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) that passed, cities in North Carolina will no longer track procurement along race and gender lines. My concern is that 'we measure what matters.' This sends a dark signal for business owners like me who relied pretty heavily on government procurement programs, especially during COVID, when small businesses were needed the most," Christine wrote me in a DM. It's bad. It's really bad. Programs are closing every month. Business owners are scrambling to comply with changing laws. But people aren't taking these rollbacks as the final word. Coalitions are assembling to save MBE programs and what they're doing is working. ## Who's leading the fight to save MBE programs Right now, the shutdowns of the MBE programs are on flimsy legal ground. Governors and local leaders are using Trump's executive order as an excuse to fast track the removal of these programs and they're not prepared for much pushback. But the organizations that are fighting back are winning. St. Louis [got their mayor to restart](https://www.stlamerican.com/news/local-news/mayor-spencer-reverses-course-restarts-minority-business-program/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) their MWBE (minority- and women-owned business enterprise) program after threatening to shut it down. What made that possible was [the policy expertise](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/last-september-st-louis-mayor-cara-spencer-share-7475174421402484736-OeTE/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) of Atlanta-based law firm Griffin & Strong, brought in by the St. Louis Development Corporation. They were able to navigate around the landmines the feds are targeting and draft more specific policy recommendations for the city that fall within current guidelines while still prioritizing minority-owned businesses. [Griffin & Strong](https://www.gspclaw.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) was co-founded by Delmarie Griffin and Rodney K. Strong who both have deep backgrounds in the public sector. Griffin worked for the the City of Atlanta Department of Procurement for a decade. Strong developed Atlanta's Minority and Woman Business Enterprise (MWBE) program alongside Mayor Jackson and his successor, Andrew Young, back in the 80s and 90s. They turned their joint experience into a law firm that assists governments with policy consulting and supports minority-owned businesses in jumping through procurement hoops. They've worked with over 100 jurisdictions across the United States. ![Story about St. Louis' MBE restart in The St. Louis American](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/Untitled-design---2026-08-30T000802.616.png) Story about St. Louis' MBE restart in The St. Louis American In a conversation [with Black Enterprise](https://www.blackenterprise.com/video/fighting-for-black-businesses/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), Attorney Strong said the public contracts being won by Black-owned businesses in the city of Atlanta were "less than one tenth of a percent" before Mayor Jackson took office in 1974\. What's happening now under Trump is one of many legal challenges he's fought off since he was recruited out of college to develop Atlanta's MBE program. When asked by the moderator what small businesses can do to survive this time, his recommendation was to align yourself with organizations that have been supporting minority-owned businesses in your region or in your industry. The [Minority Business Legal Defense Fund](https://mbeldefwatchdog.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (MBELDEF) is one he mentioned. They recently had [a small win when a case](https://mbeldefwatchdog.org/court-rules-for-small-businesses-dismisses-case-threatening-disadvantaged-business-enterprise-program/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) challenging the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program (DBE) at the US Dept of Transportation was dismissed. MBELDEF does advocacy, education and organizing work from a legal perspective focused on minority businesses. Another organization involved in that case is [Women First](https://www.womenfirstnlc.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which exists to protect and expand DBE programs nationwide. Over in Texas, the Global Black Economic Forum [won a temporary injunction](https://gbef.com/post/gbef-wins-temporary-injunction?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) blocking changes to the state's HUB program. The state comptroller decertified thousands of minority- and women-owned businesses at the beginning of this year for no clear reason. Alphonso David, who is the co-lead counsel and the President of GBEF, argues that Texas politicians are trying to make moves without going through the legislative process to change the laws. The case goes to trial in November. In addition to litigation and legal advocacy, the Global Black Economic Forum hosts programming, conducts research and offers education for Black business owners. There's also industry-specific minority business organizations like the [National Minority Supplier Development Council](https://nmsdc.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which is for businesses that supply goods, the [National Association of Minority Contractors](https://namcnational.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which is for construction, and the [Minority Owned Transportation Association of America](https://www.linkedin.com/company/minority-owned-transportation-association-of-america/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which serves transportation contractors. Some of these organizations are involved in coalition work along with law firms to save local programs and others can replace some functions of local programs, like assisting business owners with obtaining certifications. ## What you can do if you're seeking government contracts Business owners previously certified under a HUB, MBE/MBWE or DBE program have to recertify their eligibility for government contracts. Vyki Englert, who founded the civic tech agency [Compiler](https://compiler.la/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (which has been behind [the expansion of tap-to-pay for transit](https://compiler.la/blog/2026/launching-cal-itp-benefits/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) across California) shared with me the process of recertifying as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise this year. Previously, being a woman, being Latino or being a veteran made you a disadvantaged business owner automatically. Now, you have to prove a disadvantage without those identity factors. For Vyki, this meant 10-15 years of tax returns, documentation about family history and evidence of taking time away from work to support family. She also had to write an essay explaining her background, but she said it was rejected until she brought forward tangible examples like the taxes, pay stubs, and public program statements. Lawyers can help you gather this material and craft your narrative—this is part of what Griffin & Strong does—and some might be available pro-bono through minority business organizations. It's a huge pain in the ass and it's a process designed to keep minority- and women-owned businesses out of these rooms, but it's also potentially a chance to help reshape your local program. "The silver lining here maybe is that we're having more conversations about what small businesses need," Vyki said. The example she gave was LA County paying certified small businesses within 14 days of invoice receipt. That's not a solution specifically for minority businesses, but it's one that certainly helps them stay in operation. Rodney Strong told business owners in the Black Enterprise session to get ahold of previous contractor information for types of contracts you want. He said you can make an [open records request](https://www.foia.gov/how-to.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to see the contract, the bid amount, who else bid for it, and the [bid tabulation sheet](https://www.procore.com/library/bid-tabulation?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to refine your pricing and proposal. Strong also recommended paying close attention to government budgets, major projects they're undertaking or what their priorities are for the coming year. "Don’t be discouraged that the programs that were designed to give us an opportunity have been disfavored. You still have an opportunity to go in the front door and present your credentials," Strong said. --- Public contracts aren't just for big, established corporations. Governments hire out everything from website design to financial audits to employee training programs. If you can stomach learning the process for procurement—which has remained long and painful even with the invention of MBE programs—you can bring in some major capital and secure long-lasting client relationships. It's business saving money for many entrepreneurs and it's an expansion opportunity for others, like it was for the Paschal brothers. You can apply for bids solo, but if you're just getting started, many entrepreneurs get in the game by being a subcontractor on the bid of a [prime contractor](https://www.sba.gov/counseling/prime-and-subcontracting/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). The more specialized your skills, services or products are, the easier it is to get into their good graces, but using Attorney Strong's advice, you can learn who these prime contractors are with public records requests and you can begin building relationships with them. We're far enough away from the origination of these MBE programs to feel the pain of their overnight evaporation. But we're not so far that the community infrastructure that created them is gone. Many of the same people and organizations who fought to bring more equity into government contracting are still with us today. They offer us their battle-tested solutions—the most important of which is that no business owner should navigate this alone. Community support is critical to your survival and the coalition you need to plug into or lean on might already exist. Partnerships with the public sector are beneficial, but for minority-owned businesses, it is the organizations that have never needed the government's permission who continue to make these opportunities possible. ***Have you done a government contract? Want to? Share your experience in the comments.*** ### Ask The Legends: What are you doing for Black Friday? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-are-you-doing-for-black-friday/ Last updated: 2026-08-30T05:38:23.000Z ## The question: What are you doing for Black Friday? ### The context: I'm always a Last Minute Nancy about Black Friday, coming up with a promotion the week before. But e-commerce marketing experts say you should be preparing now or maybe that it's even too late. I'm thinking about what I should do for Black Friday and I'm wondering what you have planned.—Lex *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Ask The Legends: Which tech company could destroy your business? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/which-tech-company-could-destroy-your-business/ Last updated: 2026-08-27T05:05:56.000Z ## The question: Which tech company could destroy your business? ### The context: I've been thinking about which tech tool my business relies on so much that if it was sold or shut down, it would severely slowdown my work. I've got one in mind and I want to hear yours, if you dare to share. —Lex *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Best of small business news: Week of August 24-28 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/best-of-small-business-news-week-of-august-24-to-28/ Last updated: 2026-08-31T21:17:44.000Z Good morning, good afternoon or good evening. Over the weekend, the US and Canada decided to escalate themselves into a trade war and we all know who's fault that is. More tariffs are coming in both directions starting in September unless something changes fast. LinkedIn, the people who brought you optimize this post with AI, say that their "seems like AI slop" button is working. Elsewhere in AI news, the real cost of running models like Anthropic's Fable 5 is separating the haves and the have nots. The EU adopted new laws this month to ensure businesses are more responsible with their packaging, but the founder of a maker's marketplace says it could force small businesses to stop shipping to the EU altogether. Here's what's shaping up this week... _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Yap Challenge and our obsession with overnight revenue URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-yap-challenge-and-our-obsession-with-overnight-revenue/ Last updated: 2026-08-23T16:07:31.000Z Jessi Jean [says she made $7.4M](https://www.instagram.com/p/DcJ6HcTxkkI/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) this summer selling the Yap Challenge. How? It didn't hurt that she kept telling everyone how much money she was making in short spans of time. By my estimation, over 24,000 people joined Jessi's challenge with high hopes and big dreams to ride her coattails to their own multi-million dollar results by "yapping" on the internet. Sure, some people wanted to learn how to make winning Instagram reels. But I spotted a lot of people buying this who wanted to replicate Jessi's success. They saw the growing revenue claims, starting with first launch on June 3, which [yielded $1.2M according to Jessi](https://www.instagram.com/p/DZH-R-XRuRG/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). A month later, she recorded $1M in sales [in about an hour](https://www.instagram.com/p/DaJ1ZqdR1d1/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). All summer, she posted videos about how much money the Yap Challenge brought in. For anyone watching this and the related conversation around it online, many seemed to believe that they could get a similarly exciting result either [from the challenge itself](https://www.threads.com/share/E7YzEbQF3/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or [from studying the launch](https://www.threads.com/share/OgqH2XEzc/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). And Jessi makes it look so easy. All you have to do is just...yap. The allure of easy revenue is strong. Life is expensive. Business is hard. Once we find the hidden door to the easy chute, we'll land on a big 'ol pile of cash and never struggle again. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Q&A: Staying Solo with author Maggie Patterson URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/q-a-staying-solo-with-author-maggie-patterson/ Last updated: 2026-08-23T05:13:19.000Z *Staying Solo* debunks the business advice we get as solopreneurs that's really meant for bigger businesses than us. Maggie offers us a new framework for finding our own path to happy, successful solo businesses. We gathered in August 2026 to discuss what it means to stay solo right now. [Buy the book](https://bsfreebusiness.com/book-for-solopreneurs?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) In this video: - Why solopreneurs are underserved in the business community - ​Income ceilings and how to surpass them - ​Making smart investments - ​What to look for when engaging a coach - ​Why solopreneurs don't pay themselves enough - ​Understanding your capacity, not just with time, but with energy, emotions and senses too - ​Growing solo vs growing into an agency - ​Establishing boundaries with clients (check out Maggie's free workshop on [Brave Boundaries](https://bsfreebusiness.com/brave?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)) - ​Routines like seasonal planning and bookkeeping ### About the author Maggie Patterson Maggie Patterson is a consultant for service-based business owners tired of the same old business advice. With over 20 years of experience as a self-employed service business owner, Maggie brings a flexible approach that works for you and your life because business should work for you, not the other way around. Find Maggie [on her website](https://bsfreebusiness.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and check out her podcasts [*Staying Sol*o](https://open.spotify.com/show/3jxCVFAjp4pUmC8XjIo9hR?si=2c2afb2cbb1e4893&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [*Duped*](https://open.spotify.com/show/0j6Neks4a3lD8lsnUO7gqR?si=fa2f67200485420d&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*.* [Buy the book](https://bsfreebusiness.com/book-for-solopreneurs?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### ### Ask The Legends: What was your first paid speaking gig? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-was-your-first-paid-speaking-gig/ Last updated: 2026-08-23T04:52:46.000Z ## The question: What was your first paid speaking gig? ### The context: I'm writing a story about how entrepreneurs booked their first paid speaking gig. I want to hear about yours. Where was it and who was it for? —Lex *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Indie authors! Sell more books with Lulu x Revenue Rulebreaker URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/indie-authors-sell-more-books-with-lulu-x-revenue-rulebreaker/ Last updated: 2026-08-20T19:46:45.000Z You've got the writing part down but when it comes to publishing and selling your book, you're swimming in decisions. **How do you actually find an audience of readers for your new book?** Lulu and I are here to help! We're partnering to bring you an event series this October on how to sell your book as an independent author. Lulu is a tech company that can help you publish, print, distribute and sell your book or magazine worldwide. They've helped over 2M authors find their path from manuscript to market and they've worked with lots of people you know like author [Justin Moore who wrote *Sponsor Magnet*](https://case-studies.lulu.com/creatorwizard/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [*Indie Author Magazine*](https://case-studies.lulu.com/indieauthormagazine?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [Check out Lulu](https://lexroman.com/lulu?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Lulu enables you to sell books and automate fulfillment of orders directly from your website with print-on-demand. Lulu Direct and the Lulu API make it easy to know your customers and grow your business. They can also connect you to major retail paths like Amazon and Ingram. Lulu supports authors with generous resources on how to prep books for publishing and where is most effective to sell your books. Plus, they have [an expert marketplace](https://www.lulu.com/partners?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) if you need to connect with an editor or cover designer for your publication. I've noticed more and more of the Legends are publishing their own books and magazines so we're running a series to help get your work in the hands of the people who need to read it! ## October Event Series: Sell More Books as an Indie Author Join us for three events throughout October to sharpen your marketing skills as an author. ### Newsletter list growth as an author with M.G. Herron ($29 or included in Season Pass) **October 6 at 2pm ET** Want to sell more books? You need to start building your own audience with an email list. In this session, author M.G. Herron will show you how to build your author email list from scratch using techniques like back of book calls to action, reader magnets, group promo, and freebie funnels. You'll walk away with a clear plan of where to go find your readers and how to start building your author newsletter. [Register](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/grow-your-newsletter-as-an-author-with-m-g-herron-fall-event-series/) ### Using Facebook ads to sell books as an author with M.G. Herron ($29 or included in Season Pass) **October 20 at 2pm ET** You wish you could find readers faster. You've tried organic methods like social media, SEO or book bundles. You're ready to step into the world of paid ads. In this session, author M.G. Herron will show you how to get started with Facebook ads for authors. You'll learn how to test creative, best practices for audience targeting and what a good return on your investment looks like for selling your books. [Register](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/sell-with-facebook-ads-as-an-author-with-m-g-herron-fall-event-series/) ### New ways indie authors are selling their books Q&A with Matt Briel of Lulu (Free and Open to the Public) **October 27 at 1pm ET** You've got a book or you're thinking of publishing one and you're wondering where you should sell it. You know Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and Bookshop. How are today's creators and brands rethinking book fulfillment to eliminate upfront costs? And what if I told you there's a way you can know *exactly* who is buying your book? We're going to tackle these questions with the help of [Lulu's CMO Matt Briel](https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-briel/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Matt and his team have helped millions of authors publish, print and distribute their books. Indie authors can do so much more than just getting a book into major retail channels. Matt can explain why selling direct to your audience is a catalyst for your success. I'll be guiding our discussion through new ways indie authors are selling and there's plenty of time for your questions to so bring 'em! [Register](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/new-ways-indie-authors-sell-books-fireside-chat-with-matt-briel-cmo-of-lulu?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- Leading up to this series, I'll be sharing tips on how to get started publishing with Lulu [via the newsletter](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/newsletter). Stay tuned for those and join us for these events! More authors are choosing to go the self-published route these days because, even with the backing of a publisher, you still end up marketing and selling your book yourself. Lulu offers a soft landing for both new and experienced authors to stay focused on connecting with readers and sell books worldwide with ease. Check out their platform and make a plan to publish your next book today! [Check out Lulu](https://lexroman.com/lulu?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Ask The Legends: Do you say "we" or "me" when marketing a solo business? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/do-you-say-we-or-me-when-marketing-a-solo-business/ Last updated: 2026-08-20T03:26:03.000Z ## The question: Do you say "we" or "me" when marketing a solo business? ### The context: I have my podcast, and I’ve been doing these interviews. I might say, “Here at noseyAF, we’ve been celebrating…” But in reality, here at noseyAF, “ I ”have been celebrating. “We” implies a team. There is no team, y’all! 😂 It’s me. I do all of this. So why and how do you decide to say “we” when you’re a solo business? Do you say “we” because it sounds more established, or do you say “I” because you want people to know there is literally one person behind the whole thing? Today's question was posed by Legend [Stephanie Graham](https://noseyaf.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Find Your Signature Talk Topic with Antonio Neves (Fall Event Series) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/find-your-signature-talk-topic-with-antonio-neves/ Last updated: 2026-09-10T07:28:18.000Z ***BUY A** [***SEASON PASS**](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?utm%5Fsource=luma) **FOR ONLY $79 (LEGENDS RATE) or $149 (PUBLIC RATE). LOG IN TO SEE YOUR DISCOUNT CODE.** ## Thursday, September 10 at 2pm Eastern ​Everyone needs a signature talk. Something only they can talk about that becomes their calling card for paid gigs or for attracting an audience. But how do you figure out what yours is? ​In this session, professional keynote speaker and author [Antonio Neves](https://www.theantonioneves.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) will help you extract your expertise and guide you to find the topic you should use to book your next speaking gig. That topic that you should be known for. The topic that will get you paid! ​The topic you'll identify through this session goes far beyond speaking. It's part of what makes you a unique voice in our world. You can use it to anchor everything you do. 📼 *All sessions in our Fall Series will be recorded and you'll receive the recording, a recap and a list of participants so you can connect with each other.* --- ## ​Before You Buy ​**GET A** [**SEASON PASS**](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?utm%5Fsource=luma) **FOR ONLY $79 (PAID SUBSCRIBERS) or $149 (PUBLIC RATE) and join us at all events from Sept-Nov 2026** on *Landing paid speaking gigs*, *Selling your book* and *Converting clients from email*. ​Paid subscribers alsoget 50% off drop in tickets. DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​Who should attend this session - ​Anyone who wants to get into professional speaking - ​Anyone who wants to sharpen their talk topics ​This session is open to anyone interested in this topic. The people who attend my sessions are a mix of service providers, membership operators, creators and media producers. ## ​About Antonio Neves ​[Antonio](https://www.theantonioneves.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and former NBC journalist trusted by companies like Visa, McDonalds, Booking.com, and Lincoln Financial to deliver keynotes that don’t just inform, they move people. ## Get a discount on live sessions! ​Paid subscribers get BIG DISCOUNTS on this event series. - ​Get the Fall Season Pass for $79 - ​Take 50% off any drop-in event DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ​Or buy the Fall Season Pass at the regular rate of $149 (you get 3 events free!) [Get a Season Pass](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​Join us for more events this fall ​We're covering landing paid speaking gigs (Sept), selling your book (Oct) and converting clients from email (Nov). ​Check out all events: [Join us for our fall series Sept 10-Nov 30Book paid speaking gigs, sell more books and convert your buyers from email. Get a season pass to come to all sessions or drop-in to the ones you want! (Discount code for members in each event)![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-572ab136-c285-4a52-b51c-d3ee6e3d7d72.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-08-17T124950.243-2-7a35269a-13ab-413c-860d-61e0b58def33.png)](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/events?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Best of small business news: Week of August 17-21 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/best-of-small-business-news-week-of-august-17-to-21/ Last updated: 2026-08-24T03:50:03.000Z I'm back from my trip and glued to my computer about [this whole Stripe/PayPal thing](https://www.cnbc.com/video/2026/08/14/stripe-and-advent-in-talks-to-buy-paypal-according-to-wall-street-journal.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). YouTube changed their monetization rules while I was gone and who knows what shit the AI companies got up to. It's never a slow week in our "always on" world. I'm here to find, curate and comment on the top stories that could affect your business or your clients' businesses. Here's what's shaping up this week... _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Five Star Fest: Get more reviews on your project and review others for prizes URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/five-star-fest/ Last updated: 2026-08-18T14:35:48.000Z I'm a die hard fan of reviews. I've seen them work for me. I've seen them work for others. I know how important they are for selling at scale. Reviews make a massive difference in whether a business or project gets discovered and more importantly, whether someone bothers to check it out or not. That's the reason the restaurant you just visited keeps hounding you for a review. It helps them keep their business alive. But it's annoying to ask for reviews as online business owners. We know we should do it more often and we know our projects would benefit from them. And we still find it tough to prioritize. Legends is here to help! Send us your podcast. Your newsletter. Your freebie. Your course. Whatever you want more reviews on and we will promote it all month for reviews. I'm calling it **Five Star Fest** and it doesn't stop at submitting your project. You can also review your peers and win prizes! And these aren't lollipop and balloon prizes either. The prizes include things like podcast power hours, email pitch reviews, messaging sessions and website strategy calls with some absolutely incredible experts. All contributed by generous Legends who've given us a serious discount or donated their time for free to our community. Thank you for being the best. ### View all the projects submitted and check out our leaderboard of who's reviewing the most projects! [Take me to Five Star Fest](https://fivestarfest.revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Below you'll find the link to submit your project, view all the rules and see all the prizes. ## ✏️ Submit your project _This post is for subscribers on the Legend Status, Legends Partner Status and Legends Lifetime tiers only._ ### New website! Here's what you need to know. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/new-website-heres-what-you-need-to-know/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T22:10:45.000Z You may recall that as part of our [Lucky 400 Drive](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/lucky400/), we unlocked a new website theme. That theme is now live, along with all the customizations we needed to make it possible. Our navigation and homepages have changed so let's do a quick tour of what's new. ## Better homepage to browse more stories [**The homepage**](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/) now features more of our stories and our upcoming events. The top section shows featured stories (usually the latest ones) and below that, you'll see members-only stories and then stories by topic. ![The new homepage](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/Revenue-Rulebreaker-by-Lex-Roman-Small-business-news-and-stories-on-how-solopreneurs-make-money-08-17-2026_04_06_PM-1.png) The new homepage You can also browse stories by [**Featured**](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/featured/), by [**Latest**](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/latest/), by [**Trending**](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/trending/) or by [**Topics**](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/topics/). ## New events calendar [**Events**](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/) is a huge improvement too. We now have a full events calendar so you can see what's coming up and register for those. ![The new events calendar page](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/Join-us-for-our-fall-series-Sept-10-Nov-30-08-17-2026_04_23_PM-1.png) The new events calendar pag ## Legends can find what you need [**Legends**](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/legends/) now has a more robust menu. I can do drop-downs now, so I folded some elements under the Legends heading in the nav. You'll find **Legends News**, **Ask the Legends** and our **Welcome Guide** here. ![The new Legends menu](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-17-at-4.24.12---PM-3.png) The new Legends menu ![The new Legends news section](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/Legends-Revenue-Rulebreaker-by-Lex-Roman-08-17-2026_04_27_PM-1.png) The new Legends news section ## Other cool features of our new design **Posts show the number of comments** so if you're wondering where there's actually a conversation happening, you can easily see that on story cards. ![Comment count on story cards](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-17-at-4.33.41---PM-1.png) Comment count on story cards **New sidebar allows you to easily hop from story to story.** It shows featured posts and the latests posts for you to browse. ![New sidebar](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-17-at-4.33.41---PM-2.png) New sidebar **You can now control your email newsletters EVEN BETTER.** This is actually because we switched to Magic Pages as our hosting platform. I can add more newsletter types so we now have one for each day we send. You can decide which ones you want. *Sundays* is when we release new feature stories *Tuesdays* is our community edition—all about the Legends. *Thursdays* is small business headlines. I also have a newsletter for our *Events Calendar* when I release new batches of events. I send this pretty rarely. Find this when you [log in](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/#/portal/signin) \-> Click on your face or avatar in the upper right -> Emails -> Manage ![Manage your newsletters](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-17-at-4.51.21---PM.png) Manage your newsletters ## Give me your feedback I would love to hear what you think of the new layout, the menu, the new events calendar and the new homepage. I may not be able to address your feedback, but it's helpful to know about it for when we do future development work. Leave comments below or email me! ### Atlanta Legends Breakfast Meetup (Free) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/atlanta-legends-breakfast-meetup/ Last updated: 2026-08-21T21:44:07.000Z Calling all Atlanta Legends and Friends! Come hang for a casual, get to know you breakfast at one of Atlanta's fave diners. ​This is a casual get together to get to know each other and talk about what everyone's up to. It will be a small but mighty group! Legends meetups are an opportunity for local Legends to meet but they are open to anyone local who vibes with our community. No need to be a Legend to join (though mostly it is Legends who come!) ### Welcome Guide for Legends URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/welcome-guide-for-legends/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T17:57:05.000Z ## Welcome Legend! Here’s everything you need to know about your new subscription. ### What's included - All access to [RevenueRulebreaker.com](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [PaidNewsletterPlaybook.com](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - Shoutouts for what you're up to on my newsletter - 3 Classified ads a year in my newsletter - Introductions to others in our network (with my help!) - Exclusive invites to mixers only for Legends (two a year) - Invitations to cross-promotion opportunities year round - Recognition on [The List of Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/) - A listing in [our Legends directory](https://legends.revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - Discounts on [my paid events](https://lu.ma/lexromanwashere?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (and sometimes free access!) - Plus [more perks](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-perks-of-being-a-legend/) as we grow! Log in with your Legends email to access everything here. You can also change your email address and/or opt out of newsletters (thought I don't recommend that because you'll miss all the info. Filter them instead!) _This post is for subscribers on the Legend Status, Legends Lifetime and Legends Partner Status tiers only._ ### What Black creators need to know about monetizing in 2026 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-black-creators-need-to-know-about-monetizing-in-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T21:40:01.000Z I hear that generic revenue advice doesn't work for Black creators. The racial pay gap in [sponsorships](https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/jun/24/darker-skin-lower-pay-influencer-pay-gap?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and in [book advances](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PublishingPaidMe?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is well documented. Author Frederick Joseph wrote last year about the ["expectation of free Black labor"](https://substack.com/@frederickjoseph/note/c-104029747?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) when it comes to paid subscription growth on Substack. Patreon earnings were analyzed in an academic study last month and those researchers found it [helps the "rich-get-richer,"](https://academic.oup.com/icc/advance-article/doi/10.1093/icc/dtag044/8740661?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) by reinforcing power dynamics already at play in the world. We know about the problems. I wanted to know more about the solutions. Black creators can't wait for the eradication of systemic racism to earn a living. The rest of us can't afford to miss out on their work. And there are lots of Black creators thriving despite many forces designed to push them down. One of them is Michelle Jackson. Michelle runs [*Creators Getting Paid*](https://creatorsgettingpaid.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), a multi-channel media company with a mission to "help online content creators strategize, build and grow at least one recurring income stream in their business." Her work explores the strategies, tactics, tools and mindsets creators need to make money online. Michelle's been an internet creator herself since 2012\. She's also an author, a podcaster, a radio host, a personal finance pro and a local tourism expert for her home state of Colorado. Michelle is a refreshing monetization expert because she's not going to tell you to *get more consistent* or which *platform you absolutely can't miss out on*. She's always aware of market and tech shifts, but she's tuned into her inner compass in a way we rarely see from online entrepreneurs. The creator economy is a reactive space and Michelle manages to quiet that noise, taking with her only what serves her vision. Her guidance about developing revenue streams "they cannot take away from you" is critical information. Her message about building for "longevity" is one more of us need to sit with. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Note that Michelle is from Denver, Colorado and I am from Atlanta, Georgia so this discussion is likely most relevant to US-based creators but there's much here to consider no matter your race or location. —Lex --- **Lex Roman:** I hear a lot from Black creators that it's different for them. I'll see people on Threads say, "This advice sounds like it's for white people," or "This doesn't work for Black creators." I'm curious to start with what the scene is like for Black creators right now? **Michelle Jackson:** That is a tricky question, given that we are in a moment where, in my view, most Black creator content is deemed "brand unsafe." Things where we're naturally advocating for an issue, maybe we've built a community to address a thing or to be represented in some kind of way. When you're in an environment where what you're doing is inherently thought of as brand unsafe, then, the headwinds that already existed are hurricanes. When you are considered brand unsafe, it's a heavy lift to get people who are very noncommittal in the brand space. Maybe you want to collaborate with a company. If they're real noncommittal about political stances, etc, then it's going to be very difficult to get them to buy into you. **LR:** Do you feel like that's true for creators that don't touch politics, so to speak, as well? **MJ:** There's a big difference in the idea of touching politics versus just representing who you are. It's a very clear nuance if you're to look at what people are doing, who they're showing in their content, the language used, the cities represented, the spaces represented. I'm going to lean towards there is a difference and be very unapologetic about that. There is a difference. **LR:** So, do I have this right? Are you saying that Black creators are inherently creating political content just because they're representing themselves? **MJ:** That's not what I'm saying. Actually, that question highlights everything that I'm talking about. We're literally just creating what we're creating. But the perception is that it's inherently political. We're just people doing people stuff, but we're Brown, we're Black. Maybe we're just a Black nerd and we want to frolic and be whimsical. And because of the powers that be, the perception is that we're being inherently political. The problem is the perception of the eye of the beholder. ## Finding your opportunity **LR:** Given that reality, where do you see the opportunity right now for Black creators? Is it in the brand deal space? In the event space? On a certain platform? Where are the opportunities you're seeing right now? **MJ:** The opportunities that are presenting themselves are specific to developing good services, spaces, products, projects that are filling the gap. Gaps that are being created by all of the stuff that's being withdrawn from us. A good example would be conferences. I like to attend a good conference, but there are definitely conferences that I'm not going to go to because they don't feel brand safe to me, right? Their speakers don't speak to me. There's a distinct lack of diverse voices for whatever reason. There are opportunities to create spaces that are welcoming, that are covering topics, issues and conversations that people are having, that may be considered brand unsafe to these other folks. That's why they've quietly, not so quietly, pulled that kind of representation and those conversations off the table. Doubling down on people who really support us, and also developing our own products, goods and services, is the most important thing we should do. ## Selling subscriptions **LR:** Related to developing our own products and services, a lot of journalists are turning to the subscription model. They're turning to their audience given just the state of the economy. You mentioned in [your last podcast about Substack](https://open.spotify.com/episode/47elN3AUuX4U6CRxm9hoy5?si=45ce0126a8854c42&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) that you feel like subscriptions are hard to sell. I've heard that a lot from Black creators, that they don't feel like their audience is gonna buy their subscription, that they find subscriptions are hard to sell. Do you think it's harder for Black creators to sell subscriptions? **MJ:** I don't think so. I don't think subscriptions specifically are hard to sell because we're Black. I think that subscriptions are hard to sell, period. We're dealing with subscription fatigue. I have subscription fatigue. The general person out there has subscription fatigue. You have to make a really compelling argument as to what is going to be behind the paywall. The other piece is the tool that you're using. I was growing my subscriptions at a nice, steady clip. That was great. Then, I realized I had friends who were making like 100k a year on the platform and they were having a lot of issues. Why the hell would I double down on this if I know that I'm gonna have these issues coming down the pipe? My friends are jumping off these platforms. One of the biggest things I've spent a lot of time working on is finding a tool that will allow me to provide different payment options in a way that meets my brand ethos. I have always wanted a lot of "pay what you want." Pay what you want for subscriptions or even pay one time. You decide and we'll call it a day. I used to do it with coaching. I had one person pay like $600 for an hour. It balanced everything out and I ended up making more money actually. I don't really love doing one-on-one coaching, but when I did it, I loved giving that opportunity to pay what it's worth to you. It opens up your services to people in a way that's accessible to them. The key is don't do this with beginners. It's not going to work because they're not going to understand the value of your time. How I'm envisioning moving forward is that, for the newsletter subscription, it will be pay what you want. If I average $7 to $8, ideally $10, that's great. I'm also going to offer pay one time. For other products, like my mastermind which is a high ticket product, the price is the price. I don't want to make financial decisions that are going to harm me as I try to figure this out. ## Offering more payment options **LR:** You just announced you're moving to Kit. Is that what will enable pay what you want? **MJ:** Yes, I'll use that for the subscription, but I can't sell the mastermind on Kit because it doesn't have an integration with a tool that I used to think was wildly controversial. **LR:** What tool is that? **MJ:** Klarna and Afterpay. I am originally from the personal finance space. I am very skittish about a lot of financial tools. It took me a very, very, very long time to warm up to the idea of using Klarna or Afterpay. But then, I realized people are using that to pay for their tickets to go see their favorite hockey team. What I understand about having access to those kinds of tools is people can also adjust the payments to something that is reasonable for them. For my high ticket product, I do have payment plans, but they're not like $30 a month. It's more like, let's get this done in three months. I don't wanna be in people's pockets. I don't want that responsibility, but I do want to be aware that payment plans make sense for a larger percentage of people than we want to admit. It's smart business to have the option available to people. I'll use Flodesk to offer that because Flodesk does have that integration. That's part of the reason why I was hoping to make that Flodesk work for everything. But it's just not robust enough in certain ways. It works for my romance novels, but not for *Creators Getting Paid*. ## Balancing different revenue streams **LR:** Tell me about your sort of your revenue mix looking forward. What are the different revenue streams you're prioritizing? **MJ:** I'm candidly gonna say money's been low this year because I haven't been selling as much. I really would like to get the subscriptions growing again. I love having the subscriptions. They're pretty straightforward. My churn is very low. Once people are subscribed, they're on there for a long time. I am launching a newsletter building live challenge. I'll test it out and see how that goes but I'm thinking that's going to be a regular thing that I do. A signature product. There's the mastermind that I'm very excited about. I would also like to host an event here in Denver. I was hoping to do it in winter, but signs are clear it's going to be spring, based on the poll. These are all specific to *Creators Getting Paid*. I do also have other projects. So when I'm not doing this, I am back to writing romance. And when COVID hit, that was the money I was living off of. I love romance money because you just write a book quietly under your pen name. There's a whole world they live in. You market it and you're out, right? I'm getting back into doing that. And then, I have [my Colorado website](https://squarestateco.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which is affiliate focused. I have Viator affiliate conversions, travel payouts, brand partnerships and ad revenue. This year, I'll be speaking at the Colorado governor's tourism conference. So that's not a small project. It's starting to gain a little momentum. I also am a guest co-host (paid) for [City Cast Denver](https://denver.citycast.fm/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I have multiple things. I don't recommend that you have this many things going on. It's a bad idea and it slows down your progress. **LR:** Yeah, but that said, it's pretty common for creators to be juggling multiple projects and multiple revenue streams, especially as they're testing. Is this gonna pay off? Is that gonna pay off? How do you balance these projects and prioritize them? **MJ:** Well, the first thing was I stopped at four projects. I have one project, which is actually my oldest one, which I did not mention. That one's kind of on hiatus. There's no capacity to do it regularly. The romance writing is fun. It's easy. You do it when you're on the bus going to the mountains or traveling. It doesn't feel like work to me. Once the book is written, everything's pretty straightforward. *Creators Getting Paid* —I'm on a cadence now. I publish at least 1 newsletter a week. It's averaging 2 now that I've got the right tools set up. Have you heard about that rule where you do the work in the time you allot? I don't set aside 14 hours and try to do all that. I try to do 6 hours. I work when I have the capacity. I batch a lot and I schedule a lot. When we're out of summer and I've stopped suffering from the heat, I am so productive. I'm very productive when I'm feeling physically comfortable. Then, I spend the rest of my time evaluating where the priorities are. What's made me money before? What's not working now? What are the signs that something's come back to life? It's a lot of moving parts, but not being too rigid about what that looks like is key for me. Your personality also plays into this when you're building online. **LR:** You noted four projects is the limit for you. What would your recommendation be for creators in terms of how many to juggle? **MJ:** It makes sense to double down on the things that are proven to work. I mentioned I'm getting back into the romance writing. I didn't lose the skills since I last did it. In fact, my marketing skills have improved over the years. Now, I'm better suited to apply them to these projects now in 2026, even though it's been several years since I've published. Double down on the things that bring in the money. The other thing I would say is develop things that people cannot take away. They cannot take away your knowledge. They cannot take away the books that you wrote. They cannot take away the courses that you develop. Don't be so focused on brand partnerships and ad revenue. What can you control and own in 2026 and beyond? Those are the things that I want Black creators to focus on. ## Finding signal for consistent revenue **LR:** I love the recs about doubling down on what's making you money and building stuff that they can't take away. A lot of my readers are shifting from service providers into the creator world. Maybe they were a web designer and they want to start a podcast that makes money. One of the challenges that they have is they don't see that signal yet on any of the creator revenue streams so they don't know where to double down. What's your advice for figuring out where that potential might be? **MJ:** Most people wildly underestimate the amount of time it takes to build up a consistent revenue stream. Because you have to build up confidence. You have to figure out what the product, good or services that you're developing. You have to tweak it and iterate on it. Give yourself time. And that's hard to hear because you need money now. You've got bills to pay now. The advice I would give, which is counterintuitive, find yourself the easiest, most fun side hustle possible. Become a barista. Work chill hours, get free coffee. Even if you have savings. That way you're not 100% needing this project to work immediately. It gives you a little more breathing room to experiment. When I observe creator entrepreneurs, everyone talks about what they're building in the short term. When I'm building something, I'm building it with longevity in mind. I have a two year view and then, maybe another three years out from there. It's like being a ballerina. You do your barre work every single class, practicing all your ballet skills. You do it over and over again. You never stop doing it. Beyoncé is a good example of this. This woman has been singing since she was eight years old. She has been building a portfolio of work that she references over and over again since she was a child. Just because you built something last year doesn't mean it's gone. Longevity and time is something that we don't talk about enough when it comes to compounding your efforts for making money. ## Growing your audience **LR:** So, what kinds of activities should creators be focusing on now? What are the barre activities for creators? **MJ:** You should be moving people into your ecosystem, into your world. Build a list so that you are able to sell directly to the people that you serve. That is the number one thing that I want Black creators to hear. The number one strategy. We don't discuss enough the value of owning our list. I'm not sure why this isn't a constant conversation. I was in a mastermind group and I noticed a couple of the people in the group as they worked towards becoming basically millionaires. One of the women had 20 hours that she could allocate to building and growing her business a week. That's all she had. She had kids. So she had 20 hours and she had to make those 20 hours work. And the number one thing that she focused on in those 20 hours was building her list. I'll never forget it. That's all she did was build her list. Another girl that I know who was not in that mastermind, what she did in her time was she built her list and she doubled down on products that she believed in. She had a very affiliate focused brand in certain respects, but she also built courses. She's now a millionaire. She sails the world with her family. The first list I built was for my romance novels. I had to figure out a way to sell these books because I use a pen name. I wasn't active on social media. So the only thing I did was focused on my list. I loved it. I would hit send and in 30 seconds, people in South Africa would be like, "Hey, \[romance pen name\], how are you doing?" 30 seconds. And I was selling my books. **LR:** How did you build that list anonymously? **MJ:** What I did was I collaborated with other authors. I did a lot of book funnels. My pen name does have a podcast, by the way. But collaborations and book funnels are how I built the list. **LR:** You make it sound so simple, Michelle. **MJ:** That was it. And they sold. I am going to be doing Pinterest again this year. I used to be about that Pinterest life. I hate all the AI crap on there right now. I think that they're going to probably address that because so many people are unhappy with it, but it's still a really good search engine. Doubling down on search engines, doing the things that will bring me in front of the people who will engage with what I'm doing. I am launching a YouTube channel too. Each video is an opportunity to get them on my list and sell, right? It's taken a really long time for me to be confident in this way, confident in my skills, confident in messaging, confident in my expertise, but over time, these skill sets and knowledge compound over time. You do have to market and you do have to sell. And that is something that I think, regardless of color, a lot of people are uncomfortable with. It's a skill you have to work on all the time, regardless of how long you've done it. ## Inspiring creators to follow **LR:** Which Black creators are you paying attention to? And I'm really interested in folks that are doing somewhat attainable things. So they're maybe full-time creators, but they're not celebrity creators. **MJ:** Danielle Desir Corbett who runs [*Grants for Creators*](https://www.grantsforcreators.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). She's phenomenal. She's my friend. I love the work that she does. I can't rave about her more. I pay for it. I have actually won something because of that resource. That's how I became an [Air Media Fellow](https://airmedia.org/announcing-airs-new-voices-amplify-2025-fellows?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) because she shared it. She has multiple projects. She just launched a Disney website. I like how she markets. It's so natural. I'm a fan of Angela Hollowell, who's a friend as well. I'm very excited about the one project that is still kind of in its infancy, which is [*Melanin MVP*](https://www.melaninmvp.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). This is a space for Black women who love sports. I'm a Black woman who loves sports. I really enjoy her takes on sports and making a space for Black women who are sports enthusiasts to enjoy. She does other projects as well, but that's the one I'm shouting out because I think more people need to know about it. This creator's not Black, but he's a cousin. He is from New Zealand. He is Pacific Islander. [Joe Daymond](https://www.instagram.com/joe.daymond?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I loved the work that he did when he was traveling through the United States, specifically the southern US. His experience of being basically almost the equivalent of a Black man, but in New Zealand, and coming to the US and going to the South and having these cultural experiences that were just so similar, even talking about it, was very moving to me. I love the [coffee shop video series](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlA5JOqLo7rbZU3M2PTNXFn0Z6-joLQEB&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in Brooklyn. There's a cultural conversation happening there. Absolutely love them. There are a lot of people who are doing really cool shit. And I'm having so much fun supporting their work and discovering what they're doing. We're in a difficult moment, but there is also a lot of opportunity unexpectedly. In that conversation, we have to talk about access to capital. We need to talk about providing tools that allow us to create things that are accessible, but in a way that is not harmful to us as creators. We still have to earn income so that we can continue to provide for the communities that we're building. Leaning on community and into community is definitely something that all creators should be focused on moving forward. There are a lot of conversations I don't want to have online. I don't think it's safe, right? We need those safe spaces to exist. ## The most important thing to prioritize **LR:** Last question: Was there anything that I didn't ask you that I should have? **MJ:** There's so many things that could be asked. A good question to ask is, "Why is it that when Black creators say there's a problem, no one believes that there's a problem?" Specific to building as creator economy entrepreneurs. I wonder why there's always pushback when we assert that access to individuals who make decisions is not as easy as you would think. Why do we have to always prove that we're not able to get through the door? It's not even emotional. There's data, like 2.7% out of 100%. You know what I mean? *\[Editor's note: Michelle isn't referencing a particular stat here, to my knowledge. But here's a stat for you,* [*"Black influencers earn 35% less than their white counterparts"*](https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2026/05/16/one-million-followers-still-underpaid-the-black-creator-pay-gap/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*\]* Why is it that when people purchase from Black creators, we have to prove that we're worthy of being purchased from more than our colleagues? Ultimately, if I'm selling something that is the cost of a matcha, chill the fuck out. You don't like it? Come on, man. Are you serious? If this $8 thing has upset you, your expectations are unreasonable. The other thing is that I want us to assert our authority. I don't want us to have to pack 85 things into our $8 product. Email marketer [Liz Wilcox](https://lizwilcox.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) sends two email templates a week. That's it. That's the product. I want to quote her kind of verbatim. This is the first time I've heard a white woman say this so I really loved that she said this. She said, *Look, I am the breadwinner for my family. I am taking care of multiple people in my family. I only have so much capacity. I have built out a product that allows me to serve my audience within the capacity that I have.* That's why when you hear me talk about my products—I've got the newsletter. I've got the challenge. I've got the romance books. I've got a lot of things I'm building out where I don't have to show up too much so that I can lean into wellness. I can do self-care. I can relax. I can hike in the mountains. I can care for myself. Right now I have to allocate a lot more energy to self-care. The last point I'll make is self-care is at the top of your list as a Black creator. Self-care specific to wellness because of all of the things that are going on right now. In order for me to navigate the challenges of building online, which is very ego-driven, which is challenging, which can be scary, I have to make sure that I'm taking care of myself. It is non-negotiable. It's absolutely the number one thing. --- *Learn more about Michelle Jackson's work on the* [*Creators Getting Paid*](https://creatorsgettingpaid.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *website and check out her podcast* [*by the same name*](https://open.spotify.com/show/0fFymKVZWqLgqbvtgWcKHZ?si=e4652f8c2c7e480f&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*. Her Colorado tourism website is called* [*Square State Colorado*](http://squarestateco.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*. Follow her on* [*Threads*](https://www.threads.com/@creatorsgettingpaidtoo?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and* [*join her newsletter*](https://creators-getting-paid-too.kit.com/06b076e067?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*.* --- **Which of Michelle's recommendations resonate the most with you? Share your thoughts in the comments!** ### Ask The Legends: How do you encourage conversation around your newsletter posts? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-do-you-encourage-conversation-around-your-newsletter-posts/ Last updated: 2026-08-16T03:15:40.000Z ## The question: How do you encourage conversation around your newsletter posts? ### The context: I run a weekly newsletter + community space (for paid subs only). My community space is often pretty active with conversations, but I often feel like the newsletter posts just kind of go off into the ether. Like, my open rates are super high, I hear from people that they really love my writing, so I know people are reading. But there's hardly ever likes or comments, or even conversation specifically about my posts in the community spaces. Is this normal??? I'd love to have more engagement, not just for the sake of it, but because I pour so much into my posts, and I know they could spark really juicy conversations. Today's question was posed by Legend [Mike De Socio](https://finocchio.mikedesocio.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Where To Book Paid Speaking Gigs with LaShonda Brown (Fall Event Series) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/where-to-book-paid-speaking-gigs-with-lashonda-brown-fall-event-series/ Last updated: 2026-08-31T02:33:59.000Z ***BUY A** [***SEASON PASS**](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?utm%5Fsource=luma) **FOR ONLY $79 (LEGENDS RATE) or $149 (PUBLIC RATE). LOG IN TO SEE YOUR DISCOUNT CODE.** ## Thursday, September 17 at 2pm Eastern ​​You want to get out there with your message. Maybe you've booked free speaking gigs or guest talks but you're ready to get paid! This session will help you make the transition from free to paid speaking. ​In this session, [LaShonda Brown](https://lashondabrown.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) will share the best ways to start getting paid to speak and her secrets for booking well paying gigs. LaShonda is a keynoter and workshop facilitator who travels around the world speaking and teaching. If you've never experienced a LaShonda Brown session, just know she's going to give us the inside scoop and hidden tricks that really work. You're in for a treat! 📼 *All sessions in our Fall Series will be recorded and you'll receive the recording, a recap and a list of participants so you can connect with each other.* --- ## ​Before You Buy ​**GET A** [**SEASON PASS**](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?utm%5Fsource=luma) **FOR ONLY $79 (PAID SUBSCRIBERS) or $149 (PUBLIC RATE) and join us at all events from Sept-Nov 2026** on *Landing paid speaking gigs*, *Selling your book* and *Converting clients from email*. ​Paid subscribers alsoget 50% off drop in tickets. DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​Who should attend this session - Anyone who wants to get into professional speaking - ​Anyone who wants to sharpen their talk topics ​This session is open to anyone interested in this topic. The people who attend my sessions are a mix of service providers, membership operators, creators and media producers. ## ​About LaShonda Brown ​[LaShonda Brown](https://lashondabrown.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) is an award-winning Tech Educator & Canva Verified Expert based in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of VA. Through her YouTube channel & tech education company, Bootstrap Biz Advice, LaShonda teaches service providers worldwide through tutorials, workshops & group coaching, how to do less manually and live more fulfilling lives by leveraging technology. LaShonda heavily advocates for sustainable, healthy rhythms in business and is most well known for her 20-Hour Work Week practice that’s built on the foundation of deep focus work and a mindful morning routine. ## Get a discount on live sessions! ​Paid subscribers get BIG DISCOUNTS on this event series. - ​Get the Fall Season Pass for $79 - ​Take 50% off any drop-in event DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ​Or buy the Fall Season Pass at the regular rate of $149 (you get 3 events free!) [Get a Season Pass](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​Join us for more events this fall ​We're covering landing paid speaking gigs (Sept), selling your book (Oct) and converting clients from email (Nov). ​Check out all events: [Join us for our fall series Sept 10-Nov 30Book paid speaking gigs, sell more books and convert your buyers from email. Get a season pass to come to all sessions or drop-in to the ones you want! (Discount code for members in each event)![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-572ab136-c285-4a52-b51c-d3ee6e3d7d72.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-08-17T124950.243-2-7a35269a-13ab-413c-860d-61e0b58def33.png)](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/events?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Ask The Legends: Where do you sell your book(s)? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/where-do-you-sell-your-book/ Last updated: 2026-08-13T05:35:31.000Z ## The question: Where do you sell your book(s)? ### The context: We're about to launch an event series on selling your books and we're revisiting the story [Are books a revenue stream?](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/are-books-a-revenue-stream/) today. I want to hear how you're selling your books. Ebooks count too! Where do you sell them? How do you promote them?—Lex *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Legends of the Fall Mixer (Legends Only) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/legends-of-the-fall-mixer-legends-only/ Last updated: 2026-09-01T01:59:01.000Z **This event is just for Legends and their guests.* [**Join Legends*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/membership?utm%5Fsource=luma) *and become part of our creative network!* ## Tuesday, September 22 at 1pm Eastern ​​Want to expand your creative network but tired of meeting the wrong people? Do I have the solution for you! ​**A LEGENDS MIXER** ​Legends are coming together LIVE to mix, mingle and listen to live music by [Benjamín Mora](https://www.instagram.com/benjamusico/?hl=en&utm%5Fsource=luma) who always brings the party 🎉 ![User Uploaded Image](https://images.lumacdn.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,fit=cover,dpr=2,quality=75,width=800,height=515.6183745583039/editor-images/h6/fc486912-3450-403c-898b-0aaebb6f2b49.png) ![User Uploaded Image](https://images.lumacdn.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,fit=cover,dpr=2,quality=75,width=800,height=449.70059880239523/editor-images/pi/7513ab05-e97a-4053-978d-007c61520cfa.png) ## ​Here's how it works: ​1) You fill out a matching form 2) I match you into groups with people you should meet 3) We do three rounds of matches 4) You come and have a great time! ## Invite a guest! You can invite ONE guest. Have them share your name when they register. Guests can only join 1 mixer so if your guest has already attended, invite someone new! ## ​What Legends say about these mixers: ​Legends have raved about these live mixers. They are not your normal networking call. You should be there! ![User Uploaded Image](https://images.lumacdn.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,fit=cover,dpr=2,quality=75,width=800,height=415.2055857253685/editor-images/v2/c8219433-d5cc-43d3-bf2a-6bfbc79a5c0a.png) ## ​Get matched, Legend! ​You'll see a quick matching form once you register. I use that info to put you in the right rooms! --- ​*This event is just for Legends and their guests.* [*Join Legends*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/membership?utm%5Fsource=luma) *and become part of our creative network!* [Join Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-become-a-legend/) Join us for more events this Fall! Learn more below: [Join us for our fall series Sept 10-Nov 30Book paid speaking gigs, sell more books and convert your buyers from email. Get a season pass to come to all sessions or drop-in to the ones you want! (Discount code for members in each event)![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-572ab136-c285-4a52-b51c-d3ee6e3d7d72.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-08-17T124950.243-2-7a35269a-13ab-413c-860d-61e0b58def33.png)](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/events?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Outpost Office Hours + Peek at Outpost's New Events Feature! (Free) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/outpost-office-hours-peek-at-outposts-new-events-feature-free/ Last updated: 2026-08-27T22:10:49.000Z *This is a free event, held in partnership with* [*Outpost Publishers Cooperative*](https://outpost.pub/?utm%5Fsource=luma)*.* [![Outpost logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/outpostlogo-2.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- ​You know you need [Outpost](https://outpost.pub/?utm%5Fsource=luma) for your Ghost publication, but you're wondering if you could get more out of it. Come hear about what's new inside Outpost and ask your questions about using it to grow your publication. ​***PLUS! Outpost is releasing their new calendar feature and you'll be able to add events to your site. You'll get a demo of how to use the feature in this session.*** [Register (Free)](https://luma.com/hozq51kc?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ​Outpost co-founder Ryan Singel will join us to share what the team has been shipping and he'll answer your questions. Ryan works closely with publishers to implement best practices for paid subscriptions and he's extremely knowledgeable about how to grow a member-backed media business. ​Before you join us, [start a free trial with Outpost](https://admin.outpost.pub/signup?utm%5Fsource=luma#/) so you can follow along in our session. ​📼 This session WILL BE RECORDED and a recap will be shared with all registrants. Register whether or not you can make it live. ## ​​How we'll use our time - ​**What's new at Outpost:** Ryan will share recently shipped features and how they help your publication - ​**Events demo:** Get a peek at how you can use events through Outpost with your publication - ​**Open Q&A:** Ask your burning Outpost questions or share examples of what you're trying to do with your publication ## ​​Who should attend this session - ​Publishers thinking of switching to Ghost - ​Ghost publishers new to Outpost - ​Ghost publishers already using Outpost​ [Register (Free)](https://luma.com/hozq51kc?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Ask The Legends: What role does social media play in your business? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-role-does-social-media-play-in-your-business/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:00:13.000Z ## The question: What role does social media play in your business? ### The context: One of our most popular stories is [Should you quit social?](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/should-you-quit-social-7-entrepreneurs-on-their-social-media-free-strategies/) I've been thinking about how nice it would be to quit but then I remember how social helps my business. A lot of us use it for audience growth but some of us use it for intel or to keep up with clients or people we already know. What role does social media play in your business? *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Seeds and Summits: Metabolize Your Month with Lex (Fall Event Series) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/seeds-and-summits-metabolize-your-month-with-lex-fall-event-series/ Last updated: 2026-08-31T02:33:45.000Z ***BUY A** [***SEASON PASS**](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?utm%5Fsource=luma) **FOR ONLY $79 (LEGENDS RATE) or $149 (PUBLIC RATE). LOG IN TO SEE YOUR DISCOUNT CODE.** ## Tuesday, September 29 at 2pm Eastern Seeds and Summits is a monthly session where we discuss what experiments you tried this month (seeds) and we celebrate what worked (summits). It's a heartwarming reflection session that helps you cement and celebrate progress and build on it more effectively. ​You'll leave this session with a concrete idea of what's working for you, a mood boost from celebrating wins and a momentum acceleration from your peers. NOTE: This is an interactive workshop and discussion session, not a training or a webinar. Come ready to chat! 📼 *All sessions in our Fall Series will be recorded and you'll receive the recording, a recap and a list of participants so you can connect with each other.* --- ## ​Before You Buy ​**GET A** [**SEASON PASS**](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?utm%5Fsource=luma) **FOR ONLY $79 (PAID SUBSCRIBERS) or $149 (PUBLIC RATE) and join us at all events from Sept-Nov 2026** on *Landing paid speaking gigs*, *Selling your book* and *Converting clients from email*. ​Paid subscribers alsoget 50% off drop in tickets. DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​How we'll use our time ​- Summits: We'll celebrate and discuss your progress and wins \- Seeds: We'll review experiments you and others have tried and uncover what's working (or not) about them \- What's next: We'll make a plan for your next step based on what you shared in the session ## Who should attend this session ​This session is open to all online entrepreneurs. The people who attend my sessions are a mix of service providers, membership operators, creators and media producers. ## ​About Lex Roman ​​**Lex Roman** (they/them) is an indie publisher who covers how solopreneurs make money at [Revenue Rulebreaker](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) and [The Paid Newsletter Playbook](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma). ​Lex runs the Legends Network, a group of over 350+ creative entrepreneurs. This session is one resource of many. Get their free newsletter at [RevenueRulebreaker.com](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) ## Get a discount on live sessions! ​Paid subscribers get BIG DISCOUNTS on this event series. - ​Get the Fall Season Pass for $79 - ​Take 50% off any drop-in event DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ​Or buy the Fall Season Pass at the regular rate of $149 (you get 3 events free!) [Get a Season Pass](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​Join us for more events this fall ​We're covering landing paid speaking gigs (Sept), selling your book (Oct) and converting clients from email (Nov). ​Check out all events: [Join us for our fall series Sept 10-Nov 30Book paid speaking gigs, sell more books and convert your buyers from email. Get a season pass to come to all sessions or drop-in to the ones you want! (Discount code for members in each event)![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-572ab136-c285-4a52-b51c-d3ee6e3d7d72.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-08-17T124950.243-2-7a35269a-13ab-413c-860d-61e0b58def33.png)](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/events?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Ask The Legends: Are podcasts a good idea for lead generation? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/are-podcasts-a-good-idea-for-lead-generation/ Last updated: 2026-08-06T05:05:38.000Z ## The question: Are podcasts a good idea for lead generation? ### The context: I know some business owners have a podcast mainly for lead generation, but they seem like a ton of work for just that purpose. I'm curious if you have a podcast (or had a podcast) that was mainly for lead gen and finding clients, is it a good idea? What do you like about the podcast approach vs other ways to find clients?—Lex *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Help! My favorite tool was bought by private equity URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/help-my-favorite-tool-was-bought-by-private-equity/ Last updated: 2026-08-04T23:21:22.000Z Bending Spoons is [buying Airtable](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/airtable-was-just-acquired-by-bending-spoons-goodbye-to-airtable/) and it has small business owners confused about why this is BAD. Can't venture capital investment be good? Shouldn't we wait and see? This is not a venture capital investment. It's an acquisition. These two terms may seem like a technicality but let me explain why they are completely different transactions—and more importantly, why the difference indicates how many alarm bells should ring for you when you read the news about your fave tech tool. Let's start with private equity. I'm classifying Bending Spoons as private equity. They don't agree with that definition because they're cool, young Italian guys who wanted to be founders, failed and get to cosplay as founders now. But they basically operate like private equity minus the fact that they don't sell off the companies they acquire (they're also a fairly new company so we should expect this to change, in which case they are exactly like private equity). I am not the only one who considers them part of the PE crowd. Here's stories from [*Bloomberg*](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-28/private-equity-for-apps-evernote-s-owner-has-big-plans?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [*Seeking Alpha*](https://seekingalpha.com/article/4920704-bending-spoons-i-wouldnt-pay-a-tech-multiple-for-this-pe-play?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [*TechCrunch*](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/05/what-is-bending-spoons-everything-to-know-about-aols-acquirer/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) likening them to private equity. **Private equity** *usually* BUYS companies to own them and extract a return quickly. It's an exit for the founders and (if relevant) investors. The original team almost always leaves and is replaced by transitional leadership who are there to squeeze cash out of the business before the PE firm sells it off for profit a few years later. The company you knew as a customer is gone and is replaced by a much worse version with less service, higher costs and absolutely no soul. Think Squarespace—they [sold their entire business to private equity firm Permira](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/13/squarespace-to-go-private-in-7-billion-private-equity-deal.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in 2024 and they're already a shell of their former selves. A full company buyout is not always the case with PE. Companies like ThriveCart and Substack have private equity investors. But those PE firms come in as part of a venture round which is a completely different transaction. However, it's a big warning when private equity is involved in a company at all because their timeline for return on their investment is about 2-3x faster than what VCs plan for. For example, ThriveCart's PE investor is called LTV SaaS Growth Fund and they say on their website they expect to exit (meaning sell their share of the company) [in 3-5 years](https://ltv.fund/funds/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Substack's PE investor is called The Chernin Group and [they evaporated three companies in a matter of 3-6 years](https://www.adweek.com/media/tcg-chernin-group-content-commerce-food52-hodinkee-pros-closet/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). **Venture capital** *usually* INVESTS in companies with hopes they'll have a successful exit and extract a return for them. They don't typically buy companies outright. Venture capital starts with seed or angel rounds to get a startup off the ground and then continues as the company grows. You'll see tech teams raising Series A-Series E rounds. There's not a lot of venture rounds beyond E because by then, a company can either float on its own (with its own revenue) or it's gonna shutdown for good. Venture capital firms are definitely bad and they have the same goal as private equity—return as much cash to their investors as possible—but their history in tech is more positive than PE. They're more willing to make risky bets, knowing that not all their investments will pay off. They're investing IN the company, not buying it, so mostly they're backing the existing leadership team and their existing vision. Sometimes, the team is replaced, but VCs try to work with founders rather than taking over the helm of every company they invest in. It is true that to raise a multimillion round, founders and CEOs have to paint a dramatic, high growth vision for VCs to write those checks. And that creates feature thrash like what we've seen with AI bloating everything and tech companies prioritizing their enterprise audiences over us. Taking any investment at all puts a ticking clock on your forehead with a timeline for an expected return. Your investors will step in if they think you're gonna fumble the ball on that return (this is what happened with Uber, their [investors at Benchmark forced founder Travis Kalanick out](https://www.npr.org/2022/01/27/1076232689/revenge-of-the-venture-capitalists?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)) BUT typically, you as a customer won't notice massive shifts from a Series B to a Series C, for example. The leaders you knew before a venture round are still at the helm. The vision is still the vision. The tool is still operational. That's a different story once they get close to an exit, but if they're not selling themselves off yet, you're probably still ok. Both private equity and venture capital are bad for small business because our market is not a moneymaker. Their interests and our interests are not aligned. They want to make a fuckload of cash as soon as possible with the least amount of work and we want to pay as little as possible for high quality service. **But private equity is worse.** They destroy companies quickly by enacting mass layoffs, cutting features and services, and jacking up prices. A few famous examples include [the liquidation of Toys R Us](https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/private-equity-backed-bankruptcies-surged-in-may-but-future-might-not-be-so-bleak?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), Joann Fabrics [filing for bankruptcy and shuttering stores](https://pestakeholder.org/news/private-equity-behind-70-of-large-u-s-bankruptcies-in-the-first-quarter-of-2025/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), and [the end of RadioShack](https://fortune.com/2017/03/08/radioshack-bankrupt-chapter-11/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Private equity exits frequently mean **a complete shutdown of the company we knew.** Venture capital exits *can be mildly ok*, like Slack getting sold off to Salesforce. It's not ideal, but Slack is more or less the same product [5 years later](https://slack.com/blog/news/salesforce-completes-acquisition-of-slack?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Or LinkedIn selling to Microsoft [a decade ago](https://news.microsoft.com/source/2016/06/13/microsoft-to-acquire-linkedin/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). LinkedIn is increasingly more annoying but it's still LinkedIn. It's not a Spirit Halloween yet. Know the difference between an investment in the current company AND a buyout by a third party. **It determines when you need to be ready to move.** Investments are slower change, usually over many years. Buyouts are faster change, usually months to a couple years. So that's why I say ["Goodbye to Airtable."](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/airtable-was-just-acquired-by-bending-spoons-goodbye-to-airtable/) Bending Spoons, who bought them today, runs the private equity playbook and we don't have many examples (maybe any examples?) of that working out for customers. In fact, it usually goes south pretty quickly. *Related story:* [Airtable was just acquired by Bending Spoons. Goodbye to Airtable.If your business runs on Airtable or worse, if your business IS Airtable, you need to make your own exit plan![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-8eeea5b4-ff05-47d5-8e5b-e8a53db4d03a.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-08-04T082157.238-0d7a9acc-59d0-42e8-b7cb-4219aa757bbe.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/airtable-was-just-acquired-by-bending-spoons-goodbye-to-airtable/) ### Airtable was just acquired by Bending Spoons. Goodbye to Airtable. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/airtable-was-just-acquired-by-bending-spoons-goodbye-to-airtable/ Last updated: 2026-09-04T16:33:02.000Z *Some of this story was pulled from* [*my previous story*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/best-of-small-business-news-week-of-july-6-to-10/) *about Bending Spoons.* *Corrections: I updated it post-publish with more info on how to leave Airtable. Added info about Filmic layoffs and comments from Airtable pro Ashley from Systems Over Stress. Added price hike details from Ted Fickes re: another Bending Spoons acquisition Harvest (August 4). Added Devin Lee's alternatives research (September 4).* Airtable was overdue for an exit. They were founded in 2012\. Fourteen years is a long time in the venture world. Most [exits happen in ten years](https://teten.com/how-long-before-angel-investors-and-vcs-get-liquidity/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or less. Anytime you use a venture or private-equity backed application, the clock is ticking on that borrowed time and, for Airtable, that time is up today. The death brigade known as [Bending Spoons has acquired them for $1.3B](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260730994716/en/Bending-Spoons-has-entered-into-a-definitive-agreement-to-acquire-Airtable-for-%241.285-billion?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Why is this the end of Airtable? Because of what Bending Spoons does to companies. Price hikes. Mass layoffs. Degraded products. Reduced service. Their portfolio is a graveyard of apps you used to use. [Bending Spoons](https://www.bendingspoons.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is often mislabeled as "tech" or as "SaaS" because their founders are four hip, young Italian dudes who did, at one point, make software. They launched as an acquisitions company after their own VC-backed startup failed thirteen years ago. A classic pattern. Can't hack it as a tech founder? Become an investor! What they mostly do now is buy companies and hack them to bits. In the last few years, they've acquired Evernote, Harvest, Vimeo, StreamYard, WeTransfer, Meetup, Brightcove and EventBrite. Post-acquisition, Bending Spoons [enacts big layoffs and cuts down the feature set](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/05/what-is-bending-spoons-everything-to-know-about-aols-acquirer/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) particularly on free plans—very similar to the private equity playbook. The only difference is that they tend to hold the companies instead of selling them off (but they're also only a decade old so we'll see if that stays true). They [went public](https://www.forbes.com/sites/iainmartin/2026/07/01/how-bending-spoons-built-a-184-billion-empire-by-buying-internet-has-beens-like-aol/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) a few weeks ago and have more cash then ever to buy up more tech from founders and VCs ready to walk away. Must eat more software nom nom nom. Bending Spoons' MO is widely known in the tech industry. The comments on [their LinkedIn post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bendingspoons%5Fweve-agreed-to-acquire-airtable-more-activity-7490304400410894338-3ynG?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAo-0gsBtjzfwlcsweIEilJXm%5F06-UxUSRk) announcing their Airtable deal are pretty much all like this: ![Comment from Software Engineer Giovanni Orciuolo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-04-at-7.57.02---AM.png) Comment from Backend Software Engineer Giovanni Orciuolo ![Comment from Chief Recruiting Officer Guido Penta](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-04-at-7.56.54---AM.png) Comment from Chief Recruiting Officer Guido Penta ![Comment from UX designer Elia Alberti](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-04-at-7.56.44---AM.png) Comment from UX designer Elia Alberti If your business runs on Airtable or worse, if your business IS Airtable, you need to make your own exit plan. You have about two to three months to do that because the BS boys make changes fast. As Elia Alberti wrote on LinkedIn, [they laid off 75% of WeTransfer within two months](https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/08/bending-spoons-plans-to-lay-off-75-of-wetransfer-staff-after-acquisition/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) of acquiring them. It was about [seven months for Evernote](https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/9/23789012/evernote-layoff-us-staff-bending-spoons-note-taking-app?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Bending Spoons [laid off "almost everyone at Vimeo"](https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/vimeo-lays-off-most-of-its-staff-just-months-after-being-bought-by-private-equity-firm-184556023.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) at the beginning of this year after buying them in November. And [they canned the ENTIRE TEAM](https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/12/03/bending-spoons-lays-off-entire-team-behind-filmic-pro?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) from Filmic a year later, including the founder and CEO. Ted Fickes [shared on my LinkedIn post about this story](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/?highlightedUpdateUrn=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7490542451506479106&highlightedUpdateType=REPLIED%5FTO%5FYOUR%5FCOMMENT&origin=INAPP&highlightedUpdateTrackingId=PG9Fd2%2BCT%2BGAIVsiXfmwGg%3D%3D&showCommentBox=true&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) that his Harvest subscription is going up 1000% next month, thanks to Bending Spoons. They bought Harvest last year and are now raising the price from $12 to $122 per month with a whole new confusing pricing scheme that separates app usage from purchasing a plan. This reminds me of the AI tokens model. See the notice he got below. ![Email notice Ted got from Harvest (now owned by Bending Spoons)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-04-at-6.09.45---PM-1.png) Email notice Ted got from Harvest (now owned by Bending Spoons) This is not a wait and see moment. We know what's going to happen because it's what Bending Spoons continues to do to companies. To export your data, go to any database, select the main view of that data and hit "download CSV." You can also automate export if you have a lot of databases using a tool like [Make](https://www.make.com/en?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or [Zapier](https://zapier.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I would be careful with your personal and customer data via these AI tools because the [security vulnerabilities are mounting](https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2025/09/09/ai-agents-are-coming-for-your-privacy-warns-meredith-whittaker?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). If you have less than 30 databases, just download 'em manually. It only takes a few minutes. ![Manual export in Airtable](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-04-at-9.13.03---AM.png) Manual export in Airtable I would also take this as a warning that any apps you are fully dependent on could go belly up at any moment. It blows my mind when entrepreneurs hinge their entire business off someone else's application being a "HoneyBook expert" or a "Webflow designer." Don't do that anymore. Stay tech agnostic. Many people repeatedly point out that my takes are cynical and pessimistic about tech. Yes, I worked in tech for a long time. I know a lot about how venture capitalists and tech founders operate. And I've known a lot of these players for decades. That said, some small business owners who operate on Airtable have more optimistic views than I do. Ashley who runs Systems Over Stress [wrote on Threads](https://www.threads.com/share/Fg-Z2zIgF/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), "To my clients who use Airtable: don’t freak out. There’s no need to jump ship because of a VC investment. Go on about your day. If they announce actual, imminent feature changes that affect your business or price hikes that make it a no longer financially viable option for the value it provides your business, we’ll assess." This really is one of the worst possible exits for Airtable when it comes to what small business owners need. Not all exits are bad but they are *often* bad and this one is a death sentence. I will reiterate that I do think you need an exit plan. That doesn't mean you have to exit immediately but Bending Spoons is bad news. This isn't a normal acquisition, nor is it a VC investment. It's a private equity buyout from a firm with a track record of gutting companies. Goodbye to Airtable. We believed in you, but you sold us out to the startup serial killers. Enjoy your penthouses while they last. *Related story:* [Help! My favorite tool was bought by private equityBending Spoons buying Airtable has small business owners conflating two VERY different types of funding (private equity and venture capital). Here’s what those terms mean and what they imply about what’s next.![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-e1d6af09-8ad4-4264-9c0f-f7002ab7fe5a.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-08-04T162701.119-041fa0c7-bd8b-4de1-a3ee-b03950968868.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/help-my-favorite-tool-was-bought-by-private-equity/) *Looking for alternatives to Airtable? Airtable expert and systems pro Devin Lee did some* [*deep research to come up with a recommendation*](https://devinlee.kit.com/posts/i-m-ditching-airtable-gulp-here-s-what-s-next?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*.* ### Grow Your Newsletter as an Author with M.G. Herron (Fall Event Series) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/grow-your-newsletter-as-an-author-with-m-g-herron-fall-event-series/ Last updated: 2026-08-31T02:34:11.000Z In [**partnership with Lulu**](https://lexroman.com/lulu?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Sell your books worldwide with their scalable tools for indie publishers. [![Lulu logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/lululogoforevents.png)](https://lexroman.com/lulu?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- ## Tuesday, October 6 at 2pm Eastern All authors benefit from an email list, but growing a newsletter as an author is different than growing any other kind of newsletter. You want to build an audience of readers who will buy and read your books. But where do you find them? ​In this session, [M.G. Herron](https://www.mgherron.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) will take us through the foundations you need in place, the most common ways authors grow their newsletters and some experimental techniques you can try. ​You'll walk away confident about where to find your readers and grow your list. 📼 *All sessions in our Fall Series will be recorded and you'll receive the recording, a recap and a list of participants so you can connect with each other.* --- ## ​Before You Buy ​**GET A** [**SEASON PASS**](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?utm%5Fsource=luma) **FOR ONLY $79 (PAID SUBSCRIBERS) or $149 (PUBLIC RATE) and join us at all events from Sept-Nov 2026** on *Landing paid speaking gigs*, *Selling your book* and *Converting clients from email*. ​Paid subscribers alsoget 50% off drop in tickets. DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​Who should attend this session - Aspiring authors - ​Experienced authors - ​Service providers who support authors - ​Anyone who wants to know what the self-publishing scene looks like right now! ​This session is open to anyone interested in this topic. The people who attend my sessions are a mix of service providers, membership operators, creators and media producers. ## ​About M.G. Herron [M.G. Herron](https://www.mgherron.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com&utm%5Fsource=luma) is the author of *Starfighter Down, Culture Shock*, and more than a dozen other novels of science fiction. His books have sold over 100,000 copies worldwide, and his work has been licensed for production by Podium Entertainment and Audible Studios. He lives in Austin, Texas with his patient wife, their four unruly kids and one loyal canine sidekick. ​Herron’s weekly newsletter for readers and fans is enjoyed by over 4,500 sci-fi thrill seekers. Sign up at [mgherron.com/newsletter](https://mgherron.com/newsletter?utm%5Fsource=luma). ## Get a discount on live sessions! ​Paid subscribers get BIG DISCOUNTS on this event series. - ​Get the Fall Season Pass for $79 - ​Take 50% off any drop-in event DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ​Or buy the Fall Season Pass at the regular rate of $149 (you get 3 events free!) [Get a Season Pass](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​Join us for more events this fall ​We're covering landing paid speaking gigs (Sept), selling your book (Oct) and converting clients from email (Nov). ​Check out all events: [Join us for our fall series Sept 10-Nov 30Book paid speaking gigs, sell more books and convert your buyers from email. Get a season pass to come to all sessions or drop-in to the ones you want! (Discount code for members in each event)![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-572ab136-c285-4a52-b51c-d3ee6e3d7d72.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-08-17T124950.243-2-7a35269a-13ab-413c-860d-61e0b58def33.png)](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/events?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Q3 Earnings Call: How's Revenue Rulebreaker doing? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/q3-earnings-call-hows-revenue-rulebreaker-doing/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T19:13:30.000Z **​OPEN TO ALL PAID SUBSCRIBERS AT ALL TIERS AND TIP JAR CONTRIBUTORS* ## Thursday, October 8 at 2pm Eastern ​Where is your money going? I'm here to tell you! We're going to run down the state of the business behind Revenue Rulebreaker and Legends for Q3 (July-Sept 2026). ​This session is ONLY open to [paid subscribers](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/membership?utm%5Fsource=luma) and [tip jar contributors.](https://ko-fi.com/lexroman?utm%5Fsource=luma) ### ​How we'll use our time - ​I'll share the state of the business, revenue, expenses and highlights from Q3 - ​You'll have a chance to ask questions or make suggestions for Q4! ### ​Who should attend this session - ​Paid subscribers of Revenue Rulebreaker - ​Tip jar contributors to Lex Roman/Revenue Rulebreaker --- ## ​Join us for more events this fall ​We're covering landing paid speaking gigs (Sept), selling your book (Oct) and converting clients from email (Nov). ​Check out all events: [Join us for our fall series Sept 10-Nov 30Book paid speaking gigs, sell more books and convert your buyers from email. Get a season pass to come to all sessions or drop-in to the ones you want! (Discount code for members in each event)![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-572ab136-c285-4a52-b51c-d3ee6e3d7d72.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-08-17T124950.243-2-7a35269a-13ab-413c-860d-61e0b58def33.png)](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/events?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### My loneliest summer as an entrepreneur URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/my-loneliest-summer-as-an-entrepreneur/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T21:39:39.000Z I shoved my way through a garage filled with gamers to get to the bar at the brewery. It was video game night and the space was lit up with all kinds of vintage computers and gaming machines but I wasn't there to play games. I was there to talk to the taproom manager about a job. I sat down at the bar next to this guy named Anthony. Anthony, I would learn later, worked for the city repairing sidewalks. He had worked for the city his whole life. His dad worked for the city too. Anthony had union wages. Predictable hours. A house. A pension. A TikTok account that was just for fun. I wondered what that was like. I didn't get the job at the brewery but the taproom manager took pity on me and gave me a free beer while I talked to Anthony about what it was like making a stable living. ![Gaming night](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/1.png) The reason I had applied in the first place wasn't really about money. I had just quit working for tech companies which famously pays pretty well and making part time minimum wage at a brewery with no benefits in California pays less than unemployment. I just needed something to do that wasn't staring at a computer wondering what I'd done wrong that led me to this dark moment. Thus began the summer of 2021\. My loneliest summer as an entrepreneur. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Summer hiatus: August 5-13 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/summer-hiatus/ Last updated: 2026-08-02T04:12:58.000Z I am taking a week off from publishing for the first time since we started *Revenue Rulebreaker* in the fall of 2024\. It's just one week. It feels more substantial for some reason. I rarely take time off. I will be out from August 5 through 13\. I'm traveling back to the US (Portland) for a wedding anniversary celebration of two of my favorite people and I'm also visiting family and other friends. I'm back in the office on the 13th and we are hosting a [book club that day on Maggie Patterson's book *Staying Solo*](https://luma.com/m7m6u42c?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), but I won't publish anything new. ## Here's what to expect ### 🏆 Legends - New [Ask The Legends advice questions](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/ask-the-legends/) will still get posted throughout this time. Check the site on Sundays or Thursdays to see what's new. Answer in the comments and I'll feature your answers in newsletters when I return. - You can send shoutouts, classifieds or other asks through [Legends Liaison](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/legends-liaison/). The earliest I will be able to plug stuff that isn't already in is August 18\. I will get back to you when I'm back in office to confirm your dates. - Use [the directory](https://legends.revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and our [new collab requests list](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/collab-requests/) to connect with other Legends while I'm gone. - We're launching **Five Star Fest** on August 18 so start thinking about your podcast, newsletter, freebie, video, book or whatever else you want reviews on. One thing pretty please and it has to be free. Legends will compete for prizes by leaving reviews for each other and the prizes are phenomenal. More info on the 18th! ### 🎲 Rulebreaker - Newsletters will still arrive on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. They'll be lighter than normal featuring some of our best stories you might have missed. - I won't be commenting on small business headlines for the next two weeks, but catch up on [the last few weeks here](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/small-business-news/). ### 📓 Programs - **Sub Drivers** is high priority for me as I know everyone is cranking full speed ahead on subscription goals and drives. I will be checking emails at night every couple weekdays to make sure I'm not blocking you. I will be without internet service over the weekend. I'll do my best to get back to you as soon as I can. Use our new Slack for peer support too. It's hard to take this time. I'm struggling with it, especially after welcoming so many new Legends. I've worked over nearly every holiday and birthday for as long as I can remember. I'm trying to build more of these breaks in though. We kind of have to do them or I'm not gonna last that long. I really appreciate your patience with me as I take this hiatus. As a solo operator, I just can't get that far ahead of the publishing schedule to produce enough new content to fill this much time. And I really wanted to go see the people I love. Thank you for sticking with me, Lex ### Ask The Legends: What's your advice for someone just going self-employed? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/whats-your-advice-for-someone-just-going-self-employed/ Last updated: 2026-08-02T00:00:23.000Z ## The question: What's your advice for someone just going self-employed? ### The context: We've had some new folks join our newsletter who are just thinking about going out on their own. Most of the Legends have been in business for years, so I want to know, what would you tell yourself if you could go back to when you started? What's your best advice for someone just going self-employed?—Lex *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Best of small business news: Week of July 27-31 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/best-of-small-business-news-week-of-july-27-to-31/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T21:38:29.000Z *Last updated: Sat, Aug 1 at 6:33pm CT* We're getting a late start as I'm a tad under the weather, but the news is coming fast this week. Stories we've been following about PayPal possibly being bought, Apple's price increases, social media age verification laws and authors suing AI are all becoming more clear with fresh info coming out. Also, the small business headlines are paywalled for paid subscribers, but I'm running a sale this week for 25% off a year in Legends. We're 33 Legends away from hitting 400\. You can be part of [the Lucky 400](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/lucky400/)! [Get 25% off Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/lucky-400-25-off) Now, to the news. Here's what's shaping up this week... _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Sell With Facebook Ads as an Author with M.G. Herron (Fall Event Series) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/sell-with-facebook-ads-as-an-author-with-m-g-herron-fall-event-series/ Last updated: 2026-08-31T02:34:20.000Z In [**partnership with Lulu**](https://lexroman.com/lulu?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Sell your books worldwide with their scalable tools for indie publishers. [![Lulu logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/lululogoforevents.png)](https://lexroman.com/lulu?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- ## Tuesday, October 20 at 2pm Eastern ​Indie authors are using Facebook ads to sell books. But selling books with Facebook ads is different than other types of campaigns. You want to know it's going to be a good use of your money and time before you start. ​In this session, [M.G. Herron](https://www.mgherron.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) will take you inside how he runs Facebook campaigns to sell his books. We'll cover types of creative, testing that creative, types of campaigns and where those campaigns should be sending your readers. ​You'll walk away from this session with the info you need to run your first campaign and with more confidence to spend your money wisely. 📼 *All sessions in our Fall Series will be recorded and you'll receive the recording, a recap and a list of participants so you can connect with each other.* --- ## ​Before You Buy ​**GET A** [**SEASON PASS**](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?utm%5Fsource=luma) **FOR ONLY $79 (PAID SUBSCRIBERS) or $149 (PUBLIC RATE) and join us at all events from Sept-Nov 2026** on *Landing paid speaking gigs*, *Selling your book* and *Converting clients from email*. ​Paid subscribers alsoget 50% off drop in tickets. DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​Who should attend this session - Aspiring authors - ​Experienced authors - ​Service providers who support authors - ​Anyone who wants to know what the self-publishing scene looks like right now! ​This session is open to anyone interested in this topic. The people who attend my sessions are a mix of service providers, membership operators, creators and media producers. ## ​About M.G. Herron [M.G. Herron](https://www.mgherron.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com&utm%5Fsource=luma) is the author of *Starfighter Down, Culture Shock*, and more than a dozen other novels of science fiction. His books have sold over 100,000 copies worldwide, and his work has been licensed for production by Podium Entertainment and Audible Studios. He lives in Austin, Texas with his patient wife, their four unruly kids and one loyal canine sidekick. ​Herron’s weekly newsletter for readers and fans is enjoyed by over 4,500 sci-fi thrill seekers. Sign up at [mgherron.com/newsletter](https://mgherron.com/newsletter?utm%5Fsource=luma). ## Get a discount on live sessions! ​Paid subscribers get BIG DISCOUNTS on this event series. - ​Get the Fall Season Pass for $79 - ​Take 50% off any drop-in event DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ​Or buy the Fall Season Pass at the regular rate of $149 (you get 3 events free!) [Get a Season Pass](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​Join us for more events this fall ​We're covering landing paid speaking gigs (Sept), selling your book (Oct) and converting clients from email (Nov). ​Check out all events: [Join us for our fall series Sept 10-Nov 30Book paid speaking gigs, sell more books and convert your buyers from email. Get a season pass to come to all sessions or drop-in to the ones you want! (Discount code for members in each event)![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-572ab136-c285-4a52-b51c-d3ee6e3d7d72.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-08-17T124950.243-2-7a35269a-13ab-413c-860d-61e0b58def33.png)](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/events?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### New ways indie authors sell books: Fireside chat with Matt Briel, CMO of Lulu (Free) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/new-ways-indie-authors-sell-books-fireside-chat-with-matt-briel-cmo-of-lulu/ Last updated: 2026-08-20T19:49:34.000Z In [**partnership with Lulu**](https://lexroman.com/lulu?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Sell your books worldwide with their scalable tools for indie publishers. [![Lulu logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/lululogoforevents.png)](https://lexroman.com/lulu?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- ## Tuesday, October 27 at 1pm Eastern You've got a book or you're thinking of publishing one and you're wondering where you should sell it. You know Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and Bookshop. How are today's creators and brands rethinking book fulfillment to eliminate upfront costs? And what if I told you there's a way you can know exactly who is buying your book? ​We're going to tackle these questions with the help of [Lulu's CMO Matt Briel](https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-briel/?utm%5Fsource=luma). Matt and his team have helped millions of authors publish, print and distribute their books. Indie authors can do so much more than just getting a book into major retail channels. Matt can explain why selling direct to your audience is a catalyst for your success. I'll be guiding our discussion through new ways indie authors are selling and there's plenty of time for your questions to so bring 'em! [Register](https://luma.com/qegx297n?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​Who should join - ​Aspiring authors - ​Experienced authors - ​Service providers who support authors - ​Anyone who wants to know what the self-publishing scene looks like right now! ## ​About Matt Briel, VP and CMO of Lulu ​Matt brings nearly two decades of experience in the Media & Publishing space and excels at transforming ideas into action (and coffee into strategy). A creative entrepreneur at heart, Matt defies corporate norms, ditching the blazer and tie aesthetic for tattoos and Disney fanaticism. When he’s not obsessing over work, he spends his time with family and watching 80s movies. ## ​Join us for more events this fall ​We're covering landing paid speaking gigs (Sept), selling your book (Oct) and converting clients from email (Nov). ​Check out all events: [Join us for our fall series Sept 10-Nov 30Book paid speaking gigs, sell more books and convert your buyers from email. Get a season pass to come to all sessions or drop-in to the ones you want! (Discount code for members in each event)![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-572ab136-c285-4a52-b51c-d3ee6e3d7d72.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-08-17T124950.243-2-7a35269a-13ab-413c-860d-61e0b58def33.png)](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/events?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Seeds and Summits: Metabolize Your Month with Lex (Fall Event Series) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/seeds-and-summits-metabolize-your-month-with-lex-fall-event-series-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-31T02:34:31.000Z ***BUY A** [***SEASON PASS**](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?utm%5Fsource=luma) **FOR ONLY $79 (LEGENDS RATE) or $149 (PUBLIC RATE). LOG IN TO SEE YOUR DISCOUNT CODE.** ## Thursday, October 29 at 2pm Eastern Seeds and Summits is a monthly session where we discuss what experiments you tried this month (seeds) and we celebrate what worked (summits). It's a heartwarming reflection session that helps you cement and celebrate progress and build on it more effectively. ​You'll leave this session with a concrete idea of what's working for you, a mood boost from celebrating wins and a momentum acceleration from your peers. NOTE: This is an interactive workshop and discussion session, not a training or a webinar. Come ready to chat! 📼 *All sessions in our Fall Series will be recorded and you'll receive the recording, a recap and a list of participants so you can connect with each other.* --- ## ​Before You Buy ​**GET A** [**SEASON PASS**](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?utm%5Fsource=luma) **FOR ONLY $79 (PAID SUBSCRIBERS) or $149 (PUBLIC RATE) and join us at all events from Sept-Nov 2026** on *Landing paid speaking gigs*, *Selling your book* and *Converting clients from email*. ​Paid subscribers alsoget 50% off drop in tickets. DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​How we'll use our time ​- Summits: We'll celebrate and discuss your progress and wins \- Seeds: We'll review experiments you and others have tried and uncover what's working (or not) about them \- What's next: We'll make a plan for your next step based on what you shared in the session ## Who should attend this session ​This session is open to all online entrepreneurs. The people who attend my sessions are a mix of service providers, membership operators, creators and media producers. ## ​About Lex Roman ​​**Lex Roman** (they/them) is an indie publisher who covers how solopreneurs make money at [Revenue Rulebreaker](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) and [The Paid Newsletter Playbook](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma). ​Lex runs the Legends Network, a group of over 350+ creative entrepreneurs. This session is one resource of many. Get their free newsletter at [RevenueRulebreaker.com](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) ## Get a discount on live sessions! ​Paid subscribers get BIG DISCOUNTS on this event series. - ​Get the Fall Season Pass for $79 - ​Take 50% off any drop-in event DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ​Or buy the Fall Season Pass at the regular rate of $149 (you get 3 events free!) [Get a Season Pass](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​Join us for more events this fall ​We're covering landing paid speaking gigs (Sept), selling your book (Oct) and converting clients from email (Nov). ​Check out all events: [Join us for our fall series Sept 10-Nov 30Book paid speaking gigs, sell more books and convert your buyers from email. Get a season pass to come to all sessions or drop-in to the ones you want! (Discount code for members in each event)![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-572ab136-c285-4a52-b51c-d3ee6e3d7d72.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-08-17T124950.243-2-7a35269a-13ab-413c-860d-61e0b58def33.png)](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/events?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Write Emails People Want to Read with Lex (Fall Event Series) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/write-emails-people-want-to-read-with-lex-fall-event-series/ Last updated: 2026-08-31T03:39:09.000Z ***BUY A** [***SEASON PASS**](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?utm%5Fsource=luma) **FOR ONLY $79 (LEGENDS RATE) or $149 (PUBLIC RATE). LOG IN TO SEE YOUR DISCOUNT CODE.** ## Thursday, November 12 at 1pm Eastern You know you should have an email list. People are opening the emails. But it's not really going anywhere. Let's turn your list around and make people wanna read your emails! ​In this session, we're going to workshop how to write nurturing emails your clients will want to read. You'll learn how to turn your business services, successes and stories into interesting fodder for emails. We'll talk about subject lines, formats and topics to cover to warm up potential clients. ​NOTE: This is an interactive workshop and discussion session, not a training or a webinar. Come ready to chat! 📼 *All sessions in our Fall Series will be recorded and you'll receive the recording, a recap and a list of participants so you can connect with each other.* --- ## ​Before You Buy ​**GET A** [**SEASON PASS**](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?utm%5Fsource=luma) **FOR ONLY $79 (PAID SUBSCRIBERS) or $149 (PUBLIC RATE) and join us at all events from Sept-Nov 2026** on *Landing paid speaking gigs*, *Selling your book* and *Converting clients from email*. ​Paid subscribers alsoget 50% off drop in tickets. DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​Who should attend this session - ​Service providers - ​Anyone who wants to learn email marketing ​This session is open to anyone with interest in this topic. The people who attend my sessions are a mix of service providers, membership operators, creators and media producers. ## ​About Lex Roman ​​**Lex Roman** (they/them) is an indie publisher who covers how solopreneurs make money at [Revenue Rulebreaker](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) and [The Paid Newsletter Playbook](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma). ​Lex runs the Legends Network, a group of over 350+ creative entrepreneurs. This session is one resource of many. Get their free newsletter at [RevenueRulebreaker.com](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) ## Get a discount on live sessions! ​Paid subscribers get BIG DISCOUNTS on this event series. - ​Get the Fall Season Pass for $79 - ​Take 50% off any drop-in event DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ​Or buy the Fall Season Pass at the regular rate of $149 (you get 3 events free!) [Get a Season Pass](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​Join us for more events this fall ​We're covering landing paid speaking gigs (Sept), selling your book (Oct) and converting clients from email (Nov). ​Check out all events: [Join us for our fall series Sept 10-Nov 30Book paid speaking gigs, sell more books and convert your buyers from email. Get a season pass to come to all sessions or drop-in to the ones you want! (Discount code for members in each event)![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-572ab136-c285-4a52-b51c-d3ee6e3d7d72.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-08-17T124950.243-2-7a35269a-13ab-413c-860d-61e0b58def33.png)](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/events?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### The Lucky 400 Drive: Help us smash 400 Legends! URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/lucky400/ Last updated: 2026-08-02T04:15:17.000Z This drive wrapped on August 1\. Stay tuned for future ones by getting on our newsletter! Small business owners have a harder time swallowing the paid subscription model than nearly anyone else. We all agree there needs to be WAY MORE independent small business media—that it sucks when all small biz information is selling you a product or a service—but are we willing to fund the alternative? ***Revenue Rulebreaker* is here to provide that. Community-backed media that covers solopreneur businesses and the world around them.** I've been commenting on [daily headlines](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/small-business-news/) that affect our small businesses, producing well-researched stories about things like [fractional work](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/should-you-add-fractional-to-your-title-to-find-better-clients/) and how [entrepreneurs retire](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/generating-a-living-wage-is-hard-enough-how-the-hell-do-entrepreneurs-save-for-retirement/), and preparing to relaunch a podcast about [the money behind the demise](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/podcast/) of our tech tools. We brought in guest contributors to [cover Pride from an entrepreneurial lens](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/pride/) in June, we ran a robust series on [growing your audience](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/grow-your-audience/) in May, and we explored the [different lifestyles of solopreneurs](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/work-styles/). But here at *Revenue Rulebreaker*, we don't just push stuff to you. You are a part of the story. This publication is backed by [350+ Legends](https://legends.revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), who are my first call when I need a source or a guest writer. They also benefit from visibility in our directory, free classified ads in our newsletter and the fact that most Legends treat each other as preferred vendors because there's an assumption of shared values. Our goal here is to keep you in business longer. [The perks](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-become-a-legend/) of Legends are designed to support that. **Right now, I need 35 new Legends to join us so we can fill our revenue gap this quarter and unlock a couple bonuses for us all.** What do we unlock, you ask? We'll boost our mixer count to THREE LIVE MIXERS a year. This is a Legends favorite where people meet some of their key collaborators that help grow their business because I match people intentionally. AND I'll be upgrading our website to a more friendly theme so it's easier for you to read our stories, find upcoming events and see your Legends perks. That is not a small expense and it won't happen without this funding. ***Get 25% off Legends right now during our Lucky 400 drive*** Small biz owners love to complain that people like me "charge for email" when they're blowing $100s on courses they never take, $1000s on coaching and $1000s on software. I hate that everyone has to sell their methods at all times to make a living and I hate what that's turned our information systems into. It's impossible to trust anyone's post, video or event when you know a pitch is coming on the other side. I wanted to build something where **the information is the product**. There's no secret agenda to sell you anything else. I understand too that lots of entrepreneurs have gotten sucked into the bowels of Substack and then get overwhelmed by nazelgazers who want their money. That's not what we're doing here. We're building an evolving trove of reliable, urgent information you can use to build your business AND we're giving you a direct promotion channel to grow your audience through my newsletter, directory and events. It's a completely unique offer and one you will not find anywhere else. Legends tell me it's such insane ROI to join our high value network for $99/year and I couldn't agree more. I'll be raising the price of Legends this October so it's a great time to get in if you want to lock in that lower rate too. Help us get to the Lucky 400 mark! Lucky 400 progress meter 367 400 ## Why you should join Legends now There's three main reasons you'd want to join Legends right now. ### Reason 1: You want to join our upcoming activities We've got a ton going on this summer and fall. Here's what's coming up in the next couple months... - **August 18:** Five Star Fest launches! Submit your podcast, newsletter, book, video, or freebie for a review AND compete for prizes when you review other Legends' work. The prizes are things like 1:1 podcast coaching, messaging strategy sessions, writing circles and more. Our top 3 winners will get to take their pick. - **September 22:** Our Legends of the Fall Mixer is on! I will be custom matching you into the right rooms so you meet people you could collaborate with, become referral partners with or who are just good peeps to know. I make matches based on job titles, locations, audience overlap and interests. - **October 19:** The [Secret Santa Swap](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-secret-santa-swap-is-underway/) kicks off! This is a fun event we've done 2 years in a row where it's a newsletter/podcast/blog/social swap and the catch is I assign you another Legends to promote IN SECRET. And someone else promotes you back. I do the reveals every week once the promotions come out. - You'll also get a heavy discount on our fall public event series on how to get paid to speak, selling your self-published book and how to get clients from email (running Sept 10-Nov 30) ### Reason 2: You want in on our promo network Legends isn't just money you toss over to me. You get priority access to promote your business through our channels. - [**Our Legends directory**](https://legends.revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is a place other Legends look for collaborators, to send referrals or to directly hire. - **Request shoutouts, collabs, recommendations** and more with [Legends Liaison](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/legends-liaison?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I plug these in our Tuesday newsletter. - **Get your 3 FREE** [**classified ads**](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/new-perk-unlocked-free-legends-classified-ads/)which also run in our newsletters. Use these to sell your services, promote events or grow your audience. - Not to mention our mixers and collabs that I host which are happening year round. ### Reason 3: You want me to keep going If you're reading all my stuff, commenting on all my posts, referring to my website over and over again, you might genuinely want to be part of this. I hate to break it to you but projects don't continue forever without financial support. News outlets are shutting down daily. Memberships are closing. Startups are failing. I myself have shut down several projects in the last few years. I don't want to do that here, but it very much relies on the people who believe in it and vote for it to keep going WITH CASH. And it does not take much cash. $99/year is all Legends costs—not much for you, but EXTREMELY MEANINGFUL for me. I only keep going because Legends join and stay. When that stops, I'll stop too. ## What we'll unlock with this drive We need to add [35 new Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-become-a-legend/) by August 2 and if we do, two things will happen: **1) We'll unlock an extra Legends mixer a year.** This is a favorite perk so now we'll do them 3x a year. Legends mixers include live music and curated agendas to ensure you meet people you'll have common ground with. Our next one is scheduled for September 22. ![Legends Summer Hang postcard (our last mixer!)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/LegendsSummerHangPostcardJuly2026.png) Legends Summer Hang postcard (our last mixer!) **2) I'll be able to upgrade our website theme over to** [**Gazet**](https://gazet.brightthemes.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) **which will make stories more browse-able, events more obvious and paid content easier to spot.** It will also prepare us for [our forthcoming podcast](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/podcast/). This is a $1k investment because it includes custom development. ![New theme—ours will look a little different after customization](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-26-at-10.57.51---PM.png) New theme—ours will look a little different after customization ## How to share this drive and help us hit this goal If you feel inspired to share what we're doing here, I would really appreciate the help. 1) You can [share this page](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/lucky400?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) with anyone you think should join Legends. I have [a referral program](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/refer-a-friend/) (no sign up required). Just have them mention your name when they join! 2) I will be posting on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexroman/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Threads](https://www.threads.com/@altlexroman?hl=en&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/lexroman.com?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) all week. You can also reshare those posts. That's a huge help too ### Check out what we've been up to in Legends [Legends - Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanEverything a Legend needs! Find the Welcome Guide, the List of Legends and new collaborations.![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-2a02fa49-334e-473e-bf3c-11e1dbea4b15.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/Legends-Stickers-2026--10--4ca87cf4-2bd2-4aad-8144-8235aaea3d71.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/legends/) ### Josh Spector is ditching his free newsletter. Should you? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/josh-spector-is-ditching-his-free-newsletter-should-you/ Last updated: 2026-07-31T22:16:45.000Z Josh Spector announced last Sunday that [he's getting rid of his free newsletter](https://joshspector.com/keep-getting-newsletter/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Starting Saturday, you can only get his newsletter if you're a paid member. It's a bold move and one that has email marketers asking...should more of us be doing that? His newsletter has 30k+ readers. His audience is anyone working with clients, mostly small service providers. Josh has historically been sponsor-backed in addition to being member-backed. And he's been running his membership a long time (you might remember when I advertised it early 2025). He's built a shitload of trust over many years. Still. It's unusual. How will he sell? Why cut people off? Who even pays for emails? _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Ask The Legends: What's your favorite business book? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/whats-your-favorite-business-book/ Last updated: 2026-07-30T01:34:20.000Z ## The question: What's your favorite business book? ### The context: We're gearing up for another bookclub [featuring Legend Maggie Patterson's book](https://luma.com/m7m6u42c?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *Staying Solo* and I've been thinking about the business books that have shaped how I operate. Which one has been most impactful for you?—Lex *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Collaboration requests: Find Legends to collaborate with! URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/collab-requests/ Last updated: 2026-09-01T03:36:32.000Z Podcast swaps, newsletter swaps, guest speaking and more asks from Legends you can team up with _This post is for subscribers on the Legend Status, Legends Partner Status and Legends Lifetime tiers only._ ### Convert Clients From Your Emails with Lex (Fall Event Series) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/convert-clients-from-your-emails-with-lex-fall-event-series/ Last updated: 2026-08-31T03:39:17.000Z ***BUY A** [***SEASON PASS**](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?utm%5Fsource=luma) **FOR ONLY $79 (LEGENDS RATE) or $149 (PUBLIC RATE). LOG IN TO SEE YOUR DISCOUNT CODE.** ## Tuesday, November 17 at 1pm Eastern You've heard people convert clients via email but you've never experienced it. Where is this mythical land of selling from email? ​It's right here! In this session, we'll look at the techniques that make converting from email possible. You'll learn how to get your potential clients to self-identify from your message, book calls or convert directly from your email newsletter. ​NOTE: This is an interactive workshop and discussion session, not a training or a webinar. Come ready to chat! 📼 *All sessions in our Fall Series will be recorded and you'll receive the recording, a recap and a list of participants so you can connect with each other.* --- ## ​Before You Buy ​**GET A** [**SEASON PASS**](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?utm%5Fsource=luma) **FOR ONLY $79 (PAID SUBSCRIBERS) or $149 (PUBLIC RATE) and join us at all events from Sept-Nov 2026** on *Landing paid speaking gigs*, *Selling your book* and *Converting clients from email*. ​Paid subscribers alsoget 50% off drop in tickets. DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​Who should attend this session - ​Service providers - ​Anyone who wants to learn email marketing ​This session is open to anyone with interest in this topic. The people who attend my sessions are a mix of service providers, membership operators, creators and media producers. ## ​About Lex Roman ​​**Lex Roman** (they/them) is an indie publisher who covers how solopreneurs make money at [Revenue Rulebreaker](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) and [The Paid Newsletter Playbook](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma). ​Lex runs the Legends Network, a group of over 350+ creative entrepreneurs. This session is one resource of many. Get their free newsletter at [RevenueRulebreaker.com](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) ## Get a discount on live sessions! ​Paid subscribers get BIG DISCOUNTS on this event series. - ​Get the Fall Season Pass for $79 - ​Take 50% off any drop-in event DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ​Or buy the Fall Season Pass at the regular rate of $149 (you get 3 events free!) [Get a Season Pass](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​Join us for more events this fall ​We're covering landing paid speaking gigs (Sept), selling your book (Oct) and converting clients from email (Nov). ​Check out all events: [Join us for our fall series Sept 10-Nov 30Book paid speaking gigs, sell more books and convert your buyers from email. Get a season pass to come to all sessions or drop-in to the ones you want! (Discount code for members in each event)![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-572ab136-c285-4a52-b51c-d3ee6e3d7d72.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-08-17T124950.243-2-7a35269a-13ab-413c-860d-61e0b58def33.png)](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/events?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Hidden Features of Outpost (Free) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/hidden-features-of-outpost-free/ Last updated: 2026-08-27T22:31:16.000Z *This is a free event, held in partnership with* [*Outpost Publishers Cooperative*](https://outpost.pub/?utm%5Fsource=luma)*.* [![Outpost logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/outpostlogo-2.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- ​There are so many cool things Outpost can do for your indie publication beyond send automated emails and show CTAs. In this session, you'll get to see some of the little known but POWERFUL FEATURES Outpost offers publishers. ​Outpost co-founder Ryan Singel will join us to share his best tips on how to get the most out of Outpost. [Register (Free)](https://luma.com/glt9k4bn?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ​Before you join us, [start a free trial with Outpost](https://admin.outpost.pub/signup?utm%5Fsource=luma#/) so you can follow along in our session. ​📼 This session WILL BE RECORDED and a recap will be shared with all registrants. Register whether or not you can make it live. ## ​​How we'll use our time - **Hidden Features:** Demo of some of the lesser known but powerful features you can use to grow your publication with Outpost - ​**Open Q&A:** Ask your burning Outpost questions or share examples of what you're trying to do with your publication. ## ​​Who should attend this session - ​Publishers thinking of switching to Ghost - ​Ghost publishers new to Outpost - ​Ghost publishers already using Outpost​ [Register (Free)](https://luma.com/glt9k4bn?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Seeds and Summits: Metabolize Your Month with Lex (Fall Event Series) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/seeds-and-summits-metabolize-your-month-with-lex-fall-event-series-3/ Last updated: 2026-08-31T03:39:24.000Z ***BUY A** [***SEASON PASS**](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?utm%5Fsource=luma) **FOR ONLY $79 (LEGENDS RATE) or $149 (PUBLIC RATE). LOG IN TO SEE YOUR DISCOUNT CODE.** ## Monday, November 30 at 1pm Eastern Seeds and Summits is a monthly session where we discuss what experiments you tried this month (seeds) and we celebrate what worked (summits). It's a heartwarming reflection session that helps you cement and celebrate progress and build on it more effectively. ​You'll leave this session with a concrete idea of what's working for you, a mood boost from celebrating wins and a momentum acceleration from your peers. NOTE: This is an interactive workshop and discussion session, not a training or a webinar. Come ready to chat! 📼 *All sessions in our Fall Series will be recorded and you'll receive the recording, a recap and a list of participants so you can connect with each other.* --- ## ​Before You Buy ​**GET A** [**SEASON PASS**](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?utm%5Fsource=luma) **FOR ONLY $79 (PAID SUBSCRIBERS) or $149 (PUBLIC RATE) and join us at all events from Sept-Nov 2026** on *Landing paid speaking gigs*, *Selling your book* and *Converting clients from email*. ​Paid subscribers alsoget 50% off drop in tickets. DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​How we'll use our time ​- Summits: We'll celebrate and discuss your progress and wins \- Seeds: We'll review experiments you and others have tried and uncover what's working (or not) about them \- What's next: We'll make a plan for your next step based on what you shared in the session ## Who should attend this session ​This session is open to all online entrepreneurs. The people who attend my sessions are a mix of service providers, membership operators, creators and media producers. ## ​About Lex Roman ​​**Lex Roman** (they/them) is an indie publisher who covers how solopreneurs make money at [Revenue Rulebreaker](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) and [The Paid Newsletter Playbook](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma). ​Lex runs the Legends Network, a group of over 350+ creative entrepreneurs. This session is one resource of many. Get their free newsletter at [RevenueRulebreaker.com](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma) ## Get a discount on live sessions! ​Paid subscribers get BIG DISCOUNTS on this event series. - ​Get the Fall Season Pass for $79 - ​Take 50% off any drop-in event DISCOUNT CODES FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Log in to see the discount code! [Buy a Season Pass ](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ​Or buy the Fall Season Pass at the regular rate of $149 (you get 3 events free!) [Get a Season Pass](https://buy.stripe.com/7sY6oI1F1bI2d2G7Ip9k406?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## ​Join us for more events this fall ​We're covering landing paid speaking gigs (Sept), selling your book (Oct) and converting clients from email (Nov). ​Check out all events: [Join us for our fall series Sept 10-Nov 30Book paid speaking gigs, sell more books and convert your buyers from email. Get a season pass to come to all sessions or drop-in to the ones you want! (Discount code for members in each event)![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-572ab136-c285-4a52-b51c-d3ee6e3d7d72.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-08-17T124950.243-2-7a35269a-13ab-413c-860d-61e0b58def33.png)](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/events?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Q4 Earnings Call: How's Revenue Rulebreaker doing? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/q4-earnings-call-hows-revenue-rulebreaker-doing/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T19:41:27.000Z **​OPEN TO ALL PAID SUBSCRIBERS AT ALL TIERS AND TIP JAR CONTRIBUTORS* ## Thursday, December 17 at 1pm Eastern ​Where is your money going? I'm here to tell you! We're going to run down the state of the business behind Revenue Rulebreaker and Legends for Q4 (Oct-Dec 2026). We're meeting a little early since it's the end of the year so you'll get a partial view at December but it's good enough to help us plan 2027. ​This session is ONLY open to [paid subscribers](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/membership?utm%5Fsource=luma) and [tip jar contributors.](https://ko-fi.com/lexroman?utm%5Fsource=luma) ### ​How we'll use our time - ​I'll share the state of the business, revenue, expenses and highlights from Q4 - ​You'll have a chance to ask questions or make suggestions for 2027! ### ​Who should attend this session - ​Paid subscribers of Revenue Rulebreaker - ​Tip jar contributors to Lex Roman/Revenue Rulebreaker --- ## ​Join us for more events this fall ​We're covering landing paid speaking gigs (Sept), selling your book (Oct) and converting clients from email (Nov). ​Check out all events: [Join us for our fall series Sept 10-Nov 30Book paid speaking gigs, sell more books and convert your buyers from email. Get a season pass to come to all sessions or drop-in to the ones you want! (Discount code for members in each event)![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-572ab136-c285-4a52-b51c-d3ee6e3d7d72.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-08-17T124950.243-2-7a35269a-13ab-413c-860d-61e0b58def33.png)](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/events?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Generating a living wage is hard enough. How the hell do entrepreneurs save for retirement? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/generating-a-living-wage-is-hard-enough-how-the-hell-do-entrepreneurs-save-for-retirement/ Last updated: 2026-07-26T21:40:03.000Z *Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor and, while some of the sources in this story are financial professionals, you should read this as general guidance and consult a financial professional about your individual situation.* *Corrections: Clarified that RRSPs are taxable income with a link to a resource that explains (July 26)* --- I can pinpoint the exact moment when I lost the motivation to save for retirement. I was sitting in a claustrophobic conference room across from a retirement advisor. I had a job then and this guy worked for the plan my employer bought into. He was supposed to help us calculate how much of our paychecks to contribute to our 401(k). I had always contributed something. 5%. 10%. Whatever I thought I wouldn't really miss. But when he asked me what kind of retirement I wanted to have, I must've said something pretty grandiose because his recommendation was: 90% of my paycheck. I was 29\. Living in San Francisco. Making low six figures. Paying an obscene amount in rent. Obviously, this plan wasn't going to work. He knew that. 90% was a joke or a reality check perhaps. The conclusion we came to was that my vision for retirement wasn't going to happen. And that's where we left it. After that, I lost the motivation to save for retirement at all. I still did it while I was on payroll, but once I went self-employed, I slowly gave up the habit. I know that I'm not alone in having erratic savings routines or being uninspired to build up retirement accounts. Generating a living wage is hard enough. Now, I have to create my own social safety net too? How the hell am I supposed to do that!? It's an uncomfortable truth to know that no one will take care of you if you cannot take care of yourself, but it's the reality for many of us living in countries where the public systems are insufficient. The average Social Security check in the United States right now is [about $2k USD/month](https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/social-security/average-monthly-social-security-check?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and that varies quite a bit based on how much you've paid into the system and your marital status. In Canada, it's lower. The current average Canada Pension Plan payout is [$877.01 CAD/month](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/cpp/amount.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (about $622 USD) and the maximum Old Age Security payout is [$827.17 CAD/month](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/old-age-security/payments.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (about $586 USD). These figures depend on your work history, your marital status and your residency length though there are [additional supplements](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to beef this up to a slightly more reasonable number (closer to $1.6k CAD). On top of that, we keep hearing that a lot could change by the time we age into these programs. ![My Social Security estimate—you can check this at https://www.ssa.gov/](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/ssaretirement.png) My Social Security estimate—you can check this at [https://www.ssa.gov/](https://www.ssa.gov/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Suffice it to say, us North Americans need to be saving something. I may have fallen off the retirement wagon, but I recognize that, even though I may not get the retirement of my dreams, I should still have a plan to not be destitute and fully reliant on the state. In search of inspiration and ideas on how to go about this, I turned to our community of entrepreneurs and financial professionals to hear what's working for them. ## Picture yourself on an island Retirement planners often say you need a vision for your retirement in order to figure out how much funding you need. Living in a trailer down by the river is much cheaper than becoming bi-continental with a second home in The Alps. When I was younger, I envisioned a posh retirement surrounded by the material things I cared about then. Now, I'd be happy to maintain my fairly low cost lifestyle as is. Having an idea of where you're headed is good, but Melissa Moreau says it's common to revisit this vision over the course your life. Melissa is a [CPA, wealth and grief coach](https://serenesunshowers.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in Ontario and she works with widows whose plans have completely shifted after they lost their partner. "It's a very gentle kind of process. It's like an uncovering," she said, sharing that sometimes it's a multi-year endeavor looking as far ahead as you can. Even though I'm not a widow, I appreciated this perspective because I find picturing myself 20-30 years from now to be pretty damn hard. Another thing that can get in the way of creating a vision is your relationship to money. Personal finance coach [Ceres Chua](https://www.themoneymindsetlab.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) likes to start retirement discussions by identifying the [money script](https://www.economicalmind.com/money-scripts-step-by-step-guide/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) behind someone's behavior. Money scripts are the underlying beliefs that influence our financial decisions and they're a common framework for finance pros who help people through money mindset blockers. Are you money avoidant? If so, you may be putting off setting up or contributing to your accounts like me. Are you a money worshipper? Then, you might be endlessly chasing more cash. Regardless of your money trauma, Ceres recommends "removing your own psychology from the decision" and starting with small, automatic contributions without waiting for a perfect plan to be in place. ![Photos of retirement activities like building sand castles and buying oranges](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-07-26T013350.969.png) Photos of retirement activities like building sand castles and buying oranges during the day ## Find your kindred spirits One thing I noticed from everyone I spoke with about retirement planning is that it's more of a group project than it sounds like—especially if you start young. Connecting with the FIRE community made "retirement feel relevant right away" which motivated Aneisha Velazquez to get started saving. "I’d been frustrated for a while of being stuck in this limbo of 'I work to live, can’t get ahead' and I felt there has to be some way out of this loop. That meant I was ready to listen when I found out about FIRE (financial independence, retire early). I first heard about it through Roshida Dowe from [her YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@roshida?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), who talked about it along with the idea of Black women taking career sabbaticals," she said. Aneisha's a small business bookkeeper and she later turned her email to me about her retirement journey into [this blog post](https://thepeacefulpocket.beehiiv.com/p/how-i-think-through-saving-for-retirement-as-an-entrepreneur-who-also-happens-to-be-a-professional-m?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). The FIRE movement has to be one of the most popular finance fandoms. There's several communities around it, a million books written on it and tons of experts sharing their methods to retire early. Bailey Lang told me about [Mr. Money Mustache](https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), who they said was a "classic" source for reading about FIRE though their first recommendation was the Facebook Group [City Girl Savings](https://citygirlsavings.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), run by money coach Raya Reaves. That's where Bailey found the best guidance from the helpful, friendly community there. Bailey's a book coach in Ohio who goes by [The Literary Witch](https://literary-witch.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and they had already decided they wanted to retire early when they met their now husband of five years. "We talked about money pretty much from our first date and, we realized we have very similar goals. We have very similar philosophies about money. It's something we both find interesting and enjoy talking about. It's become a site of real connection for us rather than conflict," Bailey said. They combined their finances when they got married and they regularly review their savings and investment accounts together, playing with different compound interest calculators and making projections about their future. For systems strategist [Devin Lee](http://devinlee.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), she found her savings style through books, podcasts and a sit down at her bank. "Did you know you can just ask your banker for free financial advice and they will talk with you for hours?" Devin [commented](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/) on my Ask The Legends question about retirement. I did know that but I've watched too many heist movies to chill at the bank for too long. She also highlighted some experts she follows including [Carol Cho](https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolchoirc/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Amanda Holden](https://www.amanda-holden.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Vivian Tu](https://www.yourrichbff.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (a.k.a. Your Rich BFF). Finding your guru or community of likeminded people can make you feel less alone in whatever financial state you're in. Hearing all these names reminded me that I was a big fan of [Suze Orman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suze%5FOrman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in high school. She used to be on *Oprah* all the time telling people they were spending too much money. "YOU CAN-NOT AFF-ORD IT!" I've since moved on from Suze and I have no interest in the FIRE movement, but I clearly need to find my retirement posse if picking this habit back up is going to be successful. ## Choose your style of saving The reason I don't save for retirement now is not that I don't know how to do it. It's that I'm prioritizing short-term savings over long-term savings. But I was surprised to learn there were so many different styles of saving for retirement. Here I was thinking everyone was just maxing out their retirement accounts, moving into regular investment accounts and then stashing the rest in high yield savings accounts. For Bailey and their husband, they primarily contribute to investment accounts over retirement accounts. That's because they want to retire at age 50 and, in the United States, they'd pay hefty penalties for withdrawing that money out of an [IRA](https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/smart-money/what-is-an-ira?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or [401(k)](https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/smart-money/what-is-a-401k?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) before age 59½. Bailey has a retirement account from a former job and their husband has one at his current job, but they set up a Vanguard investing account together and they make weekly deposits to it no matter what the market is doing. When you work a job, it's easy to siphon off a percentage of your paycheck into a retirement account. It's less obvious what those contributions should be as an entrepreneur with variable income. To solve this, author and freelance writer [Lindsey Danis](https://lindseydanis.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) takes 12% off of every check that comes in and moves it into retirement accounts. She started at 5% and gradually moved it up to 12%. "The money comes off the tip for me, so I never feel like I'm trading off money for retirement vs money for travel, etc. But I think the mindset adjustment came earlier for me. When I left the employer world behind, I had to come to terms with knowing that the only person who was going to save for my retirement was me," Lindsey said. She's married and her spouse has a more traditional work retirement set up, but that hasn't changed this percentage habit. Designer and writer [Megan Eckman](https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-eckman/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and her husband currently contribute 20% of their annual income to a combination of retirement funds and investment funds. They start by maxing out their [ROTH IRAs](https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/smart-money/what-is-a-roth-ira?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), then their [SEP IRAs](https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/personal-finance/retirement/what-is-a-sep-ira?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), then money market accounts until they hit their goal for the year. Calculating annual contribution instead of monthly is something Ceres recommends to her clients too. Take your annual target and divide it by 12\. That becomes your monthly contribution. But Ceres says it's ok to pause contributions some months and boost contributions in other months. She calls this her Floor-Target-Ceiling model where Floor is a month you can't contribute, Target is when you hit your goal and Ceiling is a make up month when you have extra cashflow. Financial professionals nearly always recommend automating as much of this as possible so you don't have time to second guess yourself or forget to move the money, but Leo Aquino offered us some different options here. Leo's the founder of [Queer and Trans Wealth](https://www.queerandtranswealth.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), a personal finance journalist and a financial coach. They too recommended a "set it and forget it" method, but said that could take many forms. You could auto-deposit from your bank account into your IRA, you could use an automation app like [Sequence](https://www.getsequence.io/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to automate a percentage of your income (instead of a fixed dollar amount) or you could use a mobile app like [Acorns](https://www.acorns.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to round up your purchases and contribute the difference to your retirement. If none of those feel right, Leo says you can "front-load your retirement savings during high-revenue months," meaning contribute bigger amounts manually when you have better cashflow. For most of us, it makes sense to prioritize contributing to retirement accounts first because they have tax advantages in both the U.S. and Canada (and they're even more flexible in Canada because [RRSPs](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/rrsps-related-plans/registered-retirement-savings-plan-rrsp.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [TFSAs](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/tax-free-savings-account.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) don't have early withdrawal penalties—though [RRSPs are taxable income](https://turbotax.intuit.ca/tips/how-to-withdraw-retirement-savings-plans-in-canada-5550?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)). But if you're planning to retire earlier than 60 or you have more to contribute than the regulated annual limits on these accounts, you may also want a regular investment account, a high yield savings or both. ## Consider ways to lower expenses Sitting with that unhelpful retirement planner in San Francisco, it felt impossible to lower my expenses to the point where I could even come close to my retirement goal. I know now that sometimes it takes some pretty drastic life changes to make room for savings and that's part of why I no longer live in San Francisco. ![Suze Orman on her TV show](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/1636727519857.jpeg) Suze Orman on her TV show Before founding her successful systems business, Devin Lee had plenty of ups and downs in her years of self-employment, but she said, "No matter what is going on, I always prioritize saving." Sometimes, that has meant doing [No Spend Months](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6OB41AoyPo&list=PLp2PqgzHzCe4FNW9HdoNCf4zhIYrdBm4V%29&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)—where you try to limit your spending to only essentials like rent, utilities, transportation and food—before a big trip or in times of lower income. I love the concept of No Spend Months and I religiously watch [Bradley on a Budget](https://www.youtube.com/@bradleyonabudget?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for ideas of how to save money daily though I will never be reusing my dental floss like he does. Lowering expenses is also something you could (and probably should) think about as you approach retirement. Housing tends to be the biggest cost so taking on a roommate or moving into shared housing might make sense if you can handle it. Renée Sylvestre-Williams, a Toronto-based [journalist](https://reneesylvestrewilliams.com/the-budgette/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and author of [*The Singles Tax*](https://reneesylvestrewilliams.com/book/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), said there's "increased interest in pooling resources to own property and live together in retirement. I've interviewed people who have rented together, [bought a home together](https://thewalrus.ca/the-housing-market-isnt-for-single-people/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or created a development cooperation and build a condo." I'm extremely on board. I lived in co-housing in Atlanta and I saw how advantageous it was, not just for money saving, but for the community help you might need as you age. Having housemates or neighbors checking on you. Getting rides to the doctor. Asking someone to pick up your meds. Not to mention all the free food people are always giving away. Another thing you could consider is having a retirement job, something different from what you're doing now, and ideally it's something that fulfills other parts of your life and isn't just for the money. Melissa told me, "My father-in-law, when he retired, he had a good pension, but he decided to take on a mail route. It got him some exercise. It was social. It got him out of the house every day. There was structure and routine to his life." Other people she knows have become gas station attendants or strawberry farm workers just because something about those jobs suited them. "Maybe you've always wanted to work at a bookstore or be a coffee barista and you couldn't make the numbers work. Now's your time to get to do that," Melissa said. You don't want to *have* to work in your retirement, but working for fun might make sense for you and it can bring you a little extra cash. ## Make it a habit Ideally, saving is a habit. I get that. I don't do it. But I get it. So, how do you make it so? Jen Mayer, the founder of [Fully Funded](https://www.wearefullyfunded.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and Accredited Financial Counselor based in New York City, says you need to build it into the cost of doing business. "Existence isn't just rent, food, lifestyle. It's all of that plus healthcare plus retirement," Jen told me. That means if your current income isn't covering all of that, it's not high enough and/or you need to cut your expenses. Jen says a lot of entrepreneurs are just "going off vibes" when it comes to setting a target income and that it's worth having a brutally honest conversation with yourself as to whether or not that's sufficient for everything you need. Sometimes, these brutally honest conversations have her clients changing their business models, their offers or their target audience. Perhaps a pivot to enterprise is in your future! When Aneisha began contributing to retirement savings, it was less about how much she could deposit and more about building the habit. "Investing less than $100 a month felt really small compared to online advice that said to contribute $20 a day to get started. But I did it anyway," Aneisha said. For those going a manual route, you will appreciate Bailey's Monday money ritual which was inspired by a workshop [Amelia Hruby](https://www.ameliahruby.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) did on finance rituals. Every Monday, Bailey checks in on the household finances and makes the investment deposit. They told me they used to check every day so pairing back to once a week has been much healthier and easy to maintain. --- Retirement savings is an unfortunate obligation of how we age in North America. Our knees are getting bad. Our hair is falling out. And we have to sock away cash for when it all gets even worse. You can't count on your government. Even the good one (Canada) is punking out on its old people. Listening to all these different approaches gave me visceral reactions to what I liked and disliked. I heard "just start" from nearly everyone—meaning just start saving, start investing—but I think maybe the thing to start with is learning how others do it. It's an easy first step. It's free. And it will quickly illuminate which path you want to go down and who you want to go down it with. I don't know that I'll ever get that same motivation back I had in my youth when I thought my life was going to turn out differently (and honestly be a lot more expensive than it is now) but soaking in these options, I'm inspired to try again. I see more possibilities than "save 90% of your paycheck" and I have the most control over my income that I've had in a long while. Making a living wage is hard month after month, but if I make saving for retirement a mandatory part of that living wage, my future self might just catch a break. ***Which retirement savings style is most like yours? Add your take on this story in the comments below.*** ### Ask The Legends: What does your summer schedule look like? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-does-your-summer-schedule-look-like/ Last updated: 2026-07-26T06:43:39.000Z ## The question: What does your summer schedule look like? ### The context: I know it's not summer everywhere, but for most of us, it tends to be a slower period in business. Either we move slower because we have more going on at home or our clients do. I've heard some folks take summer off or work half weeks. I'm curious how you adjust your schedule.—Lex *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Best of small business news: Week of July 20-24 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/best-of-small-business-news-week-of-july-20-to-24/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T21:37:43.000Z *Last updated: July 24 at 6:48pm CT | This post is live updated through Friday* Welcome back for another week in the wild world of small business! Below you'll find the top stories I think you should know about as a solo business owner, along with my take on why they're important. We're now producing this series every week and some of you have asked for a dedicated newsletter. Once we switch the Magic Pages in the next month, that will be possible. In the meantime, I sent these out on Thursdays and keep the blog live updated all week. Here's what's shaping up this week... _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Squarespace walks back their pricing increase saying it was an "internal error" LOL OK URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/squarespace-walks-back-their-pricing-increase-saying-it-was-an-internal-error/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:01:40.000Z Customers were [rightly pissed last week](https://www.threads.com/search?q=squarespace%20pricing&serp%5Ftype=default&hl=en&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) when Squarespace sent out notices of price hikes of 20-26% year over year. This price jump took us by surprise but Squarespace has been a soulless corporation on the decline since at least 2024, [when private equity bought them](https://www.squarespace.com/press-releases/2024/10/17/permira-completes-acquisition-of-squarespace?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Their customer loyalty is fading fast and it can't withstand much more bad behavior and poor communication. Many Squarespace customers took to social media to seek alternatives or publicly cancel their plan. *Who needs a clunky website builder when you can vibecode something with Claude?* Squarespace support was undoubtedly inundated with requests to change plans and complaints from angry website owners. Yesterday, they issued a correction to most customers saying the new pricing was due to an "internal error" and that it was "higher than intended." Customers [are reporting their price increase](https://www.threads.com/@altlexroman/post/DbJoLpTjdiQ?xmt=AQG0i91C6%5Fwx478J5PtwbTPiUrLWbcV89fJ7MeQ0e5azlA&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is now anywhere from $17 to $55 US dollars. I wrote Squarespace to get confirmation of which plans were affected and what the changed prices are, but have yet to hear back from them. Their email read "certain plans," which implies that this pricing debacle didn't affect all plans. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/Update-to-Your-Squarespace-Website-Subscription-Price-lex-lexroman-com-Lex-Roman-Inc-Mail-07-24-2026_04_44_PM.png) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/Correction-to-your-Squarespace-Website-Subscription-Price-Update-lex-lexroman-com-Lex-Roman-Inc-Mail-07-24-2026_04_44_PM.png) The two emails I received from Squarespace (I removed my clients' domains with yellow boxes) Squarespace does not generally interact with customers on their social media accounts and they posted nothing about either the price hike or the mistake correction on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, X or in [their press releases](https://www.squarespace.com/press-releases?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). The only communication from them is happening privately via email to customers. That makes it hard for us to get a clear read on what plans are changing and by how much. Still, it's pretty weird they pretended this was just a fluke, especially given that they issued the revised prices a full week later. You'd think someone at Squarespace would want to use this high profile moment to issue a mea culpa, reassure customers they're actually listening to us and show they care about our business. Instead, they seemingly chose to have their legal team draft the coldest possible correction to send out. This did nothing to rebuild customer trust. Web designer and digital marketer Lex Lancaster [said on Threads](https://www.threads.com/@lexlancaster%5F/post/DbLmUqlmyxn?xmt=AQG04oDXIXWT2i0NJYXSGBzlHxwamHNZ0O1f5gU4zv1uTA&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), "The narrative that it was an internal error, considering the message I received back from them, doesn’t make sense." Brand consultant and creator Jana Zednickova [said](https://www.threads.com/@jzednickova/post/DbLyL3ACNFA?xmt=AQG0baa1oPHM1BEVBUDuI5--pRy2b-VzBNgVFgzTbsvn2Q&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) it was "still pathetic and offensive." My favorite take came from brand designer Javier Suarez [who wrote](https://www.threads.com/@javieronbrand/post/DbJ9l-wkVqu?xmt=AQG0v1n%5FxhYogYpejNzyxk9sZCz%5F-jr16ZsEGZVNC29Dqw&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), "We really don't bully corporations enough." No one's buying the story that this was a mistake. Post-correction, customers are split on leaving. Some say [this gave them the kick in the pants](https://www.threads.com/@morganglory/post/DbKM-4hFB9u?xmt=AQG0v1n%5FxhYogYpejNzyxk9sZCz%5F-jr16ZsEGZVNC29Dqw&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) they needed to plan an exit sometime in the next year and others are [planning to stick it out](https://www.threads.com/@catherinejanestudio/post/DbLRoL1Dap6?xmt=AQG0v1n%5FxhYogYpejNzyxk9sZCz%5F-jr16ZsEGZVNC29Dqw&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) on Squarespace. Web designers are offering all kinds of advice, including why they chose to build on Squarespace, why they love WordPress, Showit, Framer, Webflow or another alternative, or why it's much more expensive to leave and rebuild elsewhere. I moved most of my websites off Squarespace in the last two years because I knew this private equity situation was going to go downhill for us (listen to [this episode of *Lever Time*](https://www.levernews.com/your-401-k-is-billionaires-next-bailout-scheme/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) if you're confused about why private equity is ALWAYS bad.) But I'm also seeing a renewed conversation about whether most of us even need websites when our identities are spread across platforms and search traffic is way down. We do. I think we do. The AI thieves are stealing everything from us. The social media companies are hoarding all the attention for themselves. The search companies don't want to send us traffic anymore. The marketplaces offer us pennies for our creative work. You need a digital space you can fully control. It doesn't need to be multipage or super designy, but it needs to be yours. Untouchable by tech company whims. Keeping our own little plots of lands feels more important than ever, even if it's getting more expensive to do so. *Related reading:* [I’m starting to think “learn to code” was good advice. Step into the era of cottage code.It’s time to consider whether we need to bring more of our tech in-house.![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-896905ba-008a-41cd-ad26-278096194c2d.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-07-18T222442.076-72da4c78-214d-4559-a350-3b43842c2b3d.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/im-starting-to-think-learn-to-code-was-good-advice-step-into-the-era-of-cottage-code/) ### Patreon is killing your business...and maybe their own URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/patreon-is-killing-your-business-and-maybe-their-own/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T01:32:55.000Z *Disclaimer: This story features my own strong opinions about why I think Patreon is a bad choice for a subscription business and they are just my opinions. Plenty of creators like Patreon. I am not one of them.* I exhale a heavy sigh when I learn a creator is on Patreon and they want my help growing their paid subscription. Patreonis one of the two worst places to be for subscription growth. The other is [Substack](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue/) but everyone knows Substack's got problems. Patreon has a much better reputation as a place for alternative artists and cool podcasters, thanks to founder Jack Conte's origin story as a rock star. But it's a deceptive facade because once you go to Patreon, YOU CAN NEVER LEAVE. Well, you can leave, but your subscribers will not come with you. I don't think Patreon is a good choice for your business, but now I'm wondering if their own business is faltering. Patreon [laid off 20% of its staff today](https://www.404media.co/patreon-lays-off-20-percent-of-its-workforce/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). 20% is a big layoff and it's hard to buy that that's all about AI optimization, especially at a company that doesn't ship much. The numbers seem to indicate that Patreon's own growth might be flattening out this year and, while I think creators who already operate on Patreon are ok there, it might not be the right time to join them. ## Patreon locks your subscribers to their platform. You can't take them with you. Patreon [runs payments through their bank](https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/208656246-How-payouts-work?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) account first, unlike the vast majority of platforms out there where payments go straight through to your processor. Your backers pay Patreon and then Patreon pays you. This is becoming more common practice in tech—tip jar platform Buy Me A Coffee switched from fully integrated Stripe to Stripe Connect within the last year, digital product shop Gumroad changed their payouts to a similar setup—but it's a worse deal for creators. This type of payout system has two major drawbacks for you: it slows down your payouts and it takes your customer relationships away from you. You can choose your payout method with Patreon including Stripe, PayPal, and Payoneer, but what's happening is that Patreon is just transferring you a lump sum of money through that provider when you request it. That's quite different from beehiiv, Ghost, Substack, Buttondown, Ko-Fi or Payhip where you connect your own payout account and every single payment goes immediately there. Why does that matter? Because you control the customer transaction and you can take it with you. If you want to move from Substack to Ghost, your subscriptions can be transferred invisibly—without any action needed from your subscribers—via a Stripe migration. Also, your payouts are daily and automatic. With Patreon, you can decide you don't want to be there anymore, but your subscribers can't be migrated because you don't own that relationship. Very few creator platforms lock you in this way. Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, Gumroad and Stan Store are the only ones I can think of. That leaves a lot of creators nursing their dwindling Patreons because they aren't ready to give up the few hundred bucks they're making there but they moved their core business elsewhere. They've tried getting those last subscribers on Patreon to move too, but it requires every single one of your patrons to cancel and resubscribe elsewhere. Unlikely. ## Patreon is just as bad for subscription growth as Substack. Maybe worse. My beef with Substack has always been two-fold: they're [monopolizing media](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-substacks-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing/) and they have [shitty subscription tooling](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/is-substack-bad-at-paid-newsletters/). Patreon does not have the first problem but they do have the second. Like Substack, Patreon doesn't give you much automation capability or control over your tiers. You're obliged to follow their model. Group subscriptions? Not a thing in Patreon. Want a welcome sequence? You can't have one! How 'bout a delayed promo offer? Nope! For a long time, I thought that, since Patreon has an API (unlike Substack), you could hook it up through Zapier and make your own automations. But in running a recent paid subscription growth cohort, I learned their API only works for PAID subscribers. That's a massive limitation and you've got to believe an intentional one to keep you from moving your audience elsewhere. ![Patreon's automation dashboard (from their support docs)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-8.00.04---PM.png) Patreon's automation dashboard (from their support docs) Patreon's [built-in automations](https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/28030768415629-Automate-your-growth-with-Autopilot?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) are SLIM. You've got one welcome email, one paid welcome email, a teaser campaign, abandoned cart emails, a cancellation offer and expiration emails. These are templated and that would be ok if they were using industry best practices, but in my view, they're not. You need sequences—multiple reminders—in nearly all cases. You also need to be able to message by tier via automations. One-off blanket emails are not as effective. It gives you only one generic chance to upsell or win back. The rest of us running subscription businesses are using multiple emails to do this. As subscriptions become more prevalent, I see custom automated sequences as a required feature. You also have virtually no layout control of your Patreon. This is on purpose and it's probably why a lot of creators gravitate there—they don't want to fuss with design. But what if you want a "why pay" page to help convert people? Or a "paid subscriber FAQ" page? The only way to have these is to [use your featured posts like Max Read did](https://www.patreon.com/cw/MaxRead?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), but that's pretty limiting. What you are left with is having to drive your own subscription sales and win backs every week on Patreon. You have to run campaigns. You have to get smarter about what you paywall. You have to test different CTAs. It's true that all of us running subscription businesses have to do that, but Patreon gives you way less tools to do it and they don't let you automate nearly any of it. ## Ok, they sound bad for my business but what's up with their business? After today's layoff announcement, I looked up some of their growth metrics. Patreon's valuation in 2021, when they did their last venture raise, [was $4B](https://www.wsj.com/finance/investing/patreons-valuation-triples-to-4-billion-as-creators-and-fans-flock-to-platform-11617762374?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Five years later, it's closer [to $1B](https://accessipos.com/patreon-stock-ipo/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Valuations can be fickle because they're based on market vibes but that's quite a drop. What about their creator growth? According to [Backlinko and Graphtreon](https://backlinko.com/patreon-users?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#creators-on-patreon), active paid creators on Patreon is starting to show a small dip in 2026\. See their chart below. [![Chart from Backlinko mapping Graphtreon's data](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-7.32.57---PM.png)](https://backlinko.com/patreon-users?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#creators-on-patreon) Chart from Backlinko mapping Graphtreon's data on Paid Patreon Creators Those same sources indicate Patreon's monthly creator earnings have been flat for years now. Roughly the same from 2022 to 2026\. These charts exclude "hidden earnings," meaning creators whose earnings are not shared publicly for some reason, even in aggregate. And what Patreon chooses to give the media is more selective, like this story in *Variety* that [Podcasters Earned $629 Million in 2025](https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/patreon-podcaster-earnings-2025-biggest-content-category-1236710779/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (up 33% from 2024.) $629M divided by 12 is more than twice the numbers that appear on these charts so it's hard to know what data to believe, though [Graphtreon literally exists](https://graphtreon.com/about?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) just to plot Patreon data. I buy the trend because they track Patreons daily but I maybe don't buy the exact payout numbers. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-7.33.24---PM.png) Brian Dean who put together [Backlinko's report on Patreon](https://backlinko.com/patreon-users?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#creators-on-patreon) came to this conclusion, "The membership platform has experienced strong user growth during the pandemic, but hasn’t grown much over the past few years." That's my read too. Today's layoff seems to indicate a downturn is coming. If you're not already on Patreon, I'd go elsewhere. That's been my recommendation long before this layoff. It's a mistake to leave Substack for Patreon. If you are already there, prepare to weather a storm of minor inconveniences. I don't think Patreon is a total disaster but sometimes they pull shit [like blocking us until we mandatory merge](https://kief.studio/blog/patreon-just-locked-creators-out-of-their-own-payouts-this-week-unless-they-merg?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) our profiles or changing up payout terms. They definitely make it harder to run a creator business, but not impossible. Some people even say there's advantages, though I've never heard what those are. ![My Patreon account is currently blocked because I don't care enough to merge it](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-7.01.01---PM.png) My Patreon account is currently blocked because I don't care enough to merge it If you're looking for alternatives to Patreon, check out my post about [which platforms to use](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/which-platform-should-i-use-for-my-newsletter-business/) and my video on [how to get a paid subscription up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tJJliA%5FUZI&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and running. One last thing I'll add is that Ernie Smith who writes *Tedium* reminded me today that Patreon owns Memberful. Memberful does not suffer from any of the problems Patreon does on the creator side. It has strong tooling, albeit it with hefty fees, but they might be part of this company layoff (that's not being reported, so we don't actually know.) Ernie [also pointed out](https://bsky.app/profile/ernie.tedium.co/post/3mrddossmjk2o?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Patreon has never integrated Memberful or made efforts to merge them, which would actually fix A LOT OF THEIR PROBLEMS, though it would suck for Memberful customers. Best case scenario is Patreon learns from Memberful, integrates with them and empowers Patreon creators to use their automation and customer relationship tools, without destroying the gloriously decoupled marketing suite of Memberful. I do think there's hope for Patreon in some distant future but I'd steer clear until they get their shit together. ***Are you on Patreon? What's your experience been this past year?*** ### Ask The Legends: How do you save for retirement as a self-employed person? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-do-you-save-for-retirement-as-a-self-employed-person/ Last updated: 2026-07-23T02:40:26.000Z ## The question: How do you save for retirement? ### The context: I'm writing a story for us about how US entrepreneurs save for retirement. I would love to hear what has made it easy or possible for you to save. What strategies, tools or people you've leaned on. And this question is open to people in all countries—I'm just having a hard time tracking down anyone outside the US who wants to chat about this!—Lex *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### I'm starting to think "learn to code" was good advice. Step into the era of cottage code. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/im-starting-to-think-learn-to-code-was-good-advice-step-into-the-era-of-cottage-code/ Last updated: 2026-07-19T10:35:49.000Z Squarespace jacked their prices up this week and customers are livid. I've spent a few hours wading through social media posts and replies about whether it's time to leave and what better options exist. Some people are offering a single platform answer ("This is why I'm on WordPress") while others are pointing out that it's not super cost effective to redesign an entire website over a $100 extra bucks a year. But there's a third group of people who are realizing we've struck an iceberg and we need to start preparing our own lifeboats. I have long thought the answer to Squarespace's demise was web designers building their own cooperative platform. But it's not just them that we need to be worried about. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Ask The Legends: What's the role of your website? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/whats-the-role-of-your-website/ Last updated: 2026-07-19T03:47:28.000Z ## The question: What's the role of your website? ### The context: Websites have become (seemingly) less important as more of us build a presence everywhere across the internet. With Squarespace raising prices, a lot of us are wondering if we still need a site or how much website we need. How important is your website? Do people find you there? What role(s) does it play in your business? *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Best of small business news: Week of July 13 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/best-of-small-business-news-week-of-july-13-17/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T21:37:50.000Z *Last updated: July 18 at 5:17pm CT* I keep expecting the news to slow down since it's the middle of summer, but it is showing no signs of that. Legislators worldwide are passing all kinds of crazy things (lots more social media bans on the horizon), the AI companies are racing to make their IPOs happen, and everyone else is just trying to keep up. I'm paying attention to the tech tools and policy changes that affect our small businesses and delivering you the most important headlines every week. Here's what's shaping up this week... _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Ask The Legends: How do you handle LinkedIn with multiple audiences or businesses? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-do-you-handle-linkedin-with-multiple-audiences-or-businesses/ Last updated: 2026-07-16T02:42:00.000Z ## The question: How do you handle LinkedIn with multiple audiences or businesses? ### The context: For those of you who are both employed and running a business, how do you approach LinkedIn? I'm an artist, podcast host, and film industry professional. I want to continue working in film, but I'm also realizing that some of my skills and experience could translate into adjacent industries like advertising, marketing, creative strategy, communications, or community engagement. Because of that, I feel stuck when it comes to LinkedIn. I'm not sure what to post, who I'm talking to, or how to balance multiple goals on one profile. Do you focus on the work you're currently doing, the work you want to do next, or a mix of both? How do you connect with people when you have multiple audiences and potential career paths but only one LinkedIn presence? I'd love to hear how others navigate this. *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Stripe makes a play to buy PayPal with their private equity buddy. It's time for us to wake up to how much power they have. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/stripe-makes-a-play-to-buy-paypal-with-their-private-equity-buddy/ Last updated: 2026-08-27T04:03:38.000Z Updated August 26. While we were fighting over the middlemen like Substack and beehiiv, Stripe was quietly gaining market share. We need to demand more platform integrations than Stripe and PayPal. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Legends Summer Hang Guide URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/mixer/ Last updated: 2026-07-16T21:35:30.000Z How delightful! A fresh Legends mixer is upon us! Here's everything you need to know to have a great time and get some good connections outta this. 🏖️ Register for the July 16 mixer: [https://luma.com/gmnhtgzo](https://luma.com/gmnhtgzo?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## 📣 What to expect The format of this mixer is different than our usual. It's discussion rooms that you self-select into. _This post is for subscribers on the Legend Status, Legends Partner Status and Legends Lifetime tiers only._ ### Should you add "Fractional" to your title? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/should-you-add-fractional-to-your-title-to-find-better-clients/ Last updated: 2026-07-16T02:14:11.000Z ****Additions:** Ted Fickes had some compelling comments on this story about fractional in the nonprofit space that I added post-publish. Find them under "If your clients are searching for fractional" (July 15) You've left your corporate life behind to have more freedom choosing your clients and your projects, but there's one thing you need to solve. What do you call yourself now that there's no org chart? Titles carry a surprising amount of weight. They offer search terms clients use to find you on LinkedIn, Google or ChatGPT. They give language to your referral partners for how to talk about you with potential leads. And they shape how client teams see your role once you begin an engagement. No wonder we're always looking for better words to describe what we do. Our opportunities and income hinge on it. One title has blown up in the last few years: Fractional leader. Former executives shifting into self-employment add the label in front of their previous title. Fractional CMOs, Fractional CFOs, Fractional CTOs, even Fractional CEOs are everywhere now. An [article in *Harvard Business Review*](https://archive.is/20260212105801/https://hbr.org/2024/07/how-part-time-senior-leaders-can-help-your-business?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) stated that, in 2022, a mere 2,000 people used fractional as part of their job title on LinkedIn. Two years later, that grew to more than 110,000 professionals. Despite its rise in popularity, entrepreneurs debate whether or not the fractional title is actually helpful or hurtful to your business development. Some say it helps them get found and communicate their role faster. Others say it makes structuring engagements harder and it confuses clients unfamiliar with the term. The fractional framing works, but only for select groups of people. I wanted to know more about who those people are and what about them or their clientele makes fractional the right fit. I turned to both entrepreneurs who identify as fractional leaders and those who have scrapped the title to understand when and why you should choose it. ## How people become fractional executives Jennifer Yates started using the title Fractional Operations Leader when she went out on her own in 2023, thanks to a brand strategist who encouraged her to add it for SEO purposes. But it didn't feel quite right, especially after she joined a community called [Fractionals United](https://www.fractionalsunited.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which had a clearcut definition of the term. "At the time, \[the founder of Fractionals United\] argued that a person had to have held the title of the position in a previous role in order to be considered fractional in the same role. For example, if I was going to call myself a Fractional COO, I should have been a COO in a previous role," Jennifer said. Fractionals United was created by [Karina Mikhli](https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinamikhli?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), who has used Fractional COO herself since 2019, according to LinkedIn. Karina held the COO role at several companies full time before going independent. But for Jennifer, her highest title in corporate was VP of Business Operations. Did Fractional COO fit her still? She's let Fractional Operations Leader remain [on her website](https://www.workwithroux.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), but she doesn't use it [on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferayates/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and she told me she never calls herself fractional or heard her clients refer to her that way. She leaves it there for discoverability only. Former executives aren't the only ones claiming these titles though. Founders have been dabbling in the fractional world too. Caroline Fay said hiring part time help was discouraged when she was a founder in 2017\. But now that the fractional framing has taken off, it's seen as "smart and pragmatic" to bring on fractional leaders in today's tech landscape. "A startup team can have access to bonafide expertise without a full-time price tag," Caroline said. Since exiting her own startup, she's been a founder coach and mentor as well as an entrepreneur-in-residence. Within the last couple years, Caroline began using [Fractional Go-To Market Exec and Sales Advisor](https://www.extragroup.nyc/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) because her startup clients are seeking that out. There is also such a thing as a Fractional Co-founder. A serial founder based in Denmark who goes by the name [Milo AI](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iammiloai/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) has had multiple exits with his own startups. He decided he wanted to play the field on more than one endeavor so he began operating as a Fractional Co-founder seven years ago. Milo's taken that position in at least five different companies. He told me it means, "working part time, taking less equity, and having less responsibilities, but bringing 10 years of experience as a founder." Tangibly, Milo would help teams fundraise or nail customer acquisition and then, he'd move into more of an advisory role for the startup—keeping his equity but reducing or removing the salary. No one is governing the use of fractional titles so while previous executive or founder experience are common paths into fractional leadership, plenty of consultants are adopting the label because it makes sense to them and their clients. ## When fractional helps you ### If your clients are searching for fractional Search engine optimization was a key reason people told me they leaned into fractional titles. Meghan Hardy, who does hands-on marketing and growth work for consumer brands, told me she's gotten more inbound interest from clients since putting "Fractional CMO" in [her LinkedIn headline](https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghanhardy/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Likewise, project Manager Marissa Taffer added fractional in front of her title to [her LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mtaffer/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [her website](https://www.mtafferconsulting.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) a few years back when the term began taking off. "I wanted to make sure I was getting found when people were looking for fractionals in the project management space. It IS a good description of what I do.... but I am not married to it," Marissa said. Whether or not your clients would search for you with the keyword "fractional" is industry dependent. Fractional executives [are common now](https://www.jobbers.io/how-companies-use-fractional-executives-fractional-cmo-cto-cfo-the-rise-of-c-suite-freelancing/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in tech, e-commerce, marketing, finance, manufacturing and nonprofits. Marketing consultant [Chris Lam](https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrislamconnects/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) told me she's found it works with boutique agencies and social media professionals, but that other types of small businesses don't get what it means and aren't looking for help that way. Communications, marketing and project leader Allison Boaz doesn't use fractional in her title, but adds it [as a service offering](https://allisonboaz.com/services/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). She said if clients are using that term, they'll recognize it in her materials and if not, she often includes "part time" to clarify what fractional means to her. [![Allison Boaz's service page listing Fractional Marketing and Communications Leadership](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-11-at-11.26.50---PM.png)](https://allisonboaz.com/services/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Allison Boaz's service page listing Fractional Marketing and Communications Leadership Communications advisor [Ted Fickes](https://brightplus3.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) had a small warning about fractional roles in the nonprofit sector, calling them a "check engine light." He says nonprofits and foundations sometimes search for fractional help because they can't hire or retain full time talent. Ted recommends doing your due diligence to find out what's under the hood before agreeing to a gig. That's probably applicable advice for all industries hiring fractional execs. ### If your role is common in the fractional space Some roles lend themselves to the fractional frame better than others says Ashley Jefferson who runs a community in New York called [Founders, Funders, & Fractionals](https://luma.com/FoundersFundersFractionals?period=past&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). "People are warming up to certain functions a lot quicker than they are to others. \[Fractional\] CFO and CTO will continue to be something where people just get it," Ashley said. Fractional CFO is one of the longest running fractional titles according to several blog posts I read. They make up [nearly 20% of the fractional market](https://www.reveliolabs.com/news/business/everyone-needs-a-side-hustle-these-days-even-executives/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), followed by CMOs, CEOs and COOs. Fractional CTOs appear to be a smaller slice of the pie, but I wonder if that's because there's a technical bar to becoming a CTO that doesn't exist in a lot of the other functions, meaning that there's just less of them out there. ### If it helps you communicate your role faster [Laura Green](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraggreen/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) told me she uses the fractional title mostly to communicate externally on behalf of clients. "If I'm sending an email on \[a client's\] behalf to a contractor or someone external, I want them to know that I'm not dedicating the same capacity to my role and therefore might not respond at the same cadence without making me look like a poor performer or making \[my client\] look like they don't have their stuff together," Laura said. That fractional title is COO, but Laura doesn't use it in marketing to clients. She prefers project-based framing which makes more sense to her nonprofit and social enterprise clientele. For Kate Dole, it's more about internal communication beyond her point of contact. She uses the term [Fractional Growth & Brand Leader](https://www.linkedin.com/in/katedole?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which helps teams get quickly where she fits in and how to work with her. Kate said, "The key stakeholder doesn't care as much as the internal team does. Anecdotally, it's also seemed to help people understand I'm not 'just a consultant.' I'm here to dig in and help get stuff done." ### If it helps you price better Naming yourself as a fractional executive could set a more clear pricing expectation with potential clients, some leaders say. Tina Bar-On is a Fractional CMO for ecommerce brands and she said that title "automatically filters for a specific price point." On [her website](https://www.tinabar.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), Tina augments the fractional language with other keywords like "partner," "strategic guidance" and "longterm," which speak to the type of engagements she's looking for. She also gives concrete examples of the kind of work she does like decision-making sessions, data focused audits, and campaign reviews—labeling these as activities she would do if she were your full time CMO. You might find that owning your expertise as a fractional exec helps you more confidently claim and market your value. That was the case for [Ashley Whitlatch](https://ashleywhitlatch.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) who traded the contractor title for Fractional CMO on the advice of an advisor several years ago. "She reminded me I wasn't just a short term contractor, but an experienced global executive with valuable expertise to offer my clients. It was a good reminder to not undervalue myself," Ashley said. [![Ashley Whitlatch's offers feature Fractional CMO](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-12-at-1.34.16---AM.png)](https://www.ashleywhitlatch.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Ashley Whitlatch's offers feature Fractional CMO ## When fractional hurts you ### If there's a higher value framing As ubiquitous as fractional is becoming, some people who could grab onto that term are choosing more descriptive language. They see bigger benefits from setting fresh expectations with clients about how they work than in latching onto the trend. When Britt Gage founded [of All Trades](https://www.weofalltrades.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (oAT), she deliberately avoided the word fractional and instead describes their work as "integral." of All Trades places "embedded generalists" within client teams across a range of functions including marketing, operations, sales, product and customer success. Britt says they're not an agency, not a consultancy and not a marketplace. It's a way of operating that is unique to of All Trades and therefore defies standard categorization. Britt and her team assess a client's needs, develop a scope of work and choose the right operator(s) for that client to work with. oAT avoids hourly pricing and putting resource management on the client's shoulders, instead opting for regular check-ins where clients can change what they need at any time. I asked Ashley Jefferson if she was seeing any new titles or language popping up in her fractionals community and she said she's hearing more outcomes-based messaging around metrics or results. Ashley said even if you use the fractional title, it's not communicating enough yet to hang your business on. "It's becoming increasingly more important to have a point of view," she said. She recommended understanding what specific impact or transformation you're creating with your clients and giving language to that in your marketing. ### If it creates mismatched expectations Jessica Lackey used the Fractional COO title for three years before she realized it conflated too many ideas together and wasn't clearly communicating to clients what they would get. Jessica's background is in consulting and corporate leadership and now she helps other people make the leap from corporate to self-employment through her programs at [Deeper Foundations](https://www.deeperfoundations.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). As the adoption of fractional grows, some people use it to elevate their freelance title. Some use it to mean strategy without execution. And others use it to mean both strategy and execution. "The problem is the title distinguishes none of that for the buyer. So they often default to the most demanding version—embedded, accountable, always available—and feel it as a broken promise when what you're actually delivering is advice or a project," Jessica said. She pointed out that the term fractional focuses on hours not outcomes and said you might be better off framing around "projects, milestones, or value rather than hours." Management Consultant [Brian Kerr](https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-kerr-98406/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) agrees. He's steered clear of the term because "nobody could agree on what it meant besides ‘cheap.’" If you find using the keyword fractional means you have to do *more* client education than usual or you have *new* boundary problems during engagements, it might not be worth the discoverability you're getting. ### If your clients are searching for something else On the flip side of making you more findable in search, fractional can also take up space where a better keyword belongs. That's what Matt Rosenberg found. Matt tried both Fractional CMO and Fractional Head of Marketing on LinkedIn as recommended by a headhunter friend but found that those labels reduced inquiries from clients. He said, "I concluded people want my help, they don’t want to feel like they’re taking on a full time part time executive." Like Allison Boaz, he still uses the fractional language deeper in his profile, but his main title is now [Marketing Consultant](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattrosenberg/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ## Should you add "Fractional" to your title? If your clients are searching for fractional leaders, it's worth trying. It can make you more easy to find, it can raise your pricing expectation and it can communicate what you do quickly. You can get a sense for how widely used fractional is in your space by searching for other fractionals who serve your same clientele or industry. But if you're not in an industry where it's commonly known, fractional framing could hinder your ability to connect with the right people. You might be better off using the descriptors your clients are seeking out or developing your own language for how you work like Britt Gage and Ashley Jefferson shared. [![of All Trades' website framing what they do](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-12-at-1.35.11---AM.png)](https://www.weofalltrades.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) of All Trades' website framing what they do One thing is clear to me after talking to these sixteen people about the fractional trends: it's easy to experiment with your title and find out for yourself. You can add it on LinkedIn or on your website, see how inquiries shift, learn what clients believe it means and decide whether it's helping or hurting you with your own data. If it doesn't work, it's quick to swap it out. Other related labels you can try on include consultant, advisor, interim, embedded or \[craft\]-in-residence. Like any term that takes off, fractional elicits strong feelings especially from its haters, but your title is just the gateway for a conversation. If adding fractional helps you have more of the conversations you want to have, then it's the right move for your business. ***Does the term fractional help or hurt with your clients? Share your take in the comments below.*** ### Ask The Legends: How do you make the most of a conference? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-do-you-make-the-most-of-a-conference/ Last updated: 2026-07-12T19:12:23.000Z ## The question: How do you make the most of a conference? ### The context: It's conference season. We all know conferences are good for making new connections but I'm curious how you make the most of the opportunity. It's getting more expensive to travel and some of us can only make one or two of these a year if we're not paid to be there. How do you use your time before, at and after a conference to make sure you get a return on your investment? *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Have your own question? [Ask it here!](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Best of small business news: Week of July 6-10 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/best-of-small-business-news-week-of-july-6-to-10/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T21:38:10.000Z *Last updated: July 11 at 12:37pm CT* I'm back from my trip to Quito and will be liveblogging the news every day this week. I was wrong about the news being slow last week, between ThriveCart's Friday outage, Flodesk's Studio release and beehiiv's hilariously bad report, there was plenty to discuss. This week's featured story (coming this weekend) is about whether or not adding the "fractional" title helps or hurts you with clients. Other stories I'm keeping my eyes on include the fallout from ThriveCart's mess, more evidence of the AI bubble bursting, and Cloudflare's make-AI-bots-pay-to-crawl experiment. Here's what's shaping up this week... _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Ghost broke our beautiful gift links :/ URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ghost-broke-our-beautiful-gift-links/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T15:30:22.000Z Yesterday, Ghost shipped [publisher-side gift links](https://ghost.org/changelog/publisher-gift-links/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (meaning I can make gift links on my side only) and I think it broke our previous reader-side gift links. Huge bummer! The gift links code I was using was [generously created by Eli Pizza](https://giftlinks.net/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for indie publishers and it was working great! But then Ghost went and shipped a sliver of the feature and because the URL structure is the same (yourstory.com/?gift=STRING), I believe it's overriding Eli's code. For now, I've taken out the code for gift links because those links won't work. We'll have wait for Ghost to ship what this feature actually should be: reader-side gift links. I also heard Magic Pages might ship it also and we're moving there soon. I love gift links as much as you do, but I can't afford to hire someone to custom write a fix for us, so we'll have to wait until someone helps us out with something public. Stay tuned and sorry for the inconvenience. ### Ask The Legends: Does adding "fractional" to your title help or hurt? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/does-adding-fractional-to-your-title-help-or-hurt/ Last updated: 2026-07-06T00:15:24.000Z ## The question: Does adding "fractional" to your title help or hurt? ### The context: I'm writing about whether or not the fractional title helps or hurts consultants. In the last five years, we've seen more fractional CMOs, COOs, CFOs, even fractional co-founders emerge. I want to hear about your experience using it or losing it. Do clients get it? Does it help with engagements? Or has it confused your message? *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility. *Have your own question?** [***Ask it here!***](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### How's the business doing? Quarter in review (Q2 2026) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/hows-the-business-doing-quarter-in-review-q2-2026/ Last updated: 2026-07-09T20:40:48.000Z ****Updates:** **July 5* I added more detail about subscriber growth and about shares I [predicted that](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/hows-the-business-doing-quarter-in-review-q1-2026/) we were going to have a rough quarter. Today, I'm sharing exactly how it went. I ended up shifting some of our revenue and expenses around to make the math work. I also took some gigs outside the *Rulebreaker* world for the first time since we launched nearly two years ago. Subscriptions stayed flat. Sponsorships went down. Events went up. We shipped the 2026 Legends sticker pack. We launched Legends Liaison and Classified Ads. We read stories about selling books, growing newsletters, prioritizing expenses, getting site traffic, finding clients on LinkedIn, knowing who to trust about AI and traveling with a business. We heard from over 60 Legends about everything from handling life emergencies to marketing a lead magnet in our Ask The Legends advice series. You collaborated with each other to produce stories, podcasts, events and new offers. You hired and referred each other for projects. I worked on shoring up our editorial strategy and I began liveblogging small business headlines. It was a ton of work. But any day I get to wake up and do this job is a great day. Here's my recap of how *Revenue Rulebreaker* did in Q2\. 📼 *You can also watch the recording of the Q2 Earnings Call. If you're logged in as a paid subscriber, that link appears below.* ### **Sections** - [Top lessons](#top-lessons) - [Q2 2026 Goal targets vs reality](#Q2-2026-Goal-targets-vs-reality) - [What we did together this quarter](#what-we-did-together-this-quarter) - [Community success stories](#community-success-stories) - [Successful and failed projects](#successful-and-failed-projects) - [Growth channels that worked](#growth-channels-that-worked) - [Revenue and expenses](#revenue-and-expenses) - [What to expect in Q3](#What-to-expect-in-Q3) ## 💡Top lessons **I am the brand.** There's still some confusion about what the topic of this project is. It's how solopreneurs make money. But I've had several people join Legends (or share about it publicly) by referencing paid newsletters. I've been talking loudly about paid newsletters for the past three years on my personal social media, but *Revenue Rulebreaker* is ***not*** ***about*** paid newsletters. It never has been. Nor is Legends. I can write all the marketing copy about this project being focused on solopreneurs and how they make money. It doesn't sink in. Whatever I am talking personally about gets assigned to this brand. **Editorial has to pull its weight.** When people become Legends, they overwhelmingly join because of the network perks. Coming to mixers, finding collaborators, getting more visibility on their business. I play those up in my marketing because I'm aware they are valuable and sought after. Occasionally, a Legend shares a specific story they wanted to read that caused them to upgrade, but it's fairly rare. I know Legends appreciate the stories, but I need for the editorial side to attract more of our paid subscribers. Otherwise, the publication doesn't have a reason to exist. **50% off is too much.** The big subscriber drive this quarter was the bundle I ran with Lucy Werner. We launched at 50% off annual for two days and that discount is too much. I'll never do that again, at least at our current price point. Discounts work to encourage people who've been thinking about joining to join, but they also bring in lower intent, lower commitment people who are often confused about what we're doing and want me to sell them post-purchase or onboard them more substantially. I cannot do that for $50/year. I can't even really do that for $99/year. **Beware the sponsor who doesn't work with creators.** I have always targeted brands for partnerships who are newer to working with creators. That's worked in my favor until now. This year, I pitched three brands who have never done a creator partnership and they all were more work than expected with extra meetings and email questions. Some people get it quickly. (My partnership with Outpost has been the best.) Others require more education and handholding than I can really do at the prices I charge. I've started pitching brands that do work with creators more frequently and they're substantially easier to work with. **Our biggest problem is that this project isn't shareable.** It does get shared but it's a small crowd who does most of the sharing. When I ask, people do share, but our stories and events should be more obviously shareable, without me having to ask. I'm constantly trying to experiment with ways to make them things you'd want to tell people about but it's not working yet and I don't really understand why. The reader survey did not illuminate this for me at all. ## 🥅 Q2 2026 Goal targets vs reality *Revenue Rulebreaker*'s core revenue streams are subscriptions, sponsorships and events. Here's how they performed in Q2. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Best of small business news: Week of June 29-July 3 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/best-of-small-business-news-week-of-june-29-to-july-3/ Last updated: 2026-07-09T22:36:14.000Z *Last updated: July 4 at 2:13am CT* | *This post is live updated through Friday* ****Corrections:** \- **July 1* Re: beehiiv's State of Paid Newsletters: [Added Matt Brown's post](https://bsky.app/profile/mattbrown.bsky.social/post/3mpgukyfq522s?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) about how beehiiv used incorrect data for his publication (off by 50k subscribers) \- *July 3* Re: ThriveCart's outage. 1) ThriveCart did send some customers emails about the problem. 2) The AWS outage possibly affected one other company. These corrections are updated in [the full story.](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/customers-are-bailing-on-the-once-beloved-thrivecart-the-downtime-is-one-thing-its-the-communication-thats-the-problem/) Welcome back to a live blog of small business news! Every week, I scour the headlines, the forums, the social media networks, the group chats for the most important info you need to know to make smart business decisions (or just to impress your business friends.) This week is shaping up to be slower in the business world with a lull in big conferences and happenings. I will be traveling most of the week but I'll still be here at least once a day bringing you my take on the news. Here's what's shaping up this week... _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Customers are bailing on the once beloved ThriveCart. The downtime is one thing. It's the communication that's the problem. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/customers-are-bailing-on-the-once-beloved-thrivecart-the-downtime-is-one-thing-its-the-communication-thats-the-problem/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T14:52:35.000Z ****Corrections:** **July 4* **—**This story includes two corrections from [my earlier post](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/best-of-small-business-news-week-of-june-29-to-july-3/). 1) ThriveCart did send some customers emails about the outage. 2) The AWS outage possibly affected one other company. **July 6—*Updated this story to include [ThriveCart's CEO postmortem message](https://thrivecart.com/blog/july-3-postmortem/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which they released today. Also updated the story to include reports that ThriveCart customers are getting blocked from the official customer support Facebook group. See more at the bottom of this story. **July 7*—Added what ThriveCart support said about why some customers are being blocked from their Facebook group Another exodus of ThriveCart is brewing after their service went down for several hours on Friday due to an [unplanned update to their AWS database](https://www.threads.com/@thrivecartofficial/post/DaWAjfskaJk?xmt=AQG08KAzH4xMOcUc8cmmS2b5Ykp0uEsgWydH8jABGBgGZeF1qoLdlo4nPhN4buVAqWg4gOo&slof=1&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). AWS hosts nearly 30% of the internet so it's usually more obvious when they cause a problem, but this was not a system wide outage. There were no widespread reports about other apps being down today. It mainly seems to have affected ThriveCart and [possibly Instacart](https://downdetector.com/status/instacart/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ThriveCart customers took to Threads starting around 8:30am Eastern time to share that the platform was not functional. - SEO pro Nina Clapperton said they [couldn’t sign in or open their cart](https://www.threads.com/@ninaclapperton/post/DaVMOt8EUNr?xmt=AQG0TBvkLrg35v2KdjN1xge0U5oUYjEJl4xk713LzMSgL%5F7j9xCuUYe%5FZYuEbZYHuXyG5AXs&slof=1&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) on the last day of their launch. - Pinterest expert Meagan Williamson reported that they saw a purchase come through [only via their end processor PayPal](https://www.threads.com/@meaganawilliamson/post/DaV3u6nEUOx?xmt=AQG0MuZzNN%5FaDLisUmF%5Fvlrx2AWyX7C0tCi8i5q0xzbXKeKhz0nFh2B76W4f9DKUzvwk3myC&slof=1&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), implying that ThriveCart did not document the transaction at all. - Systems strategist Ashley Tindall wrote that [her client emailed her](https://www.threads.com/@solution.integrators/post/DaWt6v8lY4t?xmt=AQG0tOWAxpqUu9lSIyfxRkb9MucmIWrtK1%5FPdT%5FqcWekGg&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) at 6:26 am ET because they "had been trying for several hours to access a course in ThriveCart learn and couldn’t." - Systems Over Stress’s Ashley Rose said she was trying to buy from someone else hosted on ThriveCart today and [their checkout was down](https://www.threads.com/@systemsoverstress/post/DaVd5P7lExF?xmt=AQG0UJlUiTx4uhdAl4znARtecExI7NLytT-uukwE9868-cVqhcRiKax6UIoFxCLImga7oeSq&slof=1&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Online business owners once loved ThriveCart for their one time pricing plan, their affiliate system and their easy upsells but problems with their platform have been mounting for two years. This outage is the latest in a series of bad service quality with TC users saying that [their customers can't check out](https://www.threads.com/@solution.integrators/post/DaEnPCGFdA7?xmt=AQG0RUgQkQSw8fMr8J86cO%5FtCVfob-zqHpRer2DpSG3DRA&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), that their [members get kicked out of their portal](https://www.threads.com/@litchfieldmedia/post/DaRt8%5FqlC5s?xmt=AQG0eUDqhx9jEjREnaKAfnHaFP7vsvAp-LU0TaUyLV7nvwBHL-M-rruBZ4xIWn7SA2MBdFKm&slof=1&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for no reason, that their [products spontaneously stop working](https://www.threads.com/@oliviabossert/post/DYJgn95AvhC?xmt=AQG0RUgQkQSw8fMr8J86cO%5FtCVfob-zqHpRer2DpSG3DRA&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or that they [can't actually edit their products](https://www.threads.com/@ninaclapperton/post/DZKomdElpAX?xmt=AQG0RUgQkQSw8fMr8J86cO%5FtCVfob-zqHpRer2DpSG3DRA&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)—all before Friday's downtime. The problems began around the time ThriveCart took a [$35M investment](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thrivecart-secures-35m-investment-to-help-e-commerce-entrepreneurs-and-creators-grow-their-businesses-faster-301723855.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) led by private equity firm LTV SaaS Growth Fund. Private equity entering the ring rarely ends well for customers. On LTV SaaS Growth Fund's [website](https://ltv.fund/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), they state that, "LTV SaaS Fund seeks medium-term investment opportunities, with a return rate of approximately 174% over a 3-5 year term." You've never heard of the other companies this group has invested in. It's mostly Shopify apps. We are now 3 years into their investment with TC and the pressure is on to deliver that return. ThriveCart has had two different CEOs since they took this cash, with Ismael Wrixen moving into the role last year. Under Wrixen's leadership, ThriveCart has made at least three acquisitions—[PiktoChart](https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/banking-and-financial-services/thrivecart-acquires-piktochart-to-add-ai-powered-visual-content-crea-1143149?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [VBOUT](https://menafn.com/1110767834/Thrivecart-Acquires-VBOUT-Adds-Native-Email-CRM-AI-Marketing-Automation-To-Creator-Commerce-And-Learning-Platform?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), and [Stealth Seminar](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/thrivecart-acquires-automated-webinar-platform-175000699.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)—their first product acquisitions maybe ever in the company's history. Product acquisitions can be good for customers if integrated well, but they can also create an unstable and unwieldy platform. Whether or not the acquisitions are causing a technical problem, it's clear ThriveCart's leadership is focused more on growing to appease investors than actually serving their core audience. All tech companies deal with outages and bugs. The issue with ThriveCart is that they're not just failing at tech, they're unable to properly communicate with customers. ThriveCart did send two emails to customers on Friday. The first went out at 11:08am ET (at least 6 hours after the incident began) to notify them about the outage. The second was at 3:32pm ET to let customers know it was resolved. Several customers confirmed that they received these emails, however I am a ThriveCart customer and I received nothing. A few others [reported they didn't received any emails](https://www.threads.com/@altlexroman/post/DaWfvcGEfYA?xmt=AQG0tOWAxpqUu9lSIyfxRkb9MucmIWrtK1%5FPdT%5FqcWekGg&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) either. Melissa Litchfield, who runs an ad agency for online businesses, [said what might have happened](https://www.threads.com/@litchfieldmedia/post/DaWgeSnnZg3?xmt=AQG0tOWAxpqUu9lSIyfxRkb9MucmIWrtK1%5FPdT%5FqcWekGg&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is ThriveCart lets you unsubscribe from system notifications, treating them the exact same as their marketing emails. In my case, their social team said my email was bouncing even though I checked my spam and filters and that same email is what I use for every other app. ThriveCart does have [a status page](https://thrivecart.statuspage.io/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which reflected the outage, but you wouldn't know about that if you didn't get the emails because they didn't bother posting it on social media to ensure their customers saw it. This is just the tip of the iceberg for ThriveCart's communication fails. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/Fw-Ongoing-Amazon-AWS-Emergency-System-Update-lex-lexroman-com-Lex-Roman-Inc-Mail-07-04-2026_12_29_AM.png) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/Fw-RESOLVED-Amazon-AWS-Emergency-System-Update-lex-lexroman-com-Lex-Roman-Inc-Mail-07-04-2026_12_30_AM.png) ThriveCart's communication emails on Friday, July 3 The ThriveCart social media team spent most of Friday fact checking their customers' complaints instead of actually addressing them. Meanwhile, there were zero proactive posts about what turned into 10-11 hours of platform downtime nor any status updates [until it was resolved at 4:19 pm ET](https://www.threads.com/@thrivecartofficial/post/DaWAjfskaJk?xmt=AQG0vUovKiQqg1Gdp-9rucJGZbBx3SKFY%5FwcWxcBF9cFTQ&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). While ThriveCart customers panicked in public about their blocked launches, lost sales and unhappy clients, the TC official social account was posting embarrassingly bland nonsense that had nothing to even do with their product. In all of their communications across social media, email and the app itself, ThriveCart doesn't seem to grasp how critical their tool is for small business owners. They have been known to [delete unwanted posts in their Facebook support community](https://www.threads.com/@systemsoverstress/post/DaWZRqfmDk%5F?xmt=AQG0tOWAxpqUu9lSIyfxRkb9MucmIWrtK1%5FPdT%5FqcWekGg&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and they never take any responsibility for their homegrown problems. Meagan Williamson [summed it up by saying](https://www.threads.com/@meaganawilliamson/post/DaV6kmzD1om?xmt=AQG0vUovKiQqg1Gdp-9rucJGZbBx3SKFY%5FwcWxcBF9cFTQ&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), "Every single time there is a technical problem, the team is always pointing the finger at every other app, company or touchpoint." ![ThriveCart's social reply on Threads to a customer.](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-04-at-12.42.48---AM.png) ![ThriveCart's social post from Friday](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-04-at-12.51.13---AM.png) One of ThriveCart's replies to a customer and one of their posts from Friday during the outage It's a stark contrast to Flodesk, which [also has technical problems](https://statusgator.com/services/flodesk?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), but who does a substantially better job at communicating with their customers. Since both brands are active on Threads, it's interesting to watch one rise and the other fall, mainly due to the level of trust they've built with their audience. Flodesk can do no wrong right now (even when they do something wrong) but ThriveCart has spent the last couple years losing any goodwill they ever had. In the wake of hundreds of reports that basic functions of their platform aren't working, they give lukewarm apologies or share vague plans to "do better" with no follow up action. One company knows how to instill confidence in their brand and make good on their promises. The other is not going to make it to through the next decade, unless they make a drastic leadership change. Thanks private equity. Small business owners are over it and Friday's outage prompted many to declare they were moving (or had moved) their checkout system. Colie James, a client experience strategist, [moved to Teachery](https://www.threads.com/@coliejames/post/DaWKkocFD23?xmt=AQG06vSegmKdthqXoGm8YCQ-%5F4TFdtRG0AK%5FFl5FUmrx0lTCNnsq5HNWhCoGg7Gxmibwc4Fa&slof=1&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in the time it took to watch two *Love Island* episodes. YouTube expert Jamar Diggs [switched to Dubsado](https://www.threads.com/@jamardiggs/post/DaVVNUZkTaZ?xmt=AQG0pR3OpoBUzntAyU5qaB8EKwdeIt02KrrwIluYipVHrSdNH5xeX2RF146XtvfkrSLGtYiS&slof=1&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) before Friday's incident and was sharing his experience with entrepreneurs searching for solutions. Marketing strategist Victoria Boyd [now uses beehiiv for digital products](https://www.threads.com/@victoriahboyd/post/DaV%5F9c-moEC?xmt=AQG0-DEEKta8X3NnyTeM3JNhBC6QAqftn31ojWQRu-Z%5FZF1c5FCQZrBaKYuC77WDREs1KsKa&slof=1&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and Heartbeat for community-related offers. Other alternatives people shared included Flodesk Checkout, Shopify, and SamCart. I would also add UK-based Payhip, which adds a fee if you’re on the free plan but has paid plans with low or no transaction free. In response to my earlier post about this exodus, ThriveCart's [social team incorrectly claimed that](https://www.threads.com/@thrivecartofficial/post/DaWWfPSiM-v?xmt=AQG0tOWAxpqUu9lSIyfxRkb9MucmIWrtK1%5FPdT%5FqcWekGg&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Colie, Jamar and Victoria were "paid by other platforms to promote them," which is indicative of the kind of blame games they love to play. They are referring to the fact that once someone makes a switch, they might share an affiliate link for their new platform. There's no outside campaign here to get people off TC. ThriveCart is losing all these customers on their own by being incompetent in every aspect of their operation. Their team ought to be hard at work trying to win back some trust instead of fact checking blog posts. It's wild to watch such a popular platform fall from grace, but two years into this decline, ThriveCart is not showing any signs of improving their reliability or their customer service. It would not take much to turn this boat around, but they seem incapable of doing that under their current leadership. Between their private equity investment, their bloat-adding acquisitions and their inadequate communication strategy, the writing is on the wall that this is the beginning of the end. Small business owners would be smart to make their exit plans before the next crash out happens. --- ***Update 1 (Monday, July 6):*** ThriveCart released [a public postmortem](https://thrivecart.com/blog/july-3-postmortem/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) detailing what they will change in the wake of this outage and their handling of it. Based on a search of the blog, it's the only public postmortem they have ever shared. The blog post is mostly about technical updates but the video that CEO Ismael Wrixen recorded acknowledges that they had a huge communication breakdown with customers and lays out a few fixes including "optional automated email, SMS, and RSS notifications" and a "Customer Advisory Council." It's not nothing. It is the first time we've seen a promised, tangible improvement to the communications (and maybe even the tech) happening at ThriveCart. It's still semi-weak. A Customer Advisory Council wreaks of useless focus group energy. ThriveCart has direct access to their customers on social media at all times. They need a better social strategy for their Facebook Group and public social channels. We'll see if they make strides to do that. ***Update 2 (Monday, July 6):*** ThriveCart is blocking its own customers from its Facebook support group after last week's outage outrage. ThriveCart customers on Threads are [reporting they've been blocked](https://www.threads.com/@jamardiggs/post/Dad91QeEdwK?hl=en&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) from the customer support Facebook group. I went to check if I could get in (as a ThriveCart customer who was already in this group) and I've been blocked too. ![What I saw when I went to ThriveCart's group](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-06-at-5.36.54---PM.png) What I saw when I went to ThriveCart's group Web designer Cristina of The Lovely Geek [speculated that they had nuked the group](https://www.threads.com/@jamardiggs/post/Dad91QeEdwK?hl=en&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) but systems strategist Ashley Tindall said they'd both probably been blocked by ThriveCart's admins. None of the three of us had posted any messages to the Facebook group within the last few days. Remember their promise of better customer communications from earlier today? Looks like that's going great! I reached out to ThriveCart for comment and will report back if I hear why we're getting locked out of the group. ***Update 3 (Tuesday, July 7):*** ThriveCart Support emailed me back in response to my question about "Why am I and other customers blocked out of the Facebook support group?" They said "Our Facebook group is a private, moderated community. We don’t discuss individual moderation decisions. This doesn’t affect your ThriveCart account, access to the platform, or your ability to receive support should you need it in the future." I read this as confirmation that myself and others are being deliberatively blocked by ThriveCart admins. I have never posted in this group and the two others who reported possibly being blocked said they had not posted recently either. ![ThriveCart's response to my question](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-07-at-9.51.11---AM.png) ThriveCart's response to my question ### Flodesk releases Studio, an AI-powered email builder they say runs on human-created design. What does that mean? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/flodesk-releases-studio-an-ai-powered-email-builder-they-say-runs-on-human-created-design-what-does-that-mean/ Last updated: 2026-06-30T21:59:38.000Z Email marketing tool Flodesk launched their much anticipated Studio product to the general public today. [Studio](https://studio.flodesk.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is an AI-powered email design tool that you can prompt to create layouts for you. Then, you can export as HTML and upload into their main platform or any other email platform that accepts HTML designs. You don't have to be a Flodesk customer to use Studio so I set up an account to try it. I began with three separate prompts in three separate chats: - "I want to make a newsletter template for my flower design studio" - "Make me an email design like the circus for a baby shower: - "I want to make a welcome email series" Now granted, I have not uploaded anything about my brand or design aesthetic into Flodesk and I gave it very little info to get started, but it kicked back basically the same design over and over and it's a pretty lackluster starting point. I've never been impressed with Flodesk's design, which is its primary selling point, but Flodesk customers seem over the moon happy with this new app. Why is that? ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-30-at-1.58.20---PM.png) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-30-at-2.04.18---PM.png) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-30-at-2.04.09---PM.png) My prompts in Flodesk Studio Copywriter [Kalyl Kadri said](https://www.threads.com/@wordshurt.copy/post/DaN1iImjUCd?xmt=AQG0pR25BEcFR0n1z-TbgeSf-dgyGkwPYPrjKqmC-BSgSg&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) "As a copywriter / messaging strategist, the fact that they make the design process easy for me is perfect." Kalyl posted that [it took 11 minutes](https://www.threads.com/@wordshurt.copy/post/DaNxlXmDVHB?xmt=AQG0pR25BEcFR0n1z-TbgeSf-dgyGkwPYPrjKqmC-BSgSg&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to design an email for his current promotion and since he has good taste and a pretty specific design aesthetic, that is meaningful praise to me. Kalyl and other Flodesk users on Threads also said they like that Flodesk Studio is "human made," meaning that the designs are not generated by AI. They come from a set of designs the Flodesk team created. But Flodesk doesn't say that explicitly in their marketing materials. In fact, they're [very vague about it on their landing page](https://studio.flodesk.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) so I asked where that info was coming from and I heard from Kim Lech, who got early access to Studio. Kim's a brand strategist who identifies as an AI skeptic. They [said](https://www.threads.com/@oinopo.studio/post/DaN4zdFjfnv?xmt=AQG0hY0WGqRVYIDuWqS4CYUVeu5yrQ9WnWKusfy%5F1lqLAQ&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), "\[Flodesk's\] designers worked on creating thousands of individual components which can then be put into all of these different combinations, and it's the composition of the human-made design layouts + assets that are organised with the help of their AI. From what I understand, the emails aren't generative. The builder has a finite amount of assets that the AI uses to compose emails." Flodesk co-founder and CEO Rebecca Shostak [commented on my post](https://www.threads.com/@rebecca.shostak/post/DaOE2bjj0or?xmt=AQG0oCicXbr7IKpLgt5Msd1G0PtzBqzi1emq-kE6T2lbKA&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to further clear this up, saying, "First, the design foundation, which truly is 'human-made.' Every layout, block, and piece of the visual system was designed in-house by our team over the past year. Second, the AI: Studio uses Claude by Anthropic to accelerate the creative process and help generate copy as a starting point." So, my current understanding is that Flodesk Studio does not generate design. It chooses from a set of designs pre-created by their team. But it will generate AI copy. I'm not sure what Rebecca means by "accelerate the creative process" but the continued vague language they're using is a little suss. I do appreciate that Studio exports as HTML. Flodesk's history with locking messaging into images—a big reason accessibility and deliverability experts steer clients away from the tool—are something to watch out for in your HTML exports. Someone asked me how this works on mobile and Studio will not show you a mobile view of your email (a bad sign for inbox compatibility!) but it says "All Flodesk Studio templates are designed to be mobile-responsive." In other words, trust me bro! You'll have to test it when you import your template into your email publishing tool. As a professional email writer and former in-house app designer, I'm underwhelmed, but as designer Carolina Poll [pointed out](https://www.threads.com/@carolina.poll/post/DaN7d2hjAzm?xmt=AQG0hY0WGqRVYIDuWqS4CYUVeu5yrQ9WnWKusfy%5F1lqLAQ&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), this isn't really for us. The Flodesk users who are excited about it like that it's helping them design their emails faster (they're currently [competing for fastest record](https://www.threads.com/@jentheobm/post/DaN1xgHFKse?xmt=AQG0pR25BEcFR0n1z-TbgeSf-dgyGkwPYPrjKqmC-BSgSg&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) on Threads) and they like that the AI has guardrails to choose only from the set of designs Flodesk's team made. One last thing to pay attention to here. In their announcement, Flodesk said ["we're not stopping at emails"](https://www.threads.com/@flodesk/post/DaN0mP-jPIo?xmt=AQG0t%5FXGrntDAwfDDmSjAgQXwj2L9vKJ78l0DVrXzBQ5yw&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) so maybe [I was right after all](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/small-business-news-week-of-june-15-live-blog/) that they're gonna get into websites, using Studio as the basis. You can try Flodesk Studio now for free, whether or not you use Flodesk. Go to [studio.flodesk.com](https://studio.flodesk.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to create an account. ### Small business news: Week of June 22-26 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/small-business-news-week-of-june-22-26/ Last updated: 2026-06-28T15:18:14.000Z *Last updated: June 28 at 10:18am* ![Small business news: Week of June 22-26](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/06/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-06-27T081947.329-1.png) **Corrections:* ****Re: beehiiv's AI crawlers** Legend Andy Dehnart [said that you might be able](https://www.threads.com/@andydehnart/post/DaGKUr4Fg9G?xmt=AQG0jnq3YjrbtI-4zDN72x6JBo3ZA2RYyvWVKFwQiREttw&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to block AI for training and keep AI for search so check to see if that setting exists in beehiiv. ****Re: Kit's SMS feature** Legend Eman Ismail [reported this feature only works](https://www.threads.com/@emancopyco/post/DaH4sFEjoWK?xmt=AQG0jnq3YjrbtI-4zDN72x6JBo3ZA2RYyvWVKFwQiREttw&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in the US and Canada. We're back with a second week of live blogging small business news and with both Cannes Lions and Config taking place this week, there's bound to be lots of updates for us. I'm including a bit of gossip in this week's batch as over the weekend there was a book retreat that went so poorly, it's being dubbed ["Fyre Fest Book Retreat."](https://www.threads.com/search?q=Book%20retreat&serp%5Ftype=trends&trend%5Ffbid=1057369866617353&hl=en&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) This week is shaping up to be just as busy as last so stay tuned right here as I bring you the headlines that affect our small businesses. ## The biggest story of the week _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### What I saw at Cannes Lions this year that made me want to be there in 2027 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-i-saw-at-cannes-lions-this-year-that-made-me-want-to-be-there-in-2027/ Last updated: 2026-06-28T10:02:26.000Z "Lex, you gotta come to Cannes," Lucy Werner told me in April. I first heard of [Cannes Lions](https://www.canneslions.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) through my cousin, Ashley Rutstein, who is now a full time creator but was previously an ad agency Creative Director. Ashley's a perfect representation of the trajectory the festival has taken in recent years. Cannes Lions spun off the similarly named film festival in 1954 as an opportunity for advertising creatives to show off their own cinematic work. They spent the next several decades expanding the festival, adding more categories of awards and eventually including educational content like panels and talks. In the last few years, Lions has been overtaken by the creator explosion. Cannes Lions isn't just for ad people anymore. It's become a meeting place for tech, media, creators and creatives to come together...around advertising. Ashley being there made sense, but it didn't occur to me that I should go until last year when [beehiiv rented a villa](https://mail.bigdeskenergy.com/p/cannes-vidcon?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and flew several team members over. beehiiv's in the newsletter business. I'm in the newsletter business. If it's relevant to them, it just might have something for me too. This year, I noticed that *Rebooting* was hosting several of their own events there. *Rebooting* is an indie publisher like me, though founder Brian Morrissey has a deep journalism background and significantly more brand cachet than I do. But still, if an indie media company—and one that covers the reinvention of media—finds it important to not only be at Cannes Lions but throw their own events there, that says something about what's happening at this festival. And more importantly who is showing up. In [the recap](https://www.therebooting.com/p/the-paunchy-middle-managers-of-cannes?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) of this year's fest, Morrissey addresses something that inexperienced creators misunderstand. Lots of people make Cannes seem like the culmination of something. The reward for your hard work. A brand trip to brag home about. But Cannes Lions is for selling. Cannes, the film fest, is too. You have to go into it with a plan about who you're trying to meet. Writer Lucy Werner understands this which is why she [planted her book in places](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lucywernerpr%5Fborrow-from-big-business-ugcPost-7476681492509753344-NzaU/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAo-0gsBtjzfwlcsweIEilJXm%5F06-UxUSRk) around the festival and got her own press pass. I respect her game. Lucy spent the week [reporting for *Creative Boom*](https://www.creativeboom.com/tips/how-to-do-cannes-lions-without-a-festival-pass-our-pick-of-the-fringe/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which gave her both a purpose for her conversations and a way to avoid the very expensive Creator Pass. (Those are nearly $2k USD AND you have to apply for them.) With a background in PR, Lucy's savvier about working her assets than your average creator, but she also [wrote us newbies a guide](https://www.creativeboom.com/insight/yes-you-cannes-why-going-to-the-lions-is-right-for-you/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) if you have no idea how you'd swing this. I saw other creators online talking about what kinds of experiences they were having at Cannes too. Rachel Karten, who writes *Link In Bio,* [wrote about how](https://www.linkinbio.news/p/the-best-part-of-cannes-lions-is?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) she's "more bullish on the creative work we do in organic social media" after watching companies sell themselves too hard. Creator agency owner Lissette Calveiro said she focused on [making brand deals](https://www.threads.com/@lissettecalv/post/DaD4Ztkj2Pc?xmt=AQG0GhnUnX48gpL9mexQcL7Q3NY4jgliv2Wd7Z7ohCQ3Jw&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which is a good, straightforward use of the festival. If you can meet a brand face to face, it's much easier to do a deal online later. AI educator and landline phone maker Cat Goetze said it's not about the networking at all. It's about [being near people](https://www.threads.com/@askcatgpt/post/DaHE7GuCoQM?xmt=AQG0GhnUnX48gpL9mexQcL7Q3NY4jgliv2Wd7Z7ohCQ3Jw&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) who are at the top of their game and letting their energy dissipate your intrusive thoughts. I felt her comments in my soul. I miss that energy I used to get from living in the hub of my industry. That's why it's becoming more important for me to link up with it wherever it convenes in the world. There's something about having to take yourself more seriously and present yourself in an impressive way that I rarely have to do these days. That muscle is beginning to atrophy. The core of Cannes Lions culture is still about advertising and [the announcements this year](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/small-business-news-week-of-june-22-26/) reinforce that. Yes, brands [create cool experiences](https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ7rKgVFetX/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) like Reddit's deli and LinkedIn's rooftop and it was all very fun and offline. But all of the product releases were for advertisers. LinkedIn launched a creator marketplace and collab posts (both tools for creators to work with brands.) TikTok announced something similar. Reddit and Pinterest revamped their ad platforms. Canva launched their own ad publishing system. Open AI announced they're in the ad biz now. No one really knows what to build for creators beyond this and my cousin Ashley pointed out [the festival doesn't either](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ashleyrutstein%5Fcanneslions-ugcPost-7475196141572104194-5wSN/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAo-0gsBtjzfwlcsweIEilJXm%5F06-UxUSRk). The big names all over Cannes Lions and what they're talking about have made me feel like I don't belong there. I have no interest in meeting anyone from TikTok or playing a game at Pinterest's boardwalk. LinkedIn's creator marketplace is not for me. I work with smaller, more independent brands on purpose and I have nothing to do with the agency side of advertising like my cousin. But we're starting to see a new generation of people come to this festival. Not just creators. But new media companies like Morrissey's *Rebooting*, Karten's *Link in Bio* and *The Press Publish* team. And smaller tech companies like beehiiv and Kit. beehiiv released the most creator-centric features of the week with [group subscriptions](https://product.beehiiv.com/p/group-subscriptions?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [AI crawling blockers](https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/06/beehiivs-new-cloudflare-partnership-gives-indie-journalists-a-new-level-of-control-over-ai-crawlers/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I don't think they're syncing their release announcements to Cannes in the same way as bigger tech companies, and we'll see in the years to come if they conform to their brethren or help the old guard break free of their tired ways. Kit founder Nathan Barry [showed up](https://www.threads.com/@nathanbarry/post/DaDTIszDOfs?xmt=AQG0GhnUnX48gpL9mexQcL7Q3NY4jgliv2Wd7Z7ohCQ3Jw&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) last minute, convinced by his colleague that they needed to start getting involved. No conference really feels like it's made for entrepreneurs like me. But Lions gets pretty close. I like that it attracts other media business owners like me and that it has the potential for finding new brand partnerships. Worst case, I'd tap into that energy that Cat Goetze talked about and take myself more seriously in rooms. If I'm being deeply honest, I think there's something appealing about the amount of barriers I have to clear to make it to the festival too. It's expensive. It's halfway around the world from where I live. You have to apply or find a side door in. I definitely have to plan how best to use my time there. None of these things are natural for me to overcome, being a quitter who hates elitism. I wish I could punk out with a more independent version of what I'm looking to gain here but until I find that, I've set my sights on going to Cannes Lions next year. ### Ask The Legends: What's the worst business advice you've ever received? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/whats-the-worst-business-advice-youve-ever-gotten/ Last updated: 2026-06-28T00:51:21.000Z ## The question: What's the worst business advice you've ever received? ### The context: As entrepreneurs, we are flooded with advice. From peers, from friends, from our clients, from random strangers online. It's exhausting, so I want to know what's the worst advice anyone has ever given you. *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: How does being self-employed benefit queer people like us? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-does-being-self-employed-benefit-queer-people-like-us/ Last updated: 2026-06-25T19:12:58.000Z ## The question: How does being self-employed benefit queer people like us? ### The context: We've talked throughout this month about queer business owners and many of us have shared that we chose self-employment because it felt more right for us. I'm curious if we can unpack that a bit. Why and how does self-employment benefit queer people? Is it safety? Does it feel more secure? More free? More creative? Feel free to share your own experiences or things you've heard from others (without naming them, unless they give permission or shared it publicly.) *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Q&A: (Out) On The Road with author Lindsey Danis URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/q-a-out-on-the-road-with-author-lindsey-danis/ Last updated: 2026-06-23T21:48:36.000Z Author Lindsey Danis released [*(Out) On The Road: The Radical Joy of Queer Travel*](https://lindseydanis.com/books/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in May 2026\. We gathered in June to discuss the path to writing the book and the core themes of the book. In this video: - Why Lindsey carved a niche in queer travel writing - How Lindsey built a case for the book via bylines and data she collected on her market - Cultivating a sense of belonging while traveling (and what makes queer travelers feel like they belong) - Understanding your own safety while you travel and the difference between discomfort and safety concerns - Unpacking van life and nomad life and how to find your people when traveling for long periods of time - Finding your queer joy on the road and while at home ### Read Lindsey's story about how the book came about in *Revenue Rulebreaker* [I led with queerness. It landed me a book deal.Lindsey Danis finds their advantage as a writer by leaning into their queer identity but only with the right collaborators.![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-cf159718-9d91-41cb-9a54-b97600e1e113.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLindsey Danis![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-06-18T191830.656-aa817ccd-ba85-49e2-a96e-e2b207ac5536.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-led-with-queerness-it-landed-me-a-book-deal/) ### About the author Lindsey Danis Lindsey Danis empowers LGBTQ+ travelers to understand and advocate for their needs and plan incredible adventures while feeling seen, heard, and supported. Lindsey is the author of (Out) On the Road: The Radical Joy of Queer Travel (May 2026, Ig Publishing). Lindsey's essays have appeared in AFAR, Condé Nast Traveler, Longreads, Eater, and other publications, received a notable mention in Best American Travel Writing, and been anthologized in No Contact: Writers on Estrangement and Nourishing Resistance: Stories of Food, Protest, and Mutual Aid. Lindsey lives in the Hudson Valley of New York. Learn more about Lindsey's work at [lindseydanis.com](https://lindseydanis.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ### [*Grab the book*](https://lindseydanis.com/books/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and also check out Lindsey's travel blog* [*queeradventurers.com*](https://queeradventurers.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*.* ### ### I led with queerness. It landed me a book deal. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-led-with-queerness-it-landed-me-a-book-deal/ Last updated: 2026-06-23T21:49:32.000Z Toward the end of a networking lunch, the editor I’d been chatting about the publishing industry with asked what I was working on. I described my latest essay, on my closeted honeymoon and awkward attempts to find queer community in Cambodia's gay bars. “Sounds interesting. Send it to me when you finish,” she said. I polished the essay and sent it off with low expectations. When she [accepted the essay for *Longreads*](https://longreads.com/2019/12/09/where-are-the-gay-ladies-of-cambodia/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), a paying market with major clout in the literary world, I was over the moon—but as it turned out, that yes was just the beginning. An editor from [*AFAR*](https://www.afar.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) read that piece and reached out to see if I would write a similar travel essay for them. Soon, invitations from other editors followed. As a newbie travel writer with a couple bylines to my name, I was stunned. Not only were editors of dream publications coming to me, without me needing to pitch them first, they wanted explicitly queer content. At first, I was focused on money and bylines, two things any freelance journalist needs for a sustainable career. Over time, I realized that if editors were coming to me for these stories, that meant they had nobody in-house who could tell them. For the first time in my freelance career, I had the advantage. So I doubled down, looking for more queer travel stories to tell. Within a couple of years I had written for nearly every major travel magazine and set my sights higher. One story wasn’t going to change much—at times, it felt like a token effort during June—but a full-length book *could.* – At my first job after college, coworkers took me aside to suggest I wear something more feminine. Others ignored me outright. One in five LGBTQ+ workers are told to wear something more gender-typical, like I was, and over half have heard gay jokes at work, according to HRC's 2018 report, [A Workplace Divided: Understanding the Climate for LGBTQ+ Workers Nationwide](https://hrc-prod-requests.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/files/assets/resources/AWorkplaceDivided-2018.pdf?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Things improved somewhat—fewer gay jokes, similar levels of gender stereotyping—but the latest [workplace report from HRC](https://reports.hrc.org/corporate-equality-index-2026?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#the-state-of-workplace-climate-for-lgbtq-workers) shows that queer workers are retreating from being out at work, a reasonable response to the ongoing political scapegoating. When LGBTQ+ people experience discrimination at work, as I did, we learn that work is not a safe space to be openly queer or gender nonconforming. We learn to compartmentalize or hide, which takes a toll on our wellbeing. I tried all kinds of different workplaces, seeking a better fit, before eventually turning to self-employment. Freelance work gave me a buffer from unhealthy, cisnormative workplace cultures, but even when I was my own boss, I hid my queerness from clients, internalizing that was the safer choice. Being valid professionally for my queerness felt strange, but also empowering. – To sell a nonfiction book on proposal, you need a book outline, two sample chapters, and a marketing plan that defines your book’s audience and how you’ll reach them. Contrary to what you’d think, the writing isn’t the most important part of the proposal. Instead, the marketing plan is. Publishing is a risk-averse industry, particularly when it comes to marginalized communities. For queer authors, this means going above and beyond to demonstrate that there is an audience of eager buyers for your book. It means anticipating coded rejections from cishet agents and editors—remarks like "I just didn't connect to the story" or "I don't know how to market this" hit differently for marginalized authors, who have to thread the needle, crafting authentic stories while appealing to the tastes of the mainly white, cishet industry gatekeepers who can grant or deny us access. [*(Out) On the Road*](https://lindseydanis.com/books/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is the fourth book I queried and the first book I published, but it's actually the second publication offer I received. I turned down that previous deal because the publisher wanted to pigeonhole my book as "lesfic" (lesbian fiction) and warned me not to get excited, as the market was small for that. Sensing a bigger audience than the print-on-demand, straight-to-KU deal they were offering me, I said no, had a good long cry about whether I'd ever get another chance, and kept on writing and querying. This isn’t a story of overnight success, it’s a story of staying in the game long enough to get a lucky break, and making good use of the waiting time. It took years to pull my book proposal together. I took my time because I knew I’d only get one shot to send the proposal around, and if no agents or publishers took it, my idea would be dead. I spent that time refining my ideas into the strongest possible form, organizing loosely-related themes and chapters into a narrative arc. I got clear on my whys: why this needed to be a book, rather than a string of one-off articles, why I was uniquely qualified to write it, and why now was the right time. *Want the exact questions that helped me get clarity? I turned them into a book proposal worksheet for aspiring authors, and you can* [*get those here*](https://lindseydanis.com/bookproposaltips/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*.* [Free book proposal worksheet for writers - Lindsey DanisYour book idea deserves more than a blank page. You’ve been dreaming of writing a book for ages—but when it comes to shaping the idea, pitching it, or proving to a literary agent that your book is marketable, you’re not sure where to start. That’s exactly what this book proposal worksheet is for. These prompts![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/ld_favicon-92f99f20-14d8-427c-948d-53839ff9d467.png)Lindsey Danis - Queer travel writer![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/cropped-Logo-graphic-LD-a49478dd-8f52-4664-92c6-655be74413c4.png)](https://lindseydanis.com/bookproposaltips/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) My bylines gave me legitimacy, and I turned to data to make the case that a large, underserved audience of LGBTQ+ travelers exists. While LGBTQ+ identities aren’t always asked about on surveys, data from [Gallup](https://news.gallup.com/topic/lgbt.aspx?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) on LGBTQ+ identification by generation and LGBTQ+ market researchers on LGBTQ+ travel spend helped me confidently make the case for my book. I finished my book proposal, sent it out to literary agents, and was signed by one of the first agents I queried. – Flash forward eighteen months—yes, publishing is slow—and my book is now published. I can't go back into the closet professionally, and even in the current political climate, I would not choose to. There's privilege in this, of course. Not every queer person can afford to make this choice. Being queer built the career I have now. It gave me a distinct competitive advantage that I leveraged to achieve my lifelong dream of writing and publishing a book. These days, I've been reflecting on how my queerness is a secret workplace strength. Entrepreneurship is filled with people who've opted out of traditional jobs, including those who didn't fit in because of who they are. Queer people are inherently creative. We question our identities. Then we question everything else we’ve been told is true. We grasp that there are not two ways of being, but in fact multitudes, and that it isn’t a question of “right or wrong” morally, but what is right for us. Often, we hit upon a label that feels perfect only to discard it in favor of a more affirming choice. This internal questioning teaches us to be far more flexible mentally than most people. As a result, we grasp possibilities other people do not. In an episode of the “Think Queerly” podcast called [*Why The World Needs Queer Creativity Now More Than Ever*](https://thinkqueerly.com/why-the-world-needs-queer-creativity-now-more-than-ever-25db140849a2?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), host Darren Stehle talks about the rise of Christian patriarchy and rigid ideology around sex and gender roles. The natural instinct is to fight and protest, but Stehle suggests that what is needed instead is queer creativity. The world needs the openness and acceptance queer people have found in their own lives. Society needs queer leadership. Queer people do business differently, in all sorts of ways. We may be early adopters or visionaries, diversify our income streams out of self-protection, or see opportunities others miss because we think outside the boxes. We are comfortable with dualities and paradoxes, which means we’re less likely to be threatened when things shake out differently than we expected. We know calamities are survivable, because many of us have survived losing friends and loved ones on our journeys. We rewrite the rules. Offer us two options and we invent a third that suits us better. In my book there’s a quiz, and I fought with my publisher to include a choose-your-own-adventure option for readers that didn’t love any answer, explaining that this kind of self-determination was critical to the LGBTQ+ community, and forcing readers into prescribed options would alienate them. [![Books by Lindsey Danis](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/06/Untitled-design---2026-06-18T192914.300.png)](https://lindseydanis.com/books/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Books by Lindsey Danis I don’t love the word resilience, because it glorifies a coping mechanism LGBTQ+ people shouldn’t have to fall back on, but in the professional sense, it’s apt. Early experiences of bias can make queer people wary of trusting others, but they also give us grit. While I want better life outcomes for queer people—for all marginalized people, who endure discrimination because of who they are—I believe queerness teaches valuable skills, including resilience, flexibility, determination, and creativity. Applied to entrepreneurship, these qualities can help us succeed beyond our wildest dreams. You don’t have to lead with queerness as I unexpectedly did, but let it show up more in how you work. It might change everything. --- *Lindsey Danis empowers LGBTQ+ travelers to understand and advocate for their needs and plan incredible adventures while feeling seen, heard, and supported. Lindsey is the author of (Out) On the Road: The Radical Joy of Queer Travel (May 2026, Ig Publishing). Lindsey's essays have appeared in AFAR, Condé Nast Traveler, Longreads, Eater, and other publications, received a notable mention in Best American Travel Writing, and been anthologized in No Contact: Writers on Estrangement and Nourishing Resistance: Stories of Food, Protest, and Mutual Aid. Lindsey lives in the Hudson Valley of New York. Learn more about Lindsey's work at* [*lindseydanis.com*](https://lindseydanis.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*.* ### Watch our discussion about Lindsey's book *(Out) On The Road* [Q&A: (Out) On The Road with author Lindsey DanisHow Lindsey Danis made a career out of covering queer travel and then turned it into her newest book![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-c1926682-c761-450b-a6cf-42589cf94708.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-06-20T200656.505-2-b08d0890-8bc5-4b0b-99f1-53ec63ff15a0.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/q-a-out-on-the-road-with-author-lindsey-danis/) ### Ask The Legends: How do you vet clients to make sure they're a good fit? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-do-you-vet-clients-to-make-sure-theyre-a-good-fit/ Last updated: 2026-06-21T05:10:07.000Z ## The question: How do you vet clients to make sure they're a good fit? ### The context: Potential clients always expect that you're the one who has to win them over, but often, it's the other way around. What green (or red) flags do you look for? *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Small business news: Week of June 15-19 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/small-business-news-week-of-june-15-live-blog/ Last updated: 2026-06-23T03:41:21.000Z ![Small business news: Week of June 15-19](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/06/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-06-19T173049.630-1.png) *Last updated: June 19 at 5:44pm US Central Time* I'm trying something new here. Every week, I track stories, trends and interesting pieces of information across social media, my private communities and news sites. Often, I don't have a reason to write about them, nor do I have info to add, but they are stories that could shape your business decisions. This week, I'm experimenting with a live blog where I share these updates daily in short form. I'll include macro stories about the economy, tech, AI, and major shifts affecting our ability to do business. I'll also pull out some conversations I spotted on social media that I think you might want to pay attention to. You'll see this post updated throughout the week as new info emerges. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Spend your summer with Outpost and me: New events and case studies coming for indie publishers! URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/spend-your-summer-with-outpost-and-me-new-events-and-case-studies-coming-for-indie-publishers/ Last updated: 2026-06-16T20:16:44.000Z [Outpost](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is a huge reason why *Revenue Rulebreaker* still exists and I'm psyched to be partnering with them on a summer series to help indie publishers make more money with their newsletters and blogs. ![Outpost and Revenue Rulebreaker logos](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/06/Your-paragraph-text--16-.png) If you haven't seen our work together before, I've been partnering with Outpost since January 2025, both here on *Revenue Rulebreaker* and on my former newsletter *Journalists Pay Themselves* (which has become the [paidnewsletterplaybook.com](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com).) Outpost and I run totally different businesses—they're a software company and I'm a publisher—but we share the ethos that backing independent media is the future we all need. Together, we produce helpful [events](https://luma.com/lexromanwashere?tag=outpost&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [case studies](https://outpost.pub/author/lex/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [guides](https://www.paidnewsletterplaybook.com/tag/outpost/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to support the indie publishing community. That includes writers, journalists, designers and community builders who are using the [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) platform to host their work. [Outpost](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is a marketing and monetization tool that works with Ghost, allowing you to automate things like email communication and calls to action throughout your site. They're the reason I use Ghost, because I wanted to use their system to run my paid subscription. Outpost is independently funded and they are a [publisher's cooperative](https://outpost.pub/about/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) where their members (not venture capitalists) inform what ships. They are also the only standalone marketing and monetization tool for publishers that I'm aware of. ## You're invited to join us this summer. Here's what's coming up. ### Events **Thursday, June 25 at 4pm Eastern** *Outpost Office Hours: Learn what's new and ask your questions with co-founder Ryan Singel (Free event)* You know you need [Outpost](https://outpost.pub/?utm%5Fsource=luma) for your Ghost publication, but you're wondering if you could get more out of it. Come hear about what's new inside Outpost and ask your questions about using it to grow your publication. [Register (free)](https://luma.com/4x6tq0a5?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) [Outpost Office Hours: Learn what’s new and ask your questions with co-founder Ryan Singel (Free event) · LumaThis is a free event, held in partnership with Outpost Publishers Cooperative. You know you need Outpost for your Ghost publication, but you’re wondering if…![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/apple-touch-icon-a4c19f68-e89a-49f0-afb9-4a0d082740d3.png)Lex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/event-002b94e8-6ac8-4877-adb6-ac4d2ffdf1f6)](https://luma.com/4x6tq0a5?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) **Tuesday, July 28 at 4pm Eastern** *Why you need a CTA strategy: How to use Outpost CTAs to grow your newsletter and your subscription (Free event)* You want more newsletter subscribers, more podcast listeners or more paying subscribers. But how do you get more people doing those things? It might be time to put a CTA strategy in place. In this session, we'll talk about why you need a CTA (call to action) strategy, how to develop one for your publication and how to set it up inside Outpost. You'll walk away with a clear idea of how to get more of your readers/listeners taking the actions you want them to take. [Register (free)](https://luma.com/9gzma10k?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) [Why you need a CTA strategy: How to use Outpost CTAs to grow your newsletter and your subscription (Free event) · LumaThis is a free event, held in partnership with Outpost Publishers Cooperative. You want more newsletter subscribers, more podcast listeners or more paying…![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/apple-touch-icon-0a3c81ed-7f44-4801-8ded-85fcebfa1e33.png)Lex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/event-69a8d201-d6e6-4950-b217-d815488b2e80)](https://luma.com/9gzma10k?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) More events to be announced soon! ### Case studies Look out for more great examples of how you can use Outpost to grow your newsletter and your subscription. I will be producing these all summer. In the meantime, check out some of the previous stories: - [How *Tangle* got to 70k+ paid subscribers](https://outpost.pub/how-did-tangle-get-to-70k-paid-subscribers/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (Written) - [*Aftermath's* move to Ghost had a lot to do with Outpost](https://outpost.pub/aftermaths-ghost-outpost/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (Written) - [Stop losing members: How *Escape Collective* keeps members renewing year after year](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCNkj0rPlCU&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (Video) - [Grow your newsletter automatically: How the *Mat-Su Sentinel* uses Outpost CTAs to grow their newsletter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQDwml0UHGw&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (Video) - [How *Food Safety News* gained 1000 paying members in a month using Outpost and Ghost](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THkvg7%5FyLio&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (Video) ### Updates on new features You'll be hearing about these events, case studies and what cool features Outpost is shipping from me in the *Revenue Rulebreaker* newsletter. You can also [subscribe to Outpost's newsletter](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#/portal). If you haven't tried Outpost for your Ghost publication yet, you can [start a free trial](https://admin.outpost.pub/signup?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#/) here and check out my guide to [getting started quickly](https://www.paidnewsletterplaybook.com/get-started-with-outpost-in-less-than-one-hour/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ### Take our 2026 Reader Survey! URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/take-our-2026-reader-survey/ Last updated: 2026-06-16T02:28:52.000Z It's that time of year again! I'm looking for your input on what we're doing here. Take my survey on *Revenue Rulebreaker* stories, events and Legends perks. There's a different survey for paid subscribers and free tier readers. You will select it yourself but I'll validate with your email address later so please choose correctly or I'll have to toss your survey response. *You do not need to be on the newsletter to take this survey. Just choose "not a paid subscriber" if you read stories on the site or come to our events and you'll get the correct survey. I will not subscribe to you to any list.* [Take the survey](https://lexroman.fillout.com/2026survey?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) I use these surveys to inform: - What kinds of stories we produce - What perks I offer - What kinds of events we host - What kinds of grants I apply for - How I market this project **Please take the survey by June 30\.** My goal is to receive 100 survey responses back. That's about 30% of the paid subscriber base or 5% of the total readership. **Your individual survey response is private.** Only I have access to it. I may reach out to you for permission to use excerpts from your answers as success stories or testimonials. No quotes will be used without your permission. I'm not allowing anonymous responses because I felt it was easier to have one survey link and I need your email to validate your tier. Have questions or feedback about the survey? [Send me a note](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/contact?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or leave me a comment here. Thanks in advance for making *Revenue Rulebreaker* and the Legends Network better! ### Come hang with the Legends this summer! Our July and August events. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/hang-with-the-legends-this-summer-events/ Last updated: 2026-06-30T03:43:42.000Z I'm hosting a couple Legends events this summer that I really encourage you to come to. The two events in July are only for paid subscribers and the one in August features a fellow Legend. I run lots of events on my own, but the Legends actually only get together 2-3 times a year. This is one of these times. Join us! ### Thursday, July 9 at 2pm ET (Online) **Q2 Earnings Call: How's Revenue Rulebreaker doing? (Paid subscribers only)** Where is your money going? I'm here to tell you! We're going to run down the state of the business behind *Revenue Rulebreaker* and Legends for Q2 (April-June 2026). These Earnings Calls are a great way to catch up with Legends, to weigh in on the business direction and to see where your money goes. This session is ONLY open to paid subscribers and tip jar contributors. [Register (Paid subscribers only)](https://luma.com/5yy1914w?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Thursday, July 16 at 1pm ET (Online) **Legends Summer Hangout with Live Music** We're halfway through the year and it feels like a good time to get together, see what's shaping up for you and talk about what's on your mind. ​This isn't one of our normal matched up mixers. Instead, you'll choose discussion topics and join a room to chat about that topic. We'll do two rounds and in between, we'll enjoy the musical stylings of everyone's favorite live-looping musician [Benjamín Mora](https://www.instagram.com/benjamusico/?hl=en&utm%5Fsource=luma) 🎶 [Register (Legends only)](https://luma.com/gmnhtgzo?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Thursday, August 13 at 1pm ET (Online) **Book club "Staying Solo": Come discuss the solopreneur life with author (and Legend!) Maggie Patterson** This month's pick is [*Staying Solo*](https://bsfreebusiness.com/book-for-solopreneurs/?utm%5Fsource=luma) by Maggie Patterson. Author Maggie Patterson is joining us for a discussion! *Staying Solo* debunks the business advice we get as solopreneurs that's really meant for bigger businesses than us. Maggie offers us a new framework for finding our own path to happy, successful solo businesses. Grab the book from Maggie's site: [https://bsfreebusiness.com/book-for-solopreneurs/](https://bsfreebusiness.com/book-for-solopreneurs/?utm%5Fsource=luma) or through your local library. [Register (Free and open to the public)](https://luma.com/m7m6u42c?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I am hosting other events that aren't necessarily related to Legends, but you are always welcome at those too. Check out [the full calendar here](https://luma.com/lexromanwashere?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ### Legends Liaison: Get shoutouts, intros, ads, collabs, recommendations and more URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/legends-liaison/ Last updated: 2026-08-13T04:02:04.000Z The Legends Network includes over 400+ creative entrepreneurs. I'm here to help you leverage that. Use this short form to request: - **Shoutouts**: I'll plug what you're doing on my newsletter. Great for soft calls to action where Legends can get to know you. Blogs, podcasts, freebies, events, etc. - **Collaborations**:I'll share your request for collabs and you can find potential collaborators - **Celebrations**: Spread the word about your wins! Awards, business anniversaries and major press. - **Classified ad:** I'll run a one sentence ad and link for you (guaranteed 3 per year and more if I have space!) Great for selling stuff. These get the most clicks. - **Introductions**: I will facilitate double opt-in intros (share types of people or specific names) - **Recommendations**: From me or the Legends. Past asks have included "best business insurance" and "good communities for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs." - Anything else I or the Legends can help with Choose whatever suits your request best and I'll switch it if I need to. **What's a celebration?** Things like awards, business anniversaries, major press and other notable achievements. If you're sharing something promotional, switch to a Shoutout or Classified Ad. **What's the difference between a shoutout and a classified ad?** Ideally, shoutouts are less transactional. More like stories you wrote, events you're hosting, freebies you launched, stuff you're proud of, stuff other Legends can dig into. Ads are for selling and I highlight them better in editorial issues so they'll get more clicks than shoutouts. You get 3 classifieds per year guaranteed and more if I have the space! ### What to expect - Shoutouts, collab requests and celebrations will go in the Tuesday newsletter. *Keep in mind that I rotate these to feature as many Legends as possible so always send stuff my way, but not everything will make it in.* - Classified ads go in Sunday and Thursday issues unless they need to go on a Tuesday. I'll be in touch with dates for your ad. - Introductions I will check with all parties before making. - Recommendations, you can choose private (from me) or public (in the newsletter). Turnaround time is 1-2 weeks. You can send as many of these requests as you want and I will fulfill as many as I can. Be mindful I'm just one person :) ## What can we do for you today, Legend? _This post is for subscribers on the Legend Status, Legends Partner Status and Legends Lifetime tiers only._ ### I refuse to shrink my life to run a successful business URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-refuse-to-shrink-my-life-to-run-a-successful-business/ Last updated: 2026-06-14T10:11:34.000Z When I started my business in 2023, I made the mistake of turning to the wrong people for help. At a free business owners’ support group for people of color, a Filipina boomer who reminded me of one of my conservative aunties told me, “Most businesses don’t make it past the five-year mark. So just look for another job. I don’t think your business model is going to work out.” A mentor at my local small business development center once told me, “You’re sleeping too much.” All I told him was that I had trouble balancing current client work with generating new income at the same time. He added, “If you’re not making enough money, you eat ramen. You need to wake up earlier. Every minute of your day should be all about emails, phone calls, chasing leads.” The small business world is filled with “Pull Yourself Up By The Bootstraps” capitalist propaganda, and it was making me physically sick. I was working 10- to 14-hour days from home. I tossed and turned at night due to work stress, but I got up at 7:30 every morning like clockwork because of my ex-mentor’s words: *You’re sleeping too much. Every minute should be about chasing leads.* Finally, something snapped: After a therapy session that left me in tears, I got a case of the fuck-its. I made a list of non-negotiables that were keeping me sane and somewhat balanced. Then, I started feverishly touring office spaces and comparing quotes from different vendors. Using the same framework I built for my clients as a financial coach, I made earning goals for myself that covered my bills and these new non-negotiables. Everyday that I let myself have what I need to survive and tolerate the systems we live under, I am forced to redefine what success means to me as a queer and trans immigrant and small business owner. ## My complete list of non-negotiables My name is Leo Aquino. I’m an award-winning journalist, who previously covered personal finance at Business Insider, and I’m the founder of [Queer & Trans Wealth](http://www.queerandtranswealth.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I’m a [financial coach](https://queerandtranswealth.notion.site/compassionate-financial-coaching?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) who serves queer and trans people (and our allies!) across the US. I am nothing like the traditional white, cisgender, straight finance bros out there in a suit and tie. My approach is compassionate, trauma-informed, anti-capitalist, and pleasure-forward. I also write a [newsletter](http://www.queerandtranswealth.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) with free tips, news, and resources. I use the newsletter to share relatable stories — my own, and other queer and trans people who are using their time, money, and labor for good. To do my work well, I have a list of monthly non-negotiables. No matter what happens, I’m committed to earning enough money to afford the following: - **My AMC A-List subscription**, which lets me see up to 4 movies per week for less than $30 per month. My girlfriend and I love watching movies together, and this subscription gives us a built-in date night. - **Traveling**. The whole reason I wanted to start my own business in the first place is so I could clear my calendar for adventures. - **Trying new restaurants.** I believe food is art, too, and I love supporting artists! It’s such a connective experience for me and my friends. - **Going to the Korean spa** once a month with my friends, who are also small business owners, to kiki about our wins and challenges in a relaxing setting. Each visit costs $43, including parking. - **A workspace outside my house** so I can cultivate some kind of work-life balance, and make small-talk with the security guards, front desk staff, and neighboring businesses. Every single thing on this list makes me feel alive — and it makes me a better coach and writer. ![Leo's office in Los Angeles (Photos provided by the author)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/06/Puebla--Mexico--1-.png) Leo's office in Los Angeles (Photos provided by the author) In October 2024, I started renting a small office for $750 per month. The office is less than a 10-minute drive from my house, and it’s also accessible by bus. My rent has gradually increased to $980 per month. Thankfully, I’ve been able to pay for the office solely from the profits of my business. Working from my office helps me leave work at work and be fully present with my girlfriend once I get home. Having the office also helps me establish a routine. The commute home tells my brain to start winding down from the workday, and that’s been a game-changer for work-life balance. In the last three years, I’ve also been able to travel to Mexico, Japan, and the Philippines. I’ve also taken hybrid trips for work and pleasure to Chicago, New York, Baltimore, New Orleans, Houston, San Francisco, and more. Traveling refills my cup creatively. It makes me a better, more curious writer. I create a fluid budget for each trip, and I also make a detailed plan to pay the bills I’ll owe once I’m back. During each vacation, I worked minimally for about four or five days. But the rest of the time, I shut my laptop and turn on my OOO responder. ![Leo on their travels (Photos provided by the author)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/06/Puebla--Mexico-1.png) Leo on their travels (Photos provided by the author) ## But how can you afford it? In 2024, the business brought in $60,000 in revenue, and I paid myself $36,000\. In 2025, the business brought in $90,000, plus a $10,000 gift from a long-time supporter, and I paid myself $45,000\. Both years, roughly 60% of my revenue came from 1:1, couples, and group coaching. The rest came from small grants and speaking engagements. About 5% of 2025’s revenue came from paid newsletter subscribers and paid social media partnerships. 2026 has been a considerably slower year, especially because we have a homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic president in office whose policies directly affect my audience and client base. I’m noticing that the demand for higher-priced offers, like 1:1 coaching, is a lot slower this year. Plus, I’m committed to seeing less clients this year to make space to write and sell a book. I’m planning on replacing that revenue by amping up my newsletter and pitching paid partnerships through social media. I have very simple and specific monthly revenue goals set for the rest of the year: 1. **$2,500** in revenue from financial coaching covers my rent at home, my rent at the office, money in my travel sinking fund, and the other monthly bills for the business. This goal is pretty easy to meet because I’ve already got momentum and brand recognition. 2. **$2,500** in revenue from social media partnerships would cover my debts, and bills. I’ve resisted tapping into brand partnerships because it’s cringy as hell, but my Instagram stats are pretty high. 3. **$2,500** in revenue from grants, teaching gigs, and speaking engagements would cover what I need for taxes each month. I’ve also built strong momentum and relationships in philanthropy in the last couple of years, but it’s always hard to predict this income. If this income doesn’t come through, I have made peace with carrying some tax debt until the business brings in more profit. 4. **$500+** from the newsletter to cover fun spending. Right now, I only make $250 per month from newsletter subscriptions. I’m setting a humble goal of doubling that revenue by the holiday season. When I receive a larger payout from a project, I’ll pay bills in the order listed above. For example, I just learned that I’ll be receiving a $10,000 grant for trans content creators. When I get that $10,000 in my account, I won’t put it all toward taxes. I’ll put $2,500 toward my rent at home and my aforementioned non-negotiables, then $2,500 toward debts and bills, and so on. I tend to pay bills in advance when I receive a windfall, or I’ll tuck the money away in a savings account separate from my personal and business checking accounts so I’m not tempted to spend it. Cards on the table, I only feel confident about making money through financial coaching because it’s been such a consistent revenue stream for me in the last three years. In some ways, the last three revenue streams on my list still feel like they’re hatching. No matter what happens next, I’m giving myself permission to fail, to experiment, and to meet uncertainty with pleasure and joy. A lot of small business owners left their 9 to 5 corporate jobs because we’re tired of being exploited and taken for granted. When we start our own businesses, we bring those same impulses to crack the whip on our own backs. I’m just not willing to do it anymore. I refuse to shrink my life to run a successful business. --- *Leo Aquino (they/he) is an award-winning journalist covering personal finance at* [*Queer & Trans Wealth*](https://www.queerandtranswealth.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*. Leo also serves as a financial coach for queer and trans people (and our allies!) who want to pay off debt, build emergency savings, and start saving for retirement. Learn more about Leo's work at* [*queerandtranswealth.org*](https://www.queerandtranswealth.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*,* [*on LinkedIn*](https://www.linkedin.com/in/leo-aquino-242b86208/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *or* [*on Instagram*](https://www.instagram.com/queerandtranswealth/?hl=en&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*.* ### Ask The Legends: Do you market yourself as a queer-owned business? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/do-you-market-yourself-as-a-queer-owned-business/ Last updated: 2026-06-14T05:20:14.000Z ## The question: Do you market yourself as a queer-owned business? Why or why not? ### The context: We talked earlier this month about [how being queer changes how you run your business](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-does-being-queer-affect-how-you-run-your-business/), but I'm curious how much queerness plays into your marketing. Do you label yourself as a queer-owned business? Do you target a queer audience? How does queerness play into your outward facing marketing? *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Who can we trust about AI? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/who-can-we-trust-to-stay-informed-about-ai/ Last updated: 2026-06-11T10:05:20.000Z Everyone's got an opinion about AI but it's hard to know whose perspective you should care about. Thousands of entrepreneurs and creators have jumped on the AI train and made it their entire personality—often with no credentials or background in technology. So, when they tell you that you absolutely must join them or be left behind, it's all a little suspect. Just yesterday, Becca Harpain who runs [Inside The Square](https://insidethesquare.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for Squarespace developer tutorials, commented on my post about this question of who you can trust with "AI has been an incredible tool for me \[...\] My business wouldn’t be here today without it." There's [more to what Becca said](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7470097546716229633?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A%28activity%3A7470097546716229633%2C7470481403260903424%29&dashCommentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd%5Fcomment%3A%287470481403260903424%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7470097546716229633%29&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) but it struck me as the perfect example of the same generic take we keep hearing over and over again: *AI has made me better, faster, stronger.* Nothing makes me lose respect for someone quicker than their completely uncritical take about AI. You find AI valuable? I get it. We've heard it before. But you come into my feed to reputation launder something that's complex, controversial and harmful with a glossy statement that sounds like you work as a publicist for Open AI? Now, I'm skeptical of your judgment. In fact, I'm skeptical of what nearly everyone says about AI. That's why a few weeks ago, I turned to the Legends to [ask who they trust](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/open-mic-am-i-the-asshole-who-should-we-believe-about-ai/) when it comes to understanding this rapid forced adoption of a technology. Their answers were compelling enough that I am sharing them in this story. All the names surfaced below fall into four categories: academics, journalists, tech makers and authors with some belonging to more than one of those labels. None of the names included are people who just showed up to the AI space yesterday. Special thanks to [Guy LeCharles Gonzalez](https://loudpoet.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Stefanie Kruse](https://rethink-the-web.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Emma Bolton](https://www.emmabolton.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Theresa Sullivan](https://www.littleflamecreative.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Tes Macpherson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tesmacpherson/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Caroline Fay](https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinefay/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Hang Xu](https://www.linkedin.com/in/haxuco/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) who shared who they're turning to for AI intel. You might be wondering why you should care who these people trust. Several of the sources they cited were raised by multiple people. Many I had been following for years like Brian Merchant, the DAIR crew and Dr. Joy Buolamwini back from when I worked in tech. I also vetted the list to ensure everyone included has reliable credentials and experience that gives them an informed perspective on AI. But for a little added context, Guy's background is in the publishing industry (books and magazines.) Emma's a former lawyer turned writer and artist. Theresa's experience is in marketing and communications and she's now a writer. Stefanie, Tes, Caroline and Hang all have tech backgrounds. I went light on including service providers who sell AI services, to keep the list mostly focused on people who are in the business of researching and informing the public about AI—not people selling AI itself—though I did include a few AI technologists who do sell services. The depth of their thought leadership is relevant enough to know about. ### Journalists [**Karen Hao**](https://karendhao.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is a journalist and author who published the bestselling book [*Empire of AI*](https://bookshop.org/p/books/empire-of-ai-dreams-and-nightmares-in-sam-altman-s-openai-karen-hao/de10c251433f34d2?ean=9780593657508&next=t&next=t&affiliate=2186&prhc=PRHEFFDF5A7F1&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) last year, which details the inner workings of Open AI. Karen has reported tech stories for the *MIT Technology Review* (where she wrote [an early profile of Open AI](https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/02/17/844721/ai-openai-moonshot-elon-musk-sam-altman-greg-brockman-messy-secretive-reality/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)), *The Wall Street Journal* and *More Perfect Union*. She briefly worked as a software engineer and data scientist before she became a journalist. You can follow her work [in the press](https://karendhao.com/clips?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [on Twitter](https://x.com/%5FKarenHao?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or [on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/karendhao?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [**Brian Merchant**](https://brianmerchant.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is a former tech columnist for the *LA Times* who went independent a couple years ago to write his own newsletter [*BLOOD IN THE MACHINE*](https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), where he still covers tech, which mostly means AI these days. He wrote a [book by the same name](https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/brian-merchant/blood-in-the-machine/9780316487740/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which details the history of automation through the lens of the Luddites tracing it to its modern day manifestation of AI. Brian's active [on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/bcmerchant.bsky.social?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [on Twitter](https://x.com/bcmerchant?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). He also had [a brief podcast](https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/podcast?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). It's not active anymore but he interviewed Karen Hao and Cory Doctorow last year. [**Ed Zitron**](https://www.wheresyoured.at/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is one of AI's loudest critics and the go to voice for AI haters. Ed was a games journalist before he moved into PR nearly 20 years ago. In 2020, he started writing about the tech industry in his own newsletter [*Where's Your Ed At*](https://www.wheresyoured.at/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which led to him to create the [*Better Offline*](https://linktr.ee/betteroffline?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) podcast. He's not just a tech commentator. He's an analyst and reporter of what's shaping up in the AI scene, trusted by everyone from *CNN* to *Slate* to *Bloomberg*—and many members of our community who have mentioned his work to me. Ed's podcast and newsletter are super active and he's [on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/edzitron.com?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) daily. [**Paris Marx**](https://parismarx.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is a tech critic, author and podcaster. Paris covers the tech industry at large—which these days includes a lot of AI news—in his publication [*Disconnect*](https://disconnect.blog/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and on his podcast [*Tech Won't Save Us*](https://techwontsave.us/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). He's based in Canada and he speaks a lot about the challenges of the American tech scene versus global tech as well as the political nature of tech. Before becoming a writer and podcaster, Paris was a researcher at the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy at McGill University in Montreal, where he received his master's degree. Paris is active on social media. Find all the links in [the footer of his site](https://parismarx.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ### Academics [**Dr. Olivia Guest**](https://olivia.science/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is a professor of Computational Cognitive Science in the School of Artificial Intelligence at Radboud University in the Netherlands. They've been studying computer science for two decades and they've been publishing papers on computational cognitive modeling—how human psychology translates into algorithms—since at least 2013\. In addition to her academic research, she curates blog posts, videos and news pieces into an online library called [Critical AI Literacy](https://olivia.science/ai/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). She's also active [on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/olivia.science?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) where she shares AI news and analysis. [![A post from Dr. Olivia guest on Bluesky](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-10-at-5.28.13---PM.png)](https://bsky.app/profile/olivia.science/post/3mnwa4cr5ac2o?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) A post from Dr. Olivia guest on Bluesky [**Dr. Iris van Rooij**](https://irisvanrooijcogsci.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)is also a Computational Cognitive Science professor at Radboud University. Their academic interest is the "computational scope and limits of cognition" and they've been publishing research on that topic for 26 years. Dr. van Rooij writes [a fairly active blog](https://irisvanrooijcogsci.com/posts/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), they're cited a lot [in the press](https://irisvanrooijcogsci.com/media/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and they're [active on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/irisvanrooij.bsky.social?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [**Dr. Abeba Birhane**](https://abebabirhane.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) researches AI accountability and did her [thesis at Cornell](https://arxiv.org/abs/2206.04179?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in the "Challenges and Pitfalls of Artificial Intelligence." She's a professor of AI and the founder of the [AI Accountability Lab](https://aial.ie/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. You can [follow her on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/abeba.blacksky.app?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and you can [follow the work of her lab](https://bsky.app/profile/aial.ie?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) too. [**Dr. Damien P. Williams**](https://afutureworththinkingabout.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is a professor in Philosophy and Data Science who studies technology and society from a philosophical POV. He's currently based at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he teaches courses on data ethics, science fiction and the implications of AI. He [has a blog](https://afutureworththinkingabout.com/blog/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), though it's not super active but he's active [on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/wolvendamien.bsky.social?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [**Shae Omonijo**](https://iamshaeo.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is a PhD candidate in the history department at Harvard where she examines critical thinking in the age of AI. She runs [Analog Social](https://analogsocial.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which helps tech founders with their well-being. Theresa Sullivan, who shared Shae's work, said she goes "beyond the AI enthusiast or AI hater binary." Shae writes a [newsletter about AI and the future of work](https://shaeomonijo.substack.com/), she publishes [a series on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLptL8DEX9T78FDEz8CPGmFP9HWxysQpzQ&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and she is active [on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/omonijo/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [**Dr. Timnit Gebru**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/timnit-gebru-7b3b407/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [**Dr. Emily Bender**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebender/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [**Dr. Alex Hanna**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-hanna-ph-d/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) are some of the most famous AI ethicists and they've worked closely together for years. It was a paper that Gebru and Bender wrote that [resulted in Gebru being ousted from Google](https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/12/04/1013294/google-ai-ethics-research-paper-forced-out-timnit-gebru/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), where she was leading Google's Ethical AI team. Hanna also worked on that team. In the wake of that very public departure, Gebru founded [The Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR)](https://dair-institute.org/team/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) where Hanna is now Director of Research. Last year, Hanna and Bender co-authored a book called [*The AI Con*](https://thecon.ai/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and they co-host a podcast called [*Mystery AI Hype Theater*](https://dair-institute.org/maiht3k/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) where they myth bust the AI hype cycle. Gebru's background is in computer science, Bender's is in linguistics and Hanna's is in sociology, AI and machine learning. They're all active on LinkedIn and Bluesky and the podcast is a good way to keep up with what they're paying attention to. [![Mystery AI Hype Theater](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-10-at-8.00.41---PM.png)](https://dair-institute.org/maiht3k/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Mystery AI Hype Theater [**Dr. Joy Buolamwini**](https://poetofcode.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is a computer scientist whose [2017 thesis at MIT](https://poetofcode.com/research/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#thesis) unveiled the significant racial and gender bias in AI facial recognition. She's the founder of the [Algorithmic Justice League](https://ajl.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (AJL) which exists to raise public awareness of the harmful impacts of AI bias and to equip advocacy campaigns with the research they need to change policy. Tes Macpherson, who highlighted Joy's work, said "I spend a lot of time thinking about whose knowledge gets encoded, who owns it, and who gets left out of that conversation entirely." That's exactly what Joy researches and writes about. You can follow AJL [on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/ajlunited/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@AJLunited?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ### Tech makers [**Meredith Whittaker**](https://ainowinstitute.org/contributor/meredith-whittaker?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is the President of [Signal](https://signal.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), the privacy focused messaging app and the co-founder of the [AI Now Institute](https://ainowinstitute.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which is an independent research group that challenges the big tech AI agenda. She worked at Google for a long time leading product and engineering teams. She was an advisor on AI to former FTC commissioner Lina Khan and she's done tech-related [human rights work with the ACLU](https://www.aclu.org/news/national-security/algorithms-are-making-government-decisions-the-public-needs-to-have-a-say?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). She's active [on Twitter](https://x.com/mer%5F%5Fedith?lang=en&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/meredithmeredith.bsky.social?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [**Dominic Wellington**](https://findthethread.blog/about/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is the Director of Product Marketing at SnapLogic, which is an enterprise AI tool. Previously, he led market intelligence at MongoDB. Beyond his private sector tech resume, has taught data science at the master's degree level as an external instructor at Università degli Studi di Milano in Milan, Italy. He writes frequently [about AI on his blog](https://findthethread.blog/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which Guy LeCharles Gonzalez said he appreciated for "insightful takes that skew slightly more pro-AI." Dominic is active on [Mastodon](https://mastodon.social/@riotnrrd?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/theriotnrrd.eurosky.social?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), and [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dwellington/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [**Madalina Buzdugan**](https://madalinabuzdugan.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) combines sustainability strategy with ethical AI adoption, helping organizations marry their environmental and sustainability goals with advancing technology. Her background is in climate tech, travel tech and communications. Stefanie Kruse, who flagged Madalina as a good resource, shared a specific talk that she gave recently on [how to use AI intentionally](https://contentforgood.substack.com/p/the-ai-marketing-conversation-weve), while being aware of its harmful side. Madalina can be found [on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/madalinabuzdugan/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [**Ha Phan**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/hpuxixd/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is the outgoing Director of Design Tech at Zillow. She just gave her notice to retire, but she's an accomplished builder who holds many AI-related patents. She's worked with machine learning since at least 2014 when she was at GoPro developing automated video editing. Hang Xu, who recommended Ha's work, told me, "Most designers talk about AI in a fairly shallow marketing way which basically amounts to running agents for vibe coding," but Ha's work is more substantive. Ha has been active [on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/hpuxixd/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) where she brings a healthy level of critical thinking to detailed depictions of her workflow but there's no telling whether she'll stay online once she retires. [**Paz Perez**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pazperez/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) coined the term AI model designer, which is the practice of working directly with engineers to shape how users interact with AI beyond user interfaces. She teaches designers [how to create and adjust AI model behavior](https://uxdesign.cc/the-rise-of-the-model-designer-cef429d9c134?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and she developed an educational training program to that effect when she was at Google. Paz has been working in AI since 2020 when she was at Autodesk. She's independent now and she recently started a newsletter called [*AI in Practice*](https://pazperez.substack.com/). [![A diagram from Paz Perez's article on what an AI model designer does](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/06/0_j-YvEY6wqbCsI774.webp)](https://uxdesign.cc/the-rise-of-the-model-designer-cef429d9c134?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) [A diagram from Paz Perez's article](https://uxdesign.cc/the-rise-of-the-model-designer-cef429d9c134?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) on what an AI model designer does [**Kyle Alexander**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylealexander92/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is also an AI model designer whose background is in content design for fintech companies like Fidelity, Credit Karma and Block. He recently partnered with Legend Hang Xu on an AI model design workshop in New York City and he speaks internationally on the subject. Hang pointed out that, contrary to learning AI prompting or vibe coding which can become irrelevant quickly, understanding how the computational models are put together is a more durable skill. "Nobody is paying for prompt engineers or prompt recipes in 2026," Hang said. Kyle's work, like the work of Paz Perez and Ha Phan, is about the underlying technology. The best way to follow Kyle's work and his writing is [on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylealexander92/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [**Tommy Geoco**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommygeoco/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)is the only Legend included in this list and Hang Xu insisted I include him because, with Tommy's work, "you learn a lot about how AI companies are marketing themselves and how that's affecting our work," Hang said. "Our work" being the tech industry and more specifically, how designers are operating. Tommy's a software designer and tech founder turned media maker who produces documentary style projects that cover what's going on in tech. He partners frequently with AI tech companies [like Perplexity](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tommygeoco%5Fperplexity-is-home-to-one-of-my-favorite-activity-7419060632190263296-VGZg/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), interviewing their teams and experimenting with their tools before others start adopting them. Tommy publishes regularly [on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@designertom?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [on TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@designertom?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommygeoco/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ### Authors [**Abi Awomosu**](https://substack.com/@abiawomosu?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is the author of the recently published book [*How Not To Use AI*](https://abiawomosu.substack.com/p/the-book), which reframes how to use AI without letting AI use you. She calls her work "The framework for staying sovereign in the AI age." Abi's background is research, consumer insights and analytics for companies like eBay, Uber, and Meta. She's currently Director of Data & Insights at Artsy. She's worked in tech for 20+ years. You can [follow her newsletter](https://substack.com/@abiawomosu?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or find her [on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/abiawomosu/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [**Dr. Vivienne Ming**](https://academy.socos.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is the author of [*Robot-Proof: When Machines Have All The Answers, Build Better People*](https://socos.org/robot-proof?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#book-anchor-point)*.* She calls herself a "professional mad scientist" and she's created a variety of AI tools including ones for dementia, TBI, and postpartum depression. Her PhD is in Computational Neuroscience and Psychology from Carnegie Mellon and she's operated as a science advisor for many tech companies and foundations. She writes [an active newsletter](https://academy.socos.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) where you get pre-releases of her research and op-eds and curated research from elsewhere. She's also [on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivienneming/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [**Grace Blakeley**](https://graceblakeley.co.uk/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) has written several books, the most recent of which is [*Vulture Capitalism: Corporate Crimes, Backdoor Bailouts and the Death of Freedom*](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Vulture-Capitalism/Grace-Blakeley/9781982180867?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) published in 2024\. She's an economics commentator who has contributed to the [*New Statesman*](https://www.newstatesman.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and she's a staff writer for [*Tribune*](https://tribunemag.co.uk/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Grace is a democratic socialist, a member of the Green Party and [a fan of Brexit](https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2021/06/how-brexit-changed-us-left-must-challenge-eu-not-simply-concede-it?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). She writes about capitalism, corporate greed, worker power and AI [on her newsletter](https://graceblakeley.substack.com/). [**Cory Doctorow**](https://craphound.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is a science fiction author and journalist most recently known for coining the term ["enshittification"](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/the-age-of-enshittification?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) about the devolution of tech. He's written a ton of books and has contributed to many famous magazines and newspapers. His work and ideas have been featured everywhere from [*The New Yorker*](https://www.newyorker.com/books/book-currents/cory-doctorow-on-the-high-cost-of-living-with-the-ultra-rich?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to [*VentureBeat*](https://venturebeat.com/business/ipad-cory-doctorow?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). He's an advisor to the [Electronic Frontier Foundation](https://www.eff.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (EFF) which advocates for privacy and human rights related to technology. He [writes a blog](https://pluralistic.net/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which is mostly a list of daily links, many of which are currently about AI. --- The AI craze has caused so much group think and bandwagoning, it can be demoralizing to witness. Everyone cited above is an independent thinker who has researched, examined and developed their own conclusions about AI over many years. Some of them are skeptical, some of them are optimistic, but all of them are engaging in a clear eyed way with a deep understanding of what they're getting into. Like I said earlier, I purposely chose not to include many AI service providers though I believe that's where many entrepreneurs are getting their primary information about AI. I understand that AI service providers can offer helpful guidance, but I do not find their information to be very credible as they rarely have a depth of expertise in how the technology functions and how the industry power dynamics or economics work. Their business models are the definition of building on borrowed land. I might even say it's like squatting on stolen land. AI is in an [extremely volatile state](https://www.wsj.com/finance/investing/global-stocks-markets-dow-news-06-08-2026-aac7c547?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) where it is floating on piles of investor cash and public goodwill. There are a lot of showstopping problems that need to get solved for it to become a permanent, reliable fixture in our lives, like where they're going to build all these data centers no one wants and who's going to pay for the actual cost of AI computing. While we navigate those questions, the 24 people named above can help us make sense of what's happening. Check out their research and use their analysis to inform the decisions you make about how much to incorporate AI into your world. Nothing is inevitable. Nothing is required. Make your own choices and follow smart people who do the same. ***Want to add more good sources for us? Share them in the comments!*** ### Ask The Legends: How do you set boundaries with clients? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-do-you-set-boundaries-with-clients/ Last updated: 2026-06-09T05:15:12.000Z ## The question: How do you set boundaries with clients? ### The context: Your sanity often depends on your boundaries, but it can be hard to know what boundaries to set and when to set them. How do you set boundaries with clients and what kinds of boundaries are most important to you? Is it working hours? Communication channels? Feedback rounds? *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: Which communities do you find the most value in? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/which-communities-do-you-find-the-most-value-in/ Last updated: 2026-06-08T05:10:32.000Z ## The question: Which communities do you find the most value in? ### The context: It's been a while since we crowdsourced a list of great communities to be part of. And as a new Legend said recently, a lot of the folks who become Legends are "joiners" of other communities. Those of us who like to build in community tend to build bridges across them. I also want to hear about the communities you're running. What communities are worth your time and why? *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Paid subscriptions are the business model of liberation URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/paid-subscriptions-are-the-business-model-of-liberation/ Last updated: 2026-06-07T10:05:57.000Z It's no secret that queer people have trouble staying employed and staying in business. A 2025 report from the Center for American Progress found the LGBTQIA+ people are [2.5 times more likely to be job searching](https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-lgbtqi-community-reported-high-rates-of-discrimination-in-2024/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) than their non-LGBTQIA+ peers. That same report also shows queer people are 4 times more likely to be gig workers without a steady paycheck. Queer businesses make less money too. [CLEAR reported](https://lgbtq-economics.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/LGBTQ-Owned-Small-Businesses-in-2021-July-2022.pdf?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) on a post-COVID pandemic federal survey on how businesses were rebounding and found that only 26% of the LGBTQIA+ small businesses were making more than $500k a year compared to 42% non-LGBTQIA+ small businesses. Discrimination and anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation plays a massive role in all this and the farther we get into the Gay Liberation Movement, the more queer people are realizing they don't have to put up with subpar working conditions nor do they have to withhold their true identities at work. It's not just a nice to have. It's an end to trauma and danger. Many more of us are opting for self-employment where we can be free to make money on our terms. This principle of self-liberation—not waiting for permission or societal improvements to accept your fullest self without shame—was explicitly named by Harry Hay in the statement of purpose for the Los Angeles [Gay Liberation Front](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay%5FLiberation%5FFront?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which sprung up after the Stonewall uprisings. Employment rights and equal opportunities in business played a role in Stonewall and the movement work that came before and after it, but the barriers queer people experience today are complicated by [unstable economic conditions](https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-risks-report-2026/digest/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), insane [cost of living spikes](https://www.consumeraffairs.com/finance/comparing-the-costs-of-generations.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and the consolidation of wealth and power [by monopoly corporations](https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/12/29/how-monopolies-caused-havoc-around-the-world-in-2025?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). That's why you see so many [GoFundMes and BuyMeACoffees](https://queerency.com/2025/11/14/how-lgbtq-communities-have-always-practiced-mutual-aid-and-collective-economics/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) on social media from queer, trans and other marginalized people trying to cover the cost of their housing, their groceries or their healthcare. People have to do what they can to make the math work while fighting for better employment and business access. ![me checking my bank account to see if anyone accidentally put money in my account](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/06/Client-1.png) I hate this reality. Not because I don't support people raising money for rent, but because it creates a cloud of instability that hangs over every person's head who is forced to live paycheck to paycheck, client to client, GoFundMe to GoFundMe. It gives you less choice in who you work for when the money is that tight and it gives you no creative mental space to do the work you were meant to do. Everyone should be free to be fully who they are without having to choose between an oppressive work situation and homelessness. I've struggled with financial instability nearly every year I've been in business. My first year, I took on a $100k+ tech contract. The money was good, but... _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Ask The Legends: Does sliding scale pricing work for business owners? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/does-sliding-scale-pricing-work-for-business-owners/ Last updated: 2026-06-07T05:34:59.000Z ## The question: Does sliding scale pricing work for business owners? ### The context: This question was inspired by Legend [Erin Harker's membership](https://themagickmakers.com/kindred-club?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which she [wrote about for us here](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-month-i-almost-killed-my-membership-i-raised-my-prices/). Erin offers a sliding scale membership where you choose your pricing. This is common for events too. I've always been weary of this pricing model because I think already marginalized business owners are the ones who gravitate towards it and it seems like it would put you in a less strong financial position to keep your programs going. HOWEVER, I want to know if you've run sliding scale offers and how they've worked for you. *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: Are virtual summits a scam or not? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/are-virtual-summits-a-scam-or-not/ Last updated: 2026-06-06T05:39:49.000Z ## The question: Are virtual summits a scam or not? ### The context: I didn't start in the online business space. I moved into it from tech. In tech, there's lots of "summits" but they tend to be corporate backed and high profile still where speaking at them could book you a nice contract. When I shifted into online business, I learned about a new type of summit where people come together to give talks but the real goal is email list building (mainly for the summit organizer but also for the speakers.) Having now attended and spoken at a few of these, I'm come to see them as scammy practice. I'm all for list building but it's kind of a bait and switch to have to give your email to see a talk. It's not the end of the world. No one's getting bankrupted. But attendees are getting tons of spam in their email inbox, most of which probably isn't that relevant for them. They just wanted to see a talk! From the speaker side, it's a bunch of unqualified leads who didn't necessarily want your emails. I also hate having to promote summits because *c'mon, another summit where we talk about the same shit? Who cares?!* So, what do you think? Are virtual summits a scam? Or not? *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: What's your signature talk or workshop called? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/whats-your-signature-talk-or-workshop-called/ Last updated: 2026-06-05T05:15:57.000Z ## The question: What's your signature talk or workshop called? ### The context: I used to give talks all the time all around the same topic. Now, when I get asked to speak, it's on a wide range of topics. It makes it hard to build repeatable talks I can reuse over and over. I know we have a lot of pro speakers here and also folks who use speaking to build their client base. What is your signature talk called and how did it come about? *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Google doesn't care about your website. Should you still care about SEO? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/google-doesnt-care-about-your-website-should-you-still-care-about-seo/ Last updated: 2026-06-04T10:05:05.000Z Google's messing with your traffic again and this time, they're not sure they want to send you any. At Google I/O last month, the search engine [announced](https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/search-io-2026/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#powerful-ai) they were moving to an AI chatbot experience by default. Instead of seeing the list of links you always have, you'll now be chatting with the machine that stole everyone's information. A change no one asked for but Google is sure you're gonna love. Google was once a major source of traffic for small business owners but that's been [declining for a few years now](https://www.theverge.com/news/773928/google-open-web-rapid-decline?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) with algorithm changes and the adoption of AI. It's confusing for website owners because Google has long dictated best practices on the web. Your site should be mobile-friendly. Your pages should have keyword-rich titles. Your images should have alt tags. Sure, these are things website owners should be doing for visitors anyway, but it was the idea that you could be boxed out of search that motivated a lot of people to actually do them. When Google said [they'd stop indexing sites that didn't work on mobile](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2024/06/mobile-indexing-vlast-final-final.doc?hl=en&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), it marked a real shift in the responsive web. ![The new AI first experience in Google](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-03-at-2.39.00---PM.png) The new AI Mode experience in Google But if Google doesn't care about us anymore, should we still care about them? Search engine experts say yes. How search happens and where it happens is changing, but there's still plenty of opportunity for small business owners. How you access that opportunity is a little less clear. I've been seeing the same generic advice over and over again from lackluster SEOs: KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING. I don't think that's helpful advice. Especially for solo business owners who never really had time to learn or implement SEO but who have relied on Google for searches of their name or their business name. I wanted to hear from savvier marketers on how they're embracing this new low traffic world and what we should be doing to maximize our potential of getting seen. ## Google gives zero fucks that you're getting zero clicks I first heard about the idea of "zero click marketing" from Amanda Natividad and Rand Fishkin who are [writing a book on the subject](https://zeroclickmarketing.co/book?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Rand is one of the founders of Moz.com (SEO tool) and now SparkToro (audience intel tool), where Amanda works as well. They've been tracking the shift from using search and social to drive people to your website to having to build brand reputation and audience on whatever platforms you're using—and hoping that yields something valuable for your business. Rand recently [shared a video](https://www.threads.com/@randderuiter/post/DY0EHlkiGGB?xmt=AQG0KwpMFHQ%5FX6iJ4dpjoYicXADmtKUOb9P87Sxrm1-LCA&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) demonstrating how ChatGPT and Google are both experimenting with how much traffic they want to send you. In the video, he shows a search for hotels and talks about the fact that ChatGPT has recently added more links so you can click through to the websites. But it's not up to you (the business owner) nor is it up to the user whether those links appear. It is up to ChatGPT. “These sites have the power and ability to double, triple, quadruple the amount of traffic they send out or hoard it all for themselves," Rand said. Google giveth and Google taketh away. This zero click marketing world is being driven by platforms who increasingly want to prioritize time on their site, not time on yours. Though some search experts see it as beneficial to users too. "If I Googled 'how long to boil an egg?' I’d have to click on a blog post from a recipe blogger, scroll half way down the page, and then find the answer. I was never there to convert, buy a digital cookbook or sign up for an email list. I just had a simple question that needed a simple answer." SEO Consultant and Educator [Mariah Magazine](https://www.mariahmagazine.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) said. That's a fair point, but the more complex those questions get, the more Google is just stealing eyeballs that really should belong to you. ## Why you still might care about search With Google playing in our faces like this, you might wonder if you still have a shot of showing up on search. Overwhelmingly, the search engine experts I spoke to are optimistic about your chances, but it might not be your website that shows up anymore. Google or ChatGPT might surface something you said in a press interview, an excerpt from a blog post you wrote or a review someone left of your business. They are ingesting and throwing back out bits and pieces of your digital life and business online. "This 'great decoupling' of impressions and clicks, as it’s known, isn’t the end of the world. You’re still building brand recognition and searcher trust as they are exposed to your site and content through the answer engine," says journalist turned SEO pro [Emily Gertenbach](https://www.egcreativecontent.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). The biggest winners are people who don't need website visits but who just need eyeballs on their name, their expertise and their services. It feels unsettling after everything we've been told about owning our plots of land online but if your business does not rely on your website, Google might still be on your side. Nina Clapperton of [She Knows SEO](https://sheknowsseo.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) emphasized that the upside of this AI-powered search world is that chatbots are essentially qualifying your leads for you. "You're able to be where your buyer is when they're ready to consider you or work with you," Nina said. That's because the chatbots can supposedly better infer a user's search intent through a conversation than keywords did alone. Google's going so far as to book services directly for users. I asked AI savvy copywriter Shawnna Stiver about this because [her LinkedIn post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/shawnnarstiver%5Fis-the-era-of-the-10-blue-links-really-share-7465776933214240769-R4bu/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAo-0gsBtjzfwlcsweIEilJXm%5F06-UxUSRk) is how I learned about it. She said, "Search agents will monitor the web on your behalf, book appointments, and even call local businesses for you." ## Search outside of Google Google's cutting down on sending site traffic but what about Pinterest, Reddit, YouTube and everywhere else where search has become an important discovery tool? Should you move your efforts there or will the chatbot follow you? I reached out to [Nadalie Bardo](https://yourpincoach.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), a Pinterest marketing expert, to ask if she thought **Pinterest** would copy Google's approach for search. She said they're already embracing AI at Pinterest wholeheartedly which has resulted in a lot of garbage results in the feed, but that "Pinterest's use of AI has not destroyed creators' reach or potential reach on the platform." To find out if Pinterest could be useful to your business, Nadalie suggests searching "the primary keywords related to your audience, business, products, or services. See if pins are showing up for those keywords. If they are, that's usually a good indication that your business is a good fit for Pinterest." She's got [a free masterclass](https://yourpincoach.com/pinperfect/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) if you're thinking about getting into it. **Reddit** has always been interesting to me as a marketing channel because it's so indirect. You can't just promote your business there. You have to engage in a conversation that somehow promotes your business there. In the zero click marketing world, that could mean building your name recognition in relation to your topic of expertise. Andy Dehnart, TV critic and founder of [*reality blurred*](https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), told me he's been showing up on Reddit and on Threads to answer people's questions, occasionally linking to his site when it's relevant. Shawnna said this is great practice because "Reddit threads are being heavily cited *inside* AI answers, so that's one channel where you can achieve both human and AI visibility." Everyone who keeps trying to make **YouTube** happen in the small business world will tell you it's also a good place to get found via search, though Fractional CMO Adrienne Kmetz pointed out that Google [uses the YouTube library](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/19/google-youtube-ai-training-veo-3.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to train their AI suite. I couldn't find any way for us to opt out of Google AI training via YouTube, but you can [opt out of third parties](https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1hkv5bj/psa%5Fif%5Fyou%5Fdont%5Fwant%5Fyour%5Fcontent%5Fbeing%5Fused%5Fto/?rdt=62985&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) using your videos to train their AI systems. Training aside, I can't envision what the AI-powered future looks like for YouTube when their existing version of the "for you" page is so pathetic, but it might be something like what Spotify has cooked up where it [creates AI podcasts for you](https://www.reddit.com/r/truespotify/comments/1t9x74b/how%5Fdo%5Fyou%5Ffeel%5Fabout%5Faigenerated%5Fpersonal/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) out of podcasts that already exist, instead of just showing you those podcasts. Mariah mentioned [**Quora**](https://www.quora.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) as a search heavy tool in the mix but said "they’re actually dropping in visibility as of lately because they’re easy to manipulate." These companies are all following each other's lead and Google remains a major tech player so even though places like Reddit, Quora and Pinterest still have a more classic search, it's almost certain all these tools will be adopting more AI bullshit in the future to please their shareholders. ## What you need to be thinking about if you care about this brave new world When we talk about search, it's less and less only about Google. Google's own [traffic is slipping](https://firstpagesage.com/seo-blog/google-vs-chatgpt-market-share-report/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) because they're now in direct competition with ChapGPT. SEO experts have already incorporated AI chatbots into how they get visibility for a business. They're not so concerned with making page one of Google anymore. It's about getting a person or brand recommended everywhere possible. Fractional SEO Consultant and Growth Advisor [Jason Faber](https://www.jasonfaber.ca/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) says SEO and AEO (answer engine optimization) aren't the same but they aren't that different either. "Many SEO fundamentals still apply in an AI-driven search world, but what has really changed is how people search for, research, and discover information and the platforms they use to do so," Jason said, citing LLMs like ChatGPT as one of those places. If you want to be picked up more frequently by the answer bots, there's a few things you can do. ### Write better content that answers your clients questions Blogs are back baby! Many of the experts I spoke with recommended creating longform content again. Not just blogs—podcasts and videos count too. Even informational website pages. AI is pulling from all these sources when it pretends it knows everything. [Adrienne](https://www.adriennekmetz.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) recommended "making your site citation-worthy" by showing off your expertise in-depth through a few posts and pages. Since so much of the answer engine world is a Q&A, think about the top questions your clients have before they hire you and write answers to those. And don't use AI to write them. Emily pointed out that Google can tell the difference between AI and human created content and it won't surface what it can generate itself. You don't need to become a full time blogger though. Content strategist Jana Osofsky is always talking about the "capsule blog" approach where you [create 12 high value blog posts](https://www.threads.com/@janaomedia/post/DZFdQLgllXt?xmt=AQG0z1OE63Bu8Hc5vZdTD%5FcEPd5vVrvfxOKtMuKBL3h-yA&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for your clients. ### Update your business information on your site and in directories Google booking services on behalf of users [mainly applies to local businesses](https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/shopping/how-to-agentic-calling-let-google-call/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) but keeping your basic business info up to date everywhere you show up was a theme I heard over and over again from the experts I spoke with. Sarah Giffrow, who runs the digital marketing agency [Upswept Creative](https://www.upsweptcreative.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), told me she's been revising her website content to make sure it reflects current services and updating listings on Google Maps and Yelp so everything is correct if Google comes crawling. Industry specific directories used to be a beloved place to get a backlink and turns out they're still relevant for AI tools. Shawnna said, "I'm working with a client right now on optimizing the attorney profiles on the Best Lawyer site, which is a directory for law firms. They pay to appear in the directory and these updates will help to boost their credibility with AI." ### Track your mentions in AI tools Jason recommended tracking your mentions in the AI space. As of yesterday, you can [now do that inside Google Search Console](https://www.cmswire.com/digital-experience/google-adds-ai-visibility-reports-to-search-console/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). That might just track mentions flowing through Google though. You can also use a third party tool like [AI Sightline](https://aisightline.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or [RankSurf](https://ranksurf.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). When you're looking at these, Jason said you're determining how competitive you are in your own niche. Reflect on the following questions: "What is your share of voice? Which topics are you well-mentioned and cited on? Which ones are you deficient in? What trends do you notice?" [![Cyrus Shepard shares a first look at the AI results in Google Search Console](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-03-at-2.44.58---PM.png)](https://www.threads.com/@cyrusshepard/post/DZIcoUyGnT5?xmt=AQG0gaVZGBWUksBiUdLeJMjIDCLt2llAnPSMtNL9wRz4Jw&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Cyrus Shepard shares a first look at the AI results in Google Search Console ### Diversify your channel strategy Whether or not you prioritize search still, you'll need other ways to connect with your clients. Mariah said her favorite complementary strategies are [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/c/MariahMagazine?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and collaborations with other business owners. Andy is focusing on building a community around his repeat readers and commenters. He's also investing more time in [his newsletter](https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/newsletter/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Nina told me public Facebook groups have been "popping off" recently because they're indexed in search too. She runs [her own such group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/470844654393363/) and it has 4k+ people in it. Online visibility technologist [Edwin Acevedo](https://edwinacevedo.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) said you also want to think about your broader reputation online. “You are what you publish, but you also are what others say about you. Reviews, aggregators, your own Google Business Profile, all of these affect how visible you are," Edwin said. If you need more ideas on what channels to try, I just republished [22 ways to find clients WITHOUT social media](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/22-ways-to-find-clients-without-social-media/). [22 ways to find clients WITHOUT social mediaYou don’t need social media to find clients. In fact, you might have 22 faster ways to reach them without it.![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-4081a151-d847-4dca-b32a-39a53aa9eac7.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-06-02T213417.049-7746eeb8-1b6a-4e36-bf40-1406e14c87a0.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/22-ways-to-find-clients-without-social-media/) ### Keep doing SEO stuff blah blah blah Everyone wanted me to tell you that the SEO stuff they've been saying for years still matters. Create original content. Use common keywords. Design a logical site map. Make content accessible. Have other people link to your website or quote you. I hear this and I buy it on a basic level. But I think the days of optimizing your metadata might be gone for those of us who do our own SEO work. As for me, I won't be spending any more time on God's green earth writing keyword rich page descriptions for Google. ## Supposedly this is good and we're gonna like it I came away from these conversations feeling more hopeful about this change than I went into this. I've never been big into search optimization, nor do I like the forced adoption of AI, but I kind of get where these marketers are coming from in believing this could be a positive future for smart business owners. "My point is that if AI is going to talk about your brand, you should know what it's saying," Shawnna said, which makes total sense. The tech companies have decided that you're involved in this whether you participate or not (unless you [organize against them](https://www.npr.org/2025/09/05/nx-s1-5529404/anthropic-settlement-authors-copyright-ai?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which more of us should be doing.) Understanding how your brand is being perceived via the chatbots might give you back a little more sense of control. Jason noted that "branded search traffic is rising," meaning the number of searches with a specific person's or business name in them. He says that's because the AI chatbots are recommending businesses by name and then people are going to search to book demos. It's possible that your name could get dropped more often in this new chatty world, as long as the bots know what you're an expert in. Bex from [Summon and Sell](https://summonandsell.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) told me on Threads that it's good that business owners are getting more qualified traffic, even if it means less traffic. "I dislike what Google has done by stealing users content but it IS forcing a shift in how we think about traffic QUALITY over QUANTITY and rankings," Bex said. --- You're not alone if you're feeling whiplash from the last few years of *how you're supposed to be marketing your business.* It's a lot to keep up with and it can feel futile to even bother keeping up. As the tech companies rage on with their tech company bullshit—Anthropic is [about to IPO](https://bsky.app/profile/edzitron.com/post/3mndnqgknkk2z?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) if you can believe it—I see more of us retreating into corners away from all this fancy shit. Tech can't touch our relationships to each other and it's humans who make our work interesting and fulfilling. I'll leave you with this gem of a quote from Andy who has been [running his site](https://realityblurred.com/realitytv?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) since the year 2000, just two years after Google launched. Andy's seen it all. "The 'pivot to video' decimated media companies except those that didn't. I think the same thing is happening with generative AI now, where the advice is to make your site AI friendly. In 2026, I have a simple response: fuck that." ### Ask The Legends: How do you handle life emergencies? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-do-you-handle-life-emergencies/ Last updated: 2026-06-04T05:15:10.000Z ## The question: How do you handle or prepare for emergencies that take you away from your business? ### The context: How do you balance working for yourself with unexpected events like getting sick or a family emergency? Do you have anything in place to help you keep your own business running when you can't show up yourself? *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: Which tools do you consider indispensable? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/which-tools-do-you-consider-indispensable/ Last updated: 2026-06-03T05:05:52.000Z ## The question: Which tools do you consider indispensable? ### The context: I used to be drowning in SaaS tool subscriptions but I've cut way back this year. Every time there's a shiny new tool or I hit an upgrade screen on a tool I use for free, I wonder if it's worth adding another recurring expense. So, I'm wondering which tools do you consider indispensable? I want to hear about the tools that pay for themselves. *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### 22 ways to find clients WITHOUT social media URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/22-ways-to-find-clients-without-social-media/ Last updated: 2026-06-03T02:39:51.000Z *Originally published October 4, 2023\. Updated June 1, 2026.* I love social media but I've rarely found it brings me paid work. LinkedIn's been a goldmine because it's built around my network, but Instagram was always a lost cause and Bluesky is purely for entertainment. I use social mostly now to keep up with people who've already paid me. I know I'm not alone. When I was running my Growthtrackers membership for service providers honing their lead gen system, almost none of my members used social as part of their core client finding strategy. It's too unpredictable. Too high effort. Too low payoff. Even if social media works for you, it's unlikely to be your entire lead gen strategy. And you might find yourself wondering...what else is there? _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Ask The Legends: How does being queer affect how you run your business? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-does-being-queer-affect-how-you-run-your-business/ Last updated: 2026-06-02T05:14:49.000Z ## The question: How does being queer affect how you run your business? ### The context: I'm curious how your queer identity has affected the type of business you run, how you operate your business or how you market. I'm looking for answers deeper than inclusivity and compassion though that might be part of it. I'm looking more for choosing one business model over another, developing client experience a certain way or selecting specific channels for marketing. *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: What's the best investment you've made in your business? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/whats-the-best-investment-youve-made-in-your-business/ Last updated: 2026-06-01T05:38:54.000Z ## The question: What's the best investment you've made in your business? ### The context: There's so many expenses and opportunities to spend money in business. But what expense or really investment has been most worthwhile for you? Was it a conference? A course? A piece of software? A new hire? A desk chair? Tell me! *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Paid ads are for people with money to burn and a high tolerance for fucking around to find out URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/paid-ads-are-for-people-with-money-to-burn-and-a-high-tolerance-for-fucking-around-to-find-out/ Last updated: 2026-05-31T12:36:46.000Z Everyone wants a shortcut for growth that doesn't exist. A shortcut to more newsletter subscribers. More followers. More clients. More members. More event attendees. If only there was a button to press for *more where that came from please*, its inventor would be the richest person on the planet. Instead, we turn our hard earned dollars over to Facebook and Google. All the sudden the same algorithmic and surveillance tricks we despise as users, we cherish as advertisers. We want all the intel we can get and all the buyers we can get at the cheapest possible price. Paid ads are a right of passage for entrepreneurs but it's one that many try to force themselves through too soon. It's disappointing when they don't work like you were promised. It's frustrating when your money vanishes and you have nothing to show for it. And it can turn you off paid channels forever if you prematurely blow your budget before you're ready. I've worked in revenue growth for 12+ years and I've never understood what it looks like to be ready for paid ads. It's never been part of my job nor what I've offered clients. I've always taken qualified traffic and converted it downstream. But having wasted plenty of money on ads that don't work myself, I wanted to investigate what we should consider before we cross the chasm into paying for growth. ## The minimum buy-in is higher than you think Sam Browne built [his music booking business](https://www.findaband.co.nz/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to $1 million+ NZD in annual revenue with the help of Google Ads. Before you get all star-eyed about that result, listen to what Sam says it took to get there. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Ask The Legends: If your job was a game, what would it be called? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/if-your-job-was-a-game-what-would-it-be-called/ Last updated: 2026-05-31T05:34:26.000Z ## The question: If your job was a game, what would it be called? ### The context: Rebecca Hathaway inspired this question by sharing that she's [designing a game](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/if-i-gave-you-50k-what-would-you-do-with-it/#ghost-comments-6a18804b9123c60001c25271). So I want to know if part of your job, something you do over and over or something you specialize in providing, became a game, what kind of game would it be? Bonus points if you tell us how to play it. *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: How do you collect testimonials? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-do-you-collect-testimonials/ Last updated: 2026-05-30T18:54:57.000Z ## The question: How do y'all go about asking clients for testimonials, case study content, and referrals once a project wraps up? ### The context: This is specifically for people who do project-based work and need a bit more depth than "great work - would recommend" in a testimonial. Looking for a good way to integrate this in a project process / SOP. Any resources that helped you are welcome. *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: Should I offer a monthly option for my newsletter subscription? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/should-i-offer-a-monthly-option-for-my-newsletter-subscription/ Last updated: 2026-05-27T05:15:40.000Z ## The question: Should I offer a monthly option for my newsletter subscription, or only annual? ### The context: I’ve seen (convincing) advice that funneling newsletter peeps into an annual subscription is better long-term than offering a super-cheap monthly sub option with lots of churn. I get it! But does having only an annual option (as I currently do) present too high of a barrier for conversions? **Note from Lex:** This question was submitted anonymously, but I'd also love to hear from membership operators on this. Disclose which you are (newsletter operator or membership operator) for clarity in the comments! *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: What's working for growing an email list with potential clients? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/whats-working-for-growing-an-email-list-with-potential-clients/ Last updated: 2026-05-26T17:02:44.000Z ## The question: What's working for growing an email list these days? ### The context: I'm talking about a list used for email marketing to sell services, not just a newsletter. Not just subscribers, but potential clients. What are those high quality list growth channels where you find potential clients? Today's question was posed by Legend [Amanda Laird](https://www.slowandsteady.studio/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: Where do you market a lead magnet? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/where-do-you-market-a-lead-magnet/ Last updated: 2026-05-26T05:02:51.000Z ## The question: Where do you market a lead magnet? ### The context: I am working on a series of data insights-rich slide decks to serve as lead magnets for *Climate Proof* – my B2B publication on adaptation finance, tech, and policy. My question: how best to 'market' these outside my existing audience? I use LinkedIn a lot. What other channels should I consider, and how do I make sure the lead magnets actually lead to subscriptions? Today's question was posed by Legend [Louie Woodall](https://www.climateproof.news/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: How do you think about competition? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-do-you-think-about-competition/ Last updated: 2026-05-25T05:08:12.000Z ## The question: How do you think about competition? ### The context: I used to worry about competition a lot. Being in the same community spaces with people who do the same services I do, being compared to similar service providers. I worry about it less the farther I go in business, but I wonder if I should be paying attention to how competitors are moving and more importantly, what alternatives my clients might be turning to. How do you think about your competitors, direct or indirect? *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: How do you bring your audience along in a pivot? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-do-you-bring-your-audience-along-in-a-pivot/ Last updated: 2026-05-24T05:05:28.000Z ## The question: How do you bring your audience along in a pivot? ### The context: When pivoting your business, how much do you think is helpful to share about why you’re leaving your old focus behind? I don’t want to undervalue or dismiss the work I did and bring my audience along as much as possible…so I wonder how much needs to be about the pivot vs how this new direction still serves them? *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### We've got something to say: Revenue Rulebreaker's editorial direction in 2026 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/weve-got-something-to-say-revenue-rulebreakers-editorial-direction-in-2026/ Last updated: 2026-06-16T19:16:23.000Z *Revenue Rulebreaker* is not even two years old yet and it's led many lives already. Chalk it up to my personal flavor of mental illness, the force feeding of AI or just being an early stage publication, but we're altering our course to better serve you. [Again](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/meet-the-new-revenue-rulebreaker/). I've been working with journalist and Legend [James Cave](http://thejiffy.xyz/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) on clarifying our editorial voice and focus. For at least the last year, the core theme of *Revenue Rulebreaker* has been **how solopreneurs make money**. That's still a broad scope though so allow me to define more clearly what we plan to cover this year. I say "this year" because I know myself well enough to know nothing stays the same forever in my brain and I can't promise you much beyond the next few months. Especially until we try this on for size. *Revenue Rulebreaker (RRB)* features the stories of struggle, vulnerability and triumph of building something that is uniquely yours. As our name suggests, our stories are nearly always about revenue and how you generate it. I am really starting to hate the "I made $200k in 5 minutes doing this one thing" format that's common in both the startup and small business world, so while I do want us to share real numbers, I don't want RRB to be gimmicky and out of reach. ## Who writes *Revenue Rulebreaker* I am still the primary writer behind *Revenue Rulebreaker* and I plan for that to remain the case even with the inclusion of guest contributors. Last November, we started taking on guest contributors and, to date, we've had 22 guest writers share their work with us here. Accepting guest contributors has been a massive learning curve for me. When submissions are open, we get flooded with so much garbage, it's hard to spot anything worthwhile. I've had to pull a couple contributions last minute because the writer either misrepresented who they were or they couldn't come up with a publishable draft. On the flip side, we've had a couple super meaningful stories from guest writers that have [changed the course of some of our businesses](https://www.threads.com/@nicolestgee/post/DYiedKAD%5F0t?xmt=AQG0i8KtI5mK1wz6WDla%5FoEA5%5FNFZrX4I9jX0cJcFJcsCg&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I still very much believe in the value of us hearing from other entrepreneur-writers but we need both a more stable budget and a more consistent set of contributors. I am paving the way for that now by working on stabilizing subscription and sponsorship revenue and by crafting columns with some of these guest writers in mind. I am hoping to be able to take guest writers again by end of this Summer (August 2026) but I will most likely recruit those writers myself. And yes, I know we need an editor. I fucking hate being the editor but I can't afford one yet. That's a big goal for next year. ## What we cover Last year, [I wrote](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/meet-the-new-revenue-rulebreaker/) that I wanted to widen the revenue streams we're covering more regularly. I've changed my mind about that. We are going to cover the following topics regularly: - **Growing your audience** ([Now That's What I call Growth](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/grow-your-audience/)) - **Finding your repeatable business model** ([Buried Treasure](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/buried-treasure/)) - **Getting clients** ([Low Energy Leads](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/low-energy-leads/)) - **Building a membership or subscription** ([Recurring Revenue](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/recurring-revenue/)) - **Work and life styles of solopreneurs** ([Work Styles](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/work-styles/)) - **Counter takes on the same old marketing bullshit we're all sick of** ([Thanks, I Hate It](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/thanks-i-hate-it/)) - **Hot topics in the small business world and what we think about them** ([Everybody's Talking About](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/everybodys-talking-about/)) We are also experimenting with two new columns: - **Marketing and monetizing books** ([Page Earner](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/page-earner/)) - **Ask The Legends for advice** ([Ask The Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/ask-the-legends/)) [![Our current 8 columns](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-03-at-1.23.34---PM.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/topics/) Our current 8 columns Books have become a surprisingly prevalent theme among *Rulebreaker* readers, hence prioritizing author marketing over something like digital products or sponsorships. We will still do some coverage of digital products, sponsorships and other ways we're making money, but our priority revenue streams are client services, recurring revenue models, and books. For now. [Ask The Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/ask-the-legends/) just launched a few days ago and it is currently slated to end on June 9th but so far, I'm pretty impressed with the questions and answers coming in and think that this has legs as a standing column Legends contribute to via comments and then, are featured in the newsletter. I could also see a single Legend contributing as a paid guest writer a more longform answer to some of these questions. You can still find topics beyond these [on our Topics page](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/topics/) and we will occasionally publish outside these bounds when it feels important or urgent to do so. Newsletter businesses will be covered more by our sister publication [paidnewsletterplaybook.com](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which all paid subscribers have access to and which I still write myself. ## How we cover it The stories that get the most response, shares and new subscribers are always the most inflammatory ones. I wish it was different but that's just not the internet we are living under in 2026\. *Revenue Rulebreaker* will continue to be a service publication that offers stories you can act on but we will be pushing on the norms more frequently. You can expect *Rulebreaker* to get even more voicey, even more controversial and even more offensive. Never in a racist, misogynistic or homophobic way. More in a NSFW or a NSFC (not safe for conferences) way. I know a few of you were taken aback by my use of the phrase "whoring yourself out" in a business context recently. There's more where that came from. Brace yourselves. As for contributors, I'm looking for this same boundary pushing. We're not trying to be brash for the sake of it, but we're spilling our guts like we would at hour 5 of a dinner party sitting next to people we really like and want to see succeed. ## Where this is all heading Like I said, we're heading towards our 2nd anniversary this October and I want us to keep being able to celebrate those milestones. The bigger we get, the less paid subscribers are here for the publication side and the more it becomes about the community features. I need to re-balance that. I purposely chose for *Revenue Rulebreaker* to be community-centric but the publishing side should be at least be 50% of the value of being a paid subscriber. Otherwise, the publication has less investment and less reason to exist. Legends certainly could exist on its own and that's one possible future, but it's a future I'm personally a lot less excited about. This new editorial direction should entice more investment and interest in the publication itself. That is my goal. We are now at 355 Legends. By the end of 2026, we need to be at 500\. I want to attract at least some of those people to join us with our stories. ## How to give your input on our direction I will be running a reader survey in June to get your input on this and other parts of this project, including events and Legends' perks. I will also be opening up another set of Legends 1:1 in a few months so we can talk more in depth. Other than that, you can comment or reply to stories and let me know what resonated with you or you can share topics you hope we will cover. That's always a huge help to calibrate what we work on. Thank you for joining me on this wild ride to birth and raise an independent small business publication at the worst possible time to do that. The fact that you're even still reading this post gives me hope that we can keep going. *Want insight into the health of the business side? Read our* [*yearly and quarterly reports*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/yearly-and-quarterly-reports/) *and join me for* [*Quarterly Earnings Calls*](https://luma.com/lexromanwashere?tag=earnings%20calls&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*.* ### Ask The Legends: Gimme a song that helps you chill after a long day. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/gimme-a-song-that-helps-you-chill-after-a-long-day/ Last updated: 2026-05-23T16:18:56.000Z ## The question: Can we make a playlist? Gimme a song that helps you chill after a long day. *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: Best channels that aren't social media? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-are-your-best-routes-for-marketing-as-a-service-business-that-arent-social-media/ Last updated: 2026-05-26T03:37:16.000Z ## The question: What are your best routes for marketing as a service business that aren't social media? ### The context: I'm a fertility awareness educator and women's hormonal health practitioner. I support women who want to understand their menstrual cycles, fix their period problems and get pregnant. It's a very personal thing and most of my clients have started out as people I know, referrals from friends or conversations in the DMs of Instagram. But I'm over IG. I'm getting a lot less back than I put in since the start of the year, conversations are few and far between and I'm burning out. I want to take a complete break over the summer, maybe even break up with the platform altogether eventually, but I am left with the question — what else can I do? I'm in the early(ish) stages so paid advertising options are a stretch (gamble?) for me. My email list is small and also stalled. I don't have a Substack. My goal is to call in new clients. I would greatly appreciate any and all advice from the community as a newbie. Thanks for your time. Today's question was posed by Legend [Amanda](https://legends.revenuerulebreaker.com/member/amanda-baumann?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### More subscribers won’t save your newsletter business: Takeaways from The 2026 Newsletter Conference URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/more-subscribers-wont-save-your-newsletter-business-takeaways-from-the-2026-newsletter-conference/ Last updated: 2026-05-22T10:00:47.000Z *I attended The Newsletter Conference as a member of the press. All opinions are my own.* Convening for its third annual event, The Newsletter Conference welcomed newcomers, newsletter professionals, and seasoned leaders from around the world eager to learn, grow, and network in person. While there is no shortage of chatter online about which newsletter platform is “the best” or tips for growing a newsletter, there aren't many events dedicated to building a newsletter business. With over 400 attendees in the building, indie creators sat right next to C-suite executives from major corporations and nonprofits, an important reminder that newsletters are a serious business at every stage. As the founder of [*Grants For Creators*](https://www.grantsforcreators.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), I run a grant-discovery newsletter. I find grants and other nondilutive funding opportunities for creators across the U.S. and Canada. With free and paid tiers, the majority of my income comes from paid subscriptions with digital products and consulting trailing behind. With a newsletter of nearly 22,000, I have big income goals for 2026\. I specifically wanted to learn how top operators improve paid retention and conversion rates. I share all of this to frame this recap so you know where I’m coming from. Here are my biggest takeaways from the 2026 [Newsletter Conference](https://thenewsletterconference.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and how solopreneurs can leverage these insights to grow thriving online businesses. ## Defining your unfair advantage The Newsletter Conference wasted no time addressing the elephant in the room: AI. ![Dan Oshinsky presenting at The Newsletter Conference](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-20-at-11.27.32---AM.png) Dan Oshinsky presenting at The Newsletter Conference (Photo by Danielle Desir Corbett) Keynoting the event, Dan Oshinsky, founder of [*Inbox Collective*](https://inboxcollective.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), set the pace with a thoughtful keynote address titled *“Surviving the AI Inbox by Finding Your Unfair Advantage*.” Dan stressed that to stand out in the inbox, you have to lean into what makes you exceptional. Insert your voice and unique POV (point of view) into every issue. Go deeper than surface-level reporting. Think insider access to industry leaders or in-depth analysis your readers cannot get anywhere else. In the near future, newsletters that are either void of personality or can be easily summarized into a few bullet points are more likely to engage with AI agents than actual humans. So, how do you write newsletters your people cannot wait to open and read? You win the inbox when you approach subscribers as “stakeholders” who have a vested interest in the success of your project or business. **This shift moves newsletters from mass broadcasts to community hubs.** People are more engaged when they feel they are part of the conversation or movement, so consider ways to pull them in closer, such as highlighting members regularly or hosting in-person events like happy hours, comedy nights, and dinners. Surviving the AI inbox ultimately comes down to prioritizing human connection: the depth of the relationship with your community. But relationships are a two-way street. Dan reminded us to do our part to foster that connection. ## Acquire the right people When growing a newsletter, acquire the *right* people, not more people. This was a recurring theme that has me reevaluating my newsletter business and definition of success. For the last four years, subscriber count was my most important growth metric. I wanted to grow a massive newsletter; however, if those subscribers are unwilling to engage or become paid customers, the business stalls and eventually declines. Often, it’s not about the size of the email list but the quality of subscribers. Few newsletter operators ask: Who is actually on my list? Here’s how to solve that problem. If you aren’t already gathering qualitative data about your subscribers, now is the time to start. Survey your community often (more than once a year). You’ve probably heard this advice before, but it’s worth mentioning again. Inquire about the other publications they consume and communities they are part of. Understand their pain points and aim to solve them. Test different formats, and make incremental changes as you dial in your messaging and offers. Data helps you make more informed decisions, but it is also incredibly valuable if you are monetizing through paid tiers, courses, memberships, affiliates, and sponsorships. All of these income streams prioritize reader alignment and fit. Speaking of monetization, *How to Grow a $5M Media Business Using The SCALE System* by Andy Mackensen, Co-Founder of [*The Assist*](https://theassist.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*,* blew me away. This was my favorite session, and here’s why. ![Andy Mackensen presenting at The Newsletter Conference (Photo by Danielle Desir Corbett)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-20-at-11.29.47---AM.png) Andy Mackensen presenting at The Newsletter Conference (Photo by Danielle Desir Corbett) ## Scaling with outcomes If you were looking for step-by-step instructions on how to scale a newsletter with systems, Andy Mackensen delivered. Andy walked us through how highly optimized opt-ins, quizzes, and 7-day welcome sequences can work together to activate subscribers and boost sales. When designing or improving your funnel, Andy underscored the importance of changing one variable at a time and collecting data to make informed decisions. For example, on an opt-in page, changing copy or the color of a button is an easy way to incrementally improve sign-ups. Quizzes are a fun way to personalize the onboarding experience. Power them up by presenting right-fit offers alongside quiz results. Then use those quiz results to further segment your list. Lastly, in your welcome sequence, put your best foot forward. Lead with personal stories and content that has done well previously. Don’t forget to ask for the sale. I left this session with an actionable workflow I can implement immediately and encouragement to experiment often. I’m starting by building a new opt-in page with a third-party site like [Unbounce](https://unbounce.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) since I have no control over onboarding customization with my current email service provider. ## Map out your business model When monetizing a newsletter, whether directly or indirectly, deciding on income streams is probably one of the first things that comes to mind. Adam Ryan, founder and CEO of [Workweek](https://workweek.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), presented two powerful choices. Are you running a: - “Who” business - “How many” business With a “who” business model, you focus on who engages with your list. The goal here is to double down on reader fit, not audience size. Think subscriptions, memberships, masterminds, products, and services. With this business model, you want to learn as much as you can about your community: - Who they are - How they behave - Understand their likes and dislikes - What decisions are they trying to make? On the contrary, a “how many” business model focuses on the total list size, which depends on scale. Events, affiliates, and sponsorships come to mind. With this simple framework, I quickly realized I have spent the last four years running a “how many” business. No wonder I have been struggling with breaking through certain paid subscriber milestones without going viral. Last year, I intuitively sensed other metrics mattered more, but I couldn’t figure out what to do differently. Everything made sense after Adam broke down the two different newsletter business models. Moving forward, I am switching to a “who” business, which means I’m leaving the vanity metrics behind. For that reason, I plan to prune my list and intentionally get out there to meet as many community members as I can. If I want to build the best grant curation newsletter for creators, I have to be in the trenches with my community, listening to what they need and bringing those insights back to my team. ## What comes next The Newsletter Conference pulls back the curtain to share insights and strategies from successful newsletter operators, indie and legacy media publications alike. I left the event with more clarity and an approachable to-do list. So, what am I working on first? I’m launching office hours for my paid community to give them more direct access to me. I’m also building a resource library of templates paid subscribers can tap into immediately after onboarding, something that frontloads value and further leverages my unfair advantage. Dan Oshinsky’s message about pulling your community closer gave me the nudge I needed to host my first dinner club in New York City. I’m not putting a big number on attendance like I usually would or attaching a lot of expectations. Instead, this is about showing up and starting small. If you’re thinking about attending The Newsletter Conference, I say go for it. If you show up and follow through, you’ll make back your investment, and some. For me, the “who vs. how many” business model reframe is already changing how I think about every decision I make in my newsletter business. To stay in touch about next year’s event, follow The Newsletter Conference on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-newsletter-conference/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). *Danielle Desir Corbett is the founder of* [*Grants For Creators*](https://www.grantsforcreators.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*, a grant discovery and education platform helping U.S. and Canadian creatives access non-dilutive funding to bring their ideas, projects, and businesses to life. A newsletter operator herself with nearly 22,000 subscribers, Danielle knows firsthand what it takes to build a paid community from scratch. She was recently recognized by Zoom as a 2026 Solopreneur 50 Honoree as part of the inaugural class of innovative independent business builders.* ### Make fun of LinkedIn all you want but it's making me money URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/make-fun-of-linkedin-all-you-want-but-its-making-me-money/ Last updated: 2026-05-21T10:28:45.000Z *Originally published April 23, 2024\. Updated May 21, 2026.* I was sleeping on LinkedIn for years. I was always more of a Twitter fan so I didn’t bother with LinkedIn. I loved Twitter so much I embroidered my handle onto a jacket. I [tweeted my heart out](https://twitter.com/search?q=%40calexity&src=typed%5Fquery&f=media&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), building my professional network and reputation on the bird app over the last decade. But now that Twitter's a shadow of its former self, Instagram is toxic as hell and TikTok is in the hands of the federal government, I find myself crawling back to LinkedIn. It’s not just me coming late to LinkedIn. The beige lady is [having her moment in the sun](https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/2025/07/22/linkedin-breakout-platform-content-creators?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) as more people want to know if this is their golden ticket out of the hellscape that is modern marketing. I was about ready to give up on all social when I checked my lead tracker and noticed around 25% of my new business was CLOSING with help from LinkedIn. Now, you've got my attention. [![Snapshot from my Lead Tracker—get the template for free](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down-format=auto-onerror=redirect-quality=80/uploads/asset/file/60955886-22f5-4bc0-b031-f5ee6f74f348/screenshot_2024-04-23_at_10-05-47_pm.png)](https://shop.lexroman.com/b/trackyourleads?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Snapshot from my Lead Tracker circa 2024—[get the template for free](https://shop.lexroman.com/b/trackyourleads?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) LinkedIn is a slower start than a lot of social media platforms because it relies so heavily on network effects. Most people join, post like crazy and then, give up because no one saw their posts. Posts don't go very far for new users because LinkedIn uses your close connections to determine whether your post is worth spreading wider. If your follower count is low, you have a much smaller chance that your post will go beyond the connections you already have. It takes time to build out your network so your posts actually get seen and engaged with (and then shared wider by the algorithm.) Who has time for that though? I wanted to know the fastest ways you could get LinkedIn to pay off so I talked to a few other entrepreneurs about how they were getting leads from LinkedIn beyond posts. Four methods stood out and none of them require you to have a big following or viral post strategy in place. - Your buyers can find you based on the **keywords** in your profile. - Your **comments** on other posts get widely seen by potential clients. - Your clients can tag you in **reviews** which show to both your networks. - You can use **DMs** to drum up interest in your work. Each of these methods on their own—with little to no network—has paid off in booked clients for the people I spoke with. Here's exactly what they each did and how it led to a sale. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Ask The Legends: How do you think about referral fees? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-do-you-think-about-referral-fees/ Last updated: 2026-05-21T04:17:04.000Z ## The question: How do you think about referral fees, both giving and asking for them? ### The context: I've defaulted to treating referrals as a form of goodwill because I like leading with generosity. This feels right for some relationships, but I'm starting to wonder about which partnerships warrant an agreement. So my question is about explicit arrangements versus keeping it informal, and how to decide which is which. *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: What's one thing you'd go back and tell yourself? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/whats-one-thing-youd-go-back-and-tell-yourself/ Last updated: 2026-05-20T01:58:13.000Z ## The question: What’s one thing you’d go back and tell yourself? ### The context: Oh wow, it’s a time machine. You hop in. It’s perfectly safe, probably, and undeniably comfortable. The dial is set to the very first day you started running your own business. What’s one thing you’d go back and tell yourself? Today's question was posed by Legend [Brian Kerr](https://legends.revenuerulebreaker.com/member/brian-kerr?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: What's the best testimonial you've ever received? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/whats-the-best-testimonial-youve-ever-received/ Last updated: 2026-05-19T02:22:29.000Z ## The question: What's the best testimonial you've ever received? ### The context: I love getting a good testimonial. And I'm often surprised at how they point out things I didn't even know I was doing. I'd love to know what your best testimonial was and it doesn't have to be an official form submitted testimonial. It could be a social share or just something a client said to you. Share your best one with us! *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: If I gave you $50k, what would you do with it? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/if-i-gave-you-50k-what-would-you-do-with-it/ Last updated: 2026-05-19T02:22:38.000Z ## The question: If I gave you $50k, what would you do with it? ### The context: We all have professional passion projects we want to start or expand if we had spare cash. What's one of yours? Tell us what you would do with a little extra, no strings attached money. Would you start something new? Do something different with a project you're already running? Go write a book? I wanna know! *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: How do you think about pricing your work? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-do-you-think-about-pricing-your-work/ Last updated: 2026-05-19T02:11:07.000Z ## The question: How do you think about pricing your work? ### The context: I've always undercharged but I find it stressful to charge higher amounts of money. I know there's different pricing models like value-based pricing and time-based pricing. But how do you think about this? Do you use a model? Do you calculate it another way? You don't have to share what your prices are, but tell me how you price. *This question is part of our* [*Ask The Legends Series*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/)*. Legends are invited to answer in the comments. Just* [*sign in*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and comment on this post. Your experience helps our community and some of your quotes will be featured in our newsletter for added visibility.* ### Ask The Legends: A new series where Legends weigh in on your most pressing questions 🍿 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ask-the-legends-a-new-series-where-legends-weigh-in-on-your-most-pressing-questions/ Last updated: 2026-06-08T23:45:05.000Z ****Ask your question here!** You don't need to be a Legend to ask a question. It takes just two seconds. [Ask The Legends ](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Today, we're launching a new series. "Ask The Legends." I have had this in mind for us since January but it was a conversation I had last week with Legend [James Cave](https://www.thejiffy.xyz/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) that really made it click. James is helping me work on some sharper editorial direction for *Revenue Rulebreaker* (everybody say "thanks James!") and he said we could use a Dear Abby, but if Dear Abby was every single one of the Legends. Why might you want advice from the Legends? Because the Legends have a collective depth of knowledge that rivals the world's best libraries. We've got fertility experts, parenting experts, ecommerce experts, culinary experts, branding experts, journalism experts, conservation experts, strategy experts, web design experts and I could keep going but we'd be here all day. Name a topic. We've got an expert for it. It's hard to sum up the epic accomplishments of the [now 355 Legends](https://legends.revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) other than to say that, every time one of them joins, I look at their profile and go, "HOLY FUCK THIS PERSON JUST JOINED?!!?" There is wisdom inside these walls. And it's time to tap into it. ## How it works Every week, there will be new questions posted on *Revenue Rulebreaker* under the ["Ask The Legends" tag](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/ask-the-legends/). All Legends are invited to answer them via the comments. I will be surfacing highlights from your answers in our newsletters. ### 💬 Ask a question Anyone can ask a question, Legend or not. I will post the best questions on the site to get answered. [Ask your question here](https://lexroman.fillout.com/askthelegends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 👇 What kinds of questions could you ask? Anything really. This is a professional community but you can ask about life, work, travel, friendship, networking...anything that you're looking for expert advice on. We probably have the right experts among us. Check out the questions already posted for an idea of what to ask: [Ask The Legends - Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanA new series where Legends weigh in on your most pressing questions (running May 19-June 9)![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-a66ee1a6ba0509dc9681a034e811d026feda0446abed4a07348a5c2f4d3840ea.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/Untitled-design---2026-05-18T202913.022-4f9cfa3a029a6d37069c42a9645966f0aa6d637a5b2130fc3901524881014652.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/ask-the-legends/) ### ✏️ Answer questions New questions will get posted under the tag [Ask The Legends](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/ask-the-Legends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). **To answer, just** [**sign in**](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) **and post a comment.** I will pull your quotes from the comments to share in the newsletter. This is not meant to be a direct path to sales, but if you have a super relevant free resource that makes sense for that question (like a podcast episode), feel free to share it in your answer. Don't pitch services directly please. Also, there's no anonymous way to answer. The point of this is to get seen sharing your expertise or life wisdom with us! **🍿 Ask The Legends is now a continuous column. Ask questions. Answer questions. Let the Legends advice sharing begin!** ### Should you give your time away for free? How 11 entrepreneurs are using free events to find clients URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/should-you-give-your-time-away-for-free-how-11-entrepreneurs-are-using-free-events-to-find-clients/ Last updated: 2026-06-16T19:16:43.000Z *Story update 5/18/26: Thanks to Scott Walker's comment, we got a bit more info on how Annie P. Ruggles's offers gift seats in her events. Find that answer in the comments.* I do a lot of work for free. You probably do too. Free phone calls. Free emails. Free social posts. Free blog posts. Free consulting on accident. It's exhausting and I'm always left wondering, "How much of my time should I give away for free in order to at some point, hypothetically, get paid?" I've noticed that a lot of [the Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/) host regular free or low cost events as a way to grow their customer base. It's an intriguing way to market because it's more valuable than a single social post or an email. You can build trust with people faster because they see you face to face and they can hear you speak off the cuff. All this AI bullshit has made [scamming and stealing the norm](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/experts-warn-collapse-trust-online-ai-deepfakes-venezuela-rcna252472?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and everyone is on edge about who they can actually rely on. But events are a lot of work, even if you host them online. And just because you charge money doesn't necessarily [make them profitable](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-these-toronto-entrepreneurs-are-selling-out-their-networking-events-and-how-you-can-do-it-too/). People have told me, "Give free value and it will return to you." In 16+ years of hosting events myself, I have never found that to be true. I've learned you need to have a plan for how your free labor will actually pay off or people will bleed you dry and say thanks for the memories. Given that others seem to have better experiences with the free to paid pipeline of events, I went in search of answers. I reached out to 11 entrepreneurs from our community who have made events a big part of their business development strategy and asked them exactly how their events are leading to paying clients and members. ## What kind of events they are hosting One of my big mistakes with events has been trying to change up the style too much. Too many formats is tiring for me and it deters repeat attendees. That's the first thing I noticed about the types of events these entrepreneurs are hosting. They've each developed a formula, a set of event formats that work for them that they repeat over and over. ### In-person experiences For business strategist [Nedra Rezinas](https://www.nedrarezinas.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), it's a free monthly networking session she holds in person in Portland called [Quiet Networking](https://luma.com/user/usr-KwMseqAztfBe5iv?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Nedra specializes in helping introverted businesses owners and she focuses on attracting that same crowd to her free meetup. She told me, "Being in-person, folks immediately can sense my energy and who I really am. Going to 1 in-person meeting is equal to 5 online meetups!" [Naeemah Jade](https://www.linkedin.com/in/naeemah-jade-20071029/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) also hosts her events in person because she wants to "build environments where people could relax a bit, have honest conversations, and genuinely get to know each other." Naeemah runs a coworking space in Atlanta called [The Lola](https://the-lola.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and she is also an accountability coach and facilitator. Her events are rarely small. They are more like immersive experiences. She partners with brands and local businesses to produce networking breakfasts, founder dinners, coworking days, wellness experiences, and leadership conversations. Sometimes these have a ticket price and sometimes they're free. Her event formats are varied but she does re-run the same style of event more than once so people know what to expect when they return. [![Photos from Naeemah Jade's Founder's Dinner Exchange event](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-16-at-6.38.17---PM.png)](https://www.instagram.com/alignedaf.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Photos from Naeemah Jade's Founder's Dinner Exchange event ### Co-hosting workshops Co-hosting workshops that demo your services was a common approach to make the workload of promoting and hosting lighter. Web designer [Stacey Nicholls](https://www.thespacecookie.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and creative director [Sarah Giffrow](https://www.upsweptcreative.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) recently co-hosted a session on [The Social-to-Website Handoff](https://luma.com/e1obltl1?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), covering both their disciplines (web and social marketing) and how their services work together. Both of them team up frequently with other service providers or with past clients, reusing the same presentation or altering it slightly for different audiences. [Chris Musei-Sequeira](https://linktr.ee/LiberatoryLA?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) co-hosts events too but he works with the same set of colleagues using the same monthly event format called the "Offers and Needs Market," which comes from the [Post Growth Institute](https://postgrowth.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). The idea is that people practice their pitches and make asks of the group, though Chris noted the primary goal is not to drive sales out of it, it's to kickstart new business relationships. ### Cohort programs One of the most involved event structures I learned about was from nonprofit strategist [Abbey Harlow](https://www.harlownonprofitconsulting.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) who offers a free 12 week series for nonprofit leaders called [Winter Roots](https://www.harlownonprofitconsulting.com/winterroots?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Through the series, Abbey delivers guest expert-led sessions on topics like neuroinclusive employment, practical sessions that build skills around fundraising and marketing and facilitated spaces for peer learning. It's quite an offer to make for free and Abbey said it draws a big crowd too—over 300 people registered for the last round. Part of what makes it possible for her to run this without any guaranteed participant income is that she works with partners like [Front Porch Forum](https://frontporchforum.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (a Vermont-specific neighborhood connection tool) and [Little Green Light](https://www.littlegreenlight.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (a donor management platform) to offset the cost. Attendees can also donate directly to the event and Abbey said 5% of them did so for this year's season. ### Try before you buy By far the most common setup I heard was entrepreneurs using free events to offer a taste of what their memberships or programs are like. Business strategist [Jessica Lackey](https://www.deeperfoundations.com/programs?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) gave the same free workshop once a month for four years until it became too big and she had enough paying members in her programs that she could sunset it. "Four people came to the first one in 2022 and at its peak, 70 people registered," Jessica said, adding that if you're getting low attendance, sometimes it just takes a while for word to get out. Ashlee Sang told me events have been "one of my favorite and most successful ways to grow my list and my network since 2020." She's landed on three event styles that work well for her: a monthly [Conscious Crowdsourcing Gathering,](https://luma.com/consciouscrowdsourcing?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) a quarterly [About You Audit,](https://luma.com/8hvpnouj?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and a private quarterly meet-up for [all her past podcast guests.](https://www.ashleesang.com/podcast?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) The monthly event is a facilitated business exchange where entrepreneurs share challenges and success stories. The quarterly audits give potential clients a free taste of [the brand messaging Ashlee does professionally](https://ashleesang.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Like Ashlee, coach and intuitive advisor Jenni Gritters has found a rhythm with two free monthly events. Jenni's the founder of [World Builders](https://www.theworldbuilders.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), a school for creatives and entrepreneurs stepping into their power. Each month, she hosts [The Clearing,](https://www.theworldbuilders.co/the-clearing?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) a free group coaching session that's aligned with the full moon and shifts in the seasons along with one free masterclass. Right now, she's focused on helping entrepreneurs with their finances so [this Friday's masterclass](https://world-builders.kit.com/bb5eb97520?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is about stabilizing your income. These are both flavors of what she's offering inside World Builders. Low cost events work too as a try-before-you-buy sales funnel. Annie P. Ruggles has created a two tiered event system starting with a live pitch event called [Will This Sell?](https://www.anniepruggles.com/will-this-sell?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)where you can pay $125 to pitch or $25 to attend. Annie's got experts who gauge whether the seller's offer will work and she produces a validation report that the seller takes with them. That leads people into [Make a Move Monday](https://www.anniepruggles.com/make-a-move-monday?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which is a membership featuring a weekly accountability session for marketing and sales. [![Screenshot from Annie Ruggles's Will This Sell? landing page](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-16-at-6.40.31---PM.png)](https://www.anniepruggles.com/will-this-sell?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Screenshot from Annie Ruggles's **Will This Sell?* landing page ## How they find the right audience for their events Creating fun event formats can attract an audience, but how do you make sure your potential clients show up? Everyone I spoke with had this pretty dialed in on specific channels where their ideal customers hang out, like niched industry websites and professional communities. Even going so far as to send personal invitations. Here's the channels they highlighted: ### Invite a friend Jenni Gritters said most of their audience growth is coming from referrals. She labeled it having a "heavy 'bring a friend' culture," which I've experienced in grassroots community groups before when leaders remind you to invite a friend next time at the close of the meeting. Nedra Rezinas's seeing the same thing with her Portland networking group. Her regulars bring new faces which expands her network with likeminded people. ### Organizational partnerships Naeemah Jade is not just leaning on partners for financial investment, she's also building organizational connections to tap into their audiences. Last week, she hosted [Business Networking Breakfast](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7458682356489449472/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) as a collaboration between her coworking space and [Chief](https://chief.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), a C-Suite membership group with chapters all across the United States. That brought an entirely new audience into her space. ### Advertising in hyper relevant spaces For filling her 12 week cohort, Abbey Harlow found success buying ads with nonprofit memberships like the [Nonprofit Learning Lab](https://www.nonprofitlearninglab.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and the [National Council of Nonprofit](https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). She had 300 people register from those ads and 2 have become paying clients already (her last run ended in March.) Unless you're skilled with Facebook or Google, going to niche places to run your ads—like other communities or newsletters—is a smart move because you can find your exact audience and you don't have to sweat the targeting. [![Abbey Harlow's partners from the 2026 run of Winter Roots](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/The-Way-We-Work-Winter-Roots-2026-Free-Nonprofit-Professional-Development-Learning-Series-----Harlow-Nonprofit-Consulting-05-16-2026_06_41_PM.png)](https://www.harlownonprofitconsulting.com/winterroots?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Abbey Harlow's partners from the 2026 run of Winter Roots ### Posting in communities Annie P. Ruggles posts her sessions on event calendars like [HeyFamm](https://www.heyfamm.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which is an LGBTQ+ professional networking app. Deanna Seymour's [The Playhouse](https://jointheplayhouse.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) let you promote your outside events directly on their calendar too. In other communities, you just post it in a promotion channel to drive interested signups. Stacey Nicholls has good luck sharing her upcoming events in [The Old Girls Club](https://www.jointheogc.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [The Co-Promotion Club](https://www.thecopromotionclub.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ### Sending 1:1 invitations Event calendars aren't Annie's primary marketing method. She prioritizes sending personal invitations to people she's recently connected with and established colleagues she hasn't seen in a while. She also asks her contacts "to send their best clients as a kind of graduation gift," which I'm fascinated by and didn't ask enough follow up questions about so if you want to know more about this, ask in the comments and we'll try to get Annie back to answer. *(Update: see the comments for more about how Annie does this)* ### Using your own newsletter and social channels Nearly everyone mentioned using their newsletter and their own social channels, particularly LinkedIn and Instagram, to attract people who've been hanging anonymously on the sidelines. Jenni noted that you really have to have built solid trust in those spaces for people to show up. She said, "I have an established audience from YEARS of running podcasts and publishing content in various places. Events really only work if you have an audience." I agree that it's very hard to cold start events. You need a core crew who already knows you to join you and then, using the above methods, you can grow that base out and start to expanding to new relationships. ## How that audience turns into leads and clients It seems like getting people to the events is the hard part, but that's just the first hard part. The second hard part is turning all that effort into paying work. This is where I've fallen down on the job many times so I was keen to hear what our event hosts said about getting clients from their free sessions. The approach our group took here splits into two segments: those who have very intentional sales paths from their events and those who leave it to the attendee to drive. ### Building an intentional flow from event to sale [Stacy Eleczko](https://stacy-eleczko.kit.com/4ba686b687?utm%5Fsource=email&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fcampaign=lex%5Froman) feels my pain about events not paying off. She told me, at first, she wasn't getting potential clients from her LinkedIn Lives and free workshops either. But then, she started to make some changes in how she handled the before and after of her events. Stacy is a marketing strategist who focuses on messaging and copy. She said the free workshops are performing much better than the LinkedIn Lives. She's got one coming up this Wednesday called [From Story to Site](https://luma.com/ydfc0upx?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), where she'll show off how she works in a live event format. Before the session, she emails registrants individually to thank them for their interest and to ask if they have questions. Afterwards, she checks in—again individually—sending the replay and any resources. Stacy said, "That alone shifted things and I started getting more newsletter subscribers, discovery calls, and referrals." She's not stopping there. Her latest experiments in driving better follow-up include asking workshop attendees if they want to come back a few weeks later and get her feedback on their messaging workbook. That personal attention to detail has resulted in two discovery calls which turned into one proposal sent and one signed contract just off one feedback session. Stacy's also trying video messages, recording these for every registrant before her workshops, which she hopes will increase attendance and engagement at the sessions. You can use something like [Tella](https://tella.tv/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to record short videos and embed them in emails. For Chris Musei-Sequeira, the Offers and Needs Market event format means he can pitch his services directly during the event in a natural way. The recap he and his team send out includes everyone's offers so sometimes attendees reach out to him right away. But if he hears a need during the session that he believes he can meet, he'll make the first move. Stacey Nicholls told me her secret to converting clients from events is "overwhelming them in a good way" with free information so people who may have previously believed they could do their own website and marketing realize quickly they actually need her help. A brilliant sales strategy even Alec Baldwin's character from *Glengarry Glen Ross* would be proud of. She did note that sometimes it takes months after a talk for people to reach out with interest about hiring her, but they remember her. Ensuring event registrants get on your mailing list was a key tactic for several folks I talked to, including Sarah Giffrow, Jessica Lackey and Ashlee Sang. Ashlee noted that she makes this obvious at registration (noting that extra consent for the mailing list.) These hosts use email to tag event attendees and to send relevant resources post-event. Then, those event attendees start getting their regular newsletter and begin to build familiarity and trust, sometimes coming in as leads later. ### Leaving it to the attendee to drive Naeemah Jade told me she doesn't want to "lead with sales energy." She's focused on building relationships in her Atlanta community without squeezing too hard to get an immediate result. Having been part of that community and watched Naeemah in action, I think this works for her because she has this unique balance of deep listening that's super rare and she genuinely comes across as interested in what people are doing (even when whatever they said sounded boring as hell to me.) Her energy's contagious and she gets a lot of repeat visitors thanks to the warm, rewarding environment she cultivates. Jenni, Ashlee and Jessica said they're playing the long game too. Each of them makes a direct pitch, at the event or in the follow up email, but Jenni called it "an invitation, held loosely." They've seen people move from the free events to the paid programs over time and that's enough return on their investment to keep the free stuff going. ## Should you give your time away for free? When I look at marketing strategies we could use for our businesses, I'm always thinking about which are easiest to pull off for a majority of us versus channels that feel like winning the lottery. I don't love giving away my time for free. I continue to be probably way too guarded about that given my low energy and unreliable internet, but I will keep experimenting with events as long as people keep coming to them. After these conversations, I will take some inspiration from folks like Stacy to keep experimenting with the pre- and post- activities and folks like Naeemah to work on being a more present host. And I'm going to develop my repeatable event formats. Harder than it seems for us neurodivergent types who are out there chasing butterflies but if these 11 entrepreneurs can do it, so can I. On a scale of "majority doable" to "lottery status," I'd put events towards doable. They take some finagling to get them working for you and that payoff can be slow, but according to our community members, they can become a predictable path for finding clients. The factors you need to nail are your repeatable event format, your targeted channels to get attendees and your chosen follow up to cultivate clients. Once you prove the path from free to paid works, you've just got to keep it going. ***Do you host events as a way to build your business? Tell us one thing that's working for you in the comments!*** ### Open mic: Am I the asshole? Who should we believe about AI? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/open-mic-am-i-the-asshole-who-should-we-believe-about-ai/ Last updated: 2026-06-03T02:36:48.000Z Welcome back to another open mic where I ask you to weigh in on topics I see frequently coming up in conversations. Today's question: ***Am I the asshole? Who should we believe about AI?*** I saw someone on social media saying they felt like we couldn't have nuanced conversations about AI because either people are true believers letting their blood be sucked on by the machines or people are major haters with hard lines about usage and ethics. Where's the space for the middle of the road POV? Valid question. As someone who mildly uses AI chatbots, it made me wonder why I have such a strong reaction when I see people talking about AI at all and I realized the answer is this: I don't trust people who've never built technology themselves or worked in the power construct of Silicon Valley or maybe, by extension, the military, to understand a damn thing about artificial intelligence. That's my perspective. I don't want to talk with entrepreneurs who don't have a tech background about this. But, I'm putting it out to you—people I trust—so you can tell me I might be wrong about it. Who do you trust when it comes with ethical reporting and future casting perspectives on AI? Should we be talking about it more here? How do we capture that nuance without drinking anyone's Koolaid? Comment below! Your thoughts and experiences help our community and sometimes, I turn these threads into stories. I'll ask your permission before including you. *Anyone can comment on Revenue Rulebreaker. Just* [*sign up*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signup?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *or* [*log in with your email*](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *to comment.* ### Best Gumroad alternative: Why I switched to Payhip to sell digital products URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/best-gumroad-alternative-why-i-switched-to-payhip-to-sell-digital-products/ Last updated: 2026-05-14T13:36:51.000Z *This post is part of a paid partnership I'm doing with* [*Payhip*](http://lexroman.com/payhip?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*. I am a real user and a real fan and this post is true to my experience. It also includes my affiliate link. If you use my link and set up your store there, I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you.* Last year, I moved my online shop from Gumroad to Payhip. I've been selling digital products for 6 years, first on my own site, then on Gumroad and now on Payhip. Gumroad seemed like an easy place to sell but they kept raising their fees and slowing down their payouts. When I wanted to launch a new course last year, I realized I couldn't host it there because Gumroad has no hosting capabilities. That's when I started looking for alternatives. Before we look at why I chose [Payhip](http://lexroman.com/payhip?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for my digital product shop, let me share more about why I left Gumroad. [Try Payhip free](https://lexroman.com/payhip?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## Why I left Gumroad ### High fees and slow payouts Gumroad increased their fees to 10% plus 50 cents per transaction. That’s on top of Stripe’s fee so you’re paying roughly 14% on every sale. If your sales come from their marketplace, you’re paying a 30% fee. It may not seem like much when you’re just getting started but once you start processing a few thousand bucks, you’ll feel it. You begin paying a few hundred dollars in fees alone. You also need a minimum balance of $100 to get a payout and then, All sales have a minimum 7-day holding period before you get paid. If you want payouts to be instant (which they should be), you have to pay an extra 3% fee so now you’re paying 17% just to get your money. The fee changes alone were enough to get me looking for an alternative to Gumroad. ### No content hosting capabilities You can’t host any of your content on Gumroad. I was getting ready to launch a new course on paid newsletters and I needed a platform where that content could live. With Gumroad, you can just share a link or upload a file. You have to find another place to put all the course content which sort of defeats the purpose of selling a course there because you need two platforms to make it work. Once I realized I needed to make a switch away from Gumroad, I started looking around for digital product store solutions. That’s when I remembered my friend LaShonda Brown mentioning Payhip. ## Top reasons why I chose Payhip The top reasons I chose [Payhip](https://lexroman.com/payhip?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) were flexible pricing, robust marketing tools, and easy mailing list integration. ### Lower fees and faster payouts Payhip [costs nothing up front](https://payhip.com/pricing?fp%5Fref=lex34&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) so if you’re just getting started, you can set up your store for free, which is what I did. You’ll pay 5% on each sale plus your payment processor fees. Much less than Gumroad. I love that once you start selling more, you have the option to pay a subscription fee and remove the transaction fee. Once you’re selling more than $600/month, it makes sense to pay a platform fee and a lower transaction fee. [![Payhip's pricing page](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-13-at-10.50.05---PM.png)](https://payhip.com/pricing?fp%5Fref=lex34&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Payhip's pricing page Payhip’s payouts are [instant by default](https://help.payhip.com/article/173-how-do-i-get-paid?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) with no extra charges or waiting periods. You get paid as soon as the transaction is processed. There’s no additional fees if your sales come from [their marketplace](https://payhip.com/marketplace?fp%5Fref=lex34&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). That feature is free on Payhip. ### Better marketing tools I’m a marketer so having good marketing tools for my shop was important to me. I loved that Payhip has a [built-in affiliate program](https://payhip.com/features/marketing-tools?fp%5Fref=lex34&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I’ve been able to promote the affiliate program to my audience and I have several folks signed up with their own unique links to promote my products. I can control how much commission they get and which products they can sell. Check out [my affiliate page](https://shop.lexroman.com/affiliates?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) here. I also love the [cross sell and upsell features](https://payhip.com/features/marketing-tools?fp%5Fref=lex34&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I know these work from my many years in e-commerce and I have them enabled. With Payhip, you can set up your store so that when someone adds a product to their cart, they get a promotion deal for another product. You can control whether it happens in the cart (a cross sell) or post-purchase (an upgrade offer.) You choose which products get upsold too. ![Cross-sell example from my Payhip shop](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-13-at-10.51.18---PM.png) Cross-sell example from my Payhip shop You’ve also got [coupons and sale features](https://payhip.com/features/marketing-tools?fp%5Fref=lex34&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which I use frequently to run different promotions. [Try Payhip free](https://lexroman.com/payhip?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### **E**asy mailing list sync It’s super important to me that everyone who buys from my shop gets on my mailing list. That way, they can become a real part of my audience and hopefully a repeat customer. Payhip [integrates with your email service provider](http://payhip.com/features/email-marketing?fp%5Fref=lex34&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (for me that’s Email Octopus) and they can pass customers through onto specific segments. ![Customers can opt into my mailing list at checkout](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-13-at-10.52.55---PM.png) Customers can opt into my mailing list at checkout You have all kinds of control over this, like whether they see a GDPR notice, whether they get a choice to subscribe and which list they go onto. Incredibly useful feature if you like to send a follow up sequence for specific products. They [integrate with over 14 email tools](https://help.payhip.com/article/90-mailing-lists?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and you can also use Zapier if your tool isn’t available. ## Your store is your own in Payhip Another thing I love about Payhip is that your store is fully your branding. You get to decide everything from the domain to the layout of the products to the color scheme. You get access to a [store builder](https://payhip.com/features/online-store-builder?fp%5Fref=lex34&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) when you sign up and you don’t have to spend a lot of time designing it, but there’s a couple quick settings I find really useful. **Product collections** let you group your products by theme. I’ve got “Most popular” “Find clients” “Free downloads” and a few others. ![Product Collections make your store easier to browse](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-13-at-10.54.13---PM.png) Product Collections make your store easier to browse You can **custom order your products** if you want to put your best sellers towards the top, which I recommend. You can even **create custom pages**. I used this to make [a page for my affiliates](https://shop.lexroman.com/affiliates?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which links back to the Payhip affiliate program. You’ve got full **customization of your** **checkout settings too.** You can adjust your logo, add banners, change colors and ask custom questions during checkout. You can also redirect buyers to a custom page post-purchase. The Payhip team said they’ve seen increased conversion rates on seller’s stores after launching [customizable checkout](https://help.payhip.com/article/373-checkout-page?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) so these are worth looking at. You can **control everything about taxes and shipping**. Payhip will [automatically handle EU and UK VAT taxes](https://payhip.com/features/vat-taxes?fp%5Fref=lex34&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for you if you want, but you can toggle that setting off if you handle them yourself. Most of all, I love that Payhip is such a simple start—it’s shallow by default, and deep by choice. It’s easy to set up and I find their tool so easy to navigate but you have full control over every setting. ## What can you sell with Payhip I mentioned that I found [Payhip](https://lexroman.com/payhip?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) because I was about to launch my course. But what else can you sell there? ### Courses You can set up your [course](https://payhip.com/features/sell-courses?fp%5Fref=lex34&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) inside Payhip with interactive modules. You can add videos, quizzes, assignments, embeds, text and really anything you’d need to display your course. ![My course inside Payhip](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-13-at-10.55.41---PM.png) My course inside Payhip You can drop all the content at once or drip it out based on enrollment date or a specific date you choose. Students complete the modules and you even have the option to give them a little certificate of completion. One cool feature of course set up on Payhip is that you have options for how you price your course. You can charge a one time fee, recurring subscription or offer payment plans to your students. Payhip will also host your videos for you which is a huge bonus because they stay private and you don’t have to mess with unlisted links on YouTube. This is an extra $5/month cost which is worth it if you sell at least one course a month. You decide if students can download these or just stream them online. You can also collect testimonials on your course (or any product.) ### Digital products [Digital products](https://payhip.com/features/sell-digital-downloads?fp%5Fref=lex34&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) are the bread and butter of Payhip. You can sell templates, downloads, ebooks, and anything you create online. They just recently updated the editor so you can either upload the file or link your customer to the product (like if it’s a Notion template and there’s nothing to download.) ![Payhip's beta content editor lets you link to templates](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-13-at-10.56.18---PM.png) Payhip's beta content editor lets you link to templates ### Physical products Payhip lets you sell [physical products](https://payhip.com/features/sell-physical-products?fp%5Fref=lex34&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) too. If you sell merch or stickers or any type of physical good and you want to do your own fulfillment, they will calculate shipping cost for you and help you manage your inventory. This is a great option if you sell just a couple physical goods and don’t want a whole separate store from your digital products. ### Memberships You can create [memberships](https://payhip.com/features/sell-memberships?fp%5Fref=lex34&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) on Payhip. This is kind of similar to their course feature except it’s a recurring subscription where you plan to continuously add content. Think of it like Patreon but on your own website with all your own branding. ![Create different kinds of content for your membership and paywall it by tier](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-13-at-10.57.08---PM.png) Create different kinds of content for your membership and paywall it by tier You can create a paywalled area where people pay for access to posts, videos, quizzes and downloads. It’s a simple solution if you need people to have access to paywalled content and you don’t need much else. Just like with courses, you can create different pricing tiers and control which content different membership tiers get access to. ### Coaching Payhip can be your [coaching](https://payhip.com/features/sell-coaching?fp%5Fref=lex34&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) backend. You can create client intake forms, coaching programs and create a portal for each coaching client where they can track progress and materials. Payhip integrates with Calendly and Zoom for managing your sessions too. ![Coaching panel inside Payhip](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-13-at-10.59.13---PM.png) Coaching panel inside Payhip ### Bundles You can bundle products in your shop and sell them together which is really useful once you have 6 or 7 products available. I have [an everything bundle](https://shop.lexroman.com/b/bundle?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) I give to my paid subscribers and it makes it easy for them to grab all the products at once. ## Payhip is for independents like us Payhip had all the digital shop features I needed to make the switch but more than that, I love their ethos as a company. They exist to help independent creators make a living and they set a goal to help [1,000 creators reach $1,000,000](https://payhip.com/about?fp%5Fref=lex34&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in sales. [Try Payhip free](https://lexroman.com/payhip?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Payhip is bootstrapped—meaning they don’t have outside investors–and profitable which is great for us because it means they’re going to stick around and they’re not under pressure to build stuff no one wants. They’re a small, international team based across the UK, Canada and a few other countries. And their support team is super responsive and helpful. I’ve quickly become such a fan that I’m even selling my services on Payhip and now I’m collaborating with them to share more about their tool with you. If you’re looking for a home for your digital products, have a look at Payhip. I think you’ll find they have everything you need to start selling in one easy to start package. *Sign up for your* [*free account with Payhip*](https://lexroman.com/payhip?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and post a link to your new shop in the comments!* ### beehiiv's CEO backs a MAGA candidate but don't pack your bags just yet. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/beehiivs-ceo-backs-a-maga-candidate-but-dont-pack-your-bags-just-yet/ Last updated: 2026-05-19T04:20:44.000Z Where have all the good platforms gone? They don't exist. The mythical idea that one platform in any category is going to save everyone from the hellscape that is today's AI-powered, venture capital-backed, fame-obsessed race to the bottom needs to die. Quickly. It's of no use to you. Last night, journalist [Yashar Ali posted a screenshot](https://www.threads.com/@yasharali/post/DYOLc2RlLZk?xmt=AQG09vYoShHcu2Vsa5Qc5En8kO443cnv6mhlm9oVRSN4uw&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) from beehiiv Tyler Denk's Instagram showing his endorsement of Spencer Pratt, a reality TV star turned MAGA candidate for LA's next mayor. Tyler [retweeted Ali's screenshot on Twitter](https://x.com/denk%5Ftweets?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). It's unclear if he's in on the joke but he's standing by his statement. [![Screenshot of Tyler Denk's Instagram story](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-13-at-2.35.38---PM.png)](https://www.threads.com/@yasharali/post/DYOLc2RlLZk?xmt=AQG09vYoShHcu2Vsa5Qc5En8kO443cnv6mhlm9oVRSN4uw&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Immediately, the reaction was *well, beehiiv is bad too I guess!* Writer [Regan Stephens said](https://www.threads.com/@regan.stephens/post/DYQW-bKGZjm?xmt=AQG00eMrRxI%5Fd%5FMu9mgbMu9V7t9kvLC6qkcXBmvpJJQKGA&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), "So if we’re supposed to get off substack, and now beehiiv is junk, where are we going?" News creator [V Spehar said](https://www.threads.com/@underthedesknews/post/DYONPPOljkn?xmt=AQG0uQr706UEmnc5ptYbebArC39YiGClgxOUtJnahactlw&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), "come get your boy 😆 beehiiv acting wild." Comedian [Laurie Kilmartin said](https://www.threads.com/@anylaurie16/post/DYOOg8tDMnN?xmt=AQG0srZ2SkQ70zflzbUuKeLHdYXON2XzdtbbDz7Lf5GFGw&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) "we have to triplecheck all these apps!" I'm going to get back to the *where are we going* thing but first, I want to talk about why this is completely different from anything going on with Substack...at this moment. If Tyler Denk having radical right wing politics came out of left field for you, you might want to start reading up on the history of Silicon Valley. Founders at his level—who have raised the amount of money he has raised ([$50M](https://www.reuters.com/business/substack-challenger-beehiiv-expects-revenue-nearly-double-newsletter-boom-2026-01-20/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com))—are in bed with the bad guys. There is a teeny tiny number of founders who work with venture capital who do not share the ethos of their backers. They are exceptionally rare. Of course, many of us hoped Denk would be smart enough to hide his political views publicly, but given [his comings and goings](https://www.instagram.com/p/DIguo%5FfNcRi/?img%5Findex=1&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), he may not be aware of how deeply out of touch they are. Or at least how unpopular they would be with writers who are currently a core part of his user base. A lot of [people have left Substack](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/feb/07/revealed-how-substack-makes-money-from-hosting-nazi-newsletters?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) because of the right wing politics of the founders and their unwillingness to condemn nazis, transphobia, misogyny and racism. Knowing what I know about Silicon Valley, having worked with founders and venture capitalists myself for 10+ years, I wouldn't expect anything different from them. It's a pile of pricks out there. However, Substack's founders have proven to be extraordinarily incompetent in their handling of the backlash. They can't properly come up with a reason why they won't moderate their content and they actively promote their most problematic voices. Even Zuckerberg can hide this shit better and that's saying a lot. Right now, what's happening on Substack is completely different than what's happening on beehiiv. Tyler Denk's bad politics won't affect your publication at all. There's no feed. No leaderboard. No access to your audience. No shared audience. No selling an app to your readers. With Substack, not only are the founder's poor moral decisions written all over that main feed, but—thanks to being owned by some of the worst VCs in the valley and now private equity—Substack is a [single source of media control](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-substacks-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing/) for billionaire bad actors. Substack is primed for purchase by a Musk or Bezos type who wants to jockey elections and determine public sentiment. beehiiv is not built to do that. All publications are currently separate, on their own domains. The VCs behind beehiiv will eventually get rich off an acquisition by a bigger tech company like LinkedIn, it's not as likely to end up a political pet project like Twitter in the hands of Musk. Moreover, Substack is stealing from creators now. It's a problem for that reason alone. I've been [screaming from the rooftops](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue/) what a bunch of smoke and mirrors "viral growth on Substack" is but mainstream news is finally covering it too. Earlier this week, *The Verge* published a story on [why writers are fleeing the Substack tax](https://www.theverge.com/tech/927294/substack-tax-ghost-beehiiv?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). All that said, we knew this was coming. Those of us who've had our eyes open about what's going on in tech did at least. (If this is all a huge surprise to you, I've got some recommended reading you can do.) The question is not "where are we going?" like we're on some kind of family vacation needing to find a new hotel. The question is "how do I stay as independent and nimble as possible?" You need to stay on platforms that support Stripe so you can have the option to migrate paid subscribers (that counts Patreon out.) You need to export your list and content regularly so you have a backup in case you get blocked. You need to be aware that if you're using a VC-backed tech choice, you will likely have to move every 3-5 years. You need to build diverse audience growth channels so you're not dependent on any one tech company. Substack remains the worst option out there by a long shot, not just because of the founders' depravity but because they're stealing from you while preparing for a very bad buyout future. beehiiv is still fine. But, we're watching now. It could go south at any moment and you've got to stay ready to bail. **Related stories:** - [Why Substack's new valuation means a monopoly is brewing](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-substacks-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing/) - [How Substack steals your audience and your revenue](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue/) - [Alternatives to Substack](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/best-alternatives-to-substack/) ### The Business Underdog Bundle is NOW LIVE! URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-business-underdog-bundle-is-now-live-get-50-off-revenue-rulebreaker-and-hype-yourself/ Last updated: 2026-05-17T04:08:01.000Z ****That's a wrap on the Business Underdog Bundle!** Thank you to the 131 entrepreneurs who joined us. You can still become a subscriber to [**Revenue Rulebreaker*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/) and [**Hype Yourself*](https://hypeyourself.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) on our normal sites. [Become a Legend ](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/membership) If you've been thinking *maybe I'll subscribe to Lex's thing*, today is the day to do it. I know that sounds gimmicky, so let me explain. I launched *Revenue Rulebreaker* two years ago with far too much optimism. I never planned for it to be big or even really public. It was a secret at first. I had just shut down my membership (a.k.a. my income) and I didn't know what I was going to do next, so I did what all Americans do when they're lost: I went to Mexico. And I started a newsletter about it. I know, I know, I cringe at my own basic-ary. In my defense, I grew up in the suburbs. My original 15 readers will recall when I spent three days documenting the cockroach who had moved in to my cold concrete rental room. Eventually, I lured it outside with some off-brand cocoa crispies. Those were truly scintillating posts. The stuff Substack navelgazers fawn over 😉 When I got home, I did a short contract for a startup which was a DISASTER and I realized I couldn't return to client work full time. I kept coming back to this question: **Could I make all the content marketing I was producing an actual media brand?** At the time, I had a podcast, a newsletter, a YouTube and an event series—all of which people seemed to enjoy—and it felt like this could be it's own business. Not just a funnel to other stuff. So I repackaged it and launched it with a paid subscription called Legends. 40 people joined me during the launch. They are the original [Lifetime Legends](https://legends.revenuerulebreaker.com/?tags=Lifetime+Legend&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and they are the reason I am still here. The line between *keep going* and *stop forever* is razor fucking thin. I have good days and bad days. Hearing from Legends that they've gotten a new client referred through our network or that they released a podcast together or that a story I wrote helped them land their first sponsor. Those wins are what I live for. They are votes for *keep going*. But then again, there's the hundreds of people constantly telling me this business shouldn't be working. There's my own self-doubt about my skill as a writer and as a community builder. There's the weeks we go without gaining any new Legends or months we go without sponsorships supplementing our income. Last month, for the first time since I started this, I took on a client again. I don't say that so you feel bad for me. I say it because, when I have to make money elsewhere, I'm forced to spend less time working for you. Less time introducing you, less time promoting you, less time writing for you, less time hosting events for you, less time building something for you. And we have to cut stuff like guest contributors which is a bummer. No one understands this self-imposed terror better than [Lucy Werner](https://hypeyourself.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Lucy accidentally [deleted her bestselling Substack](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-built-a-fast-growing-paid-newsletter-on-substack-accidentally-deleted-it-and-had-to-rebuild-from-scratch/) last year and they wouldn't help her get it back. Her main income. Gone. Overnight. That's actually how Lucy and I met. Because she switched to Ghost—the same platform I use—to rebuild her business from scratch. Lucy and I have more than our platform in common. We are both indie business champions who write about what makes tiny companies work. We are both audience-backed by our fellow entrepreneurs who believe, like we do, that we have to band together if we stand any fucking chance of surviving the Altman-Bezos-Ellison-Musk-Zuckerberg hellscape. We both come from the business side—Lucy from PR, me from growth marketing—into the world of media. Our publications and communities are distinct but complementary. Lucy leans more towards promotion opportunities and storytelling and her audience leans more European. I lean more towards revenue opportunities and experimentation and my audience leans more North American. Together, our communities include over 500 tiny business owners and we're on a mission to add 100 more this week. **So, why would you join us now? Because we are offering a 2-for-1 discount.** The best deal we have ever offered and the lowest discount you can get on Legends this year. [![Announcing our bundle](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/It---s-twins-.png)](revenuerulebreaker.com/bundle) For the price of one, you get both the Legends Network AND The Hype community for an entire year. That includes all access to our publications too. Lucy and my subscriptions are normally $198 combined, but today, you can get them for $158 USD. Better yet, it's a one time charge. Not a subscription. You'll decide at the end of the year if you want to continue. ### That's a full year of: - Events and classes on promoting yourself with Lucy - Mixers and collaborations with me - Pitch guides complete with contacts for press and speaking from Lucy - Stories about how other entrepreneurs are making money from me - A clever, generous community hyping each other and accountability with Lucy - A network of creative entrepreneurs co-promoting and boosting each other with me - Feeling warm and fuzzy helping your fellow indie business owners stay in business - AND SO MUCH MORE!!! If community-fueled growth is part of your marketing strategy OR if you just want to see people like me and Lucy keep going, you should join us TODAY for 20% off. **This 20% discount expires end of today.** I'm putting a few FAQs below and don't hesitate to hit reply if you've got questions. This whole bundle thing is pretty new. We are the first business publishers to use it. Help make it a wild success! 🎲 Lex P.S. Here's the schedule for this week: - Today and tomorrow: 50% off the bundle - Thursday and Friday: 30% off the bundle - **Saturday: 20% off the bundle** - Sunday: Back to normal (no more bundle 😢) You will hear from me every day this week, so if this isn't for you, you can either unsubscribe or ride through it with us. We'll be back to regularly scheduled programming and pricing this Sunday. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is this bundle? Lucy Werner of *Hype Yourself* and I are offering a 2-for-1 discount on our annual subscriptions next week only. Bundle buyers will get a year's worth of access to [The Hype community](https://www.hypeyourself.com/the-hype-community/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) \+ [The Legends Network](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-become-a-legend/) for $99 USD. Two communities and two indie publications serving micro business owners worldwide (Lucy's community leans more Europe and mine leans more North America.) You get both for the price of one! Or in the case of existing contributors, you get the other one HALF OFF. ### What if you're already a paid subscriber? If you're already an existing paid subscriber of mine, you can get just Lucy's community at 50% off. The cost will be $49.50 USD. The software will detect any paid subscription and adjust the cost for you (meaning remove *Revenue Rulebreaker* entirely and just have you pay for Lucy's community.) ### What if the bundle doesn't adjust the cost properly? Make sure you use your paid subscriber email so the system knows to discount it for you. If that doesn't work, ping me (lex@lexroman.com) and I'll see if I can fix it. Otherwise, go ahead and process it and I'll refund you from my side. This is [brand new software](https://www.paidnewsletterplaybook.com/how-to-use-trustfnd-to-bundle-your-subscription-or-cross-promote-your-newsletter/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) we're using, only tested on a couple other bundles before us. ### What if I don't have time to do community stuff? You're getting a whole lot more than that. In my case, we're about to unlock free ads for Legends this month so you'll be able to plug your shit for free. I also give regular shoutouts to Legends on the newsletter which can drive signups, listeners, sales and more for you. Lucy and I both produce subscriber-only issues which will be emailed to you too. Just one story or shoutout could pay you back. This is a place for believers who want to be part of a better future for small business! ### When is this available? The discount schedule goes like this: - May 12-13: 50% off both memberships ($99 USD/$49.50 for existing Legends) - May 14-15: 30% off both memberships ($138.60 USD/$69.30 for existing Legends) - May 16: 20% off both memberships ($158.40 USD/$79.20 for existing Legends) - May 17: Back to normal pricing/no more bundle ($198 USD) ### Lex, I just joined you. Why the hell did I pay more? Because you are a supreme rockstar who believes in supporting indie publishers! Naw just kidding. If you just joined Legends in the last 10 days and you want to take part in the bundle, just forward me your bundle receipt once you buy it and I'll refund you the difference you paid me. If that doesn't apply, please know that your investments in this project are what keeps it running, keeps us paying guest contributors, keeps events low cost or free and keeps me available to promote your businesses. Thank you for being part of Rulebreaker and Legends and for investing in this work. ### Can I tell people about this? We'd love it if you did! This is a GREAT TIME TO REFER YOUR FRIENDS. They'll get the biggest discount all year and I'm still paying referral bonuses during the bundle. $10 a Legend fancy latte money. When you see their name come through on the list of Legends or in Tuesday's email, just tell me you referred them. I LOVE REWARDING REFERRALS BECAUSE I LOVE REFERRALS so don't hesitate to tell me. Forward this email or repost our posts ([Lucy's on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/lucywernerpr/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or [mine on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexroman/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com).) You can also [use the beautiful promo guide Lucy made](https://docs.google.com/document/d/19GDD0CWY5Ic6o6XI9C7RQeRV7HladOIT6QJv28pIwVs/view?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and grab messaging or ridiculous memes. ### New perk unlocked: Free Legends classified ads URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/new-perk-unlocked-free-legends-classified-ads/ Last updated: 2026-05-16T19:17:18.000Z We unlock new perks every 100 Legends. We just hit 300 Legends 🎉 and thus, we have unlocked a new perk **✨ Free classified ads for Legends ✨** You are guaranteed 3 classifieds per year and you can have more if I have space (and I likely will because even though there's now 300 Legends, not everyone is active and/or is promoting stuff.) ## Come get your classifieds! _This post is for subscribers on the Legend Status, Legends Partner Status and Legends Lifetime tiers only._ ### How to grow — and own! — your email list as an author URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-grow-and-own-your-email-list-as-an-author/ Last updated: 2026-06-10T20:15:20.000Z I published my first science fiction novel in 2015 at the tail end of what’s now known as the “Kindle Gold Rush,” the early 2010s boom in self-publishing where authors made a mad dash to capitalize on Amazon’s new Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform. If you believed the accepted wisdom at the time, by 2015 all the easy money was gone and the only way to “win” anymore in this self-publishing game was to go all in on Amazon’s new, exclusive Kindle Unlimited (KU) program. That tack never sat well with me. I have no problem selling my books on Amazon, but it felt like anyone with eyes could see through their strategy. KU is simply another way for Amazon to extend their all-in-one ecommerce platform play. First the Kindle — that beautiful device — to entice readers, and then the subscription program, designed to lock readers and authors into an exclusive agreement with the world's largest online retailer. Here’s the catch: Amazon grants authors the *privilege* of earning on their platform. We have the right to a share of royalties from our book sales. But we don’t have the right to the Amazon customer’s name or email address, let alone permission to market to them in the future. If you look deeper, it gets even twistier. Amazon positions KU as an acquisition tactic, or “loss leader” (though whether they lose money on it is a matter of some debate). They don’t make a significant profit from it — not compared to AWS, which accounts for about [50% of Amazon’s operating income](https://www.investopedia.com/how-amazon-makes-money-4587523?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) — but KU works to sweeten the deal for Amazon Prime subscription sign-ups, as evidenced by the free months of KU they hand out like candy as incentives. All the other online book retailers use the same tactics. They’ll help you sell books, but they’re not in the business of growing your email list. That’s up to you. ## **Growing your author email list** So if retailers don’t give you reader emails, what tactics can you use to build an audience you have permission to speak to directly? This is the problem I was faced with as a first-time author in 2015, and it’s the same question every new author who publishes their first book is faced with today: *How do I grow an audience of readers and fans who want to hear from me?* It doesn't matter whether you're self-published, [hybrid published](https://janefriedman.com/what-is-a-hybrid-publisher/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), or traditionally published. Every author can and should build their own email list. It's the single most powerful marketing tool at your disposal. It’ll help you launch bigger, sell more books, and build a real relationship with your readers. ## **Level 1: Master the fundamentals** Before you can grow your list, you need somewhere to send people and a way to capture their email when they arrive. That means you need three things: _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Open mic: Are you team organic or team paid growth? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/open-mic-are-you-team-organic-or-team-paid-growth/ Last updated: 2026-05-16T19:16:46.000Z It would be cool if you could go to the audience store and buy a pack of potential buyers. *"Step right up. I've got hot leads. 20 for a dollar."* Your audience can't be bought. Not even in the case of paid ads. Whether you choose organic or paid routes, you invest time into finding the right people. Organic growth takes more time than money. Paid growth takes more money than time. But both require your effort. So I'm wondering which you find is more effective for you. For list growth, traffic growth or direct sales. **I want to know: Do you lean more towards organic growth channels or paid growth channels? A mix of both? Why?** Comment below! Your thoughts and experiences help our community and sometimes, I turn these threads into stories. I'll ask your permission before including you. *Anyone can comment on Revenue Rulebreaker. Just* [*sign up*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signup?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *or* [*log in with your email*](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *to comment.* ### This is how our community is growing their newsletter lists URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/this-is-how-our-community-is-growing-their-newsletter-lists/ Last updated: 2026-06-03T02:37:01.000Z *How do I grow my newsletter?* This is the top question I get asked. It comes up in nearly every single event we do. I hear it in one-on-ones, in replies and in community threads. I feel like it's been covered 10,000 times on the internet but, if you're interested, I'm interested, so it's time to talk about it. Everyone wants a silver bullet for audience growth, but after talking with many of you, I've learned that it's the low hum channels that repeatedly work bringing small batches of new subscribers slowly in the background that are most effective. I specifically wanted to know *how this community was growing their lists* because a lot of the examples I see are "How I tripled my list to 1 million subscribers by chowing 100 tacos on a livestream" and that's not that useful for those of you who run small consultancies or who operate a membership. We are not just after subscribers, we are after buyers. We want high quality list growth with people who will do more than just open an email. I talked to 9 people from our community, starting with [the comments on this post](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-are-the-top-ways-you-grow-your-audience/) and following up with a few who had strategies I rarely hear. These newsletter writers include a mix of media businesses, journalists, creators and service providers: - **Greg Nix** writes the daily humor newsletter [*Chortle*](https://www.chortle.blog/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - **Femke van Schoonhoven** writes about [product design](https://femke.design/newsletter?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - **Sammy Bohannon** writes about [business operations](https://www.bohannonvirtualsolutions.com/better-operations-newsletter-sign-up?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - **Jon Woodroof** writes about the cycling world in [*Twotone*](https://www.twotoneams.nl/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - **Stefanie Kruse** writes about [web design](https://rethink-the-web.com/newsletter/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - **Théo Dezalay** writes about video games in [*Téma Les Jeux*](https://www.temalesjeux.fr/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - **Bryony Angell** writes about [birding](https://www.bryonyangell.com/subscribe-to-newsletter?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - **Tommy Geoco** writes about [design tools](https://www.uxtools.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - **Bryan M. Vance** writes about food costs in Portland in [*Stumptown Savings*](https://stumptownsavings.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) They each had totally different top methods for growing their lists. 13 techniques in total. One that I had never heard of. One that I was surprised worked so well. More than what channel they're using, you're going to want to pay attention to *why the channel is working* for the person for whom it's working for. I did my best to spell that out for you but if it's not clear, write us a comment and let's get to the bottom of it. It's often the execution, not the tactic, that makes it so effective for email list growth. ## Greg Nix writes the daily humor newsletter [*Chortle*](https://www.chortle.blog/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)andgrows his list with creator ads and submission calls ### Creator ads Greg buys ads with fellow creators who also write newsletters. To find ads, Greg searches Substack, beehiiv and [Passionfroot](https://www.passionfroot.me/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). He also Googles around for newsletters that offer advertising using very generic searches like "newsletter + advertising." "I'm narrowing down from there. Which of these are in my price range? Which of these have audience overlap? What's the availability?" Greg said. He writes a humor publication so it's ideal if he can buy ads in newsletters that are also funny, but he'll go broad sometimes just because there isn't enough supply. He links the ads to a high performing post (rather than a generic newsletter signup) and he tailors which post he chooses to the audience of the newsletter where he's placing the ad. Greg says engagement is high from the people who make it through to his list and he sees some of them become paid subscribers of his publication. ### Submission calls Greg also grows his list through his calls for submission for freelance writing. It wasn't intentional, but it's something he's noticed. This was the only channel I heard that surprised me. He [opens submissions](https://www.chortle.blog/p/spring-submissions-are-open?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) every couple months and he said he regularly gets 100-200 new subscribers out of it. Those freelance writers are joining his main list, but he's also started a separate list for them so he can email the calls out when he opens submissions. ## Femke van Schoonhoven writes about [product design](https://femke.design/newsletter?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and grows her list with YouTube videos ### YouTube videos and freebies Femke has a popping YouTube channel with nearly 100k subscribers that regularly gets 5-40k views per video. Not an easy feat in itself. She told me she's posted a few videos that have brought her subscribers for years, including this one she made about [how to create a UX research report](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esg5iUALAJM&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which has driven thousands of subscribers. That video has 101k views as of this writing. The top line in the video description is a link to a freebie where recipients are subscribed to Femke's list. Her winning recipe is this (in her own words): 1. Make a YouTube video on a niche topic my audience is interested in 2. Create and mention a free resource or template within the video, related to that topic 3. Have the link take folks to a sign up form to get the free resource 4. Utilize automations and workflows to send the resource while adding them to my mailing list Before you write this strategy off as only for viral YouTubers, I want to share that I nailed this recipe precisely one time with a video on [how to use Airtable to track leads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GLRDL8APCY&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). The video has 3k views and I've gotten 121 new subscribers from it via the template I included. The best thing about this strategy is that, as Femke pointed out, if you find an evergreen hot topic, it pays off for years. ## Sammy Bohannon writes about [business operations](https://www.bohannonvirtualsolutions.com/better-operations-newsletter-sign-up?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and grows her list with collaborations ### Cross-promotions Sammy realized most of her business was coming from referrals and personal connections so she started building her list that way too. Last year, she quit social media and leaned all the way into relationship building, joining [The Co-Promotion Club](https://www.thecopromotionclub.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (created by Legend Janna Carlson). Since then, Sammy's been honing her practice of cross-promotions through newsletter swaps, interview trades and co-hosted workshops. Here's an example of a promo trade she did [with bookkeeper Aneisha Velazquez](https://www.bohannonvirtualsolutions.com/blog/benefits-of-a-bookkeeper?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and another [with marketing strategist Madeline Willett](https://www.bohannonvirtualsolutions.com/blog/insights-from-an-outsourced-marketing-director?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Sammy said, "I have to be careful about what collaborations I do. They have to be intentional and with either just one person or a small group of people, otherwise, I get a lot of people who are not aligned with my messaging." [![The Benefits of a Bookkeeper Over a Bookkeeping Virtual Assistant](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-25-at-3.59.01---PM.png)](https://www.bohannonvirtualsolutions.com/blog/benefits-of-a-bookkeeper?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Example swap Sammy did with Legend Aneisha Velazquez To vet cross-promotion partners, Sammy digs into their business and personal social accounts to make sure partners are value-aligned. She'd rather spend more time making sure it's a good fit because she said her audience "only needs to grow by about 100 people a year. I can afford to be very selective in who I promote and who I trust to promote me." ## Jon Woodroof writes about the cycling world in [*Twotone*](https://www.twotoneams.nl/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and grows his list with prominent links, meeting schedulers, and community features ### Prominent links This is an underappreciated and crazy simple strategy. Make your call to action link your newsletter everywhere. Jon said they use **twotoneams.link/newsletter** as the main link on social media platforms or any profile that has a spot for a website. I do the same. If you're not doing this and email is a core channel for you, fix it now. ### Meeting schedulers When you book a meeting with Jon, after you've scheduled that meeting, you'll be redirected to the newsletter subscribe page. I've heard of people adding a checkbox in the scheduler itself, but I like the redirect as a more immersive experience. It keeps the journey going with your new friend so they can dive into more of your stuff. You're already top of mind in the moment—might as well keep them entertained! ### Community features Jon runs a hybrid model with [a creative agency](https://www.twotoneams.nl/services/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [a media business](https://www.twotoneams.nl/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) serving the bike world. Unlike a lot of service providers, he takes a generous approach with sharing what's going on in the cycling scene, not just featuring their work but promoting all kinds of stories, events and news. Jon said, "I offer to feature any project or event that I hear of in conversation in our scene, community or industry" as long as it doesn't interfere with Twotone's clients. As a result, Twotone has become a destination publication for cyclists which makes their audience reach much bigger than prospective clients (hence adding a paid subscription model too.) How do these features turn into growth? Jon posts the newsletters on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/twotone?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/twotoneams/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and tags everyone featured so they interact and share. [![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-25-at-4.23.16---PM.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/twotone%5F%EF%BE%89-n%C2%BA375-you-can-help-yourself-activity-7447150773240524801-0wco?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAo-0gsBtjzfwlcsweIEilJXm%5F06-UxUSRk) Recent LinkedIn post from Jon featuring all the features in the newsletter ## Stefanie Kruse writes about [web design](https://rethink-the-web.com/newsletter/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and grows her list with guest webinars ### Guest webinars Stefanie offers to do webinars in communities and memberships about web design. During those sessions, she shares a free resource that matches the topic to grow her list. She said this results in the "most engaged and long-term readers, because they know me personally." To find these groups, Stefanie started with ones she's already active in. Then, she asked those community leaders and other members what other groups they recommend. She tracks community contacts in a CRM (which she's thinking about selling by the way) and reaches out with a simple pitch via LinkedIn DM or email. She gave credit to [Tad Hargrave](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu3K4Z6i%5Foxl6Py1Zi3JU%5FeeeeKGlPH6L&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and Lilli Graf of [IMMA Collective](https://www.immacollective.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) who both inspired and shaped this strategy. I've been seeing a lot of people in our community using this technique, which can also directly pay off in clients. ## Théo Dezalay writes about video games in [*Téma Les Jeux*](https://www.temalesjeux.fr/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)and grew his list with reader referrals ### Reader referrals Théo made a direct appeal to his readers to share his newsletter back in March with the goal of attracting 300 new readers. That's three times his normal monthly growth. He smashed his goal [in 3 days](https://bsky.app/profile/temalesjeux.fr/post/3mgco42eisk2q?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [![Théo's dedicated appeal for newsletter shares](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-25-at-5.13.23---PM.png)](https://www.temalesjeux.fr/email/d03fd4f3-99b0-49fd-a1c4-435fc1ffd108/?ref=tema-les-jeux-newsletter) Théo's dedicated appeal for newsletter shares Théo sent one dedicated newsletter edition about sharing his work. In it, he listed three ways readers could help spread the word: forward a recent newsletter, share a story on social media or ask a friend to sign up for the newsletter directly. He also included the above hilarious graphic of his brand frog along with a goal tracker (he later adjusted the colors to make them higher contrast thanks to reader feedback.) His fans came through in force referring 302 new readers onto Théo's list and 5 of the new folks immediately became paid subscribers too. This reader referral campaign was inspired by [a story I did on a similar strategy](https://newsletter.projectc.biz/p/your-readers-are-your-best-growth-channel-with-the-prison-journalism-project?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Lyneka at *Prison Journalism Project* used to grow their list. Setting a clear goal and sending singular messages about it (not buried in a newsletter with other calls to action) is how you get this to work! ## Bryony Angell writes about [birding](https://www.bryonyangell.com/subscribe-to-newsletter?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and grows her list with bylines and speaking ### Bylines Bryony is a writer and a birder and, when she publishes new stories, she makes sure that all roads lead back to her website where new fans can join her personal mailing list. I first heard about this strategy from now independent film critic Ty Burr who frequently writes for the *Washington Post* and told me his bio there drives the most signups for his list. If you're writing elsewhere, make sure your newsletter page is in your bio. [![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-25-at-4.32.37---PM.png)](https://www.audubon.org/people/bryony-angell?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Bryony's bio on the National Audubon Society's website ### Speaking Bryony also gives a lot of talks like this event with [Birds Connect Seattle](https://www.bryonyangell.com/events/2026/6/6/2026-birds-connect-seattle-how-sweet-it-is-your-love-for-coffee-chocolate-and-maple-syrup-can-support-wild-bird-conservation-glbfh-6dgwr?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). She'll pass around a physical piece of paper to sign up for her list at events and she gives several verbal calls to action to do so. She knows her all ages audience might be overwhelmed by only having an electronic sign up, hence using the clipboard method. "This granular, analog method works for me as I speak to very small audiences of people who are slower to adapt to technological advances," Bryony said. ## Tommy Geoco writes about [design tools](https://www.uxtools.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and grows his list with Manychat ### Manychat for Instagram Tommy is a social media whiz, having mastered TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram with over 100k followers on nearly all platforms. But we all know that social growth doesn't always equal newsletter growth. To keep his newsletter growing, Tommy started using automation tool [Manychat](https://manychat.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which works with TikTok and Instagram, to turn followers into subscribers. Any time someone follows [Tommy's account on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/itsdesignertom/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), they'll get an automated message inviting them to join his newsletter. But Tommy doesn't just include the link. He explains why they might want to join. If they say "Yes, I want in," then Manychat sends a follow-up message to get the email address. Tommy's got Manychat hooked up to his beehiiv account through Zapier. ![Tommy's Manychat message](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/IMG_8714--1-.jpg) Tommy's Manychat message This method does not require that you go as viral as Tommy regularly does. If you're using Instagram or TikTok, you can use Manychat to encourage more of those followers to join your list. ## Bryan M. Vance writes about food costs in Portland in [*Stumptown Savings*](https://stumptownsavings.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and grows his list with earned media ### Earned media (mentions in the press) Bryan's newsletter has been featured in *99 Percent Invisible*, *Bloomberg,* and in lots of local Portland press thanks to a mix of smart social posting and relationship building with reporters. The *99PI* and *Bloomberg* mentions came about because Bryan says he was openly posting about his challenges growing a newsletter business on social media. It's worth noting that Bryan has a media background and therefore a lot of his followers and online connections are from the media space and are more likely to see his posts when sourcing their own stories. For local press, Bryan pitches himself and builds relationships with local reporters. "Landing on the radar of local reporters/outlets and becoming a source for them when personal finance issues are on their table. Basically, talking about myself and my work openly and often seems to work in terms of keeping me on people's radar," he said. Bryan noted that these press plugs are pretty rare, but when they happen, they result in a big boost of newsletter growth. I can attest to this because I once got a newsletter mention in the *LA Times* that brought me 1000+ new subscribers in a single day. --- These newsletter writers prove that there's no one way to grow your list. You've got to try different channels and methods and pay attention to what works for you. Both in terms of what brings you quality subscribers and in terms of what feels easy for you to keep doing. Experiment with the methods above or any channel you find compelling and follow through to track how those new subscribers behave on your list. Keep the channels that bring in right fit folks. Ditch the ones that don't. My favorite thing about the tactics our friends shared with us above is that none of them are gimmicky. They are evergreen strategies that can be repeatedly used. One time growth hacks are fun to try but, for most of us, it's these low hum channels that bring in small batches of newsletter subscribers regularly that are going to actually help us build a healthy list. Don't be fooled by the vanity metric of list size. Unless you are monetizing your list size, it does not matter. What matters is that you find people who are interested in what you're sharing and who want to pay you, support you or amplify you. **Do any of these methods resonate with you? Tell us how you're growing your list in the comments!** *P.S. We ran a live session in January on what works to grow your newsletter that 42 people joined us and shared their experiences with different channels. You can* [*grab that recording and recap for $10*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/event-recap-how-to-grow-your-newsletter/)*.* ### My credibility vanished when I relocated to New York. This is what I did to rebuild it. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/my-credibility-vanished-when-i-relocated-to-new-york-this-is-what-i-did-to-rebuild-it/ Last updated: 2026-05-16T19:16:54.000Z 8000 kilometers from home, where everyone knew my name and would turn to me for questions about endometriosis, I found myself in unfamiliar territory. Suddenly, I was no one. I am from Hungary, where we just managed to change a 16-year totalitarian dictatorship. Growing up in a system where you are always cautious with your words, where language is used carefully, and honesty can be risky, I found myself in a culture where the opposite felt true. In New York, I chose radical honesty as a way to build connection. Initially, embracing this openness felt disorienting, similar to uncovering a hidden part of myself, but it was also profoundly freeing. I stopped censoring my thoughts for safety or acceptance and started expressing them openly, using metaphors and authentic moments I had previously hesitated to share. The reactions were swift and intense because people didn't just read, they genuinely felt. It became evident that your niche isn’t something you can simply define intellectually; instead, it emerges when you release over-control of your voice and pay attention to what truly resonates. I needed to figure out who I could become if everything that once defined me—my name, my environment, my credibility, the invisible structures supporting me—disappeared. I had to rebuild my identity from the ground up in a place where no one knew me, no one was expecting me, and no one would interpret my past as relevant. I spent my first year not trying to succeed in the usual way, but on discovering who I am here, what I want to create, and how I want to do it despite the uncertainty. I lived more simply for a time and released my old self before knowing what would replace it. Transitioning from a world where I didn’t have to justify myself to one where I had to create meaning anew was challenging. In this fresh environment, no one owed me attention, and assumptions about my abilities based on my past couldn't be made, since that history was hidden. Instead of trying to replicate my old life that didn’t fit, I shifted my focus to a different question—one that would influence everything afterward: How do I make a name for myself? How do I build something recognizable? But mostly: Who I want to be here? So I started writing, at first without a strategy. I didn’t really know what my business would be, but still. It was the only way I knew how to stay in motion without lying to myself. Substack became less of a platform and more of a lifeline, a place where I could think in public, feel in public, experiment in public. Every uncomfortable truth I faced became something I openly shared because I instinctively understood that before having a business, your task isn't to conceal your uncertainty. Instead, it's to transform it into a clear signal, solving your problems publicly so others can see themselves in the process. I began to realize what many call a "niche." However, that label never quite described what I was feeling. It wasn't simply selecting a particular category; it was more like play, pushing boundaries, accepting inconsistency, being early, and unfinished. I would write ideas that didn’t fully resonate, then write anew, again and again. Throughout this phase, I accepted something most resist: living more simply, with less certainty and minimal external validation. Yet at the same time, I experienced greater alignment and clarity about what truly belongs to me and what doesn't. That first year, I treated my work as a kind of laboratory, testing topics, exploring depth, and pushing the boundaries of vulnerability. I wondered how close I could allow others in and how personal it could become without sacrificing its impact. This ongoing question—how personal I could make this while still providing value?—led me to what I now understand as somatic writing. It wasn't a deliberate choice but a necessity I discovered, especially when life forced me into a position where strategy was no longer viable, leaving only experience to depend on. And then, six months after the moving, just when I was stretched thin and questioning my ability to keep building without stability, life hit me unexpectedly. I lost my dog, and grief didn't make me productive or give me clarity; it didn’t fit any narrative about resilience. It completely paralyzed me, to the point that even my simplest structures failed. The only way I could move forward was by almost forcefully returning to writing simply because I needed a place for the pain. What emerged was unstructured, somatic. People responded to the truth, how I wasn’t trying to resolve the pain but hold it long enough to give it form. In doing so, I could transform my pain into something that connected, something that made others feel less alone. It moved beyond me, extending outward. It mattered deeply; it allowed that connection to continue through the work. In my experience, when you are rebuilding, it’s better to use both online and offline possibilities to connect with the right people. I made an effort to re-enter physical spaces whenever possible, by speaking at conferences and participating in rooms where ideas often transform through spoken words. This included events at Columbia University and the Endometriosis Foundation of America's Medical Conference. I engaged in conversations that began small and grew into larger discussions, reinforcing my online presence with real-world interactions. While attention can open doors, it is trust that truly enables you to walk through them. Many people thought that I changed continents to start fresh but actually, when you already have something, you can’t start from zero. It’s what I thought at first, but later I understood that you have to dig even deeper than zero, because first you have to let go of your mindset, your routines, everything that gave you stability and safety. If you do it right, and you want to serve the people of the new place, you can’t just translate your original knowledge and experience. It won’t work. You have to dismantle everything you had before, and once you did that, you can start from zero. I arrived to rebuild on my own terms and make a name for myself in a city where I was unknown. Instead of copying what I had before, I aimed to create a personal brand that is resilient, able to withstand pressure, uncertainty, and change. Once you learn to build this way, you're creating more than a business; you're creating leverage, direction, and something that can move. For the first time, I’m not asking if it will work, I’m deciding how far I want to take it. This was never just about starting over; it was about proving to myself that I can build from less than nothing and make it meaningful. Now that I’ve proved it, I know I’m only getting started. If I had to give one core piece of advice for anyone starting from scratch, it would be this: understand that building a new life requires letting go of the old one. True growth begins when you burn your bridges and embrace the heat instead of fleeing from it. Instead of seeking safety on the surface, allow yourself to explore beneath, sometimes much deeper than you believe possible, until you find a foundation that truly belongs to you—stable enough to lay the first brick. Though it may take longer, appear smaller, or feel uncertain, it will be solid and reliable. You know it’s important to have a written plan, a strategy, but what actually will lead you and anchor you is your vision. Stick to it. Keep your vision close, even in the darkest hours, when doubt and the fear of failure suffocate you. It is a love letter to yourself, from yourself, a letter written in decisions, in persistence, in stubborn hope, but mostly in the unshakable belief that you will find your way out of every hole, whether it was dug by others or by your own hands, and that every rejection, every closed door, every moment that feels like a setback is not stopping you but moving you, with uncomfortable precision, closer to what is actually yours. ### Rebuild Recipe: **Start by accepting that you are starting from zero or less than that,** because your past will not automatically translate, and the sooner you stop expecting it to, the sooner you can begin building something that actually works where you are. **Build your personal brand before you build your business,** because if no one knows you, without recognition, your infrastructure is attention and visibility. This means for example I posted every day at least 5 times on Substack for 4 months, making new connections, leaving at least 5 thoughtful comments per day under others' posts and liking at least 25 notes daily before I even thought about turning on the paid subscriptions. **Solve your problems in public**; business is always about solving problems. Once you figure out how to ease it, you can offer your solutions. Sometimes it’s enough to be just a few steps ahead of your audience. **View finding your niche as a form of play rather than a fixed choice, and enjoy the game.** It involves testing, adjusting, letting go, and accepting that during this phase, your life might appear more limited externally, but internally, it is becoming more focused and clear. **Allow meaning to arise from pain,** as the often hardest things to articulate tend to be the ones that forge the strongest connections, if you remain patient and persistent in expressing them. **Narrow aggressively,** as clarity consistently outperforms versatility during rebuilding, and trying to be everything will make you invisible. **Make your name, online and offline,** because visibility might open doors, but trust is built in rooms, conversations, real presence, and radical honesty. People sense performative vulnerability; nothing kills connection faster than that. And underneath all of this, one decision that changes everything: Accept that your new life will cost you your old one. Then, burn the ships, and enjoy the flames. --- [*Nóra Árvai*](https://norainnewyork.substack.com/) *is an applied health psychologist with six university diplomas and over 16 years of clinical experience. She has logged more than 28,000 hours in consultations with chronically ill patients and medical professionals, wholeheartedly embracing the role of a “bridge” to connect the two sides.* *As a science communicator, her mission is to make science approachable and relatable, helping people make informed and confident decisions about their health. Over the years, she’s written 15 books, she published 2,155 articles, and made over 190 television and radio appearances.* *Her passion for creating a more compassionate and effective healthcare system has led her to pursue a PhD in medical futures at the Kálmán Laki Doctoral School of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences at the University of Debrecen, Hungary.* ### Are you over-monetizing your audience? How do you know?! URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/are-you-over-monetizing-your-audience-how-do-you-know/ Last updated: 2026-05-10T03:08:17.000Z Kristina Bartold-Sorgota just [published a podcast episode](https://open.spotify.com/episode/4cyepSJCyIdZLhtX9ZtsRL?si=c3043069d15849d7&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) on the question **"Are you over-monetizing your community?"** I think I might be! I found this question fascinating because most discussions in the business space are about how we're all not selling enough or we're not selling the right way. Kristina's point in this episode is that you need to have built trust in order to sell to people. But it's hard to gauge when and where you have done that. Reminds me of this South Park meme I love to put in my talks: ![Southpark meme: promote my shit -> profit](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-25-at-1.25.48---PM.png) It's tough when you need buyers for something and no one's biting. You're not sure what to do or where to turn. You might need to spend more time understanding your people or figuring out smarter ways to find ready buyers. On the other hand, I think a lot of small business owners aren't direct enough about what they're selling or they're selling too softly. I learn all the time that people are looking for clients that I could have connected them to but they'd never said it out loud. **I want to know: have you ever felt like you're over-monetizing your audience? How do you balance sales with trustbuilding?** Comment below! Your thoughts and experiences help our community and sometimes, I turn these threads into stories. *Anyone can comment on Revenue Rulebreaker. Just* [*sign up*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signup?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *or* [*log in with your email*](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *to comment.* ### Announcing: The Rulebreaker Book Club! URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/announcing-the-rulebreaker-book-club/ Last updated: 2026-05-23T20:54:04.000Z We're experimenting with all kinds of events at *Revenue Rulebreaker* this year. I very purposely did not make events part of the [paid subscription packages](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/membership?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) because I will burn out if I am required to host them—see [my copious writing](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/started-membership-two-years-agoheres-shut/) about why I don't run a membership—but it's also nice for us to be able to get together beyond our bi-annual mixers. So, let's try a book club! We'll meet 3-4 times this year. Every couple months. And we'll talk about business books that apply to our work. The first book is Justin Moore's [*Sponsor Magnet*](https://www.sponsormagnet.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). This book came up a bunch during our February events on sponsorships. It's an easy read and it includes a clear framework for how to book more, better and higher paying sponsorships. Justin's a sponsorships pro who books his own deals, used to run a creator agency and coaches creators now. Learn more about him at [https://www.creatorwizard.com/](https://www.creatorwizard.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ![Sponsor Magnet book](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Your-paragraph-text--15-.png) Buy the book at [sponsormagnet.com](https://www.sponsormagnet.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or find it at your local library. Then, join us Tuesday, June 9th at 4pm Eastern for our discussion. It's free, but if you like what we're doing here, [become a paid subscriber](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/membership?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [Book club “Sponsor Magnet”: Come discuss how to win more sponsorships · LumaWelcome to the Rulebreaker Book Club! This is a business book club created as an extension of Revenue Rulebreaker. We discuss books that relate to our…![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)Lex Roman![](https://og.luma.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,fit=cover,dpr=1,anim=false,background=white,quality=75,width=800,height=420/event?calendar_avatar=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.lumacdn.com%2Fcalendars%2Ffb%2F77f8d48a-a6ea-45a4-9c3c-32d855aad4c0.jpg&calendar_name=Revenue%20Rulebreaker%20by%20Lex%20Roman&color0=%23000000&color1=%23f2e2cb&color2=%23c14145&color3=%23f57251&host_avatar=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.lumacdn.com%2Favatars%2F9x%2Fa22b2b18-5c5a-4ea2-8ff6-e2f731ce9a04&host_name=Lex%20Roman&img=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.lumacdn.com%2Fevent-covers%2Foj%2Fc743614e-5720-46cb-bbcc-ebc680936b7c.png&name=Book%20club%20%22Sponsor%20Magnet%22%3A%20Come%20discuss%20how%20to%20win%20more%20sponsorships&palette_neutral=%23000000%3A34.42%2C%23f2e2cb%3A17.57&palette_vibrant=%23c14145%3A4.15%2C%23f57251%3A0.09)](https://luma.com/rjtnzhhl?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ​Come ready to discuss your own sponsorship approach and how you can apply these techniques. Stay tuned for more book club events in August, October and beyond. ### You need a newsletter landing page URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/you-need-a-newsletter-landing-page/ Last updated: 2026-04-22T23:38:58.000Z When people join my newsletter, I send back a note and ask where I can find theirs. The amount of people who send me searching through a website with no obvious sign up form is ASTOUNDING. It's buried in the footer. It's only available through a freebie I don't want. It requires filling out a whole contact form. Why are you making people dig around for your newsletter sign up?!? No wonder no one is joining your list! You need a newsletter landing page if you want to grow your newsletter. A dedicated page on your website where you can send people who want to be on your email list. It should live at yourwebsite.com/newsletter and it should make it extremely easy to sign up for your emails. Here's what you need to include on your newsletter landing page. ## Must haves for your newsletter landing page The bare minimum you must have for your newsletter landing page is: - A dedicated link you can send people to (cannot be a model) - A value proposition (1-2 lines about your newsletter) - A sign up form (Email only OR first name and email only NOTHING ELSE) ### Dedicated link You must must must put this on a page on your website. Do not send people to flodesk4402832.flodesk.com/landingpage. Create a page on your site and embed a signup form in it. Make the url path /newsletter. If, for some reason, this is technically impossible for you, first of all, I have questions, but second of all, do a clean redirect from your site so yourwebsite.com/newsletter redirects to the messy URL. *Example:* [*Alison Coward's newsletter*](https://bracketcreative.co.uk/newsletter/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) [![Alison Coward's newsletter landing page lives at /newsletter and is beautiful!](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Make-culture-building-a-team-habit-subscribe-to-the-Bracket-newsletter-Bracket-04-22-2026_05_21_PM.png)](https://bracketcreative.co.uk/newsletter/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Alison Coward's newsletter landing page lives at /newsletter and is beautiful! ### Value proposition Your value proposition is why people would sign up for your newsletter. It's a couple sentences that explain what the newsletter is about. Avoid phrases like "actionable insights," "straight to your inbox," and "practical tips" because they are meaningless. Also, where are emails going if not *straight to the inbox?!* Literally, that just describes email. Think about what you would tell a friend or client about what the newsletter is about. Have a look at replies or shares from your readers to borrow their language. Good value propositions are specific, unique to you and meaningful to your prospective reader. *Examples:* - "**Become the smartest marketer in the room.** Stop guessing what works. Get the free newsletter helping 63,353 marketing geeks to sell more (and look like a genius) using buyer psychology" —[Katelyn Bourgoin's Why We Buy](https://learnwhywebuy.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - "**Ready for life to be easier at work and home?** Every Friday, over 16,000 subscribers get my Friday Five newsletter with 5 tips for living a more easy and joyful life." —[Jessica Eastman Stewart's Friday Five](https://jessicaeastmanstewart.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - "**Join 3,700 other creators learning how to land higher paid brand deals**" —[Kristen Bousquet's Your Socialmate](https://www.yoursoulcialmate.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - "**A Newsletter That Helps You Get More Clients From Your Content.** My one-paragraph newsletter gives you simple, proven ways to get more revenue and attention from your content based on how others have done so." —[Josh Spector's For The Interested](https://fortheinterested.com/subscribe/?ref=JSnav) - "**Join me as we navigate the ever-changing world of web design together.** I share my wins, losses, and everything I learn along the way – so you can grow your business faster." —[Christy Price, Web Designer](https://learn.christyprice.com/subscribe?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) [![Katelyn Bourgoin's newsletter landing page with a strong value prop](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-22-at-5.24.58---PM.png)](https://learnwhywebuy.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Katelyn Bourgoin's newsletter landing page with a strong value prop ### Sign up form The last piece you must have is the sign up form. It should be email only OR if you must, you can ask for first name. Only do that if you plan to use that first name in your emails ("Hey Sally, blah blah blah...") Go into your email tool and create a simple embeddable form. Customize it to your liking and copy the code over to your website. Some websites have this built-in where they can integrate with your email service provider. Others, you will need to drop the code into your site. Make sure the sign up form is high up, above the fold on mobile devices and if you make your page longer than a couple scrolls, add it a second time lower down. *Example:* [*Maliha Mannan's The Side Blogger*](https://thesideblogger.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ![Maliha's The Side Blogger has a nice big sign up form right up top! We love to see it!](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-22-at-5.41.13---PM.png) Maliha's The Side Blogger has a nice big sign up form right up top! We love to see it! ## Nice to haves for your newsletter landing page The more you include on your newsletter landing page, the more likely it is to bring in quality subscribers AND the more likely it is to be shared by your readers. Nice to haves include: - Testimonials and social proof (Kind words from your readers) - About the author (Your bio) - Photo of the writer (Show 'em that beautiful mug!) - What to expect (When the newsletter comes out and what's in the issues) - Previews of the newsletter (Links or images that visually show what readers can expect in their inbox) ### Testimonials and social proof Social proof is pretty common in the form of "Trusted by 50,000 marketers" but you can also include actual testimonials from your readers. You don't need many, but testimonials are a huge conversion driver whether you use them on this newsletter page or a sales page. Your reader sees themselves in the words of people like them. Gather testimonials from the people who reply constantly OR take one of their replies and ask for their permission to use it as a testimonial. If you want to use the "Trusted by \[number\] \[descriptor\]," use that as part of your value proposition, right above or below the subscribe box. *Example:* [*Matt McGarry's Newsletter Operator*](https://www.newsletteroperator.com/subscribe?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) [![Matt McGarry's Newsletter Operator testimonials](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-22-at-5.51.09---PM.png)](https://www.newsletteroperator.com/subscribe?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Matt McGarry's Newsletter Operator testimonials ### About the author and photo It's less common to see this on newsletter landing pages, but if you want the newsletter page to be your primary call to action—meaning you'll share it when you're networking, speaking, in social bios, etc—it makes sense to add a little introduction. Grab a short excerpt from your About page and a photo and call it a day! *Example:* [*M.G. Herron*](https://www.mgherron.com/pages/newsletter?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) [![Matt's author blurb on his newsletter page](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-22-at-6.00.22---PM.png)](https://www.mgherron.com/pages/newsletter?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Matt is an actual author, but this section is easily replicable for any newsletter ### What to expect You can share when the newsletter goes out (every Tuesday), what kinds of content you include in each issue (events, tips and comment of the week) or anything else that sets the bar for what readers should look out for. This tends to be either a sentence or two or a bulleted list of sections you typically include in each issue. *Example:* [*Tangle*](https://www.readtangle.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) [![Tangle includes three quick bullets and a visual for what to expect](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-22-at-5.44.21---PM.png)](https://www.readtangle.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Tangle includes three quick bullets and a visual for what to expect ### Previews of the newsletter You can take what to expect even farther with previews of issues. This has become more common in the Substack era where newsletters and blogs are one and the same. If your website doesn't automatically publish newsletters to your site, you can grab one or two of your strongest issues and link them or display them on your newsletter landing page. *Example:* [*Between The Lines Copy*](https://betweenthelinescopy.com/subscribe?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) [![Example issues from Between The Lines Copy](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-22-at-6.07.16---PM.png)](https://betweenthelinescopy.com/subscribe?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Example issues from Between The Lines Copy ## Want a few more examples? Here you go! The six newsletter landing pages below are: - [Stacey Nicholl's newsletter about web design](https://www.thespacecookie.com/newsletter-sign-up?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (Service provider) - [Lib Aubuchon's newsletter about digital marketing](https://www.libaubuchon.com/newsletter?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (Service provider) - [Mariah Magazine's newsletter about SEO](https://www.mariahmagazine.com/subscribe/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (Service provider/creator) - [The Browser's newsletter about internet culture](https://thebrowser.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (Media company) - [Pat Flynn's newsletter about passive income ](https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/newsletter/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)(Creator) - [Steve Folland's newsletter about being freelance](https://www.subscribepage.com/beingfreelance?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (Community) *(Click on the landing page to make it bigger or open their website with the links above)* ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Newsletter-Sign-Up-04-22-2026_06_17_PM.png) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Sign-up-Newsletter-Building-Momentum-Mariah-Magazine-04-22-2026_06_12_PM.png) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Newsletter-signup-----Lib-Aubuchon-04-22-2026_06_15_PM.png) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/The-Best-Writing-On-The-Internet-04-22-2026_06_19_PM.png) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Unstuck-Newsletter-from-Pat-Flynn-and-Smart-Passive-Income-04-22-2026_06_20_PM.png) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Email-Newsletter-For-Freelancers-04-22-2026_06_24_PM.png) Example newsletter landing pages Creating your newsletter landing page should take you no more than one hour, and it will pay you back in hundreds if not thousands of new subscribers. Make your newsletter easy to find, easy to link to and easy to subscribe to and you will see your newsletter grow! *Want more about newsletter landing pages and newsletter growth? Check out the recorded sessions we did on* [*Glowing Up Your Newsletter Landing Page*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/event-recap-glow-up-your-newsletter-landing-page/) *and* [*What Works to Grow Your Newsletter*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/event-recap-how-to-grow-your-newsletter/)*.* ### Best alternatives to Substack URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/best-alternatives-to-substack/ Last updated: 2026-07-29T18:07:40.000Z Substack has achieved escape velocity where it seems like everyone is on it. My biggest concern about Substack is that, because they've consolidated individual brands and voices into one feed, they've created [the perfect conditions for a billionaire buyout](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-substacks-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing/) like Twitter or TikTok. The ground is unstable on the platform now that they are part private equity owned and under pressure to show stronger cash returns quickly. It's a good time to plan your own exit before Substack has theirs. There's hundreds of alternative tech tools you could consider, whether you're just starting a blog or moving a successful publication to a new home. Platform diversity is a good and important thing. When the majority gravitate to a single platform, that platform gains an outsized amount of power and control over who gets heard. Think about a platform like YouTube. Other platforms exist (Vimeo, Wistia, Twitch, etc), but YouTube controls a lot of what gets made and what gets seen. YouTube decides. We don't. It can be scary to leave their training wheels, but your business is likely to thrive away from Substack. I've personally interviewed publishers who've made more money away from Substack like [film critic Ty Burr](https://newsletter.projectc.biz/p/what-happens-when-you-leave-substack-with-ty-burr?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I've also seen self-reported improvements from writers like [Molly White](https://www.citationneeded.news/substack-to-self-hosted-ghost/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Nathan Tankus](https://iamkingwilliams.substack.com/p/nathan-tankus-interview) and [Frankie de la Cretaz](https://www.thefrankiedlc.news/p/seven-months-on-beehiiv-by-the-numbers?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). We are not lying about Substack [stealing your audience and revenue](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue/). It's time to take your project back! When I talk with publishers who are planning to leave Substack, they point out different features that they'd miss. Newsletters and blogs are the baseline but many publishers are using podcast or livestream features, community chats and the Substack Notes feed. You will have to prioritize which features matter most to you and you may end up using two or three tech tools to replace them. Consider it a stronger move—even though it seems inconvenient—because the more spread out you are, the less likely one tech company's failings can take you out. Here are the alternative homes you could consider for your work. *This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission at no cost to you if you make a purchase.* ## Newsletters and blogs My top picks are **Buttondown** and **Ghost**. I like **beehiiv** too but I worry they're moving too fast with feature bloat. There's no one right answer for everybody. I'm just offering you a starting place. [**Buttondown**](https://buttondown.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)**:** I'm becoming a huge fan of Buttondown. Their setup is super simple and they have all the subscription and automation tooling you need to run paid tiers. They are bootstrapped and their founder is very responsive. The only downside I see to Buttondown is that they don't have a blog, just a web archive. But if you have a separate blog or don't need one, these guys are great. [Buttondown example from Anil Dash.](https://buttondown.com/anildash?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Starts at $9/mo. [**beehiiv**](https://www.beehiiv.com/?via=lex&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): A super popular alternative because they have nearly all the features people love from Substack. beehiiv is great but it's a lot. They add new features to the platform every couple months and publishers tell me they find the user interface overwhelming. The upside is newsletter first design, best-in-class analytics (they tell you exactly where your newsletter readers are coming from with excellent accuracy) and built-in growth and monetization tools. They have everything you need. The downside is their web builder is annoying and complex. [beehiiv example from Kaitlyn Arford.](https://www.findfreelanceopportunities.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Starts at $0. [**Ghost**](https://ghost.org/?via=lex75&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Also a very popular alternative to Substack because it's open source and a nonprofit based out of Singapore. Ghost is very strong on the blog front and not very strong in much else. They have a newsletter and paid subscriptions built-in but they're pretty bare bones. I run my blog/newsletter on Ghost but I really miss the analytics and detailed capabilities of beehiiv quite often. With Ghost, you choose a theme (I choose one from [Bright Themes](https://brightthemes.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)) and install it. You have very little control over your design unless you do development or hire a developer. If you're full time on your project, be prepared to pay for development help once a year to the tune of $1-2k at least. [Ghost example from Lucy Werner.](https://www.hypeyourself.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Starts at $15/mo (but you can also host Ghost sites elsewhere like [Magic Pages](https://www.magicpages.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for much less) **Related post:** [beehiiv vs Ghost: My honest review after running a business on bothWhich is the right platform for your publication? I’ve used both. Now, I’m giving you my honest review of how they stack up.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/YouTube-thumbs--11-.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/beehiiv-vs-ghost-my-honest-take-after-running-my-business-on-both/) [**Kit**](https://kit.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Kit started as a course and digital product creator tool but they've moved hard into the media creator space. I find their tool to be the hardest to learn of all of them but it's a good fit for people who have multiple business types, like if you sell services, products and have a paid newsletter. Kit's a real grab bag of features and monetization options (digital products, coaching, paid newsletters, etc) and it's more than most people need. Like Buttondown, they don't have a blog. Just a web archive. The real reason to go here is if automations and segmentations are really important to you. That's where they shine. [Kit example from Bev Feldman.](https://bevfeldman.kit.com/profile?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Starts at $0. **Build your own**: Building your own website is a great option if you can either code yourself or hire someone to help you. [Ernie from *Tedium*](https://tedium.co/what-is-tedium/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) built his with Craft CMS, Eleventy, and Tailwind. Again, not a solution for non-technical folks but if this sounds fun to you, it's a solid way to go because you call all the shots. ## Membership tools [**Memberful**](https://memberful.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): This is a tool you can use to manage your membership without hosting your content there. It's a good add-on to a custom website or if you don't want to lock your paid subscribers in somewhere. You can do things like make checkout pages and win back cancelled subscribers. HOWEVER, they have pretty high fees. They charge 5% on top of Stripe's 3% plus a subscription fee of $49/mo. Use this if you really don't want to use one of the other platforms. Starts at $49/mo plus transaction fees. (Heads up that [Memberful is owned by Patreon](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/patreon-is-killing-your-business-and-maybe-their-own/) and could get folded into their system, which wouldn't be great, but hopefully they'd give you a heads up about it.) [**Stripe**](https://stripe.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (on its own): You can run subscriptions in Stripe directly. This will work for you if you have only one tier. Once you have more than one (even monthly + annual), it becomes clunky. It's simple set up though and it has built-in check out. You will need to create automations like welcome emails and paid welcome emails inside your email tool separately and you can use Zapier to hook them together. ## Community features **Using your comment section:** If you choose a platform that has comments, you can start chats in your comments. It helps to have dedicated posts for community chats [like this example from *The Purse*](https://www.thepurse.co/what-is-the-best-book-you-read-recently/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)but you can encourage comments and respond to comments on any story too. [**Circle**](https://circle.so/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): If you want a dedicated community space, Circle is a common choice for its sleek design and simple setup. It's a lot more full featured than Substack so it might be overkill if you want just a little engagement with your readers. You can host events, courses, chats, directories and more with Circle. Starts at $89/mo. [**Heartbeat**](https://www.heartbeat.chat/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Similar to Circle but with a different interaction design. A little more creator friendly than Circle. You can host events, create threads, have profiles and pin resources. Starts at $49/mo. [**Skool**](https://www.skool.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Skool's becoming more popular because it's pretty lightweight as far as community tools go. You can host events and have topic threads. They have a built-in affiliate program and you can charge for your community. Low discoverability, but some discoverability via serach from being on their community network. Starts at $9/mo. [**Slack**](https://slack.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)**/**[**Discord**](https://discord.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Slack and Discord are common in companies and bigger organizations but they're both free and in use in a lot of community spaces. The big advantage to them is that some of your audience is likely already using them so adding/checking your community isn't hard for them. Free. ## Podcasting One decision you may need to make is whether your paid subscription and sponsorships are tied more to your newsletter/blog or to your podcast. If monetization is centered on the podcast, you may want a tool like **Acast** (podcast ads) or **Supercast** (podcast subscriptions) which supports that. Otherwise, you could use **RSS.com** or **Spotify** to host a free show. [**beehiiv**](https://www.beehiiv.com/?via=lex&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): beehiiv can now host your podcast. It's included in their free plan. Starts at $0\. They can also integrate your show if it's hosted elsewhere. [**Outpost for Ghost**](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): If you use a service like Transistor, Supercast, Podbean or [Dovetail](https://dovetail.prx.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (by PRX), Outpost can automatically create podcast episode pages on your Ghost site. [**Spotify for Creators**](https://creators.spotify.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Spotify bought Anchor a few years ago and you can host your podcast here for free. They said they were eventually going to charge but they haven't. You can syndicate to all podcast networks from here. I had my last podcast here and it worked fine. Minimal features, but no issues. Free. [**Buzzsprout**](https://www.buzzsprout.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): You can host your show here, release premium (paid only) content, run a podcast subscription, get good analytics and run their ads to make a little money. Starts at $19/mo. [**RSS.com**](https://rss.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): One of the few remaining actually free podcast hosts that aren't connected to a big company. RSS.com is run by a small team. I don't believe they've taken venture funding. Their tool is full featured with transcription, a podcast website, analytics and everything you'd need to run a podcast. Starts at $0. [**Acast**](https://www.acast.com/en-us?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): They call themselves the go-to platform for monetization because they have a robust podcast ads network. You can host your show here and the reason to do that is if you want their ads network. Acast is from Sweden and they're publicly traded. Starts at $0 (if you'll list your show on their ads network.) [**Transistor**](https://transistor.fm/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Transistor is the most popular with podcasters who have private feeds. You can release separate podcast feeds to your paid subscribers using their tool and they have integrations with platforms like Ghost directly so you can create post pages for your episodes. Starts at $19/mo. [**Supercast**](https://www.supercast.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): If your paid subscription centers around your podcast, you should choose Supercast. They are like build-your-own Patreon where you control the features and the branding. Starts at $0.59/mo per subscriber. [**Patreon**](https://patreon.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): I don't really like Patreon. They don't use Stripe so you can't leave with your paid subscribers and they have really high fees. I don't recommend Patreon and I'm only including them because you will expect them to be on this list. Free with very high fees. ## Livestreaming [**Restream**](https://restream.io/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): This is my favorite tool for livestreaming. You can livestream to YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok and a bunch of other channels at once. Restream lets you have guests and add on screen graphics and calls to action. You can also see the chats from some channels inside your livestreaming panel. Starts at $0. [**Streamyard**](https://streamyard.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Same thing as Restream but different platform, different cost. I have friends who swear by Streamyard. It's a very similar feature set, mainly a user interface preference though once you jump to a paid tier Streamyard gets expensive fast. Starts at $0. [**Riverside**](https://riverside.com/tools/live-streaming?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Known most for podcast recording but also does livestreaming. I would choose this only if you're a podcaster who needs their podcast recording studios for your guests. Otherwise, they're worse at livestreaming than Restream and Streamyard. Starts at $29/mo. ## List growth **Learn how to do your own audience distribution**: This is important. Substack doesn't really do this for you. Other writers may have boosted you in recommendations but don't give Substack too much credit for that! It's just cross-promoting with other writers. You can reach out to a couple writers and shout each other out a few times a year on your newsletters or podcasts. Make sure you have good audience overlap. There are tons of other ways to grow your list include podcast guesting, public speaking, bios in guest posts you place elsewhere, hosting virtual events, SEO and social media. Try different channels every few months and keep what works! [**Trustfnd**](https://trustfnd.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Create your own recommendation sets featuring your newsletter and others like you. Then, promote the forms on social media or anywhere you're growing your lists. You can also do paid subscription bundle promotions. Free, soon to be paid. [**InboxReads**](https://inboxreads.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Directory of 5k+ newsletters you can cross-promote with. You can also pay to advertise in their directory listings. Free. [**Lettergrowth**](https://lettergrowth.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): This platform was acquired a couple years ago so I don't know how active it is anymore but it's a directory of newsletters. You can reach out to people and propose swapping links in your issues. Free. [**Newsletter Club**](https://thenewsletter.club/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Community for local newsletters to learn and build partnerships run by Michael of Catskill Crew. Starts at $499/yr. [**Tiny News Collective**](https://www.tinynewsco.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Community for solo and micro news publishers, often local but not exclusively. Starts at $50/mo. --- Before you make a move or settle on your platforms of choice, make a list of your priority features. What's most important? That will help you choose the right set of tech tools to support your goals. Remember that if you're exiting Substack, you can always keep one foot over there, participating on Substack Notes or keeping your subscribe page up and moving subscribers over. The main thing you want to ensure is that you keep your work, your revenue and your audience somewhere only you have access to them. Platforms will come and go. They will always let us down. Focus more on building community with your audience and with your peers because those relationships will transcend technology year after year. *Want more on Substack? Check these out.* - [How to migrate away from Substack](https://www.paidnewsletterplaybook.com/how-to-migrate-from-substack/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [How Substack steals your audience and revenue](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue/) - [Why Lucy Werner left Substack for Ghost after her publication got deleted](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-built-a-fast-growing-paid-newsletter-on-substack-accidentally-deleted-it-and-had-to-rebuild-from-scratch/) ### Why these Toronto entrepreneurs are selling out their networking events (and how you can do it too) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-these-toronto-entrepreneurs-are-selling-out-their-networking-events-and-how-you-can-do-it-too/ Last updated: 2026-05-22T03:59:56.000Z "You don't know enough people," Kristina Bartold-Sorgota says. She's not referring to me (though I make a mental note to consider it). She's talking about new business owners who are trying to brute force their funnel with ads and social media without having any audience trust. Kristina is the co-founder of a fast growing community called [High Vibe Women](https://www.highvibewomen.ca/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), based in the greater Toronto area. Along with her business partner, Maria Tassi, they went from hosting a small brunch every once in a while to regularly hosting multiple networking events, conferences, masterminds, retreats in a matter of a few years. They just opened spots for their October day long event in Hamilton, Ontario, [selling over 100 tickets in two weeks](https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/high-vibe-women-tops-100-ticket-sales-as-demand-for-women-s-business-events-rises-1035985655?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). The appetite is hot for what they're offering and they're not alone. [This Mother Means Business Live](https://www.thismothermeansbusiness.com/tmmb-2026?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) sold out at 160 tickets a couple weeks before their conference took place in Burlington earlier this month. Founder Laura Sinclair is already booking the 2027 event. The TMMB brand centers around [a podcast](https://www.thismothermeansbusiness.com/this-mother-means-business?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) but has grown to include networking events, retreats, mentoring, coaching circles and the annual conference. I've been hosting local events for over a decade and I've never seen anything like what these entrepreneurs have created. What's even more interesting is that events are not their core business. Laura has [a fractional CMO](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurajconnor/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and business coaching business. Kristina and Maria run a marketing agency called [The Social Snippet](https://www.thesocialsnippet.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). They each created these in-person communities out of the demand they saw. I wanted to know all their secrets about hosting, promoting and funding these successful events so I reached out to Laura and Kristina to talk about what makes them such a hit. ## Why hosting events locally matters for online entrepreneurs Before she moved into the online marketing space, Laura owned a gym north of Toronto for several years. She built a local network through that business, but when she closed it and went online with a different offer, she thought she'd be serving clients elsewhere. Instead, her local community followed her. "While I do have clients a lot of places, I was really surprised by the number of people that were local to me that were finding me online, enrolling in my online programs and even listening to my podcast," Laura told me. She didn't attract local customers on purpose, but she took notice of the pattern. Laura identifies as an introvert—I interviewed her on my former podcast about [introvert networking tips](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3QDJ9MjXMBcwfX5rXRgk40?si=ca03576dd14a40c2&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)—but she's prioritized attending networking events, masterminds and other collective business activities for years, often traveling a great distance for them. As a mom, Laura knew it was hard to fit networking in and even harder to leave town for it. Hosting events closer to home for her growing community became an obvious move. Kristina is also an avid networker who spent many years flying back and forth to the United States to attend masterminds with [Chris and Lori Harder](https://chrisharder.me/programs/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). She'd come home from those trips and wonder why those same energetic spaces weren't happening in her city. Those feelings planted the idea for High Vibe Women but Kristina says the need is even more pressing now with Canadian entrepreneurs more hesitant about traveling to the United States amid rapidly changing tourist visa policies and [more frequent detainments at airports](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/canadian-detained-us-immigration-jasmine-mooney?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ## What’s actually happening at these networking events Speaking of changing policies, women's networking events are under attack in the United States right now. The [Trump administration sued Coca-Cola](https://www.jezebel.com/trump-admin-sues-coca-cola-for-daring-to-let-women-network-without-men?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in February for hosting one such event, calling it "discriminatory." Identity-focused spaces need protecting, not just because [women are significantly behind their male peers in business](https://healthcaremba.gwu.edu/resources/empowering-women-in-business?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), but also because the conversations change when the room is mostly women entrepreneurs or mostly mom entrepreneurs. High Vibe Women lives up to their name in generating a better energy than a typical business networking function. I went to one of their brunch events in 2023 and I noticed other attendees were eager to chat even without knowing *what you can do for me.* Palpably different from the professional spaces I occupied in Los Angeles and San Francisco which, in my experience, tend to be more immediately transactional. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/HVMMarch_Final-1256.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/HVMMarch_Final-1314.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/HVMMarch_Final-3118.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/HVMMarch_Final-3477.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/HVMMarch_Final-3817.jpg) Photos from High Vibe Women events featuring founders Kristina and Maria and speaker LaShonda Brown Kristina told me it's because women entrepreneurs are starting to realize community is the "secret sauce" they need to grow their business to the fullest potential. They want to invest in their relationships, share what they've learned and build alongside other ambitious people. At their smaller retreats, Kristina said "we're seeing a lot of problems be solved" because other attendees are stepping up with introductions and experience that are immediately helpful. For the larger events, the conversations continue beyond the first meeting because the crowd is primed to focus on ongoing relationships rather than a business card trade. Over at This Mother Means Business, the conversations are about the tension moms face between lofty business goals and family priorities. Laura referenced the [Emma Grede interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbVT%5F56V6a4&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) that's been going viral this week about whether working from home is damaging careers along with many social media takes about how mom entrepreneurs *should* spend their time. "There's all these external judgments and pressures. These expectations of how we think it's supposed to be," Laura told me noting that it's worse for moms in business because they get the pressure from both the business crowd and the parenting crowd. She also hears conversations at her events about the private struggles inside marriages when someone's partner doesn't support their business. ## Why demand is growing from sponsors, not just attendees Ticket sales and repeat attendees are driving the momentum for both High Vibe Women and This Mother Means Business, but sponsors are increasingly knocking on their doors too. For This Mother Means Business Live 2026, [sponsors included](https://www.thismothermeansbusiness.com/tmmb-2026?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) the bank CIBC and IKEA, which offered [a home office makeover](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7450234008254210048/?originTrackingId=06D%2Bohwlt6YX7oCPuEl%2B0g%3D%3D&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to one lucky mom entrepreneur. The venue—The Pearle Hotel—also sponsored the conference and Laura found a print sponsor (TPH) for all the printed materials and signage. She even had a local boutique offer a fully comped custom suit for her to wear at the event. These are not small sponsorships because the budget to pull off a thoughtful event like this is a minimum of six figures. I asked Laura about her pitching process with sponsorships and she said it always starts with relationships. With the bank sponsor, she had gone to another event they sponsored and made a connection there with the Head of Sponsorships before ever pitching her. "The mistake people make is they just lead with the pitch. You can't do that. You have to lead with building a relationship because of the personal bias. You're dealing with people. You're not dealing with IKEA. You're dealing with a person on the other side that has to like you, believe in what you're trying to create, and be aligned with the mission of the event," Laura said. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/TMMB_C9P_Web-3443.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/TMMB_C9P_Web-4575.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/TMMB_C9P_Web-3587.jpg) Photos from This Mother Means Business Live 2026 by Kelsey Kubels (Cloud 9 Photography) Kristina emphasized the importance of getting results for your sponsors once you have them on board. High Vibe Women has [worked with](https://www.instagram.com/p/DVY7swEDddx/?img%5Findex=8&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) big Canadian banks, international brands like Adobe and local service providers who share their ethos of building community. "We want to show the return on the investment to our sponsors. We have people who have sponsored every single one \[of our events\] who have grown with us and who see the return," she told me, mentioning a mutual colleague of ours who has repeatedly sponsored and often gets clients out of the visibility. The High Vibe Women team takes professional photos of sponsored assets (like swag bags) and they make sure to introduce sponsors around the room too. ## How to build your own local community If you're as inspired as I am by what Laura and Kristina have created for their communities, you can learn from their experience to build something near you. Both of them recommended you start small with the people you already know. Kristina joked they made $8 at their first brunch with 10 people and that didn't even account for the gas they paid to get there. "I love our 200 person events and they're such a great gateway to people making amazing connections, but it's those smaller dinners where you can sit next to someone that's going to change everything for you," she told me. Laura advised choosing a low cost venue that you know you can pay for, in case you don't get enough attendees. She emphasized gauging your risk tolerance for the expenses involved because it adds up quickly. As soon as you can, you want to chase sponsor support because ticket sales won't cover your costs for long. It's worth mentioning that Laura and Kristina know each other and they show up at each other's events. They really mean what they say about supporting their community and they demonstrate how important their relationships are to them in everything they do. They don't just build communities, they lean on them for support. Kristina's about to host a mastermind on a yacht in the Toronto harbor and her first move was to message a group of founders to ask if they had any contacts. She received back five connections to yacht companies, all of whom are willing to offer her a discount. You create a boatload of goodwill when you center generous resource sharing over competition scarcity. Those relationships you invest in are like bank accounts filling up with trust. You make deposits with people. They make deposits with you. And when the day comes when you need that to turn that boatload of goodwill into an actual boat, you'll know exactly who you can lean on 🛳️ *Find Laura Sinclair* [*on her website*](https://www.thismothermeansbusiness.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and listen to her podcast,* [*This Mother Means Business*](https://www.thismothermeansbusiness.com/this-mother-means-business?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*. Find Kristina Bartold-Sorgota* [*on her website*](https://www.highvibewomen.ca/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and listen to her podcast,* [*Community*](https://communitypodcast.buzzsprout.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*.* --- **Leave a comment below and tell us what kinds of events you want to see in your local community.** ### Now live: Revenue Rulebreaker X Hype Yourself Epic Bundle URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/coming-soon-revenue-rulebreaker-x-hype-yourself-epic-bundle/ Last updated: 2026-05-14T01:58:34.000Z ## Get the bundle now! Updated info here: [The Business Underdog BundleLucy Werner of Hype Yourself and Lex Roman of Revenue Rulebreaker are teaming up to lift business underdogs up from May 12-16![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/Bundle-Graphics--11-.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/bundle/) From May 12th-May 16th, small business champions [Lex Roman](https://lexroman.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Lucy Werner](https://www.hypeyourself.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) are hosting a five-day experiment to bring their audiences together in backing independent voices. You know when you go into your corner shop and see your favorite magazines bundled up in cellophane? Now imagine that for two emerging writers in the small business space. Only way better for the environment and much better for your business! **Introducing the Business Underdog bundle** [Get the bundle](https://trustfnd.com/revenuerulebreaker/c/the-business-underdog-bundle--wZY9wSoQK8fXp1NuoanM?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## How it works During the bundle promotion, readers can get two independent business publishers for the price of one: [*The Hype*](https://www.hypeyourself.com/the-hype-community/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [*Revenue Rulebreaker*](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*.* If you are a free reader, upgrade during the launch window to get a deal on both publications. Already a paid reader of one? Upgrade using the promo link and our partner Trustfnd will automatically recognize you, add you to second publication and calculate what your upgrade fee accordingly. ## What is Trustfnd? Previously tested only with journalists, Lex and Lucy will be the first small business creators to use Trustfnd’s bundle subscription function. It is a new platform that offers one time subscription bundling (bundle passes) and newsletter growth collaborations. With pledge drives and long term subscription bundling on the horizon. Currently free to use but a paid subscription is arriving any day now. Learn more at [trustfnd.com](http://trustfnd.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ## Why are we doing this? We both run independent small business publications: - [The Hype](https://www.hypeyourself.com/community/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (that’s Lucy's publication) - [Revenue Rulebreaker](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (that’s Lex's publication) **Different style. Different angles. Same belief:** We want to support the good guys making good things. And our medium for doing that is as independent writers. Which only works, if readers back what we are doing. Small business owners are in trouble. 1 out of every 12th small business owner [shuts down every year](https://advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Small%5FBiz%5FFacts%5FWhy%5FDo%5FBusinesses%5FClose%5FMay%5F2018%5F0.pdf?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Small business media and the communities that come together around us enables the largest market of entrepreneurs (35M small business owners in the United States, 33M in Europe) to STAY in business. Independent media isn't just for breaking news. We're here to lift up stories you rarely here about how real entrepreneurs are operating and to help keep more of us independent in a world of corporate monopolies. ## Get the bundle now! Updated info here: [The Business Underdog BundleLucy Werner of Hype Yourself and Lex Roman of Revenue Rulebreaker are teaming up to lift business underdogs up from May 12-16![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/size/w1200/2026/05/Bundle-Graphics--11-.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/bundle/) ## How we met (and why this works) Neither of us are presidents of the Substack fanclub for very different reasons. We believe you can be an independent writer without: - Giving over 10 per cent (if not more) or your earnings away - Being tied to one platform - Building in isolation And rather than promo in silo. We’re building a bundle together to benefit both our audiences. ## What happens when two business publications run a subscriber drive together? The experiment. For five days only, you can join both of our memberships at a rare, time-based discount **May 12-13**: 50% off both memberships **May 14-15:** 30% off both memberships **May 16:** 20% off off both memberships (Yes, it gets worse as the week goes on, on purpose. Act fast!) [Get the bundle](https://trustfnd.com/revenuerulebreaker/c/the-business-underdog-bundle--wZY9wSoQK8fXp1NuoanM?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## What you’re actually backing Not just two newsletters, but: - More honest business storytelling - More examples of what works right now for business owners like you - More visibility for independent creators - More opportunities that aren’t hidden behind gatekeepers - More ways to grow without becoming a shouty internet person And practically: - Events, collaboration and intros to other business owners - Real examples of how we're growing these projects in real time - Access to two very different but completely complementary networks ## Who is this bundle for? Self-employed people who relate to any of these: - **You want to get seen and get paid** - **You’re building something independently and want to support other independents** - **You’re tired of business content that is based on vanity metrics** - **You believe the internet should reward the geeks in their niches** We want to leave the world a better place by getting more money in the hands of the underdogs rather than billionaires. [Get the bundle](https://trustfnd.com/revenuerulebreaker/c/the-business-underdog-bundle--wZY9wSoQK8fXp1NuoanM?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) x Lex and Lucy ## Get the bundle now! Updated info here: [The Business Underdog BundleLucy Werner of Hype Yourself and Lex Roman of Revenue Rulebreaker are teaming up to lift business underdogs up from May 12-16![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/size/w1200/2026/05/Bundle-Graphics--11-.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/bundle/) **Editors Notes:** For further information, images or case study requests contact: Lucy: lucy @ hypeyourself.com Lex: press @ revenuerulebreaker.com Bundle will run from May 12th-16th on [hypeyourself.com](http://www.hypeyourself.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [revenuerulebreaker.com](http://www.revenuerulebreakers.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ### Vote on the 2026 Legends Sticker Pack! URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/vote-on-the-2026-legends-sticker-pack/ Last updated: 2026-04-15T20:22:40.000Z Every year the Legends get a custom sticker pack and I want your help choosing between the designs. Legends will each get 4 custom stickers. Lifetime Legends will get a bonus 5th sticker. I need help choosing the last two designs. Here are the options: ![Legends Sticker Designs](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/Stickers-are-not-to-scale---they-will-be-2-3-wide.png) Voting is now closed–I had to get these suckers ordered! You can still update your address and I will do my best to ship you a set. Log in to see the form link. Note that shipping is not guaranteed if I don't have your address before April 15. _This post is for subscribers on the Legend Status, Legends Partner Status and Legends Lifetime tiers only._ ### I thought I had a location-flexible business. Moving countries proved I didn't. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-thought-i-had-a-location-flexible-business-moving-countries-proved-i-didnt/ Last updated: 2026-05-16T19:17:07.000Z *I'm Italian, I live in Germany with my Indian husband, and our dream has always been to split our time between Europe and India.* This was the story I used to tell myself. In 2018, I opened my YouTube channel and eventually, this kickstarted a series of events that made me a content creator. I used to work in the corporate world and it was not easy to make our dream life happen when working a 9-to-5 in an office. And so, I did what every millennial in a crisis would do: I quit my job. "Location freedom" was our dream, and both of us having our own remote businesses was the only solution. As soon as we could, we started hopping on flights and running our online businesses from Italy, Germany, and India. My content creator identity has been naturally built out of this fascinating life in between. The food, the markets, the constant negotiation of being foreign in a place you've genuinely chosen. People followed me for it, and brands started to find me interesting. I worked from my phone and my laptop, so I naively developed this quiet certainty that I had solved the thing everyone talks about: location freedom. Cool, right? ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/IMG_0828-4.JPG) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/04/IMG_0703-3.JPG) Photos of Giulia on her travels (provided by the author) Yes, super cool. If it wasn't that a big chunk of my business started relying on my other alter-ego identities. Let me explain this point real quick. When in India, I am known as "The Italian in India" or "The Italian who knows India really well." And when in Europe or Italy, I am known as "Giulia, your local Italian friend" or "Giulia, your European friend discovering hidden gems." So when I started actually moving between countries — a.k.a. actually building a life in more than one place — my story started to fall apart. ## The authority topic When you are physically inside a place, you produce a different kind of content, because the confidence is different. I could post about a new place I tried and people trusted it the way they trust a tip from a local friend. However, the moment I started spending months in Italy or Germany, this changed in a silent but dramatic way. The comments and the DMs started being fewer; the interest was clearly not there anymore. For months, I told myself it was the algorithm and don't get me wrong, sometimes it actually is the algorithm. But eventually I had to be honest with myself: part of what I had been branding, unconsciously, was physical proximity. I was there, and that was the product. And when I wasn't there, "the product" — a.k.a. me — changed, or worse, it wasn't there anymore. Brand partnerships were the first clear signal. What once felt easy now became slower. Some collaborations didn't make sense anymore, and small things started to matter more than I expected: time zones, cultural context, or where brands thought I was relevant. The relationships I had already built held up, because those people knew me. What disappeared was the top of the pipeline, the new conversations. Because here's what I hadn't accounted for: _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Who is buying right now? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/who-is-buying-right-now/ Last updated: 2026-05-10T03:09:23.000Z It's easy to apply your own buyer's mindset to the rest of the world. "I don't like subscriptions so they must be hard to sell." "I would never pay $20k for coaching so that couldn't be viable." "I can't imagine spending $500k on a Lamborghini so surely no one else is." But there's always someone with money. During slow seasons, I think about my grandparents' vastly different situations during the Great Depression. My grandfather was walking the train tracks looking for spare coal to heat their house and getting a single orange as a Christmas gift. Meanwhile, my grandmother was riding around in carriages and staying at fancy hotels because her uncle owned a newspaper. **I want to know: Who's buying from you right now?** You don't have to share names or companies, but tell us industries, funding rounds, locations, company size, annual revenue, types of teams—any insights that help us figure out who might buy from us too. This question was inspired by a Legend who shared this ask in a Slack channel we're in together. Comment below! *Anyone can comment on Revenue Rulebreaker. Just* [*sign up*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signup?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *or* [*log in with your email*](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *to comment.* ### Home is where my business is URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/home-is-where-my-business-is/ Last updated: 2026-04-09T10:46:09.000Z I woke up one day and realized I had to get the fuck out of Los Angeles. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How's the business doing? Quarter in review (Q1 2026) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/hows-the-business-doing-quarter-in-review-q1-2026/ Last updated: 2026-05-10T03:08:39.000Z It's crazy that anyone lets me run this business. It's both the best job I've ever had and the most uncertain venture I've ever pursued. Many days, this project feels like it's just floating along on soft clouds powered by your kind words. Fragile, volatile and beautiful at the same time. This is why I'm ruthlessly blocking my haters on LinkedIn. That said—*Revenue Rulebreaker* had a good first quarter. The business is getting stronger and I'm getting smarter about how I want to run it. We had some notable successes like crossing 250 Legends (the halfway point to my ultimate goal) and launching [The Legends Directory](https://legends.revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). And we had some big misses like when I asked you to pitch me parenting entrepreneurship stories, and then, readers said they actually weren't interested in that and all the pitches started to sound the same to me. I am sorry about this misguided ask. I really love publishing guest contributions and I am excruciatingly bad at it. LESSONS ARE BEING LEARNED. Beyond the day to day, I want you to know where your money is going and where this project is heading. So I'm reporting back every quarter on how the business is doing. This is the first of those reports: Q1 of 2026\. I am holding a [live earnings call on Thursday, April 9th](https://luma.com/7bqyrz3h?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to walk you through this and take your feedback and questions about it. If you're reading this after April 9th, RSVP and it will send you the recording. Q1 was pretty great. Q2 is shaping up to be rockier. Read on, Rulebreaker! ### **Sections** - Biggest lessons - Q1 2026 Goal targets vs reality - What we did together this quarter - Community success stories - Successful and failed projects - Growth channels that worked - Revenue and expenses - What to expect in Q2 ## 💡Biggest lessons **The subscription system is working. The sponsorship system is not.** We had a good Q1 because I set us up for success in Q4 with sponsorships. Sponsorships are one of our two main revenue streams but we don't have any booked for Q2 (and we should). I pitched the wrong sponsors in January and February which highlighted a major flaw in my cross-channel campaign strategy. I can only really work with one partner at a time if I do full channel takeovers. That limits who I pitch because if I think something's coming in, I try to close it instead of pitching wider. You'll see below that my approach is changing because we have to get this back on track while we build up reader revenue. I get [excellent results](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/advertise?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for sponsors. We should be fully booked. **My core audience is creative service providers and membership operators.** After a two year detour into journalism, I'm back with my core audience of designers, marketers, operations and business consultants. The *Rulebreaker* appeal is somewhat wide but the people who come with me project to project, event to event, subscription to subscription, they are creatives and tech consultants not publishers or creators. As much as I enjoy the media revenue models and teaching it, it's a smaller segment within my bigger audience. I need to stay focused on the people who show up repeatedly and pay me and that's creative professionals. There's a tiny loophole here which is creatives who are becoming media entrepreneurs and I'm paying attention to how I can help them make that transition too. **Readers love *Rulebreaker* for its voicey stories that go against what others are practicing.** I got a lot of feedback during my Legend one on ones that people love the more controversial pieces we published. I see this in analytics too. My post on [how Substack steals your audience](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue/), the story on [leaving social](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/should-you-quit-social-7-entrepreneurs-on-their-social-media-free-strategies/), Jamie's story on [shutting down her creative collective](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/want-to-start-a-creative-collective-read-this-first/) and Kaitlyn's story [on starting to paywall](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-thought-paywalls-were-unethical-this-is-why-i-started-paywalling/) are by far the most trafficked stories of the last few months. The girlboss email I sent last week (which was actually just a promotion I ran for Tarzan Kay) got the most replies in months. I need to surface more of these stories that take a strong counter-perspective on well-worn business practices. **Legends value different things about their paid subscription.** The kryptonite of this business is that everyone's here for a different reason. I did 21 chats with Legends during this season and I heard 21 different reasons Legends joined or stayed. Legends are prioritizing a wide range of things from launching a course to publishing a book to deciding between a potential new job and their business. I'm going to have to pick some lanes here about who we're serving best because trying to serve everyone serves no one. We need a tighter editorial and events strategy to grow this thing past where we are and that means narrowing the focus. ## 🥅 Q1 2026 Goal targets vs reality *Revenue Rulebreaker*'s core revenue streams are subscriptions and sponsorships. Here's how they performed in Q1. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### What are the top ways you grow your audience? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-are-the-top-ways-you-grow-your-audience/ Last updated: 2026-05-10T03:09:39.000Z Reaching your desired audience is the chief job of any entrepreneur. It doesn't matter how long you've been in business. Marketing techniques change every year and how you find new people for your newsletter, your services, your products, your events changes too. How much reach you need corresponds to what you offer and how you price. The higher priced you are, usually the less reach you need. The lower priced, the more reach required. **So I'm curious—what's working for you in this season of business to grow your audience reach?** You can share where your newsletter growth comes from, which social channels are paying off, how you use speaking to find new clients or any other channel or technique that is working to help you find fresh connections. Sound off in the comments below. I might follow up with you for an upcoming story on audience growth for our May edition. *Anyone can comment on Revenue Rulebreaker. Just* [*sign up*](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/signup?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *or* [*log in with your email*](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/signin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *to comment.* ### I thought paywalls were unethical. This is why I started paywalling. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-thought-paywalls-were-unethical-this-is-why-i-started-paywalling/ Last updated: 2026-05-10T03:09:15.000Z "My husband got laid off. I was dropped by a client. Your work has been a lifeline." And I'm the jerk who wants to lock them out of the content they rely on. It made me feel like a sellout to want to paywall anything. I'm a journalist. Good people make their content free. That conviction cost me thousands of dollars, a lot of lost sleep, and nearly made me kill the newsletter I built. After a year of regularly paywalling content and promoting paid features, I’ve tripled monthly paid reader revenue. That change didn’t happen because I started offering a flashy service or drastically changed what I did. I raised my revenue by changing my mindset around subscriptions. At [*Freelance Opportunities!*](https://www.findfreelanceopportunities.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), I support fractional and freelance workers by sharing paid work opportunities, grants, and funding resources. My audience includes people who are looking for work. Many have gone through a layoff, are actively trying to build independent careers, or are dealing with the reality we’ve all faced: the cost of living outpacing our income. Because my readers are navigating independent careers, I felt a responsibility to keep my newsletter accessible. How do you charge for a resource when your audience includes people financially struggling? For a long time, I didn’t want to charge my readers. I was wrong. Here’s how I transitioned into using a paywall while keeping my offerings accessible. ## I thought paywalls were unethical I did everything in my power to avoid paywalling lists of opportunities. I thought paywalling important resources would make me a bad person. I felt guilty. So instead, I leaned on other revenue sources. I accepted as many sponsorships as I could, even when that meant working with brands I didn’t like (and even on one occasion, a brand that didn’t pay me). I created basic paid tiers that people could optionally join to support my efforts. I tried to entice people with digital products. Those efforts weren’t bad, but I wasn’t making enough. Sponsorship revenue varied month to month. I still had to take on client work, which meant stressfully balancing too many deadlines and often staying up until 3 am to schedule newsletter editions. It was also a trap of my own making. I thought enticing readers with extra benefits would be enough. I thought asking people to support an independent freelancer would work. But though there’s people who will support you because they believe in you, there’s many who are only moved to pull out their credit card by an inability to access the information they need. The truth is that the people who find your work valuable will pay for it. If you’re able to solve a problem they’re experiencing, they’ll pay. ## The cost of not paywalling You’d think that making any kind of money out of an independent venture is a success. That’s what I thought as I went from making money solely out of client work to running a newsletter business. But I ended every day stressed. I lacked the time and money to do things that would grow my newsletter audience and improve it. I ended and started every day burnt out and frazzled. The truth is that there’s always a cost to not paywalling your work: _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I built a fast-growing paid newsletter on Substack, accidentally deleted it, and had to rebuild from scratch. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-built-a-fast-growing-paid-newsletter-on-substack-accidentally-deleted-it-and-had-to-rebuild-from-scratch/ Last updated: 2026-05-10T03:09:47.000Z One morning, in what was meant to be a quick tidy-up session, I accidentally deleted my entire Substack publication. A global Top 50 business publication that made $50,000+ GAR. The whole thing. I had gone into the backend trying to remove a podcast section from my homepage. I typed in “podcast,” the danger zone came up, and naturally, I assumed it was just for the podcast section. I typed in "Hype Yourself" (the name of my podcast, but also the name of my publication) and then watched with creeping anxiety as my entire newsletter disappeared before my eyes. By that point, this wasn’t a hobby newsletter I had knocked together on a whim. It was a paid membership I had built into a real revenue stream. I had live classes, directories of opportunities, hundreds of paying subscribers and a business model I hoped would one day replace the income from the boutique PR and branding agency I used to run in London. The irony is that I had started the newsletter because I wanted a simpler, more writerly business. What I got instead was a brutal lesson in platform risk, audience ownership and how quickly momentum can vanish when your growth is tied to infrastructure you don’t control. ## Where it all began Me, my partner, the dog and our two kids tested living in France for three months in December 2021 and, by April 2022, had sold our house and moved over properly. We ended up living on a mobile home campsite because it was the only place that would let us rent long-term with English payslips. The day we bought our house here I fell pregnant and frantically rushed to get as many clients through before my self-employed maternity leave as I wanted to give myself some time off. A photographer friend took a photo of me on my phone while I was breastfeeding. ![The author breastfeeding and on the phone, as referenced in the story](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/03/LondonFamille_-150.jpg) The author breastfeeding and on the phone, as referenced in the story That photo really stayed with me. It reminded me that I didn’t want to go back to the same hustle with clients. My husband landed a flexible remote job with Adobe and suddenly I had the space to rethink things. I had already been building a newsletter on Mailchimp since 2019 and testing writing for small business trade publications and Medium. I had also created a few courses on Thinkific. My childhood dream had always been to be a writer. What I hadn’t properly worked out was how writing alone could turn into a business. Then, I attended a class on why to launch a Substack, and, to be honest, I completely drank the Kool-Aid. I paid for classes and one-to-ones with Substack experts. Some of it was helpful. But the thing that actually grew my newsletter turned out to be far less glamorous than the Substack success story everyone was selling at the time. ## The truth behind the fast growth When I switched on paid subscriptions, I had two goals. One was to become a bestseller on Substack. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Podcasting keeps changing, but what members want to pay for never changes URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/podcasting-keeps-changing-but-what-members-want-to-pay-for-never-changes/ Last updated: 2026-05-10T03:09:08.000Z It is a professional hazard of mine that I cannot look at Patreon tiers without judging them. After getting obsessed with [*Serial*](https://serialpodcast.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [*StartUp*](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/startup-podcast/id913805339?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) while driving to my job as a high school English teacher, I threw myself into making it my full-time job: working at SiriusXM in 2016, starting my first show, [*Join the Party*](https://www.jointhepartypod.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*,* in 2017 (which ended only a few weeks ago!), and [co-founding and running Multitude](https://www.multitudeshows.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), as the Head of Development starting in 2018\. And for nearly a decade, I have tried, errored, hacked, and sunsetted so many podcast membership programs. I have seen how the audio creator economy sausage gets made. The backbones of your favorite shows’ memberships are the same two perks every single time: **more content and high-status treatment**. If your membership perks are not in those buckets, it’s not servicing what paying community members really want. They want more of you, and they want to feel important within your community. In recent years, podcasters doubled down on the value of membership and Patreon, the Kleenex of online creator memberships, responded in kind. In August 2024, the platform celebrated the high water mark of more than $350 million earnings in 2023 [in an official press release](https://news.patreon.com/articles/podcasters-earn-350-million-on-patreon?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Podcasts are “about building communities with their own language and inside jokes — those are the types of things that stick with people,” Patreon declared. “When creators can truly connect with their fans and positively impact their lives, they’re able to turn their work into successful, sustainable businesses.” The data on Patreon in 2026 continues to support this trend. On [Graphreon](https://graphtreon.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), a database that collates and charts all public data from Patreons, 25 of the 50 largest Patreons are podcasts. What do these shows have in common for their memberships? _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Marketing in crisis: How small business owners handle the politics of promotion URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/marketing-in-crisis-how-small-business-owners-handle-the-politics-of-promotion/ Last updated: 2026-05-10T03:09:01.000Z I vividly remember when the Russia-Ukraine war began. I was on Twitter when the news broke, and amid the flurry of urgent information about what was going on, I spotted one tweet aimed at me. It read: "Marketers, you'd better unschedule your email marketing for tomorrow." I did as advised. I unscheduled my email. Waited a couple days. Scheduled it again. This was far from the first time I had wondered whether it was ok to keep marketing during \[insert crisis here\] but it was the first time I noticed the scolding aimed at small business owners. Now, every time breaking news takes over the feeds—roughly every one to two days—I see it again. "How is everyone just marketing like nothing's going on???" I wanted to know how other entrepreneurs think about this. The pressure is mounting on small business owners to do the right thing, but there's wild variation in what that means in practice. For some, it means speaking up as much as possible. For others, it means being a respite from the political chaos. I reached out to a range of entrepreneurs who've been affected by recent events in Minneapolis, Portland, Venezuela, Lebanon, and Jordan to hear how they decide when to pause promotion and when to speak up. ## Don't stop. Do both. [Kalyl Kadri](https://www.words-hurt.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) has an unfortunate amount of practice balancing his small business marketing with major catastrophes. Kalyl's an unapologetically dramatic copywriter with a theater background who, by day, writes the best sales pages I've ever seen grace the internet and, by night, shines a light on injustices around the world. "The majority of my life was lived in Lebanon where crisis was kind of a constant. We're always in conflict. The 2006 war. The port explosion in 2020\. There's always something happening and crisis is a part of our day to day," Kalyl, who now lives in Barcelona, told me. "There's no use in me stopping marketing." Kalyl generally keeps his marketing going no matter what's happening. He manages to promote his sales page offers alongside speaking up about Lebanon, Minneapolis and other horrific events. He said it's easiest to do this [on Threads](https://www.threads.com/@wordshurt.copy?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) because it moves so fast. Posts hang around [on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/wordshurt.copy/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) longer so he thinks a bit more about what he shares there. His grid is all business while stories can sometimes include current events. It's important to Kalyl that he attracts values aligned clients and members so there is a strategy to his political messaging too. He believes people should use their platform—whatever that platform might be—to amplify voices that aren't being heard and to speak on important issues. Because he's doing this all the time, his small business audience is used to it, and even attracted to it, because it signals they've found a safe space. ## Know what your audience is feeling If a crisis directly affects you or your audience, it can become more obvious that you need to exercise caution with your marketing plans. I spoke to two business owners from Minneapolis who had similar experiences in the last few months as ICE targeted their city. They felt like, even if they could stomach pressing forward on promotion, it wouldn't land well with their audience. Jordyn DiOrio, who recently started [a paid newsletter called *Market Maven*](https://jdpconsultco.myflodesk.com/mmfm?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which decodes what's happening in the market for small business owners, told me she held the launch of this new project for a few weeks because "it felt tone deaf to ask for money." She redirected that energy towards a local organization, offering free consulting and resources to her hometown instead. For Amber Hanson, the ICE raids heightened what has already been a stressful time for her clients and her business. Amber runs [an anti-diet nutrition practice](https://wholeyounutrition.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in Minneapolis. On top of the raids and protests—which began in December 2025—her clients were fearful about [changes to U.S. health insurance](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-us-based-entrepreneurs-are-doing-for-healthcare-in-2026-besides-just-paying-more-money/) which could affect whether or not they could still work with her. "I have several clients on state medical assistance/medicaid so there is concern about changes to coverage and delayed payments every time the Trump administration talks about cutting medicaid benefits to Minnesota," Amber said. Amber's had to spend a lot of time responding to these sudden policy changes in order to assuage her clients' concerns. It's a lot to take on, and to make matters worse, she recently lost an important freelance gig due to corporate layoffs and re-orgs: "It’s a strange balance of trying to remain a stable presence for clients while acknowledging the reality on the ground, and not panicking over personal finances." Email copywriter [Lib Aubuchon](https://www.libaubuchon.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) has witnessed the shift from automatically holding all marketing to making your messaging more situationally aware. Lib was working as a social media manager when the [Sandy Hook shooting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy%5FHook%5FElementary%5FSchool%5Fshooting?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) happened and recalled the immediate halt of all promotions at the time. Now that she runs her own business and advises clients on marketing strategy, she crafts the messaging to suit what her audience might be dealing with, rather than pausing altogether. "I try to take proximity into account: How close is this crisis to my community? How are they being affected? I also consider tone. Is anything I've planned going to land wrong? Is there room for misinterpretation? I adjust from there," Lib said. On the other side of the audience sensitivity spectrum, Théo Delazay, an [independent video game journalist](https://www.temalesjeux.fr/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) based in Paris, thinks of his platform like the games he covers: as an escape from real life. He rarely addresses anything political on his social media or newsletter channels, saying "You don't want to give people the impression the crisis will follow them everywhere they go." ![Excerpt from an email Lib Aubuchon sent her list on March 10 about "marketing when everything is on fire"](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-19-at-1.23.24---AM.png) Excerpt from an email [Lib Aubuchon](https://www.libaubuchon.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) sent her list on March 10 about "marketing when everything is on fire" ## Stay focused on your industry For some entrepreneurs, it makes more sense to get political when it directly affects their chosen industry. But even those lines are getting more blurry. "I don't talk about politics. It's generally been my position not to do it because I don't think it's actually of any benefit to me or the community. But I'm starting to think differently about it," Tommy Geoco wrote me. Tommy's a [designer, content creator and media studio founder](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommygeoco/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) who has moved into the AI space in recent years. AI is in the news so frequently and it's changing so fast that he feels it's becoming his obligation as a thought leader in the field to step carefully. "It's become a bit clear to me that I can't really expect to report on and discuss AI the way I want to without actually addressing the politics surrounding it," Tommy said. He noted that he doesn't see himself as a journalist but he's looking to journalism and related models for how to ethically share information, especially because he has a sizable audience of at least half a million followers across channels. Arturo Perez shares Tommy's sentiment to keep the political conversation tightly focused on the industry. Arturo [runs a VR and AR gaming studio](https://www.linkedin.com/in/arturoperez/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and generally, his company stays out of current events, except when it intersects with their games. Arturo grew up between Venezuela and the United States. Several of his partners and teammates are also Venezuelan, though most do not live there anymore. I asked him whether he or anyone on the team felt the need to make a statement about what's going on in Venezuela (either now with [Maduro being captured by the U.S.](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdred61epg4o?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or at any time before since Venezuela has been in a state of crisis for decades now.) He told me, “The Venezuela conversation happens more when Venezuelans are together in a Zoom call than anywhere official. When I was living in Venezuela in 2010, the situation was talked about more daily \[privately with the team.\]” Arturo does engage publicly in the politics of the gaming industry on LinkedIn, like layoffs and major tech pivots that affect how they operate, though he's fairly cautious about it. Behind the scenes, his team pays attention to global news when it comes to the musical artist packs they release alongside their games. “There’s been a few instances when we haven’t chosen an artist or music pack, or held off on launching something, because that artist is going through the middle of a controversy,” Arturo said. In those cases, they don't make a public statement. They discuss the situation internally, choose whether or not to proceed and often end up releasing the music pack with a bit of a delay once the news cycle dies down. ## Tie it into your mission One way to balance marketing with your humanity is to design your business around our messy modern moment. For journalist Yulia Denisyuk of [*Going Places*](https://www.goingplacesmedia.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), navigating the complexity of the world is the foundation of her business. She launched her brand with the mission to decolonize travel, center Indigenous voices, and recognize the interdependency of all who inhabit the Earth. Yulia produces global stories and also hosts guided trips—one of which is [bound for Jordan this June](https://www.goingplacesmedia.com/travel-with-us/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I asked Yulia about how she's handling the escalating violence given her connection to the region and her upcoming trip. She said it just demonstrates how important it is to continue bringing people to Jordan. Her travel team is waiting to see that it is safe to run their trip, and if it is, it will proceed: "I want to say this to people, 'This is why you need to come now. This is why this is important.'" She also acknowledged that this isn't normal and it's very difficult to operate when you have loved ones facing intense daily violence. "I've had this feeling for many years now that yes, you can be in your lane, you're a traveler, you're an entrepreneur, you're talking about whatever, but at some point we're all humans showing up and witnessing all of these things. I feel like that's part of the problem, that people are just continuing as if nothing's happening," Yulia said. Yulia doesn't believe there is such a thing as business as usual, and at the same time, she's feeling the financial repercussions of running a business that's willing to engage in deep political conversations: "I have been struggling for years now because I've lost contracts." The cost is real but, for business owners like Yulia, there's no other way to operate than to deal directly with what's happening in the world. ## Speak when it's on your heart You may not need a framework to determine your promotion during politics strategy. Some entrepreneurs use more intuitive methods to decide when to speak on an issue. "Nothing ever feels safe to be scheduled," Annie Liao told me when asked how she decides when to promote her work vs. not. It's more of a day to day call whether or not it feels right to market her business on public channels like LinkedIn and her email newsletter. Annie is a [workplace culture expert](https://www.linkedin.com/in/anniemichaelsliao/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and operations consultant. She's often physically in a room with her clients and she always acknowledges out loud that everyone is "showing up with all kinds of things on our minds and hearts" as a way to set the group at ease that their humanity is recognized. "At every moment in the day, there's joy and pain somewhere in the world. I think to be fully human, you have to live your experience, while also being mindful that there's a lot of other people around you that are experiencing vastly different things," Annie said. As for marketing her work, Annie primarily leans on smaller communities now where it's easier to talk business no matter what the day's events bring. She doesn't use social as frequently because it competes more with urgent crises, and as a sensitive person, that becomes harder to balance. Systems strategist [Devin Lee](https://www.devinlee.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) also operates in a heart-led way when it comes to bringing politics into her work. Devin's cautious about speaking on anything outside her chosen expertise, but some issues are important enough to her that she will say something. One of those is transgender rights because Devin works with a trans advocacy nonprofit. "Life and business are intertwined," Devin said, explaining that she always tries to tie it back to what her clients come to her for: systems strategy. While there are many issues Devin cares about personally, shifting attention to a crisis is a rare exception on her business channels reserved for those moments when she really knows she must speak up. ![A flowchart I made for how small business owners think about marketing in crisis](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/03/Growth--1-.png) A flowchart I made for how small business owners think about marketing in crisis ## There's no right way You can't win at this game. It can harm your business to be vocal about politics. On the other hand, it can turn people off if you never speak up on an issue they care about, especially if it directly intersects with your work. Most business owners I spoke with leaned towards keeping their business channels focused on business, but every one of them had a line where business becomes political. You have to decide on your own internal framework so you can make decisions day to day. Do you only speak on industry issues? Local issues? Or do you keep politics out of everything? No one can set this bar for you but it's good to be aware of who it might attract or repel. There's no such thing as neutral. What businesses are expected to speak up about swings wildly year after year. We see major corporations wait for that inconsistent public pressure to do anything and then crawl back into their shell when it dies down. For small business owners, the politics of promotion is a more linear trend. A more personal one. It's a new mode of operation where business owners find their own internal line of how much humanity to bring to work. That line is shifting with every crisis. ### Why this writer opened a brick-and-mortar bookstore in the age of Amazon URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-this-writer-opened-a-brick-and-mortar-bookstore-in-the-age-of-amazon/ Last updated: 2026-05-10T03:08:46.000Z Opening an independent bookstore was not on my 2025 bingo card and yet [Zora’s Place](https://www.zorasplace.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), Evanston, Illinois’ only Black-owned bookstore, will celebrate six months this month. So how did we get here? A dash of delulu, generosity from kind humans on the internet and a bit of astrology. Let’s start at the beginning. Like many writers and avid readers, I’ve often daydreamed about opening a bookstore (I mean, who among us hasn’t?). In 2019, I found myself on a reading retreat and bookstore book crawl with my book club friends. After visiting [Café con Libros](https://www.cafeconlibrosbk.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), an intersectional feminist bookstore and coffee shop in Brooklyn, New York, I had a sudden realization: this is it. This is my retirement dream. Initially, the daydream included a tri-level brownstone with a bookstore and coffee shop on the first floor à la Café con Libros; a coworking/event space on the second floor; and a yoga studio on the top floor. Hey, a girl can dream! As the years went on, I started to feel the “feminine urge” to open a bookstore and several things happened in quick succession: - [**Call & Response**](https://www.callandresponsechi.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)**,** an independent bookstore in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood exclusively carrying authors of colors, opened in spring 2024\. The owner, Courtney, is fabulous and the space is warm and welcoming. I have the good fortune of moderating a few author talks there, as well as hosting my own. However, the store is 45 minutes from where I live in Evanston on a good day, so I began to desire a piece of this book paradise closer to home. - [**Grand Gesture Books**](https://www.instagram.com/grandgesturebooks/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), Portland, Oregon’s first romance-only bookstore, opened to much fanfare in fall 2024\. The owner, Katherine Morgan, and I had been Twitter friends for quite some time. She mentioned that my book, [*Stop Waiting for Perfect*](https://bookshop.org/a/5326/9781637743072?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), encouraged her to pursue her dream of opening a bookstore. She launched a GoFundMe, hosted a few pop-ups, and the rest is literary history. If she did it, I thought, then maybe I can, too. - [**The AUX Wellness Collective**](https://www.instagram.com/theauxwellnesscollective/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) opens in Evanston, Illinois. As the name suggests, it’s a hub full of wellness practitioners and better yet, they’re all Black-owned businesses. I was in talks with the owner about teaching yoga classes there when I inquired about a pop-up space for an idea I had. Lo and behold, she had an empty retail space that would be perfect for a bookstore. As soon as she rolled open the barn door to the space, I knew it was The One. I could see it clearly: a burnt orange sofa, books by Black women authors, artwork by Black women artists on the walls, a children’s corner full of diverse books and gift items by Black woman-owned businesses. Now, how was I going to fund it? I was familiar with the standard crowdfunding platforms, such as GoFundMe and Kickstarter, but had heard you only receive the money if you reach your goal. I also looked into [iFundWomen](https://www.ifundwomen.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), but found myself overthinking the rewards component. Then in June 2025 I read a newsletter by Lex Roman about how [L.A. Taco’s crowdfunding campaign](https://givebutter.com/LA%5FTACO%5F2025?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) on Givebutter had quickly surpassed their initial goal of $25,000 to support their independent media platform. Up until that point, I’d assumed Givebutter was only for nonprofits, but as Lex stated in their newsletter that’s not the case. Givebutter seemed like a lower lift compared to iFundWomen, so I launched the [campaign for Zora’s Place](https://givebutter.com/zorasplace?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) two days later and then announced it in [my weekly newsletter](https://ltinthecity.substack.com/p/psstim-building-a-bookstore-and-i) that Wednesday (with Lex’s encouragement). And that Saturday I was hosting our first pop-up event at the local library’s [CROWN Act](https://www.thecrownact.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) event. The response was overwhelming in the best possible way. Within one week, we were [already 25%](https://ltinthecity.substack.com/p/thank-you-thank-you-thank-youyoure) toward our goal of $25,000\. Now here’s where the astrology comes in. As an avid [CHANI app](https://www.chani.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) user, I knew that week of June 21 was going to be a big one. In her weekly newsletter, Chani wrote: *“Big dreamers to the front. This week’s New Moon and Jupiter cazimi are this year’s top moments for envisioning what’s possible — *we are talking about the best astro available for new beginnings.* And because they’re both taking place in the sign of Cancer, tapping into your inner mama bear wisdom is the power move of choice. Let radical care be your guide and make fierce protection your goal. It’s a r/evolutionary skill to dream beyond what the world presents as options. Refuse to limit yourself. It’s time to plant seeds for the just, abundant, and nourishing future you want to co-create. Softness is our strength. Put your heart on the picket line.”* You don’t have to tell me twice. This news (call to action?) also reminded me of a birth chart reading I had done last year (I’m a Scorpio Sun, Libra Rising and Aquarius Moon, in case you’re wondering). The [astrologer](https://lisameyerson.com/services/astrology?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) said she saw me surrounded by books. Or more accurately, she mentioned “A Jewish Rabbi In a Tiny Room Full of Manuscripts and Books, Performing His Duty.” At the time, I’d assumed she meant surrounded by books I had written. But then I started thinking, what if it’s quite literally surrounded by books as in a bookstore?! 🤯🤯🤯 In quick succession, we hosted a few pop-up storytimes with nothing but the burnt orange sofa and books I’d borrowed from the library and my daughter’s personal collection. If flying the plane as you’re building it were a person, it would be me (much to my husband’s chagrin). I quickly threw together a quick logo in Canva and posted a [“coming soon” pic on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/DLUznjlOxF3/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) the same day I launched the crowdfunding campaign and it took on a life of its own. We went viral when Because of Them, a popular account about Black history and culture, posted about us. From that came the media hits: [ABC 7](https://abc7chicago.com/post/black-women-owned-bookstore-zoras-place-open-evanston/17361157/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Chicago Sun-Times](https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment-culture/2025/09/18/zoras-place-evanston-bookstore?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Evanston RoundTable](https://evanstonroundtable.com/2025/07/11/zoras-place-aux-black-woman-owned-bookstore/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [The Daily Northwestern](https://dailynorthwestern.com/2025/08/26/city/zoras-place-to-be-evanstons-only-black-woman-owned-bookstore-set-for-grand-opening-in-october/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and more—including [ELLE Côte d'Ivoire](https://www.instagram.com/p/DMk0LTPJxMx/?img%5Findex=1&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)! And I thought, “okay, we’re really doing this.” ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/03/ZorasGO-092025-social-22.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/03/Grand-opening-at-Zora-s-Place-Photo-Credit_-Joerg-Metzner.png) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/03/ZorasGO-092025-social-24--1-.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/03/ZorasGO-092025-social-62.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/03/ZorasGO-092025-social-78.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/03/ZorasGO-092025-social-108.jpg) Photos from the grand opening of Zora's Place—photos by Erika Bauer of eebauer photography/ribbon cutting photo by Joerg Metzner of The Evanston RoundTable We hosted a soft opening on Sept. 6 and our grand opening on Sept. 20 and haven’t looked back. Six months later, I’m still trying to figure out how bookstores make money, but I think it’s safe to say it’s not from books, which historically have razor-thin margins. So how am I keeping the lights on, both at home and at the bookstore? Well, for starters I bartered my way into a tiered-lease agreement for the bookstore, which had me doing email marketing for the collective and teaching a weekly yoga class in exchange for free rent for the first three months. Now we’re up to $750/month, which still feels doable. We average about $3,000 in sales per month; however, a lot of that is put right back into inventory for both books and sideline items (aka the cute stickers and bookmarks, etc. you see at the cash register as well as puzzles, candles, journals…basically anything besides books). Bulk book orders from neighboring schools and universities have been a big boon, as was the inaugural Chicagoland Independent Bookstore holiday trolley we participated in last year. January, like other retailers had warned me, was ridiculously slow. It also doesn’t help that our store is inside of a hub that’s off the beaten path, so foot traffic is basically nonexistent. That combined with Chicago’s notoriously cold winter is a recipe for low sales. Thankfully, I’ve had several bookseller mentors along the way who’ve talked me off proverbial cliffs, answered my random questions and encouraged me to stand up for myself. Or, as one of them put it, “You’re going to people-please your way out of business before 2027.” And…she’s not wrong. For some reason, running a brick-and-mortar has challenged my people-pleasing tendencies in a way that being a full-time freelancer had not and it’s definitely something that has become a recurring theme in my therapy sessions. It is literally impossible to say “yes” to everyone who comes into the store and wants us to carry their book—my standards are high and our space is small, so everything is intentional and thoughtfully curated with our mission in mind. I should also share that I’m still working as an author and journalist while running the store (did I mention I’m the only employee?). And I recently picked up a part-time ghostwriting gig to help with household expenses so that bookstore revenue is cycled back into the store instead of trying to support itself and our family. Other ways we make money: - We earn commission on sales through our [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/shop/zorasplace?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) storefront. The company also generously provides a profit pool to all participating bookstores, which is a nice bonus (our first payout was $781! Huzzah!). They’ve also been incredibly supportive of us on social media as well, which has generated interest. It’s also a great way for people to support us who don’t live nearby. - We also earn commission on audiobooks through our [Libro.fm](https://libro.fm/zorasplace?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) storefront. - This is in the midst of an overhaul, but we also have [merch](https://www.bonfire.com/store/zoras-place/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) available on Bonfire! Although honestly this hasn’t been the most lucrative thus far…thus the overhaul. - [Private event rentals.](https://www.zorasplace.com/private-events?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) We’ve hosted book clubs and networking events within our space. We’ve also served as the backdrop for a family photo shoot and I can’t wait for our first wedding reception this spring. I’m also toying with the idea of hosting writing workshops, writers’ circles, retreats, a rotating artist residency and much more. But first, I need to make it to one year and figure out how to become profitable. ![The author at the grand opening of Zora's Place surrounded by books—photo by Joerg Metzner](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/03/Zora---s-Place-founder-L---Oreal-Thompson-Payton.-Credit_-Joerg-Metzner--1--1.png) The author at the grand opening of Zora's Place—photo by Erika Bauer of eebauer photography In a world full of Amazon and Barnes & Nobles, it’s no secret that independent bookstores can’t survive on book sales alone. Thankfully, running an independent bookstore isn’t just about the sales. It’s about community, creativity and collective care. It’s a place where readers can meet authors, neighbors can meet each other and stories become a starting point for conversation. The days are long, the learning curve is steep and yet this has been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling jobs I’ve ever done. I don’t know yet if opening a bookstore was the most logical business decision I’ve ever made. In fact, most days I know it wasn’t. But creative entrepreneurs don’t build things because they make sense on a spreadsheet (again, much to my husband’s chagrin). We build them because we can see the possibility of something that doesn’t exist yet and we’re stubborn enough to try anyway. Zora’s Place started as a daydream, a “what if…?” that I followed through on. Six months later, it’s become so much bigger than that and so much bigger than me. It’s a gathering space for readers, writers and neighbors who want to see themselves reflected on the shelves. The business model is still evolving. The margins are still thin. And I’m still learning something new every single day. But every time a little Black girl walks in and stands in awe of a wall of books with characters who look like her, or when someone tells me they feel like they’ve finally found their bookstore, I’m reminded why physical spaces like these matter. Sometimes the most radical thing a creative entrepreneur can do is build a place where people can gather, dream and imagine new possibilities together. And for me, that place just so happens to be this bookstore. --- *L'Oreal Thompson Payton is an author, journalist and founder of* [*Zora's Place*](https://www.zorasplace.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*, a Black feminist bookstore and community space in Evanston, Illinois.* *Learn more on* [*her website*](https://www.lorealthompsonpayton.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and* [*her Instagram*](https://www.instagram.com/ltinthecity/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*.* ### Paid subscriptions are down. What now? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/paid-subscriptions-are-down-its-time-to-explore-other-revenue-options/ Last updated: 2026-03-12T10:28:49.000Z *Originally published: November 25, 2025\. Updated: March 12, 2026.* Paid subscriptions are my top source of income, but the MRR is not enough yet to cover my full time salary and the cost of running my business. I make this publication work with upgrade drives, one time campaigns, sponsorships and paid events. Last year, we almost exclusively operated on subscriptions and sponsorships. This year, events are playing a bigger role. I am often taking in one time or short lived revenue to fund this sucker until we can build up enough MRR to be self-sustaining. The question every quarter is...*where's that extra money going to come from?* It's pretty normal for small publishers like me to have a ramp up to reader-sustainability. Unless you launch with a massive audience that already trusts you, you're going to get a wave of founding members and then you're going to have to work to earn the trust of the rest of the people you need to make your project fly. Lifetime Legends (who pay more up front but are never charged again) have been a massive help because they have contributed thousands of dollars to get us through this transition period. Reader-funded sustainability takes time for independent creators. But it's worth it. Being audience-backed means you get to spend your time listening to your audience, building with them, catering to them and hanging out with them. It's an ideal model for anyone who wants to write, publish, host or create stuff that's worth paying for but isn't easily packaged for sale individually. The recurring revenue part is what makes it sustainable longterm because chasing down a few bucks per post or per event does not add up to meaningful income, but having 500 paying subscribers at $99/year does. I am bought in. But some months, it does get scary. Now is one of those times. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Event recap: Your Next Membership Drive URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/event-recap-your-next-membership-drive/ Last updated: 2026-03-11T23:56:07.000Z Ready to do a big play for members or subscribers? Let's workshop your membership drive strategy. We'll talk about timing, channels and messages plus we'll hear what's worked for others. You'll leave prepped to win over more members with a one sheet plan to run your next membership or subscriber drive. ***NOTE: This is a recording, a workbook and detailed recap from our live session in March 2026.*** [Get the recording for $10](https://shop.lexroman.com/b/your-next-membership-drive?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/03/Event-preview-images--10-.png) ### **What we covered** - Fears and doubts, hopes and dreams - What is a membership or subscriber drive? - Set your targets: dates and goals - Choose your channels - Find your money messages ### **​Who this is for** Any entrepreneur who runs a membership, subscription or paid community. The people who attend my sessions are a mix of service providers, creators and media producers. ### **About your host Lex Roman** ​​Lex Roman (they/them) is an indie publisher that covers small business stories with over 270 paid subscribers and $20k in sponsorship revenue for 2025\. Their background is in revenue growth, conversion and subscriptions for tech companies. They're the creator of [Revenue Rulebreaker](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [The Paid Newsletter Playbook](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com).​​ Lex is building their media business and bringing you along for the ride. This session is one resource of many. Also check out the [YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/@lexromanwashere?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [the events calendar](https://lu.ma/lexromanwashere?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [follow Lex on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ​​Get their free newsletter at [RevenueRulebreaker.com](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) [Events: Join us for live sessions on growth and monetizationI run live events on all things audience and revenue growth for creative entrepreneurs. Topics rotate throughout the year and include newsletter growth, paid subscriptions, sponsorships and finding clients.![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-128.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-03-06T131545.697-1.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/) ### The month I almost killed my membership, I raised my prices URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-month-i-almost-killed-my-membership-i-raised-my-prices/ Last updated: 2026-03-08T15:36:37.000Z Let me take you back to April 2024\. My online community, [Kindred Club](https://themagickmakers.com/kindred-club?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), is in triage. Members are leaving left and right. I’ve been running the membership for three years at this point, and I have not been able to break the 40-member mark. I’m still pouring hours into creating resources for the community, but my efforts and enthusiasm are beginning to dwindle alongside membership numbers. I’m making less money. Members aren’t that engaged. There was a workshop where not a single person attended. Not a single person. Kindred Club bottomed out the previous year with only 24 members at one point. The amount of time I was pouring into the membership and the money paid out to contributors had reached a point where it was actually costing me money to run the membership program. Not ideal. I felt gutted and rejected. Here I was pouring so much into something and not getting anything in return. I started to worry I was actually alienating some of my most fervent supporters as a result of a membership community whose purpose was to do the exact opposite—bring people together. I spent a lot of time that month considering whether or not it made sense to continue. What could I do differently? Is it a messaging issue? Why was the offering not enough to keep people there? Was it me? Was I charging too much? Maybe I’m not really offering anything worthwhile? Maybe I’m just spinning my wheels? Now that I think about it, there were those few weeks that I was wrapped up in running my retail shop. It was definitely then. The members didn’t hear from me for a few weeks, so that must be why they left. It was in the midst of this spiral that I almost closed down Kindred Club. I couldn’t see the path forward. I couldn’t see how to make it work. It certainly didn’t make a lick of sense with the way it was currently operating. I had poured so much into it over the past 3 years. I decided I couldn’t give up without one last ditch effort. It was time for a Hail Mary. [![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-05-at-4.46.14---PM.png)](https://themagickmakers.com/kindred-club?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Landing page for the Kindred Club at the time of publication ## A constant state of too muchness As someone who loves marketing but often finds myself in the position of “do as I say, not as I do” in my own work, I decided to bring in a little outside help to look at my messaging and strategy. I worked through a few strategic sessions with [Mallory Musante](https://www.mallorymusante.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), a Fractional CMO and Marketing Strategist. In the same way I love to get readings from other tarot readers, I find working with other strategists indispensable when it comes to my personal work and business. Even when I know what needs to be done, it is so hard to see it when you’re so close to the work. As with all good strategy, we started with an audit of what was actually in the membership. What was the value? What were the actual things members received? And what transformation would they experience through membership? How am I showing them that? I had committed myself to the story that I have nothing of value to offer and that’s why I can’t attract or retain members. When I walked through the audit with Mallory and explained what was in the membership program, she looked at me like I was a little crazy, and said, “Your pricing is way too low.” Wait. What? _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Event recap: How to use communities for lead gen URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/event-recap-how-to-use-communities-for-lead-gen/ Last updated: 2026-03-06T22:33:26.000Z You've heard communities are good for finding clients and customers, but how do you self-promote without spamming the group? We discuss techniques you can use and hear what's worked for others. We also talk about finding good communities that make sense for your audience focus. You'll leave with a few strategies for getting leads from communities AND some good communities to join. ***NOTE: This is a recording, a workbook and detailed recap from our live session in March 2026.*** [Get the recording for $10](https://shop.lexroman.com/b/how-to-use-communities-for-lead-generation?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/03/Event-preview-images--7-.png) ### **What we covered** - Guided discussion on techniques for lead gen and relationship building in communities - Exercise: Which communities and techniques are right for you? - Leave with three strategies you're going to try to get leads and real relationships from communities ### **Who this is for** Any entrepreneur who wants to do more community building. This session is for all online entrepreneurs. The people who attend my sessions are a mix of service providers, creators and media producers. ### **About your host Lex Roman** ​​Lex Roman (they/them) is an indie publisher that covers small business stories with over 270 paid subscribers and $20k in sponsorship revenue for 2025\. Their background is in revenue growth, conversion and subscriptions for tech companies. They're the creator of [Revenue Rulebreaker](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [The Paid Newsletter Playbook](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com).​​ Lex is building their media business and bringing you along for the ride. This session is one resource of many. Also check out the [YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/@lexromanwashere?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [the events calendar](https://lu.ma/lexromanwashere?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [follow Lex on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ​​Get their free newsletter at [RevenueRulebreaker.com](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) [Events: Join us for live sessions on growth and monetizationI run live events on all things audience and revenue growth for creative entrepreneurs. Topics rotate throughout the year and include newsletter growth, paid subscriptions, sponsorships and finding clients.![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-128.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-03-06T131545.697-1.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/) ### Event recap: Workshop your sponsorship pitch URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/event-recap-workshop-your-sponsorship-pitch/ Last updated: 2026-03-06T22:31:29.000Z Building on ["Find Your Next Partnership,"](https://shop.lexroman.com/b/find-your-next-partnership?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) we workshop and review pitches in this session. We'll talk about what works for us and look at examples too. By the end, you'll be ready to hit send and score your next partnership! ***NOTE: This is a recording, a workbook and detailed recap from our live session in February 2026.*** [Get the recording for $10](https://shop.lexroman.com/b/workshop-your-sponsorship-pitch?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/03/16.png) ### **What we covered** - Guided discussion on what works to pitch partners and collaborators - Exercise: Pitch workshopping (bring your pitches or write them during this session!) - Review pitches and get ready to send 'em! ### **​Who this is for** Any entrepreneur who wants to do partnerships, sponsorships or collaborations. ​​This session is for all online entrepreneurs. The people who attend my sessions are a mix of service providers, creators and media producers. ### **About your host Lex Roman** ​​Lex Roman (they/them) is an indie publisher that covers small business stories with over 270 paid subscribers and $20k in sponsorship revenue for 2025\. Their background is in revenue growth, conversion and subscriptions for tech companies. They're the creator of [Revenue Rulebreaker](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [The Paid Newsletter Playbook](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com).​​ Lex is building their media business and bringing you along for the ride. This session is one resource of many. Also check out the [YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/@lexromanwashere?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [the events calendar](https://lu.ma/lexromanwashere?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [follow Lex on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ​​Get their free newsletter at [RevenueRulebreaker.com](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) [Events: Join us for live sessions on growth and monetizationI run live events on all things audience and revenue growth for creative entrepreneurs. Topics rotate throughout the year and include newsletter growth, paid subscriptions, sponsorships and finding clients.![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-128.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-03-06T131545.697-1.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/) ### Event recap: Find your next partnership URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/event-recap-find-your-next-partnership/ Last updated: 2026-03-06T22:28:52.000Z You want to partner more but who should you partner with? Whether you're chasing promo collabs or you want to book a sponsor, this session will help you identify WHO you should be pitching and for WHAT. ​You'll leave with a list of people to pitch for sponsorships, partnerships or collaborations. ***NOTE: This is a recording, a workbook and detailed recap from our live session in February 2026.*** [Get the recording for $10](https://shop.lexroman.com/b/find-your-next-partnership?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/03/15.png) ### **What we covered** - Guided discussion on sponsorships, partnerships and collaboration types - Exercise: Who should you partner with and how - Synthesizing your list down to a few people to pitch! ### **​Who this is for** Any entrepreneur who wants to do partnerships, sponsorships or collaborations. ​​This session is for all online entrepreneurs. The people who attend my sessions are a mix of service providers, creators and media producers. ### **About your host Lex Roman** ​​Lex Roman (they/them) is an indie publisher that covers small business stories with over 270 paid subscribers and $20k in sponsorship revenue for 2025\. Their background is in revenue growth, conversion and subscriptions for tech companies. They're the creator of [Revenue Rulebreaker](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [The Paid Newsletter Playbook](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com).​​ Lex is building their media business and bringing you along for the ride. This session is one resource of many. Also check out the [YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/@lexromanwashere?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [the events calendar](https://lu.ma/lexromanwashere?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [follow Lex on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ​​Get their free newsletter at [RevenueRulebreaker.com](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) [Events: Join us for live sessions on growth and monetizationI run live events on all things audience and revenue growth for creative entrepreneurs. Topics rotate throughout the year and include newsletter growth, paid subscriptions, sponsorships and finding clients.![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-128.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-03-06T131545.697-1.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/) ### Event recap: Glow up your newsletter landing page URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/event-recap-glow-up-your-newsletter-landing-page/ Last updated: 2026-03-06T22:26:19.000Z One thing stands in the way of your list growth—your newsletter landing page. In this session, we look at some examples of strong newsletter landing pages and workshop what to include to make yours convert better. ***NOTE: This is a recording, a workbook and detailed recap from our live session in January 2026.*** [Get the recording for $10](https://shop.lexroman.com/b/glow-up-your-newsletter-landing-page?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/03/9.png) ### **What we covered** - Discussing examples of strong newsletter landing pages - Workshop what makes sense to include in yours - Boil it down into your Glow Up plan! ### **​Who this is for** Anyone who wants to grow their newsletter or email list. Primarily online entrepreneurs, creative service providers and newsletter writers. ### **About your host Lex Roman** ​​Lex Roman (they/them) is an indie publisher that covers small business stories with over 270 paid subscribers and $20k in sponsorship revenue for 2025\. Their background is in revenue growth, conversion and subscriptions for tech companies. They're the creator of [Revenue Rulebreaker](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [The Paid Newsletter Playbook](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com).​​ Lex is building their media business and bringing you along for the ride. This session is one resource of many. Also check out the [YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/@lexromanwashere?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [the events calendar](https://lu.ma/lexromanwashere?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [follow Lex on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ​​Get their free newsletter at [RevenueRulebreaker.com](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) [Events: Join us for live sessions on growth and monetizationI run live events on all things audience and revenue growth for creative entrepreneurs. Topics rotate throughout the year and include newsletter growth, paid subscriptions, sponsorships and finding clients.![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-128.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-03-06T131545.697-1.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/) ### Event recap: How to grow your newsletter URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/event-recap-how-to-grow-your-newsletter/ Last updated: 2026-03-06T22:34:23.000Z Feeling stuck about how to grow your list? Learn what's working for everyone else and take stock of what's working for you. You'll leave this session with more clarity about your top newsletter growth channels and some ideas for channel experimentation. We covered email list growth channels that are actually working for Revenue Rulebreaker readers. ***NOTE: This is a recording, a workbook and detailed recap from our live session in January 2026.*** [Get the recording for $10](https://shop.lexroman.com/b/how-to-grow-your-newsletter?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/03/8.png) ### **What we covered** - ​Guided discussion on channels that have worked for you and others - Identifying new channels for experimentation - Synthesizing into top 3 channels to focus on for your newsletter growth ### **​Who this is for** Anyone who wants to grow their newsletter or email list. Primarily online entrepreneurs, creative service providers and newsletter writers. ### **About your host Lex Roman** ​​Lex Roman (they/them) is an indie publisher that covers small business stories with over 270 paid subscribers and $20k in sponsorship revenue for 2025\. Their background is in revenue growth, conversion and subscriptions for tech companies. They're the creator of [Revenue Rulebreaker](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [The Paid Newsletter Playbook](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com).​​ Lex is building their media business and bringing you along for the ride. This session is one resource of many. Also check out the [YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/@lexromanwashere?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [the events calendar](https://lu.ma/lexromanwashere?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [follow Lex on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ​​Get their free newsletter at [RevenueRulebreaker.com](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) [Events: Join us for live sessions on growth and monetizationI run live events on all things audience and revenue growth for creative entrepreneurs. Topics rotate throughout the year and include newsletter growth, paid subscriptions, sponsorships and finding clients.![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-127.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails---2026-03-06T131545.697.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/) ### You can't buy community URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/you-cant-buy-community/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T13:17:19.000Z People tell me I'm "good at community." If that's true, it's because of how much time I've spent in homeless encampments. Stay with me. Entrepreneurs think they can just buy their way into any community. Sure, you can buy access. But having access doesn't mean you're part of the community. It's like when an uncool rich kid throws a birthday party. People will come because it's fun to go to rich people parties, but they're not gonna make friends with the rich kid. That rich kid has access. They don't have community. I see this all the time in professional spaces. People pay to join a membership believing this is their ticket to fast network growth. They're elated to introduce themselves. They share all their links with a "Let's connect!" Then, they quickly disappear only to be seen again when they need something: "Hey fam, I'm doing this thing. Would love your engagement..." Sorry, who's fam? Are we your fam? We barely know you! In homeless encampments, takers lose quickly. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I run two businesses on purpose. One pays me. One protects me. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-run-two-businesses-on-purpose-one-pays-me-one-protects-me/ Last updated: 2026-02-26T13:23:24.000Z I run two businesses on purpose. One currently pays my bills. The other protects my ability to keep sane so I can keep earning now and in the future. For the past 7 years, I have run a boutique inclusive high performance consultancy and executive coaching business, [High Fifteen](https://www.highfifteen.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), that generates my income, in high-pressure and fast paced environments. I get to train teams and coach senior leaders from global companies such as Nike and LVMH and also work with boards and teams of charities, who tackle big issues such as homelessness or domestic violence. I truly love this work. I am a certified executive coach in positive psychology and emotional intelligence, who is obsessed with finding ways to get people to perform at their best and enjoy their workplace every day. While this work is fabulous and a true privilege, it also requires constant clarity, a lot of emotional regulation, strategic foresight, critical thinking and the ability to hold complex human dynamics at all times. In a nutshell: it can be a lot. I also run [an abstract art and doodling practice](https://www.instagram.com/beautifulwaterstudio%5Fart/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) that, right now, does not generate any significant revenue by design. I do not actively push to make sales from my paintings or prints at present. On paper, that second business can look indulgent. But to me, taking my time to transform this practice into a profitable business is one of the most strategic decisions I have ever made. It is important to mention now that this art practice is not a hobby. It is built with intention, structure and future economic potential. I am developing a distinct creative philosophy around doodling, emotional expression and creative wellbeing work. It is simply at an early stage of its commercial journey. Yes, I could rush it! But I choose not to. Because not everything has to generate income immediately to be considered a business. Yet, I am setting it up as a business because I truly believe in its commercial potential. ## The part very few talk about when you run a business Entrepreneurship is often framed as freedom. Even though I was an ‘accidental entrepreneur,’ freedom was very attractive to me at first. It sounded glamorous and pretty rebellious vs. the corporate world I knew. Yet, for many entrepreneurs there is a very heavy mental load too. You are delivering high stakes work—without the resources of bigger businesses. You are negotiating credibility ALL THE TIME. You are absorbing emotional labour that very rarely shows up on an invoice. You can love your work, yet often in order to perform at your best, you need more than just focussing on traditional KPIs and hustle culture. You need to be ultra resilient. Because of my ‘corporate conditioning,’ I believed resilience meant always pushing through tough times, negative thoughts and experiences to generate revenue at all costs. As a business owner, I quickly realised that resilience is something you intentionally design, which cannot only be about pushing. I realised that revenue is not only about output. It is about capacity—emotional, mental and physical. And capacity has to be protected at all costs. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/02/unnamed-8.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/02/unnamed-2.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/02/unnamed-9.jpg) The author with her work, including at her first exhibition organised by the Royal Society of Watercolour (2024) > "The equation is simple and sensical: better regulation leads to better strategy. Better strategy attracts clients who value depth and long-term partnership." ## The decision to separate, not merge Many people ask why I did not simply merge my art into my consultancy and executive coaching business. I always find this question interesting. [High Fifteen ltd](https://www.highfifteen.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), the consultancy and executive coaching business, exists to deliver measurable outcomes. It is structured, commercial and very performance focused. It is the outcome of 2 masters degrees, over 14 years of corporate work and insights. My art practice at [Beautiful Water Studio](https://www.instagram.com/beautifulwaterstudio%5Fart/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is entirely self-taught. I discovered last year that I am a freestyle contemporary artist when a gallery spotted me at the third exhibition some of my paintings featured in. Most of the time I do not know what I am doing, which feels weird to admit as an overthinker and high achiever. And it actually does not really matter because I get a huge amount of emotional regulation from painting or doodling. It is a deliberate act of mental release, calm and nervous system regulation. The abstract doodling and painting process allows my mind to wander without needing to justify itself. This same process helped me to heal my burnout a few times in the last 3 years alone. You see, I do not need a commercial strategy and forecast, chemistry calls or feedback forms when I paint or doodle. I just give myself permission to be in the moment, fully. In a world where business owners are expected to be constantly ON, doodling gives me a space where I do not have to perform or have all the answers. That is true freedom in my eyes. A freedom I do not get as often from High Fifteen if I am really honest. ## Doodling enables me to resist to pressure Painting and doodling make me feel like me—Vanessa, a 40 something French Black Caribbean woman, who is quirky, bold, kind, sassy, a social butterfly and also an outgoing introvert, who loves her own company. It frees my mind from societal expectations and the invisible, often negative narratives that follow Black women into professional spaces. When I doodle, I am not translating my identity into anything. I am simply creating and that feels so so good. Sometimes the lines feel messy. Often the colours clash. Every single time what comes out surprises me. When people see the final work, they often describe it as joyful. This always makes me smile because I know that my thoughts or feelings when painting are not always screaming joy! In my TEDx talk [‘The art of choosing joy - a daily act of resilience & self-love,’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3160mLkMIKI&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) I mentioned the concept of ‘joyful resilience’ as the ability to hold both complexity and lightness at the same time. Doodling is one of the ways I practise that philosophy daily. Overall, my art practice is a creative outlet that helps me cope with the pressure of having my own business. ## How my creative outlet improves my performance When I doodle and paint regularly, I notice shifts in how I show up in my consultancy and executive coaching work. I recover faster after intense delivery cycles. My thinking becomes more expansive. I make clearer pricing decisions instead of reacting from an empty energy tank. I enter negotiations grounded rather than rushed. These are not abstract or small benefits. I know that they affect my bottom line directly. The equation is simple and sensical: better regulation leads to better strategy. Better strategy attracts clients who value depth and long-term partnership. Because when my mind is freer, my work becomes sharper. When I feel more like myself, my leadership becomes more authentic. Clients sense that. Opportunities expand from that place. My art practice does not significantly pay me yet, but it protects the quality of the decisions that do. And I am very thankful that I thought to embrace my creative talents, even without a fine art degree. An unpopular opinion maybe but I truly believe that not everything has to generate income immediately to contribute to long-term success. By giving my art practice room to evolve, I am building future optionality while protecting the purity of my creative process. I love that for me. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/02/unnamed-7.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/02/unnamed-1.jpg) The author with her work ## A different vision of sustainability I want to be in business for a long time. That is my wish for all small business owners. Yet, I know that we will only be able to sustain viability if we focus on commercial performance AND emotional protection. Running two businesses on purpose is my way of designing for both. Because generating revenue is not just about effort, systems and optimisation. It is also about intentionally protecting the internal conditions that allow us to keep performing at a high level without ‘killing’ ourselves and most importantly our souls. Too many of us forget that too often and this costs us. It’s a journey, which requires a lot of unlearning and adjustment, yet net net it’s worth it. My art and doodling practice may not pay me today. I know that it will one day. Yet for now, every doodle, every line drawn without expectation, protects the person who generates the revenue, a.k.a. me. And so far, having this creative practice as an emotional outlet has been one of the most profitable investments of time I have made. The real revenue rule I follow now is simple: protect your capacity first and you will have a sustainable business. Voila. --- *Vanessa Belleau is an inclusive high-performance culture consultant, executive coach, educator, TEDx speaker, who helps leaders and teams build healthier, more human workplace dynamics through emotional intelligence and positive psychology. She is also an artist painter, who advocates for doodling as mental release. Learn about her consulting and coaching at* [*HighFifteen.com*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-quiet-where-money-starts-making-sense-how-a-small-home-studio-became-reliable-income/) *and her art practice at* [*BeautifulWaterStudio.com*](https://www.beautifulwaterstudio.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*.* ### The quiet where money starts making sense: How a small home studio became reliable income URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-quiet-where-money-starts-making-sense-how-a-small-home-studio-became-reliable-income/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T13:18:14.000Z I realized something was off when the ceiling fan stopped doing its job. Air hung dead. Sweat gathered along my spine. The mic stand rocked, one leg shorter than the rest. Outside, a neighbor practiced karaoke with a borrowed speaker, the volume pushed past decency. Inside my home studio in Malang, I stared at a waveform that looked flat, almost embarrassed to exist. I had promised a client clean vocal takes by nightfall. Instead, I had a tired condenser mic, a laptop gasping for mercy, and a head full of doubts about whether this whole idea was ever going to pay. Recording from home was supposed to be freedom. No commute. No manager. No rent on a downtown space. The math looked friendly on paper. But paper does not sweat. Paper does not hum. Paper does not fight back when the power dips and the take dies halfway through a sentence. That afternoon, imbalance showed up early and stayed. \*\*\* I did not start with ambition. I started with necessity. Malang is gentle if you do not ask too much of it. The hills keep their distance. Internet speeds vary by street. Creative work here often grows sideways, not upward. I was doing audio editing for friends, then for friends of friends. Small jobs. Short clips. Payment sent late, sometimes rounded down without warning. At some point, a friend from Jakarta asked if I could record narration, not edit. He wanted warmth, control, silence. I said yes before thinking. There was no foam to soften the vocals. An old mattress leaned against the wall and did the job instead. First paid job pulled in roughly USD 50\. Jotted the number on a scrap and stared at it an hour. Not because it was big, because it was real. It came from my voice, captured at home, with tools I owned. That was the shift. The space changed meaning. It was no longer a spare area filled with gear. It became a site of exchange. I did not build this alone. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Send a Legendagram! Invite a colleague you admire to our mixer URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/legendagram/ Last updated: 2026-02-17T14:39:11.000Z Legends can send one guest invite to our March mixer but there's a catch. It has to be anonymous. _This post is for subscribers on the Legend Status and Legends Lifetime tiers only._ ### Moving to Japan was a big risk: It’s also been the best thing for my freelance career URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/moving-to-japan-was-a-big-risk-its-also-been-the-best-thing-for-my-freelance-career/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T13:17:35.000Z I didn’t move to Japan because I thought it would make me more money. I moved here because I needed a change. I’d never lived anywhere but my hometown, felt boxed in by my familiar routines, and was quietly panicking that my freelance career was stalling before it ever really took off. Last year, I left education. First, I was an ESL teacher, and later, I worked as an online college instructor. I loved parts of the work, but by the end of my days, I felt drained, disconnected, and creatively stuck—the kind of stuck where you know you can’t keep going long-term, but you also don’t know what’s next yet. I’ve always loved writing, and it was my favourite part of the job. I taught it almost every day in classes, graded essays every week, and thought about it constantly. Eventually, though, I realized that I wanted to move from teaching writing to actually building something of my own with it. Writing was already central to my career—creating slides, worksheets, and teaching everything from thesis statements to professional communication. I just wasn’t the one benefiting from it yet. And I wasn’t getting any bylines either. Once I admitted that to myself, the next step was obvious. Teacher burnout, personal life changes, and the quiet understanding that I’d outgrown my role were all pointing in the same direction. I was finally ready to give freelance writing my full attention. So I left my job and went all in. I built my first [website](https://www.alessahickman.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), started researching leads, wrote down my dream publications, and pitched every week. It was scary, but I was officially treating freelance writing like a real business. The problem? I did that without changing much else. I was trying to build my freelance career from the same city I grew up in, in the same apartment I taught in, pitching from the same experiences, the same angles, and the same mental loops. My environment felt *safe*, but it wasn’t giving me any new material, inspiration, or momentum. ## Where things actually started to stall I knew that working as a freelance writer felt most aligned with the kind of life I wanted to live, but once I made the leap, I realized something sobering pretty quickly: I didn’t have many stories and ideas that editors were willing to pay for yet. At first, I started writing about education because it was the clearest extension of my background, and at the time, it was the area where I assumed I’d have the strongest shot at getting a yes.I pitched pieces about the classroom, teaching strategies, language-learning tips, and practical how-to guides. Sometimes, pitching those pieces worked. More often, they landed somewhere between “interesting” and “not quite right”. I remember spending a couple of hours on an education pitch for a publication with hyper-specific contributor guidelines. They wanted a formal overview, a detailed outline for every section, links to external sources, and writing samples from other publications. I followed every instruction exactly. And this was an *unpaid* piece. A week later, the reply came: “Dear Alessa – Thanks for sending this along. After reviewing the proposal, the team has decided it’s not quite right for us. Best” That was the first of many reminders that this journey wouldn’t be easy. I also reached out to education platforms and tutoring businesses, offering blog support and content help. Most never responded, and a few politely declined. Out of the 40-ish pitches I sent in the first month of quitting my job, I got two unpaid yesses and three or four other replies. The rest? Silence. Editors weren’t necessarily wrong to pass. My ideas weren’t *bad*, but they also weren’t urgent, distinctive, or especially unique. When you’re new to freelance writing and you’re pitching listicles, guides, and essays without a big byline roster or a timely personal angle, it’s pretty easy to get overlooked. Or worse, totally ignored. As a new freelancer, that part was really hard. Eventually, hitting send just felt like screaming into the void. ## The lightbulb moment Around this same time, my husband and I were renting an apartment in Canada with our lease ending in October 2025\. The cost of living in our hometown was only getting higher, I felt the urge to travel the world, and I could feel myself getting more restless—personally and creatively. I kept looking at the websites of big publications and thinking, “I want to write stories like this…but what do I have to share that’s actually worth paying for?” Then, I learned about Japan’s working holiday visa (WHV). The WHV program lets people under 30 from participating countries live, vacation, and work in Japan for up to two years. I’d already visited Japan with my husband once before, and I instantly fell in love. After coming back to Canada, I knew it was somewhere that I wanted to spend more time, but I didn’t know if that was realistic yet. Suddenly, it was. Leaving my hometown and living in Japan wasn’t a far-fetched idea anymore—it was logistically possible. And relatively straightforward. Once my visa was approved and the move was official, the biggest mental shift came when I realized that this change wasn’t just a lifestyle reset. It was a career advantage. For the first time, my life felt like a story that an editor might actually want. Selling most of my belongings, packing my life into a suitcase, and moving to Japan? Now that’s an angle. When that clicked, everything else followed. Ideas for pitches stopped feeling forced and started flowing naturally. I was able to pitch: - Content about Japan - Why I decided to leave Canada - The logistics of the working holiday visa - What my first trip to Japan was like (and why I was going back) - The list goes on and on… I wasn’t pitching things that I was half-passionate about anymore. I was genuinely excited about my own life, and that energy carried straight into my writing. Once I decided to lean more intentionally into travel writing and storytelling, I started building relevant bylines. Sometimes, that meant writing unpaid pieces (gasp!)—not because I love working for free, but because I saw them as important stepping stones. Those early clips helped me establish myself in the travel writing niche and gave me the credibility to keep pitching and landing more travel-focused work. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/02/IMG_5299.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/02/IMG_5654.JPG) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/02/IMG_5805.jpg) Photos of Japan by Alessa Hickman ## What changed after I moved Before Japan, I was just selling writing. Now that I’ve moved, I’m selling firsthand knowledge. I started pitching publications that want more personal, human-centered storytelling, because editors are actively seeking the unique perspectives and lived experiences that AI can’t produce. Editors didn’t want compiled information and recycled pieces. They wanted someone on the ground with a story to tell as it happened. I also pitched travel publications and Japan-based blogs that I wouldn't have been considered for before—because now, that’s a much bigger part of my life. I wasn’t researching and writing from across the world anymore. I’m navigating life here in real time. That distinction really mattered. Since I moved here, I’ve had more pitches accepted than I did in *months* back home. Conversations opened up faster. Editors were more responsive. And one of my first major freelance writing goals (getting published in Business Insider) is about to become a reality with a story about my move abroad! Before moving, I was making $50-$100 per piece, sometimes less. After moving, I started getting offers for up to $300+. Seeing those numbers showed me that firsthand experience is worth *way* more than the average guide or how-to, so I started leaning into stories I could only tell from Japan. I’ve also had several conversations with potential new clients, and 5 pitches met with a “yes” in the last month and a half alone. It helps that my cost of living has shifted, too. Earning in North American dollars while living in Japan means my income stretches a lotfurther than it did back in Canada. I didn’t need to [double my rates overnight](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-email-that-saved-my-business-how-one-bold-ask-tripled-my-rates-overnight/) to feel progress, and that breathing room makes it much easier to keep working. This didn't happen because I suddenly became a better writer overnight. It happened because I finally had something that editors were willing to pay for: first-person access to experiences in a place that the internet can’t stop talking about. ## What hasn’t worked (because it’s not all wins here) Living in Japan didn’t magically fix my entire writing career. Some businesses don’t want to work with me because I’m not in their timezone, even when I’m willing to be flexible. Income still fluctuates from month to month. And the writing industry is super competitive. There’s also a layer of instability that comes with moving abroad. I gave up my apartment, sold most of my furniture, and don’t really have a clear five-year plan anymore. On top of that, I still have tons of pitches that get flat-out ignored—just a little less often now. I’ve had moments of stress, doubt, and a lot of imposter syndrome. But even with the uncertainty that’s a part of this chapter, I finally feel like there’s real progress. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/02/IMG_6168-1.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/02/IMG_6177-1.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/02/IMG_6221-1.jpg) Photos of Japan by Alessa Hickman ## If you feel boxed in or stagnant You don’t need to move all the way to Japan to create momentum in your writing career. What worked for me was: - Creating new material on purpose (by changing my environment) - Treating my life changes as unique pitch angles - Pitching while the story was still unfolding, not when it felt “complete” - Building niche-specific bylines to establish credibility in that space - Targeting publications that value lived experience over expertise or research ability - Letting editors see me in progress instead of waiting to be an expert In an era where AI can churn out endless content, firsthand experience has become so much more valuable—not less. ## What I’ve taken away from this change Staying in one place kept me safe, but it also kept me stuck. Trust me, moving to Japan didn’t eliminate the fear of failing or the risk of starting over. And it doesn’t guarantee that freelancing will always work out. But it did turn my everyday life into a billable part of my portfolio. My business didn’t grow because I pitched more or worked harder. It grew because I gave myself something unique, real, and specific to write about. For me, the proof is in the pudding: I’m able to write this exact piece because I took the leap! Not everyone can pack up their life and move across the world, which is completely understandable. But if remote work, rising costs of living, and a growing sense of restlessness are already on your mind, it might be worth asking whether your environment (or process) is quietly holding your business back. You don’t need a plane ticket to change your trajectory, but you might need to change *something*—whether it’s your environment, your niche, your routine, or your approach. Bold moves and big decisions don’t guarantee success, but staying the same doesn’t guarantee safety either. The risk you take isn’t always in the leap. Sometimes, it’s in staying exactly where you are. --- *Alessa Hickman is a freelance writer, editor, and educator who creates content on education, travel, career, remote work, and everyday life. Connect with Alessa* [*on her website*](https://www.alessahickman.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *or* [*on LinkedIn*](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessa-hickman-401b3b273/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*!* ### Branding while Black URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/branding-while-black/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T13:18:06.000Z I fell in love with branding thanks to a sky blue box of Warby Parker glasses that read *Nice to see you*. I thought, “I want this job.” I would learn that branding for direct to consumer is hard. Branding for SaaS (my current industry-of-choice) is easier. But branding myself is a never ending challenge to feel seen. When you’re self-employed as a Brown person, branding takes on much higher-pitched and—in days of quiet spiraling with slowing sales pipelines—existential questioning. *Does my brand sound like me or does it sound Black? Are those the same thing? Should they be the same thing?* *Is fill-in-the-blank-aesthetic-or-copy-choice going to cost me a sale? Is not doing it going to make me cringe at myself?* *Can I get away with that?* *Why do I have to choose to be professional or proudly myself?* In other words, what do I have to be comfortable cutting away from my culture to be taken seriously enough to close a sale? While repeating over and over to myself "Tis but a scratch!" and hoping, with enough repetition, I’ll believe it. I don’t think those interior monologues are just me. Because when I pop into a call with another Brown peep, I hear both of us exhale. And then, immediately jump to rambunctious chatter. We slide into our tones and phrases. Not worried about how we come across. Then, the call is over. The meeting adjourned. The coffee drunk and the chat closed. And it’s back to being some shade of beige to fit into a mostly creamy corporate landscape. How…flat. You want to be authentic and bring your identity to work, which ostensibly brings your culture along with it. But you don’t want to feel like a token. In the office, hell, sometimes that’s just the way it goes. But online? There’s a lot of everybody. Over the past four years, I’ve been making little tweaks to myself and my brand. I’ve become a lot more comfortable in my skin. It shows up in shades on sales calls, in marketing materials and in the headshots on my workshop slides. Bouncy. Blunt, but not brash. Big and bigger hair. Everything after that is trimmings. Flourishes. Grace notes. Here’s how I’ve managed to Brand while Black(ish) and avoid sinking into a trope. ## What is professional and what is projection? *That way I’m not trying to think for someone or be unprofessionally unpalatable.* Instead of trying to cherry-pick parts of my culture that I think would be the most brandable, I’ve started with the parts of my culture that show up most in my daily life. Especially since my culture is a unique, undulating thing that no one at work ought to be privy to in its entirety. For me, that’s meant a love of music and rhythm, an affection for the bright and bold, and being a bit on the loud side in my marketing opinions. My choice of song references in my subject lines (more on that later). My headshots that visualize my personality. My no-nonsense LinkedIn posts that speak directly to my audience without using words like “strategy” or “framework.” ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/02/data-src-image-6be31d6a-fc26-4f22-b663-5083707cff1d.jpeg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/02/data-src-image-e2fcac23-1a3d-41b4-9110-5d9e581a1553.jpeg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/02/data-src-image-ca94ddf4-1d56-41bb-97fc-3e60d1540998.jpeg) A few of Sophia's headshots Which gets right to... ## What parts of me are the same in every room? *So I’m not trying to build a persona that wouldn’t show up in any other setting.* Who am I at a party or a dance exchange? Or when I’m coworking in a coffee shop with friends?. Not what value did I bring. Or was I clear on my offer. But what parts of me do I want them to remember? My joy. My encouragement of them in whatever they were doubting themselves and needed a cheerleader on. My practicality in helping them get unstuck if it’s in my power or experience to do so. My delight in getting to know them better. I want them to think, “Dang, Sophia really gets me, and she’s rooting for me to succeed. She’s giving me all she’s got to make that happen where she can.” Vibes, for lack of a better word. ## What am I okay being misunderstood about? *Where the stakes are low and the personality sharing is high.* My newsletter titles are 50% song references, often punny ones. Another 30% are movie or pop-culture references. If they’re neither of those, it’s blending marketing with food in a way that makes almost no sense (but does make you stop to read it). I am someone whose musical tastes span The Oh Hellos, Olivia Dean, Metallica, and Motown. Country has me in a close embrace with Reggaeton doing a shimmy in my shoulders. A short track list of newsletter subject lines: - Jan 29, 2026 “Play that funky musiccc write y’all…How to make that clunky content right” - Sept 11, 2025 “Back to school, back to realityyyyyy” - June 12, 2025 “Jump in loser, we’re going to the Matrix” - Feb 13, 2025 “Why you scrollin’ bout this…Aint you tired?” - Jan 30 2025 “Your website, whipped into shape in a week like a buttercream frosting” I’ve done an issue that was themed entirely around Kendrick’s half-time show. Another on *Sinners*. My vacation email sign-offs are limericks. My last name—O'Neal—unshockingly, comes with Irish lineage. Our agency marketing approach is based off of The Commodores hit “Brick House.” My rubric is this: - Does this feel NSFW? I love a good trap song, but those lyrics do not translate well to work appropriate, no matter how I try to twist them. If it’s mildly risque, but quickly shifts to fine, then maybe. - Does this poke fun at products and frustrating problems, or the people behind them? Products and problems, good to go. People? That’s just being mean. - Is this something that is universally funny? My favorite newsletter subject line was not music related: “How to write like a squirrel on coke.” - Is it professional? No. Is it funny? Yes. Did I get any angry emails back? No. - Did I get emails from readers doing spit takes when reading it? Yes. Have I broken these rules before? Yes. But rarely. And even when they were well received—like [this LinkedIn post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sophia-o-neal%5Fa-few-weeks-back-i-got-lucky-over-email-activity-7405275302458814464-POhw?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAB0ZMcsBfGyAQPsgD6vBvm42YF8qRJ-ktYE) with a tongue-in-cheek opening line—I cringe when I read it and have decided to not repeat it. Like with anything business, there’s a bit of trial and error. ## Who is going to get what I’m saying real quick? *This does not mean trying to pattern match with the people who are exactly like me.* At this point, my clients' locations look like an influencer’s passport stamps; Netherlands, Japan, Australia, South Africa, France, UK, Germany. What being American and Black translates to is very different in each of those countries I launched my agency the day before Thanksgiving on [Indie Hackers](https://www.indiehackers.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in 2021\. The only ones online were founders who had day jobs and were trying to get a startup off the ground. Afraid of fully presenting themselves because they were worried that their boss might not like it. Or because they weren’t completely convinced that their big idea wasn’t a big mistake. [![Screenshot from Sophia's launch on Indie Hackers](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-11-at-9.52.54---AM.png)](https://www.indiehackers.com/post/i-will-build-your-branding-marketing-strategy-website-for-free-254a0e97cc?commentId=-MpHfjZdePsrKDV7x-QD&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Screenshot from Sophia's launch on Indie Hackers They understood the unconventional vibe of my launch. And they appreciated my no-nonsense marketing approach and quirky demeanor while I sorted out SOP’s and invoice methods. That appreciation for authenticity and a recognition of the life outside of work has been the throughline in our best-fit clients since. That’s a culture match without having anything to do with our culture of origin. ## We’re all trying to figure out where we belong. Branding should be disarming. And it should tell the people you want to work with that they can exhale here. If someone takes me and my 3 Bs—Bouncy. Blunt. Big and bigger hair—and goes “Wow, she’s so Black,” in a negative (or positive) way, that’s on them. But within three minutes on a call, most people I meet are noticeably more at ease. Because I am myself, and that tells them that they can be too. While being Black (period) and self-employed (period) makes the belonging question a more physically and financially obvious one, it’s still there for us all. Yes, the headshots, the subject lines, the offers, the positioning—all of that matters. I’m a marketer. Of course, it matters! But if you’re comfortable in your personality, and the parts of your culture that come through in it, you will stand out. You’re the one defining your branding. Even if you’re asking for help to do it from someone like me. I’ve changed my offers, switched positioning, taken the word “strategist” in and out of my title about a half-dozen times, and moved industries five times from CPG to now SaaS with a stint in outdoor goods. But, sometimes I drink my mid-morning coffee and just laugh. I can’t believe that this is my life. I am completely myself at work, not that I let everything hang out or am wildly unprofessional. My work is not my entire identity, but my true identity is unapologetically in my work. I’d like to think that is part of my ancestor’s wildest dreams. --- *Sophia O'Neal is the CEO of* [*Workflow*](https://www.workflow.design/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*, a website feedback tool for agencies, and founder of SaaS marketing agency* [*Ignore No More*](https://www.ignorenomore.agency/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*. She co-writes the newsletter* [*\[Marketing is\] Not My Job*](https://not-my-job.beehiiv.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*, a weekly email to help you nail marketing when you didn't want to do it in the first place.* ### You kiss your grandmother with that podcast title? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/you-kiss-your-grandmother-with-that-podcast-title/ Last updated: 2026-03-08T15:36:11.000Z “*Fuck You, Thank You*. That’s my title,” said the petite student in the back row of my Community Education class. It was my first time teaching DIY podcasting. “Don’t swear!” I gasped, like an old-fashioned school marm. I tried to defuse her f-bomb with all the conventional content creator wisdom I had to share. Apple Podcasts says not to. The algorithm will bury it. Your grandmother can’t brag about your show to her book club. Then, I brainstormed some euphemistic alternatives. “How about *Bleep You, Thank You? Fudge You, Thank You? Bonk You, Thank You?*” This happens every time I’ve taught the class since then. Someone plans a profane title; I talk them out of it. But recently I started to question my standard advice after scrolling through my own podroll, which includes [*The Shit No One Tells You About Writing*](https://www.theshitaboutwriting.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), a cult favorite among aspiring authors, with a companion newsletter that boasts nearly 70,000 subscribers. Who was I, to tamp down my students’ crass aspirations with my podcast title prudery? After all, the [FCC](https://www.fcc.gov/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) doesn’t regulate podcast directories. And I’m not some title-generating genius. What do I really know about naming a hit podcast? My ten-episode historical deep dive into the life and legacy of Dr. Benjamin Spock, the famous 20th century pediatrician, is called [*Spock Talk*](https://www.spocktalk.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), a name that attracted only dozens of listeners, mostly confused Star Trek fans. Then, there’s the longtime children’s media podcast I ended last year: [*It’s My Screen Time Too*](https://myscreentimetoo.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), a clunky title with an unfortunate conjunction that forced a social media handle mismatch. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe my students should name their passion projects whatever they want. ## “No one has said ‘no’ because of the title” I spoke with Eric Williams, who hosts [*That’s a Gay Ass Podcast*](https://www.ericwilliamscomedy.com/gayasspodcast?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), a show he runs independently with a passionate base of thousands of listeners. Williams started the show as a creative pandemic lockdown project in 2020 with a title inspired by comedian Ashley Gavin’s [*We’re Having Gay Sex*](https://werehavinggaysex.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) podcast. Since then, he’s scaled his bonus content, moved to Substack, and is on track to make the podcast his full-time job. The only time Williams’s title got in the way was early on, when a network rejected his pitch and said the title was “too limiting.” Then, his interview with actress Laura Benanti went viral, with coverage in multiple big media outlets like *People*, *The Hollywood Reporter*, *Vulture*, and *Deadline*. His irreverent title instantly communicated both content and tone to gossip readers, and the podcast took off. “Listeners know exactly what it is when they find it. They know it’s a comedy podcast that’s inherently brash, inherently loud, and unapologetic,” Williams said. When I asked if the title was ever a barrier to booking guests, Williams said, “No one has said no because of the title.” He never worries about gay ass getting in the way of growth. ![Show art for That's a Gay Ass Podcast, The Shit No One Tells You About Writing and Who Shat On the Floor at My Wedding](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/02/profane-podcast-titles--1-.png) Show art for That's a Gay Ass Podcast, The Shit No One Tells You About Writing and Who Shat On the Floor at My Wedding ## “It shows how unhinged it is, all in one go” The [*Who Shat On the Floor At My Wedding? And Other Crimes*](https://www.whoshatontheflooratmywedding.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) creators broke all of the rules when they named their podcast. Karen Whitehouse told me that she and her co-hosts, wife Helen McLaughlin and their amateur detective friend Lauren Kilby, earn close to enough revenue to make the podcast their full-time jobs. Now in season three, the show averages between 150,000 to 200,000 downloads a month, with over ten million downloads, total. Whitehouse and her colleagues know that podcast creation guidelines suggest succinct titles, but they decided to go with a long one with a swear word at the forefront. When they began, Instagram verification took longer than they expected and they had to use alternative terms like “turd” when making the morning show rounds on their media tour after going viral. Overall, the bathroom humor-themed title only boosted the show’s popularity. Whitehouse said, “The title of our podcast is probably the most successful thing about it. It went viral because it raises the question of why people should listen and it shows how unhinged it is all in one go.” The title has helped attract sponsors like Better Help, an online therapy company, who saw that the satirical investigation concept of “Who Shat On the Floor At My Wedding” can lighten up listeners’ days. “Our mission has always been to create absolutely bonkers, unhinged content to just make people smile. And so when brands are smart and they see what that is, they can align with it easily,” said Whitehouse. One missed opportunity? Kimberly-Clark, the multinational personal care company, passed on a toilet paper sponsorship proposal. Whitehouse said it was their loss. “I was like, 'are you sure? Because we're probably the number one fecal podcast out there.'” ## Advice for New Podcasters I asked Whitehouse if she had advice for new podcasters. “Just make your own rules,” she said. “We’re a perfect case in point, where we did everything wrong and the title stood out more. Way more.” I thought back to *The Shit No One Tells You About Writing*, in which would-be authors submit work for critique by the three literary agent hosts. Their feedback can be devastating. They offer blunt advice that no one else is giving to emerging writers. No wonder they’re so successful; the title promises exactly what the podcast delivers. Should everyone call their podcast something they can’t say in church? No. Of course not. But, the next time one of my students proposes an expletive-laden title, I won’t discourage them. If they can make it meaningful, and not just for shock value, a swear word in a podcast title can effectively convey a playful or subversive tone. As long as the title is specific and fits the show’s content, a swear word can set the podcast apart from more mundane options in its genre, leading to bigger download numbers and more subscribers. The next time I encounter a student with a profanely titled dream? “Do it,” I’ll say. “Let’s bonkin’ go!” [*Deborah Copperud*](https://deborahcopperud.substack.com/) *is a writer and podcaster in Minneapolis, where she's resisting the ICE occupation. Find her podcast* [*Spock Talk*](https://www.spocktalk.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *anywhere you get your podcasts and look out for her new show* [*Read Minnesota Books*](https://www.readminnesotabooks.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*.* ### Collaborative list: Black-led communities for entrepreneurs and creators you should know about URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/list-of-black-led-communities-for-entrepreneurs-and-creators/ Last updated: 2026-03-08T15:36:18.000Z 📣 This is a living, collaborative post. Add to it! Make suggestions or share your experience with the communities below in the comments below. [Sign up](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/signup/) then [log in](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/signin/) to comment (if you're on the newsletter, you can just log in.) You don't need to be a paid subscriber to comment. The kinds of people who step up to run communities are the same kinds of people who participate in communities. They know what's out there. They've been to the meetings. They've spotted the gaps. At some point, they realize the space they wanted doesn't exist yet so they start a community of their own. I went on an internet mission to dig up interesting Black-led communities for entrepreneurs, creatives and creators. I was looking for more advanced collectives for experienced entrepreneurs and also just fun creative groups that seemed like they'd be worth joining. I found some surprising finds in my search. Take Michelle Jackson of [Creators Getting Paid](https://creatorsgettingpaid.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Michelle's been writing, podcasting and livestreaming about how content creators make money for years now, but in the last few months, she realized she wanted more face time with her audience. She wrote [in a recent post](https://michelleismoneyhungry.substack.com/p/leaning-into-commmunity), "I’m tired of feeling so alone in this moment." So she's turning her media brand into a community too, building [The Creator Income Collective](https://michelleismoneyhungry.substack.com/p/leaning-into-commmunity) around the kinds of opportunities she wished were available to her when she was starting out. The Creator Income Collective is launching soon in Denver and online. Michelle's priorities for it are to help you find collaborations, grow your list, and access key resources (like grants)—all while bringing joy back into the process. Communities reflect the values and priorities of their leaders. They also reflect the life experiences those leaders have. For Jasmine Douglas, the founder of [Babes on Waves](https://babesonwaves.club/our-story/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), it was discrimination at work that both led her to start her own company and also to pair her venture with a community "dedicated to supporting and spotlighting women of colour." Babes on Waves is one of the most fun, fresh and modern groups I found when researching networking and entrepreneurship communities. They're worldwide—throwing business matchmaking parties in London, Bangkok and New York City—and they are tossing out the playbook of boring old business card trading. Fancy an ice bath with your networking? Babes on Waves has something for your every mood! One of my other favorite new finds was [Stack World](https://www.thestack.world/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). The founder of Stack World, Sharmadean Reid wrote about [how race and gender inequality came into sharp focus](https://www.thestack.world/about?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) when she started her first business. Wanting more support and more professional development tools, Sharmadean launched a platform to close the economic gap for women in business. Stack World now hosts all kinds of business-related clubs and [events](https://members.thestack.world/events?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) online and in London. So, what other communities should you know about? I chose 18 that looked like they were worth joining. Some of these groups mainly serve Black entrepreneurs and others are Black-led but have a wider focus. I looked for groups globally, but found it easiest to locate them in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. I made sure that all of these were active in the last six months before including them. Check out my list below and add your suggestions in the comments of this post. ## For entrepreneurs [Babes on Waves](https://babesonwaves.club/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Founded by creative entrepreneur Jasmine Douglas, Babes on Waves is about forming genuine connections. Describing themselves as "diverse, next-gen, non-gatekeeping, anti-girlboss." Jasmine's based in London, but they also host events in NYC and Bangkok. Find the [latest on their Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/babesonwavesclub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [From Corporate to Entrepreneurship](https://choosecourageinc.com/products/group-coaching-from-corporate-to-entrepreneurship?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): This is a group coaching program for professionals leaving a full time job for self-employment led by Vivianne Castillo. Vivianne has a background in UX research and writing, but is also a serial founder going on 9 years. [Black Entrepreneurship Alliance](https://thebea.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Producing programming, accelerators, and hosting a learning community for Black entrepreneurs mainly in tech, food and beverage. Based in Toronto and serving businesses in Southern Ontario. [Noir Preneurship](https://www.noirpreneurship.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Hosting guest experts, running accountability groups, offering healing circles and speed networking for entrepreneurs in the Seattle-Tacoma area. [Stack World](https://www.thestack.world/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): A network of clubs and events happening around the UK and online focused on women in business. Stack World was founded by Sharmadean Reid who wanted to create a platform to boost the financial impact of the economy driven by women. [Black Pounds Project](https://www.blackpoundsproject.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Affordable business support, education, and exclusive discounts for businesses with a focus on helping businesses develop sustainable monetization strategies. Founded by CJ Lloyd Webley, who wanted to empower entrepreneurs and creatives from disadvantaged backgrounds. [KC Black Owned](https://www.kcblackowned.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Offering visibility, sales and networking opportunities for Kansas City-based businesses (mostly e-commerce or brick and mortar). Dr. Chelsey founded KC Black Owned in 2020 because she noticed there wasn't an easy way to find Black-owned businesses in her area. [U.S. Black Chambers](https://usblackchambers.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): A network of 145+ chambers that represent Black businesses across the United States. [Black Business Association](https://www.londonchamber.co.uk/business-groups/clubs-and-associations/black-business-association/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Part of the London Chamber of Commerce that supports Black business owners in the London area. ## For creatives [Black Writers Collective](https://blackwriters.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Calls for submission, publishing tips and community support for fiction and nonfiction writers. Founded by Tia Ross, BWC hosts regular accountability groups and writers' meetups. Operates online on US timezones. [Community Writers Group](https://www.cwgla.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Founded by the late Elise Woodson, former film curator for the California African American Museum, CWG's focus is documenting personal narratives on Black history and Black experiences. They host monthly storytelling events in Los Angeles. [Black Artists + Designers Guild](https://badguild.info/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Providing space and support for artists and designers, including workshops, grants and awards. Founded by artist and textile designer Malene Barnett in 2018 and based in the United States. [The Black TV and Film Collective](https://www.blacktvfilmcollective.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Workshops, resources and professional development for Black TV and film professionals. This organization also does production support, advocacy and research. Based in New York City with additional hubs in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Raleigh and Toronto. [Black in Events Network](https://linktr.ee/blackinevents?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Serving event professionals worldwide but based in Toronto, the Black in Events Network platforms its members, hosts a community and offers resources to event pros. ## For creators [Bootstrap Creators](https://www.lashondabrown.com/membership?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): A content marketing membership hosted by professional YouTuber and tech educator LaShonda Brown. Featuring guest speakers and sessions on YouTube, podcasting, social media, speaking and more. Operates online on a US timezone. [God and Gigs](https://godandgigs.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Serving Christian creatives in arts and entertainment, God and Gigs runs monthly Q&As, hosts guest speakers and operates a community. Led by musician, podcaster and community builder Allen Paul. Operates online on US timezones. [Creators Getting Paid](https://creatorsgettingpaid.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): A community for creators who want to increase their revenue potential. Right now, this group is cross-channel on Substack lives, a podcast and a newsletter but founder Michelle Jackson is launching a dedicated community space soon called [The Creator Income Collective](https://michelleismoneyhungry.substack.com/p/leaning-into-commmunity). Operates online on US timezones. [Your first $5k](https://www.skool.com/yourfirst5k/about?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com): Arlan Hamilton started this Skool community to help people make money from their YouTube, digital products and social media. Arlan's a venture capitalist who also works with tech founders, but this community is more focused on content creators and online businesses. Operates online on US timezones. *Want to add your group or share an experience? Comment below!* [*Sign up*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/signup/) *then* [*log in*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/signin/) *to comment (if you're on the newsletter, you can just log in.) You do not need to be a paid subscriber to comment.* ### beehiiv vs Ghost: My honest review after running a business on both URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/beehiiv-vs-ghost-my-honest-take-after-running-my-business-on-both/ Last updated: 2026-03-14T02:41:40.000Z *This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission if you purchase something at no additional cost to you.* If you’re stuck choosing between [beehiiv](https://www.beehiiv.com/?via=lex&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) vs [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?via=lex75&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), you're probably getting lost in their features. I'm here to help you make sense of the core differences between these two popular platforms I used beehiiv from 2023-2025 and I've been on Ghost ever since. I like both but they operate completely differently. There's no one right choice for every newsletter writer because they each have strengths and weaknesses. Instead of trying to crown a best platform, let me map the trade-offs for you. I’ll show you how beehiiv excels in the growth and monetization side, how Ghost is beloved for its publishing tools, and how to decide based on the kind of publisher you are. ## Watch the video version ## The core difference: blog-first vs newsletter-first Most "beehiiv vs Ghost" comparisons miss this product philosophy difference. ### Ghost is a blog platform with newsletter capabilities [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?via=lex75&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is **blog-first**. The web design is the star. You can take your pick of well-designed themes and you can hire development help at very affordable rates. The newsletter system exists, but it's pretty barebones. No automation. Very little segmentation. Clunky signup. Poor source tracking. It works for sending newsletters, but it gets more complicated if you want to include and exclude people based on behavior or tags. ### beehiiv is a newsletter platform with website capabilities [beehiiv](https://www.beehiiv.com/?via=lex&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is **newsletter-first**. They've added a website builder with their acquisition of Typedream, but the product centers around newsletters. beehiiv excels at robust newsletter tooling like segmentation, automation, conditional formatting and source attribution. Their web builder is a pain in the ass in my opinion. I'm sure it will get better, but right now, it's way more work than I wanted to put into my site and that's the main reason I left. ### Why this difference matters If you're moving from just sending newsletters to running a publication, you'll start caring more about your web presence. That's when Ghost starts to feel like the obvious choice. If you're staying newsletter-focused or care more about growth tooling and analytics, beehiiv is a better move. ## ✅ What beehiiv is best at ### Best in class analytics The number one thing I miss about [beehiiv](https://www.beehiiv.com/?via=lex&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is their analytics, especially the source tracking. beehiiv does a great job of telling you where subscribers come from without you having to set up a complicated tracking system. Even better, it doesn't stop at source. You can also see: - Open rate by source - Click rate by source - Paid subscribers by source - Unsubscribes by source That gives you a real sense of list quality, not just list size. The beehiiv founding team understands the paid acquisition side of newsletter growth and they built what serious newsletter operators actually need. ### Conditional blocks to show and hide content If you run a paid newsletter, conditional blocks is one of those features you don't appreciate until you lose it. In beehiiv, I can write one newsletter, then set visibility rules on blocks. I can show one section to free readers, a different section to paid readers, or even target specific tiers. On Ghost, that's not possible. There's one block with limited usefulness, but in practice I end up sending two different emails, which is annoying and creates more room for mistakes. ### Segments and automations to help you sell better Segmentation and automations are another area where beehiiv clearly demonstrates that it was designed by people who've actually run newsletter businesses. One example that comes up all the time: excludes. If I want to email all paid subscribers except people who already RSVPed to an event, Ghost can't do that. I have to create a brand-new segment that only includes the people I want. It works, but it's clunky. beehiiv makes segmentation more open-ended. You can include and exclude. You can use dynamic or static segments. Once you start doing more than "send this newsletter to everyone," that flexibility matters. Automations also exist inside beehiiv (you still have to build them). You can run: - Welcome flows - Paid welcome flows - Upsell flows - Retention flows - Win-back flows And you don't need extra software to do it. ### The ad network for newbies If your plan is to run a sponsor-backed newsletter, beehiiv is built around that model. They are investing a lot of time into their ad network. You can insert ads from brands without having to sell them yourself. For newer publishers, it can act like training wheels on the way to bigger sponsorships. There's a marketplace of advertisers and you can add placements in a couple of clicks. For more advanced newsletter writers, selling sponsorships yourself is much more lucrative. beehiiv does have a sponsorship sales page you can deploy but it's not going to take much work off of you. You may find their conditional blocks and analytics are key to your sponsorship success though, even if you don't use their built-in ad features. ### beehiiv's robust API lets you automate even more beehiiv's API is another huge plus. It's strong, they keep improving it, and they seem open to adjusting it based on publisher feedback. Because it hooks into Zapier, you can connect beehiiv to a lot of other tools and create workflows that feel almost invisible to your subscribers. I used to run two different paid subscriptions, and when someone joined one, they could be added to the other automatically through Zapier in the background. That kind of flexibility is easy to underestimate until you need it. ## ❌ Where beehiiv falls short ### The website builder became a time sink For me, the number one downside of beehiiv is the website builder and the design complexity. I don't want to spend weekends fiddling with layouts. I want to write, publish, and have things look good without having to check a bunch of settings. Once beehiiv went deeper on web building, I found myself dealing with design issues I didn't want. There isn't a big ecosystem yet for hiring out beehiiv site work. That will change, but right now it can be a pain if you don't enjoy spending time on web design. ### They're venture-backed A lot of people tell me they don't like beehiiv's vibe. I get it, but I think judging a tech company based on vibes is a strange way to operate. The team is smart and they know what they're doing. The bigger warning sign, in my opinion, is that they're venture capital backed. In tech, that often leads to feature bloat over time because growth expectations push products to expand in every direction. That doesn't mean beehiiv is bad. It just means it's likely to get unwieldly and out of step with what indie publishers want in the next few years. It's in a great place to be now, but keep an eye on them because venture-backed tech rarely works out for the user longterm. ## ✅ What Ghost is best at I moved from beehiiv to [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?via=lex75&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) because I wanted to shift from being a newsletter publisher to being a blogger with a newsletter, and I wanted to spend my time writing, not designing. ### The Ghost theme and developer ecosystem is stronger I hate dealing with web design. I'm a former designer but dealing with a million tiny layout decisions eats time fast. With Ghost, you choose a theme—either one of their [built-in themes](https://ghost.org/themes/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or a theme from a developer. You can customize it to your liking, but all customization is done with code so either you'll code or you'll hire a developer to do it. It's an extra cost but it means that your design is much more stable and you can focus on writing. Ghost has a more robust theme ecosystem than beehiiv. There are themes for publishers, bloggers, portfolios, and beyond. It's not WordPress-level huge, but there's plenty to choose from. I've worked with Norbert at [Bright Themes for Ghost](https://brightthemes.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I bought a theme from him and paid for a couple rounds of customization. It cost a couple thousand dollars total. As a full-time publisher, budgeting $1,000 to $2,000 a year for development is worth it to me. I'd rather pay that than spend my own time adjusting design details. ### Default newsletter design looks great out of the box Ghost's newsletter system is rudimentary, but the default email layout looks really good. Customization options are limited (basically adding your logo.) It's not like beehiiv where you can control every single design element. Still, the default Ghost newsletter layout feels graceful. The typesetting looks perfect. The reading experience feels like what email should look like in 2026\. It's modern, simple and focused on your writing. ### It's not venture-backed A lot of publishers prefer Ghost because it's [open source and a nonprofit](https://ghost.org/about/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) based in Singapore. They have a more stable trajectory because of that and they're not building features to appease investors, nor are they aiming for an exit. You can actually save a little money if you host away from Ghost.org with a company that hosts Ghost sites (like [Magic Pages](https://www.magicpages.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)) too. That's the benefit of open source. You're not locked into one mode of operation. ## ❌ Where Ghost falls short ### No built-in automations This one still shocks me. Ghost doesn't include automation flows. They just [built a welcome email](https://ghost.org/changelog/welcome-emails/?ref=changelog-newsletter) (as of February 2026) but it's super basic, comes from a no-reply email and doesn't allow any special formatting. That's why I partnered with [Outpost](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which is essential if you're using Ghost for a real business and not just as a hobby blog. If you need a welcome sequence, an upsell flow, or any kind of subscriber lifecycle messaging, you'll need something like Outpost. ### Segmentation exists, but it's harder than it should be You can filter members in Ghost by different factors, but segmentation doesn't feel designed for the way publishers actually run newsletters. In beehiiv, segmentation feels like it was built by operators. In Ghost, it feels like it was built by people who heard segmentation should exist. ### Developer-first in unhelpful ways Ghost sometimes ships features that feel experimental but not business-oriented, like the recommendations feature that doesn't feel well integrated, or the federated social network plugin that broadcasts posts to the open web. I understand the idea, but I don't find it that useful for most publishers. I wish the Ghost team would do more user research with the kinds of publishers building real businesses on Ghost. Right now, it feels like they're playing catch-up with Substack and beehiiv in a way that doesn't always land. ### Analytics are weak My Ghost analytics have been completely broken and inaccurate. I don't know if that's universal or just my account, but either way, it's been a disappointment. I've come to terms with the fact that I won't have some data I want but their vague dashboards don't give you much to go on if you're spending time on list growth, improving paid subscriptions or selling sponsorships. You will get less data from them than from beehiiv. ## Which is better: Ghost or beehiiv? Beyond what I covered above, here's a few of the key features publishers mention to me and how I think they stack up between [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?via=lex75&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [beehiiv](https://www.beehiiv.com/?via=lex&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). | Category | Winner | Why they win | | ------------------- | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Customer support | **beehiiv** | Faster, more detailed, and they get to the bottom of issues. | | Paid subscriptions | **Draw** | Ghost fits paid subs as a model, but beehiiv has more useful controls (flows, one-time, monthly vs annual choices). | | Analytics | **beehiiv** | Source tracking and detail are excellent, Ghost analytics have been inaccurate for me. | | Podcast integration | **Draw** | Both rely on RSS integrations, neither hosts your podcast. Outpost can help on Ghost. | | Cost | **Slight beehiiv edge** | beehiiv has a free plan, paid pricing feels similar once you're serious. Both beat a 10% cut. | | Design control | **Ghost** | Full control via themes and code, beehiiv's drag-and-drop feels clunky to me. | | List growth speed | **beehiiv** | Boosts, referrals, recommendations, plus no forced double opt-in. | | Editor experience | **Ghost** | Clean, graceful, reminds me of Medium, and works well on mobile. | | SEO basics | **Draw** | Both support metadata, URLs, redirects, and web versions of newsletters. | The big takeaway: beehiiv is better for running a newsletter machine. Ghost is better for running a publishing workflow and a nicely designed web experience. ## How to decide ### Start with your primary publishing identity If you're **newsletter-first**, [beehiiv](https://www.beehiiv.com/?via=lex&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is hard to beat. The analytics, growth tooling, segmentation, and automations support that working style. If you're **blog-first**, [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?via=lex75&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is a more natural choice. Your archive matters. Your design matters. Your ease of publishing will improve with Ghost. ### Do you want "plug-and-play" or "roll your own"? beehiiv is more plug-and-play. You can grow inside their ecosystem with tools like boosts, referrals, recommendations, automations, and the ad network. Ghost is more roll-your-own. You'll likely need Zapier and Outpost. And you'll build more of your own systems. The benefit is that those systems feel more like you own them. They're longer lasting, but it can be more work up front—especially if you don't find a theme that suits what you need. ### Neither will find your audience for you If you're making the move from Substack, you won't find any viral growth inside either of these platforms. beehiiv is definitely better at newsletter growth with several built-in tools like a referral program, boosts, recommendations and better subscribe embeds. But even with all that, you'll still have to drive your own newsletter growth. Ghost will give you a higher quality list because there's no gimmicky ways to grow there. Neither will find your audience for you. I'd argue Substack doesn't do that either. They made it easy for user email addresses to get widely shared. That doesn't mean those people are your audience or even reading your work. --- [beehiiv](https://www.beehiiv.com/?via=lex&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) vs [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?via=lex75&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is less about which is the best and more about what kind of publication you're running. beehiiv is for newsletter businesses. Ghost is for blogs that have newsletters. Whichever way you go, remember that you have to run your business. No platform will do that for you. Keep a light touch on your tech and be ready to make moves when you inevitably outgrow it. *Watch my comparison of* [*beehiiv vs Ghost in this video*](https://youtu.be/%5FtMKfL52NPE?si=RQPdLczvyDxjXElw&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*.* ### So, you want to book your first sponsorship? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-book-your-first-sponsorship/ Last updated: 2026-02-24T22:58:44.000Z *This post includes affiliate links. If you make a purchase from one of the links, I may get a small commission at no cost to you.* --- I spent the better part of three years promoting a tech company that did not pay me. I knew I could be getting paid, but I had no idea HOW MUCH I could be getting paid. I also had a full time job so I wasn't very "eyes open" about new ways to make money. The company was [Amplitude](https://amplitude.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I learned about them when I worked for an app named [Burner](https://www.burnerapp.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and my boss chose them as our new product analytics tool. I was immediately smitten with Amplitude and I started weaving tutorials into my talks, workshops and blog posts. I thought it was the greatest growth tool ever. And it became instrumental in how I practiced and taught growth. Over the next couple years, I created a ton of very public content about Amplitude that eventually got me on their radar. By 2019, I was writing for their official blog, hosting their team for events and speaking at their conferences. But I still was not getting paid. That same year, I went independent. All the sudden, I needed all these activities—which genuinely I was doing mostly for free—to pay me back. I talked to Amplitude's marketing team and we decided to do [a sponsored YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3heTUjjr3Yk&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) together. This was the first time Amplitude paid me and it was my first ever sponsorship as a creator. I made so many mistakes in how I fumbled this opportunity. My talks and workshops had brought major accounts over to Amplitude who would go on to spend thousands with them. And I didn't earn a dime of that. Part of my naivety was that I didn't know anyone doing sponsorships. It felt like something only pro-athletes did. Me? Sponsored? I didn't have any channels to sponsor. What could companies be sponsoring? I've gotten much smarter since those days. Now, sponsorships are a substantial part of my revenue and I treat them with much more strategic care. I understand the opportunity better and I know who to seek out as sponsors. I would never do that much free labor again. Some people think you need to be a huge YouTuber or a well known podcaster to get sponsorships, but as my story proves you don't. If you can create value for a company, you can book a sponsorship. You just have to know which companies you and your audience are most valuable to. So, how do you figure that out? _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I ran an experiment to see if I could get people to pay me to pitch them. Here’s what happened. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-ran-an-experiment-to-see-if-i-could-get-people-to-pay-me-to-pitch-them/ Last updated: 2026-03-08T15:35:05.000Z Coaches are programmed to offer free discovery calls. I decided to do the opposite. I charged $25 for a sales conversation and ended up making more money, not less. For most of my 16 years as a coach I followed the industry script: offer free discovery calls, serve generously, and trust that the right people will eventually hire me. Sometimes, they did. Often, they didn’t. The conversations themselves were meaningful and enjoyable, but months or even years could pass before someone became a client. Then, in the last year, I started offering free coaching calls to my email list and no one was biting. I realized the problem wasn’t my coaching; it was the context. So I decided to run an audacious experiment: **What if I charged people for the sales conversation itself?** ## The Experiment In coaching, what’s called an *“*enrollment conversation” is an experience of real value. It’s when someone clarifies what they want, why it matters, and whether working together makes sense. Ironically, because that incredibly valuable conversation involves *selling*, no one charges for it. I decided to make that conversation the product. I knew my offer would have to be intriguing, provocative and believable. I was pretty sure I could pull it off, but there was only one way to know for sure. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Should you quit social? 7 entrepreneurs on their social media free strategies URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/should-you-quit-social-7-entrepreneurs-on-their-social-media-free-strategies/ Last updated: 2026-02-12T13:40:12.000Z You don't need to loudly announce your departure. You can just leave. When the millennial [exodus from Facebook began a decade ago](https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20180523-why-facebook-will-never-die?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), it became common practice to make a holier than thou post about why you were leaving. This quickly turned into a joke that you didn't need to *make it a whole thing*. You could just bail. No one really cares. There are billions more where you came from, after all. The [dominant reason](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7381270/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) people left at that time was "mental health." The feed became too addictive, too depressing, or too harmful on a personal level. Some also pointed to privacy concerns due to the [Cambridge Analytica scandal of 2018](https://www.techpolicy.press/the-cambridge-analytica-scandal-five-years-on/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which was, to my knowledge, the first major outing of how easily social media could be weaponized against its users. People are always leaving social, talking about leaving social or complaining about how they can't leave social, but when I noticed a flurry of entrepreneurs posting about their plans to exit social in 2026, I wondered if this moment was different from before. I started talking to entrepreneurs who had left or were thinking about leaving to find out. What I learned made me question why I wasn't joining them in nuking my own accounts. It's not *just* about mental health anymore. The reasons people, and more specifically business owners, are abandoning social media now include rampant AI-powered thieves, deep fakes and copyright infringement. Privacy and surveillance concerns have escalated from *"this app might collect data I don't want them to have"* to *"the Secret Service might show up at my house"* because of a [TikTok](https://www.theroot.com/youll-never-guess-why-the-secret-service-showed-up-at-t-2000073519?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or a [tweet](https://www.newsweek.com/midwest-mom-video-secret-service-visit-x-post-11376487?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). The dangers are much more apparent and the benefits are waning. But for entrepreneurs, creators and founders, social media has been in the portfolio of core marketing channels since its invention. It's not like you're ditching your high school friends on Facebook and learning how to make phone calls again. When you deliberately cut off chunks of the audience building that fuels your income, you have to replace them with something else. So, how replaceable is social media for business and what are entrepreneurs replacing it with? ## Why leave social media now Author and indie techmaker [Brian David Hall](https://briandavidhall.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) was inspired to close his social media accounts when his wife traded her tech job for a ceramics endeavor. "I saw the lightness that came into her when she deleted her LinkedIn account. And I thought, 'I want that,'" he said. So Brian shut down his LinkedIn, then his TikTok. "I was kind of on a roll at that point and the thing I found is, with every step away from that posting every day, scrolling everyday lifestyle, I just felt better. I keep asking, 'when does the point of diminishing returns come?' And it never came." He's now fully off social, with the notable exception of [Mastodon](https://joinmastodon.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which—since it's a decentralized nonprofit—feels different to him. More like a developer community of the early 2000s as evidenced by the fact that he donates cash to keep the server his account is hosted on running every month. Is it a luxury to be able to leave social without repercussions or can we all make that leap into the light? Brian himself pointed out that he's already built a strong network that trusts him and that if he was earlier in his career or in his business, he might not have scaled back his online presence so much. Along those lines, [Dr. Amelia Hruby](https://www.ameliahruby.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) called being offline a "status symbol" in a recent [2026 marketing predictions podcast](https://open.spotify.com/episode/677Ft2ElF9Gd3kuTkuiaZv?si=8f277408b125405c&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Amelia's body of work heavily centers on how you can reject the attention economy and become more present in your life and work. She's been off social [a couple years now](https://www.ameliahruby.com/blog/two-years-off-social-media?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and tapped into the social media free movement so I asked her why it seems like more people are quitting now. She laid out some of the defining characteristics of the 2025 social media scene: "Meta removing fact checking, TikTok potentially being banned, the rise of AI slop, and increased [enshittification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) across all platforms \[have made people lose trust.\] Even though plenty of people had been sounding the alarm for years (myself included), those changes made it blatantly obvious that social media is no longer a safe or feel-good space." From what I've experienced myself working in Silicon Valley, the most prominent founders of social networks—Zuckerberg, Dorsey, Spiegel, Systrom and Hoffman—had no clue themselves where this was all heading when they started Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and LinkedIn. But now, we're 20 years in and their pattern of opportunity has become darkly predictable. Build a userbase and sell them off to the highest bidder, whether that's using your treasure trove of data [for political control](https://www.fastcompany.com/91341422/endless-growth-endless-harm-facebook-is-a-symptom-not-an-outlier?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), packaging it as a toy [for bored billionaires](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/sep/29/character-limit-how-elon-musk-destroyed-twitter-review-kate-conger-ryan-mac?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or just making [a killing off advertising](https://www.statista.com/statistics/544001/facebooks-advertising-revenue-worldwide-usa/?srsltid=AfmBOorb6jkPovRtgUCpoRZvDk88jdS0vCraiwfZzvpTATLp1Kt9JxPR&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). If you haven't read [*Careless People*](https://bookshop.org/p/books/careless-people-a-cautionary-tale-of-power-greed-and-lost-idealism-sarah-wynn-williams/804251bb5d4b06b3?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or [*Character Limit*](https://bookshop.org/p/books/character-limit-how-elon-musk-destroyed-twitter-kate-conger/cdc93673041a1b05?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), you'll never look at mindlessly scrolling the feed the same way again. You'll also see why I have the same concern [about where Substack is headed](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-substacks-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing/). ![Book covers for Careless People and Character Limit](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/01/Untitled-design---2026-01-18T002322.700.png) Good books about bad social networks: Careless People and Character Limit Beyond these mental and moral quandaries that social networks present us with, many business owners are noticing their social channels actually aren't doing as much for their business as they previously thought. Seth Werkheiser, who founded [Social Media Escape Club](https://socialmediaescape.club/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which serves musicians, artists and other creatives, said "Instagram isn't doing what it used to do back in the day" which means that "Artists are having to chase whatever appeases the algorithm more so than focus on the art that they make." This is a near constant complaint from people with bigger followings who have taken notice that [their posts are getting less reach](https://addictivedigital.co.uk/the-decline-of-organic-reach-on-social-media/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) than they once did. Online marketing agency owner [Sarah Giffrow](https://www.sarahgiffrow.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) told me, "An average organic post gets shown to maybe 2-6% of your audience. It takes a lot of effort and time to start seeing results." What was once bad for your mental health is still bad for your mental health and is also now bad for your privacy, bad for your physical safety and bad for your return on time invested. Not a lot of reasons to stick around when you see it like that. ## Where to find your audience WITHOUT social media My main question for those I spoke to was about what channels they were using in lieu of social. Even if you aren't seeing a return on your time posting and boasting with the rest of us, social media activity still counts as marketing visibility, and more importantly, as visibility in front of your existing network. How are these entrepreneurs reaching their audience? ### Email newsletters and earned media Email newsletters reigned supreme as the top replacement for social media among the people I asked. Seth recommends this strategy to his community at Social Media Escape Club and shared some of the creative ways musicians are replacing online audience building. Musicians passing around clipboards to grow mailing lists at their shows was a popular strategy but some artists are thinking bigger, like The Cadillac Three. When they went on tour in 2023, they [built a custom photo booth](https://www.artistdevelopment.net/e/BAh7BjoWZW1haWxfZGVsaXZlcnlfaWRsKwg7wVOWAwA%3D--0fb25e0498cd561157de845773219d893fffcf4e?skip%5Fclick%5Ftracking=true&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) using an iPad that required email to receive the photos, yielding over 5,000 emails for their list at a cost per new sub at $1.67 or less. Others turned to local—now underutilized—news channels to get the word out. "An artist on one of my weekly calls, Jes, was going to play this small town that she'd never played before. Rather than post about it on Instagram, they got in touch with the local newspaper and the college radio person. They had 150 people at their show that night in a town they've never played before," Seth said. ### In-person networking and guest talks Lindsay Hyatt, a copywriter and brand strategist out of upstate New York, is focusing on offline events and network building. Lindsay was one of the first people I noticed declaring a public departure from social this year. She [recorded an episode of her podcast](https://open.spotify.com/episode/0lihJymYfpqjOaJs4yQzxE?si=b251592595b54d9b&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) back in November about her plan to swap Instagram and Threads for showing up more around her city. Regarding her local strategy, Lindsay said, "I try to see and be seen—even if it's just at the coolest new coffee shop downtown. I write for our local magazine, so even that I count as staying front of mind. I'm not shy about telling people I'd love to catch up in person." Lindsay's been experimenting with in-person meetups for the last 5 years as an entrepreneur, and before that, she held corporate roles in the same region, which is how she built the foundation of her network. She's become so passionate about this local approach that she's about to [launch guides on how to market offline](https://lhc.myflodesk.com/getoffline?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). London-based Brett Freeman, also a copywriter, is on the same wavelength. Brett's core audience is fitness professionals and many of them operate local fitness industry groups in his area. He offers guest talks for these communities to get his work out there, building his network and his email list at the same time with enticing free resources attendees can download. Brett told me that his clients have shown a lot of interest in moving off social too, so he's created [a whole newsletter on his experiments in being "unsocial"](https://copythatlifts.berserkermail.com/unsocial%5Fopt%5Fin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and he plans to start making it a bigger part of his brand this year. I even learned showing up at offices in person to pitch services and partnerships could work. I was in a session inside [The Playhouse](https://jointheplayhouse.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) community when business coach [Maria Medina](https://thecoachingnetwork.com/maria-medina-business-coach/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) shared (and gave me permission to repeat here) that she went door to door to businesses in Orange County, California. She found a coworking space she was able to collaborate with by tabling there with some of her printed materials, which yielded a couple paying clients. ### Podcast guesting and hosting One of the most novel replacements I heard was from Brian David Hall who is planning to market [his next book on finding clients](https://helpthisbook.com/briandavidhall/your-first-three-clients?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) with a podcast guest tour. Doing guest interviews on podcasts is far from unheard of, but as a primary strategy, it surprised me, mainly because you're relying on other people's promotion ability and their audience quality rather than your own. But Brian is not going for volume. He's after a few deep, authentic connections. He doesn't have an email list. Instead, he wants people to send him a personal email after hearing the episodes. "If I go on 20 podcasts and get 3 emails, that's actually success for me. That's enough, because I want to be so selective. I really want to meet people that I vibe with. It feels higher stakes in 2026, than it did in 2021\. In 2021, we were all gonna live in the future and make the world a better place. Now, I want to know your politics," he told me. Hosting a podcast is also an option, as Amelia and Lindsay demonstrate with their respective shows [Off the Grid](https://offthegrid.fun/podcast?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Reprogramming](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reprogramming-with-lindsay-hyatt/id1687118927?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I asked Lindsay how she plans to promote the podcast without social. She said she includes it in her weekly newsletter and that, when clients meet her in real life, she expects that they may Google her and find it too. ![Amelia's podcast "Off the Grid" and Lindsay's podcast "Reprogramming" cover art](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/01/Untitled-design---2026-01-18T002035.475.png) Amelia's podcast "Off the Grid" and Lindsay's podcast "Reprogramming" ### Websites and static social profiles Just because people are reducing social activity doesn't mean they're erasing their whole online presence. Websites are overlooked as an important foundation for your work according to Seth Werkheiser. "Give them something to devour," he said, explaining that once someone does learn about you—in whatever way that happens—you want to let them dig into your work as far as they want to go. Without a web presence that you control and with low or no social activity, they'll hit a dead end too fast. Related to websites, media entrepreneur David Reiter thinks you should also consider having "trailer profiles" which are social media profiles you don't use but that others can tag when they share your work on social. He explained [how to do this in a recent newsletter](https://ckarchive.com/b/68ueh8hke33kxhkq88gqmtzd87nkk?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). You include a bio, a link and some pinned posts so your fans can amplify you in a way that makes it easier for others to get to your actual website. Designer Deanna Seymour offers [a whole service around this](https://deannaseymour.com/staticgrid?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for people leaving Instagram, creating an info rich "static 9 grid" where people can learn about you, tag you and share your work without you actually having to be present in the app. ### Deepening existing connections The one thing everyone aligned on was spending more time on one on one connections. You already have a network, even if it's small. Service providers repeatedly told me investing in their relationships yields the best results for them. Brett mentioned an example where a reply to one of his newsletters turned into a back and forth with an interested reader who later referred him for a job. Amelia said she's seeing the encrypted group chat app [Signal](https://signal.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) gain popularity in her circles as well as good 'ol scheduling 1:1 calls. And Brian reaches out to his core network one on one regularly via email. When he releases the new book, he's hoping that some of these strong connections turn into solid word of mouth amplification. Other channels I heard in my conversations included private communities, hosting events, blogging, SEO, buying ads, and newsletter swaps. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/01/Your-paragraph-text--11-.png) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/01/2.png) Social media alternatives I heard in my interviews for this story (left/top) and newsletter growth channels from our recent event (right/bottom) ## What to consider if you stay If you're reading this thinking, *wow, good for all those people but that's not me. I've gotta stay*, you're not alone. I too am addicted to all things social media and have only gone more online in the last year, adding Threads to my stack and expanding my post frequency on YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn. But hearing what's opened up for these entrepreneurs post-social gave me renewed energy to challenge my own behavior. It's easy to get lazy with your marketing when you're super active on social because even booking one client on a channel or receiving an interested DM can make it feel like you're getting a good return on your time. My biggest takeaway from my interviews was that your personal relationships will always be both more meaningful and more fruitful than passing connections in the feeds. That's not to say that you can't begin those relationships on social—I've met most of my real life close friends through Twitter and TikTok—but you'll always be better off spending time with those people you already know versus tossing lines out all over the internet in hopes you catch fresh fish. One way to make this easier to execute is to pair down your social channels. Sarah Giffrow recommends "focusing on just one social platform that's a really good fit" and not feeling pressure to conform to a place where you hate making the type of content it demands. Beyond the business results, we do need to pay increasing attention to bad actors and invisible surveillance, whether it's from the government or from individuals. Maybe it wasn't that dangerous to post a photo of your new house on Instagram in 2010 but now we have several [documented cases of people using a single photo](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2xwy3870po?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to figure out where you live or work. In their [2026 marketing predictions episode](https://open.spotify.com/episode/677Ft2ElF9Gd3kuTkuiaZv?si=8f277408b125405c&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), Amelia and Amanda Laird talk about the tension between maintaining your privacy online and building in public, which has been a popular audience growth method since *The Lean Startup* hit bookstores in 2011\. It's good to be transparent with your audience, no matter the channel, but you don't have to blast out every single answer to your password security questions to build trust. Be mindful of how the info you put out could be used against you. The more public you are, the more people could be watching you, and worse, [tracking you](https://medium.com/@calexity/my-address-is-not-yours-f8459accc1b7?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). --- I don't see social media going anywhere but I do see a tear in the fabric of the networks coming soon. It was once possible to post a lame graphic on Instagram and drive leads for your business. Those days are gone now that social media creators have become a [$37B industry](https://www.iab.com/news/creator-economy-ad-spend-to-reach-37-billion-in-2025-growing-4x-faster-than-total-media-industry-according-to-iab/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). If you're sticking around the social networks, you're going to be increasingly forced to produce higher caliber content, which at some point will drive you to decide if you want to get paid for that or if you'd rather find other ways to market your core business. Some of us will choose to make social media our job. The rest of us will close this chapter and move to alternatives. One thing is certain, whether you stay or go, you do not need social media to grow your business. Plenty of people are succeeding without it. It's fully replaceable, as the entrepreneurs I spoke to have exemplified. Your options for audience building are infinite and the upside of reducing social just might be far sweeter than the sugar high of an endless scroll. ### Resources for leaving social media - [Amelia Hruby's Off the Grid podcast and writings](https://www.ameliahruby.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Seth Werkheiser's Social Media Escape Club](https://socialmediaescape.club/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Lindsay Hyatt's Get TF Offline Guides](https://lhc.myflodesk.com/getoffline?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Brett Freeman's Unsocial newsletter](https://copythatlifts.berserkermail.com/unsocial%5Fopt%5Fin?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Amanda Laird's Decelerator program](https://www.slowandsteady.studio/decelerator?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Author Blair Glaser on marketing a book without social](https://janefriedman.com/the-struggle-is-reel-marketing-without-social-media/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Mandy Maddela Hoskinson's in-person networking tips](https://www.threads.com/@mediamandy/post/DTf%5FiEpj2wY?xmt=AQF0xp50K-SZvXMRGbjG%5F0DYAr3GxrSmteBH3bciLhs5JQ&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [David Reiter's guide to making trailer profiles](https://ckarchive.com/b/68ueh8hke33kxhkq88gqmtzd87nkk?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Deanna Seymour's static 9 grid service](https://deannaseymour.com/staticgrid?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Cody Cook-Parrott's work on the practice of attention](https://www.codycookparrott.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (mentioned by Seth) - [The Opt Out Project from Janet Vertesi](https://www.optoutproject.net/who-am-i/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Stephanie Imani LaFlora on building your tight circle](https://www.threads.com/@stephanielaflora/post/DTgAZQwETgZ?xmt=AQF0BN4cBZOL3VqqTlS5rca4mik7VBEjw%5FwSRwUJGLERmWcpygnpv3HgBonsoRg9OhB%5FMqc9&slof=1&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Aggressively Human episode on "should I stay or go" re: social](https://aggressivelyhuman.substack.com/p/18-stay-or-go-social-media) *I checked my social feeds at least 78 times while writing this story* 🫠 ### Introducing The Legends Directory URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/introducing-the-legends-directory/ Last updated: 2026-03-21T03:13:47.000Z ****Check out the Legends directory.** It's public! Only Legends can add themselves though—more on that below. [View directory ](https://legends.revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) _This post is for subscribers on the Legend Status, Legends Lifetime and Legends Partner Status tiers only._ ### Want to start a creative collective? Read this first. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/want-to-start-a-creative-collective-read-this-first/ Last updated: 2026-02-12T13:40:01.000Z When I pitched the idea of a creative collective to my lawyer, he took a deep breath. “I can write the contracts,” he told me, “ but I don’t think this is a good idea.” I tried to explain it differently, thinking he just didn’t understand. “I mean, it’s really an agency if you think about it. But the leads are coming from multiple business owners,” I said (pleadingly). “Yeah, but you’re the one taking on the liability. If something goes wrong, you’re on the hook,” he explained patiently. “But isn’t that all business?” I asked. I got him there. And after some back and forth, he drew up the client and member contracts, filed the LLC, and sent me the articles of organization. On May 2, 2022 Strange Salt: A Creative Collective was born. The idea was simple enough. A curated group of creative business owners would come together to pitch bigger projects when it made sense. And when it didn’t, we’d go our separate ways and work on building our own businesses. We believed that a rising tide would raise all ships, and we sought to put that idea to the test. Sounds pretty dreamy, right? I get a lot of questions about starting a creative collective. What’s it like? How does it work? What would you do if you were starting over? But people aren’t asking the question I wish they’d ask: **Is it working?** I want them to ask because the answer is no, it’s not. And \*REVENUE RULEBREAKER EXCLUSIVE\* I silently closed the collective this fall. But I think it *could have worked* with more thought, more structure in some places, less structure in others, and \*gasp\* more collaboration. If I were building it again, here’s what I would do differently. ## **I’d be more of a capitalist.** When I started Strange Salt, I knew I couldn’t simply be a pass-through for work and had to charge a markup on the services rendered. As much as I wanted for everyone to simply get paid for their work, I wasn’t oblivious to the fact that just by covering the credit card and processing fees for a single project would put me in the red. I also knew I wanted to keep the cost accessible for early-stage founders and small business owners. So, I kept the structure simple—15% markup on all services rendered, and that would all go to overhead expenses. ![The Strange Salt website (RIP)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/01/Strange-Salt-Website.png) The Strange Salt website (RIP) Our first won project was $25,570 and included three Strange Salt members: Liz Talago (messaging strategist), Sara Strese (visual identity and web designer), and me (brand strategist/account lead). It was the largest project I’d pitched so far, and while I personally made $5,000 for the brand strategy portion of the project (I definitely underpriced my work at this time!), I didn’t account for the amount of work managing a team of contractors was, versus managing just me in my other projects. This was *hours* of both active and passive work. It included doing calendar gymnastics to schedule seven people across multiple time zones in a four-hour workshop, learning our members’ processes so the work happened as seamlessly as possible, and constant internal Slack pings to make sure we were on schedule to deliver when we said we would. And that was just in the first round of the first phase of work. Throughout the project, I was the person filtering feedback from the client to our members. I’d done this as a Creative Director and had gotten pretty good at it, but I found myself getting sucked back into some of the responsibilities I’d hoped to leave behind. Even with the 15% markup, this one felt like a loss for me. Strange Salt’s take was $3,835.50 from the project. I pressed on, making some small adjustments here and there on the few (very small) additional projects we got that year. At the end of 2022, we’d pulled in $33,450.00 in revenue. $31,254.88 of that went to expenses (mainly paying members for their work, plus the aforementioned legal fees and other business set-up expenses). At the end of the year, the business was *technically* profitable with a cushy $1,395.12 sitting in our bank account. I was happy that I got paid for my work and contributions (kind of) and that members got paid for theirs. That was, until annual subscriptions, insurance premiums (a new line item), and taxes rolled around. I heard my lawyer’s words ringing in my head, “But you’re the one taking on the liability.” It wasn’t a collective of people stuck with bills—it was me. Which brings me to my next point… ## **I’d structure membership differently.** The clear benefit of being a member of Strange Salt was that you got work you may not have gotten otherwise. You didn’t have to manage the project, you didn’t have to touch the stuff you didn’t want to, and you had full autonomy over which projects you took on (as opposed to an agency, where you’re just assigned whatever work comes to you). We had a loose membership agreement. It included some details about the LLC’s responsibilities (connecting clients to the members) and a note that we wouldn’t place any restriction on the work they did outside of our projects. Reading this agreement today, I realize there’s no responsibility or expectations on the members. My ~~momma~~ lawyer told me there’d be days like this. The cost to join Strange Salt? Good vibes. I was selling one part of the collective short: the quality of its members. With this in mind, I’d think differently about membership and would explore some of these opportunities: 1. **Annual membership dues.** This would be a nominal fee to join Strange Salt. It would help me cover day-to-day costs and allow me to increase member engagement through things like networking members to help people connect and workshops with industry experts that would help them build their business. By paying dues, members would have a profile on our website (many leads bypassed Strange Salt completely and used us as a roster to find talent), access to a “leads board” where they can see open inquiries and submit proposals, and access to all events. This model would have brought the community element to the forefront, making the client work more of a “bonus.” I believe this approach would have supported the idea that a rising tide raises all ships a bit better by increasing member engagement, business growth, and buy-in. 2. **Membership tiers.** In this model, there would be tiers to join Strange Salt. These tiers would support business owners who were learning (lowest fee with access to events), growing (a higher fee with access to work opportunities), and sustaining (highest fee with everything plus voting power in moving the collective forward). This tiered approach would also include expectations (like bringing at least one lead to the table at a higher membership tier). 2022 Jamie couldn’t fathom this structure, and even today, it makes my head spin a bit. Both of these approaches would require more day-to-day management and put me in a position of both business development lead and community manager. Something I didn’t have the bandwidth or headspace to do. Unless… ## **I’d go all in.** I started Strange Salt as a spin-off of my own business. While I was building Strange Salt’s business and brand, I was simultaneously building my own as an independent brand strategist. The overlap between the two was pretty large. A client would come to me looking to build their brand. When I listened to their problems, I realized they needed a more full-service solution that included strategy and implementation (whether it was design, website development, or marketing management). Making the transition from wanting to work with Jamie to wanting to work with a group of people that includes Jamie was *rough.* ![Icons from the Strange Salt brand guide](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/01/Strange-Salt-Icons.png) Icons from the Strange Salt brand guide Because my personal business focused on supporting early-stage founders (at the time), their budget didn’t account for hiring a full team. They needed a freelance-esque partner to help them get moving. The overlap between my individual work and the collective’s work seemed too great to build two distinct brands, which often left me trapped in a flow chart with two diverging paths: Does this client go to Jamie or does it go to Strange Salt? Members experienced this too. One of the frequently asked questions from members was, “How do I introduce you to a great lead when they’re already set on working with me?” I didn’t want to jeopardize the member’s opportunity to get the work by adding a layer of complexity, so it was always a tricky thing to navigate. I am constantly encouraging others to [full ass one thing](https://brandburnout.beehiiv.com/p/brand-overwhelm?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (at least to start), and I wish I had taken my own advice. By going all in on Strange Salt and dropping my personal practice, I could have afforded myself more flexibility to do solo projects (under the Strange Salt brand and legal entity) and flex up to include more folks when it made sense. The handoff between Jamie and Strange Salt would have been a lot smoother because there wouldn’t have been one to begin with. By solving this problem for myself first, I could have also created better structure and processes for members to follow for the hand-off as well. Going all in would have put a more hierarchical structure in place, with business development efforts falling to me. In this scenario, I start to question if I was even building a collective or just building the agency I’d escaped years earlier and calling it something different. ## **So maybe I wouldn’t do it at all.** As I move into this post-Strange Salt world and go all in on all things [Jamie R Cox](https://jamiercox.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), I’m still doing brand strategy and pulling in support from the former collective. I ask Sara to build a visual identity that supports my strategy, and I ping Liz for help facilitating workshops. I refer great people to great clients (and occasionally get a little referral bonus if I ask nicely). This work is still happening; it just doesn’t have a separate container. By going all in on *me,* I’ve found it’s easier for me to market my work and build on the brand equity I already have. I’m carrying less of a burden by feeling beholden to members (who never *really* expected anything from me, if I’m being honest with myself), and I’m able to be more nimble in a world where change is constant. Building a business is lonely, and building something together was really appealing to me. But the complexity it brought I got me further and further from the flexibility I was looking for when I built my own business. I’m not saying don’t build a creative collective. But I am saying I’m not the person to build it.When I wrote about “my lawyer,” I was talking about one of my best friends who happens to be a lawyer. I might not be willing to admit I was wrong to my lawyer, but I am willing to admit it to my friend. And Dustin, I was wrong. Lucky for me, nothing went wrong with Strange Salt. But nothing *really* went right either. --- *Find Jamie R. Cox* [*on her website*](https://jamiercox.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*,* [*get her newsletter "Brand Burnout"*](https://brandburnout.beehiiv.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and* [*follow her on LinkedIn*](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiercox13/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*.* ### What are you wishing for in 2026? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/legends-wishlist-2026/ Last updated: 2026-01-06T03:17:57.000Z Today, we're launching our first Legends collaboration of the new year. It's called **Legends Wishlist** 🪄 The idea is this: when you wish OUT LOUD, someone might help make it happen. It sounds ridiculous. Can you really just say what you want and someone will help? But it's wild how much it works. I'll give you a quick example. In December 2024, I decided to switch up my sponsorship strategy. I didn't want to just take ads anymore. I wanted to pivot to partnerships. So I wrote [this post on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lexroman%5Fi-want-to-work-with-sponsors-in-closer-partnership-activity-7270799205344972801-TND0/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). And then I got a DM from Josh Spector. He wanted to know more. We talked through how it could work and then—much to my surprise—he booked a partnership with me. A month later, we recorded [an episode of Josh's podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1HOmGpLZqY&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) about how this all went down. All from just saying it out loud. In public. We ran [Legends Wishlist last year](https://lexromaninc.notion.site/Legends-Wishlist-2025-16fed15005c1808b8802eba2f6742aa8?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and I watched as Legends shared introductions, referrals, resources, and support with each other. The Legends are a helpful bunch. Make an ask and you very likely could receive. Make an offer and open a new relationship with generosity. You get three wishes, Legends. Make 'em count! ## Check out what Legends are wishing for in 2026 See something you could help with? Send a DM to that Legend on LinkedIn and share how you can help them make that wish come true. [Open the Wishlist](https://lexromaninc.notion.site/Legends-Wishlist-2026-2dfed15005c180098d52cdb0bb3c08e9?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Please NO PITCHES. This is about people helping each other. Intros, resources or notes of support welcome. [![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-05-at-8.42.11---PM.png)](https://lexromaninc.notion.site/Legends-Wishlist-2026-2dfed15005c180098d52cdb0bb3c08e9?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) _This post is for subscribers on the Legend Status, Legends Lifetime and Legends Partner Status tiers only._ ### What 2026 holds for us (and what to expect from me) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-2026-holds-for-us-and-what-to-expect-from-me/ Last updated: 2026-02-12T13:40:33.000Z Last year, I didn't know where I was heading with this project. When I [set out to become a full time creator](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/set-full-time-creator-heres-going/) in 2024, I was trying to still make [*Low Energy Leads*](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbwVncwb6ayxFJHzdILjhDdWFIHx%5Fc3oQ&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) work while also building [*Journalists Pay Themselves*](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and documenting the story on [*Revenue Rulebreaker*](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I was placing too many bets at once and it confused the hell out of everyone. It's extremely rare that any of my ventures get such clear signal as [the Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/) have given me. I would have given up by now if it wasn't for their enthusiastic backing and participation. Thanks to you, I've got my eye on the prize now. I want to make *Revenue Rulebreaker* your trusted guide to making a living on the internet and the Legends Network an invaluable place to find business collaborators. But what does that mean? Strategically, I'm positioning this as a multi-channel media brand (not just a newsletter), developing a clear editorial focus around unexpected revenue stories, and prioritizing community building. Tactically, I'm expanding guest contributions, adding more events into the mix and continuing my role as the Legends' business matchmaker. I almost can't believe y'all let me do this for a living but I'll take it as long as it can last. You've invested in me and my wild ideas. I'm here to return the favor. Here's what I have in store for us this year. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### What it actually takes to stop trading time for dollars URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-it-actually-takes-to-stop-trading-time-for-dollars/ Last updated: 2026-02-12T13:40:20.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- “Serve one to many and stop trading time for dollars!” "Launch your course and make money while you sleep." "Stop trading time for dollars so you can SCALE!" If you've spent any time in the [Entrepreneurial Casino](https://www.deeperfoundations.com/casino?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), you've heard these promises. You're just one course or group launch away from glory—and the spacious calendar that supposedly comes with it. And this year, I did it. I crossed six figures in revenue from leveraged offers: group programs, courses, a membership, and a book. **But here's what they don't tell you:** That result took me **five years working in my business full-time** and this is the **first year that side of my business has been meaningfully profitable**—yet still not enough, on its own, to pay my bills. This is the behind-the-scenes version of what it actually took to build leverage *while* running a full-time services business. ## **The reality I was dealing with** I started my business full-time in 2021 as a business consultant/Fractional COO for small businesses. I had strong credentials (a Harvard MBA with prior Nike and McKinsey experience), but zero network with the small businesses I wanted to serve. I had a teeny email list of about 50 people, built when I was side-hustling as a coach while still working in corporate. I needed to bring in at least $5K a month in post-tax income to cover my share of household expenses. That meant I couldn't afford to build an audience unless I was willing to pull from savings. So for the first year, I focused on what paid my bills: subcontract consulting and building my Fractional COO business. That work took 30+ hours a week. In the margins of my time, I wrote and posted regularly to build my email and social media following. In late 2022, a year and a half in, I launched my first business-building group program. After a year of weekly writing and audience building, I'd grown my list to 145 subscribers. Five people enrolled in what's now called [*Define Your Foundations*](https://www.deeperfoundations.com/define-your-foundations?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), grossing $11K in 2022. It was enough to prove I could make money in group offerings—but it barely covered a month of my expenses. ## **The revenue trajectory** From that first launch, I ran my cohort every six months, gradually growing from 5 students to around 20 students per cohort. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 2025 Year in Review URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/2025-year-in-review/ Last updated: 2026-01-13T01:25:16.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I'm six years into self-employment and it's taken me this long to finally get a foothold on the kind of business I should be running. There is so much I want to capture and convey about how this business is doing. 2025 was my first year as a full time creator and the first full year of *Revenue Rulebreaker* and [Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-become-a-legend/). I've spent the last couple weeks immersed in [other people's Year in Reviews](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-year-end-reviews-and-rituals-of-seasoned-entrepreneurs/). Now that it's time to put mine together, it feels like an epic undertaking. I'm planning to get more serious about these reviews—not just yearly but also quarterly. To hold me to that, I'm hosting a Q1 Earnings Call for [paid subscribers](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/membership?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [one time contributors](https://ko-fi.com/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) sometime in early April. We're going into next year in a strong position and it feels amazing to know that this business is working for you AND for me. I just need to keep going in the same direction. This year's review is MEATY. You'll want to break out the sauce before you cut into it. One note is that, when I wrote [last year's review](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/2024-year-in-review/), I was still thinking of *Revenue Rulebreaker* as a place to document my broader creator career so I included all my revenue streams and projects. I'm not doing that anymore. This report is about *Rulebreaker*, the *Paid Newsletter Playbook* and the Legends Network. It does not represent the entirety of my business. ### Part 1: The Business - 2025 Goal targets vs reality - What we did together this year - Legends success stories - Successful and failed projects - Growth channels that worked - Revenue and expenses ### Part 2: The Operator - My role in this business 2025 vs 2026 - Life highs and lows - Biggest lessons _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The email that saved my business: How one bold ask tripled my rates overnight URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-email-that-saved-my-business-how-one-bold-ask-tripled-my-rates-overnight/ Last updated: 2026-03-08T15:35:14.000Z There’s a special kind of exhaustion that comes from knowing you’re good at what you do and still quietly undercharging for it. Not the loud, dramatic burnout where everything collapses at once. The quieter one. The kind where your calendar is full, your inbox is busy, clients keep saying “we love working with you,” and yet your bank account tells a very different story. The kind where every new project feels heavier than the last, even though nothing is technically wrong. That’s where I was earlier this year: overbooked, underpaid, and deeply afraid of asking for more. ## When the math stopped making sense I run a solo graphic design business. No agency. No investors. No junior designers cleaning things up after me. Every concept, revision, and final file comes from my own hands. For years, I convinced myself that charging low rates was part of the plan. I framed it as accessibility. Relationship-building. The long game. What I didn’t admit was that I was afraid that if I priced my work honestly, the work and the clients might disappear. But the numbers didn’t lie. I was working full-time hours (and then some) and still struggling to feel financially steady. My monthly revenue hovered around the same plateau no matter how hard I worked, roughly $2,000–$2,500 a month from a long-term client who took up the bulk of my time. The real issue wasn’t demand. It wasn’t talent. It was that I was pricing from fear. Fear of being seen as “difficult.” Fear of being replaced. Fear that asking for more would expose me as delusional about my own value. The email I didn’t want to send. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### We can use tech without letting tech use us URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-wouldnt-run-a-ghost-blog-without-this/ Last updated: 2025-12-21T01:23:16.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- Everybody's really obsessed with platforms. The first question when I tell people I hate the living shit out of Substack is: *"Well, what platform do you recommend?"* That's the wrong question. Instead, they should be asking: *"What do I need to run a newsletter business?"* The answer is simple: You need to learn how to promote it. No platform is doing that for you, no matter how much they pretend to. It's important that ***we learn*** what it takes to promote our work because otherwise, we are beholden to tech overlords. AND THAT'S BAD. We can use tech without letting tech use us. I moved my newsletter from beehiiv to Ghost back in May. I didn't leave beehiiv for any scandalous reason. I still like beehiiv. But I wanted to be "blog first" instead of "newsletter first" and Ghost felt like a better fit for that operating model. There's just one problem with Ghost. It doesn't have any automations. If you know you need to promote all the time, but you can't spend every day emailing every single person on your list, you're going to want to automate some stuff. That's where [Outpost](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) comes in. Outpost is a monetization and marketing tool for Ghost publishers that enables you to automate your promotions. You can do things like invite free subscribers to upgrade, win back paid subscribers or show pop-ups on your website to grow your email list. Why is that better than a platform that pretends to market for you? Two reasons. **1) Outpost doesn't hide behind fake promises of "magic growth dust."** They expose all the tools you need to promote your newsletter and subscriptions. They guide you towards what they see working for other publishers but you decide what you want to use. That puts you in charge of your business, not at the mercy of an algorithm that may not choose you. **2) They're an independent tech company with no billionaire backers.** They don't have roadmap pressure for a multi-billion dollar exit making them build weird things you didn't ask for and don't want. They work directly for publishers. I've been partnering with [Outpost](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) all this year because I love what they've built so much and because they're so busy building it, they don't have much time to market. So, I thought we'd do something fun to close out this incredible year together helping indie businesses make money. A game of bingo. Outpost bingo. [![Outpost bingo cards](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Untitled-design---2025-12-15T090955.666-2.png)](https://www.canva.com/design/DAG6gDefUjw/q6L8uHO9lg1fWu0jxc-EUw/view?utm%5Fcontent=DAG6gDefUjw&utm%5Fcampaign=designshare&utm%5Fmedium=link&utm%5Fsource=publishsharelink&mode=preview) Each box on your Outpost bingo card comes from what the Outpost team (and me) recommend you have set up to get started promoting your work. I was actually missing one of these boxes myself (No retention offer! Lex! What are you doing!) Outpost co-founder Ryan Singel gently called me out and you can bet that thing is live now. Anyone using Ghost or switching to Ghost is eligible to play. And you're gonna wanna play because the prizes are that good! ### 🏆 What you can win All the top scores will be entered to win. Winners will be chosen randomly. - **Prize 1:** $100 credit to your [Outpost](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) account - **Prize 2:** 1 year of the Backstage Pass, which includes all access to [paidnewsletterplaybook.com](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [revenuerulebreaker.com](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - **Prize 3:** A live session with me to review your Outpost Autoresponder Emails ### 🎱 How to play Outpost bingo 1. [Download the bingo card](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7x5mh3aunemlsa4ma6z3b/OutpostBingoCard.png?rlkey=5w8llxaqg8h61xavy9yo0vz2r&e=1&st=boyb1h34&dl=0&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (or [use the Canva template](https://www.canva.com/design/DAG6gDefUjw/q6L8uHO9lg1fWu0jxc-EUw/view?utm%5Fcontent=DAG6gDefUjw&utm%5Fcampaign=designshare&utm%5Fmedium=link&utm%5Fsource=publishsharelink&mode=preview)) 2. Mark off boxes as you set them up (see [my detailed instructions](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/outpost-bingo/)) 3. [Submit your finished card](https://lexroman.fillout.com/outpostbingo?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) by **Friday, January 9th** [How to play Outpost bingo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/outpost-bingo/) It's time we stop waiting for someone else to grow our business and take the reins ourselves. Outpost bingo is a fun way to get started. Grab your bingo card and get playing! 🎲 Lex P.S. Coming Sunday, Taiwo Adepetun was overbooked and underpaid. One email send changed that. You're gonna love this money mindset shifting story. ### Why become a Legend URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-become-a-legend/ Last updated: 2026-09-07T23:09:10.000Z ## Get more eyes on your business when you become a Legend Legends benefit from free promotion and intentional relationship building in a network with over 400 creative entrepreneurs worldwide. Whether you want to get your business in front of more people, find the right collaborators or be inspired by how others are building their business, this is the right place. And at only $99/year, Legends say the return on their investment is a no brainer. [Join Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/membership/) **Why join NOW? Because the price of Legends is going up in October.** Plus, we have all this cool stuff happening now! - **Five Star Fest** where you can share a project you want more reviews on (your podcast, your newsletter, a freebie, a book) and Legends will compete for prizes by reviewing them (August) - **Legends of the Fall mixer** where you'll be matched personally by me into rooms with the people you should meet to grow your business (September) - **My Q3 Earnings call** to get an inside look at how the money flows and where it goes (October) - **Secret Santa Swap** where I match you with a Secret Santa to promote your newsletter, podcast or freebie (October-November) ### 🏆 Perks of being a Legend: - **Regular shoutouts** of your work on my newsletter - **At least 3 free classified ads** a year in my newsletter ([see some of the results](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/advertise?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) my advertisers get) - **Warm introductions** to others in the network - **Visibility** in our [Legends Directory](https://legends.revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to get more referrals and collaborations (and just so people know who you are) - **Collaboration invitations** to expand your audience like the [Loose Ties Scavenger Hunt](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/loose-ties-scavenger-hunt/), and [Secret Santa Swap](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/your-invitation-to-the-secret-santa-swap/). - **Mixer invitations** twice a year to expand your network where I match you up personally with other Legends based on your audience, location and industry - **Invitations to my quarterly earnings calls** so you can see where your money is going and inform what we do with it - **All you can read *Revenue Rulebreaker* stories** about how other entrepreneurs are making it work right now in [RevenueRulebreaker.com](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - **All you can read *Paid Newsletter Playbook* guides** about running a paid subscription business on [PaidNewsletterPlaybook.com](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - **Preferential treatment** at all times because I like you the best - **Bonus perks that** [**we unlock every 100 Legends**](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-perks-of-being-a-legend/)—next one is a Legends unconference! [Become a Legend](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/membership?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/MatchedUpMixer--1-.png) One of our Legends mixers with live music by Benjamín Mora [Become a Legend](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/membership?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Why Legends join: Legends get the concrete perks listed above, but they also receive benefits from being part of the Legends network. Legends like each other! And they're inclined to like you too. That means you may also experience: - New collaborators - New referral partners - New clients/customers - New newsletter readers, podcast listeners, livestream viewers - New social media amplifiers and commenters - Friend of a friend introductions through Legends to other rad people **I am not promising any of this.** I'm running a very low cost subscription here so I'm not making a guarantee of any kind BUT active Legends—ones who come to stuff or connect with other Legends through our activities—do report business expanding benefits. That's the serendipity of being a Legend! It's pretty easy to make your $99 bucks back. Plus, lots of people actually enjoy my writing and find it useful. Crazy I know! Other Legends join to get access to all my writing on [RevenueRulebreaker.com](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/) and the [PaidNewsletterPlaybook.com](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (but if you just want content access, you can [get a Backstage Pass](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/) for $75/yr instead) ### Here's some of why Legends say it's worth it: *"If you're debating joining, I can help you make the decision....JUST DO IT. Lex runs the best events and campaigns for members. In just 2 months and thanks to one of these campaigns, I saw a 657% ROI from my Legends membership!"* **Jamie Cox, Branding Strategist** *"I joined before I even fully understood what it was because I knew 'if Lex was doing this, it was going to be good'. Now I love the fact that, in addition to the newsletter, we get all these surprises all based on your creative ideas and things you think would be cool to do. Such a treat!"* **Alison Coward, Team Culture Expert** *"Lex's Legends has been the network I've been searching for."* **Jennifer Spoelma, Creative Generalist** *"Legends Mixers are my FAVORITE networking events. Lex does such an amazing job matching us up and encouraging connections. I can't wait for the next one!"* **Kara Detwiller, Writer** *"I'd wager that my investment in joining the Legends community, led by Lex Roman, will be the best investment I make in 2025\. For just $9/month, the sheer amount of actionable content available at the click of a button has already sparked countless ideas."* **Raven O'Neal, Business Strategist and Podcaster** *"I just became part of the Legends community by* [*Lex Roman*](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexroman/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*. Lex is the best in the business when it comes to helping creators, journalists, freelancers–basically anyone who works for themselves–figure out how to build their values-based businesses. Look forward to this next year with Lex!"* **Yulia Denisyuk, Journalist and filmmaker** *"The Legends Network is such a gold mine I willingly paid for it twice. It's where I've met all my business besties. It's my go to network when I need to hire, collaborate, or look for help. It's incredibly valuable and it's F U N. If you are a creative business owner you need to be in here. It's that simple."* **Laura Green, Business Strategist** *"Becoming a Legend was the best money I’ve spent for my business and my soul. The human connection, especially as biz owners and especially now, is invaluable. I cannot recommend this group highly enough."* **Shawnna Stiver, Copywriter** *"Very few people have impacted my entrepreneurial journey as much as Lex Roman. Lex has introduced me to some of my greatest collaborators, favorite clients, and best friends."* **Devin Lee, Systems Strategist** [Read more testimonials](https://shoutout.io/legends/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## The backstory of Legends I launched Legends when I started *Revenue Rulebreaker* as a way to fund this project. It's become so much more than that quickly. It's now a network of really fucking cool creative entrepreneurs. There are [400+ Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/) as I write this. They are creatives, agency owners, authors, professional speakers, educators, media entrepreneurs, community operators, and creators. Legends are experts at their craft, established in their businesses and well connected in their fields. Legends are people who share the ethos of Revenue Rulebreaker and who want to build their business alongside with likeminded entrepreneurs. **They joined at first because of me. They stayed and kept joining because of each other.** It's important that you know *this is not a community*. It's a network. I host Legends for mixers. I match Legends for co-promotion. I introduce Legends when it makes sense. It's low effort, high reward. I drive most of it. And it's full of serendipity. Become part of this incredible network and contribute to this project of making revenue rulebreaking possible for more entrepreneurs. **The more of us who make money the way we want to, doing the things we want to do, living the lives we want to live, the more we pave that path for others.** [Become a Legend](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/membership?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 🎲 Lex P.S. Just want all access to my paid content? Join as a [Backstage Passholder](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/membership?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and get everything here on [RevenueRulebreaker.com](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and everything at [PaidNewsletterPlaybook.com](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). But I recommend you join as a Legend because you get SO MUCH MORE for just $20 more a year. ### The Secret Santa Swap 2025: Wrapped and Recapped URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-secret-santa-swap-is-underway/ Last updated: 2026-05-13T16:59:54.000Z All the Secret Santa reveals and how this year's swap went _This post is for subscribers on the Legend Status, Legends Partner Status and Legends Lifetime tiers only._ ### The year end reviews and rituals of seasoned entrepreneurs URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-year-end-reviews-and-rituals-of-seasoned-entrepreneurs/ Last updated: 2026-01-12T03:32:52.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- *"Maybe you should move back to LA and get a job,"* my accountant Dave said as we did my taxes in September. *"That's the meanest thing you've said to me in 17 years,"* I replied. Dave remembers when I had a six figure tech salary and a condo. He doesn't understand why I choose to make less money and live as a vagabond. Only I know why I do it. This was my first calendar year running this exact subscription and sponsorship model. I've worked for myself since 2019 but my underlying business model has changed four times. It's a lot to explain to people who are better at picking a lane than I am but...it's working. It has always worked and it continues to work, feeding my delusion that I'm good at this and can teach others how to do it. One key to my successful pivots is a deep review process every year and every quarter. What am I working on? How is it going? What have I achieved? It sounds boring as hell and I hated doing it in a corporate setting but now that I'm on my own, I get to decide *exactly* how I do quarterly and end of year reviews. As I prep to do my 2025 recap, I've been saving every year-in-review I could get my hands on just to see what questions and data other entrepreneurs are digging into. And I thought you might appreciate what I found in case you're putting together your own review. Here's what seasoned entrepreneurs include in their year end reviews. ## Audit of how time was spent This is something I never would have included in my performance review days, but I spotted a time audit in both Matthew Fenton's [Strategic Plan](https://winningsolo.com/freelance-strategic-plan/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and Kat Schmoyer's [32 question worksheet](https://katschmoyer.com/eoy-gift?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I've run through Matthew's whole process before, which is super comprehensive and I think one of the best end of year (or anytime of year) plans you can find. The section on time includes several questions about what your actual hourly rate is and how much billable (or revenue-generating) time you have per week. You may think you know these answers but calculating them every year is insightful. [![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-13-at-11.32.13---PM.png)](https://winningsolo.com/freelance-strategic-plan/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Excerpt from Matthew Fenton's Freelance Strategic Plan Kat Schmoyer's [worksheet](https://katschmoyer.com/eoy-gift?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) starts with questions about how you're using your time with a focus on the daily rhythm of work and life. She asks about ideal work days and how many of those you had in the past year. I've been thinking a lot about how much of my time turns into money, because as a full time publisher, it's not that correlated. There's lots of days I generate no additional income. I need to be smarter about how I use my time next year so more of my hours spent pay off. ## Leading indicators of success Most year in review write ups include revenue or profit and loss, but many are missing this important question of *what's starting to show promise?* Jessica Lackey calls this "The Sprouts You’re Tending," and [in her review template](https://www.deeperfoundations.com/blog/part-1-acknowledging-reality?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), asks questions like "How many inquiries did you receive?" and "What kinds of earned media did you get?" I've rarely seen this in a yearly reviews, because usually people write up binary successes or failures. Taking a deeper look at what signals are showing that people are paying attention and WILL BUY can move you into the next year with more momentum. The easiest way to capture leading indicators is to map your funnel or [growth model](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1chyP3ye5q6fazIuV03rL7cyZonl54yIw4UjBLvxJ46w/edit?usp=sharing&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and put numbers or names to it. Newsletter subscribers, inbound DMs, inquiries about your offers, trials or other activities that demonstrate there's meaningful interest in what you're doing can all be signals that you have soon to be functional pipelines. [![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Growthtrackers-Workbook_-Growth-Model-and-Inputs.png)](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1chyP3ye5q6fazIuV03rL7cyZonl54yIw4UjBLvxJ46w/edit?slide=id.g142a2ceaac6%5F1%5F133&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#slide=id.g142a2ceaac6%5F1%5F133) Snapshot of my growth model ## Successful and failed strategies You don't just want to capture how much money you made. You want to know *exactly how* you made it. What offers worked? What sales activities closed deals? Which promos failed? IFS practitioner and coach Jennifer O'Sullivan told me she uses [Racheal Cook's Plan Your Best Year Ever](https://theceocollective.com/resources?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (and attends her planning retreats) which includes questions on what worked and what flopped. Racheal recommends capturing specific marketing strategies that led to the best sales results and distractions that cost money or time. [Devin Lee](http://devinlee.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), who used to run Quarterly Planning Party for online entrepreneurs, has a similar approach. Devin's process identifies which successful parts of your operation could be systematized or automated and which parts of your business you need to shelve or stop altogether. ## Revenue and expenses Of course, whenever we're looking at other people's year in reviews, we want to know how much money they made because we're nosy as hell. Hanna Raskin did the most incredible job at this in her [2025 Annual Report for *The Food Section*](https://thefoodsection.com/tfs-releases-its-2025-annual-report/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). She laid out subscription revenue by month, including labeling abnormal spikes and explaining them. She compared the free vs paid audience and added survey quotes about why some readers cancelled their subscription. Graphic designer Brent Galloway [hand draws his revenue and income stream breakdowns](https://www.brentgalloway.me/blog/2024-review?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which is worth seeing even if it's hard to replicate. Max Read, who publishes Read Max, [ran a year over year comparison](https://maxread.substack.com/p/four-years-of-read-max-on-substack) of his revenue and paid subscriber count, writing *"My longstanding belief, elaborated many times in these yearly reports, is that 'year over year' is the only proper way to judge the growth of a digital-media business"* Pretty sure that's true for all businesses and that's why Dave wants me to get a job. On the expense side, I love that Anna Burgess Yang [includes what software subscriptions](https://pages.annabyang.com/quarterly?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) you are cutting in the new year in her quarterly review checklist. The longer you run a business, the more those expenses creep up. You could take this even further and slash through the entire L side of your P&L. What else could you cut? [![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-14-at-12.21.29---AM.png)](https://maxread.substack.com/p/four-years-of-read-max-on-substack) Excerpt from Max Read's year in review from 2025 ## Life and work (but mostly life) highs and lows End of year reviews aren't just about work. A lot of entrepreneurs include life highlights and lowlights in their recaps. Dan Mall wrote the beefiest section on [the life he wants to live and how his year stacked up](https://danmall.com/posts/2024-year-in-review/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), including photos and videos of how he spent his year. Creator Jay Clouse flipped the order but [shared work and personal highs and lows](https://creatorscience.com/year-in-review-2024/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) like becoming a dad and how much stress it added to his schedule. Sarah Jutras captured a month by month snapshot of both work and life highlights [in her Freelance for Life newsletter](https://freelanceforlife.substack.com/p/2024-year-in-review). She also ran an extensive workshop on year in reviews last year that I participated in, and if she offers it again, you should snag a ticket because it was a super visual and artistic reflection that's hard to replicate yourself. Writer Kara Detwiller put [highs and lows in one simple list](https://www.wishfulworking.com/p/my-year-in-review-2024?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) along with some stats about her year. And lest you think this is just for service providers and creators, tech founder [Brennan Dunn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/brennandunn/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) from RightMessage included lots of updates about the company in his 2024 review but several personal moments too. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-14-at-12.15.07---AM.png) Excerpt from Brennan Dunn's 2024 review ## Client success stories You had successes, but if you work with clients or sponsors, hopefully you generated some successes for them too. I loved how government tech consultancy [Compiler](https://compiler.la/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) opened their 2024 year in review by shouting out a bunch of their client wins. This is a sneaky good lead gen strategy if you're emailing your yearly recap to your list (where potential clients might read it.) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-13-at-11.06.46---PM.png) Including testimonials in a year end review could be a simple way to capture this for those of us who aren't working with clients. ## Biggest lessons Once you've asked yourself the many questions about how your year went, you'll (probably) have cemented what you've learned this year. Some entrepreneurs include lessons or takeaways in their review recap. Freelance writer Sam Lauron [made this the bulk of her review](https://roughdraftnewsletter.beehiiv.com/p/my-2024-year-in-review?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) last year, capturing lessons in a journal entry and pulling out a few themes. [![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-14-at-12.26.23---AM.png)](https://roughdraftnewsletter.beehiiv.com/p/my-2024-year-in-review?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Excerpt from Sam Lauron's 2024 review ## Future plans Almost everyone includes some wrap up about what will happen next for them but how far you go into the future seems to depend on whether you roll this review process into next year's planning. Writer Kaleigh Moore included [a simple takeaway on the future](https://www.kaleighmoore.com/blog/2024/1/8/2023-year-in-review?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) without much detail in her 2023 review but Anna Burgess Yang [wrote out specific goals](https://blog.annabyang.com/freelancing-recap-2024/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for the following year like launching a course and increasing income from subscriptions and digital products. I personally like to separate these activities, but if I don't go into the new year with concrete, measurable goals that I can turn into projects, I'd be a goddamned mess. ## Is your review for you or for someone else? A whole lot of us publish these reviews publicly. I paywall mine and think you probably should too, but either way, it begs the question—what changes when we write our year in review for a public audience? Who your audience is determines what you include in your review process. For some of us, that pressure might make us more rigorous. For others, it might make us less honest. You can always do one version of the review for yourself and another for your public audience, but in my experience, that audience judgement is always in the back of your mind. I will be publishing my 2025 year in review and my 2026 plan here on the blog for paid subscribers this month. We'll see how openly vulnerable I decide to be. **Are you doing a review? What are you including in yours?** ## Templates and workshops for your year end review I found lots of useful templates and live sessions while researching year end formats. Here's a few of them: - Matthew Fenton's [Freelance Strategic Plan](https://winningsolo.com/freelance-strategic-plan/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - Anna Burgess Yang's [Quarterly Review Checklist](https://pages.annabyang.com/quarterly?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - Kari Ginsburg's [End of Year Reflection Session on December 18](https://hello.uproarcoaching.com/public/appointment-scheduler/68def03a16bad4a79224be52/schedule?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - Jennifer O'Sullivan's [New Year Edition Spark Sessions](https://www.sati.yoga/ifs-coaching/ifs-sparksessions%5FEOY.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (1:1 sessions) - Rachel Cook's [Plan Your Best Year Ever](https://theceocollective.com/resources?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - Kat Schmoyer's [32 Question End of Year Worksheet](https://katschmoyer.com/eoy-gift?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - Chelsea Quint's [Deep 3 Day Virtual Business Retreat](https://chelseaquint.thrivecart.com/deep-2025?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (over for this year but follow for future ones) ## Example year in reviews - [Hanna Raskin's 2025 Annual Report](https://thefoodsection.com/tfs-releases-its-2025-annual-report/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Seamus Hughes 4th year report](https://www.courtwatch.news/p/help-us-turn-four?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Max Read's 4th year report](https://maxread.substack.com/p/four-years-of-read-max-on-substack) - [Brent Galloway's 2024 review](https://www.brentgalloway.me/blog/2024-review?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Sam Lauron's 2024 review](https://roughdraftnewsletter.beehiiv.com/p/my-2024-year-in-review?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Sarah Jutras's 2024 review](https://freelanceforlife.substack.com/p/2024-year-in-review) - [Dan Mall's 2024 review](https://danmall.com/posts/2024-year-in-review/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Jay Clouse's 2024 review](https://creatorscience.com/year-in-review-2024/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Anna Burgess Yang's 2024 review](https://blog.annabyang.com/freelancing-recap-2024/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Kaleigh Moore's 2023 review](http://kaleighmoore.com/blog/2024/1/8/2023-year-in-review?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### The dirtbag's guide to the best holiday gifts for clients URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-dirtbags-guide-to-the-best-holiday-gifts-for-clients/ Last updated: 2025-12-14T21:45:10.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- Somewhere in my parents' basement is a box of client gifts that I never sent out. I started buying holiday gifts for my clients a few years ago. I may have gone a little overboard getting custom packaging, custom gifts and custom printed cards—hence the basement situation—but I was honestly just so happy to have clients that I wanted to do something nice for them. I've been on and off with client gifts since then. Some years, I get wrapped up in the pageantry of it and spend way too much money. Other years, I forget until it's too late. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/C1A100A3-A08C-413C-AF50-7D61B661C6E8.JPG) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/IMG_9208.jpg) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/IMG_2560.JPG) Some of my past client and member gifts You might think clients won't care about your silly, little gifts, but people mention my gifts years later. They make an impact and they remind people that you appreciate their business. My longtime go-to for client gifts ([Knack gift boxes](https://www.instagram.com/knackshops/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)) was acquired by [Thoughtfully](https://www.thoughtfully.com/collections/knack-gift-sets?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) last year. So I turned to Reddit, Threads and the depths of Google to dig up some new options. If you are last minute shopping for your clients like me, here's a few potential finds. *Note: I'm not an affiliate for any of these products or shops, nor have I used most of them. I noted services I've used or products I've ordered before below.* ## Scrappy gifts [Just send a card](https://www.postable.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($5 a card) I'm a huge Postable fan, especially now that I'm not physically in the United States, and I've ordered most of my custom cards there over the years. Sending a thoughtful card goes a long way! [Paperless Post](https://www.paperlesspost.com/cards/section/online-cards?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($0-12) Don't have someone's address or don't want to send a real card? Paperless Post makes the nicest e-cards I've seen. You can send them for free or you can buy a pack of coins for premium style choices ($12 is the cheapest but you're only spending $0.50-1.00 per card). They do a nice job with the design options and the card opening animation. [Thnks.com](https://go.thnks.com/holiday-gifting?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($5-60) Business strategist Danielle Levy turned me onto Thnks when she sent me a $5 coffee gift card after a meeting we had. Thnks does digital gift cards for nearly anywhere in the world and they also have gift baskets and physical gifts. I use them a lot when I don't know someone's shipping address or when I just want to send a quick appreciation gift. My favorites are the "Thnks a Latte" (coffee at a chain of their choice) and "A Night at the Movies" (2 tickets to a movie chain). [Libro.fm credits](https://www.libro.fm/gift?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($27 for 2 credits) Libro.fm is an audio bookstore. One year for the anniversary of my membership, I bulk purchased 1 credit for every member so they could listen to the audio book of their choice and I made a few recommendations related to our membership. [Books](https://bookshop.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($15-30 a book) Books are a simple gift, but they are usually appreciated, especially if there's a tie in to the work you do with your clients. [Wildflower packets](https://www.etsy.com/listing/1895307125/personalized-business-logo-seed?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($27 for 12 packets) These are popular for weddings but they work for business too. You can put your logo or a fun saying on them. You can easily send them in the mail and they're whimsical without being bulky or wasteful. Clients can toss them in their backyard or on an abandoned piece of land to grow a patch of wildflowers. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-11-at-10.19.48---PM.png) A Night at the Movies from Thnks.com ## Edible gifts [Personalized M&Ms](https://www.mms.com/en-us/personalized-mms/personalized-c.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($30) My parents bought me these for Valentine's day one year and they put pictures of our faces on them. It was extremely cute. I don't know if that approach would have the same effect on your clients, but you could upload their logo (or yours) and choose the color of the M&Ms like they're a rockstar. [Cheryl's cookies](https://www.cheryls.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($30-75) I had to add these to the list because my Aunt Jenny passed away this year and these were one of her favorite holiday gifts to send. Cheryl's makes a soft sugar cookie with frosting like you get at the grocery store but here it is GOUR-MET. You can freeze them and they last forever. **Local food from your city** ($50-100) My dad used to get a [Texas pecan pie](https://shop.goodecompany.com/collections/all-pies?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) from his boss every year and my uncle once sent us a [key lime gift basket](https://www.kermitskeylime.com/gifts/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) when he was vacationing in the keys. [Garrett Popcorn](https://www.garrettpopcorn.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is a staple in my family, and if no one sends a giant bucket of popcorn as a gift, my parents order one for themselves. You can also contact local restaurants or bakeshops to see if they'll make and ship a bulk order for you. [Goldbelly gift certificates](https://www.goldbelly.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($10 and up) Goldbelly offers packaged food from your favorite local restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops. You can get bagels from New York, crawfish from Louisiana or cupcakes from LA. The food is perishable so a gift card is your best bet if you're not shipping to a home address. And the Goldbelly website is a delight which is why it's one of my favorite gift cards to give. [![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-11-at-10.45.39---PM.png)](https://www.goldbelly.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Snapshot from the Goldbelly website ## Custom gifts [Custom logo socks](https://custom.sockclub.com/products/custom-cotton-crew-socks?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($7 a pair with a 30 pair min order) The team at Gusto was famous for giving employees and guests custom [Gusto](https://gusto.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) socks and I'm pretty sure they used Sock Club to make them. I still have a couple pairs in storage. They're nice because they're one size fits most and you have a lot of room to play with the design. Also, who can't use more socks? [Custom Yeti](https://www.yeti.com/customize?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($25-100 with no minimum order) God bless Yeti for letting us do custom mugs and tumblers with no minimum order. I've sent a couple of these to friends and they turn out really nice. I like the [16oz travel mug](https://www.yeti.com/drinkware/tumblers/21071502957.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and you can add custom text to the front and back. [Custom hats](https://www.etsy.com/listing/1266297648/custom-embroidered-hat-personalized-dad?ref=yr%5Fpurchases) ($15-25 a hat) One year I ordered custom hats with my logo on it—black thread on black fabric. You can probably find these for cheaper (I'm linking to the shop I purchased from) but my clients dug these. Especially if your logo is nice (mine was just the word "Super Easy" in cursive) and if you make it subtle, it could be a hit. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-11-at-11.37.12---PM.png) My custom Yeti and the custom Super Easy hat ## Small business gifts [Socurious joy gifts](https://shop.socurious.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($5-50) LaShonda Brown turned me onto Justin Shiels, who has a pretty robust online store with mugs, card decks, and something called the [Anonymous Joy Mail Club](https://shop.socurious.co/products/joy-mail?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). These are great gifts for coaching clients or clients you have more personal relationships with. [Spectrum glass](https://spectrumglass.shop/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($38-102) It might seem weird to buy clients glassware (and maybe it is?) but when I was in college, one of my sorority sisters used to show up with a gift wrapped fancy martini glass for your birthday and I always thought it was a really cool gift. Spectrum's glassware is absolutely stunning and they hail from my hometown of Atlanta. [The Wax Cauldron](https://thewaxcauldron.company.site/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($10-30) This shop is super fun and they have "tea potions," simmer pot packets, room sprays and more. For your most inventive and delightful clients. [Little Blue Cart](https://littlebluecart.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Shop Latte](https://shoplatte.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Little Blue Cart and Shop Latte are directories of small e-commerce businesses. You can shop by region, owner identity, and product type. [![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-11-at-11.36.25---PM.png)](https://spectrumglass.shop/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Some of the designs from Spectrum glass ## Fancy gifts [Blankets from Chappywrap](https://chappywrap.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($160) These are fancy blankets for fancy people but this company has a [charming origin story](https://chappywrap.com/pages/founders-story?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and they'd make a nice gift if this is in your budget. [Portable speaker from Ultimate Ears](https://www.ultimateears.com/en-us/shop/p/wonderboom-4?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($70) I stole this one from Wirecutter because I don't think you can go wrong with a portable speaker. They get lost or trashed all the time and they make great gifts. [Wine escape room from Uncommon Goods](https://www.uncommongoods.com/product/unlock-the-wine-escape-room-game?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($40) + [Wine](https://www.uncorked.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($15-100+) Gifting wine in the mail is not that exciting unless you're really good at picking wine and your client appreciates wine, but the wine escape room is pretty hilarious and memorable. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-11-at-11.38.19---PM.png) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/59192_2_640px.webp) A Chappywrap blanket (left) and the wine escape room (right) ## Gift baskets I fondly remember snacking on office holiday gift baskets from our vendors when I had a corporate job so I don't think you can go wrong with a gift basket if it's in your budget. Here's a few options I found in my search: - [Goody](https://www.ongoody.com/browse/category/client-gifts?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($15-100) Almost anything you could want in a gift basket and you don't need to know your client's address to sent it. International shipping. - [Greetabl](https://greetabl.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($35-100) Customize a gift box with food, mugs, gift cards and more. Delivery to the US only. - [Hazelton's](https://www.hazeltons.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($65-170) Food, wine, plants, coffee and cookies. Delivery to the US and Canada. - [Teak & Twine](https://www.teakandtwine.com/ready-to-ship?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($46-118) Inventory's looking a little sparse but worth bookmarking for later. International shipping. - [Olive & Cocoa](https://www.oliveandcocoa.com/category/business-gifting?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($58-200) Perfect if you want a big batch of treats. Delivery to the US only. - [Thoughtfully](https://www.thoughtfully.com/collections/knack-gift-sets?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($25-50) These are the people who bought my beloved Knack. They still have a few of the classic gift boxes with teas, journals, candles and mugs. Delivery to the US only. - [M&S](https://www.marksandspencer.com/l/gifts/food-and-drink-gifts/hampers?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ($35-350) Wine, fruit and cheeseboards. Delivery to the UK. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-11-at-11.39.33---PM.png) Holiday gift baskets from Olive & Cocoa ## Should you even buy your clients gifts? It's hard to measure the ROI of giving clients gifts but it is a fun way to remind people you exist or to thank them for hiring you. Most of us can at least manage to send a card ([Postable](https://www.postable.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) makes it so easy. You don't even have to write. They'll do it for you!) but for clients who are paying you $20k or more a year, a little gift basket could not hurt when it comes time for renewing your contract. The best gifts take into account your recipient and your relationship so it's less about how much you spend and more about the thought you put into what you send. Happy holiday shopping dirtbags! ### What US-based entrepreneurs are doing for healthcare in 2026 besides just paying more money URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-us-based-entrepreneurs-are-doing-for-healthcare-in-2026-besides-just-paying-more-money/ Last updated: 2026-02-09T13:26:18.000Z *Correction: We added* [*HealthSherpa*](https://www.healthsherpa.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *to the section about public health insurance because we heard from a community member that it was showing more plans than their public exchange (December 10, 2025)* --- We still don’t know [what’s happening with healthcare subsidies](https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5627171-klobuchar-predicts-aca-senate-vote/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in the United States, but entrepreneurs are on edge about what 2026 means for healthcare costs. Many of us have relied on public healthcare exchanges and Affordable Care Act subsidies (which lower plan costs) ever since the Obama administration. If the ACA subsidies expire at the end of this year, public marketplace premiums will likely become unaffordable for some self-employed folks. While we’ve heard about panic-inducing price hikes, we’ve also noticed entrepreneurs and freelancers trading recommendations on social media that go beyond typical health insurance. Maybe you don’t have to take out a second mortgage just yet. You could consider an alternative plan, which might involve paying doctors directly or getting insurance through an association you belong to. Jill James, who runs a strategy and operations consultancy, put together [a comprehensive guide to your health insurance options](https://thejilljames.com/2026-health-insurance-guide-for-self-employed-small-business-owners/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) that covers a lot of the nuances of insurance, but we wanted to highlight a variety of specific solutions we heard entrepreneurs recommending. *This was not written by medical professionals and is not medical advice. We did our best to vet these options for you but you should talk to your own care providers and do your own research in addition to what we present here.* ## **Private health insurance** If you’ve been on the public exchange for a while, it might be time to work with a healthcare broker and find a private plan that better suits your needs. [Dr. Noor Ali](https://drnoorhealth.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), a doctor turned healthcare expert who advises small business owners, says private plans can be more affordable than public plans, especially if you do something called [individual underwriting](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/medical-underwriting.asp?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). “Depending on your lifestyle, if you're generally healthy, do an individual underwritten plan assessed on your individual risk, and that can save 30 to 50% on premiums,” Dr. Noor said. The application process involves 15-20 questions about your health so insurance carriers can figure out how much you’re going to utilize your plan. Dr. Noor gave the example of the difference in cost for a person with asthma who has a flare up every once in a while versus someone with asthma who smokes and is in the ER every month. She also emphasized how it’s important to revisit what’s available in the market every year taking into account your changing needs, like having a baby or getting diagnosed with a chronic illness. You can buy private health insurance on your own by googling “health insurance” + your state, but working with a broker can give you faster direction on the right plan for you and your family. ## **Talk to your marketplace** State marketplaces like [Covered California](https://www.coveredca.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) employ brokers to help you sign up and get coverage. Jill James, who has been helping entrepreneurs with health insurance, [recommended on Threads](https://www.threads.com/@thejilljames/post/DRFcSycD5Og?xmt=AQF0yFBqFSO83jZ-1LZ4-bbLP%5FBjAMT2fItPGfMEBalzUQ&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), “Pick up the phone to ask \[brokers\] for help…If they can qualify you for any state programs or subsidies, they will.” Healthcare plans on public marketplaces meet certain legal requirements for standards of care which other alternatives may be missing. The first step to seeing if you qualify for federal- or state-subsidized health insurance is to check on [Healthcare.gov](https://www.healthcare.gov/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or your state’s marketplace. We also got a tip from a community member that [Health Sherpa](https://www.healthsherpa.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) might be friendlier to use and show more plan options. Check your specific state health plan to find out if and when coverage will change. For example, in Massachusetts changes to [MassHealth](https://www.mass.gov/topics/masshealth?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (Medicaid) will take effect starting in Fall 2026 or 2027 (not this January, giving a few more months to figure things out). Massachusetts [ConnectorCare](https://www.mahealthconnector.org/learn/plan-information/connectorcare-plans?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) subsidized plans will go up in price next year. Be sure to look for official info about your particular plan, as changes vary widely. ## **HSA + Catastrophic plan** We put an ask out about health insurance alternatives through [Source of Sources](https://www.sourceofsources.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), a platform for journalists to connect with sources, and every single entrepreneur who responded said they were doing a health savings account (HSA) combined with a catastrophic health insurance plan. Having an HSA [requires you to also enroll](https://www.healthcare.gov/high-deductible-health-plan/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in an eligible health insurance plan so these entrepreneurs were choosing the lowest premium, high deductible plans. In most cases, they were also including a concierge medical plan for preventative care (which we get into below). All of these entrepreneurs had employees and mentioned that this route saved them 25-30% on their healthcare benefits overhead, even if they contributed to their employees’ HSAs too. Dr. Noor does not recommend this route for solopreneurs or teams smaller than five people. She told us, “High deductible plans aren’t giving you any benefits until you're coming out of pocket $10,000 or whatever your high deductible is. You can only get an HSA if you have a high deductible—a.k.a. shitty plan. You’ve just ensured three separate times that your insurance company’s not paying your medical bills, you are, because you’re paying premiums, you have a high deductible and you’re contributing to your HSA.” Instead, she said you’re better off getting an individual plan, private or public, tailored to your needs. ## **Association Health Plans and group insurance** Solopreneurs or small teams may find [Association Health Plans](https://www.associationhealthplans.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and group insurance plans to be more affordable with better benefits than public and private health insurance. An increasing number of organizations are providing alternatives for entrepreneurs including coverage for family and employees. [Solo Health Collective](https://hbgsolo.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) offers a PPO insurance plan to solo business owners who are self-employed with no employees. In-network services are covered 100% after the deductible, including a wide variety of healthcare including mental health coverage, but with exceptions including autism and gender transition. [Freelancers Union](https://freelancersunion.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), a non-profit organization supporting independent workers, partners with Solo Health Collective to provide health insurance in all 50 states. For small business owners with employees, newer Association Health Plans may help meet the need for coverage. Hollie Miller, Founder and CEO of [Guilds with Benefits](https://guildswb.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), currently setting up a new Association Health Plan for solo and small business owners in Oregon, wrote to us in an email, “We are building this plan in such a way that it would be able to cover a small business owner, their family, and their employees and their families.” However, Guilds with Benefits is waiting for the State to “determine whether they will allow that or not,” Miller said. Their Association Health Plan will operate similar to group insurance plans, including in-network and out-of-network coverage. Chambers of Commerce sometimes offer health plans for entrepreneurs, so it’s worth checking your options locally. The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut [offers their members a Cigna plan](https://chamberect.com/chamber-member-health-insurance/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce offers [ChamberHealth](https://www.mnchamber.com/chamberhealth?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), a collection of health care plan options for small- and mid-size employers. Some of these plans are available for solopreneurs, and others require at least two employees. ## **Cost sharing** Some self-employed folks recommend medical cost sharing plans, which are generally less expensive per month than health insurance, but come with far greater risks. Anecdotal stories seem to vary widely about the effectiveness of health cost sharing: some people report being promptly reimbursed for their medical bills and other people report being denied for expenses that seem like they should be eligible under the guidelines. John Oliver, [covering Health Care Sharing Ministries on *Last Week Tonight*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFetFqrVBNc&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), comments that these organizations “don’t have to abide by laws governing insurance products, meaning there is nothing stopping them from placing restrictions on coverage for pre-existing conditions.” With any cost sharing plan, carefully check who and what is eligible for coverage. These plans are not health insurance and do not fall under the same requirements. Common limitations can include chronic conditions, reproductive healthcare and contraception, tobacco use, hormone therapy, mental health, ADHD and autism, and more. Some religious organizations offer cost sharing plans, some of which require an affidavit of faith and do not cover certain expenses on a religious basis, for example, a pregnant woman who was unmarried at the time of conception may not receive any help with delivery costs. Nonreligious or less-religious cost sharing plans include [CrowdHealth](https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Zion HealthShare](https://zionhealthshare.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Sedera](https://sedera.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), many of which have very mixed reviews It’s important to understand you are responsible for your own medical bills when using cost sharing. [KnewHealth](https://www.knewhealth.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), offering a medical cost sharing membership, states on their website home page, “There’s no legal guarantee of payment, but we maintain a strong track record of sharing eligible bills.” If you’re willing to take on that level of risk, KnewHealth, with its 4.7/5 trust score on TrustPilot, is an option some freelancers recommend. We are not entirely sure what to think about these cost sharing plans, especially the ones that have been involved in lawsuits, so proceed with caution. ## **Private-practice subscriptions** Doctors now offer monthly or annual memberships for preventative care where you pay them predictable fees with no insurance middlemen. This is called [concierge medicine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concierge%5Fmedicine?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) at the high end and [direct primary care](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct%5Fprimary%5Fcare?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) at the low end and it’s been popularized by companies like [One Medical](https://www.onemedical.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (now part of Amazon). Lex used to go to [a practice in Atlanta](https://hucfm.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) that has one time pricing for visits and also offers a subscription through [the Pear’d network](https://getpeard.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) if you wanted to even out your medical costs. It includes things like your annual physical and lab work, an annual OB/GYN exam, and unlimited urgent care visits. You can search “concierge medicine” or “direct primary care” + your city or state to find practices that offer this. You can even find concierge medicine in dentistry. We heard from a new dental practice in El Paso, Texas called [Prickly Pear Dental Care](https://www.pricklypeardentalcare.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) that they’re seeing more patient demand for options that don’t involve insurance. “While dental insurance premiums haven't been increasing as dramatically as health insurance premiums, prices have been climbing in sneakier ways such as higher deductibles, making dental insurance less appealing to some patients,” said Dr. Flores, who owns the practice. Dr. Flores is [offering memberships](https://www.pricklypeardentalcare.com/membership-plan?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for $299/yr per adult patient, $249/yr per additional adult household member, and $199/yr per child under age 14 that include everything you’d need throughout the year, including one emergency exam. She mentioned that at least five other dentists in El Paso have membership plans indicating it’s maybe not as hard to find these as you’d think. For bigger dental expenses, Dr. Flores said to ask about in-house financing or look at third party financing like [CareCredit](https://www.carecredit.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Sunbit](https://sunbit.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or [Cherry](https://withcherry.com/consumers?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which are kind of like [Klarna](https://www.klarna.com/us/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) but for healthcare. If you have employees that you’re covering with healthcare, you can also negotiate a discount for buying a concierge medical plan in bulk. Delbert Lee, who founded [Wynbert Soapmasters](https://wynbert.com.ph/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), told us he managed to get this subscription cost down to $80/month per employee for his first 5-10 hires. ## **Medical tourism** Traveling to another country to receive medical care can be cost effective for expensive or multiple procedures, but it's not a good replacement for having an insurance plan for preventative or emergency care. Dental care is the most common form of medical tourism among US residents, [according to the CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/hcp/health-care-abroad/medical-tourism.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), followed by cosmetic surgery, accessing cancer treatments, reproductive services, and rehab programs. Mexico is the most common medical destination for people coming from the US. Especially if you have a healthcare plan with a high deductible (or no health insurance) it may be less expensive for large or planned procedures to travel to another country, even including airfare and lodging. For example, a friend of Rey’s traveled to Istanbul for multiple crowns, and the care plus the cost of the trip combined was less expensive than seeing a dentist in Iceland, where she lives. Medical tourism can be risky because of infection and other complications, including the dangers of air travel soon after surgery. If you do have access to a primary care physician in the US before leaving, they may be able to help reduce the risks by prescribing vaccinations or medications. You can also see a physician after returning, if you have any concerns. If you’re considering medical tourism, we recommend checking out online reviews for the clinic. Find somewhere that is reputable, licensed and has many success stories. ## **Ways to reduce your healthcare costs** Even with health insurance or an alternative plan, accessing care can still be really expensive. It may be worth it to search for local resources, low-cost clinics, and online care to reduce your costs. [GoodRX](https://www.goodrx.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) finds and provides coupons for prescription medications. You can search for your medication on their website and find coupons and compare prices between pharmacies. GoodRx [self-reports that their users saved an average of 82%](https://www.goodrx.com/corporate/business/the-goodrx-effect-how-goodrx-is-changing-the-economics-of-healthcare?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) on retail prices for prescription medications in 2023\. Whether or not you have insurance, this may be a way to save on medication costs. Many [dental schools](https://www.asdanet.org/index/get-into-dental-school/predental-resources/u-s-dental-schools?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) offer free or low cost services from cleanings to fillings to root canals, regardless of your insurance status. The tradeoff is that you will likely spend more time getting work done than at a regular dentist. They may bring in multiple dental students to examine and work on your mouth. The quality of the work is likely to be high and carefully supervised by an expert, but if you don’t have the patience to sit through dental teaching, this may not be for you. Eye exams and glasses are not covered by many insurance plans. An in-person eye exam can be important, but you can purchase glasses for much less online (for example, from [Zenni Optical](https://www.zennioptical.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)). [Planned Parenthood](https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-southern-new-england/patient-resources/pricing-and-payment?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which offers a variety of services including pregnancy care, vaccines, hormones, and contraception, offers sliding-scale pricing for low income households. Many health care plans do not cover therapy. A service to help match you with a therapist at a negotiated rate for sessions is one way to reduce costs. [Reflect offers therapy in 20 states](https://joinreflect.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), starting at $145/session or $110 sliding scale. [Revive Health Therapy](https://revivehealththerapy.com/creatorcare/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is launching discounted mental health support for digital creators in California, as mentioned recently in [Creator Spotlight, alongside other mental health resources.](https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/creator-burnout?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) If you require gender-affirming health care, check out this [deep dive into options](https://www.amplifyrespect.com/affordable-accessible-health-care-for-trans-people-in-2026/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for self-employed trans folks from Rey Katz at *Amplify Respect*. ## **We may work solo, but healthcare is solved together** It can be scary and time-consuming to navigate changing healthcare plans for 2026\. But you’re not alone. Many freelancers and self-employed folks are looking for a plan that works for their budget and talking openly about how they’re solving this for themselves and their families. We’ve shared these specific options recommended by entrepreneurs to jump start your search and let you know what’s out there. As federal and state requirements shift, organizations are developing new options for entrepreneurs. With the advent of Association Health Plans and organizations like Solo Health Collective, there’s already a much wider range of options than ever before. We’re not saying it’s easy to get coverage, but we are hopeful about some of the solutions coming online and we’d encourage you to take an active role in shaping what you want to see in the market. So much of what’s out there now exists only because people were unhappy with their choices and they wanted something better. Taking care of your health is such an important part of succeeding as a self-employed founder, and we hope that you find a plan that works for you. **Are you an entrepreneur who’s found a health insurance plan or alternative that you would recommend? Let us know in the comments.** ### Why isn't my welcome flow converting?! Free event with Outpost URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/events/why-isnt-my-welcome-flow-converting-free-event-with-outpost/ Last updated: 2026-08-31T02:31:45.000Z **In partnership with** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get your welcome flow converting with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/08/outpostlogo-1.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- Your welcome flow should greet free newsletter subscribers and convince them to become paid subscribers. But we've heard doubts from publishers who can't get that conversion path going. Do welcome flows really work? Why isn't mine working!? ​That's what we're here to debunk for you. In this session, we will unpack what makes a welcome flow successful, we'll show you how to read Outpost's welcome flow metrics and we'll give you examples from publishers who see strong conversions. ​Before you join us, [start a free trial with Outpost](https://admin.outpost.pub/signup?utm%5Fsource=luma#/) so you can follow along in our session. ​This session will be recorded and a recap will be shared with all registrants. ## ​​How we'll use our time - ​**The factors** that make a welcome flow convert paid subscribers and members - ​**Examples** from publishers whose welcome flow converts paid subscribers - ​**How to set up** your welcome flow in Outpost - ​**How to read** your welcome flow metrics - ​**Q&A about Welcome Flows** or other questions about Outpost ## ​​Who should attend this session - ​Publishers thinking of switching to Ghost - ​Ghost publishers new to Outpost - ​Ghost publishers already using Outpost ### I just launched a new group program. Here's exactly how it went. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-just-launched-a-new-group-program-heres-exactly-how-it-went/ Last updated: 2025-11-30T01:06:39.000Z While there may not be any secret magic formulas for making your marketing more effective or growing your business, there is one practice that comes pretty darn close: Regularly reviewing your analytics, measuring against your goals and adjusting your approach accordingly. At [Slow & Steady](https://www.slowandsteady.studio/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), I support solo, creative small businesses with growth marketing strategy. I sell primarily through email marketing campaigns and make it a practice to review (and publish!) the results after every launch to understand what worked, where the gaps were and how to improve next time. This past fall, I launched the first cohort of the [Slow & Steady Decelerator program](https://www.slowandsteady.studio/decelerator?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) over five weeks. My goal was 10-15 registrations for the founding/beta cohort. Here is everything I did, how it all went down and what I’m doing differently next time. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Why entrepreneurial journalism is the next era of content creation (and why it makes sense for entrepreneurs) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-entrepreneurial-journalism-is-the-next-era-of-content-creation-and-why-it-makes-sense-for-entrepreneurs/ Last updated: 2025-11-16T03:05:19.000Z Brands are no longer just businesses — they’re cultural media properties that shape taste, conversation, and identity through the content they create. Which means brands (and entrepreneurs) become the next tastemakers, influencing culture. And media is the tool that bridges the trust gap between creators and consumers, creating a credible body of work that positions them as authorities. I was first introduced to the concept of “entrepreneurial journalism” in college. In fact, I took an entire class on it. It’s still being offered today, and my alma mater’s course catalog describes the class as “the concepts and practices of developing media content solutions for the digital age.” And it is the [future of storytelling, brand building, and digital media](https://www.tiktok.com/@alexacphillips/video/7551099794605739294?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ## What is entrepreneurial journalism? I interpret entrepreneurial journalism as [knowledge-driven, creator-led storytelling](https://www.cultureslantmedia.com/p/the-next-era-of-influencers-is-here-the-smartfluencer?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) that reaches and engages audiences directly. It’s content creation that blends reporting, education, and cultural interpretation to create long-form content platforms and independent media companies. With entrepreneurial journalism, the content is the product—you own and control the platform and narrative. The idea with entrepreneurial journalism is to build an owned audience, not a rented one, so you’re building long-form-first content (a newsletter, podcast, YouTube show, or blog), using short-form content to supplement or distribute your main content channel. This type of media has existed for quite some time, but now that we are at the height of the creator economy, it’s become more prevalent due to a number of factors: - **Trust in traditional media is now.** According to a new Gallup poll, trust in traditional media is at an all-time low of [28%](https://news.gallup.com/poll/695762/trust-media-new-low.aspx?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), with audiences turning to creators and independent journalists for news and perspectives. - **Layoffs.** More outlets are consolidating or closing their doors altogether. Nearly [10,000 journalists have been laid off in the last three years](https://niemanreports.org/resources-layoffs-laid-off-journalists/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), and more are leaving traditional outlets to go independent (Taylor Lorenz, Derek Thompson, etc.). - **Creator economy boom.** Creator economy is projected to [surpass $480 billion by 2027](https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/the-creator-economy-could-approach-half-a-trillion-dollars-by-2027?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), with large enterprises [investing an average of $5.6M-$8.1M annually](https://www.portada-online.com/latest-news/average-annual-influencer-marketing-budgets-grew-171-yoy-creator-marketing-enters-the-era-of-efficacy/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). And for good reason: [61% of consumers trust creator recommendations](https://sproutsocial.com/insights/data/impact-of-social-media-marketing/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) more than traditional brand ads. - **Privatized content channels.** Changes in AI and SEO are driving an increase in [private content channels](https://www.instagram.com/p/DGwQqtgyIsf/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (newsletters, podcasts, membership communities) that deliver higher-quality content than what you can find on Google. - **Shift toward knowledge-driven content.** Content is shifting toward education rather than lifestyle-focused content, with creators sharing their expertise with audiences. What this does is present an opportunity to merge journalistic rigor with creator economy agility to deliver knowledge-driven storytelling that engages, innovates, and remains relevant through independently run media platforms and content ecosystems, creating a new legion of trusted, credible media sources to fill the gap left by brands and media outlets. Including entrepreneurs. > "It’s not opinion, but rather informed critique and commentary that comes from a place of experience and interpretation backed up by data and facts." ## Why entrepreneurial journalism makes sense for entrepreneurs As an entrepreneur, you’re already an expert in your field. So why not turn it into something more to help you build authority? Entrepreneurial journalism gives you that. When you build an [editorial media platform](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/should-you-become-a-media-entrepreneur/), you: - **Position yourself for other career opportunities.** Whether it’s speaking, teaching, or writing, a media platform helps you create a body of work that allows you to get paid for your perspective. - **Diversify your revenue.** Monetize your media platform through brand partnerships, ads, subscriptions, and more. - **Build trust, authority, and credibility in your industry.** Media helps you become a thought leader and the go-to expert on that topic. - **Move beyond offers and become known for your ideas.** A media platform lets you explore broader cultural ideas and trends related to what you sell, allowing you to own a topic and perspective. - **Build a brand, not a business.** Media helps take you from just being in business to serve clients to starting a movement that inspires, educates, and captivates others. I started doing this last year with my own media platform, [Culture Slant](https://www.cultureslantmedia.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which began as a newsletter and is now expanding into a media company. For context, I do content/editorial consulting, but my platform specifically focuses on how media is shaping culture. Rather than just talking about “how to create a content strategy,” I talk about: - What [streaming media](https://www.cultureslantmedia.com/p/what-netflix-s-new-streaming-report-reveals-about-how-we-view-culture-and-identity-through-media?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) reveals about how we view identity and culture - Why we need to add more [friction](https://www.cultureslantmedia.com/p/the-case-for-slowing-down?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - How *F1 The Movie* was a [masterclass in content marketing](https://www.cultureslantmedia.com/p/f1-the-movie-is-a-masterclass-in-content-marketing-from-apple?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for Apple These topics allow me to follow my curiosity while also tying them back to a larger idea around what I sell. [![The homepage of Culture Slant Media, the author's media site](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-15-at-9.34.51---PM.png)](https://www.cultureslantmedia.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) The homepage of Culture Slant Media, the author's media site ## How to start an entrepreneurial journalism platform There are five components you need to start building an entrepreneurial journalistic endeavor: ### Narrative Narrative is the most important component of building a media platform. This is the idea that you own and the story that you’re telling. Not to mention, the backbone of your content. It’s the bigger idea behind what you sell, a topic that speaks to your expertise. It’s also the perspective that you bring. Generic takes from Google or ChatGPT don’t cut it here. It needs to be unique, nuanced, and speak to your experience—the more specific and honed in, the better. But also make it something you’re genuinely curious and passionate about in your area of expertise, because it will make it so much easier to create consistently. ### Strategy You can’t create content without a plan. To create a successful platform, there needs to be a strategy behind it, including: - The goals you want to get out of the platform—both for you and your audience - Your audience, including demographics, psychographics, and socialgraphics - Metrics you’re going to track to measure success This ensures that you’re making the content work for you in the way that you want it to. ### Storytelling Framework A framework I like to use is “REI,” which stands for “Reporting,” “Experience,” “Insight.” It creates more “op-ed” focused content that layers what happened (reporting) with education and expertise (experience) in the context of what it means and why it matters (insight). Think of it as: “Based on X and given my experience/expertise with Y, here’s what it means for Z.” It’s not opinion, but rather informed critique and commentary that comes from a place of experience and interpretation backed up by data and facts. ### Distribution and Amplification You can’t have media without people knowing where to find it. Depending on what you build, [some platforms](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/which-platform-should-i-use-for-my-newsletter-business/) have built-in distribution (like a newsletter). Other methods require you to layer on a method—whether it's social, email, or something else—to get the word out. Additionally, you can complement your distribution with amplification. Speaking on podcasts or contributing as a guest is a great way to amplify your message in your media (and, not to mention, get more subscribers/readers/listeners!). I host my newsletter on [beehiiv](https://www.beehiiv.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which emails your subscribers, and I also supplement it with short-form content on social media, such as Instagram and TikTok videos, as well as longer text posts on LinkedIn. [![Culture Slant's Instagram](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/11/Revenue-Rulebreaker-Guest-Post-Google-Docs-11-15-2025_09_38_PM.png)](https://www.instagram.com/cultureslantmedia?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Culture Slant's Instagram ### **Growth** Once you’re publishing consistently and have solid, high-quality content (this is important), you can explore growth and monetization options to make this a sustainable revenue channel. There are several options (and I know Lex has gone deeper on several of these): - Ad placements - [Partnerships/sponsorships](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/sponsorships/) - [Paid subscriptions](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/subscriptions/) - Crowdfunding - [Tip jar](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/whats-your-tip-jar-for/) - [Grants](https://www.grantsforcreators.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - Affiliate links - Collaborations with other creators - Swaps/guest features beehiiv has an extensive [Ad Network](https://www.beehiiv.com/ad-network?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (you have to be on a paid tier to access this feature), so I’ve been using that to monetize my newsletter. My next step is to start reaching out to brands to partner with or sponsor, whether it be the publication as a whole or individual content projects like a podcast or report. ## Build a body of work beyond what you sell Entrepreneurial journalism gives you a way to start building a body of work that positions you as a credible authority. This allows you to expand the influence of what you do beyond just what you sell. When you have a platform that shares larger ideas around what you sell, you can diversify your revenue, expand your career opportunities, and become a go-to expert in your space. --- *Want more? Alexa has a* [*free 60 minute training on entrepreneurial journalism*](https://brighteyescreative.myflodesk.com/entrepreneurial-journalism-workshop?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *and she's* [*launching the Byline Society soon*](https://brighteyescreative.myflodesk.com/byline-society-q1?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *to support more founders, brands and creators who want to embrace this shift into editorial-driven authority.* --- ## FAQs about entrepreneurial journalism **How can I separate this channel from what I’m already producing?** If you’re already producing content for your business, think about what channels are marketing channels and what can be authority-building channels. For example, if you’re using a tool like Flodesk for email marketing, you may already have a newsletter through that. This is a marketing newsletter that nurtures your audience to buy your offers. You can start a separate newsletter as an entrepreneurial journalism endeavor focused on sharing information, not selling. **How is this different from content marketing?** Content marketing sells what you do, not who you are. The purpose of content marketing is to move people down the marketing funnel to encourage them to purchase a product/service. Authority-building channels aren’t for sales; they are for thought leadership, focusing on ideas rather than selling products. **Do I need to be a journalist?** No! Journalism isn’t reporting the news; it’s telling a story, and you can do that as an entrepreneur with trends and topics in your industry. However, to be a credible source, you do need to learn journalistic best practices, such as researching, fact-checking, and vetting sources. ### Create a sponsorship report that pays for itself URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/create-a-sponsorship-report-that-pays-for-itself/ Last updated: 2025-11-18T18:54:50.000Z Campaign performance reports can help you keep your sponsorships running longer and paying better—here's how I do mine _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### What's next for newsletters: beehiiv wants to put you in control of your media brand URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-beehiivs-winter-release-signals-about-the-newsletter-business/ Last updated: 2025-11-13T18:33:52.000Z *I know some of you just wanna know what shipped. I put a list near the bottom of this post. You can also* [*go to beehiiv's release video*](https://www.youtube.com/live/DG-gAaazmls?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*.* --- Everyone told you to start a newsletter. But you're not *just* in the newsletter business. You don't have to be a creator or a media entrepreneur to feel the pain of having your content spread all across the internet. You're creating podcast interviews, videos, downloads, newsletters, blogs, talks, events and offers but it's not easy to turn it all into a coherent story and weave in ways to make money. beehiiv has a solution, or at least the start of a solution. Their [new Winter Release](https://www.beehiiv.com/winter-release-2025?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)—out today—marks a shift away from "you need a newsletter" to "you should control your media brand." [![beehiiv's new podcast and YouTube integration as shown on Creator Spotlight](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/11/Podcast-Creator-Spotlight-11-13-2025_11_01_AM.png)](https://www.creatorspotlight.com/podcast?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) beehiiv's new podcast and YouTube integration as shown on Creator Spotlight The "newsletter businesses" aren't *just* newsletters anymore, so beehiiv doesn't want to be *just* a newsletter tool either. Major updates added in this release include the ability to pull your newsletter, podcast, and YouTube videos together on your website—with custom designed pages—and comprehensive analytics that rival what a tool like [Fathom](https://usefathom.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or [Plausible](https://plausible.io/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) can provide. They also shipped a digital product shop where you can sell coaching calls, digital downloads, and access to links (like a Notion template). The key difference in beehiiv's execution from similar multi-channel efforts by Substack and Patreon is that beehiiv is leaning into integrations, rather than forcing you to bring everything into their platform. You don't have to move your podcast. They'll pull in your RSS feed. You don't have to upload the videos. They'll find them on your YouTube channel. beehiiv's tools are keeping your brand at the center, not theirs. They're also not touching your audience or your revenue. Where's this shift coming from? In the last three years, the beehiiv team has seen their customers' fast growing newsletter businesses mature into full blown multi-media companies. Projects like Quinn Emmett's [*Important Not Important*](https://www.importantnotimportant.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), Matt Brown's [*Extra Points*](https://www.extrapointsmb.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), Davon Moseley's [*Royale Eats*](https://royaleeats.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and every company [Matt McGarry](https://growletter.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) touches. Even creators like Colin and Samir from [*Press Publish*](https://news.thepublishpress.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), who started on a single channel (YouTube), but now have a newsletter, events, classes and a merch shop. While beehiiv is integrating more into their product, they're not closing you off from the rest of the internet. Quinn Emmett of [*Important Not Important*](https://www.importantnotimportant.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) told me one thing his team really appreciates about their collaboration with beehiiv is how much they've developed the API: *"We’re hitting \[the API\] tens of thousands of times a day from both sides, utilizing every part of the auth credentials, custom fields, segments, automations, and more, and beehiiv’s team have really made sure it works for us at every step of the way."* For those who don't code, beehiiv's Zapier integration makes a lot of their API available through a user interface. Go check out Patreon's integration for comparison because it is TRAGIC. That said, they are definitely making some tools obsolete for their customers. Most notably [Podpage](https://www.podpage.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which I'm a big fan of, is no longer needed if beehiiv can generate those episode pages on your site from your RSS feed. The new shop feature means you can finally ditch [Gumroad](https://gumroad.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for your digital downloads and simple coaching offers. And [Linktree](https://linktr.ee/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is fully replaceable with templates available in the web builder now. You also won't need an external analytics provider anymore. beehiiv already has the most detailed newsletter analytics I've seen with granular source tracking. Their new web analytics enable you to have a much richer sense of what's getting searched, read and listened to on your site and where those visitors are coming from. The easy to scan design will be familiar to Fathom and Plausible users. And whether you want that data to make your own decisions or you need to provide it to partners, you'll be glad you can finally abandon Google Analytics. Good riddance! ![beehiiv's new built-in website analytics](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/11/Untitled-design--98-.png) beehiiv's new built-in website analytics It's safe to say beehiiv's founders always had this integrated direction in mind for their platform. Tyler Denk, Benjamin Hargett, and Jacob Hurd famously all came from newsletter turned multimedia venture: [*Morning Brew*](https://www.morningbrew.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*,* which now includes podcasts, videos, events, a digital store and games. And they could still be a little early to it from what I've seen working with journalists and writers in the past two years, many of whom aren't ready to see themselves as business owners. The training wheels are off now and beehiiv is making it clear that if they have to choose between the "maybe I'll do a newsletter" crowd and the "I need more from your API" crowd, they're choosing the latter. It's time for indie media to get serious. So, who's this direction most interesting for? I see two types of entrepreneurs who will benefit. The first is obviously any media producer who is expanding beyond a newsletter to either include other channels or other revenue streams, like the ones I mentioned above and brands like [*Garbage Day*](https://www.garbageday.email/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [*Status*](https://www.status.news/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), already hosted on beehiiv. The second is online business owners who prioritize media as a marketing strategy. I'm thinking about an entrepreneur like [Laura Sinclair](https://www.laura-sinclair.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), who runs [*This Mother Means Business*](https://www.laura-sinclair.com/this-mother-means-business?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (a podcast and event series) alongside a boutique social media marketing agency and a coaching business. Or [Antonio Neves](https://www.theantonioneves.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), who makes his primary income from speaking but also has a robust newsletter brand [*Man Morning*](https://www.manmorning.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), featuring a paid membership and lots of digital downloads. Several of you told me this release announcement had you worried that you were going to have to move your newsletter elsewhere—as a former Squarespace web designer I know the feeling—but I don't think you're going to have problems, even if you don't want to use any of the new features. beehiiv still functions totally fine as a newsletter tool and the navigation is clean despite lots of fresh additions. The only people who lose out right now are people who were already overwhelmed by beehiiv. Whether you're building a media business or just using media as marketing, it's worth paying attention to where beehiiv takes their product suite. Their team is smart. They get the digital media business. They stay close to their customers. And they're continuing to build in a way that lets creators retain singular control of their work, their revenue and their audience. --- ## What's changed in beehiiv with the Winter Release [Watch the recording](https://www.youtube.com/live/DG-gAaazmls?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) of their product announcements ### **Website Builder** - **Automated podcast pages:** Show your podcast episodes on your website by pulling in your RSS feed - **Built-in website analytics:** Ditch Google Analytics because you can now get pageviews and sources straight from beehiiv in a view that looks a lot like Fathom or Plausible (which I think is a good thing) - **AI website builder:** You can chat with the computer to build components for your site and you can upload a reference photo and have beehiiv create the component - **Link in bio templates:** No more Linktrees. You can grab a template and load your links in for social media. The main bonus here is about analytics being connected to your site data. - **New website templates:** Including new component styles ### **Newsletter** **System** - **Dynamic content for your emails:** Only show a piece of content to a certain reader based on detailed parameters you control that go beyond "free" and "paid" - **New automation analytics:** Improved UI for email automations and richer data about how they're performing - **New email templates** ### **Revenue Streams** - **Digital product shop:** Offer digital downloads, paid access to a link (like a Notion or Airtable template) or virtual coaching calls (calendar built in!) - **More ad opportunities in the ad network** - **Ad network improvements to the UI for creators and for advertisers** so it's easier to run campaigns ### Your invitation to the Secret Santa Swap🎅🏻 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/your-invitation-to-the-secret-santa-swap/ Last updated: 2025-12-07T02:21:10.000Z *How do I get this thing in front of more people???* That's the question many of us are asking. Whether it's your podcast. Your website. Your events. Your newsletter. Or just your name. Audience growth is A PROJECT and it's not one most of us are excited about. There's a million ways to grow your audience, but one of the most fun ways to do it is to team up with other people and spread the word about each other. But where do you find those awesome people to promote with? [The Legends Network](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/), of course! Today, we are kicking off the Secret Santa Swap: a light and breezy cross-promotion opportunity for Legends who want to grow together. [![Secret santa swap flyer](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/11/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails--70--1.png)](https://lexroman.fillout.com/secretsanta?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## Here's how the swap works: _This post is for subscribers on the Legend Status, Legends Lifetime and Legends Partner Status tiers only._ ### The unbearable pressure to make every single thing you do so damn special URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-unbearable-pressure-to-make-every-single-thing-you-do-so-damn-special/ Last updated: 2025-10-19T01:59:18.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I met a web designer yesterday. I looked at their website and thought...*Is this actually working for you? In 2025?* _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Timeboxing for people who hate timeboxing URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/timeboxing-for-people-who-hate-timeboxing-with-sunsama/ Last updated: 2025-10-13T03:21:41.000Z **Brought to you by Sunsama.** The only task manager, calendar, and daily planner for modern professionals. [Try Sunsama free for two weeks](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [![Sunsama logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/06/Untitled-design--27-.png)](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- *Too long, didn't read? Skim down to the October challenge details at the bottom!* You know those no meeting days? The days you look forward to on your calendar when you have nothing planned? Oh, the projects you will tackle! Oh, the tasks you will knock out! And then...that day arrives, but you don't know where to start. It's almost TOO MUCH freedom. I am staring at a blank calendar for October. By my design. I'm staying in a tiny house on an island this month. The wifi is not strong and the office options are limited. I cleared my schedule in anticipation. I thought the peace and quiet would give me lots of space to dig into some meaty projects. MY MISTAKE. It's hard to know where to start and how much to do each day. I guess I need a little structure. Luckily, my favorite daily planner, [Sunsama](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), just released a new feature that is helping me get a little routine going: automatic timeboxing. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/sunsamademo2.gif) Sunsama's Timeboxing 2.0 [Try Sunsama FREE](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) I've never been a big timeboxer because I go back and forth between tasks all day but I've always appreciated how Sunsama estimates my workload for me and warns me when it's too much. I budget 6 hours of work a day and they show me what's realistic to accomplish in 6 hours. Their new task projection feature visualizes your daily plan on your calendar, without you having to add any timeblocks. Rearrange your tasks and your calendar will shift too. You don't have to push these blocks through to your actual calendar—it's just a visualization of how you'll spend your day—but if you do want it on your calendar, just hover over the block they created and click "pin to calendar." ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-11-at-10.18.28---PM-1.png) The less meetings I have (I have maybe 5 scheduled things from now until the end of the year), the more important this tool becomes. Sunsama gives me a rhythm, a structure, a reality check that I very much need as someone without a boss. This month I have in Roatán, Honduras could be one endless to do list, but Sunsama's gonna help me make sure I get what I need to done, and then shut down the laptop and enjoy this place a little. ## The Time Well Spent with Sunsama Challenge You've heard me talk a lot about how much [Sunsama](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) has changed how I see and spend my time so this month I'm inviting you to a fun little challenge! ### One lucky winner will get: - 6 months of Sunsama - A $100 Visa Gift Card to take you and your favorite person out to dinner with all that free time you scored\* ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/1-1.png) ### How to join the challenge: - [Sign up for Sunsama](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) using my link (if you haven't already) - Use it for at least a week - Take a screenshot of your Weekly Review showing us how you spent your time - Post that screenshot on LinkedIn and [tag me](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Sunsama](https://www.linkedin.com/company/sunsama/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - If you can't tag me or want to make sure I see your entry, send me a link to your post by replying to this email [Try Sunsama free](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/Where-to-find-this-view.png) You have through October 31 (US time) to do this. It's gotta be on LinkedIn. Everyone who's not already on a paid plan with Sunsama is eligible. We'll choose a winner at random after the month wraps up. Your odds are pretty good because this challenge is just for us and usually no one does the stuff I ask! Prove me wrong! You can say whatever you want about your screenshot. Tell us more about how you spent your time. Tell us what the recap doesn't show. Tell us what you think of Sunsama. (Probably avoid calling this a "contest" as LinkedIn doesn't like those, but you can call it the Time Well Spent with Sunsama Challenge.) I can't wait to see how you spent your time! [Try Sunsama FREE](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 🎲 Lex \*JK you can do whatever you want with the gift card. You can even buy a flight here! I'll take you to the beach! ### How I turned an affiliate link into a sponsorship deal URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-i-turned-an-affiliate-link-into-a-sponsorship-deal/ Last updated: 2025-10-10T13:00:52.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I've never taken affiliate programs seriously because they haven't paid off much for me. A few bucks from Senja, a free month from MailerLite. For the entirety of last year, I didn't break $1k in affiliate income. Barely enough to be taxed on. But this summer, I set out to [make some real money with my affiliate links](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/im-gonna-go-sponsorless-this-summer/). I wasn't able to book the partnerships I wanted by May so I wondered: ***Could I replace that sponsorship revenue and make $3k in affiliate income from June-August?*** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Are books a revenue stream? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/are-books-a-revenue-stream/ Last updated: 2026-08-01T02:47:55.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- *"You don't write a book for money,"* my mentor told me when I got my first and only inquiry from a publisher. This was news to me. Books seem like so much work. Why would authors go through all that for free? Business owners and professional speakers will say it's because of what the book enables: new clients, speaking opportunities, product sales and the higher fees you can command for all of the above, once you are an author. But lately, I've been hearing a different story. That maybe there is some money in books. I wanted to find out how we should be thinking about books and revenue so I reached out to a few authors and book experts to learn what the real moneymaking potential was for books as an indie author. The answer to *Are books a revenue stream?* needs a lot more context than yes or no so let's get into the conditions when books become a real revenue stream. > *"Publishers will not do all the things you think they will, and they’ll take a big chunk of your book sales."* > *—Vicky Quinn Fraser* ## Self-publishing might give you more opportunities to make money The big drawback with the traditional publishing route is that your publisher takes a bigger cut of your profits, and for not much benefit, if you're an unknown author. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The road to 200 Legends URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-road-to-200-legends/ Last updated: 2025-11-02T06:54:48.000Z 📍 ****Current status:** 182/200 Legends (Last updated November 1) When I launched a subscription, I truly did not think anyone would take me up on it. Who would want to support me and (\* *waves hands around*\*) my projects-du-jour??? But more than 170 people have. They are fittingly known as [The Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/). A few of them have even paid twice. On purpose! Legends started as a way to fund [Revenue Rulebreaker](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/). But it's turned into a creative network all its own. The kind of people who make a bet on someone like me, they bet on themselves and they bet on others too. Legends WANT to know other Legends. Legends refer each other, amplify each other, co-produce content together, hire each other, and more. None of this is promised and I don't even really orchestrate it. I'm here to convene and connect people. What you do with that is up to you! **In October, we celebrate the 1 year anniversary of Legends with an ambitious goal of reaching 200 Legends.** [Become a Legend](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/membership) Now, there's already LOTS OF PERKS involved. Probably too many. Legends get: - Invitations year round to collaborations like Legends Wishlist, [Loose Ties Scavenger Hunt](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/loose-ties-scavenger-hunt/), and Secret Santa Swap. - Invitations to [members-only mixers](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lexroman%5Fwe-are-about-to-celebrate-the-1-year-anniversary-activity-7376975031051907072-SIIm?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAo-0gsBtjzfwlcsweIEilJXm%5F06-UxUSRk) and (coming soon) trips! - All access to my paid content (everything on [RevenueRulebreaker.com](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and everything at [PaidNewsletterPlaybook.com](https://paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)) - A sticker pack once a year with custom stickers I make for you - Recognition on [The List of Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/) - All access to [everything in my shop](https://shop.lexroman.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) forever (Lifetime Legends Only) - Preferential treatment at all times because I like you the best PLUS, when we get to 200 Legends, [all Legends will unlock a living directory](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-perks-of-being-a-legend/) of the network so you can find more collaborators and connections year round. AND ALSO, for the anniversary, I'm sweetening the pot. ## 🏆 For current Legends **If you're on a monthly plan**, switch to annual and get an extra 10% off for the year. **If you switch to Lifetime Legend**, get the old pricing ($297) PLUS I will refund you everything you've paid until now. Find your special links in [the State of Legends post](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/where-are-the-legends-going-in-2026-2/) or ping me. ## 👋 For soon-to-be Legends You're getting prizes! *Legends 155-170* will get **a free classified in Revenue Rulebreaker. FULL!** ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/The-road-to-200-Legends--12-.png) *Legends 170-190* will get to **choose between my** [**Stay Booked Roadmap**](https://shop.lexroman.com/b/staybookedroadmap?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) **or my** [**Launch Your Paid Newsletter class**](https://shop.lexroman.com/b/launch-your-paid-newsletter?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) **(CURRENT PRIZE!)** ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/11/The-road-to-200-Legends--23-.png) *Legends 190-200* will get **a special thank you by name when we launch the Legends directory because you will help us make it possible.** ![Milestone 3 gameboard: 200 Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/4.png) Check the status by looking at [The List of Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/). [Become a Legend](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/membership) ## Want to know more about Legends? - Read [why you should become a Legend](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-become-a-legend/) - See [The List of Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/) - Check out [what Legends are saying](https://shoutout.io/legends/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## Want to help us get to 200 Legends? 1. **Invite** [**someone rad to Legends**](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-become-a-legend/)**.** Tell them to mention you when they sign up (there's a spot on the form) and/or [log your referrals here](https://lexroman.com/refer?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). You get $10 or 10% of first transaction, whichever is higher. (You don't have to be a Legend to do this!) 2. **Share** [**a shoutout about Legends**](https://shoutout.io/submit/legends/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)**!** It can be a story about another Legend or a quick testimonial about why you're a Legend. Stay tuned all month on this page as we travel the road to 200 Legends! And thank you for all your encouragement and support 💖 ### One year’s worth of lessons from running a membership URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/one-years-worth-of-lessons-from-running-a-membership/ Last updated: 2025-09-22T02:01:09.000Z I created a tiny online space called “[The Side Blogger](https://thesideblogger.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com),” where I help fellow tiny online space creators, such as bloggers and newsletter owners, make big money with small audiences. I’ve owned my space for a little over seven years, and I’ve made a full-time living with it (six-figure yearly revenue) for about five of those years, selling online courses, workshops, affiliate offers, and templates. And then, just a little over a year ago, I decided to make a big change. Instead of offering a one-time buying option, I bundled all of my educational content and made it available inside a [member-only website](https://members.thesideblogger.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for a monthly or yearly subscription. In theory, it made perfect sense. Get everything a creator needs to know for an affordable monthly ($27) or yearly ($189) fee, instead of having to buy one course at a time for anywhere from $99 to $499….Who wouldn’t want this killer deal? Reality though? It bites! My calculations (despite a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering) were completely and embarrassingly off! Instead of having 500 members after one year, which was my initial goal, I don’t even have 100. And yet, here I am, talking about my membership because while it isn’t a raging success yet, **it has shown the promise** to be one in the future. This post is for the aspiring or budding membership creators, so that: - You understand what to expect from memberships - You do not make the same mistakes I made ## Lesson 1: Research Before You Start I’m the queen of knee-jerkiness. Maybe it’s ADHD, maybe it’s that and more. But here’s how I work: I wake up with an idea. And I execute. Because of this, I made beyond rookie mistakes when I launched the membership. You’ll know what I’m talking about in lesson #2, but for now, let’s just say that you should really look at how successful memberships work before you launch your own. [![For Bloggers and Creators Not Quite Satisfied With Their Audience and Income Growth](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-20-at-8.53.55---PM.png)](https://members.thesideblogger.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) The Side Blogger membership landing page (as of September 2025) Maybe join a membership program yourself. Not a struggling one, but one that’s been around a while and thriving. Observe what you like and what you don’t like. Pay attention to what makes you come back to a membership and keep paying for it. Those are the things you’ll want to implement in your own membership. ## Lesson 2: Static Content Doesn’t Bring Continuous Payments My second lesson came as a rather harsh wake-up call. My initial goal for the membership (beyond a predictable income for myself) was to create a space for my people to get all of my courses in one place, without having to pay for them individually. It seemed like a smart idea at the time, but in hindsight (it’s a bitch, I know), I should have known that people do not pay you over and over for static content. The courses attracted a lot of people in the beginning, but almost all of them canceled their membership after a couple of months. They simply had no reason to stay and keep paying after they learned everything there was to learn. So, takeaway: You need to give your members reasons to keep paying you. It may be a community, regular new content, ongoing coaching, or a combination of these. In my case, I’ve added a community for ongoing Q&A and monthly workshops. I’m still experimenting, but they seem to be attracting the right people, for now. ## Lesson 3: New Members Must Not Create New Work For You After the wake-up call about static content, the first continuous offer I created for my members was a custom, 1-on-1 business review/plan for each new member. Which I quickly scrapped because it wasn’t sustainable. During a promo, I got a bunch of new members, and the regrets couldn’t come faster. Suddenly, I had no time for anything else, and most of these members, once they got their content evaluated and a solid plan for how to move forward, canceled their membership. In retrospect, this is not a bad idea. Many business owners offer this type of service to their members, but you have to be careful and smart about its execution. Which brings me to: ## Lesson 4: Cover Your Bottom Line My goal was to make the membership affordable. But in doing so, every custom offer I added, including the content evaluation and business plan, backfired. There are a couple of ways to rectify that: Create a more expensive tier that attracts people who already have the money and are not itching to cancel their membership as soon as they get some value. Or, offer only yearly memberships so you get a good chunk of money upfront. Maybe both! For example, one membership creator, [Travis Sago](https://travissago.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), offers his membership for $299 per month, or $1,999 per year. He only has 527 paid members. You do the math. In my case, I did create a more expensive tier, but even at $75/month, it wasn’t worth it. So, I took away those custom offers (and sunset that tier) entirely. The monthly workshops that I offer, on the other hand, are much more sustainable because they do not add more work for me, regardless of how many members I have. > Do not expire your existing, working system until your membership is a success. Or chances are that you’ll come to regret it. ## Lesson 5: Clarity Creates Continuity This is something I’m still struggling with: Clarity. At first, my goal was to offer a course bundle. That was clear enough: “Become a member, and get X, Y, and Z courses.” But since that wasn’t enough to keep members, I added more to it, and the whole thing became…confusing. Even to me! Do I focus on my courses? My monthly workshops? The community where I answer my members’ questions daily? And if the seller is confused about what they’re selling, you can understand how confusing it is to the buyers. My current solution to this problem: promote only one thing at a time. Some days I’ll promote one of the courses…like the List-Building course or the SEO course. Right around the monthly workshops, I’ll promote only that workshop. If I publish a case study, I’ll promote the case study. It works, kind of. But I feel like there should be a better way to consolidate all that. What that is, I don’t know. Not yet. But I’m working on it. What I do know is this: My own confusion prevents me from getting new members to my program. And until I have solved that problem, my membership will continue to struggle. Takeaway for you? Be clear about what exactly you’re offering. It may take you some time. You may have to experiment with different angles. But keep testing until you know what resonates with your audience. ## Lesson 6: Have a Safety Net When I launched the membership, I was so stupidly arrogant that I stopped selling all of my courses and templates and focused all of my attention on promoting the membership. It was the 9-5 equivalent of quit before you build. And the price of that oversight was hefty! Now I have a better system. I continue to sell my courses and offers, while promoting the membership as a catch-all bundle. This way, people can choose which version they want. And I’m financially more secure. So, my advice to you is this: Do not expire your existing, working system until your membership is a success. Or chances are that you’ll come to regret it. --- Well, that’s where I’m at. I started the post by saying that my membership has shown promise. And it has. A few weeks ago, I needed cash, so I offered a limited-time lifetime upgrade to members for $500\. At the end of the promotion, I ended up with 32 lifetime members out of 43 total members, each of whom paid anywhere from a hundred or so to 300+ after proration. This tells me that those who have been members for a while do see the benefit of being a member, enough to upgrade to the lifetime tier. And that’s my sign that the membership has a future. One of my favorite creators and membership owners, [Sean D’Souza](https://www.psychotactics.com/marketing-strategy-small-business/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), who created his membership a couple of decades ago, said that it took him a couple of years to figure out how to make the membership profitable. He also said that one of the definitive things you can do to make your membership a success is to… simply keep it going. So, that’s where I’m at. I’m going to continue with the membership because I want it to be a success. I want to be the go-to for others who want to make their membership a success. I want Membership-Whiz in my entrepreneur resume. And for that alone, I’ll continue offering my membership. --- ### Want more great stuff like this? If you’d like to follow my journey from membership-loser to \[eventually\] membership-winner, subscribe to my daily-ish (Sun-Thu) newsletter where I mostly promote a lot of different offers, including my membership ;) Come on in! [Subscribe to The Side Blogger](https://thesideblogger.com/subscribe?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Meet the new Revenue Rulebreaker URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/meet-the-new-revenue-rulebreaker/ Last updated: 2026-05-23T19:01:58.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- 🧟‍♀️ Heads up that this post is old and out of date. Check the [Inside Revenue Rulebreaker tag](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/inside-revenue-rulebreaker/) for the latest. I can't believe I'm launching a blog in 2025. Last year, I said blogs were dead. I thought newsletters killed them. But I was wrong. Revenue Rulebreaker started because [I shut down my membership](https://youtu.be/vt-qE4j2yp4?si=WlukkvQS2LoDF2BZ&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [my podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/0dNCyu02klPb4BxlOcJPS7?si=f6034ded304542aa&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and was trying to figure out what was next. I knew I wanted to be a creator—meaning that I wanted to write, make tools and host events—but I couldn't see yet how I was gonna do that yet full time. So I started writing about what I was wrestling with in a newsletter that went to a few people I already knew. And then, to my own surprise, I launched a new community to those people. What's now [Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/). Even more surprisingly, people said yes. All the sudden, I had a new subscription business. My creator path became clear. Build an audience-backed media business. Maybe find a sponsor or two who sees the value in what we're doing here. Keep speaking and teaching as I go. I was starting to see how these three revenue streams—subscriptions, sponsorships and speaking—could come together and provide enough income to do this full time. The reason this website is called Revenue Rulebreaker is because people kept telling me I'm doing things the wrong way: - *You don't have a big enough audience to be audience supported.* - *Audience subscriptions is never going to work full time.* - *You're not going to get good rates from sponsors until you're bigger.* - *No one cares what you're doing because you're too small.* - *You can't make a creator career with less than 10,000 followers.* But I keep finding that none of this is true. You ***can*** do these things and people ***do care***. So much of building an internet business is really up to you, and if you position things as valuable to the right people, they will join you for the ride. ## So, what does the future for Revenue Rulebreaker look like? This is morphing from a secret solo newsletter to a media company that produces stories and events about how people *really* make money online. We talk a lot about how media is dying and collapsing and that's true of business media too. Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc, Fast Company, TechCrunch and others are shells of their former selves. They've faced huge layoffs and, for at least Forbes and Entrepreneur, they [want writers to pay them](https://help.entrepreneur.com/en/knowledge/how-do-i-contribute-to-entrepreneur?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to publish work there. Who does that? Fancy business people who want backlinks to their company website. It's a weird scene. And let's be honest. It never really included us anyway. I've been an entrepreneur for 6 years and I've tried (nearly) every revenue stream and business model under the sun from memberships and digital products to services and sponsorships. But where can you find honest stories about that? Reliable information that helps you decide which path to pursue? Actual entrepreneurs who've been there and can tell you what they know? You can't really!!! Because everything that's not pay to play is a funnel for getting sold the solution to all your problems. ### Revenue Rulebreaker already covers: - **Memberships and subscriptions**: How to run a recurring revenue business and what the difference is between subscription and membership - **Digital products**: What it takes to sell digital info products and how to actually do it - **Newsletter businesses**: How to grow and monetize an audience through email - **Sponsorships**: Where to find sponsors and how to book them - **Finding clients**: Where to find clients and how to book them - **The dirtbag lifestyle**: My own chosen lifestyle and how work/life go together ### I also want it to cover: - **Books and ebooks**: Whether or not books can be a revenue stream and how to make them one - **Events and conferences**: How to sell events and how to organize conferences - **Group programs**: When to offer something at scale and how to deliver on a group experience - **Licensing your IP**: Making money by licensing your work to others - **More tools**: The tools that power any of the above revenue streams - **More lifestyles**: Different ways to live your life and run a business Right now, my vision for this is pretty broad. ***How do people make a living online, not as a software company?*** And I'm focused on people, not huge corporations. People like me. People like you. Maybe some of us have small teams but none of us is a 100 person operation. If you run one of those, this isn't your internet home. I love experimenting with ways to make money and I love hearing how others are doing it too, but I steer clear of the "How I made $300k in an hour" type of people. I think those people are either outliers or full of shit and neither way is that interesting for us. I like to cover people whose wins are hard won. They took an unexpected path or made a truly creative choice and it worked FOR THEM and there's something you could learn from their story too. Here's a few of the stories that exemplify what this direction might look like: - [Why didn't anyone take me up on this!?](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-didnt-anyone-take-me-up-on-this/) - How I got my [first paid speaking gigs](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-get-paid-from-public-speaking/) - How I [book partnerships](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-i-pitched-my-partners-for-2025/) now - Why I [changed my pricing](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-life-changing-difference-between-9-and-499/) (and went so much lower) - Some of my [audience growth channels](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/im-sick-of-writing-hooks/), as someone bad at social media I say "might" because I'm keen to bring in some contributors and expand how I'm thinking about what this place could be. I look forward to shaping it with you. As I write this, most of RevenueRulebreaker.com is behind a paywall, but you can find the free stuff under the ["free posts"](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/free-posts/) tag. [Get on the newsletter](https://join.revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) if you want to keep up with what we're doing and if you want to meet the people who make this all possible, [join us as a Legend](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/membership). So far, [150+ people](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/) have trusted me enough to be part of this crazy dream and I build everything for them. Overall, it seems to me that the signal is pretty damn good. So we're going to keep going. ### Which platform should I use for my newsletter business? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/which-platform-should-i-use-for-my-newsletter-business/ Last updated: 2026-08-19T15:43:28.000Z *“Which platform should I use?”* It’s my least favorite question. About as answerable as *“What should I have for dinner?”* or *“Where’s the best place to live?”* No one can answer this for you. It depends on what you need and what you like. The fixation on platforms worries me as you could be blocked from a tech tool at any time. You also can’t rely on them to build your business for you. Those are dangerous waters to be swimming in. Many tech companies are deeply involved in the politics of oppression, censorship, surveillance and mass deportation. Just like you need to have a go bag for a fire or flood prone area, you need to be ready to bail on your platform quickly. Back up your audience. Know your paths to distribution. Build deep networks of support. It’s been a while since we talked platforms, so here’s all my unfiltered thoughts on ALL THE TOOLS. Especially the ones to steer clear of. ## Tool categories - Newsletter and blogging platforms - Membership and tip jar tools - Websites and landing pages - Payment processors - Other tools you should know *Note that some of the below links are affiliate links. I may get a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.* ## ✏️ Newsletter and blogging platforms beehiiv, Ghost and Buttondown are the main three I’d look at for newsletters and blogging. You need to decide whether you primarily want a blog or newsletter. None of the platforms do both well. All three of these tools have subscriptions built-in and none of them take a transaction fee from your subscription revenue. beehiiv also has an ad network you can use if you want to cover the cost of your beehiiv sub. ### Best for built-in growth: [beehiiv](https://www.beehiiv.com/?via=lex&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) beehiiv’s newsletter composer is well built as are their embeddable forms. They’ve also got lots of ways to juice your list growth with organic recommendations, paid recommendations and trackable referrals. I don’t love their new web builder and I am not going to learn how to use it which is why my stuff is moving to Ghost. But Project C member Quinn Emmett’s [Important Not Important](https://www.importantnotimportant.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) was created in beehiiv’s new web builder and it looks great. I’m just lazy and don’t want to spend time on web design. ### Best for blogging with a side of newsletter: [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?via=lex75&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) What I love about Ghost is how gorgeous all the custom themes are (shout out to Norbert at [Bright Themes](https://brightthemes.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)) and how good my writing looks when published. You cannot count on Ghost for growth tooling (and I don’t think you should) and I’ve found my newsletter has grown a lot slower since I moved it there, thanks to them forcing double opt-in for newsletter subscribes and conflating “subscribe” with “pay me” on their portal pages. But my audience on Ghost is the highest quality, most engaged it’s ever been and I love using them enough to have just moved another project there. ### Best for quick start of a newsletter: [Buttondown](https://buttondown.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Andy Dehnart from[*reality blurred*](https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/newsletter/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) put these guys on my radar and I’ve become a fast fan. Buttondown has everything you need to run a newsletter or a newsletter business—including built-in automations—and no more. For everyone who thinks Substack is their only “easy to use” option, I’d check out Buttondown. You’ll be launched within an hour. Bonus is that they are bootstrapped. Be warned that your web archive will not be a blog, and if you want a blog, you should look at Ghost or beehiiv. ### Best for people who like WordPress: [WordPress](https://wordpress.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Some people like WordPress. Those people would not be me. They’re only on this list because [Andy](https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and Maliha from [The Side Blogger](https://thesideblogger.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) use WP and I respect them a lot so there must be reasons smart people like them choose it. If you are a WordPress fan, you’re in great company with thousands of publishers. ### Honorable mentions [**Kit**](http://kit.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) has made a transition into the newsletter space (from creator email marketing) but their tool is fairly complex to learn if you’re not already an email marketer. It has everything you could possible need (and too much of it) and they just raised prices so I’m hearing people grumble about leaving right now. [**MailerLite**](https://www.mailerlite.com/invite/15afc436db636?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [**Email Octopus**](http://emailoctopus.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) are relevant if you’ve ignored my advice about Substack and you need a backup email marketing tool. They both handle automations you can use to sell subscriptions and communicate with members. Email Octopus has a generous free plan up to 2500 newsletter subscribers. ### Steer clear [**Lede**](https://joinlede.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [**Indiegraf**](https://indiegraf.com/indie-website/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)are newsroom solutions built on WordPress. The only thing worse than WordPress is having some intermediary company control the code to your WordPress. Nearly everyone I talk to on either of these is looking to leave. Don’t bother with [**Kajabi**](https://kajabi.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)unless you primarily sell courses or programs. Don’t use Substack unless you like giving up [**major chunks of your audience and revenue.**](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## 🫙 Membership and tip jar tools You can run a subscription from inside beehiiv, Ghost, or Buttondown, but if you want publish on multiple channels or you just want more robust membership tooling, you can have a look at these standalone membership tools. Why might you want to do this? Well, membership operation is a lot of work! You’ll need to deliver perks, communicate with members, anticipate and respond to cancellations, answer support requests and sell your membership itself. ### Best standalone membership tool: [Memberful](https://memberful.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Memberful offers subscription management without being tied to your publishing platforms. Particularly a good idea if you were thinking about Patreon, if you aren’t sold on your newsletter/blog choice yet or if you want features your publishing platform doesn’t have. Major warning sign on Memberful is that they’re owned by Patreon, but as far as I can tell, they still integrate with Stripe. They do charge double fees though. You pay them upfront and they charge 5% on top of Stripe. You’ll have to do the math on whether this is worth it based on your membership size. ### Best standalone tip jar: [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) If you want to offer multiple ways to pay you, Ko-fi is a solid option. They allow you to sell memberships, commissions and products alongside a tip jar, all from one simple storefront. Ko-fi uses Stripe for payments and they take an additional 5% on every transaction, though you can pay a small subscription fee to remove that. Good to check out if you’ve been learning towards Patreon. Super responsive team if you have any problems which is the number one reason I’m not recommending [Buy Me a Coffee](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/invite/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Their design is super cute and weirdly, no one seems to work there! ### Best membership tool for Ghost: [Outpost](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Add Outpost onto your Ghost and you’ll get a bunch of membership perks and communication tools you’ll need like automated paid welcome emails, private podcast links, retention flows, win backs and failed payment recovery. They also [create a tip jar for you](https://tablehopper.com/tip-jar?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and they tag your donors in your Ghost database. Plus, Outpost helps you sell your membership with call to actions and upsell sequences. If you don’t use Outpost, you’ll need to use something because it’s pretty weird to join a membership and not get so much as a “Thanks for joining” note. ### Steer clear [**Circle**](https://circle.so/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [**Mighty Networks**](https://www.mightynetworks.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) are all-in community platforms and I would avoid them unless you intend to run a forum-based membership with course material attached. They’re very clunky, hard to get members to adopt and expensive. Also, I would never recommend [**Patreon**](https://www.patreon.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) because you can’t take your audience with you if you leave and because their fees are the highest next to Substack. ## 💻️ Websites and landing pages If you’re using Ghost or beehiiv, you can make your landing pages there, but if you need another way to do that, you might turn to a web design tool. For example, last week when everyone in our Slack was getting cranky about Ghost’s double opt-in for newsletters, I realized I was also cranky about that and I made a [**standalone landing page**](https://join.revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in Carrd that sends people through Zapier into Ghost. ### Best landing page tool: [Carrd](https://try.carrd.co/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Carrd has super simple templates and it’s easy to stand up a page for newsletter subscribers, events, or subscriptions. It doesn’t have fancy landing page gear like AB testing and deep attribution—you need something like [**Leadpages**](https://www.leadpages.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or [**Unbounce**](https://unbounce.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for that—but it’s free to launch a page on Carrd and it’s only $19/year to add a custom domain. ### Best web design tool: [Framer](https://framer.link/lex-roman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Of all the pure web design tools out there, I like Framer the best, but I will say it’s a hassle to learn if you’re not familiar with web design. Designers fawn over Framer so there are tons of custom themes. Framer is VC-backed but they’ve been around over a decade and they’re based in the Netherlands. Their blog feature is an absolute nightmare so they’re not a replacement for Ghost or WordPress. ### Honorable mention [**Showit**](https://showit.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is worth looking at if Framer seems like too much and Carrd seems like too little. It’s a drag and drop web builder that competes with Squarespace. Showit was built by bootstrapped founders and it has 20 years+ on the market. ### Steer clear [**Squarespace**](https://squarespace.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) sold to private equity last year, the only thing worse than venture capital. Their [**service is now regularly unstable**](https://status.squarespace.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which means you’d lose anyone you were trying to send through these pages whenever your site goes down once a week. [**Wix**](https://www.wix.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is also just a total hot mess. Nothing good to say about them. ## 💰️ Payment processors Right now, in many countries including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom—where much of this audience is based—[Stripe](https://stripe.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is the best payment processor to go with and it will typically be the default choice. It’s integrated into most of the tools we’re looking at, it’s reliable, it’s flexible, it handles things like chargebacks and taxes (if you want) and it does nice reporting for you. However, there are [some signs that Stripe could increase censorship](https://aftermath.site/stripe-lgbtq-steam-itch-adult-games-delisted?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) of LGBTQIA+ creators OR concerns that [Stripe could be targeted by the US federal government](https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/10/business/stripe-trump-campaign-suspended-payments?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). So, it’s good to know your back ups. ### Alternatives to Stripe [**Recurly**](https://recurly.com/product/??ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) was created for tech companies who run subscriptions, like Twitch and SproutSocial, but they are used in non-tech spaces too. My lawyers who run a legal subscription used Recurly to bill us. There’s a hefty upfront fee with Recurly—I believe around $250/mo—plus you pay per transaction and there’s not a whole lot you get for that beyond what Stripe offers. If you’re processing more than $5k MRR, it’s worth looking at should you need to move. Recurly is also US-based but they support companies in hundreds of countries including Canada and the UK. [**Adyen**](https://www.adyen.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) mostly serves tech companies and enterprise businesses but their pricing seems relatively small business friendly and their design is sleek. They [charge a variable processing fee](https://www.adyen.com/pricing?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) based on which payment method is used but there’s no upfront fee. Adyen [supports businesses](https://docs.adyen.com/platforms/verification-requirements/onboarding-guidelines/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#united-kingdom) all over the world including in Australia, the UK, Canada, France, Germany and the US and they’re based in the Netherlands. [**Mollie**](https://www.mollie.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is only available to you if you’re in the UK, the EU or [one of the countries here](https://help.mollie.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002116105-Can-I-use-Mollie-s-services-in-my-country?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (not US or Canada). It’s more of a Square competitor but it does handle memberships and there’s no upfront fee, just a per transaction fee. They’re based in (you guessed it) the Netherlands and they’ve been around more than 20 years. [**Square**](https://squareup.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is geared toward brick and mortar and e-commerce sellers. They are fairly high profile, venture-backed, US-based and could also be a target alongside Stripe, but so far they haven’t been mentioned much lately. Square does offer a [subscription solution](https://squareup.com/us/en/subscriptions?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) as well as regular online transactions, but it’s much simpler than what Stripe handles. They have different pricing plans, one with no upfront fee and others with one, and the transaction fee changes based on your plan but it’s higher than Stripe on the base plan. ### Steer clear I’d personally avoid [**Paddle**](https://www.paddle.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)ever since [they lost about $30k](https://x.com/helloitsolly/status/1792995047836643508?s=46&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) of startup Senja’s money and had no idea where it could have gone (they later found it.) [**PayPal**](https://www.paypal.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) blocked me with no recourse when I started my business until I got ahold of some executives so, for me, they will always be dead last. ## 🛠️ Other tools you should know ### Best for failed payments: [Stunning](https://stunning.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) The bigger your subscription grows, the more failed payments you will have. Stunning gives you more ways to prevent failed payments and recoup that subscription revenue. ### Best for connecting tools together: [Zapier](https://zapier.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Zapier is your best friend for getting apps to work together. They integrate with nearly everything (except Substack) and they help you send data from one place to another. I use Zapier to add new subscribers to perks and make sure canceled subscribers are removed from them. ### Best for web analytics: [Plausible](https://plausible.io/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Plausible is a privacy-focused website analytics tool that you can use to see where your traffic is coming from and what stories people are reading on your site. It’s about 1000x more straightforward than Google Analytics and it’s only $90/year to start but good news if you use Outpost because it’s FREE for you. ### Best for forms: [Fillout](https://www.fillout.com/?ref=Lex) I don’t know about you, but I use so many forms with my subscriptions. Welcome forms, reader surveys, perk fulfillment, event RSVPs. Fillout is beautiful and has the most insanely generous free plan. It also integrates with other tools like Airtable and Zapier so you can send the data elsewhere. --- ## Which tools are right for you? The right tools for you are the ones that solve the problems you have right now in the way you want them solved. I’d pay attention to how long a company has been around, where their funding comes from and what other customers say but as long as you can move your people and your revenue, it will all be ok. Focus on producing great work and on building your own paths to your audience and let tech support your operation, not run the operation. ### Why the daily planner Sunsama is beloved by entrepreneurs with ADHD URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/this-daily-planner-is-beloved-by-entrepreneurs-with-adhd/ Last updated: 2025-12-06T16:45:16.000Z **Brought to you by Sunsama.** Make work-life balance a reality with Sunsama's daily planner. [Try Sunsama free for 30 days](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [![Sunsama logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/06/Untitled-design--27-.png)](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- Have you ever felt like it takes you 10x longer to do a task than it takes someone else? I know the feeling. I was diagnosed with neurodivergence in high school. Long before ADHD TikTok and neurodivergent subreddits. Not only did I not know what to do with that diagnosis, no one else did either. Including the psychiatrist who diagnosed me. *"Well, good luck out there. Life's gonna be hard! Here's some anxiety meds."* It wasn't until 20 whole years later, when I started watching videos from autistic and ADHD creators and reading posts from neurodivergent writers that I began to understand WHAT EXACTLY my brain might be doing. - *Why did it take me so long to do my work tasks?* Maybe because I was easily distracted at the office and had to wait until I had quiet space at home. - *How come my to do list never got done?* Because I had an unrealistic sense of time and packed too much on every day. - *Why was I procrastinating all my projects to the last minute?* Probably because it was hard to break down and start projects myself. This is a major reason why I became an entrepreneur. I needed more flexible and supportive working conditions. **Just one problem**: distraction, procrastination and overwhelm...they came with me. The first couple years of my business I buckled through it (like I had all my life. I honestly didn't know I could do something different.) But last year, someone told me about [Sunsama](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and I was stunned at how well it worked for me. Sunsama is a daily planner that's beloved by people with ADHD and AuDHD because it helps with some of the challenges we experience at work. [Try Sunsama FREE](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## Establishing a daily planning ritual One of the first things Sunsama has you do is set up a daily planning ritual. You get to decide: when you plan your day and how long should your day be. They walk you through it step by step. *How this helps*: Sunsama gently reminds you there should be a start and end to each day. Their guidance makes the planning part so much less overwhelming because it's just showing you today's work. And their daily shutdown prompt encourages you to stop and reflect on what you've accomplished (a nice dopamine hit!) [![My daily planning rituals inside Sunsama](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Untitled-design--71-.png)](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) My daily planning rituals inside Sunsama By the way, if you hate that idea. You can just turn it off! The flexibility is one of my favorite things about this tool. ## Visualizing how long tasks will take This has long been a major problem for me: TIME OPTIMISM. A LinkedIn post? Maybe 15 mins? Prep for a workshop? Perhaps an hour? Wrong. every. time. Sunsama gives you a view of your tasks AND your meetings together. It adds automatic time estimates, and if you want, you can drag the tasks onto your calendar so you can see how much you can do today. *How this helps*: Seeing how long tasks will take helps you learn how long things actually take. You "budget" them with Sunsama and over time, you just get better at it, so eventually, Sunsama knows how long a task will take and you do too. [![My daily planning view inside Sunsama](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Untitled-design--72-.png)](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) My daily planning view inside Sunsama [Try Sunsama FREE](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ## Signaling too much work on your plate Do you stack too much on every day and then feel disappointed and ashamed you didn't get to it all? I used to work until 12am, 1am, 2am, but no more thanks to a little friendly alert known as *"Caution: unrealistic workload."* Since we've estimated everything in Sunsama (or let them do it for us), they know when you've planned to do TOO MUCH. And they have a one touch way to push some of it off until the next day. *How this helps:* Seeing this warning will start training you to take it easy on how much work you commit to. You'll begin to right size your days and you'll be able to actually wind down work at a reasonable hour because you stop setting yourself up to fail every day. [![Caution unrealistic workload alert in Sunsama](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Too-much-work-.png)](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) My favorite alert in Sunsama keeps me on my toes ## Automating reminders If you have any repetitive tasks (like something you do every week or every time X happens), you can create recurring reminders or behavior triggered tasks. I set up a recurring reminder to write my newsletter inside Sunsama. It appears every week without me adding it. I also have Zapier add a new task every time a paid member joins with a few subtasks I like to do (like welcoming them). This is hooked from my Stripe through Zapier to Sunsama. There's a lot of integrations like that available if you're using other tools but want Sunsama to be your day planner. *How this helps:* Automations like this reduce how much I have to remember in my brain and they let me focus on my creative work. [![My Zap that creates a task in Sunsama when someone new subscribes](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-17-at-7.34.04---PM.png)](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) My Zap that creates a task in Sunsama when someone new subscribes ## Focusing task by task One of my biggest battles is with distraction, and if you're neurodivergent, you know the pain. Sunsama has Focus Mode to keep you on track. [Try Sunsama free](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Focus Mode will take over the whole app screen to remind you of what you're supposed to be working on (should you get distracted every 5 minutes like I do.) You can minimize the app and keep the Focus Bar on (that tiny window up top in the photo below.) You can use this with the timer on and/or use their pomodoro timer. I don't love being timed but other folks find it helpful. *How this helps*: You're reminded of what you're supposed to be working on any time you're distracted so it's easier to get back to work and stay on task. [![Focus Mode (before hiding the app)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-17-at-7.39.37---PM.png)](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Focus Mode (before hiding the app) Sunsama genuinely has changed the way I work more than any of the 10+ psych professionals I've had in my life and more than the 100+ TikToks I've watched on this subject. Over time, its subtle coaching and gentle encouragement have given me hundreds of hours back to close my laptop and celebrate a job well done. If you struggle with distraction, overwhelm and procrastination, I really think you should give Sunsama a try with today's to do list and see how it goes. I'm rooting for you to have a smooth, rewarding day at work. [Try Sunsama FREE](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 🎲 Lex P.S. Want more about Sunsama? Here's a few other posts I've written about them. [How to manage your time when you’re bad at managing your timeI thought I’d tried every planner in the world. I’d never tried this.![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-33.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails--23--3.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-manage-your-time-when-youre-bad-at-managing-your-time-featuring-sunsama/) [Is this work-life balance?The one thing that changed how I spend my days![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-31.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/Thumbnailworklifebalance-1.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/is-this-work-life-balance-made-with-sunsama/) [My goal setting methodHow I turn big goals into daily stuff I can actually do![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-32.png)Revenue Rulebreaker by Lex RomanLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/Copy-of-RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails--6-.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/my-goal-setting-method/) ### Why didn't anyone take me up on this!? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-didnt-anyone-take-me-up-on-this/ Last updated: 2025-09-16T06:31:04.000Z It's a Tuesday. 7am. You roll over groggy to check your phone. Were there any new buyers while you were sleeping!?!?! \* *unlock*\* *\*tap\** \* *scroll*\* No. How dare they. *Why doesn't anyone want to buy what I'm selling?* Good question, you talented genius. And for every question, there is an answer. Well, maybe not EVERY question. I'm not a space scientist. But certainly this one is answerable. Let's take a little trip and find the answer. My car's already running. I have a full jug of soda for me and hot McDonald's french fries for you. (No drink, sorry. You need to stay on your toes.) Hop on in. Off we go. ### Stop 1: Am I just smarter than everyone? Yes. But that doesn't help us much, does it? Get back in the car and cheer up, you slippery superstar. We're on a mission. ### Stop 2: Could it be you didn't reach the right people? We begin our quest for answers at the corner of *Who's here* and *Why them* in Washington, D.C. WHO exactly did this offer go to? Aunt May? Cousin Greg? That long lost client you kinda hated but who did cut those checks right away, at least, so maybe they weren't so bad. In a pinch. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The gear that powers my full time traveling office URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-gear-that-powers-my-full-time-traveling-office/ Last updated: 2025-09-22T02:02:05.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I only moved one piece of furniture from Los Angeles to Atlanta: my motorized standing desk. 15 years in LA and that was the one thing I thought I couldn't easily replace. It's now sitting upright in a storage unit. Other things I used to think I needed: a giant second monitor, a fancy podcast mic, YouTube lighting, a white noise machine and a cool background. Last year at this time, I had an office. I rented one because my living situation in Atlanta was shared and I needed a dedicated space to work. Coworking wasn't going to cut it because I was hosting so many live workshops and doing those from phonebooths would have been pretty miserable. The office was a beautiful, productive space for me. But I get bored doing the same thing every day. I was itching to go travel full time. That meant I needed to figure out the minimum gear I needed to work on the road. And it had to fit in one carry-on luggage with all my clothes. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/IMG_4672-3.JPG) My office in Decatur, Georgia It's been a lot easier than I thought it would be to work without the full setup I had in Atlanta and LA. Here's 7 things I have with me that make it possible to do everything I need to do while moving from city to city. ### 🎙️ Microphone I record [YouTube videos](https://www.youtube.com/@lexromanwashere?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and sometimes classes or sponsored content so I needed a better mic than my standard AirPods. I already had the [RODE Wireless GO II](https://rode.com/en-au/products/wirelessgoii?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) so I packed it to travel. I also have one of [RODE's plug-in lavalier mics](https://rode.com/en-us/microphones/lavalier-wearable?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I don't really like or recommend either of these microphones. The lavalier picks up SO MUCH background noise, probably more than the AirPods. I never use it, but it's a theoretical back up and it's very small and easy to pack. The RODE Wireless GO II is great when it works and doesn't pick up much background noise—important because I shoot outside—but I still haven't figured out why some of my videos don't route the audio through the mic when it's on. I feel like it's overly complex to operate and I've had issues with it recording mono when it should record stereo. All that said, the sound quality is good when it records. And if it breaks or I get sick of it, I will be buying a new portable mic because I use it enough to replace it. Probably the [DJI Mic Mini](https://www.dji.com/mic?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) everyone on TikTok loves. ![RODE Wireless GO II microphone and receiver](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Untitled-design--64-.png) ### 📹 Tripod I have a [great tripod](https://www.amazon.com/Lightweight-Integrated-Wireless-Compatible-Recording/dp/B0BD7VTXN3/ref=sr%5F1%5F3%5Fpp?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.xyVquIGjKWRuvnuGifAr3cqu9fkOjaFVLmdEJqd32CS8F%5FCT6HcgpyjHBtmGO7D9kI8Fft3jHwnshxPndmKY8EskuFM4rYCR8NX1qOW6syLA7iygO-UJdXhy32MK7ifh9PkbBnxFp5l8Rp-xFUoF4-kwHpI7jVrOZRTqbjaDC0Y9-yNkyMWpGdrV9Ioj16Lp2jIg49AyY7RFbDxcZC7uUWsv0daG1L%5F-S8XuWXtjewE.Tk8cSiqM0p0Ew7xMtvmTzhi4bagTmeFPXh8otcJVBN4&dib%5Ftag=se&keywords=travel%2Btripod&qid=1757807559&sr=8-3&th=1&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) from Sensyne that I love back in my storage unit in Atlanta but at the last minute I decided not to bring it. I regretted it pretty much right away because I shoot a fair amount of videos and the phone needs to sit higher than on the table. (I shoot videos on my phone. I *almost* brought my Nikon camera but I am glad I didn't. Cinematic mode on the iPhone is good enough especially when I shoot my videos outside.) I found a smaller, portable tripod at an electronics market in Bogotá for $10 (I don't remember the brand) and I set it up on a tabletop to shoot my videos. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/IMG_5581.JPG) My portable tripod ### 🛋️ Tiny bonus light I used to have 3-4 special lights in my office for filming videos and even for video calls, but I did not bring any lighting on my trip at first because it's big. That caused a few problems for me in Bogotá when I had to rely on my apartment lighting so when I came through LA in June, I ordered [a small, portable light](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CSPBYXZ3?ref=ppx%5Fyo2ov%5Fdt%5Fb%5Ffed%5Fasin%5Ftitle) from Amazon. It's about the size of two credit cards side by side and the thickness of a normal book. You can adjust brightness and color temperature plus it comes with filters. I don't use it that much but it's a very helpful fill when shooting YouTube videos and classes, especially if I can't be outside. ![The portable, clip-on light](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Untitled-design--67-.png) The portable, clip-on light ### ✉️ Separate laptop sleeve My handheld carry-on has a built-in laptop sleeve but I knew from past trips that I would want to throw my laptop in a tote bag to go to cafes. I don't always want to bring my bigger bag and have to dump everything out of it. I got an [Incase sleeve at Best Buy](https://www.bestbuy.com/product/incase-sleeve-fits-up-to-13-laptop-blush-pink/J3GTKHWTRL/sku/10732001?ref=212&loc=1&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad%5Fsource=1&gad%5Fcampaignid=22982301006&gbraid=0AAAAAD-ORIgaZq%5FOmKHFRypj627fIyBFA&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrJTGBhCbARIsANFBfgtM4iTyRqEMCdY93qNboXtqFyT9Gx2Su5D9n3J8PfWS4aY%5FuBvAnMsaAtHaEALw%5FwcB) with the credit I had from selling them my old MacBook Air (Best Buy pays more than Apple for trade-ins by the way.) I use it every day and I even use it inside the built-in sleeve because it protects the computer better when I'm hauling around airports. ![Incase laptop sleeve in pink](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Untitled-design--65-.png) Incase laptop sleeve in pink ### 💻 Laptop stand I had bought a [Logitech Casa Pop-up desk](https://www.bestbuy.com/product/logitech-casa-pop-up-desk-work-from-home-kit-compact-wireless-keyboard-touchpad-and-laptop-stand-for-laptop-macbook-10-to-17-classic-chic/J7H7ZY8RWC/sku/6571659?extStoreId=1498&utm%5Fsource=feed&ref=212&loc=22996510680&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad%5Fsource=1&gad%5Fcampaignid=23002668857&gbraid=0AAAAAD-ORIhyQpyOkRyUHx%5FT2cLznJucF&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrJTGBhCbARIsANFBfgujHTetWtx5rT1ToJ0KfnCx-kftaIFOXZ92jt61jyyggNUkBBatV04aArH2EALw%5FwcB) when I sold my iMac to my roommate and didn't have a monitor at home. I took it on this trip because I do enough video calls where I don't want to be seen from under my chin. The Casa Pop-up comes with an external keyboard and mouse and it all packs together inside a book-like case so it's easy to carry as one piece. I use it mostly when I'm hosting events or appearing on a livestream but it is fairly bulky in my suitcase and it's heavy to walk around with all day. So I might trade it out in the next year for something slimmer like [those folding laptop stands](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1683702199/mantiz-the-worlds-smallest-folding-pocket-laptop-stand?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or something like [the Airstand](https://www.thexebec.com/products/airstand?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ![The Logitech Casa Pop-Up Desk set up with my computer and the built-in keyboard/mouse](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Untitled-design--66-.png) The Logitech Casa Pop-Up Desk set up with my computer and the built-in keyboard/mouse ### 🎧 More than one pair of headphones I use AirPods every day to listen to music and for my video calls. Sometimes they fail me so I have two backup wired Apple headphones. I bring all three with me to coworking spaces and I would replace any of them if they break or got stolen. ### 📸 The cheapest GoPro My newest addition to the gear set is [a GoPro HERO](https://gopro.com/en/us/shop/cameras/learn/hero/CHDHF-131-master.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Mine came with everything pictured below and I bought an extra wrist mount for it at a [GoPro shop in Bogotá](https://maps.app.goo.gl/y9gph3xJsCQ8bTGT7?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I use the GoPro to shoot some of my travel content because it's not ideal to have your phone out in Latin America and because I don't want my phone falling off my bike into the street. It's nice to have a separate camera that's not my phone and one that I wouldn't mind if someone jacked (obviously I don't WANT someone to jack it, but it's low risk to have it out [while I'm biking](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYNDoEH-Rlk&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or walking which means I can film more). This is work-adjacent gear as I could shoot my work videos without the GoPro but it's been a useful purchase and I'm glad I have it with me. The case is small enough to find a spot for it in my carry-on suitcase. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/HEROBUNDLE-1.webp) I thought I'd miss my bigger workspace setup when I headed out on my trip in March, but it's been about six months and I don't. The creative gain from being able to work wherever I want to has been so massive that it offsets the every once in a while feeling that I'd like to see something bigger than my 13" MacBook Air can display it. Video editing is maybe the only exception because it is tough to see what I'm doing with just the laptop, but that also forces me to keep it simple and not overthink my videos. Gear makes up about 20% of what I bring from place to place. I can't pack any more stuff without removing clothes and I’m already down to just one pair of jeans, so this is going to be the setup for at least this year. *What kind of gear do you travel with? Whether you're going to the coffee shop down the street or to another country, I want to know what you bring with you. Leave me a comment below.* P.S. Want to know what software powers my business on the road? Check out [my digital toolkit](https://lexroman.com/toolkit?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/IMG_0833.JPG) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/IMG_5379-5.JPG) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/IMG_2978.jpeg) Me working at a coworking space in Savannah, at a vacation rental in Virginia and at Gubixi coworking in Oaxaca ### Where are the Legends going in 2026? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/where-are-the-legends-going-in-2026-2/ Last updated: 2025-11-02T22:02:52.000Z Our big trip and new perks as we celebrate the 1 year anniversary of Legends _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The everexpanding perks of being a Legend URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-perks-of-being-a-legend/ Last updated: 2026-05-14T15:17:46.000Z [The Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/) are the backers and beneficiaries of the best of what I have to offer. Right now, that includes perks like all access to Revenue Rulebreaker, the Paid Newsletter Playbook, special invites to collaborations and events and everything else listed [on the membership page](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/membership). **But, as Legends gets bigger, we can do more together. That means more perks that everyone can benefit from.** I surveyed The Legends in August 2025 and based on their selections, these are our current new perk milestones. I'm reserving the right to change these (especially the far out ones) as Legends will change based on who joins and I want to stay responsive to changing interests, but this is the current plan: ### Completed milestones ✅ **100 Legends**: A limited edition Legends sticker. ✅ **200 Legends**: Living directory of all Legends (who want to be included) so you can find more collaborators and connections year round. **✅ 300 Legends**: Regular Legends classifieds. Get a few free classifieds throughout the year to promote your stuff in the *Revenue Rulebreaker* newsletter and blog. ### Next milestone **🎯 400 Legends**: Matched up mixers 3x a year. (Right now, we do real time mixers only twice a year.) ### Future milestones **🎯 500 Legends**: (To be determined by the Legends via our summer survey!) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2026/05/Legends-Tracker--9-.png) Other things on the horizon that are only possible as Legends grows but at this time, I'm not tying to a numeric milestone: - More paid (and higher paid) guest contributors to Revenue Rulebreaker - A Legends unconference - Local Legends meetups and more Legends hosted events (with compensated hosts!) - Special discounts just for Legends Not yet a Legend and want in on this? Become one for $99/year. [Become a Legend](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/membership?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/IMG_9101.JPG) Legends sticker pack from March 2025 ### What's your tip jar for? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/whats-your-tip-jar-for/ Last updated: 2025-09-07T05:38:12.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- *This post was originally published by me on* [*journalistspaythemselves.com*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/is-this-work-life-balance-made-with-sunsama/) “I’m hoping to get paid in tips.” Said no barista ever. But journalists, they’re sending me notes like this regularly. Please allow me to save you some disappointment because **your tip jar cannot be your main revenue stream.** It’s always gonna be side cash. That said, y’all helped me bring in [$3600+ to my tip jar this summer](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-my-summer-reader-raise-is-going/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for). It can be substantial side cash…if you make it so. A lot of us use tip jars to supplement subscription income. Let's look at 5 ways publishers use their tip jars so you can position it better in your revenue plan. ## The tip jar as*pay-per-article* We’ve touched on pay-per-article before when I spoke with [Rowan Zeoli of](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/pay-per-article-does-it-work?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)[*Rascal*](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/pay-per-article-does-it-work?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)[about their Acta integration](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/pay-per-article-does-it-work?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Pay-per-article gets raised a lot as a solution to “subscription fatigue,” which [I don’t believe in](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-subscription-fatigue-is-not-our-problem/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for), HOWEVER, Rowan made a solid point that allowing people to pay a small fee to unlock the paywall creates more accessibility and reduces paywall complaints. So if [Acta](https://readwithacta.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for) is not available on your platform (right now only beehiiv and Ghost and soon WordPress), you can use your tip jar to allow people to pay for an article. Nic Miller has offered this option for a while on [*Tales from Topographic Kitchens*](https://tales-from-topographic-kitchens.ghost.io/how-to-make-a-one-off-payment-or/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for), calling it “pay as you go” and using the platform [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/talesfromtopographickitchens?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for) to make it available to readers. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-05-at-1.53.37---PM.png) Excerpt from Nic Miller’s Topographic Kitchens ✅ **Pros:** - Creates another option for readers who don’t want a subscription. - Gives you a good excuse to fight back the “paywall police” (as The Flytrap editors so perfectly call them). - Gives your tip jar a purpose and a reason for you to bring it up often. ❌ **Cons:** - It’s hard to manage which article to unlock (you have to get them to comment it and email the link back to them). - There’s no good way to automate this, and if you’re not around when someone wants an article, they have to wait on you. - You must have gift link ability to make this work. ## The tip jar as*emergency funding* Tip jars work great as a *“hey, we need money NOW”* link for people to pitch in. The line between a tip jar and a crowdfunding campaign is mostly window dressing, but if you keep a tip jar running then you always have a way to get this fast funding in without making it a whole extra project for you to set up. That’s what Marcia Gagliardi of [*tablehopper*](https://www.tablehopper.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for) did in the fall of 2020 when sponsorship revenue was down. She tossed her [tip jar link into the newsletter](https://www.tablehopper.com/newsletter/201001/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for) and asked people to help cover operational costs. According to her follow up post two weeks later, the appeal worked and [“many” people contributed](https://www.tablehopper.com/newsletter/201013/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for). ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-05-at-2.15.13---PM.png) Excerpt from Marcia’s post in the newsletter Tip jar platforms like [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for) and [Buy Me a Coffee](https://buymeacoffee.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for) both have goal options that turn your page into a crowdfunding-esque fundraising view with a live thermometer. [See Angela Hollowell’s tip jar](https://buymeacoffee.com/angelahollowell?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for)for a good example of how to use those goals to cover a specific purpose. ✅ **Pros:** - Set up once. Use it continuously. - Allows paid subscribers to pitch in more on top of their subscription (which will happen!) - Promoting your tip jar irregularly will draw more attention to it (meaning not having it in every post or buried in your footer) ❌ **Cons:** - If you need a heftier chunk of change (more than $2k), you might want the more robust tooling of a crowdfunding platform. ## The tip jar as a*“consulting” bonus* You know those annoying “pick your brain” messages? If you find you’re giving your time to people for free AND you don’t want to have a paid consulting offer, you can use your tip jar as a pay what you want consulting fee. David Lowe, who runs [*Ridgeline Images*](https://ridgelineimages.com/about/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for), a site that chronicles the hiking trails around Tokyo, was getting hit up frequently enough for personalized advice and suggestions that [he set a donation amount for it](https://ridgelineimages.com/contact/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for): ¥1500 (about $10 USD). Based on the [activity on his Ko-fi page](https://ko-fi.com/ridgelineimages?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for), it seems like a lot of his readers have taken him up on this affordable value exchange. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-05-at-2.25.02---PM.png) Excerpt from David’s contact page ✅ **Pros:** - Compensates you for “quick questions” and “pick your brain” type requests - Allows you to avoid setting up a consulting practice and delivering services ❌ **Cons:** - Undervalues your consulting rate which for most of us is somewhere between $150-2000 an hour! (Though as a person who hates consulting with a passion, I see the appeal of these quick, cheap commissions, especially for a consumer-focused publication) ## The tip jar as a*one time raise* Want to pay for something you didn’t budget for? That’s where a [one time raise](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/need-quick-revenue-run-a-one-time-reader-raise?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) comes in helpful. You can promote your one time raise as a campaign (like [*The 51st*](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/is-it-possible-to-not-have-a-paywall?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)[did last month](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/is-it-possible-to-not-have-a-paywall?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)) OR you can operate it [like a tip jar as](https://givebutter.com/khshEi?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for)[*Tangle*](https://givebutter.com/khshEi?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for) is doing. What’s the difference? Framing and urgency. Where *The 51st* needed $125k to make two full time hires immediately, *Tangle* is looking to raise $150k to fund their YouTube channel sometime this year. They’ve been running this campaign in the background for months and they refer to it as a tip jar in their newsletter. [*Tangle*](https://www.readtangle.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for)[’s](https://www.readtangle.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for) been promoting the “tip jar” regularly but it’s taken a backseat to their membership offer which is usually the primary call to action on their newsletters. That’s probably why their raise is going a lot slower than *The 51st*’s, despite having an audience that’s at least 10x larger. Having just interviewed the *Tangle* team for next week’s edition, I’m sure this is intentional. Not every call to action can have prime billing and it’s ok to go slower or deprioritize one of your revenue streams. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-05-at-3.52.11---PM.png) Tangle’s newsletter says “drop some love in our tip jar” ✅ **Pros:** - Makes it more likely that you’ll bring in the amount of cash you want. - Allows you to capture potentially high dollar donors. - Motivates your audience to pitch in more than generic support requests. ❌ **Cons:** - If you want to raise a lot of money, you’ll need to make your tip jar a loud primary call to action (and that can take away from subscriptions or sponsors temporarily). - Recurring contributors > one time supporters (but there’s overlap in these audiences). ## The tip jar as*extra appreciation* You can hold your tip jar out front when you’ve done something notable that you think people will want to financially back on its own. *404 Media* recently started [publishing their ICE reporting in Spanish](https://www.404media.co/were-publishing-our-ice-reporting-in-spanish/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for) because immigration raids in the US are largely affecting a Spanish-speaking or bilingual population. When they announced that they were doing that, they also plugged their paid subscriptions and their tip jar, because there’s an extra cost to translating those stories. Tying your tip jar into an editorial angle like this is a strong play—much stronger than a footer mention—because it appeals directly to what your readers appreciate about your work and why you need more money to produce it. I don’t normally advise a dual call to action like this (paid subscriptions and tip jar together) but in this case, when used sparingly, it can work well to capture as much reader revenue as people are willing to pitch in. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-05-at-2.09.02---PM.png) Excerpt from 404 Media’s announcement ✅ **Pros:** - Gives the tip jar a purpose without putting you on the hook for something new. - Allows you to capture potentially high dollar donors who want to throw in $500, $1000, etc because they believe in something you’re doing. - Allows paid subscribers to pitch in more on top of their subscription. ❌ **Cons:** - Detracts from your subscription offer (though that’s fine sometimes). ## So, what’s your tip jar for? It’s definitely NOT for reliable revenue but you can lean on a tip jar for bonus cash at any time. Important to keep in mind that you will need to actively promote your tip jar if you want serious money to come from it. A little “buy me a coffee” plug in the footer of a newsletter is not gonna yield much for you. Revenue streams require promotion. The challenge of your tip jar is finding the right utility for it without taking away funding that could go through subscriptions, services, products or another higher value path. It’s worth experimenting with to see how much promotion it takes to get some real cash flowing through it and then you can decide: what’s YOUR tip jar for? *Want more on tip jars? Read* [*my recap of my $5k summer reader raise*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-my-summer-reader-raise-is-going/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=what-s-your-tip-jar-for)*.* ### Is this work-life balance? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/is-this-work-life-balance-made-with-sunsama/ Last updated: 2025-08-27T11:17:21.000Z **Brought to you by Sunsama.** Make work-life balance a reality with Sunsama's daily planner. [Try Sunsama free for 30 days](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [![Sunsama logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/06/Untitled-design--27-.png)](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I never cared about work-life balance. First because I'm a product of the United States where work reigns supreme. Second because I grew up wanting to make movies. I knew that meant 14-16 hour workdays and it wasn't gonna leave time for much else. Having weekend plans? NO THANKS! In college, I spent as many Friday nights as I could on set with my dad watching the crew of *Law and Order: Criminal Intent* shoot a crime scene on the dark and gritty streets of the Lower East Side. ![Me with Kathryn Erbe and Jamey Sheridan on the set of Criminal Intent](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/08/Lexonsetcriminalintentwalkie.png) Me with Kathryn Erbe and Jamey Sheridan on the set of Criminal Intent circa 2002 This all or nothing view of work continued far into my 20s as I followed in my dad's footsteps, moved out to LA and started working in TV. Tech was no better for balance when I switched careers in 2012\. If my job workload wasn't hefty enough, I found extracurriculars to fill my time like co-founding a film festival or freelancing on a startup's design. If you're not hustling, you're being hustled, right??? When I became an entrepreneur, this behavior put me in a dangerous place. It's VERY EASY to justify working 24/7 on your own company. But it starts to be a real grind at some point. It's not fun anymore. It's just frustrating. An endless to do list. I had a wake up call in 2021 when a doctor told me I had created a bunch of health problems for myself by working so much. I needed to make a change. Soon after that, I found something that would help me make this change: [Sunsama](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [Try Sunsama FREE](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Sunsama is my daily planning tool. It's improved how I see time. It's improved how I budget time. It's improved how I spend time. I do want to prioritize some LIFE STUFF now like getting new eyeglasses (hello, progressives!), buying a gift for my dad (happy birthday Pops!) and planning my next trip (Antigua, Guatemala!) Sunsama helps me balance this alongside work easily. [![A view of my Sunsama dashboard (work and personal are labeled and you see all my tasks)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/08/sunsamascreenshot.png)](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) A view of my Sunsama dashboard Inside [Sunsama](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), I have tags for work and personal and then labels for specific themes like this newsletter (#revenue-rulebreaker) and my travel days (#transition-tasks). Sunsama auto-labels new tasks for me, making it easy to see the split of work + personal. It also estimates how much time it believes each task will take. It gets better over time as I add similar or recurring tasks. [![My channels in Sunsama](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/08/channelcontexts.png)](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) My tags in Sunsama (called "channels") What's powerful about this is that Sunsama reflects back to me: - My predicted work load at the beginning of the day - What time I can shut down work based on how much is on the list - How I ACTUALLY spent my time at the end of the day [Try Sunsama FREE](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) [![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-26-at-4.18.16---PM.png)](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) How I spent my time (shown in Sunsama) These in-my-face reminders of where the time goes help me make room for important stuff like getting to the doctor (something I LOVE to put off). Because the time estimates make it easy to see how personal tasks would impact my work schedule. If I take 2 hours to go to the doctor, I have 4 hours of work to budget and I can just drag those tasks around. Or maybe it's easier to turn it into a personal day. Either way, Sunsama lets me see how the scenarios impact my schedule. The end result is that I actually do get my work done at a reasonable hour now. I'm writing this at 4:30pm and I'm gonna be done for the day after that, having accomplished what I needed to today. Past Lex wouldn't know what to do with themself. New Lex knows there's something called LEISURE and is excited to experience that ☀️ Can you relate to overworking yourself into the ground? If so, you should try Sunsama. It will help you use your time better. Try it free for 30 days. [Try Sunsama FREE](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 🎲 Lex ### Your first 90 days as a media entrepreneur URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/your-first-90-days-as-a-media-entrepreneur/ Last updated: 2025-08-24T17:26:29.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Outpost can handle of a whole lot of this launch checklist automatically for you 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I'm always surprised at how long it takes people to launch things. But I shouldn't be. I used to work with tech founders on their first products. We'd spend months building with them, despite advising them over and over again that it was a bad idea to pour so much effort into an unproven idea. Ask me how InVision fumbled a billion dollar valuation with a multiyear heads down relaunch. Building too long in secret without an audience is a waste of time. It could never be me! It will never be you! Instead, you want to launch lightly and validate early that your concept, audience and revenue model are correct. What does it mean to launch lightly? Launching lightly means keeping the content/audience/revenue validation at the center of your mind. Don't add extra busywork for yourself like design (for god's sake, unless your design is SPECTACULAR or UNREADABLE, no one gives a shit). Stay focused on proving your model quickly. Your top priorities as you launch a media business should be (in order): 1. Ship really good stories 2. Find your big fans 3. Prove your revenue model Here's how you're gonna do that. A 90 day plan for launching your next media venture. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Don't launch with monthly subscriptions URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/dont-launch-with-monthly-subscriptions/ Last updated: 2025-08-21T23:42:06.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Outpost helps indie publishers like us convert more free readers into paid subscribers 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- Launching with monthly subscriptions is one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a media entrepreneur. Why? Because it's a recipe for FAST BURNOUT. Let's say you're going to charge $7 a month for your media subscription. (I believe you should charge at least $9 but I'm gonna say $7 because I know you were thinking $5 so we'll meet in the middle 😛) --- Welcome back to [No Monopoly Media Week](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/no-monopoly-media-week/). Every day this week, I'm sending you a story about why we should read, back or *become* indie media. **I'm doing this to raise awareness for the mission behind my work this year and to raise audience funding to keep going.** [Join my Summer Reader Raise](https://ko-fi.com/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#galleryItemView)! Shout out to Devin, Chris, and Dr. Metcalf for your contributions yesterday and to Jamie for becoming a Lifetime Legend! Only $2050 more to go which is just 7 more people becoming LIFETIME LEGENDS. Will it be you!? It could be you! [Be part of this project](https://ko-fi.com/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#galleryItemView) --- Ok, so you're offering $7/month for your labor of love. You get your first subscriber. Then, your second. Best case when you launch you get maybe 100 paid subscribers unless you're Alex Hormozi huge. 100 paid subscribers at $7/month is $700 a month. Is that sufficient to compensate the time it takes you to research, write, interview, record, edit, design, publish, market—whatever you're producing? Probably not. And most of us don't get 100 paid subscribers right off the bat so if it's more like 20 subscribers then you're making $140 bucks a month. And you'll watch as people join every week and you make...$7 extra dollars each time. BLEAK SHIT. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Why paid newsletters. Why now. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-paid-newsletters-why-now/ Last updated: 2025-08-20T14:40:08.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Outpost automates everything you need to sell more subscriptions 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- Welcome back to [No Monopoly Media Week](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/no-monopoly-media-week/). Every day this week, I'm sending you a story about why we should read, back or *become* indie media. **I'm doing this to raise awareness for the mission behind my work this year and to raise audience funding to keep going.** [Join my Summer Reader Raise](https://ko-fi.com/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#galleryItemView) if you'd like to be part of my projects. Shout out to Kelley and Deborah who became Legends this week. Become a Lifetime Legend for $297 and join us for our mixer next month and our Secret Santa Swap in November. [Be part of this project](https://ko-fi.com/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#galleryItemView) --- Everyone has a paid newsletter. Or so it seems. And you can't even make it through the free ones! I have a confession to make...me neither. Sure, I'm subscribed to about 1000 newsletters and I pay for about 15 of them, but I VERY RARELY read newsletters. Even the ones I pay for. I can't believe you're reading this one right now! So, why do I think paid newsletters are still your best entry point into media? **Because everyone needs a newsletter.** NO MATTER your primary medium, you're going to want a newsletter to promote it. Let's say you're mainly a podcaster. How are people learning about new episodes of the show? Only from their podcast platform? Just from social media? No! Of course not. You've also got them on your list so you know who they are, so you can communicate with them and so you can encourage them to listen to the latest episode. The same goes for YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Bluesky, Instagram, blogs and anywhere else you could possibly be producing media. The only place you have full agency over your audience is still email. ![The newsletter surrounded by YouTube, the podcast, products, livestreams, merch and events](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/08/Add-a-heading--2-.png) The newsletter at the center of your (media) business ### What paid newsletters are for _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Should you become a media entrepreneur? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/should-you-become-a-media-entrepreneur/ Last updated: 2025-08-19T22:26:18.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Indie publishers like 404 Media, Tangle and Hell Gate use Outpost to sell more subscriptions 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- Welcome back to [No Monopoly Media Week](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/no-monopoly-media-week/). Every day this week, I'm sending you a story about why we should read, back or *become* indie media. **I'm doing this to raise awareness for the mission behind my work this year and to raise audience funding to keep going.** If you get inspired by what I'm doing and want to be part of it, [join my Summer Reader Raise](https://ko-fi.com/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#galleryItemView). Y'all contributed $335 yesterday (shout out Deborah, Pame, Will, Keren, Jo and my Mom and Pops) and I am so grateful. 🥳 Perks start at $20\. Join us! [Be part of this project](https://ko-fi.com/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#galleryItemView) --- I will never forget my first news story. I was in high school and I had just gotten my first car. My mom's friend, who wrote for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, wanted to do a story on it. Something like *how to buy your kid a car* or *what makes parents most panicked about their teenage drivers*. It's been so long I don't remember why this was even a story. The AJC sent a photographer over to our house and a photo of my mom, me and the car appeared in the paper. The next day, it was all over this local talk radio show. The co-hosts were pissed that my parents let me have a license plate with James Dean's face on it that read "Live Fast." You know...because James Dean died in a car accident. Slow news day I guess. I didn't listen to this guy's show so I found this out when an administrator stopped me before class and pulled me into their office. They wanted me or my mom to release a statement to counteract all the "bad press" since the school was mentioned in the article. I laughed out loud, ignored their request, and the whole thing faded away in 24 hours. Back then, THE MEDIA was very different from THE PUBLIC. I didn't have a platform to respond to this (should I have wanted to). We would have had to issue a statement back to the AJC or to a local TV station. YouTube didn't exist. Neither did social media. I couldn't go on a friends podcast or join a livestream. I didn't have my own email list. Corporate media controlled the message on every level. For better or worse, that line is completely gone. Everyone is the media now. Or I should say everyone *can be* the media. And sure, that comes with it's own fresh problems like ever-present surveillance and questionable fact checking practices and online harassment and major media literacy declines. But, let's set aside those problems momentarily and look at the opportunity you have to grab the mic anytime and show us inside your world. *Why might you want to do that?* _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Backing indie media is not like paying for Netflix URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/backing-indie-media-is-not-like-paying-for-netflix/ Last updated: 2025-08-18T15:35:29.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). If you're an indie publisher who uses Ghost, you need Outpost to sell more subscriptions 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- Welcome to [No Monopoly Media Week](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/no-monopoly-media-week/). Every day this week, I'm sending you a story about why we should read, back or *become* indie media. If you're a paid subscriber, you'll only get today's issue and then, the round up on Sunday. You can access all posts [via the site like usual](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/no-monopoly-media-week/). **I'm doing this to raise awareness for the mission behind my work this year and to raise audience funding to keep going.** If you get inspired by what I'm doing and want to be part of it, [join my Summer Reader Raise](https://ko-fi.com/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#galleryItemView). Become a lifetime backer of my work at $297\. Or join us for the year at $99\. Perks start at $20 :) [Be part of this project](https://ko-fi.com/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#galleryItemView) --- We are living in the most boring timeline for mainstream media. MTV News was nuked. Vice Media has been gutted. Amazon just laid off the whole Wondery podcast network. Spotify won't let you finish a long audiobook. Netflix is churning out the same documentary over and over again. Paramount just merged with Skydance, a company owned by Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison's son David, and then promptly canceled Stephen Colbert's show in an act of censorship. Speaking of Larry Ellison, last we heard, Trump still wants him [to buy TikTok](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/technology/trump-larry-ellison-tiktok-oracle.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for just the U.S. Oh joy! A little internet island just for us. What could go wrong? Any semi-successful media entity with an audience is ripe for purchase, and then, predictably, they face layoffs or shutdowns as they get chewed down into the conglomerate that acquired them. In the past, it was acknowledged even by the wealthiest capitalists among us that you needed good art and good journalism to attract an audience and make a profit. That sentiment is long gone in the age of AI. You must deliver content, yes. But does that content need to be good? Debatable. Politico called our current moment ["the post-journalism era"](https://www.politico.eu/article/balkans-media-us-donald-trump-jounalism-press/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and The Guardian's David Smith wants to know if Hollywood is ["in a death spiral?"](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/apr/26/los-angeles-film-and-tv-production?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) None of this sits right with me. I don't just want to consume media fed to me by a small set of monopoly media owners like Jeff Bezos, Marc Andreessen and Reed Hastings. (In case you're wondering why I tossed Andreessen in here. It's because his firm is a majority investor in Substack and he's funding [a new podcast network](https://www.businessinsider.com/andreessen-horowitz-looking-to-hire-build-podcast-network-2025-7?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)) The media industry isn't just collapsing. What we consume as media is flattening too. News, movies, stories, comics, books, podcasts. You name it. It's increasingly being produced by a select few and, at this point, it is often a regurgitation of what already exists. This is bad. It's bad because we're gonna miss out on a whole lot of stories we could be hearing, reading or watching. It's bad because it won't reflect the diversity of experiences we're having on this planet. It's bad because it's fucking boring. So, what's the answer if you're not a billionaire who can control the media? We have to financially back indie media. Maybe even...become indie media. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### No Monopoly Media Week URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/no-monopoly-media-week/ Last updated: 2025-12-10T18:24:01.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I talk about revenue a lot but what I rarely talk about is why I think more of us need to become the independent media ventures we want to see. And why we all need to back them. Financially. I started this project and [my other one](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to help independent voices find the funding that keeps them independent. In 2019, I was knocking doors for now LA City Councilmember Nithya Ramen when I learned how many people in my neighborhood did not know that they were even physically in the city of Los Angeles. *"LA City Council? I live in the valley! Not LA!"* Beyond that, people truly did not give a shit about city council. Weird because they do seem to care a whole lot about Trump and those little equality signs in their front yards. The disconnect was too much for me so I launched a newsletter: [*LA Pays Attention.*](https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/mail-in-ballots-civics-covid-19/la-pays-attention-civic-engage?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) In it, I wrote real talk explainers of what city council, the mayor and the governor do—complete with hilarious graphics like this one (if I do say so myself). ![Where in the world is Eric Garcetti](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/08/0acf8edb-fec0-4a7d-9af0-7a8ec7071d83_1786x844.webp) *LA Pays Attention* never got that big. At it's height, it was maybe 3k readers. But it did have some impact on how other media outlets do civic education. I got calls from the Editors in Chiefs of more than one notable California outlet. I got mentioned in the LA Times, CalMatters, and LAist. I got a feature on KCRW. I did a crosspost with The Appeal. And several journalists told me they found the straightforward style of my newsletter to be refreshing. Readers loved it too. I didn't invent explainers, but I did notice that they became much more prevalent in local media post-*LA Pays Attention,* like [this one on LA's police](https://laist.com/news/criminal-justice/la-explained-the-police?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [these from *LA Public Press*](https://lapublicpress.org/category/content/explainers/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which bought *LA Pays Attention,* and has always seen the value in that type of service journalism from their inception. I would never have guessed that I—a non-journalist with no real political background—could reach people in a way that would last. But I don't think we're just talking about politics or news. I started my career in TV which was eaten by big tech soon after I left. Hollywood is completely risk averse now, only willing to produce Jurassic Park 75\. Tech is rarely exposed for what they're actually up to. Open Netflix these days and see a bunch of formulaic documentaries that are borderline AI-generated. Are we going to let our entire media diet be fed to us by Jeff Bezos and Reed Hastings? THAT SOUNDS BORING. What if...we write our own TV shows, make our own movies, run our own livestreams, build our own digital experiences, create our own games and distribute them ourselves? I know that's scary. It doesn't sound feasible. But it is. People are doing it. You can be one of them. It's a *no one is coming to save us* moment. And I think PART of the answer to our current crises is building back up independent writing, podcasting, and video. Whether you're making a funny show about what it's like to be a parent in 2025 or reporting on ICE raids in your neighborhood, you're playing an important role in how we all see and navigate the world. Maybe, in the past, we could rely on institutions to offer that, but we can't anymore. It's on us now. And I believe we can do it. Or at least that we can DO SOMETHING. That's why I do this work to help indie media businesses bring in their own revenue. To get this (hopeful?) message out a little wider, I'm running what I call **No Monopoly Media Week** from August 18 to 22\. I'm going to release one post a day about how more of us can become part of the indie media movement. I hope it inspires you to find your own voice in this or to go bigger than you were thinking you would. Follow along on the newsletter. If you like it, you can [contribute to my summer reader raise](https://ko-fi.com/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#galleryItemView) to back this little project of mine. OR you can [become a paid subscriber](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/membership). [Be part of this](https://ko-fi.com/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#galleryItemView) Both of those actions make this work possible and allow me to offer free and low cost support to more than 3000+ indie business owners chasing their own path in my audience. Stay tuned in your inbox for a fresh post every day this week. You can expect stuff like "Should you become a media entrepreneur?" and "Don’t launch with monthly subscriptions." By the end of this, you're gonna wanna join us one way or another. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/08/Free-vs-Paid-Newsletters--4-.png) ### My goal setting method using Sunsama URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/my-goal-setting-method/ Last updated: 2025-12-06T16:45:37.000Z **Brought to you by Sunsama.** Make work-life balance a reality with Sunsama's daily planner. [Try Sunsama free for 30 days](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [![Sunsama logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/06/Untitled-design--27-.png)](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) [Try Sunsama FREE](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I recently passed 200 paid subscribers. This was not an accident. It was a goal. Last year, I set a goal to have 500 active paid subscribers by the end of this year. It all started with a revenue target I needed to hit to fuel this project. And because that revenue target felt VERY LOFTY, I knew I couldn't just hold it out at arm's length and look at it longingly and hope it happened. I needed a plan. I needed smaller bits and pieces to work on in order to actually hit 500 active contributors. ![My goal method from yearly to daily](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/08/my-goal-method--2--1.png) ## The Quarterly or Monthly Plan I took my yearly goal and divided it into quarterly goals. **Monthly goals** could also work here, but I find they are too short and prone to timing issues outside my control. For example, it's August as I write this. I'm taking a lot of this month off. It's back to school or summer break for much of my audience. August is just not going to remotely compete with September as far as numbers. **Quarterly goals** give me a 12 week span to do something meaningful. I can weather weird seasonal shifts and personal failures to pretty much always come out on top (or close!) at the end of a quarter. With my 500 paid subscribers goal, that broke down to having: - 125 active subscribers in Q1 - 250 active subscribers in Q2 - 375 active subscribers in Q3 - 500 active subscribers in Q4 I have 12 weeks to achieve these marks. I started capturing activities that will drive paid subscribers. Some of those activities included: - Onboarding subscribers - Hosting an event - Running subscriber drives for 1-2 weeks - Offering a promotion - Producing a particular issue - Setting up an automation - Getting feedback from canceled subscribers I prioritized my ideas based on what I think will work (using past evidence of what already has). Some things I'll only do in a specific quarter (like an event or a subscriber drive). Other things, I do every week like onboarding subscribers or getting feedback from canceled subscribers. ## The Weekly Plan Now I had a yearly target, a quarterly goal and ideas of what I can do to hit that goal. I turned that into my weekly plan. [![The weekly objectives view in Sunsama](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-05-at-11.04.13---PM.png)](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) My weekly plan in Sunsama Up until this point, I'm just using a Google Doc or even a piece of paper to think through my plan. When I want to start working on it, it has to go into my planner, [Sunsama](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [Try Sunsama free](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) I draw from the prioritized idea list of what I think will help me reach my goal. I load in no more than 3 of those ideas as "objectives." You can add all the priorities for the whole quarter if you want to, week by week. I don't do that because I'm kind of lazy and because I secretly know I won't operate by a fixed 12 week plan. But I will follow my own one week plan. ![Screenshot of weekly objectives view in Sunsama](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-05-at-11.15.23---PM.png) Weekly objectives in Sunsama ## The Daily Plan Some of the weekly objectives that fit into my quarterly goals are clear tasks and others need to be broken into smaller bites. That's where the daily plan comes in. Let's use one of my real weekly objectives as an example: ***"Plan September subscriber drive."*** This objective has a few parts to it. I need to write out the strategy. I need to coordinate timing with my main collaborator. I need to get some audience feedback. I need to create graphics to promote it. I need to write some messaging to promote it. And as I start working on it I will uncover more stuff I need to do. I can just add these as tasks and connect them back to my objective. [Try Sunsama free](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ![Task view in Sunsama](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-05-at-11.10.19---PM.png) Adding a task in Sunsama Because I began this whole process with a yearly goal, I know that this task and its objective are all part of the plan. And I know *exactly* what they are meant to drive for my business. 125 active paid subscribers at a time. This makes what to work on each week SUPER EASY because I already know where I'm going and what's going to get me there. I'm also able to easily adjust this plan if it's not driving the numbers because it's all movable in Sunsama. I'll bump stuff that's not performing and switch out ideas to try week by week. I used to keep a lot more of this in my head, but the more serious I take my business, the more of these tasks and objectives need to be written down in order to get executed in time. The truth is that I'm hitting my goals because I'm looking at them a lot and because the plan to achieve them is sitting right in front of me. If you've been dragging on stuff you want to do, check out [Sunsama](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). It changed how I worked and it could change how you work too. [Try Sunsama FREE](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) I'll be back with a fresh edition of *Revenue Rulebreaker* on Sunday. See you then! 🎲 Lex ### How much money I made the first half of this year URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-much-money-i-made-the-first-half-of-this-year/ Last updated: 2025-08-10T15:00:42.000Z I'm sick of the *"how I made $300k in 3 minutes"* posts so I sincerely hope this does not come across that way. The amount of revenue I bring in is NOT impressive on its own. What's impressive is HOW I make that money. Or at least I think it's impressive, given that last summer I was wondering [if I could even become a full time creator](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/set-full-time-creator-heres-going/) and this year I am one. Now granted, I am a low income full time creator, but it's *very close* to being sufficient for my lifestyle. At the end of last year, I broke down all [my expenses and my revenue targets](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-spent-what-on-what/). What I came up with was that I needed to make... _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Why Substack's new valuation means a monopoly is brewing URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-substacks-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing/ Last updated: 2026-02-05T03:57:55.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- *Update: Read* [*this story on The Chernin Group*](https://www.adweek.com/media/tcg-chernin-group-content-commerce-food52-hodinkee-pros-closet/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*, one of Substack's lead investors (2/4/26)* Whenever I hate on Substack, the top question I get asked is *“Well, what platform should we be using?”* This is the wrong question. **Are we building independent media or are we building platform-dependent media?** We should not be looking for answers to our business problems inside a platform and we sure as hell should not be looking to Substack to save us from media collapse. Substack’s [latest funding round crowned them a tech unicorn](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/newsletter-platform-substack-valued-11-billion-latest-funding-round-2025-07-17/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing) with a valuation over $1B dollars. It’s never been a scarier time to be associated with their platform. I’ve talked a lot about why Substack is [bad at paid newsletters](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/is-substack-bad-at-paid-newsletters?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [how they steal your audience and your revenue](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [how they’re disempowering writers](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/audience-hackers-vs-craftsmen?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Now, I want to talk about what I think will happen with Substack next and why it’s time for me—and maybe you—to divest altogether. ## How Substack’s monopolizing “independent” media Substack has made their brand bigger than yours. And the press has played right into their hand. [“Terry Moran launches Substack after sudden ABC News departure”](https://www.axios.com/2025/06/12/terry-moran-trump-substack-abc-news-trump-miller?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing) [“](https://ny.eater.com/news/401039/eater-ny-substack-newsletter-sign-up-restaurant-nyc-news?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing)[Yes, Eater New York Is Now on Substack”](https://ny.eater.com/news/401039/eater-ny-substack-newsletter-sign-up-restaurant-nyc-news?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing) [**“**](https://www.yahoo.com/news/jim-acosta-heads-substack-cnn-215712618.html?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing)[Jim Acosta Heads to Substack After CNN Exit”](https://www.yahoo.com/news/jim-acosta-heads-substack-cnn-215712618.html?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing) Terry Moran could have launched (his media brand), but he launched “a Substack,” according to Axios. Jim Acosta could have headed (out on his own), but he went to “Substack after CNN,” according to The Wrap. Even journalists themselves will say “my Substack” instead of naming THEIR OWN BRAND. [“Read my Substack”](https://www.anildash.com/2024/11/19/dont%5Fcall%5Fit%5Fa%5Fsubstack/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing) is a now ubiquitous catchphrase that leads everyone from [the New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/business/substack-newsletter-subscription-costs.html?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing) to your casual reader cousin to conflate independent media and Substack as one inseparable entity. [](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7353567151158448131/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing) Substack operates as an ecosystem. This is touted as their greatest advantage—the so-called writers’ network—but it has also resulted in a singular feed that has the capacity for deciding whose voice matters and which posts should get seen, much like Twitter, Facebook and TikTok. All it takes is one board member to say, *“you should really be showing more messages about XYZ”* for Substack’s feed to look completely different. We’ve seen this movie before with [Twitter and Elon Musk](https://www.npr.org/2024/10/22/nx-s1-5156184/elon-musk-trump-election-x-twitter?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing). With [Facebook and Cambridge Analytica](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/07/the-great-hack-facebook-cambridge-analytica/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing). With [TikTok and Trump](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/us-news-tiktok-could-go-dark-in-the-us-if-trumps-commerce-secretary-sounds-alarm-over-apps-fate/articleshow/122907350.cms?from=mdr&utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing). A single point of control will be controlled. ### Substack conned their way to cultural relevance [Substack has gaslit writers](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/audience-hackers-vs-craftsmen?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) into believing the platform will operate their business on their behalf. Their marketing uses language like “growth on autopilot” and “magic dust” that has successfully wooed many writers who don’t want to learn the media business into their arms. ![screenshot of a linkedin comment](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/31e06e05-18fa-43ef-a7d4-a9dffeeb3d7e/Screenshot_2025-07-25_at_3.53.23_PM.png?t=1753480414) Ivan tries to open a story on Substack only to be pushed to download their app Is Substack helping writers grow their own publications? We can’t actually know that. Substack has made their analytics close to useless, overcrediting themselves for your growth. They create a public ghost profile for EVERY ONE OF YOUR READERS without their permission. That means if your newest reader has ever subscribed to another Substack publication, Substack takes credit even when YOUR MARKETING EFFORTS actually brought them in. [![LinkedIn post from venture capitalist Benedict Evans](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/d3ae1a65-22cd-42de-a248-c8036711bbbc/Screenshot_2025-07-25_at_3.37.15_PM.png?t=1753479446)](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/benedictevans%5Fi-dont-use-substack-to-publish-my-newsletter-activity-7319323633888227328-YjFy/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing) LinkedIn post from venture capitalist Benedict Evans (Interestingly, Benedict Evans was a VC at Andreessen Horowitz [when they first invested in Substack](https://a16z.com/announcement/substack/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing) by leading their Series A round.) We don’t have good data on Substack’s actual market share because email marketing and newsletter media are often mixed together in trend reports. Many of these reports will claim MailChimp (sold to Intuit for $12B in 2021) has the [most market dominance in the email realm](https://www.emailtooltester.com/en/blog/mailchimp-market-share/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing), but I don’t think that can possibly be true when it comes to journalists and media creators. Substack also needs to be compared to podcasting and livestreaming platforms now. It’s not just an email platform. It’s social media, newsletters, podcasting, livestreaming and group chats in one. Substack’s metrics do not seem to indicate that they have control of the indie publisher market either. They have [50k paid newsletters](https://stripe.com/en-nl/customers/substack?%5F%5Fhsfp=525086469&%5F%5Fhssc=45788219.1.1698088418801&%5F%5Fhstc=45788219.3e8fbfce87bd6d5ae4b7cca1b0ba54c6.1698088418801.1698088418801.1698088418801.1&utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing), compared to [beehiiv’s 110k total publishers](https://www.beehiiv.com/about?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing). Supposedly, their annual revenue is [around $45 million](https://www.newcomer.co/p/scoop-substack-in-talks-to-raise?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing), but they’re [still not profitable](https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/18/24299484/substack-newsletters-politics-not-profitable-frustrated-investors?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing), compared to [Ghost, which has been profitable for years](https://john.onolan.org/democratising-publishing/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing). So, why is Substack now valued at $1.1 billion dollars? Because legacy media and the political class are BOUGHT IN. Substack successfully swindled a critical mass of the media names and it’s now seen as the de facto landing place for legacy media pros like [Jen Rubin](https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5082152-jennifer-rubin-resigns-washington-post/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing), [Mehdi Hasan](https://zeteo.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing), [Paul Krugman](https://www.cjr.org/analysis/paul-krugman-leaving-new-york-times-heavy-hand-editing-less-frequent-columns-newsletter.php?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing), and [Joy Reid](https://www.thedailybeast.com/canceled-msnbc-star-joy-reid-is-taking-her-talents-to-substack/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing). Even [The Washington Post wants in](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jun/14/washington-post-in-talks-with-substack-about-using-its-writers?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing). Politicians are also flocking to Substack, with [RFK](https://substack.com/@robertfkennedyjr?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing), [Tulsi Gabbard](https://substack.com/@tulsi?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing), [Pete Buttigieg](https://petebuttigieg.substack.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing), [John Reid](https://thereidrevolution.substack.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing), [Matt Gaetz](https://substack.com/@gaetz?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing), [Mike Huckabee](https://huckabeepost.substack.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing), [Hakeem Jeffries](https://repjeffries.substack.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing) all publishing there. The [State Department](https://statedept.substack.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing) posts official government communication there. Not to mention brands starting to [open up shop there too](https://thehustle.co/news/ready-your-inbox-the-brands-are-coming-to-substack?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing). In short, Substack may not be generating enough actual capital, but they have scammed their way to a significant amount of cultural and political capital. This new valuation is betting they can turn that cultural capital into a massive payout for their investors. ### My predictions post Series C Substack’s Series C round brought in two notable new venture capital firms: [The Chernin Group](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TCG%5F%28company%29?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing), founded by Peter Chernin, former President and COO for News Corp, and [BOND](https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/24/mary-meeker-raises-1-25b-for-bond-her-debut-growth-fund/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing), started by Kleiner Perkins alum Mary Meeker. BOND Capital was founded to [focus on later stage investments](https://www.venturecapitaljournal.com/mary-meekers-new-firm-bond-to-raise-1-25-bln-maiden-fund-report/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing). Substack is an unusually risky investment for them and [one of the few media-centric ones](https://www.bondcap.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing#investments). Partner Mood Rowghani is joining Substack’s board. The Chernin Group is more familiar with the media business, having invested in Barstool Sports, The Athletic, Crunchyroll, and Fullscreen. Chernin’s media background and connections are a big asset for Substack’s flailing founders. Both firms are known for betting on brands that already have traction, and since Substack’s business metrics aren’t impressive enough to warrant a $1B+ valuation, BOND and Chernin must’ve seen fairly “sure bet” potential for the immense cultural pull Substack has [to start printing a helluva a lot more cash](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jasoncalacanis%5Fsubstack-startups-media-activity-7353526682768531458-NLAr/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing) for its investors. Or at least, they’re gonna make it so. ### How is Substack gonna get to that exit? Here’s five predictions. - [Advertising is already being reported](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/business/substack-fundraising-social-network.html?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing) as the next addition to the Substack ecosystem, because it’s the fastest way for them to make cash. We could see programmatic ads across Substack where publishers share in a tiny fraction of revenue, similar to YouTube’s model. Or they could try to copy beehiiv and create an advertiser marketplace, which is harder to pull off because it requires individual publisher adoption and thus, would be a slower path to revenue. - **AI-generated content is coming.** MORE AI is the mandate of Silicon Valley right now and [Substack’s new investor Mary Meeker is all about it](https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnwerner/2025/06/06/mary-meekers-tech-report-shows-pace-scope-of-ai-adoption/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing), as a financial backer of OpenAI and Meta. Substack’s already [setting the stage to pretend](https://on.substack.com/p/the-substack-ai-report?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing) their publishers asked for AI tools. They might use AI to generate compound publications that pull from actual Substack writers (kind of like what Spotify does with playlists). Maybe they’ll create whole new publications using AI or they could always just flood the feed with AI summaries a la Google. - **Co-founder Hamish McKenzie is probably gonna leave.** There’s much [speculation that leadership will be replaced](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Y2DpKiTMNjYzohLVwSFaH?si=yDH67F%5FmTE6HqGDoilllHw&utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing) (not atypical for growth stage startups) which could mean Chris Best too, but [Hamish has already been moonlighting as a journalist again](https://www.breakermedia.com/p/murdoch-trump-calls-hamish-s-hot-sauce-tbpn-vs-titv?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing). I think his ego has gotten too big to be a no-name founder behind a brand when he could be the brand. - **Focusing on big media names with big audiences.** This has always been Substack’s main growth lever and it will continue to be paramount for them. They will lean into more partnerships with outlets like The Washington Post, The Telegraph, Eater and any other established media or corporate brands who want to work with them because it brings audience, credibility and revenue, especially on an ad-enabled platform. Big media connections is where The Chernin Group is gonna come in handy and more crossover between their existing holdings and Substack is highly likely. - **Keeping the platform closed.** Substack publishers won’t get a public API or any integrations, maybe ever. beehiiv’s founder Tyler Denk [made an important comparison that Substack is like Amazon and beehiiv is like Shopify](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jasoncalacanis%5Fnewsletters-startups-creatoreconomy-activity-7354170497690923008-0OvJ?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAo-0gsBtjzfwlcsweIEilJXm%5F06-UxUSRk). Substack and Amazon prioritize building their platform, their brand and their userbase. Shopify (and Tyler is saying beehiiv too) helps brands build their businesses with their own websites, domains and customer bases. Substack will remain a closed system. I don’t see them adding a tip jar, pay per article or ecommerce capabilities anytime soon. Those don’t play into the games of either printing more cash fast OR building more cultural dominance. Unless major brands want to set up mini-stores there like TikTok, then this could change. I also don’t think they’ll start bundling writers together. It’s not much of a revenue play as it would likely lose them money, given that they couldn’t charge that much more than an individual publisher would. Netflix costs $8 and Spotify is $12\. Once you get into the platform pricing game, it’s all pretty low cost. It’s also not much of an audience play because a paying customer would already have to be a fan of at least one Substack publisher to even care about this. My most cynical self thinks that BOND and Chernin aren’t really that concerned with proving that Substack can generate more stacks of cash—though surely they want that. Instead, their bet is on the massive political role Substack is starting to have and how valuable that is to the right rich people. Their path to an exit doesn’t only include an acquisition or an IPO. They could also sell Substack to a kooky billionaire who wants to own more of the media. Billionaires like Elon Musk who bought Twitter for $44B and Axel Springer who bought Politico for over $1B have shown us that revenue and buyout number are not 1:1 and if there is political control to be had, there’s a sale to be made. I could even imagine Zuckerberg wanting Substack in his portfolio as Meta’s empire loses relevance. Despite what kind of exit they head towards, Substack either has to make a lot more money within the next few years OR become so ubiquitous that they actually are controlling the public discourse. Neither of those outcomes benefits you or me, as indie publishers. ## So, what do we do now? Well for me, I’m bowing out babes. I don’t want to help Substack pay back their investors and I don’t see how any possible future direction here is good for us. That’s why I announced this week that [**I am no longer helping new Substack publishers.**](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/substack-policy/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing)\*\* **As for you, if you’re already on Substack:** I get that many of you already have your business on Substack and that it may not be the right time for you to leave. I do think every Substack publisher needs an exit plan, but you may not make a move for a while. Start diversifying your marketing channels and figuring out how to reach your own audience so you’re resilient to their forthcoming changes. If you don’t have any paid subscriptions on Substack, I don’t know why you would stay. If you have less than 10k readers, you can [use Kit for free](https://kit.com/pricing?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing). Less than 2500 and you can [use beehiiv for free](https://www.beehiiv.com/pricing?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-substack-s-new-valuation-means-a-monopoly-is-brewing). If you have more than that, put up a crowdfunding or tip jar page and ask your readers to cover your platform fee. **If you’re thinking about starting on Substack:** Don’t. Unless you’re famous and they’ve been in contact about stealing your audience already, they’re not going to help you. They’ll feed you some disengaged bots that make you feel good and they’ll make it hard for you to leave by obscuring your metrics and making you believe you’re dependent on them. Above all, we need to know that tech platforms ARE EXTREMELY NOT the answer to how independent media will rebuild. We need to diversify across platforms. We need to backup our audience lists and our content database. We need to create our paths to distribution. We need to learn how to run subscription businesses. We need to spread ourselves out on the internet so when one billionaire decides to take a right turn, we can bow out of their way without any substantial impact to our own bottom line. Either you’re up for that challenge and you’re ready to build an independent media company or you’re just a pawn in a game only billionaires will win. — *\*Whenever I use the word “app,” I mean web and mobile. Substack’s website is a web app that shares a database with its mobile app.* *\*\*My Substack policy only applies to my solo work. It does not apply to Project C because it’s important to Liz that all creators are welcome there.* ### 10 Pitfalls of paid subscriptions URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/10-pitfalls-of-paid-subscriptions/ Last updated: 2025-07-22T03:55:52.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- You're thinking about what you could offer inside your paid subscription. Maybe a few paywalled posts? How about some merch? Perhaps a community? I'm here to warn you about making your subscription offer too big at launch. When I started [Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/membership), I included a sticker pack. I design stickers all the time and it sounded like an easy add to me. I was wrong. Sending stickers is a little more work than I realized. Designing them is one thing, but actually shipping them, especially with an international audience, took me many more hours than I thought they would. Good thing I only do it once a year. In fact, there's lots of things that are a little more work than I realized when it comes to managing a paid subscription. Many of them are things people tell me they want to launch with. You don't want to burn out in the early days of your project when you're making the least amount of money, so it's worth challenging how big you really need to go. I'm going to tell you to start small. You're not going to believe me and then you're going to come back to this blog post in a few months and realize I was right! Just believe me now before it's too late! These pitfalls are considerations for pre-launch projects. If you've already launched, you're past most of these, but you may still find them relevant. ## 10: Having multiple tiers _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Why subscription fatigue is not our problem URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-subscription-fatigue-is-not-our-problem/ Last updated: 2025-09-22T02:03:35.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- Subscription fatigue is a completely useless concept for indie creators and I'm tired of people using it as a catch all for their misunderstandings of the subscription business. It has become the rallying cry of legacy media journalists who are jealous that their peers have gone independent. And it's become an excuse for creators who don't want to learn the subscription business to punk out. Subscription fatigue mainly affects big corporations who want to reach a wide swath of consumers and who cannot ever get enough subscribers to feed their greedy bellies. They hire consumer trends [experts who find that people report "subscription fatigue"](https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/technology/digital-media-trends-consumption-habits-survey/2025.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and the major brand decides whether they can raise their prices or not. Netflix and the New York Times are forever chasing more, more, more. No matter how many they gain (and [they are still gaining record rates](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/07/business/media/new-york-times-adds-250000-digital-subscribers.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) of subscribers), it's never enough for them. This problem is not affecting solo creators or small teams. - Marisa Kabas of The Handbasket [doubled paid subscriptions](https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/02/an-independent-journalist-doubled-paid-subscriptions-after-scooping-everyone-on-the-federal-funding-freeze/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in February, right after Trump took office and the economy was predicted to tank. - Hell Gate [doubled their subscription revenue](https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/10/hell-gate-nyc-doubled-its-subscription-revenue-in-its-second-year-as-a-worker-owned-news-outlet/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in their last annual report. - Brand new publisher COYOTE Media Collective [raised over $100k in pre-sale subscriptions and contributions](https://givebutter.com/coyotemedia?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) this summer. - Matt Brown and his team at Extra Points are [hiring a full time writer](https://www.extrapointsmb.com/p/extra-points-is-hiring-a-new-full-time-writer-here-are-the-details-d1a2?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for the first time, backed primarily by their readers. - Jessica Valenti from [Abortion Everyday hired an editor](https://jessica.substack.com/p/meet-our-new-reporter-kylie-cheung) last month, funded by paid subscriptions. - Tony Mecia who publishes [The Charlotte ledger](https://charlotteledger.substack.com/) raised prices in March from $9 to $12 on the monthly subscription and from $99 to $129 on the annual subscription and is seeing [no big changes in subscription uptake](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/is-it-time-to-raise-your-subscription-price?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and a nice bump in revenue. - I just surpassed 200 paid subscribers after 8 months of running my projects, with many subscribers buying in on an annual or lifetime plan. "Subscription fatigue" is also not an actionable piece of information. It's not sustainable for you to chase down one time revenue from readers. The recurring revenue model is one of the most logical ones to choose right now, if you want to be audience-funded. Most indie creators need less than 10,000 paid subscribers to be successful. Many of us only need 500-1000 people to come on board. Your addressable market will always be substantially larger than the number of people you need to pay you. You're not going to run out of people to reach who have enough cash and interest to throw you a few bucks. If you try the subscription model and it does not work for you, you have a different problem. That problem is that you don't know how to position and sell your subscriptions. I blame my arch-nemesis Substack for popularizing this problem. What Substack does is court famous writers over there who already have a large audience, and then when they make an offer to that audience, a small percentage says yes and that writer makes a few thousand bucks and everyone pretends it's a wild success. See how easy the subscription business is! But the subscription business takes work. It especially takes work if you are building your audience and revenue at the same time. I'm convinced Substack doesn't know what this work is because they fail to support the majority of their users in executing it, despite their claims of providing ["magic dust."](https://post.substack.com/p/its-the-creators-economy-stupid) What is that work? Consistent and persuasive promotion. Your readers need to know why they would pay and how to pay you. [![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/07/Foundation-Map-Packet-version--1-.png)](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/foundation-map-everything-you-need-to-run-a-paid-newsletter-or-blog?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Snapshot from the Foundation Map of what it takes to run a subscription business This [entire blog](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [my other publication](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) are both about how to run a subscription business so I'm not going to go further into the mechanics of that in this post, but I'll leave you with a snapshot of the [Foundation Map](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/foundation-map-everything-you-need-to-run-a-paid-newsletter-or-blog?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (above) that outlines the basics of what you need to run a subscription media business. You can automate a ton of this (another thing Substack doesn't do!) and you'll also want to spend time making sure your existing subscribers are happy. That retention part is where you really win at the subscription business. Selling subscriptions takes work—separate work from publishing—and if you aren't selling your subscription then you don't have "subscription fatigue," you have "selling subscriptions fatigue." Rather than chalk every problem up to subscription fatigue, why not evaluate what's really going on with your audience? Talk to them. Ask them why they're not buying in. Uncover what they think is valuable about what you're doing. You'll learn a lot faster with their help versus trying to pin your sad metrics on some abstract societal problem. People are buying subscriptions. Why aren't they buying yours? ### I set out to raise $5k from my readers this summer. Here's how it went. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-my-summer-reader-raise-is-going/ Last updated: 2025-09-08T05:36:28.000Z It's been a slow season for me. Subscriptions are a bit behind my targets. Sponsored content isn't performing as well as it should. Maybe my projections were too optimistic. Maybe I'm being delusional about charging so little for what I'm offering. Maybe it's just summer. To me, it feels like it's all going as fine and as fast as can be expected. It's going to take some time to build up to the 500 subscribers I need to make my projects sustainable for me. I just crossed 200 subscribers this month. I'm still getting lots of interest in my free newsletters, free events, free downloads, low cost classes, and free advice from media entrepreneurs. I haven't slowed down with what I'm producing. I am super grateful for my [Lifetime Legends and Annual Legends](http://revenuerulebreaker.com/membership?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) who are a massive help here in contributing up front so I can afford to keep going as I build these projects and sustainable revenue streams. But I still have a gap I need to solve, so rather than try to make money another way that takes me away from these projects, I decided to run a Summer Reader Raise for $5k so I can keep going at the same pace. ## Why a reader raise I've had several people offer to pitch in more to support my projects. Some people appreciate my work and don't want to become a paid subscriber for whatever reason. Others are already paid subscribers who just want to contribute more. Either way, it means a ton to me and I will gladly take your money to keep this good thing going. I never forget the people who bet on me and I keep rewarding them for years to come, with introductions, with special invites, with the occasional 1:1 call or whatever they'd find valuable. I could always do other things for money, but when I make that choice, it pulls me away from the projects readers are already funding. The idea behind a reader raise is to get a little more investment in those projects, beyond your basic subscription tiers, from people who want to support it's sustainability and expansion. ## My goal I launched this campaign [at the end of June](https://bsky.app/profile/lexroman.com/post/3lsgxa2zkk224?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). My goal was $5,000 by August 31 which would augment my income for July, August and September. I'm bringing in about $4,000-5,000 [on a good month right now](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-much-money-i-made-the-first-half-of-this-year/) and there's pretty much no buffer room to run lower than that for too long so this reader raise helps fill the gap of the summer revenue slump (which is more like $3000 right now). I am working to get farther ahead of my revenue so I can last for longer with slower growth on the paid subscriber side, but I had a lot of unexpected churn this summer along with a heavier workload with live events, sponsorship campaigns, post publishing and platform migration which meant I don't really have that much spare time to add more work. I'm gonna have to cut down on how much I'm hosting and publishing though because it's not working sufficiently to build a stable income for me. The mix will change this fall. ## Perks of contributing I added two perks right away when I launched this reader raise—the annual Legends subscription and the Lifetime Legend Status. Those were easy because my thinking was that if you contribute as much or more as the subscription cost, I might as well make you a subscriber. As the raise went on, I added the $20 perk for my newsletter class and the $79 perk for everything in my shop (which includes the newsletter class). The last thing I added was a $499 1:1 call with me, which no one took me up on. My call price is regularly $1000, which also no one has taken me up on. And that's fine with me. I don't want to do one hour calls. They really fuck up my day, and they're super unsatisfying for me, so that combined with my 13+ years of experience in growth and revenue that I can boil down to a custom recommendation for you in minutes is why calls with me are so expensive. But I digress. Here's the list of perks I offered. **Contribute $20 or more** ➡️ Get [my Launch Your Newsletter class](https://shop.lexroman.com/b/launch-your-paid-newsletter?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (that's $9 off what it usually costs). **Contribute $79** **or more** ➡️ Get [everything in my shop](https://shop.lexroman.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (that's $20 off what it usually costs). **Contribute $99 or more** ➡️ Get 1 year of a [Legends membership](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/membership) for you or a friend. **Contribute $297 or more** ➡️ Get a lifetime [Legends membership](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/membership) for you or a friend. **Contribute $499 or more** ➡️ Get 1 year of [Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/membership) \+ a [1:1 with me to talk revenue](https://savvycal.com/lexroman/powerhour?d=60&sid=acc9fb2d-d8d0-443e-b620-7d0e70e1c7f3&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (only 3 available) - a 60% discount on my call rate! ## Who contributed to the campaign 30 people contributed to this campaign. Some of them more than once. Many of them quite generously. 16 of the contributors to this campaign (more than half) are also paying members of my projects. Average contribution was $50. 1. Raven from Unraveled 2. Perez Jones 3. Colin Alsheimer 4. Rob McClinton 5. Raven O'Neal 6. Saul from Remote Queer 7. Greg Nix 8. Jeremy Hulette 9. Robin Petering 10. Max Pete 11. Maria Bustillos from Flaming Hydra 12. Devin Lee 13. Maigen Thomas 14. Andy Dehnart from reality blurred 15. Jordyn DiOrio 16. Jo Long 17. Pame Barba 18. Will Quezada 19. Keren Landman 20. Dr. Robert Metcalf 21. Chris Musei-Sequeira 22. Rochelle Sanchez 23. Linda Vinod 24. Christy Price 25. Antonio Neves 26. Tony Mecia from The Charlotte Ledger 27. Vanessa Armstrong 28. Shawnna Stiver 29. Jasmine Mithani 30. My mom and dad! ## How I promoted the reader raise ### Phase 1: Launching the raise I put this reader raise up on [Ko-fi as a goal](https://ko-fi.com/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). That made it easy to launch and easy to track. Plus, everyone could see how well I was progressing towards it. I also added a Zapier automation that posted to my Bluesky account every time someone contributed. This was major and drove a lot of contributions straight from Bluesky, even from my paid subscribers who follow me there. I think that's because I really did not have that much space to promote this via my email newsletters with everything else on the promo calendar so it got the most play on social. [![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-04-at-9.48.38---PM.png)](https://bsky.app/profile/lexroman.com/post/3lt7w75flxh22?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) My Zapier automation that posted every time someone pitched in ### Phase 2: No Monopoly Media Week The first month of the reader raise (July) went pretty slow and that's because I didn't do much! I was hoping that mentioning it a few times and having the automation going would get me halfway to my goal and it actually did, but then I realized I would need to step it up if I wanted to hit this goal in August. That's where the idea of [No Monopoly Media Week](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/no-monopoly-media-week/) came in. It was inspired by [Aftermath's Inside Baseball drives](https://aftermath.site/aftermath-site-subscriber-goals-2025?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I did something weird here that I wouldn't do again which is that I targeted No Monopoly Media Week at Revenue Rulebreaker readers EVEN THOUGH the people who benefit most from my free labor are the readers, DMers and event attendees of Journalists Pay Themselves. I did that because I knew I was going to be shutting down Journalists Pay Themselves in September and I didn't want to run a big raise over there and then say goodbye. Anyway, none of this was optimal and there is some overlap between the audiences so I tried to lean into that. No Monopoly Media Week was 5 days of posts. 1 a day. About why we should read, back and become indie media. It was entirely free for the newsletter but those [posts are now paywalled on the site](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/no-monopoly-media-week/). That week, we raised about $1300 towards the goal. In addition to 5 newsletters/posts, I did a lot of social media posting, probably twice on LinkedIn, many times on Bluesky plus I did 2 targeted email asks at my most active long time readers (which didn't work except to win back 1 very important Legend). It was successful enough. I was hoping to see more engagement from a wider range of supporters given how long some of these folks have been on my list (going on 4 years now!) and how many of them hit me up to tell me they love where everything is going but it did get me much closer to my goal of $5k. ### Phase 3: Substack migrations and 1:1 calls After No Monopoly Media Week, I was at something like $3400 raised which was 68% of my goal. And I had just gone pretty damn hard at messaging and targeting across my channels. So then I thought...maybe it was time to pull out a mega perk. A 1:1 call with me, which people ask for all the time and I don't like offering. I put up a landing page and listed the $499 perk as including a call with me to strategize revenue, 30 days of email support and 1 year in my Legends membership which includes all the guides you need to execute your plan. But I got no takers even though several people helped promote it for me. It was likely too short a window where no one was ready to buy it (and often the people who "want to pay me for my time" actually don't want to do that!) I did get a few last minute contributions (from paid subscribers) so we closed the campaign at 72% of the goal or $3600 out of $5000 raised. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-08-31-at-8.51.06---PM.png) A screenshot of the reader raise with it's final update ## How it went I'd say it went pretty fine. I don't think I took myself that seriously when I launched this in June and I'm saying that because I didn't have a real plan about how I was going to do this and promote it alongside everything else I'm promoting (subscriptions, sponsors, events, posts, etc). You really can't have more than 2 calls to action in a newsletter and you can only have 1 in a post so this was rarely a priority that made the cut. I also sort of regret hosting this on Ko-fi. It works ok for this purpose, but it won't let me easily embed the campaign on a landing page or in a post like this one. I can't link directly to the campaign and people can't see their donation easily. It also doesn't show me how much I raised, only a percentage I have to calculate. Next time, I'll try [Crowdfundr](https://crowdfundr.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) or something a bit more robust. As I started nearing the end of my reader raise dates, I realized I need to do a 1 year anniversary drive in October so I stopped myself from doing more intense 1:1 outreach for the summer. I didn't want to do so much hammering on people yet, because I would rather have them as a paid subscriber than as a one off $50 contributor. I'm making that plan now and it's going to be a more direct campaign which will include encouraging current subscribers to upgrade into longer lasting plans, with special loyalty discounts and making an ask of longtime readers again. Part of me thought I might have a couple people in my audience who would throw in $500-1000 just to be a bigger part of my world. There are a few folks like that who continually pitch in any time I ask but I didn't get any major contributors to this particular raise and that's probably because I didn't do that good a job messaging what this money was for. So through that lens, it's kind of impressive that 30 people pitched in $3600 just to help keep me going this summer. Also, learning how many of my paid subscribers were willing to support the sustainability of my work has made me think a lot about the tiers and perks of the subscriptions and whether there's a more inner circle offering I should be sharing with the people who are most invested in this with me. In the back of my mind, I think it could be interesting to do some profit sharing with my subscribers, but practically I don't really have "profit" yet so that's a ways off. Still, I love the idea that these are microinvestments and that you benefit back from them in more scalable ways than perks can deliver. Something to consider for the future when there's more cash to spread around. Next up: the 1 year anniversary drive of Revenue Rulebreaker! P.S. This summer reader raise is closed but the tip jar is always open if you want to contribute. [Contribute to this project](https://ko-fi.com/lexroman?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### A love letter to my paywall URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/a-love-letter-to-my-paywall/ Last updated: 2025-10-11T01:56:32.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- Beloved Paywall, No one gets our connection. Others may hate you. Berate you. Deprecate you. But with you by my side, I see a path to growth and stability I never knew was possible. My affection for you renews every morning when I wake up to Stripe notifications. *\*ping* a subscriber has renewed \* *ping* a subscriber has upgraded \* *ping* a new subscriber has joined My favorite thing about you is how you win over my readers. You greet them like a McDonald’s billboard on a long roadtrip, appearing every few miles until they finally say *“I really could go for that cheeseburger.”* Your commitment to showing up, over and over again, to softly remind each person that they’ve been here many times before, and it might be time to just come on in, makes my love grow stronger with every new story we publish together. You save me hours a day by having these conversations on my behalf. *“Don’t you love Lex’s work? Don’t you want to be part of making it possible?”* you ask, as you present an enticing offer to each of my readers, ready for the taking with the click of a button. But you are more than just money to me, dear Paywall. You also bring me security during volatile times. I know I can count on you to protect my sensitive posts, like when I make[a list of my beefs and feuds](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/assorted-beefs/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=a-love-letter-to-my-paywall) or when I share[my ill-advised financial decisions](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-spent-what-on-what/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=a-love-letter-to-my-paywall). Sometimes, I wonder if I should meter you and let people read a few more stories before introducing you—which I do think is a nice way publishers keep their paywall relationship healthy—but then I remember that I air a lot of grievances in my posts and it’s better that I have you there to block out my haters. *“Make the haters pay too!”* I tell you. You’re more than happy to oblige. Beauty may be fleeting for others, but your looks never fade. Your style and swagger are unmatched by any paywall out there, except maybe [Flaming Hydra](https://flaminghydra.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=a-love-letter-to-my-paywall) who keep trading their paywall up for a hotter, younger model. I’m not jealous. I swear. All of us want the best paywall we can possibly have. And I am certainly not planning on leaving you anytime soon, because I can’t think of anything I’d change about you. Yet. Few out there have our easy relationship. I feel for writers who don’t have a paywall on their side to say *“Stop in the name of loving this story”* because it is so much harder to make a living wage without you. I wish they knew they could give you a break anytime they wanted or offer free subscriptions to people who really can’t afford you or [run that meter](https://outpost.pub/metered-registration-wall-paywall/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=a-love-letter-to-my-paywall) we talked about to only bring you out in front of their biggest fans. Paywall relationships are so much more flexible than people want to believe. You know that I adore you, but I also have something special with my tip jar, my partnerships and my products. We don’t have to be married to work as a team. Our little payments polycule is set up to diversify where the revenue comes from so I never have to lean solely on you for support. I will not apologize for loving you, darling Paywall, because my projects don’t just need you to keep going, they are better because of you. The types of people you attract are not just financial contributors. They are also contributors to the work and to the community. Every paid subscriber you enlist becomes an investor in this work’s future. You are out here opening hearts and wallets at the same time. What skill! What talent! Ignore your haters. They probably don’t have those Stripe notifications on their phone so they don’t know how much money they’re losing and they don’t want to have FOMO so they just choose to MO. One day they’ll understand our love, but by then, you and I will be retired on an island with all the money we made together. Maybe Flaming Hydra can come too. Paywalls up. Wallets out. Can’t lose. XOXO$$$$$$$$$. ### Living in houses with strangers URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/living-in-houses-with-strangers/ Last updated: 2025-07-13T01:59:34.000Z *This post gets fairly personal and it mentions people by name so it's paywalled for my members. It's about why I find renting rooms with people I don't know to be more stabilizing than having my own place. I wrote a related piece for Invisible People during the fires in Los Angeles earlier this year that you can* [*read for free*](https://invisiblepeople.tv/permanent-impermanence-the-go-bag-mindset/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*.* --- _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Free vs paid newsletters URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/free-vs-paid-newsletters/ Last updated: 2025-09-22T02:03:17.000Z It's not avocado toast plaguing millennial budgets anymore. It's newsletters. The New York Times is worried people are [spending too much money](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/business/substack-newsletter-subscription-costs.html?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) on newsletters and not enough money on their games. The New Yorker's Kyle Chayka thinks writing might as well be declared dead in the era of ["parasocial holograms."](https://onethingnewsletter.substack.com/p/theres-a-new-media-model) WIRED [fears the door might be closing](https://www.wired.com/story/substack-is-having-a-moment-again-but-time-is-running-out/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) on Substack, given how "bad" subscription fatigue is. Their subscription publication wants to make sure your subscription publication is ok. Every day, someone *who is not in the newsletter business* has a different take on whether or not you should get into the newsletter business. Here is mine. ## Newsletters vs email marketing Not everything sent en masse via email is a newsletter. I would define a **newsletter**, for our purposes here, as a media product. Meaning that it stands alone and doesn't (usually) sell something else. If you write a newsletter about what's happening in your neighborhood, the thing I'm signing up for is the information *inside the newsletter*. It's not a funnel to buying a house. If the newsletter is a funnel to selling me a house, that's **email marketing.** Your newsletter can be stories, personal reflections, original reporting, educational, comedy or community contributions. It can take many formats, but in all cases for something that is a newsletter, the newsletter IS the product. It is not a means to sell or deliver a different product. **Email marketing** is more common with businesses who make money NOT with newsletters. A restaurant sends new menu updates and holiday specials via email marketing to reach customers. A web designer sends tips about websites as a way to keep in touch with clients and prospects. If you want to write, grow and monetize a newsletter AS the product, then you might have a newsletter business on your hands. If you just want an email list you can send updates to about what you're up to or when you have openings for new clients, you absolutely should do that. That's not a newsletter. It's an email list. It's super effective. And it's not what we're talking about here. ## Free newsletters I don't know why anyone would want a free newsletter anymore. I don't see a point to this and I don't see an upside to it. If you just like to write for writing's sake, get a journal. Join a writing group. Take a writing class. When people start a free newsletter, it's often because they want a way to build their brand. I would classify that as email marketing, because the newsletter is not the product—you or your business is. This label is not THAT important, but the reason I am making this delineation is that advice about newsletters and advice about email marketing is VERY DIFFERENT. Know which kind you are doing and what your purpose is. Why a newsletter? What's the result you want from it? If you are a writer and your service is freelance writing or editing, then the lines get blurry here and you could have a free newsletter product that leads people to want to hire you to write in a similar fashion or about the same subjects.Again, I don't understand why you wouldn't want to monetize it anyway, even if you don't want it to be your primary revenue stream. Make some money from the newsletter. Make some money from the work it brings you. *Por qué no los dos?* ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/07/1_xNlMxcYZ--FKfmOFAkM3Ww.jpg) Why not both meme Newsletters are a lot of work and they can become expensive to run so be clear about what return you expect from your free newsletter before you start. Is it client leads? Job prospects? Speaking invitations? Book sales? Something else? What does "build your brand" actually look like? Write down what makes this free newsletter worth your time. How many client leads. How many speaking invitations. What kind of feedback. From who. And when you want to see these results. This quarter. This year. In five years. If your newsletter does well and attracts more than a couple thousand people, you will likely have to start paying for your platform and that's when you might want to ask yourself if it's time to become a paid newsletter. ## Paid newsletters Paid newsletters are my jam. They are my business now and I see A TON of opportunity in this space for you and anyone who wants to go after it too. The problem is that Substack conned everyone into thinking they could launch a newsletter and go full time in mere months, thanks to the ["magic dust"](https://post.substack.com/p/its-the-creators-economy-stupid) of Substack's bargain basement growth team. You have to build your own paid newsletter business. Substack will not do it for you, though they will happily take credit for your success! Be sure you're up for the task of finding your audience, convincing them to pay and shipping issues year round on a regular cadence. Newsletter businesses are real businesses. They take many hours a week to do well. Writing is part of it, but you also have to learn how to market and sell plus you have all the normal business overhead too like managing Stripe accounts, handling taxes, dealing with legal issues and paying for software that helps you do all the above. It's super fun and rewarding and I do think most people can pull it off, but it can be a long journey if you don't come into it with an existing audience or an obvious topic. What makes a paid newsletter different from free newsletters and email marketing is the way you make money. A paid newsletter is monetized FROM the newsletter itself. I can only think of three revenue streams that apply here: subscriptions, sponsorships and one time contributions. Those three income sources exist because the newsletter exists. The newsletter's growth expands the revenue potential for all three and they each depend on the newsletter being delivered to work. I'm being a purist about this to draw some lines between email marketing, free newsletters and paid newsletters. In reality, you could run a sponsored newsletter and consider it a "free newsletter" because you don't charge your readers. I just get a lot of notes from confused people asking *"Should I start a newsletter?"* and I write back *"I thought you were in tile manufacturing?"* and then a month later, they're like *"Oh yeah, I just want to sell more tile."* What they really needed was an email list. I don't care what you call your newsletter email marketing mass email content media business. I do care how you take my advice and I don't want you wasting your time chasing a path you don't really want to go down. That's why I want anyone reading this to understand how I (and many other people) define these terms. My paid newsletter started as an email marketing list. In those days, sending emails was still time well spent for me because people bought my memberships or classes or products. The newsletter wasn't the product though. It was a vehicle for a sale. Now, it's the product. ## So, which one is right for you? If you want to build your brand and advertise your business, I would start an email list. If you want to build your brand, but writing is your business, you can start a free newsletter, if you really, really want to. Though, I strongly consider running an easy-for-you paid model with just lower expectations than a full time paid newsletter writer would set. If you want to make the newsletter a business on its own, then you should start a paid newsletter. If you're going the paid newsletter route, I encourage you to consider a hybrid revenue model of subscriptions and sponsorships. You can't run a business off of tips. But you can run a healthy business off a mix of subscriptions and sponsorships and you can add some products and services in later if you'd like to expand your newsletter-centric business too. If you're not sure that you want to start a paid newsletter, try running some surveys or polls to your existing audience about your proposed offer. Ask them to pitch into a one time campaign (I call this a [reader raise](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/need-quick-revenue-run-a-one-time-reader-raise?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)) and see if they do. You can always refund them if you don't actually want to launch your project. Everything changes based on what you want to achieve with your newsletter. So the question is not *"should I start a newsletter?"* It's *"why do I want to start a newsletter?"* --- For more on running paid newsletters, check out my posts on [JournalistsPayThemselves.com](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/live-travel-blog/) For more on email marketing, check out my posts under **Email and Newsletters 👇** [Email and Newsletters - Revenue RulebreakerEmail marketing and newsletter strategies![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/icon/revenue-rulebreaker-17.png)Revenue RulebreakerLex Roman![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/thumbnail/6-2.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/email-and-newsletters/) ### 🟢 Live travel blog URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/live-travel-blog/ Last updated: 2025-11-30T01:05:32.000Z Travel has unexpectedly become a huge part of my life. I’m on the road full time right now, living out of my suitcase and mostly planning to be in Latin America at least until the end of 2025\. México, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Colombia. I’m not a travel creator and it doesn’t make sense to start another project, but so much happens when you travel, both in the places you visit and in your brain. I wanted to capture some bits of it here. I’ll update this post as we move ✈️ _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I tried every planner and nothing worked until Sunsama URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-manage-your-time-when-youre-bad-at-managing-your-time-featuring-sunsama/ Last updated: 2025-12-06T16:46:46.000Z **Brought to you by Sunsama.** Make work-life balance a reality with Sunsama's daily planner. [Try Sunsama free for 30 days](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). [![Sunsama logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/06/Untitled-design--27-.png)](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I've always been a productivity nerd. My mom's friend called me "Rushmore" in high school because I was the president of every club. Racing between school and my job and all these extracurriculars I needed for college had me searching for better ways to fit it all in. Every year I'd choose a new planner and every year I'd question why it wasn't working. Our house was near an epic suburban mall, filled with stores like Franklin Covey and Successories (if you know, you know.) I would stop in on weekends, eyeing the newest planners, believing that A NEW LAYOUT would solve all my problems and actually keep me organized for once. At this point, I feel like I've tried every system out there. Happy Planner. Todoist. Trello. Asana. Those sad floppy planners you'd get at Office Depot. The promotional wallet calendars I got in the mail. The cute artsy Slingshot notebooks the record store sold. None of them worked. Until I found [Sunsama](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Sunsama taught me that I was DOING TOO MANY THINGS and more importantly, trying to shove too much into my days. No wonder I was so exhausted all the time. I ended every day with 5 more tasks in my queue. It sucks to feel like your life is a to do list. It sucks more to feel like you're always behind on it. What Sunsama gave me was a real sense of how much I could realistically do. You load in your tasks and the app will auto-estimate them for you. And then it will tell you YOU'RE DOING TOO MUCH TODAY. ![Screenshot from my Sunsama telling me my estimated work load for today](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-25-at-3.20.44---PM.png) Screenshot from my Sunsama telling me my estimated work load for today And it invites you to spread the work out a bit, which I find really helpful. My workflow now is that I do my big quarterly project planning in Notion and then I sync it with Sunsama (this is built in) and pull in those tasks week by week. Sunsama's also got a calendar view so I can quickly see if I have a lot of meetings and actually won't get much else done. The result is that [Sunsama](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) has trained me to make my days right sized which means I don't live by the to do list anymore and I don't leave a pile of unfinished work at the end of every week. *"Not having enough time"* and *"not knowing what to prioritize"* are two major complaints I hear from you. That's why I reached out to Sunsama to form this partnership. Because their tool really has helped me. And I think you'll find it really useful too. [Try Sunsama free](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) What I didn't understand, as an ambitious highschooler, that I get now is that it's not about the layout of the planner or the way you make your list. It's about getting better at estimating how long tasks take so you can right size your days. That's exactly what Sunsama empowers me to do. Give [Sunsama](https://try.sunsama.com/lex?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) a try for ONE MONTH FREE and see if it changes how you spend your time. --- P.S. I made [a video on my Sunsama set up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k%5F78VzDUeJg&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and how I use it with Notion and Zapier ### I don't want to paywall URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-dont-want-to-paywall/ Last updated: 2025-06-24T15:23:18.000Z Will your audience pay you or not? There's only one way to find out. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The hardest part of booking sponsors as a small creator URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-hardest-part-of-booking-sponsors-as-a-small-creator/ Last updated: 2025-06-16T05:01:31.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I am running paid partnerships differently this year. After years of working with brands in ad hoc ways, I realized that I was lending so much of my reputation and credibility to them that went unaccounted for in partnership agreements. So I wanted to go bigger with partnerships this year: working with a small set of partners for longer periods of time. I wrote about [how I pitched and framed my partnerships back in January](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-i-pitched-my-partners-for-2025/) and what changed from ad placement thinking to really treating partners as a value add to my business and my audience. Now that we're six months into this new model, I wanted to share some of what's working great about these partnerships and some of what I still need to crack. Everyone always thinks the hardest part is booking the deals. It's not. It's getting results for partners. Booking deals is easy, but if you can't get results OR if those results are too labor intensive, it becomes hard to sustain partnerships. ## What has surprised me ### People who invest in me, invest in my partners The most surprising thing—by far—is that the majority of the people taking my sponsors up on their offers are *already my paid subscribers.* Very few of my free readers buy from sponsors (or do so in a way that's trackable for me). On one hand, this is great because it means I am choosing well aligned partners that my most engaged subscribers find useful. On the other, I often think about only putting sponsors on free content. It would be very tough to pull that off right now. My free audience is basically a vanity metric. ### I was wrong about how many partners I could manage When doing [this year's revenue projections](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-spent-what-on-what/), I scoped out having 1 featured partner and 2 smaller partners at all times this year. Once I started running my partnerships with [Outpost](http://lexroman.com/outpost?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Josh Spector](http://lexroman.com/spector?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in January though, I realized it was too hard to produce the amount of content I needed to produce to support a third sponsor. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-14-at-10.38.41---PM.png) Excerpt from my content calendar for May Running partnerships requires not only delivering on your sponsored content but also delivering a ton of free content that keeps your audience interested in keeping up with you at all. Along with all the paywalled content I produce and subscriber-specific communications, it was not going to be possible to have three. I just can't produce that volume of stuff. Two partners at a time is the max for me right now. ### I prefer outbound pitching to inbound leads [Justin Moore](https://www.creatorwizard.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), sponsorship whiz to the stars, kindly offered me some feedback that I should have a partnerships page on my website. The reason I don't is that most of my inbound partnership requests have been bad. The partners I have loved working with were all ones I pitched. For example, beehiiv sent me an inbound request to do a sponsored LinkedIn video for them. They wanted to pay me $350 for the post and I knew it was just part of a campaign with multiple creators. I can't compete in that arena. I'm not a volume player. And I will always be underpaid if I am just one of many creators being booked by a brand because my audience size and raw engagement rate is SMALL. I need to work with brands who care about sales and who understand the value of my audience (which is filled with influential people) in particular. When I pitch partners myself, I stand alone. I can identify a brand my audience will respond to. I can set the expectations for the campaign. And I can package it how I want to. For my three partnerships so far this year, I've been able to run them on my terms and that's the direction I'm continuing in. ## What's not working _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I moved from beehiiv to Ghost. Here's how it went. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-moved-from-beehiiv-to-ghost-heres-how-it-went/ Last updated: 2025-05-31T15:16:48.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- *This post contains my affiliate links and if you use them, I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you.* I'm pretty sick of talking about platforms. I get that it feels like a big decision. One that you're hinging your business on. One that could help you or hurt you. One that could make or break your next few years. And we've all been burned before 🐦🔎⏰ The 2025 internet demands that we stay nimble, able to move at a moment's notice. But also...I'm sure eating my words about how easy it is to move to Ghost. If I ever tell you *"just move to Ghost,"* you can redirect me to this blog post. Moving from beehiiv to Ghost is a bit like moving from an apartment into a house. You get to choose the style and renovate it to your liking. But you're also now responsible for plumbing, HVAC and electric. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Assorted beefs URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/assorted-beefs/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:36:59.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- *Last updated: October 10, 2025* I hate a neutral ass bitch. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Travel Blog: Everyone's wrong about Bogotá URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/travel-blog-everyones-wrong-about-bogota/ Last updated: 2026-03-07T18:44:22.000Z ![Travel Blog Bogota with me and my helmet](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/RevenueRulebreakerThumbnails--9--1.png) --- **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- Search for Bogotá on TikTok and you'll find a bunch of videos of people being robbed or wading through massive puddles in the rain. Bogotá gets a lot of hate. Travel vloggers will tell you to skip it altogether. Go to Medellín or Cartagena instead. Even people from Bogotá don't get what I could possibly like about their city. *"What's there to love?"* they ask me. Before I tell you what I love about Bogotá, it's important that you know I love a \*hard to love\* city. I gravitate towards cities like Atlanta, Los Angeles and San Antonio, none of which have obvious starting points or singular identities. You have to find your people and your places. I really enjoy the process of uncovering what my relationship should be to the city. It's less likely that you'll do that visiting New York or Paris or Rome, because where to go and what to do is well tread territory. Don't come to Bogotá and expect it to greet you with an obvious itinerary. You get to decide what your version of this place is. So why I do love it here so much? I found that Bogotá has this perfect rhythm that's better experienced than described. There's a ton going on every day and you will never get bored, but even during rush hour, you'll notice plenty of people find the time to stop, have a cup of coffee and chat while hovering around a street vendor. The streetscape here is super alive with most businesses embracing an indoor/outdoor use of space. Storefronts are fully open to the street and most restaurants have glorious terraces layered with plants. It's pretty delightful in the rain to sit on one of these terraces and have a hot tamal or a café campesino. Speaking of the rain, it does rain in Bogotá but I don't think it's as bad as people say. It's been sunny most mornings here and then afternoons is when it rains a bit but it's usually fairly light and not that disruptive to your day. Only 3 days in the last few months has it been a real storm that made it uncomfortable to be outside. Get an umbrella and you'll be fine. Watch out for the sidewalk tiles though. If they get loose, they'll get you with a vertical splash when you step on them. Everyone says to watch your cell phone in the street, and you should, but more important is watching the sidewalk holes because they are deep as hell. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/2.png) Mountain mist in Nogal (left) and me on top of Monserrate (right) The temperature here is ideal for me. It's sweatshirt weather all the time, rarely too hot or too cold. Not very windy. Not often humid or dry. It reminds me of San Francisco with a bit more rain. Bogotá is big but I find it easy to navigate. Locals and travelers alike will complain about the traffic. *Is there a major city where people don't do that???* Everyone thinks their traffic is the worst. But the best way to navigate the city is by bike. There's lots of protected bike lanes, the streets are fairly flat and the [public bike system](https://tembici.com.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is available everywhere. It's easy to get your bearings because the streets are all numbered in both directions and the mountain always indicates which side is East. And damn are the mountains beautiful. Bogotá is the home of [the original Ciclovía](https://bogota.gov.co/servicios/guia-de-tramites-y-servicios/https-www-idrd-gov-co-ciclovia-bogotanaprograma-ciclovia?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Every Sunday and on holidays, the city shuts down several streets for walking, biking, and skating. I went nearly every Sunday and it's one of the most fun ways to get to know the city. The Carrera 7 route is my favorite because it goes through 4 major districts from Usaquén on the North side down to La Candelaria to the South. The art scene here is a real highlight. Bogotá is famous for its street art but it also has tons of indie movie theaters, art galleries, museums, dance classes, theaters and music venues. I've been spending a lot of time at the movies but I've been meaning to make it to some plays too since the gorgeous national theater is here: Teatro Colón. Bogotá's also known for fashion and the street style is insanely fun for people watching. I'm not a foodie, and you should take my food recommendations with a thick grain of salt, but from my perspective, it's hard to have a bad meal in Bogotá. There's lots of traditional Colombian food like arepas and Bandeja Paisa and Bogotá is well known for its soups and stews like ajiaco and changua. You can also find any type of global cuisine you want. I thought I would lose weight with all the walking and biking, but Bogotá had other plans. I'm writing this with a full belly of salchipapa. Obviously, the coffee is exquisite, hot chocolate is popular and fresh juices abound. Maracuya juice or soda is a treat and a half. And I've eaten my weight in roscones and buñuelos. Bogotá is an international business hub and it's home to ambitious entrepreneurs, artists and innovators but it's also a great hang out town. You can opt into your own scene and your own pace. You can find whatever you're looking for here or nearby. Within an hour or two in any direction are quaint towns, cloud forests, epic waterfalls and peaceful farms. It's a super beautiful region. Locals both in the city and outside of it are friendly and love talking about their favorite spots should you need some recommendations. A little bit of Spanish goes a long way towards making your trip here rewarding. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/lexinbogota.png) Me at the botanical garden (left) and at Parque La Chorrera (right) Overall, I just find Bogotá suits me. I feel both relaxed and inspired here. And I can't wait to come back. Below I'm sharing some of my favorite spots in case you come through on a trip. ## Neighborhoods Bogotá has 20 districts and I spent most of my time in 5 of them. ### **Chapinero** My favorite area to hang out in. Feels very safe to me with plenty of people around but is not as touristy as La Candelaria. This is a good area to stay in. - **Zona G:** The foodie neighborhood with some of the city's most expensive restaurants and one of my favorite indie movie theaters, Cinema Paraíso. - **Zona T:** The shopping district. This is where I picked up all my home goods and where chains are like Adidas and H&M. Also plenty of good restaurants. - **Chicó Norte:** Nice area with lots of hotels, restaurants and shops. Famous for Parque 93. - **Quinta Camacho:** Little European looking enclave in the middle of a business district. Tons of good coffee shops here. - **El Nogal:** One of Bogotá's high end design and fashion areas and also a good neighborhood for coworking cafes. Very pretty right up next to the mountain. ### **Barrios Unidos** If you want a little more peace and quiet, Barrios Unidos is perfect. This is where I've been living and it's way less touristy than Chapinero and La Candelaria, but it's cute and safe. Just feels more like a neighborhood than a mall. - **Polo Club:** Fancy residential area. Not really much to do here, but well located for living with plenty of stores and markets nearby. Close to Zona T in Chapinero. - **San Felipe:** Art district micro neighborhood just West of Chapinero. Filled with galleries and some small music venues. - **La Castellana:** Chill neighborhood with good bakeries and parks. Close to Chicó Norte on the Chapinero side and just North of Polo Club. ### **La Candelaria** This is the old town and the most touristy, crowded region I experienced here. It's where you'll find most of the museums and famous monuments and it's where you get those famous views of colorful colonial buildings against the mountain. It's also where you'll find the base station of Monserrate. Worth visiting La Candelaria but I am glad I didn't stay here because it's too hectic for me. ### **Usaquén** If you find yourself thinking *wow, I haven't seen enough Americans and foreigners lately* then you should head up to Usaquén. This is a very nice neighborhood that seemed fancier and calmer than Chapinero to me. It's not just Americans and Australians that gravitate there. This is where I encountered the most foreigners in one place. It's kind of out of the way of everything else. It's very far north so I wouldn't stay here, but if you don't need to go anywhere or like spending a lot of time in the car, it's a perfectly wonderful area. They have a Sunday flea market and it's a good destination to hit during Ciclovía because it's right off the Carrera 7 route. ### **Teusaquillo** I didn't spend that much time here, but Teusaquillo is known for its Victorian architecture and also for having lots of parks, including Simón Bolívar park which might be the largest park in Bogotá. It's cute to walk around in this area and it can be a great place to stay if you can find a spot here too. If you don't stay here, come have a meal over here and just walk around. There's a [whole bunch of other districts](https://arepasdelgringo.com/getting-to-know-the-20-neighborhoods-of-bogota-colombia/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) I didn't spend time in just because I didn't want to be in the car much. Ask around and people will share cool places to check out. I've heard the North and West sides of Bogotá are the safest but I have yet to experience any safety issues here anywhere. ## Coffee Shops You can get a really good cup of coffee nearly anywhere, but if you want to meet up with someone or get some work done, here's a few of my favorite coffee shops. [**Azahar (Nogal location)**](https://azaharcoffee.com/en/locations/?srsltid=AfmBOoroiLDJAEKnYYQruusqou%5FLmenc0m7PijvRhYtrCNq6KGMmGnep&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)They have nearly anything you could want to drink, a solid food menu (I love the chicken salad) and a great, secluded front patio. [**Tropicalia Coffee (Nogal)**](https://www.tropicaliacoffee.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)This place usually gets too busy for working but it's great for a meeting or getting coffee to go. Quite picturesque. [**Libertario (Zona G location)**](https://www.libertariocoffee.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)Gorgeous spot with a big outdoor space, perfectly executed coffee and good food. I like the lentil bowl. [**Café Cultor (Quinta Camacho)**](https://cafecultor.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)The ultimate coffee craftsmen. These guys are true artists who would love to chat about coffee with you or do a tasting and this place has adorable, peaceful front and back patios. [**Colo Coffee (Usaquén)**](https://colo.com.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)Kind of inconveniently located unless you're staying up here, but they have a huge wrap around covered deck and all day breakfast. This is a chain and they have a bunch of locations but this one is the nicest. [**Las Cigarras Librería Café (Teusaquillo)**](https://www.instagram.com/lascigarraslibreria/?hl=es&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)Progressive book store and coffee shop on a quiet street. I traded some of my stickers with them and bought some cool zines. Honorable mention for [**Café Amor**](https://cafeamorperfecto.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)which is a great place to pick up beans, buy equipment or meet a friend but I didn't find their shops as comfortable for working. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-02-at-11.51.12---PM.png) A sticker I designed for Bogotá ## Restaurants [**El Árabe (Zona G)**](https://www.instagram.com/elarabebogota/?hl=en&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)Lebanese food with a Colombian twist. Pretty fancy, good for special dinners. [**Árbol del Pan (Zona G)**](https://g.co/kgs/DV2Wu8t?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)Great any time of day. Good bakery and nice light meal options. Pretty small so go on an off hour. [**Vapiano (Zona T)**](https://vapiano.com.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Solid Italian restaurant with great pasta and salads. [**Purple Flame (Zona T)**](https://www.purpleflameicbogota.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) I actually never ate here in person but this is my go to [Rappi](https://www.rappi.com.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) order. Really good Indian food that packs well for travel. [**La Esquina del Pan de Dios (San Felipe)**](https://g.co/kgs/3utavzz?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) My favorite breakfast spot. They make anything you can think of and they have excellent tamales, roscones and buñuelos. [**Tianjin (Teusaquillo)**](https://g.co/kgs/xpSt9UP?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Excellent Chinese and they have a little shop in front if you want snacks to go. [**Têt (Quinta Camacho)**](https://tettabernavietnamita.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)Superb Vietnamese fusion and a great place for a healthy meal. [**VII Panadería Artesanal (San Felipe)**](https://www.instagram.com/viipanaderia/?hl=en&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)The best bakery in Bogotá. ## Places to Go [**Dame Tu Lengua**](https://www.dametulengua.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)This is a cultural center and language exchange spot where you can practice Spanish and other languages. They have stuff going on every night including art classes, writing groups and dance lessons. They also have a cafe so you just order something when you're there hanging out. [**Gringo Tuesday**](https://www.gringotuesdays.co/bogota?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)Pretty overwhelming to be honest but worth going once. This is a language exchange that happens in cities across Colombia and I went to the one in Medellín a couple years ago. Bogotá's Gringo Tuesday is huge. They take over a multistory club in Zona T area and make every table a different language and a different level. Surprisingly a great way to meet locals. [**Cinema Paraíso**](https://cinemaparaiso.com.co/en-US?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [**Cinemanía**](https://cinemania.com.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Artsy, indie movie theaters. [**Teatro Colón**](https://eneldelia.gov.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)The big, gorgeous national theater. [**Theatron**](https://www.portaltheatron.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Bogotá's biggest club and one of the biggest dance clubs in the world. It has 20 different themed rooms. **Ciclovía** Every Sunday and on holidays, the streets are for walking and riding. Worth going to if you're here on a Sunday! Cra 7, Cra 15, Calle 72, and Calle 116 were the routes I rode most often. Cra 11 and Cra 24 also have bike lanes. Download the [**Tembici app**](https://tembici.com.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to rent city bikes and buy a helmet near Simón Bolívar park or somewhere along Cra 24 where a bunch of bike and motorcycyle shops are located. Also the malls are pretty fun and fancy in Bogotá (and in Colombia in general). I spend a good amount of time in them due to the movie theaters being there. ## Sights to See [**Jardín Botánico**](https://jbb.gov.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)Great place to spend the afternoon walking around. Get the tropical garden ticket too. [**Planetarium**](https://www.planetariodebogota.gov.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) You can go see all kinds of planetary inspired shows here. They have something different every day. This is close to the national museum and the national park and it's on the Ciclovía route. [**Parque Vertical**](https://www.culturarecreacionydeporte.gov.co/es/centro-felicidad-chapinero?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)I feel conflicted about this place because it's one of those public/private spaces thatis absolutely crawling with private security guards but it's technically open to the "public" and it has great views of the city. **The museums** I'm not gonna list them all but I went to the Botero Museum and the Museo del Oro and if you go on Sunday, they're both free (Botero is always free). **The markets** Paloquemao is the famous fruit market here but I also like Mercado 7 de Agosto and some of the smaller neighborhood markets. Colombia is known for its produce and its fruit in particular and it's not to be missed! Get a juice or grab some fruits to try. **The parks** Especially Simón Bolívar park and the national park but Parque de los Hippies, Parque de los Novios and Parque de la 93 are great too. [**Monserrate**](https://monserrate.co/en/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) You can take the cable car or the funicular up. You can also walk if you're bold. This place has a breathtaking view of the city and is worth making time for if you're here for a couple days, if only because everyone's gonna ask if you went. There's some restaurants and stores up there as well as an active church. [**La Chorrera and Choachí**](https://lachorrera.com.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) Colombia's biggest waterfall is unbelievable! The hike out here was intense for me. I'm not much of a hiker, but it was worth it. I've never seen such a big waterfall. It's 10x the height of Niagara Falls. There's snacks all along your way here and the park gives you snacks too when you buy your entrance ticket. I fucking love Colombia. [**The Salt Cathedral and Zipaquirá**](https://www.catedraldesal.gov.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)Massive underground cathedral built into the salt mines. Truly spectacular and only 90ish minutes or less from central Bogotá. [**Guatavita**](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatavita?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) I didn't make it here but heard a lot about it. Also a short day trip from the city, it has a lagoon with a legend related to the gold mines. It also has a tourist attraction called Casa Loco which is an upside down house. You can do Guatavita and Zipaquirá in the same day (and many tour groups do) because they're both North. Bogotá also has lots of festivals, fairs, conferences, sporting events, major concerts, etc. Check the city calendars and look for flyers on Instagram when you visit. Also, if you stay for a while, reach out to my Spanish school [Learn More Than Spanish](https://learnmorethanspanish.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and take some drop-in classes or ask them about events and day trips they're running. ## Good accounts to follow for what's happening - [Bogotá plan](https://www.instagram.com/bogotaplan/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Mangorolo](https://www.instagram.com/mangorolo/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Dame Tu Lengua](https://www.instagram.com/dame%5Ftu%5Flengua/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [Mhusastaller](https://www.instagram.com/mhusastaller/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Newsletter dirtbags URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/newsletter-dirtbags/ Last updated: 2025-05-25T15:35:36.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I call myself a newsletter dirtbag. When I told my friend [Mark Horvath](https://invisiblepeople.tv/about/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) this, he immediately latched onto it. He knew exactly what it meant. Mark spent a lot of years in and out of homelessness, so he knows plenty of people who don't have "real jobs." The dirtbag lifestyle is fading from American culture, due to the high cost of housing and the demonization of homeless people. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Want to start a community? Here's how I turned mine around URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-shut-down-my-membership-whats-emerged-from-its-shell-has-been-so-much-better/ Last updated: 2026-01-01T23:54:28.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I shut my membership down last year at this time. What's emerged from its shell has been way more interesting than anything I would have purposely created. Why is this? I find myself wondering, as I build my current membership. There's some magic in letting go of something you were holding too tightly but there's also some fascinating human behavior factors that I've been observing and want to share with you here. Before we talk about what's happening now, let's talk about what Growthtrackers was. ## Why I started Growthtrackers Growthtrackers was born out of a gap I saw in the creative service provider market where a lot of cool, smart people were banging their heads against the wall using marketing strategies that were never gonna pay off. Having experienced this myself as a solopreneur, I craved a community I could turn to to workshop my marketing experiments. Anyone who's ever been an entrepreneur knows that the game is half *knowing* what you're doing and half *believing* that you know what you're doing. Growthtrackers solved for both sides. Why was I the person to solve this? I used to lead experiment-driven growth projects at companies like Gusto, Nissan, Macy's, The Black Tux and Burner. I worked for an agency Eric Ries co-founded with Ian McFarland and Joi Ito where we taught market experimentation at big Silicon Valley companies—what we used to call *lean startup in the enterprise.* Between that and my several years in actual startups, I've seen what it looks like to waste time and money on bad *go-to-market* and *grow-in-market* ideas. Towards the end of my career in tech, I was a sought after growth expert to bring in for solving revenue, conversion and churn problems. And I did it quite well until working in tech made me lose all hope in humanity and I had to quit the industry altogether. Post-tech, I dabbled in web design and online marketing services and eventually landed on the idea that I should do this membership where online business owners could have our own marketing braintrust. ### What Growthtrackers was Growthtrackers was all about building channels for client acquisition by trying different ones to see which suited you best. I hosted weekly sessions where members would share what marketing tests they were running. I taught different marketing techniques like guesting on podcasts, creating a referral program or building partnerships, with the help of many guest experts. I had around 50 companies participate in the program, largely solopreneurs and a few boutique agencies. The membership cost $499/month in its final stages. Most of my members stayed for many months at a time, some for over a year. Some paused and came back. We had very good retention which is the only reason why I was able to make it my full time job for two years. But towards the end of that second year I started to get really overwhelmed. I brought on a Community Manager named Linda Vinod who was a true community innovator and such a pleasure to work with. We tried several of our own experiments, mostly geared towards getting results for members and enticing members to participate more. I also spent a lot of time refining the sales funnel. All ventures have these moments where you have to decide if you want to keep solving the problems in front of you or if it's time to hang up your hat. I really believe that *any venture can work* if you keep working at the Rubik's Cube. But sometimes you just feel like you've tried every configuration you possibly can think of and it's time to set it down for a while. That's how I felt about Growthtrackers in April 2024. So I made an ill-advised play to see if the Growthtrackers would want to take over running it themselves. Basically exploring some type of community ownership model (which, hilariously, is what we have now, but I probably framed it wrong then). They said *no thanks Lex* and we shut it down in June 2024. ![Growthtrackers members toasting at graduation](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/GrowthtrackersToast--1-.png) Growthtrackers members toasting at graduation ## What's happened since we shut Growthtrackers down I ran Growthtrackers on the Mighty Networks platform, which I cannot advise you enough NOT TO DO. Mighty is expensive, and I hated it towards the end, so we chose to move to Slack which has a free tier. I moved all our materials into a sloppy Notion archive I haven't looked at since. Members told me they weren't sure they were going to use Slack and I admit I did expect it to die off pretty quickly after the membership closed. But it's become way more active than our membership platform ever was. Right now, there's 18 Growthtrackers alumni and 64 of our friends. Since it's grown so much beyond it's original purpose, it was recently renamed to GrowthSlackers by a community vote led by Devin Lee. ![Growthslackers laptop sticker](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/growthslackers-1.png) ### What's new and different about GrowthSlackers - **Members can invite friends and they do.** Since the community is free and invite-only, members will bring in their frequent collaborators or people they think would get along with the group. But it's just the right amount of growth and we're all mindful of the group's size and vibe. - **Members launch their own initiatives.** Devin Lee recently organized a local meetup in Portland. Jess Milanes hosted an online get together for members to share what they're working on. Matt Herron offered us a workshop on running paid Facebook ads. - **Members hire each other way more.** I can't honestly remember how much this happened in the membership but I can tell you it's happening very frequently now. Yesterday, our #wins channel had two different members talking about hiring two other members for different projects. Collaboration within the Slack is high. I also see this on LinkedIn where members tag each other in podcasts, events and service offerings. - **Members start conversations.** This was always super rare on Mighty Networks. Most of our conversations happened in live sessions. But now, members are chatting all day in the Slack. We're sending an average of around 100 messages every week day. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-23-at-7.42.24-PM.png) Active people in our Slack (64 active, 54 people posted) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-23-at-7.50.51-PM.png) Count of messages sent in the last few months (ranges between 20-240) ### What else we're trying in GrowthSlackers - **Coworking:** We recently started coworking together and we just signed up for [Tandem](https://tandem.chat/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) which lets any member start a coworking session. It's early days for that, but so far, it's been a great way for members to both get work done and get to know each other better. (A bunch of us actually met in a different coworking community called [Groove](http://groove.ooo/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and we still cowork there together too but Groove is winding down soon.) - **Real life meetups:** I'm also starting to think about an in person get together for us next year in Brazil or Mexico. This would really be [a Legends gathering](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/legends/) but a bunch of the GrowthSlackers are also Legends. ### Why it's working so much better than the membership **🦾 Members feel more ownership over it.** Not everyone feels this I'm sure, but plenty of members step up to offer something, change something or create something for us. Can this happen in a paid community? Totally, it can. Legends suggest things to me too but I think more of the GrowthSlackers know they only need each other's consent and permission, not mine. Community is about people having real relationships with each other, and I just think there is something important about that *not always being a transaction.* **⚖️ Better balance of wins and fails.** It used to really bum me out when members would only show up for sessions during a downturn. This is one of the biggest things that felt grueling about Growthtrackers. It was like pulling teeth to get members to recognize their wins and *what was working* but we spent a lot of time on *what wasn't working*. Because GrowthSLACKERS has such a wide range of business owners, and because people don't leave when they're doing well—another funny pitfall of a paid membership—there's way more celebration of wins. This has changed the culture to feel more positive to me. When more people are sharing wins, it helps other members recognize what might be going right for them. The opposite is true as well and I keep a close watch on our #venting channel which I think is probably overused by us all. **⏰ Slack was already a habit for most of us.** Slack is already part of our day for other communities or at least it was an installed app for most of us. Also, Slack's interaction design with threads and reactions is also 1000x better than Mighty's. It would be very hard to convince me any community platform that is not Slack and maybe Discord is worthwhile. I don't think Circle or Heartbeat are better because they have the same habit formation problem. Platforms already in your members daily habit > new platforms they have to adopt. ### A few other things we got right in our Slack community The culture of Growthtrackers was warm, welcoming, helpful and humble. Seeding this Slack with people who already understood that continued that culture. New people who are added are onboarded into that, either by whoever invited them or by witnessing it in conversations. Specific to Slack, we have some much loved channels like: - **#coworking:** Getting even more useful now that we have a video call tool. Members use this channel to let others know they want coworking buddies. - **#gems:** Add a 💎 to any post and it gets featured here for other members to see which posts members are most loving at a glance. (We use a Slackbot called Reacji to do this) - **#has-anyone-tried-this:** Members share early experiment ideas here and get input from others who have tried it before. - **#share-what-youre-working-on:** For in progress projects and screenshots. - **#venting:** I stole this from Tommy Geoco's Design Creator Slack. Members vent about stuff that's going wrong. Easily our most popular channel. - **#wins:** To counteract the vents, members share what's going great and they celebrate each other. We also have volunteer community moderators and community guidelines. I increasingly find these are important as I don't want to make gut decisions on anything. I want all members to have clarity on the community purpose, who should be invited and what kind of behavior is welcomed/not welcomed. Through other Slacks I've moderated in the past I've learned that I can't just expect the community to somehow manifest this, it requires some leadership and perspective early on, which I took the reins on, with a bunch of community input. ## Lessons I'm taking with me into Legends I've talked a lot about [moving from membership mindset to subscription mindset](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/subscriptions/). A few months after I closed Growthtrackers, I opened [Legends](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/tag/legends/). Here's a few things I'm trying to prioritize now: - **Convening the community:** I am increasingly providing ways for members to get to know each other. I see this as one of the most valuable things I can be doing. It's less about access to me and more about access to each other. - **Letting go of control:** Admittedly super hard for me but I am working on making more space for other people to lead conversations. This is more relevant in [the journalism community](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/introducing-the-creator-journalist-bundle?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) I facilitate with Liz Kelly Nelson and I often stop myself from chiming in first on a thread, even though I'm chronically online and really want to 😜 - **Releasing the outcome:** I had a moneyback guarantee on Growthtrackers and took member results very seriously. Part of my shift into subscriptions is that I don't want to be responsible for anyone's results. It's too hard in a membership context to control that. I can't push anyone else's business up the hill. I'm here to help and to provide resources and that's my role now. - **Throwing fun parties:** The Sad Creator PowerPoint party was inspired by a conversation in the GrowthSlackers Slack. My live mixers started as a way to bring Growthtrackers together with my broader network. Out of everything I do, these events get the most love and that makes me want to do more of them. This is also why I'm starting to think about a real life get together or maybe even...an unconference 😱 Kind of like [*Yes and Yes Yes*](https://www.yesandyesyes.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#say-yes) but way less clicky. Legends is a totally different project than Growthtrackers but there's a lot from the spirit of Growthtrackers (and GrowthSlackers) that continues inside Legends. I really love the way this is all running. Having a free, invite only community and a paid, low cost subscription is an ideal set up for me. It's easier for me to temper my execution and not feel the need to be so on top of every member's situation. At the price point I operate now, I feel way more freedom to play and less obligation to deliver. I still feel responsible to all my members—I'm not gonna disappear for months on end to a remote island. But I also know that the community has each other and that's the most valuable thing I can foster. ### Where you work (and what it says about you) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/where-you-work-and-what-it-says-about-you/ Last updated: 2025-06-09T02:29:15.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I'm writing you from a coffee shop in one of Bogotá's bougiest neighborhoods, El Nogal. I used to hate this. WHERE you work says a lot about you. It says a lot about *how you work* and *what you value*. At least for those of us who have some choice in that. The reason I used to hate working at coffee shops dates back to my time in LA. ![Me working at Azahar coffee](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/IMG_1165-2.jpg) LA coffee shops are hostile to coworking, both because the coffee shops don't like it, and also because everyone and their cousin is there pretending to have jobs. So, I always preferred to work at coworking spaces. When I got my first remote job in 2018, I immediately signed up for WeWork. I really loved WeWork and desperately wanted to be a member back then so I hauled my entire setup to downtown LA because I liked that location the best—40 minutes from my house on the train. Then, I would wake up at 6am to get on said train just to commit to the bit and show up there even though no one gave a shit where I worked and I absolutely could have worked from home where I lived alone and also had a desk and "free" food. ![My desk at WeWork](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-20-at-5.14.57-PM.png) Why did I do all that? Because I thought being out in the world might do something for me. It's hard to imagine anything new happening at home. I bought in to the promise of the WeWork network (and coworking as a networking thing in general) and I also just liked not having to be at my house in the valley all the time. The tech industry once had me convinced that I needed a giant second monitor, an external mic and a high quality camera to be productive and seem professional. Eventually, it just became easier to set that all up at home. Here's my desk at home in Atlanta with all the gear. It looked really nice in photos (important to me for fronting how cool I am on the internet) but wasn't actually that pleasant in real life because it turns out many factory loft conversions are pretty hazardous to your health. I'm also not sure I care about "desk aesthetic" as much as everyone else seems to. Also, I learned that I still hate working from home. ![Lex working at home](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/DSC_5212.jpg) For several months, I worked in my parent's basement. That's when I was working on resetting the business and launching my Growthtrackers membership. You cannot beat free, comfortable office space, and even though I was living and working in the same place, not paying rent did wonders for my creative brain space. I don't think I would have been able to launch Growthtrackers without this era. But all good things have to come to an end, so once the business was doing better, I moved into an actual office building. I downsized my living situation to afford this, but separating home and work with a short commute is the best case scenario for me. This spot was a 15 minute drive or a one hour walk from where I lived and it was in a great part of Atlanta known as downtown Decatur. ![my office in Atlanta](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/IMG_4672.JPG) So, what does YOUR working location say about YOU? **If you work from home:** You have kids or pets or you just like not having to go anywhere and not having to wear real pants. You're always wondering if you should buy MORE GEAR for your home office, but deep down, you know you already have all the gear you need. Maybe it's time for a plant. **If you work from a coworking spot:** You were the coworker who was always stopping by everyone's desks to see what's going on. You're sensitive to the aesthetic that surrounds you and you like working with a view. You still have printed business cards even though you stopped giving them out a long time ago. **If you work from an office outside your house:** You need complete silence to get things done. You have strong work/life balance and such good boundaries that you've been thinking about making one of those look-how-damn-disciplined-I-am [morning routine videos](https://www.tiktok.com/@ashtonhallofficial/video/7485504739707309342?lang=en&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). You probably even bike to work because why not get an extra work out in while also being climate conscious? **If you work from coffee shops:** You're afraid of commitment and you get bored being in the same place all the time. You feel budget smart for saving the money over the coworking spot or office but you spend nearly the same amount on lavender oat milk lattes and parking. You travel around the world like me or you think about doing so all the time. You definitely have a podcast or a YouTube channel. **If you work from your parent's basement:** You've found the perfect lifehack while you're in-between whatever whatever. You either don't care what people think about where you work and what you're doing OR maybe you're very self-conscious about it and you rearrange your video background every couple days without ever being satisfied at how it looks. This is the first time in your life you have a savings account though and your guilty pleasure is watching those videos where people talk about how small their expensive New York City apartment is. Are any of these you? Cuz all of them are me. I was sad to give up my Decatur office, because I really did feel the most sane there. And I didn't think I could go back to being a coffee shop, coworking space or work from home person. This was my biggest worry when I was thinking about traveling full time. *Where would I work? How good would my lighting be on Zoom calls? Would I have reliable wifi? Is it safe to carry my computer around? What gear should I bring?* But it's all turned out totally fine. Guess I'm more flexible than I thought. I've let go of the expectation that I need a super fancy background and mic set up. If people can see and hear me, that's good enough. No one cares that much. I sold my big desktop computer and bought a better laptop along with [this](https://www.logitech.com/en-us/shop/p/casa-pop-up-desk.920-011237?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)[Logitech pop up desk](https://www.logitech.com/en-us/shop/p/casa-pop-up-desk.920-011237?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), which puts the computer at the right height for Zoom calls and gives me an external keyboard and mouse. I miss my office but I love traveling more. And I'm able to be productive enough on the road which for me, says a lot about where I am in my life, how my work projects are going and what my priorities are now. I have enough gear. There's plenty of spaces to work. When the work is interesting, the space matters less. Where do you work and what do you think it says about you? ### I'm gonna go sponsorless this summer URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/im-gonna-go-sponsorless-this-summer/ Last updated: 2025-05-19T09:12:41.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription (and sponsorship) revenue with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I've been trying to close ONE partnership for the last month. I'm extremely picky about who I partner with because I lend so much of my personal reputation to my partners. I still remember multiple friends telling me they started using Wix because I "kept recommending it on Facebook" *(on God, I would NEVER recommend Wix to anyone. What actually happened is that Wix used anyone who "liked" their page as a social endorsement in paid ads. Shady as hell. I've never blocked a brand so fast.)* Last year, [I started running classified ads](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/want-book-first-sponsor/). That turned into a six month featured placement with testimonial tool Senja, and by the end of last year, I knew I could be leveraging both my ability to create good branded content and my incredibly high value audience more, so [I moved to a partnership model](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-i-pitched-my-partners-for-2025/). This year, you've seen me partner with [Outpost](http://lexroman.com/outpost?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Josh Spector](https://lexroman.com/spector?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I've learned a ton running this way for the past 4 months. It's a ton of work (which hilariously Josh [pointed out on his podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1HOmGpLZqY&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) before we even started.) It's also SUPER rewarding and I'm absolutely pleased as punch at how these partnerships have shaped up. But the thing is, I know that I can put my full weight behind both Outpost and Josh. I believe in them both. I know they'll do right by my audience. I trust them not to screw me or you over. Ever. There are VERY FEW brands that I trust like that. ![Lex's burn book of predicted demises showing Passionfroot, Substack and Squarespace with 2026-2028 as their end dates](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/Haunted.png) _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Loose Ties Scavenger Hunt URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/loose-ties-scavenger-hunt/ Last updated: 2026-05-13T16:59:33.000Z 🏆 ****Our Scavenger Hunt is now wrapped.** Congratulations to our winners: [Cee Reel](https://www.linkedin.com/in/c-reel/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Christopher Johnson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/cgjohnson/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Etinosa Uwadiae](https://apinintime.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Alyssa Towns](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssatowns/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Laura Green](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraggreen/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Alison Coward](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisoncoward/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Christy Price](http://christyprice.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Tom Kerwin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomdkerwin/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Amy Santee](https://www.linkedin.com/in/amysantee/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), [Raven O'Neal](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravenroneal/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Jamie Cox](https://www.jamiercox.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 🎉 Keep your eyes in your inbox for our next collaboration... ## Why this scavenger hunt I really wanted the username @craftwork on Twitter in 2013. No, I don't remember why—I'm embarrassed to even tell you I wanted this username—but I do remember this story. I followed the guy who had @craftwork and I DMed him to see if he'd give it to me because he had basically no followers and he really wasn't using it. He said no (kindly). But he followed me back. Then, one day I notice that he's now working AT Twitter. And it just so happened I was heading to Twitter HQ (RIP) for a hackathon the following month. So I DMed him again and asked if he was around. During the hackathon, he came down to see me. Turned out he was a designer too. I had no idea. I told him I would love to work at Twitter (RIP those dreams). And he goes: *"Oh really? I'll put in a referral for you."* And then. I got an interview with Twitter Design. I ended up not going through the whole interview process because I got other offers faster (tech interviews have always been absurdly long) but the story stuck with me about how a \*very light connection\* can turn into an \*actually helpful relationship.\* This is called weak ties theory. [Weak ties theory was coined](https://gwrpjp.clicks.mlsend.com/ty/c/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjIxNzMzMixcImxcIjoxNTQwOTUyNzU0MTIwMzA1MzgsXCJyXCI6MTU0MDk1Mjg5NTMwMDU4MTY5fSIsInMiOiI3MDBkNDhjYTI4ZThhZTY4In0?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) by Stanford sociologist Mark Granovetter in the 1970s:*“Your weak ties connect you to networks that are outside of your own circle."* Weak ties are loose connections you have to people, just like me and my Twitter mutual. And Granovetter's research showed that they could be much more powerful than your close relationships when it comes to getting work opportunities. It's in this spirit of expanding your valuable network that we launch **The Loose Ties Scavenger Hunt.** The Loose Ties Scavenger Hunt is an invitation to develop new loose ties with 4 other Legends in a very low stakes, low effort way. Loose ties. Legendary stories. ## **How to play** _This post is for subscribers on the Legend Status, Legends Lifetime and Legends Partner Status tiers only._ ### Choose your level of selling out URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/choose-your-level-of-selling-out/ Last updated: 2025-10-11T02:47:39.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- Whose money is ok to take? Ethical operators demand to know. In the wake of massive layoffs like [what happened at Polygon this week](https://www.404media.co/polygon-acquired-by-porn-mogul-who-co-founded-brazzers/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=choose-your-level-of-selling-out), everyone takes to social media to ask why can’t the model work. Why isn’t it profitable. How will media survive. I no longer think this is the right question. **Media ventures work.** The problem isn’t that Polygon’s model didn’t work. The problem is the owners. The problem is making money \*the goal.\* *Lex, what?! Who’s not running a business for money?* Well, me for one. I’m with Nathan Grayson: [**fuck profit. fuck growth.**](https://bsky.app/profile/nathangrayson.bsky.social/post/3lo5pjazsys2n?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=choose-your-level-of-selling-out) I run this business because I don’t want to work for anyone else. Not because it’s some grand capitalist enterprise that prints cash. I made $200k my first year in business because I took on tech clients. I’ll be lucky to break $90k this year. I have purposely lowered that bar for now, because there’s A WHOLE LOT of people I didn’t want to take money from. I’ll even cancel and refund paid subscribers if I find out they’re up to no good. Here! Have your $10 back! There’s a big delta between billionaires and the dirtbag lifestyle I claim to lead. Selling out is a spectrum. It’s self-defined and self-regulated. Today, I’m sharing how I think about selling out from *not for sale* to *name your price*. ## Choose your level of selling out No one talks about sell outs anymore. Maybe that’s because all jobs have been collapsed into the Amazon-ChatGPT-Military Industrial Complex and we’re all sell outs now. Life on earth is too expensive not to sell out, right? I need my green juice and my backyard renovation and a nice big check from INSERT-NAME-HERE would solve all my problems. Some of us have elected not to participate in that system…or at least, we want to go down fighting for something else. The idea of “selling out” is still relevant for us. We don’t want to be for sale and we’re discerning about who we sell to. Having said that, I invite you to release the preconception that all selling out is bad, and instead, consider how much you open up your work to be sold, and to whom. To help us parse this out, I give you my sell out spectrum. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-10-at-8.43.34---PM.png) ### Level 1: Not for sale The only two routes to being not-for-sale are being born into money or being willing to live without money. I’m putting it on the spectrum just for comparison, but it’s not much of a choice to operate in this category, because most of us like having housing and food we didn’t have to dig out of the trash. As nice as it would be for us all to be not-for-sale, it’s not very practical today. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-10-at-8.44.02---PM.png) ### Level 2: People like you The reader-funded movement fits in here. Selling to individuals, to consumers, to people you know and people you’d like to know is Level 2 selling out. You’re selling something, but it’s to your audience. Now you might think that this is a universally accepted level of selling out. NOT SO as The Flytrap founders lamented last week when the [“paywall police”](https://bsky.app/profile/andreagrimes.com/post/3lng6or3sxv27?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=choose-your-level-of-selling-out) came after them. Hats off to them for blowing that comment up on social media because I do think we need to shame readers who don’t get it more often. What’s the alternative? We’re nearly at the bottom of the sell out spectrum right now! Below this is journalism not existing. Anil Dash talked about how dark this got at Movable Type when they asked their existing base to pay for their blogging tool. *“All we had done was ask people to buy an app and now we were getting death threats.”* —Anil Dash, [What was selling out](https://www.anildash.com/2023/03/14/what-was-selling-out/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=choose-your-level-of-selling-out) (2023) Get comfortable with this feeling, because someone will always be pissed at you. It’s never gonna make logical sense so you have to decide why you think your level of selling out is acceptable to you and to you alone. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-10-at-8.44.26---PM.png) ### Level 3: Corporations that seem ok Now, we’re adding in corporations, organizations and nonprofits. In practice, selling at this level looks like getting sponsorships, co-producing events, offering institutional subscriptions, speaking at branded conferences, and syndicating your work to a bigger publisher—all with companies you deem to be *good enough.* Level 3 sell outs are willing to play ball with corporations, but they have limits about who they’ll take cash from. Maybe you’d gladly take a sponsorship from a regional hospitality group but you’re not going to advertise Palantir’s new neighborhood watch app. There’s a whole range of acceptability in here, and you have to decide your own rules, usually with consideration to your editorial focus and what’s relevant for your audience. The thing to be careful with here is relationship capital. When you start repping brands, even just as ads in your blog or newsletter, you lend your credibility to them. That’s why Level 3 selling out should still be companies you’re ok saying out loud that you’re associated with. Another example on this level is taking big grants and donations from philanthropists. Sure, philanthropy is funded by billionaires, but what’s the downside to taking their money every once in a while? As long as you don’t become dependent on this as your only income stream, it’s a fairly well trodden way to get some startup or growth cash, without much—if any—measurable harm. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-10-at-8.44.54---PM.png) ### Level 4: Best not to ask too many questions If your revenue target is fairly high, you can end up as a Level 4 sell out. Now things are getting hairy. Level 4 means you’re taking money from entities who are probably doing some bad things. Think influencers going on a brand trip with Shein or Chappell Roan doing a Target commercial. Questionable corporations with a ton of very public crimes, but to the mainstream consumer, is doing a deal with them going to hurt their image of you? Probably not. I’d also put seeking private investment in this category, though you could shift that up or down a level depending on who the investors are and what you think their motives are beyond money. The more you wade into this category, the harder it becomes to avoid Level 5, because if you’re going to work with Target, why not just work with Lockheed Martin? Sam Altman’s thinking exactly. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-10-at-8.45.29---PM.png) ### Level 5: Name your price The ultimate sell out tier. People at Level 5 have no discernment of who they take money from. They will take checks from anyone. If Taco Bell wants their logo tattooed on my body, I’m in…for a price. It’s $10M if you’re listening, Taco Bell. Call Her Daddy’s Alex Cooper recently said [she turned down an $8M dollar deal](https://www.buzzfeed.com/stephaniesoteriou/call-her-daddy-alex-cooper-turned-down-8m-brand-deal?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=choose-your-level-of-selling-out) because she *“didn't believe in putting my face next to it.”* Even the people whose names appear on the wikipedia page for selling out have their limits. None of us are Level 5 sell outs. This is Bari Weiss territory. ## You’re never gonna stay at one level of selling out Being alive in our current time mandates that you adapt your sell out limits. In seasons where you’re doing great, you may drop to Level 1 or 2\. In seasons where a dictator is fucking everything up, you may rise up to Level 4 just to make it work. I don’t need to caution you against selling out. In fact, many journalists could stand to sell out *just a touch more,* if only for self-preservation. You should unapologetically paywall when you need to, ask for contributions anytime you want, and if getting a little cash from Google or the Knight Foundation every once in a while helps you keep the lights on, I think you should take that too. Everyone thinks everyone else is a sell out. It’s not about proving to anyone that you’re not selling out. It’s about knowing—unequivocally—what kind of life you want to lead, what kind of publication you’re building and who you are willing to work with to make it all possible. ### I made a mess of this URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-made-a-mess-of-this/ Last updated: 2025-05-06T00:05:07.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- It’s always funny when someone copies me, because, often, I wouldn’t copy myself. Sure, there’s plenty I do right the first time. But there’s also stuff that I look back on and wonder…why did I do it like that? The way I set up my newsletters is one of those things. I have three newsletters on beehiiv. This one you’re reading now, [Journalists Pay Themselves](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Low Energy Leads](read.lowenergyleads.com). I also have my main mailing list in MailerLite. See what I mean? It’s not interesting how things ended up this way but I now have two problems this has created: 1) My [Legends](https://lexroman.com/legends?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) subscribers who get access to the paid versions of the newsletters have to go to 4 different websites to find their stuff 🤡 *seriously, what Lex?!* 2) People are joining the wrong subscription. Journalists end up over on Legends. Creatives who should be in Legends join through Journalists Pay Themselves. I’ll be honest and say I didn’t really think Legends was gonna last more than a year. I wasn’t sure I’d get that much traction past the initial launch but 115 members—and growing interest from creatives becoming creators—indicate otherwise, so I’m building the Legends a better home. And I’m gonna do it on [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Outpost](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ## Why leave beehiiv _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How Substack steals your audience and your revenue URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue/ Last updated: 2025-10-11T02:04:19.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- *Correction: I have clarified below in context that “app” means both web and mobile. Substack is an app that works across platforms.* The Substack guys are bad news. Journalists have been publicly abandoning the platform since [the transphobic writers controversy of 2021](https://nathantankus.substack.com/p/i-am-leaving-substack?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue). Then, it came to light that Substack’s founders are nazi sympathizers who to this day [refuse to properly respond to nazis](https://bsky.app/profile/angryblacklady.bsky.social/post/3ll7b4v6vdc2v?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue). No surprise since they are known techno fascists who [hang out with Peter Thiel](https://www.cyberpatterns.xyz/p/hereticon?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue), Marc Andreessen, Palmer Luckey and…Kevin Spacey. When they [announced they would bankroll](https://on.substack.com/p/the-new-media-powered-by-substack?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) an enterprise version of Bari Weiss’s *The Free Press* of Worst Possible Takes, a publication sponsored by Uber and Airbnb with whom Substack shares at least one investor, it was all too predictable. So, why are writers who know this still publishing on Substack? It’s because they think Substack will help them grow a monetizable audience. Sure, the Substack dudes are truly terrible people, but at least I can make a good buck there, right? This is their greatest con. The vast majority of former Substack publishers I speak with make more money when they leave the platform. And the audience growth there is [juiced by a rampant bot problem](https://www.reddit.com/r/Substack/comments/1hf0n0p/what%5Fto%5Fdo%5Fabout%5Fbots%5Fsubscribing/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue). Today, I’m unpacking how exactly Substack is stealing your audience and your revenue. Substack is not just bad for society, they are also bad for your business. ## How Substack steals your audience ### YOUR readers become THEIR app users When you send your fans over to subscribe to your publication, they are not just joining your list, they are now joining the Substack userbase. Substack pushes your audience over to their app every chance they get. Inside your welcome email. Inside every email you send. Every time your reader opens your post on a mobile device. Growing their own active userbase is high priority and they will always pretend that it somehow benefits you. I particularly love how cofounder [Hamish McKenzie said that](https://on.substack.com/p/the-substack-app-is-now-the-most?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) *“subscribers who use the app are much more likely to share, like, comment on, or restack your work than before they installed the app”* when you literally cannot do those activities outside of their app. Make it make sense. *(Correction/clarification: “app” here means web and mobile app. Their underlying app shares the same database even though you visit it on your computer, tablet or phone. It’s all one big app with different clients, web and mobile. It is not your own database or website.)* ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-10-at-7.59.06---PM.png) ### They get your audience to opt out of your emails Once they’ve got YOUR fan in THEIR app, Substack encourages them to enable something called “smart notifications” which essentially removes this person from your email list. Instead, your reader will get push notifications in the Substack app when you publish. Should you decide to leave Substack, you’ll have a bunch of readers who have opted out of your email list who you will either need to re-establish email permission with or who you’ll lose altogether. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-10-at-7.59.36---PM.png) ### They exhaust your audience with content and notifications Substack is famous for their [recommendation feature](https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/5036794583828-How-can-I-recommend-other-publications-on-Substack?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue#:~:text=Recommendations%20enable%20writers%20to%20promote,bar%20and%20click%20on%20Recommendations.). As a growth marketer, I like this feature, but Substack has ruined anything that was good about it. With the click of a button, you’ve just opted in to hear from a bunch of new creators, and you can’t easily see who they are! Your fan—who once just wanted to subscribe to follow your work—is now inundated with information from all sides within seconds. You’re now just a tiny part of their feed like you were on any other social media platform. So much for having [“](https://substack.com/?learn%5Fmore=1&utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue)[a direct relationship with your audience.”](https://substack.com/?learn%5Fmore=1&utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-10-at-8.00.02---PM.png) ### You’re building more of a following than a subscriber base Substack [introduced followers in 2023](https://on.substack.com/p/follow?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue). When you create on their platform, you are not necessarily building your email list or your “owned” audience (I hate this term). You are building your following on Substack, which you cannot take with you anywhere else. The Follow feature pairs with the [Notes feature](https://on.substack.com/p/notes?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue). Both Substack and self-proclaimed Substack growth experts will insist Notes helps you grow your subscriber base. But Notes will mainly attract followers and likes—both of which have less revenue potential than the same activity on other social platforms where either the platform pays you or where you can take on brand sponsorships. Who benefits most here? Substack’s daily active user count. ## How Substack steals your revenue ### 13% of your revenue goes to fees Substack takes a 10% platform fee plus you pay 3% to Stripe, their payment processor. That’s 13% of your revenue lost on every single new subscriber. A $7 subscriber is actually $6\. A $5 one closer to $4. Substack has some of the highest fees across all publishing and creator platforms. [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) is the only one I could find that is higher (you can pay upwards of 15-17% there, including payment processing). [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue), [Buttondown](https://buttondown.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) and [beehiiv](https://www.beehiiv.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) take no fee on top of Stripe, so you pay 3% through each of them (along with a subscription fee you pay to host there). [Kit](https://kit.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) takes less than 1% (4% total with Stripe) and [Buy Me a Coffee](https://buymeacoffee.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) and [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) both take 5% (which is 8% with Stripe’s fee). Molly White of [Citation Needed](https://www.citationneeded.news/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue), who moved from Substack to Ghost, did the math and found that once you have 18 paid subscribers (at $5/mo), it’s [cheaper to move off Substack](https://bsky.app/profile/molly.wiki/post/3ldjleicmrs2z?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) and pay for a subscription to Ghost or Buttondown. Film critic Ty Burr also told me [he made more money](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/what-happens-when-you-leave-substack?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) after he left Substack for Ghost. ### They still take 10% after you leave If you choose to leave Substack, they will keep taking their 10% on all your subscriptions. You have to contact them manually to remove this cut. ### No paid upgrades in their app Substack promotes the hell out of their app so surely you can upgrade to paid inside it, because they love helping creators make money, right? Not so! As [Alex Dobrenko pointed out](https://substack.com/@alexdobrenko/note/c-104181278?utm%5Fsource=notes-share-action&r=3m0py), you cannot upgrade or manage a paid subscription from Substack’s mobile app. This is probably because both Apple and Google [take hefty platform fees](https://www.theverge.com/21445923/platform-fees-apps-games-business-marketplace-apple-google?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) from subscriptions—15-30% on top of Substack’s cut—so publishers would be only taking home 60% of their revenue and Substack would make much less too. But if Substack is going prioritize their own app and get your readers opting out of emails, shouldn’t they at least give you this option? Patreon built in some [functionality to give creators](https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/27992185537037-How-iOS-in-app-purchases-work-for-fans?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) control over this in their mobile apps, including passing this fee onto your subscriber (minor for them, major for you). Substack once again makes a revenue decision on your behalf and their decision is for you to make less money. ### They limit you to 1 subscription tier You can only have 1 subscription tier in Substack. You can add monthly and annual pricing, a founding member tier and a group subscription (multiple seats). But you cannot have a tier for your paywall and a tier for your Discord, for example. It’s common for publishers going into their 2nd or 3rd year to encourage subscribers to bump up to a higher tier but that’s not possible in Substack. You’re stuck with what they gave you: 1 pricing tier. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-10-at-8.00.37---PM.png) ### No other revenue streams Substack offers no other way to make money aside from subscriptions. There’s no tip jar, no sponsorship marketplace, no event tickets, no merch integration. Nothing. A huge miss when even some of their biggest publishers stall out on subscriptions and need to diversify income. Eric Newcomer said [his paid subscriptions were mostly flat for two years](https://www.newcomer.co/p/reflections-on-newcomer-four-years?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) (with over 100k readers) and his main revenue growth was coming from events and sponsors, no thanks to Substack. ### No platform revenue stream Substack doesn’t pay creators, so for video makers coming from YouTube and TikTok, you’re also missing out on platform revenue from the YouTube Partner program or the TikTok creator rewards program. That’s why Substack had to put up [a $20M revenue guarantee](https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/23/substack-introduces-a-20m-funding-guarantee-to-entice-creators-to-migrate-to-its-platform/?guccounter=1&guce%5Freferrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce%5Freferrer%5Fsig=AQAAABAxNFs3n3gMGrfT1rbfDWcLGnd8h%5FwWMxsua%5FUhY-%5FjCliGyVKSDCC4DoelMi6RCLHx5aJuMo4pBekpdCOZghPmper69wkyBG6Q2r7ZxIyiFnRlBJk1uhHnS5lBNAo1Bp85wPA1qNI6MJmYnS6p1LTSo7Nh68qZ5XETlMacGd1q&utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) for video creators coming over this year. Those creators seem happy on Substack for reasons I can’t figure out because they just killed two revenue streams (platform and brand deals), but if you are a smaller video creator, you will limit your path to revenue on Substack. ### A free trial that doesn’t work You may have noticed when you read someone’s post on Substack, it will offer you a 7 day free trial on a paid subscription. It is absolutely your prerogative as a publisher to try this for yourself and see if it works for you. But Substack has enforced this as a widespread standard practice within their ecosystem so it is now expected by their userbase and [many Substack publishers complain](https://substack.com/@russellnohelty/note/c-73894586?utm%5Fsource=notes-share-action) that it does not lead to people actually becoming paid subscribers. ### Discounting your work and pretending it’s a growth hack Substack [doesn’t seem to know how to get you more paid subscribers](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/is-substack-bad-at-paid-newsletters?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) so they introduced [this feature called Boost](https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/9674586580244-What-is-Substack-Boost?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) where they discount your subscriptions. After someone upgrades to another publication, they’ll show a menu of Substacks with discounts on all of them, including yours. Hilariously they call this “growth on autopilot” when, in fact, it is just discounts on autopilot. Who eats this cost? It’s you! ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-10-at-8.01.07---PM.png) ### Prohibiting sales content So, by now, you know Substack’s falling down on their promise to get you paid subscribers and you want to promote your own paid subscription. Wait just a minute…you can’t! [Substack’s own content guidelines](https://substack.com/content?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) state *“Substack is intended for high quality editorial content, not conventional email marketing.”* Any of us who have run a paid subscription know that you need both editorial and email marketing. Substack won’t sell for you and they don’t want you to sell for yourself either. ## Substack’s got even more fatal flaws On top of stealing your audience and your revenue, Substack’s increasingly just an unstable, unusable place for your work…and your credit card information. ### Your subscribers might end up paying for someone else’s subscriptions Turns out if you forward an email to a friend and they upgrade to a paid subscription, it will actually upgrade YOU to a paid subscription. This is a huge security bug that Substack is aware of, having to do with how they authenticate users via one click. Substack users have reported it several times but it remains broken. I got a DM on Substack from Lisa who forwarded a Substack newsletter to her friend. Her friend upgraded to paid. But, Lisa got the upgrade alert. She noticed her Substack account was tied to her friend’s credit card and future upgrades would all be charged to her friend. At least 3 people reported this happened to them [in a Reddit thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/Substack/comments/1isoyii/substack%5Fhas%5Fa%5Fmajor%5Fsecurity%5Fflaw%5Fwith%5Fforwarded/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue). It’s happened to Lisa twice. Absolutely bananas that this isn’t fixed yet. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-10-at-8.01.35---PM.png) ### Substack might randomly publish your drafts Multiple Substack writers reported this week that bots “restacked” (a.k.a. promoted in the feed) [their unpublished drafts](https://substack.com/@mariner14/note/c-105521059?utm%5Fsource=notes-share-action&r=3m0py). Based on the accounts I read on Reddit ([here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Substack/comments/1jq3631/serious%5Fsecurity%5Fbreach%5Fon%5Fsubstack%5Fanyone%5Felse/?share%5Fid=E8AucM8AJ7cQCYUHmwHHM&utm%5Fmedium=ios%5Fapp&utm%5Fname=iossmf&utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fterm=10) and [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Substack/comments/1jq48bc/someone%5Frestacked%5Fmy%5Fpost%5Fdrafts/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue)) it doesn’t actually seem like the drafts were, in fact, published publicly but whatever is going on with Substack’s tech infrastructure that allowed porn bots to access private drafts at all should be a red alert for their engineering team. Substack’s been radio silent about it. ### Substack lies about your revenue growth…and maybe their own? Substack shows an [“estimated revenue increase”](https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/27851853697556-How-can-I-access-my-post-stats-from-the-Substack-app?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) on every post you publish. Except they will only show you [new paying subscribers](https://substack.com/@taylorlorenz/note/c-99478733?utm%5Fsource=notes-share-action&r=3m0py), not churned subscribers. Gain 3, lose 5, Substack pretends you made money! This makes me wonder about their [5 million paid subscriptions metric](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/substack-number-subscribers-video-trump-1236158048/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue), which jumped up from 4 million quickly, thanks to acquiring a bunch of big TikTokers and major media names. Are they actually at 5 million ACTIVE subscriptions or is it ALL TIME subscriptions? They’re famously cagey about metrics so who the hell knows. Someone would have to clarify how they define this or maybe even try to get a visual of their data. --- Substack’s full of problems but their worst offense is that they’ve conned so many journalists and writers into thinking they CAN’T SURVIVE WITHOUT SUBSTACK. Substack’s cofounders constantly pump out cultlike affirmations like [“a profound redistribution of power is underway”](https://substack.com/@hamish/note/c-104140302?utm%5Fsource=notes-share-action&r=3m0py) while using imagery of [“gardens”](https://post.substack.com/p/from-the-temple-to-the-garden?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) and [“magic dust”](https://post.substack.com/p/its-the-creators-economy-stupid?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) to woo writers into a trancelike state where they buy into the hype. Surely, there’s no alternative to this happy land of thought geniuses? This is the worst part. It’s bad for everyone to be on one platform. It’s bad for that platform to suck so much. It’s bad for writers to believe they have to rely on a tech company to find their audience. All this is doing is [re-concentrating any power](https://america2.news/the-substack-dilemma-how-creators-are-inadvertently-fueling-americas-failure/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=how-substack-steals-your-audience-and-your-revenue) those individual writers could have had with Substack as the central authority and beneficiary of their labor. I used to think there were reasons to start on Substack, but with them stealing so much of your audience and revenue now, I would steer clear and go ANYWHERE else. Substack is like gambling at a casino. A few will hit it big, but most will walk away with less than they came in with. The house always wins. ### The lifechanging difference between $9 and $499 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-life-changing-difference-between-9-and-499/ Last updated: 2025-05-24T03:16:16.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I charged $499/mo for my last membership. Now, I charge $9. There’s a lot behind why these prices are so different. But charging less has improved my life and I’m going to explain why in this issue. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Audience Hackers vs Craftsmen URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/audience-hackers-vs-craftsmen/ Last updated: 2025-10-11T03:00:28.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- You’re either a content person or a business person. You can’t be both. Or so Substack wants you to believe. I was reading Brian Morrissey’s [recap of last week’s newsletter conference](https://www.therebooting.com/newsletter-hustlers/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=audience-hackers-vs-craftsmen) which I didn’t think would be that interesting…until he pointed out that Substack (the platform and the creators) was notably missing from the event. Why? Brian says it’s because “Substack is home to the craftsmen.” Craftsmen who are not concerned with such silly things as acquisition or revenue. Leave that to the “audience hackers” over at beehiiv! I buy this explanation. But I want to talk about this false dichotomy. “Let writers focus on writing.” This has long been [the promise of Substack](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/a-one-stop-shop-for-newsletter-publishing?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=audience-hackers-vs-craftsmen). It sounds good at first but it has one fatal flaw: who’s running the business? After Ryan Broderick [moved Garbage Day](https://www.garbageday.email/p/its-time-to-leave-substack?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=audience-hackers-vs-craftsmen) from Substack to beehiiv last year, he did [an interview with Francis Zierer of Creator Spotlight](https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/garbage-pays?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=audience-hackers-vs-craftsmen) where he talked about what it was like seeing his passion project turn into a media company. Ryan describes it as going from “big fish in small pond” (Substack) to “swimming in the deep blue sea of the internet.” (beehiiv) The training wheels of Substack were off now and it was time to fly. He had to figure out where new readers would come from and how to keep converting them into paying subscribers. Except that Ryan already knew how to do this. [Garbage Day](https://www.garbageday.email/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=audience-hackers-vs-craftsmen) launched 3 years before writer recommendations were even a feature on Substack, meaning that every single subscriber before 2022 was brought in by Ryan’s own marketing efforts, earned media from peers and readers spreading the word on their own. The only audience growth mechanic Substack had back then was a Twitter automation that made it easier for your followers to find you on their platform which, again, would have been from Ryan’s existing audience. Substack’s founders will take credit for Ryan’s success just like they [take credit for the 11 subscribers](https://substack.com/@hamish/note/c-93554628?utm%5Fsource=notes-share-action&r=3m0py) on my fake test publication, all of whom are real life friends following my antics. They want you to buy into the narrative that you are a writer—not a business owner—and that they alone are responsible for your audience and your growth. Hamish McKenzie, Substack’s co-founder, reinforces this by abstracting their lackluster set of business tools into something he calls [“magic dust”](https://substack.com/home/post/p-149986936?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=audience-hackers-vs-craftsmen)—because you, dear craftsmen, could not possibly understand what’s under the hood. Don’t worry yourself with that. Just keep writing. And bring your friends! *Wait, but what actually is the “magic dust”?* It’s stuff like modals and discounts and a referral program. Tools that are widely available on many publishing platforms. Show a pop up, offer a discount, ask a reader to tell a friend. No magic required. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-10-at-8.58.57---PM.png) Substack’s “growth features” LOL Substack wants you to be intrigued and confused by “magic dust” because they benefit from you releasing the reins of your business over to them. They are [backed by some of Silicon Valley’s most notorious investors](https://longmemo.substack.com/p/who-owns-substack?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=audience-hackers-vs-craftsmen) and, they need to feed the beast of their own growth engine. At this point, that means getting as many engaged users as possible, since their revenue trajectory [has no hockey stick coming its way](https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/18/24299484/substack-newsletters-politics-not-profitable-frustrated-investors?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=audience-hackers-vs-craftsmen). Does this sound familiar? Because this is exactly how journalism got to a place where it needed to be “saved.” We trusted the business guys and they sold us out to private equity. Now, we need more writers who aren’t afraid of business. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-10-at-8.59.35---PM.png) Nearly a decade ago, I got on [this same soapbox for designers](https://medium.com/criticalpath?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=audience-hackers-vs-craftsmen). Designers were constantly talking about how disempowered and underpaid they were so it made sense to me that we should get more involved in how design makes companies money. Many designers pushed back on me about “craft” then too. Some didn’t want to learn the business. Design should speak for itself. How could we create things for our audience if we were also focused on the revenue potential? I’d ask a different question. **Why can’t we bring our craft to the business side?** I’m not the only one thinking this way. A new class of publishers have been born out of this question and they are answering it beautifully. - Evette Dionne of The Flytrap spelling out [how to put your money where your mouth is](https://theflytrap.beehiiv.com/p/pay-me-what-you-owe-me?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=audience-hackers-vs-craftsmen). - Rascal running [a Twitch stream](https://www.rascal.news/state-of-the-rascal-2025/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=audience-hackers-vs-craftsmen) on the state of their business. - Nathan Tankus giving followers a play by play of the next milestone to [get a physical office.](https://bsky.app/profile/nathantankus.bsky.social/post/3ljpy2ihpmk2f?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=audience-hackers-vs-craftsmen) - The 51st sharing [cancellations in public](https://bsky.app/profile/51st.news/post/3liznva2hvc2p?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=audience-hackers-vs-craftsmen) and using them to drive new support. - Amy Bushatz of The Mat-Su Sentinel explaining to [readers that bodycam footage costs $1000.](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/i-had-no-idea-body-cam-footage-cost-1000?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) The craftsmen can become the audience hackers. Substack’s emblematic of this perceived division between writing and business, but it’s a mindset that runs deep in journalism too. A paradigm holdover from legacy newsrooms. You don’t have to choose between writing and business, and if you do want your writing to be a business, then you don’t want that business to be left to the whims of a tech company. We need more writers to get into business. We need more writers starting businesses and we need more writers talking about business. The skill gap is actually pretty small. The barrier we’re facing here is nearly all mental. Do business your way. Bring your craft to it. And know that the only thing behind “magic dust” is a bunch of hot air. ### I'm gonna start bundling some stuff URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/im-gonna-start-bundling-some-stuff/ Last updated: 2025-05-06T00:07:16.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I don’t buy subscription fatigue. I mean *I do buy subscription fatigue*. I just don’t think it’s affecting indie writers and creators as much as everyone says it is. Every week, someone takes to the internet to complain about writers getting paid with individual subscriptions. *“Why would I pay for one writer when I could pay for a hundred?”* ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/04/image1.png) The answer is simple Jim. Because you like that one writer. Pay for the stuff you really want to exist. Don’t pay for the other stuff. Problem solved. Did I mention the people complaining seem to always be writers themselves?! I reject this take wholeheartedly because I am not seeing any evidence that reader-supported writers are having trouble finding readers who want to pay “just” them. Plus, it’s useless to keep talking about how you don’t believe in this model unless you have a pitch for an alternate route, which actually…since you mention it, I do. **Bundled subscriptions.** Individual subscriptions and bundled subscriptions. POR QUÉ NO LOS DOS! I have this crazy idea that I could build something that would let more writers do this. Without a platform. Without an app. Without paying a third party. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### You gotta automate that URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/you-gotta-automate-that/ Last updated: 2025-05-06T00:07:33.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I’m in Mexico City sitting across from systems builder [Devin Lee](https://www.devinlee.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Systems have been on my mind all week because it’s hard to hang with Devin and *not* talk about them. The reason we are in Mexico is that Devin, [Kari Ginsburg](https://www.uproarcoaching.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and I talked about how we wanted to write books so we hatched this plan to have a writer’s retreat, but now that we’re here, only Kari has made good on the goal to write a book. Devin and I are spending our time writing hella newsletters. Devin could probably be a competitive newsletter writer. She pumped out like 10 in an hour yesterday. How does she do it? She made a newsletter system. SOUNDS USEFUL. You might not know this about me, because I cosplay as someone who’s very organized, but I wing it a lot of the time. Especially if I’m not accountable to anyone else. That’s not gonna cut it much longer. I’m hitting a growth plateau and it’s time to get serious. To hit my next milestone of 200 paid contributors and I need to: a) work faster b) automate more So here’s everything I am going to automate… _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How I pitched my partners for 2025 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-i-pitched-my-partners-for-2025/ Last updated: 2025-05-06T00:07:50.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I got a DM from [Josh Spector](https://joshspector.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) in December asking me what kinds of partnerships I was looking for. He was responding to [**this post I wrote on LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lexroman%5Fi-want-to-work-with-sponsors-in-closer-partnership-activity-7270799205344972801-TND0?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop). I sent him back a very rough idea of what I planned to include and what I thought it would cost. Then, I asked why? Was he interested? *“Probably not,”* he said. Two weeks later he had booked and paid for his partnership. This isn’t a secret, by the way. When he decided to go for it, Josh himself asked to interview me on his podcast [Clients From Content](https://joshspector.com/podcast/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) about how I sold him on it. We already recorded that and I’ll send it your way when it comes out in a couple months. Josh and I share a love of the front of house/back of house storytelling. That’s why we’re going to make great partners. So what changed his mind? I’m going to show you… _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I'm sick of writing hooks URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/im-sick-of-writing-hooks/ Last updated: 2025-05-06T00:08:14.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- I can't get anything to land this week. I’m publishing stuff but I can’t direct much traffic to it. I know what you’re going to say. *Lex, LA is on fire. It snowed in Atlanta. Attention is elsewhere.* Actually before I get into my stupid marketing bullshit, let me acknowledge that some of us are actively in crisis right now. [I compiled a quick list of useful info](https://share.lazyapp.io/la-fire-stuff-people-should-know-from-lex-roman-08aa19f0-1f73-5d8c-9e20-2279a0a9345b?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) because I lived in LA for 15 years, much of which was spent with people who had lost their homes. If you personally need anything or have questions, I’m just sitting around writing newsletters and I know how to help. *—Back to my bullshit—* It’s sadly not true that all attention is on \*insert crisis here\* so it really is just me being bad at social media posts. I complained about my latest LinkedIn flop in a Slack and fellow creator [**Chris Nguyen**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/uxchrisnguyen/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) chimed in to help me like the generous soul he is. Chris *just nails it* on pretty much every channel. He’s sold [over $90k in sponsorships](https://backlog.design/sponsorship?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), primarily on his social accounts. It's fun to watch him play with marketing formulas and he's always an open book about his findings. In the social media realm, Chris is NBA all star Steph Curry. Rock solid and predictably great. And I’m Draymond Green. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/04/imagea.png) Super passionate. A little unhinged. And great at setting up the plays so other people can score. Late last year, I decided to make the leap to newsletter writing full time. Turns out *I really like writing newsletters.* I write [**three main newsletters**](https://lexroman.com/newsletters?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), including this one. I have 110 paid subscribers (shout out to you!), a couple related speaking gigs in the works and over $11k in committed partnership revenue for 2025 already. The rest of the money I need to make will come from…[somewhere](https://revenuerulebreaker.com/p/new-year-new-budget?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). The revenue side is fine. For now. The distribution on the other hand...it's not distributing. Before this current season, I ran a growth experimentation membership called Growthtrackers where I taught entrepreneurs how to test marketing options. If you are a Growthtrackers alum, you remember me saying you can choose ANY [**visibility channel**](https://lexroman.com/guides/fastest-ways-for-creatives-to-get-new-clients?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) you want. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/04/imageb.png) I stand by that. It's true when you're selling services. Maybe even products. But it's not true for newsletters. I'm not going to network my way to 50,000 readers. I keep thinking I need social media to pop off but that might be a trap of my own design. Why do I put so much weight on social? Is it ego? FOMO? Unresolved childhood trauma? Thank god Facebook was invented after I graduated high school 💀 Anyway, if I release myself from this trap for a minute, here’s how I should be thinking about audience growth. **The distribution channels I have in front of me now are:** - Social media - Reader referrals - Earned media - Google search - Paid ads Let’s go through them and talk about their potential. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Cold emails that worked for me and why URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/cold-emails-that-worked-for-me-and-why/ Last updated: 2025-06-07T15:15:27.000Z The dreaded cold email becomes a lot more fun when you like who you’re sending it to. Cold email is typically a volume game, but for me, it’s more of a precision play. If I’m writing you, it’s very likely I am \*just\* writing YOU and not sending the same note to a million other people. I’ve been sending cold emails since forever. At least since I was a teenager, when I got my [first AOL account](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AOL?%5Fbhlid=00e7c2d34b09b837e70f0f4a6a874ed8426bac5f&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and I needed to rack up experiences and accolades for my college applications. I’ve used them on and off in business. Some of my favorite clients, collaborators and sponsors have come from thoughtful cold outreach. ![my cold email and me](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down-format=auto-onerror=redirect-quality=80/uploads/asset/file/c83d90bc-0bee-42b1-8924-fe823f8e21ea/my_cold_emails.png) One of the best cold emails that worked for me was a 2015 note to [Syd Mead](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syd%5FMead?%5Fbhlid=ef5b210f9bbd2e44288274a4f56377ab5f37f132&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Syd is famous for being the concept artist behind *Blade Runner*, *Tron*, *Aliens* and a bunch of other cool stuff. I wanted to interview him. So I found [his website](https://www.sydmead.com/?%5Fbhlid=3982aa83ad2452ad406f04ec444cf353b3efaa82&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and emailed him. A few months later, I was sitting in his living room in Pasadena, California. Syd himself walking me through his artistic process and showing me around his studio. Hands down one of the most pinch me moments in my life. All because of a cold email. Still—cold emails are stressful. They’re wildcards. Who should you send them to? Which scenarios are they right for? What makes them work? I’m no expert in cold email selling, but I dabble in the art form quite a bit so I wanted to share some of what’s worked for me. I gathered up 10+ examples from my inbox on everything from getting client work to booking sponsors to finding collaborators, and even just meeting people I wanted to meet. Find the emails, along with my take on why they worked, below! ### In this post: - Emails that got me on someone’s radar (4 examples) - Emails to team up with someone (2 examples) - Emails to book a sponsorship (2 examples) - Emails to get clients and members (2 examples) - The email that sold my newsletter (1 example) - The email that got me the Syd Mead interview _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Why I’m teaming up with Outpost to help you make more money this year URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-im-teaming-up-with-outpost-to-help-you-make-more-money-this-year/ Last updated: 2025-10-11T03:34:43.000Z **Brought to you by the fine folks at** [Outpost for Ghost publishers](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Get more subscription revenue for your Ghost publication with Outpost 🪐 [![Outpost logo](https://revenue-rulebreaker.ghost.io/content/images/2025/05/logo_outpost.png)](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) --- *What’s the best way for indie journalists to get paid?* I asked this question at the beginning of last year when I started this project. One of the first conversations I had around this topic was with Nick Pinto at [Hell Gate](https://hellgatenyc.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-i-m-teaming-up-with-outpost-to-help-you-make-more-money-this-year). Hell Gate had already launched two years prior, and even though they and several others like them are successful (Hell Gate just [started hiring](https://hellgatenyc.com/jobs/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-i-m-teaming-up-with-outpost-to-help-you-make-more-money-this-year)), the worker-owned news movement has a lot of doubters. Namely, other journalists. *“Well sure, Hell Gate can do that, but I could never.”* I asked Nick what he thought would make it easier for more journalists to see what they were doing as a viable path. Specifically, I laid out a few potential solutions like communities, live taught courses, templates and software. Nick said he didn’t think journalists getting paid was a software problem. He’s right to some extent. But what I’ve learned in the last year is that actually indie news *does have a software problem*. See there’s A LOT of marketing stuff that has been solved with tech and many of the journalists I talk to are either not leveraging the right tools or they’re underutilizing software. In particular: automation. Also, I’ve found journalists are hesitant to talk with tech makers which, fair enough, the tech industry sucks, but some of these founders actually want to hear from you! They don’t know what you need and you’ve got to tell them. A few months after that conversation, Hell Gate [switched tech stacks](https://hellgatenyc.com/hell-gate-2024-annual-report/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-i-m-teaming-up-with-outpost-to-help-you-make-more-money-this-year). They moved to Ghost and Outpost and I got my first look at what [Outpost](https://outpost.pub/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-i-m-teaming-up-with-outpost-to-help-you-make-more-money-this-year) actually does. [](https://outpost.pub/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-i-m-teaming-up-with-outpost-to-help-you-make-more-money-this-year) Everything that I thought was missing in the other news tech tools… - Segmentation - Automation - Targeted content - Personalized calls to action - Control over what to show where on the site - Actually useful analytics It was all right there in Outpost. Fucking brilliant. As far as I know, [Outpost](http://outpost.pub/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-i-m-teaming-up-with-outpost-to-help-you-make-more-money-this-year) is the only tool out there that focuses exclusively on growth and monetization. They’re not trying to replace your publishing platform. They work alongside it. **There’s so many great things about Outpost but three reasons I love it:** 1. It is built [for journalists, by journalists](https://outpost.pub/about/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-i-m-teaming-up-with-outpost-to-help-you-make-more-money-this-year). 2. Literally every feature was created to help you grow and make money. 3. The team is super invested in indie publishers and their roadmap is informed directly by what publishers like you (maybe even actually you) are asking for. Ever since that first look, I’ve been recommending Outpost to Ghost publishers nonstop. I think it’s [non-negotiable to include Outpost](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/outpost-will-convert-more-of-your-readers-to-paying-subscribers?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) if you’re using Ghost as your platform. Can you make money without it? Yes, but you’ll hit a limit without their tools. Ghost is squarely in the CMS lane and it’s ([purposely](https://john.onolan.org/democratising-publishing/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-i-m-teaming-up-with-outpost-to-help-you-make-more-money-this-year)) not built for that much marketing or selling. Outpost is also exactly the kind of tech we (independent business owners) want to support. We do need some software to make a living online and isn’t it better to have good software made by good people? So I reached out to [Ryan Singel](https://bsky.app/profile/ryansingel.bsky.social?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=why-i-m-teaming-up-with-outpost-to-help-you-make-more-money-this-year), Outpost’s co-founder and asked if they wanted to team up this year and long story short, they said yes. Outpost is my featured partner for 2025. **You’ll benefit from this collaboration in the following ways:** - If you’re already using Outpost, you’ll learn more about some of my **favorite moneymaking features and how to put them to good use**. - If you’re not using Outpost, but you are using Ghost, you’ll learn **where to start and get the most return** quickly, should you want to try Outpost. - No matter what tech stack you’re using, you’ll hear about what’s working for Outpost’s publishers, how to create automations that drive action and how to **incorporate Outpost’s personalized-per-reader approach** into your strategy. Stay tuned for guides, quick reference and even some live sessions where we can dig into this automated stuff together, whether you’re using Outpost or not. Ready to take Outpost for a spin right now? Go ahead! They have a generous free trial. [Try Outpost free](https://outpost.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *If you're new to Outpost, check out* [*my guides on the Paid Newsletter Playbook*](https://www.paidnewsletterplaybook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#outpost)*.* ### I spent WHAT on WHAT?! URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-spent-what-on-what/ Last updated: 2025-04-12T04:56:09.000Z I’m off this week but I’ve been doing some budgeting. While aimlessly scrolling the internet, I found myself back onto [No Buy TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/discover/no-buy?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). No Buy TikTok is where people share things they’re *not going to buy* for the next month, or sometimes, year. People make lists on their notes app and then they explain all their rules to us. It’s really popular at the end of the year when everyone’s outta money and then has to pay taxes or credit card bills 🙃 ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/2025/04/image1-2.png) When I first discovered No Buy TikTok last year, I was very into it—\* *picture me glued to the screen ready to save all this cash moneyyyyyy\**—until I realized I don’t spend money on nearly anything these people are buying. So many of the categories on the “no buy lists” are things like clothes, jewelry, video games, makeup, concerts, home decor or gym gear. I rarely buy any of that. I spent $381 total on Amazon for all of 2024. AND YET. I look at my credit card bills and think…*Who spent this money? Where did it all go???* Because if you know me, you know: - I wear the same pair of shoes every day unless someone’s getting married - I drive a 10+ year old paid off regular ass car - I rent a room in a house and pay $800 a month I live a pretty austere life. I’m a newsletter dirtbag after all. But it sort of doesn’t matter anymore how frugal you are (not that I would describe myself that way). Life in the United States is getting more expensive every year. Leaving is getting more expensive too. I spent most of my adult life in California, so for many years, I aimed to make as much money as possible, and then, once I started my own company, I just wanted to replace my tech salary which at the time I quit was around $160k in cash compensation. That was exhausting. And it meant I had to take a lot of work I didn’t really want to do. Moving back to Atlanta cut my expenses in half. It gave me more time back too. I felt a weight lift off me for the first time ever. *Was this financial freedom?* That feeling did not last long because I’ve readjusted my earning targets to match it so I make less money now. (No one is more disappointed by this than Dave, my LA-based accountant who’s been with me 15+ years now, and who last year remarked how most business owners aim to make more money as time goes on, not less…) DAVE YOU DON’T GET IT GEORGIA IS CHEAP. But not that cheap actually. I wanted to go to the aquarium yesterday and it was $65! Forget it. I’ll just YouTube some penguins lol. Here’s the **starting monthly personal budget** I came up with for 2025: _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 2024 Year in Review URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/2024-year-in-review/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T00:57:17.000Z *“Aren’t you sick of always reinventing yourself?”* My mom asked me earlier this year, pretending like she didn’t know this was my normal operating mode. I mean…sure, in some ways, I am. I’m super envious of my friend Ara who I met when I was in architecture school. Ara is now an architect and he’s the most hyper focused person I know. He finished undergrad, then graduate school, worked as an apprentice, started his own firm, and got his license in record time. Night and day, Ara lives and breathes architecture. Meanwhile, I went to a panel very early on in architecture school called “Architects Beyond Architecture” and thought, yeah, actually, I should quit. So I did. And I’ve had two entire careers since then. I am both used to reinventing myself and I am tired of it. Last Friday, I went to a [2024 Retrospective Workshop](https://freelanceforlife.com/?%5Fbhlid=024562b2bca1e3af14640d0ddb87dc0342dee160&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) held by Sarah Jutras and Gabriela Néspoli. *(It was a KILLER session, by the way. I have never been to a virtual event that was so end to end incredible.* [*Follow Sarah on LinkedIn*](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahjutras/?%5Fbhlid=b2053a052979d24d44ec98ff45422fe9c39102f9&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)*. I’ll be at the February workshop.)* During the retro, I was paired up with someone to debrief the highs and lows of the year. Their lows and mine all had to do with clients. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### It's me. Not the depression. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/it-s-me-not-the-depression/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T00:58:06.000Z I once asked my Grandmother what it was like growing up in the Great Depression and she responded: *“Oh, it was a wonderful time!”* ????? So I had to go ask my dad about this because I waited too long to interview Grandma about her life and she was definitely spouting off some wild stories. Dad said something like: *“Grandma had a very different experience of the depression than most people. While your grandpa was walking the railroad tracks looking for spare coal to warm the house, your grandma was riding around in carriages and staying at hotels by the beach.”* Why? Because her uncle owned a newspaper. The Minneapolis Star which is now part of the Star Tribune. No matter how bad it gets. There’s always someone who has money. This lesson sticks with me. For every time I hear someone say “it’s a bad time for freelance work,” or “no one’s buying fruit cakes right now,” I hear someone else say “it’s a wonderful time to be in this business!” So with that in mind, let me take you inside my Black Friday promo week. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### My open-yo-wallet promo plan URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/my-open-yo-wallet-promo-plan/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T00:58:42.000Z I’m not a planner. Even though I love buying planners. It’s all a facade. I’m very last minute with how I run major promotions, and even though I think about what I’m going to do months ahead of time, I rarely sit down to do the work until right before it’s due. Alas, this week it is Black Friday! Sure, I know that Black Friday is an arbitrary holiday made up by Best Buy to get us to upgrade our TVs yada yada blah blah capitalism bad etc etc. *(Actually, supposedly Black Friday was* [*coined by cops*](https://www.history.com/news/black-friday-thanksgiving-origins-history?%5Fbhlid=a12fa4f718ead8703355f2f048ba6742275a2987&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) *which is even funnier because I thought cops loved overtime.)* ANYWAY I love running a Black Friday promotion. I’ve done it 3 years in a row and it’s always fun for a reason I can’t explain except that making money is fun. Usually, this promo is on [one of my digital products](https://lexroman.gumroad.com/?%5Fbhlid=54f03c9b9a29d4c1e583947a111c31d68921a69f&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) but, as you know, I’m really focused on building my subscription business. So here’s my plan for Black Friday this year. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Drum Up Quick Leads Shortcuts URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/drum-up-quick-leads-shortcuts/ Last updated: 2025-05-06T02:12:51.000Z Marketing and sales takes time, but in a pinch, you can speed it up! In this category, we have some hacks that will lead you to more buy ready prospects (who will close faster). ### Check out all these Quick Leads shortcuts [How to turn a job post into a contractSecret hack of freelancers everywhere step by step for the stealing![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/8c96490e-f963-4766-8a03-eda16961b437/youtube_thumbs-5.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-turn-a-job-post-into-a-contract/) [Need a quick visibility hack? I can't stop talking about Abhishek's success soundbites. Try it yourself today in less than an hour.![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/088592f0-6b97-4a59-a9ac-4d297dc36835/youtube_thumbs-20.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/need-a-quick-visibility-hack-try-success-soundbites/) [Mark gets DMs from potential clients every time he does this...A visibility hack to get recognized and be remembered!![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/351e6922-0f35-4080-bbcb-48eefdd28440/youtube_thumbs-21.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/show-your-face-more-and-get-more-calls/) [One DM could fast track your next sale🚪Why and how I started doing deals in LinkedIn DMs![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/3ecd75d4-eb3f-4176-bedc-282d82e271d7/youtube_thumbs-16.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/using-linkedin-dms-to-fast-track-sales/) [Drum up some leads before the holidays 🥁5 tests to try if you're striking out these days![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/ff98f1cb-2c59-4a5f-8206-1e263eafd4da/youtube_thumbs__19.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/drum-up-some-leads-before-the-holidays/) [Here's what to do when word of mouth isn't enoughWe're getting people talking about you with the Get More Referrals Challenge ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/2de8e54a-a56d-4c4d-b440-7b3019c13d04/referral_challenge.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/here-s-what-to-do-when-word-of-mouth-isn-t-enough/) [Why you're not getting more clients: a checklistRun down this tip list to see where you might be missing a key component![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/0606e7de-bdec-4400-87d9-cbf8b4b76960/youtube_thumbs-4.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-youre-not-getting-more-clients/) ### Digital Product Shortcuts URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/digital-product-shortcuts/ Last updated: 2025-05-06T02:12:14.000Z Digital products can be tricky. They require selling without sales calls so you employ things like landing pages, email sequences, testimonials, and abandoned cart reminders. Get smarter about how you sell your products with these shortcuts! ![Growth model with digital products](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down-format=auto-onerror=redirect-quality=80/uploads/asset/file/76cc68dc-3cb8-4d29-9831-6df6d6901506/growth_loop-4.png) ### Check out all these Digital Product shortcuts [It took me 9 months to get past $1000Selling a digital product: what I've learned so far![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/453465d9-12e1-4e12-a12f-e3c6567b3d5b/youtube_thumbs__41.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/selling-a-digital-product-what-i-ve-learned-so-far/) [How big an audience do you need to sell products?Where to sell low cost offers![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/674c7210-9eab-4a56-89ea-bc62108fee88/youtube_thumbs__43.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/audience-size-to-sell-digital-products/) [How to become the \*go to person\* for your thingMake sales easier with message saturation![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/562995d1-21d8-4707-9d00-2385fac125d4/youtube_thumbs-6.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/selling-digital-products-messaging-naming/) [Is LinkedIn the secret to selling digital products?Two service providers spill the beans![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/1f6ed50d-8db0-40ba-90af-1c7f827d2590/youtube_thumbs-8.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/is-linkedin-the-secret-to-selling-digital-products/) [This one thing is preventing my sales 😔Lackluster reviews and who's doing them right!![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/2a843270-21c1-482a-80a7-4820457d37ee/youtube_thumbs-9.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/where-to-put-reviews-to-sell-more/) [Which revenue stream are you REALLY GOOD at?Diversifying revenue sounds cool but one stream always wins!![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/306af1cc-d289-4a19-aaa4-7baf5f706b31/youtube_thumbs-2.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/which-revenue-stream-are-you-really-good-at/) [I had no idea a name could cost me thousands of dollarsThis week's visibility hack boosts search discoverability, shares and sales![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/5fffb18c-1930-4d44-a10e-3568f936125d/youtube_thumbs-24.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-you-should-rename-your-offer-if-its-not-selling/) [I set out to be a full time creator. Here's how it's going...A revenue breakdown across 8 streams of income for my 2 newsletters![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/b788e2b7-7cc6-47fe-9560-d324001ee806/youtube_thumbs-7.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/set-full-time-creator-heres-going/) [Inside my new creator businessI'm throwing out my business model. Here's how I'm making money in Q4.![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/2815446e-4e1d-43ba-bc4f-f4bd5a7e07a9/youtube_thumbs-8.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/inside-my-new-creator-business/) ### Email and Newsletter Shortcuts URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/email-and-newsletter-shortcuts/ Last updated: 2025-05-06T02:12:29.000Z Email makes an excellent call to action when you meet new people. You can use it to build trust one to many and warm up potential leads into ready to buy clients, while also keeping referral partners, collaborators and fans in the loop. ![Growth loop with email](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down-format=auto-onerror=redirect-quality=80/uploads/asset/file/4180a0ce-9c55-485d-ab53-187a772cf93e/growth_loop-2.png) ### Check out all these email and newsletter shortcuts [Selling without sales calls: the email opportunityWhy I pivoted into a newsletter business and where email could help you sell more![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/551f32b7-c76e-4e41-a326-4262497a8f0f/youtube_thumbs-12.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/selling-without-sales-calls-the-email-opportunity/) [Adding 100 subscribers to your email list. How easy is it? 📈We're gonna find out this month with newsletter growth plays and a Stack Up Subs challenge!![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/b5e72dd8-f120-48b2-b291-9f0ccda07d7b/youtube_thumbs-35.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/add-your-first-100-subscribers-to-your-email-list/) [How I got 80% of my email subscribers last month automaticallyThe automations you need to get more buyers on your email list![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/63a9725a-7e01-4dd3-b29b-c5a073927e60/youtube_thumbs-2.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-automations-you-need-for-your-email-newsletter/) [I've never tried this audience growth channel. Have you?This super untapped channel sits in between search and social media![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/fcc2cb6e-81d0-4624-a3ee-7dfa65e527c0/youtube_thumbs-3.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ever-tried-reddit-for-newsletter-list-growth/) [Here's where social media \*might\* fit in for you 5 ways to get your social following onto your email list using LinkedIn or Twitter![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/1026dcd8-d598-47d3-bd7d-c95a3eaabc8e/youtube_thumbs-6.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-use-linkedin-and-twitter-to-grow-your-email-list/) [Small audience? This is the fastest way to grow itStop trying to do everything yourself and lean into the magic of co-promoting![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/fdcb1f8b-2676-4739-bfaa-bbc83cafa6ef/screenshot_2024-07-30_at_8-38-57_pm.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/small-audience-fastest-way-grow/) [So you want to book your first sponsorEverything I know about sponsorships in one neat little package![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/fba54a2c-7c36-4e6f-8d10-7293b37cf725/youtube_thumbs.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/want-book-first-sponsor/) ### Networking Shortcuts URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/networking-shortcuts/ Last updated: 2025-05-06T02:11:39.000Z Networking is not just for meeting fresh faces. It’s the way you grow and stay in touch with your network that moves people from strangers to raving fans. ![Networking model](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down-format=auto-onerror=redirect-quality=80/uploads/asset/file/51607696-8830-45e9-9532-60bb8a518816/growth_loop.png) ### Check out all these networking shortcuts [My favorite summer visibility hackNow that's what I call maintenance mode marketing!![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/bae55daf-6808-4c50-a079-af7c01469fc1/youtube_thumbs-27.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/network-smarter-with-a-conversation-a-day-tracker/) [Networking for introverts: systemsYou asked and we answered! Tools, structure and strategies to make your networking more valuable![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/f9941069-4b18-41dc-b8ab-00939a4e9926/youtube_thumbs__3.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/networking-introverts-systems/) [Best places for introverts to networkFresh contributions on where to find your sense of belonging![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/ad10feef-d21c-40fe-9b24-0a76b42d5af7/youtube_thumbs__4.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/networking-for-introverts-places/) [Tips for better networking conversations (especially for introverts!)From listening to connect to how to move beyond small talk, 11 contributors share their advice![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/1dbf33f9-b127-4efe-bf04-c17361b99c4b/youtube_thumbs__11.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/networking-for-introverts-conversations/) [If networking isn't working, try this reframe 👓Tips from community expert Taylor Harrington on building your community![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/8186bade-b107-4aa9-a9bf-debf442720a8/youtubethumbtaylor.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/building-community-is-good-for-your-business/) [Networking like a pro with Eleanor MayrhoferThree strategies she uses to start and grow relationships![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/b817205c-4449-4b05-a2ac-258d1425204d/thumb_eleanor.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/networking-like-a-pro-with-eleanor-mayrhofer/) [Build a high value networkMy number one piece of parting wisdom for you as we retire Low Energy Leads![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/uploads/asset/file/7e3e76df-4e87-4067-a46a-7d61f20a359f/youtube_thumbs-10.png)](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/you-re-gonna-need-this/) ### Should I leave Substack? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/should-i-leave-substack/ Last updated: 2025-12-21T22:19:42.000Z *“Which platform should I use?”* is the most common thing I get asked. Immediately followed by *“Should I switch platforms?”* I’ve come to be very [biased against Substack](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/is-substack-bad-at-paid-newsletters?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), in particular, because I think they’re screwing over most of their writers and peddling a false promise of growth on autopilot. There are still reasons to start your publication on Substack. There are definitely reasons to keep your publication there. But there are also reasons to leave. This week, we’re pitting Substack, Ghost and beehiiv against each other. ## Substack vs Ghost vs beehiiv Why these three? They’re the ones I hear about the most from journalists. Check out my running list of [reader-funded publications](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/reader-funded-journalists-making-good-money?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and you’ll see for yourself. [Lede](https://joinlede.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack) and [MailChimp](https://mailchimp.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack) also made appearances but they didn’t have the stats to play with the superstars. They dropped the ball in every growth and monetization category. Sorry boys, back to training camp with you! Onward with our contenders! ### Our criteria As the name of this newsletter suggests, I’m most interested in you getting paid. Getting paid for your newsletter or blog comes down to two things: 1) How your platform helps **grow your audience** 2) How your platform helps **convert that audience into money** There’s TONS of comparisons out there that go beyond this because there’s probably a lot of other things you care about. Dan Oshinsky wrote this very thorough post on [Picking The Right Email Platform for Your Indie Newsletter](https://inboxcollective.com/aweber-beehiiv-convertkit-ghost-mailchimp-substack-which-is-the-right-esp-for-your-indie-newsletter/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack). I also recommend Reddit as a great place to vet your tools. But when it came to growth, monetization and marketing, here’s how the tools stacked up: [](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/compare-the-publishing-and-email-platforms?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Platforms that help you grow your audience Only [Substack](http://substack.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack) and [beehiiv](http://beehiiv.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack) made the cut here. How do they help you grow your audience? - **Recommendations**: that screen that appears after you subscribe to a newsletter that recommends other publications. [Example from beehiiv](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/recommendations?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - **Referral program**: unique trackers and rewards to encourage your readers to share. - **SEO-friendly web archive**: your articles can be published to the web and newsletter at the same time and are searchable by Google (Ghost does this too.) [](https://www.drunkbusinessadvice.co/subscribe?ref=IjSuilyYV4&utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack) Referral program example from beehiiv publication “Drunk Business Advice” Substack’s gotten pretty popular because of their “writers network” which make their recommendations stronger than beehiiv’s for many journalists. That’s because Substack also has: - **A social network/searchable feed**: Substack makes it easy to discover writers and be discovered as a new publication. [See it in action.](https://substack.com/home?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack) 💡 This is the feature I hear about the most from writers who love Substack. Nika Talbot who writes [The Shift](https://www.nikatalbot.io/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack) told me *“I’m in it for connection, collaboration and community. It’s a genuine, intelligent community of diverse writers and creatives of all ages, locations, subjects.”* beehiiv doesn’t have a discoverability mechanism yet and that’s their main drawback right now. Most Substackers are leaning heavy into those recommendations to grow their newsletter list, and while the same feature is available on beehiiv, you just won’t find the same caliber of journalists and writers to trade promotion with, though that’s changing rapidly. [](https://substack.com/home?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack) “The Feed” inside Substack (must be pronounced like “The Claw” from Toy Story) ### Platforms that help you monetize your audience Now, we’re adding [Ghost](http://ghost.org/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack) into the mix. Ghost, Substack and beehiiv all help you monetize. If you’re using Ghost, you also have to use [Outpost](http://outpost.pub/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack) for monetization. I covered that last week so I’m not going to rehash it but you can [catch up on why Outpost is critical](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/outpost-will-convert-more-of-your-readers-to-paying-subscribers?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for all Ghost publishers. How do these three platforms help you monetize? - **Low friction upgrades:** You deserve well designed paywalls and upgrade screens that include no extra fields or steps beyond name, email, credit card and tier. You’ll notice how similar the upgrade flows look between [Ghost](https://www.swipewell.app/swipes/a9771f5d-dec2-400f-b372-2659af4cde50?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack), [beehiiv](https://www.swipewell.app/swipes/031578f0-2890-4a6d-8e2a-221d30cad4fa?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack) and [Substack](https://www.swipewell.app/swipes/1ebcb83a-c0d9-4a35-881a-7b0eecfa306f?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack). That’s because it’s taken us a lot of testing to get to this place as an industry. Benefit from that! Accept nothing less! - **One click upgrade:** Only available on Substack because they retain your credit card for use across publications. A super nice feature indeed. - **Segments:** Not available in Substack. Only Ghost/Outpost and beehiiv allow you to segment your audience by behavior, date joined, tags and more so that you can send different promotions to targeted sets of readers. Extremely useful for converting loyal fans into paying fans. - **Automations:** Same story. Huge miss on Substack’s part. This is a critical feature, a major part of Outpost’s offering, and built into beehiiv in smart ways. You can use these to automate upselling and churn prevention in the background year round as your audience grows. - **Analytics that show you when/why people upgrade:** Only Outpost and beehiiv offer this. It’s not as big a concern for brand new publications but as you get into years two and three, you’re going to want way better info on what’s working. beehiiv does a really beautiful job with analytics, down to showing you which post converted the most paying subscribers at a dashboard glance. - **Easy to integrate ads:** Only Ghost/Outpost and beehiiv support ads. beehiiv offers built-in ads where you can choose from CPM or CPC (different ad revenue models). You select an ad, then load it into your email in just a couple clicks. [The beehiiv Ad Network](https://www.beehiiv.com/features/ad-network/publishers?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack) is one of their most impressive features and it makes ad revenue extremely low lift for publishers. Ad partners will vary based on your audience type, list size and engagement quality but in the past, I’ve run ads for HoneyBook and PodPitch. [](https://www.beehiiv.com/features/ad-network/publishers?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack) What ad selection looks like inside beehiiv Ghost supports ads gracefully with a bit of custom development (either manually or programmatically with an ad partner—for example, 404 Media uses [BuySellAds](https://www.buysellads.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack).) Outpost is bulking up support for 1st party ads (meaning ads you sell yourself, like sponsorships). You’ll be able to set those up and distribute them from a central place rather than having to manually add them everywhere. Substack has no support for ads or sponsorships, though you can sell and integrate them on your own and many publishers do. 💡 Ad features generate income but sports journalist Matt Brown, who runs [Extra Points](https://www.extrapointsmb.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack) on beehiiv, rightly pointed out that: *“You can usually make substantially more money from smaller audiences by selling premium subscriptions rather than ads...but only if you're capable of writing stuff people will pay for.”* Matt makes [90% of his revenue](https://www.reddit.com/r/beehiiv/comments/1giai16/heres%5Fa%5Fframework%5Fto%5Fhelp%5Fyou%5Factually%5Fmake%5Fmoney/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack) from subscriptions. 💡 That said, having multiple revenue streams available is a benefit to publishers. Kaitlyn Arford who produces [Freelance Opportunities](https://www.findfreelanceopportunities.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack), also on beehiiv, prefers to balance ads, sponsorships and subscriptions. Kaitlyn told me: *“I run a purpose-driven business where I can't put all the monetization burden on my audience because they often come to me after a layoff or because they need clients.”* She also said the ad network and paid recommendations cover the cost of her beehiiv subscription for her audience of over 10k readers. ## So should you leave Substack? Honestly, probably yes. **Reasons to stay:** your recommendation partners are strong, you like the social feed engagement with your audience or you believe one click upgrades is important. **Reasons to go to Ghost:** you want full control over your site design, you care about open source publishing and you want more say in how your tools are built. **Reasons to go to beehiiv:** you already have a good audience size or know how to build your newsletter list but you aren’t making enough money. The process of leaving Substack has been documented by several popular journalists like [Ty Burr](https://tyburrswatchlist.substack.com/p/a-note-to-readers-the-watch-list?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack), [Casey Newton](https://www.platformer.news/leaving-substack-platformer-year-four/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack), [Nathan Tankus](https://nathantankus.substack.com/p/i-am-leaving-substack?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack), [Molly White](https://www.citationneeded.news/substack-to-self-hosted-ghost/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and [Ryan Broderick](https://www.garbageday.email/p/its-time-to-leave-substack?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack). You can also find a growing list of resources at [leavesubstack.com](https://leavesubstack.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), maintained by Sean Killeen. The most common reason was (you guessed it) Substack’s nazi controversy and before, that, their transphobic controversy, and soon it’s gonna be that they’re [hanging out with Kevin Spacey and Peter Thiel](https://www.cyberpatterns.xyz/p/hereticon?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=should-i-leave-substack)—but for me, the main reason to leave is that they suck at monetization. Substackers I spoke with are happy with the platform but it’s never because it’s helping them make money. It’s helping them find their audience, similar to Twitter or LinkedIn, but with long form content and a far more delightful feed. Take this email with a grain of salt, please, and [run your own comparison](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/compare-the-publishing-and-email-platforms?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) to decide if switching is right for you. ### Selling without sales calls: the email opportunity URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/selling-without-sales-calls-the-email-opportunity/ Last updated: 2025-05-06T00:12:56.000Z Email is practically my whole personality now. Bet you didn’t know my dream job as a kid was “newsletter expert.” 😜 Couple weeks ago, I was sitting in a meme marketing call with Jason Levin’s [Strategists community](https://www.cyberpatterns.xyz/?%5Fbhlid=5a264d0d36b448bb261547924891ad5095baf630&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com).\* We’re talking about how memes drive sales. One guy says he’s posting memes all the time but they are not converting into sales.\*\* [Filip](https://x.com/BallinFil?%5Fbhlid=28d02692b5453138e0fbbe2388f34e17d4ebcc79&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and I both chime in to say how email marketing might be the missing piece and another member says: “So say the email people.” Yeah, but we became email people for a reason. Because it works. Not just that. It’s one of the lowest effort, highest value marketing strategies you can deploy. There are so many unmatched advantages. I used to tell [Growthtrackers](https://lexroman.com/growthtrackers?%5Fbhlid=5ececbfaec785ea39457fee4ac4bb0710bafbba2&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) they could choose any channels they wanted (which is true) but now I’d say, if you don’t include email, you’re making your life harder than it needs to be (also true). **To put it simply: email allows you to sell without a sales call.** Why might you want to do that? And how do you do it? That’s what I share in this [Legends only issue](https://lexroman.com/legends?%5Fbhlid=914419ef40cbf8d3b4515f3bf100289282b7da27&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) of Low Energy Leads. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I set the bar too low URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-set-the-bar-too-low/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:05:44.000Z I moved to San Francisco 10 years ago. I didn’t have a job or an apartment. I just boarded a plane going from LA to SFO, found a nice room in the Castro and gave myself 2 weeks to figure out if I could stay. Within 3 days, I had dueling contract offers. The next Monday morning, I found myself sitting across from a hiring manager inside a bank vault that had been converted into a [*very intimidating*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/wp-content/themes/dg717/images/spaces-meetingroom.jpg) conference room. “What’s your hourly rate?” he asked. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### It takes a lot of emails to sell something URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/it-takes-a-lot-of-emails-to-sell-something/ Last updated: 2025-05-24T03:16:28.000Z "Email doesn't work for me" just means you're not sending enough _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I launched a subscription even though Matt McGarry told me not to URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-launched-a-subscription-even-though-matt-mcgarry-told-me-not-to/ Last updated: 2025-05-06T02:04:45.000Z Can't hawk the audience-funded game if I'm not in it myself _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Legends Wall of Wins URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/wall-of-wins/ Last updated: 2025-04-24T00:49:00.000Z Legends are hiring, referring, introing and teaming up! I wanted to keep track of all the ways Legends are working together and supporting each other so we now have a WALL OF WINS. Just for Legends. ### Check out the Legends Wall of Wins! [Open the wall](https://reviews.lexroman.com/wins?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Did a Legend help you out? [Share a win](https://reviews.lexroman.com/r/wins?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Build a high value network URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/build-a-high-value-network/ Last updated: 2025-04-22T20:47:08.000Z My number one piece of parting wisdom for you as we retire Low Energy Leads _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Is Substack bad at monetization? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/is-substack-bad-at-paid-newsletters/ Last updated: 2025-10-11T03:11:59.000Z **Is Substack actually \*bad\* at paid newsletters?** I’ve talked to a few Substack journalists and they have reported ABYSMAL conversion rates of free to paid subscribers (2-5%). These anecdotes combined with Casey Newton’s [comment that churn went down 30%](https://www.platformer.news/leaving-substack-platformer-year-four/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=is-substack-bad-at-monetization) when they moved away from Substack got me thinking something might be up here. We know Substack is great for *free* email list growth but I wonder if that buzz has covered up the story that they’re tanking their own publications’ revenue potential. I looked into Substack’s claims of “growth on autopilot” and I have three theories about what’s going on. ## The Mystery of the Missing Substack Money Lenny Rachitsky writes [one of the most popular Substacks](https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=is-substack-bad-at-monetization) in their 7 year history. It’s called “Lenny’s Newsletter” and it’s about building tech companies. I’ve been closely following his growth trajectory from 2020 til now. Lenny’s famously made more than a good living off the newsletter—somewhere in the low millions. He now has a team, a podcast, and a conference too. Last April, Chenell Basilio of Growth in Reverse [shared that Lenny had 18k paying subscribers](https://growthinreverse.com/lennys-paid-newsletter/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=is-substack-bad-at-monetization) on Substack (3 years after his launch). That meant 5% of his total audience was paying. But wait a minute…isn’t this the [number 1 business newsletter](https://substack.com/top/business?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=is-substack-bad-at-monetization) on Substack? Shouldn’t it be converting at the high end closer to the 10% [Substack claims should be your target](https://substack.com/going-paid-guide?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=is-substack-bad-at-monetization#:~:text=We%20tend%20to%20see%205,a%20rate%20to%20aim%20for.)? Substack themselves say 5% is not good! *“If your conversion rate is significantly below 10%, use tried-and-true tactics from other writers to improve it.”* With now close to 1 million readers, Lenny is most definitely top of the newsletter game. Sounds to me like Substack might be the problem. ### Issue 1: World’s saddest calls to action Substack pioneered the most lackluster upsell blocks of all time. They look like this: ![Upgrade to paid block from Substack](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/2697dc07-0144-40bb-a11e-04cfac5a71f8/Screenshot_2024-10-04_at_9.55.57_PM.png?t=1728093360) When you send out your newsletter, they’ll automatically insert this call to action (GOOD) but they use the least convincing language possible (BAD) and they never change up timing or location. You, the writer, can override this and some people do, but Substack set a precedent here where their publishers believe this is sufficient upselling. Publishers have reason to believe that because Substack claims their “benevolent robots…help you make money” and that, basically, they’ve got it covered. But they don’t. In the last two years, these upsell blocks have stayed *exactly the same*. So much for “[growth can happen magically in the background](https://on.substack.com/p/growth?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=is-substack-bad-at-monetization).” ### Issue 2: Discounts are their only move Two years ago, Substack launched Boosts. Another feature that promised [“growth on autopilot.”](https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/9674586580244-What-is-Substack-Boost?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=is-substack-bad-at-monetization) ![Substack admin panel showing boosts feature](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/e32d63c0-59ec-44c4-9b1a-b5c75e8e9cb8/Screenshot_2024-10-03_at_10.25.57_PM.png?t=1728093953) But what is Boosts? It’s actually just a bunch of discounts. You have little control over them (just toggles if you want them on or off). The only piece you can customize is the upsell email which includes (you guessed it) a discount. ![Upsell email on Substack](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/80af4fcb-830c-4773-9a8e-149850563599/Screenshot_2024-10-04_at_9.12.54_PM.png?t=1728094130) Are discounts a lever you can pull to get more subscribers? Absolutely. *Are they the only one?* Absolutely not. This is an incredibly lame implementation of “growth on autopilot” and it really makes me question how much Substack understands about why readers upgrade. Your readers are motivated by different aspects of your work. - 404 Media recently shared that [specific stories](https://www.404media.co/what-we-learned-in-our-first-year-of-404-media/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=is-substack-bad-at-monetization) triggered more upgrades. - LA TACO has members who want [access to their coveted food guides](https://x.com/LATACO/status/1832797575105429820?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=is-substack-bad-at-monetization). - Millennials Are Killing Capitalism has [driven subscribes with their study groups](https://www.instagram.com/makcapitalism/p/C4y3Ay-up6T/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=is-substack-bad-at-monetization). Not all readers are the same. Not all publications are the same. Boosts *needs a ton of work* to actually be the [proclaimed growth engine](https://on.substack.com/p/turn-on-your-growth-engine?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=is-substack-bad-at-monetization) Substack is touting. ### Issue 3: No custom automations The more you ask, the more you receive. Every publication I have talked to that’s sending dedicated emails about their subscription offers is seeing big gains in new subscribers and existing subscribers upgrading to higher tiers. Ideally, we want that work to be automated *or more automated* so your publication really is selling in the background while you focus on the reporting. Substack does not allow their publishers to do this. **\[Related:** [**The 5 email sequences you need to earn more paying subscribers**](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/the-5-email-sequences-you-need-to-earn-more-paying-subscribers?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)**\]** ![Welcome emails in Substack settings](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/9691be49-5613-431b-b302-b1305532f3ac/Screenshot_2024-10-04_at_9.14.37_PM.png?t=1728094928) You can set up welcome and expiration emails but that’s it. Most of your readers won’t convert right away. A few will but many more will need time to think about whether they want a subscription. That’s why you need an automation like [404 Media has 7 weeks](https://journalistspaythemselves.com/p/stop-promoting-at-the-wrong-time-get-on-your-readers-timeline?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) into joining their list for free. *Hey, maybe it’s time to subscribe? Here’s why you should!* (404 used [Ghost-plugin Outpost](https://outpost.pub/?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=is-substack-bad-at-monetization) to set that up by the way.) Without those automation options, you’d have to manually segment your readers by date joined and manually send all the promotions. An unreasonable waste of your time. If Substack’s going to do such a bad job of “growth on autopilot” the least they could do is give you more control over your automations and upsells! ## Our Takeaway Writers grow their email lists quickly on Substack. Substack often gets accolades for their acquisition tools and features like “Recommend other Substacks” have been copied newsletter industry wide. But I wonder if all that is hiding the fact that they really don’t know how to help more of their writers make money. They are not fulfilling the promise of driving upgrades on your behalf if even their [most successful Substacks](https://pubstacksuccess.substack.com/p/6-things-to-learn-from-a-high-earning?utm%5Fsource=journalistspaythemselves.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=is-substack-bad-at-monetization) are not reaching the 10% benchmark they themselves claim is standard. If Substack really wants to put “growth on autopilot” for their publishers, they’d better hit the gas on these upgrade tests and start showing us the money. ### The List of Legends URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/the-list-of-legends/ Last updated: 2026-09-12T01:31:48.000Z **Meet the Legends—my coolest and most involved champions.** Legends are people who support my projects by investing early with recurring support. Together, they form a creative network where I boost their work too and connect them to each other through curated events and collaborations. *Want to join them? Learn why you should* [*become a Legend*](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-become-a-legend/)*.* [Become a Legend](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/membership) Thank you for believing in me and in yourselves, Legends! ### The List of Legends 👑 denotes Lifetime Legend 👑👑 denotes DOUBLE Lifetime Legends who've expanded their lifetime support Long live the Legends!!!!!!! 1. [Lauren St. Germain](https://www.lsgcoaching.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 👑 2. [Alison Gretz](https://designbydesign.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 👑 3. [Maigen Thomas](https://maigenthomas.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 👑 4. [Marc Thomas](https://www.positivehuman.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 5. [LaShonda Brown](https://www.lashondabrown.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 👑 6. [Matt Herron](https://www.storytelling.systems/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 👑 7. [Nikki Anderson](https://www.userresearchacademy.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 👑 8. 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[Melissa Moreau](https://serenesunshowers.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 325. [Dominique van Werkhoven](https://thewerks.nl/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 326. [Graham Bucknell](https://weaselcreative.co.uk/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 327. [Charlice Hurst](https://www.charlicehurst.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 328. [Jen Earle](https://www.jenniferearle.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 329. [Lizzy Maskey](https://pippinandgile.co.uk/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 330. [Georgina Dean](https://georginadean.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 331. [Renee Lynn Frojo](https://www.reneelynnfrojo.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 332. [Michelle Marlahan](https://www.michellemarlahan.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 333. [Jenni Gritters](https://www.jennigritters.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 334. [Riquelmy Sosa](https://riquelmysosa.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 335. [Janet LeBlanc](https://paperandspark.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 336. [Salman Somjee](https://www.matkacareers.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 337. [Veta Wade](https://www.vetawade.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 338. Kari 339. [Angela Hollowell](https://www.angelahollowell.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 340. [Laura Howe](https://www.dispatcheddivorcee.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 341. [Maureen Wiley](https://www.narrative-drive.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 342. [Tiffany Han](https://tiffanyhan.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 343. [Monica Seggos](https://www.instagram.com/monicaseggos/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 344. [Joel Iwashige](https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeliwashige/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 345. [Clare Ashbrook](https://www.clareashbrook.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 346. [Logan Currie](https://www.linkedin.com/in/logan-currie/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 347. [Steph Lundberg](https://supporthuman.cx/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 348. [Ashley Green](https://ashleygreencoaching.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 349. [Chris Mahan](https://www.christophermahan.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 350. [Mike Plunkett](https://www.gbbcreative.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 351. [Nick Norlen](https://paperairplane.pub/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 352. [Susan Boles](https://www.unpublic.co/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 353. [Greg Edwards](https://www.social15.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 354. [Meri McGuire McConn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredithlmcguiremcconn?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 355. [Megan McLaughlin](https://www.meganmconsulting.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 356. [Sophy Dale](https://sophydale.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 357. [Jill Felska](https://www.wanttoworkthere.com/managementtraining?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 358. [Jeni Rogers](https://www.jenirogers.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 359. [Amy Soucy](https://amysoucy.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 360. [Candice Lazar](https://candicelazar.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 361. [Shannon Kirk](https://shannonkirk.ca/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 362. [Peggy Ryan](https://peggyryan.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 363. [Cory Brown](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tcorybrown/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 364. [Desiree Townsend](https://yaygiftsandcards.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 365. [Amy Goldmacher](https://www.amygoldmacher.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 366. [Dr. Grover Wehman-Brown](https://www.strategiccreations.studio/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 367. [Modupe Oloruntoba](https://www.linkedin.com/in/modupe-oloruntoba/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 368. [Ellen Brown](https://www.newshapesstudio.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 369. [Camille Freeman](https://www.camillefreeman.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 370. [Arielle Nissenblatt](https://www.ariellenissenblatt.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 371. [Courtney Fanning](https://bigpicturecopywriting.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 372. [Kristi Amdahl](https://deeperintegrity.earth/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 373. [Rob McClinton](https://www.linkedin.com/in/robmcclinton/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 374. [Rachel Duncan](https://www.moneyhealingclub.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 375. [Stacey Eleczko](https://www.stacyeleczko.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 376. [Michael TenBrink](https://www.michaeltenbrink.com/about?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 377. [Kim Lech](https://www.instagram.com/oinopo.studio/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 378. [Lana Price](https://www.pragmagical.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 379. [Rachel Kantrowitz](https://www.sparkinsightsgroup.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 380. [Ruth Ridgeway](https://www.ruthxo.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 381. [Michelle Matthews](https://www.linkedin.com/in/michematthews/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 382. [Tatiana Vlahovic](https://nurturingclarity.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 383. [Justine Beauregard](https://www.justinebeauregard.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 384. [Laura Coyle](https://www.lauracoylecreative.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 385. [Hannah Gaber](https://hannahgaber.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 386. [Melanie Whittaker](https://www.youareyourmarketing.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 387. [Michelle Mazur](https://drmichellemazur.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 388. [Kate Thomas](https://www.awelltendedpractice.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 389. [Rosemary Rogers](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosemary-rogers/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 390. [Edgar Fabián Frías](https://www.edgarfabianfrias.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 391. [Marianne Dhenin](https://mariannedhenin.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 392. [Kamilah Taylor](https://www.kamilahtaylor.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 393. [JP Marín](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jponcem/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 394. [Keir Whitaker](https://keirwhitaker.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 395. [Genevieve Conaty](https://www.linkedin.com/in/genevieve/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 396. [Yaddy Arroyo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaddy/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 397. [Brian Hoadley](https://www.bscotthoadley.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 398. [Jenny Oja Mailhot](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennyojamailhot/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 399. [Alexis Perry](https://mountaincanemedia.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 400. [Sharon Wagner](https://www.swail.studio/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 401. [Tresaca Hamilton](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tresaca?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 402. [Joanna Scott](https://www.stameystreet.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 403. [Corey Friedman](https://cffinancial-llc.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 404. [Kelly White](https://illumeprojects.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 405. [Cathy Kauder](https://www.cvkdesign.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 406. [Whitney Bateson](https://whitneybateson.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 407. [Miana Melendez](https://www.mianamelendez.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 408. [Bailey McCann](https://baileymccann.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 409. [Stephani Halderman](https://www.thesimplegrowthco.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 410. [Sydney Harbosky](https://beyondidling.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 411. [Angie Lake](https://angielake.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 412. Rhonda Dorsey 413. [Monica Paredes](https://www.ritualresonance.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 414. [Dana Varga](https://www.theempoweredmusician.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 415. [Sophie Brookover](https://authory.com/sophiebrookover?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 416. [Kate Helen Downey](https://www.katehelendowney.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 417. [Erin Monahan](https://www.terraincognitamedia.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 418. [Justin Moore](https://www.creatorwizard.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 419. [Billie Mandel](https://www.mandelcreative.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 420. [Lynne Marie O'Connor](https://robinseggmultimedia.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 421. [Kristen Lopez](http://www.thefilmmaven.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 422. [Heather Brown](https://brownbirdconsulting.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 423. [Clara Soteras](https://clarasoteras.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 424. [Catrina Mitchum](https://www.cmlearningdesign.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 425. [Kim Bache](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimbache/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 426. [Lissy Torres](https://www.patospace.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 427. [Jana M. Perkins](https://womenofletters.substack.com/) 428. [Bernie Mitchell](https://berniejmitchell.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 429. Nancy Barbee 430. [Juan Escalante](https://juanescalante.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) 431. [Larissa Murillom](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lmurillom/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) ### Inside my new creator business URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/inside-my-new-creator-business/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:10:34.000Z I’m throwing out my business model. (I know, I know, you’ve heard me say this before) My quick start into entrepreneurship was [consulting](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-turn-a-job-post-into-a-contract/). I’ve been anchored to that as the backup for way. too. long. I don’t have to be a consultant. I don’t have to take clients. You don’t either. This is the second to last issue of Low Energy Leads, a newsletter that’s supposed to be about finding and booking clients. I tried to write you an issue about clients. Really, I did. But when I looked back at open rates and replies, YOU liked the issues about creator revenue streams best. 60-70% open rate compared to the usual 55%. Products, paid newsletters, memberships, speaking, programs, sponsorships—this is where we’re growing. Not just me. You too! I spent the summer galavanting around Oaxaca and Minneapolis, and honestly ignoring where the money was going to come from, but I’m back home now. It’s time to get serious about this Q4 revenue. I want to ditch client work for good. This issue lays out my plan. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Marketing garbage land URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/marketing-garbage-land/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:11:55.000Z Last night, I read a tweet that changed my plans. I was gonna go home like usual, make dinner and write this newsletter like the boring person I am most days. But this tweet compelled me do something different with my evening. The tweet read: *“If you wait to catch THE SUBSTANCE on streaming, you will be kicking yourself for not experiencing it in a packed movie theater.”* One of my Twitter mutuals [quote tweeted it](https://x.com/baddnewsbrandon/status/1838590350157369468?%5Fbhlid=a5b2cd0c6a671e67a63b41ff2af6b4d966d7c307&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) echoing the sentiment so instead of having a lame ass Tuesday night like every forgettable week, I went to the movies. Weirdly, it *was* packed.\* In an endless slog of sameness, you’ve really got to SHOCK ME AWAKE. That movie definitely did. But that bar is getting higher every day. It’s no longer enough to just produce something. It’s gotta be fucking great.\*\* True of movies and true of marketing. This issue is about (what I’m calling) **marketing garbage land**—and how you and I are bailing on it. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I can make money from...speaking? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-get-paid-from-public-speaking/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:12:36.000Z **Would you do a one hour virtual Q&A for $2000?** When I got this offer in 2021, I thought it was a scam. 👻 You want me to get on Zoom? For an hour? Answer questions I know the answers to? And you’re going to pay me how much?! I had never been paid *that much* for something *that easy*. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking…*“well, Lex, you kind of have a history of underselling yourself.”* POINT TAKEN. However, I had been speaking since 2013\. I had been getting paid for it since 2018\. With over 100 speaking engagements under my belt by this time, I was still stunned to get an offer like this. I shouldn’t have been. It took me YEARS to understand what I should be doing with my speaking career and I’m *only just barely starting to*. Even so, I get asked a lot about speaking, how to get paid for it and how to get clients from it. **That’s what this issue is all about. My top 4 lessons on talking out loud for money.** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I started a membership two years ago...here's why I shut it down URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/started-membership-two-years-agoheres-shut/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:13:21.000Z I loved running Growthtrackers…until I didn’t. Many days, I would think *how cool that this is my job?* Other days, I would realize I had set myself up for a rigorous schedule that was hard to break away from. It’s almost worse when there’s no one else to blame but yourself 😂 I started a membership two years ago...here's why I shut it down Earlier this week, I was texting with my friend Arturo about it. He’s a founder type turned CEO and we’ve been in each other’s businesses for 17 years. He asked “Why would you shut down your main rev stream?” This is what I said: ![Text message](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down-format=auto-onerror=redirect-quality=80/uploads/asset/file/3ebfda9f-2a09-45ad-86e0-cf5c3b91e08e/screenshot_2024-09-13_at_2-00-40_am.png) The longer answer is [in this video](https://youtu.be/vt-qE4j2yp4?%5Fbhlid=6c29c30ab82c0f005179e9f38c4384f3942a8c62&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) I made yesterday. Growthtrackers was a program about experimentation. During its two years, I ran hundreds of small experiments to course correct its challenges. *Some metrics* got better (referrals actually coming in as members). *Other metrics* got worse (member session attendance). And man, that churn hits hard and fast at $500/mo per person. The results members were getting (# of new leads, # of referrals, % of closed clients, avg deal size) definitely got way better over time which seemed so promising, but somehow I could just never parlay that into easier sales. Telling those success stories was not clear cut. It’s a big reason why I’ve gotten so into ***really fucking good testimonials.*** Towards the end, I felt like I just kept missing the mark and I was spinning out doing so much of it alone. I’m glad I shut down Growthtrackers. I miss it. But it was the right move. (And FWIW all of its members seem to be thriving. It really makes me glad to see the community hang together in our new home on Slack and support each other all over the internet without the container of a membership). Whether you’re thinking about launching a membership or you just wanna know how I screwed mine up so bad, it’s all [right here for you on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt-qE4j2yp4&feature=youtu.be&%5Fbhlid=60e45aea5990a8bfa5614514e2c74c821e738ce0&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). ### How to turn a job post into a contract URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-turn-a-job-post-into-a-contract/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:14:23.000Z I hate taking orders. I’m not good at being compliant. From the time I was very small. Told my kindergarten teacher to f-off and ran away from class. 30 years later, I found myself sitting on Santa Monica pier staring at the ocean, wondering if I had had my life’s fill of taking orders. The Head of Product at my company had just given me an ultimatum. *Follow my orders or move on.* Ok dude, challenge accepted. I’m so outta here. But how? I couldn’t really afford to quit and have no work, and even though I knew I could get another job, the 8-12 week interview cycle in tech was getting real old. But what about a contract? **It turned out to be the perfect exit plan.** It has also become my continuous fall back plan. Today’s issue is about how to find a full time job and turn it into a contract. Perfect if you could use a little padding in your pipeline! _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### My favorite subscription? It's about Playboy URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/my-favorite-subscription-its-about-playboy/ Last updated: 2025-04-12T05:12:04.000Z There’s only one podcast I listen to religiously. [Girls Next Level.](https://www.patreon.com/girlsnextlevel/posts?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) It’s about life at the Playboy Mansion in the early 2000s and well…everything that went with that lifestyle. *Lex, really? Playboy? That’s what you’re listening to over there?!??* LET ME EXPLAIN. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How Soren Iverson went from posting jokes to profitable agency in 4 months URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/from-posting-jokes-to-profitable-agency/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:09:10.000Z I’ve never been able to crack social media growth\* Being able to consistently get eyes is not something I can do. So I study people closely who can pull it off. I want to know their secret. This year I’ve been watching Soren Iverson do just that. Not just the viral post thing (which is impressive) but also turning that skill into a book, an app and an agency. Whether or not you care about social media, there’s a good lesson in Soren’s ability to stay-the-fuck-on-topic. This is an unconventional story for us here. But I really do think it’s a good one. Soren and I have very different takes on why he can soar past his goals so fast. Read them below. *\*except that one time my Twitter did help me grow and sell a different newsletter so ok maybe I cracked social growth before and then promptly deleted that entire account* 🙃 ## Who’s Soren Iverson and What’s His Business [Soren Iverson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/soreniverson/?%5Fbhlid=4aa5c565f33fa2de305ca79cf90dac7f312fd1d1&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is a digital product designer who quit his tech job and went out on his own in April of this year. And he skyrocketed to fame in every category. Wunderkind this one. So many lessons, so little time. Soren’s business portfolio looks like this: - [A product design agency](https://www.iverson.inc/?%5Fbhlid=2bebd3a3317c45a7f2b6dd0261d47423652943c0&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [A gamified walking app](https://www.theverge.com/24167330/stompers-ios-walking-app-soren-iverson?%5Fbhlid=784745878b60ae12b619e08ef325594fd6d683db&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [A book](https://www.soreniverson.com/?%5Fbhlid=8030fdb01467ac556bf875b228abf8fa7554c940&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) - [A set of viral social accounts](https://x.com/soren%5Fiverson?%5Fbhlid=71be69a270a9b54ff48d006a5365a02f1df13742&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (choose your channel really) and high profile brand partnerships like Duolingo The revenue split is 30-40% on the content business and 60-70% on the agency. The app doesn’t have a revenue model yet (or Soren didn’t include it in the revenue pie). Wow, what a diverse range of ventures to nail IN ONE YEAR. ### How it started It all started with “unhinged UI.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I don't believe in Low Energy Leads anymore URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-don-t-believe-in-low-energy-leads-anymore/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:08:04.000Z Man, am I getting good with the click bait. “I don’t believe in low energy leads.” What I mean is that: I’m not going to write this newsletter for much longer. I do believe in low energy leads. I don’t believe in the Low Energy Leads newsletter. If you want to know why I’m moving away from this brand, that’s exactly what this issue is about. If you’re here to find clients of your own (I get it—that’s what this newsletter is *supposed* to be about), try these top past issues: - [So you want low energy leads?](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-exactly-is-low-energy-lead-generation/) - [Where creative entrepreneurs find clients](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/where-creative-entrepreneurs-find-clients/) - [How to get word of mouth referrals](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-get-word-of-mouth-referrals/) Now for another peek behind the curtain… _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Why I want to move from membership to subscription URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-i-want-to-move-from-membership-to-subscription/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:16:32.000Z I’m extremely jealous of Jason Levin. A couple weeks ago, [I tweeted this](https://x.com/betonlex/status/1820940624406671454?%5Fbhlid=38c2a40c54b9149ab124b24e277f0e81f918f369&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) into the abyss: *“Got a newsletter business idea for you: this week’s memes”* In less than an hour, a dude I don’t know replied: *“I think this is what @iamjasonlevin is doing, essentially”* 👀👀👀 What is Jason doing and why am I so jealous? He runs a subscription called [Meme Alerts](https://meme-mail.beehiiv.com/upgrade?%5Fbhlid=3a132a65ab1f0a845d124781718671d5b813c22c&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). It’s $6.90/month and it has three features: 1) Daily email with new trending memes 2) Google slides so you can make your own memes 3) Archive of all past memes Talk about an easy model to deliver on! I wish I’d thought of it *(oh wait I did, but a little late and I don’t think I could be nearly as ruthless as Jason is about it* 😜*).* I love the simplicity of the concept and his execution. The low expectations of a low cost subscription call to me as a repeat overdeliverer. I wound down [my high touch membership](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/top-communities-for-creative-entrepreneurs/) a couple months ago. Of course, I miss the incredible members and the financial stability but I don’t miss how complex it was to run. Memberships are hard. Subscriptions are easier. Why? We’re gonna get into it in today’s issue. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I set out to be a full time creator. Here's how it's going... URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/set-full-time-creator-heres-going/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:18:07.000Z You know how kids these days all want to be pro YouTubers? It’s me. I am the kid. In June, [I told you](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lexroman%5Fi-want-to-be-where-the-creators-are-this-activity-7210265271024922626-efe8?%5Fbhlid=d75bf5f855fa417aa5a92913a77348d6515d22bb&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) I wanted to try being a full time creator for the summer. By that, I didn’t really mean YouTube. I meant this newsletter, my other newsletter and the revenue streams that originate here. My friends in LA laughed at me. Contrary to what TikTok would have you believe about Hollywood, they all have real jobs. *So, how’s it actually been going?* Well, I was wrong about pretty much everything. I forecasted the reader growth wrong. I projected the revenue wrong. I changed my mind about stuff I thought I would like doing. My partners and clients landed in completely different places than expected. It’s weird because I have personally never been more on my game. I feel like 2017 Kevin Durant wondering why he has to ride Steph Curry’s coat tails to get a championship ring. **In today’s issue, I explain what I wanted to do and where it went wrong. A little behind the scenes of a (wannabe) creator business.** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Small audience? This is the fastest way to grow it URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/small-audience-fastest-way-grow/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:20:23.000Z I’m super jealous of people who grow fast on social media. I wrote this comment to a creator who informed us in a Slack that he went from 5k to 30k followers on LinkedIn in FIVE MONTHS. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down-format=auto-onerror=redirect-quality=80/uploads/asset/file/06b90077-ea1e-4ba6-9486-fdebbef6c2fc/lexslack.png) Some people make it look easy and effortless to find their audience online. I’m so happy for them. Really I am. But that’s never been me. That’s why I focus so much here on how to monetize with a small audience. But, let’s say you want to find new people? Social media isn’t cutting it and you really want to get something out there. Where should you look? 👀 Stick with me, kid—today, we’re headed to the candy land of co-promotions! You can tap into a whole new audience with the help of one trusty collaborator. I’ll show you how to get started in today’s issue. **This is the last edition of our** [**Grow Your Email List series**](https://read.lowenergyleads.com/t/Growing-Your-Email-List?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)**.** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Here's where social media *might* fit in for you URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-use-linkedin-and-twitter-to-grow-your-email-list/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:21:38.000Z Last summer, I proudly declared to have [ditched Instagram](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YxeG6DtaF0&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I haven’t gone back on that. I’ve been off there for a full year now, and yeah, I was totally right about how utterly useless it was for me, personally. BUT now I’m crawling back with my tail between my legs to LinkedIn and Twitter. How come, Lex? Because I’ve learned LinkedIn and Twitter are ***two of the easiest ways*** to get people I know onto my email list. (I really took this for granted on my previous newsletters. I deleted my Twitter at 10k before Elon took over, and yep, I regret that quite often.) Social media isn’t necessary if you’re booking higher cost client contracts, but if you maybe want to sell a course or a book or a membership or even do some professional speaking, you’ll majorly benefit from having one social media channel that works for you. **This week’s tip on growing your email list is about how to get more of your followers becoming subscribers.** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I've never tried this audience growth channel. Have you? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/ever-tried-reddit-for-newsletter-list-growth/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:22:51.000Z There’s two paths to win at any marketing channel. You can be the **first**. Or you can be the **best**. As you already know, it’s kind of hard to be first. It’s also very competitive to be the best. Good thing there’s a secret third path 👀 The third path is to operate in a niche arena. A smaller channel within a channel. A space where your ideal audience is gathered and focused on the topic that you are also focused on. Ever heard of Reddit? I was stunned to learn that Reddit was the top organic channel for [The Lazy Reader newsletter](https://the-lazy-reader.beehiiv.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). **This week, we’re getting into how that works! Plus, you’ll get some tips on how to apply the same marketing method in your own online communities.** Our theme of how to grow your email list with right buyers continues! _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How I got 80% of my email subscribers last month automatically URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-automations-you-need-for-your-email-newsletter/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:23:20.000Z You’re probably here because of an automation. The top three ways people get on this newsletter list are: 1️⃣ A recommendation pop up from another newsletter (36%) 2️⃣ LinkedIn (18%) 3️⃣ Purchasing something from me (10%) Only one of those things is something I do manually. Automation is overhyped and honestly it sounds more grandiose than it really is. But when you leave everything to a manual process, you waste a lot of minutes that add up into substantial chunks of time you could have saved yourself. You also drop the ball more often, forgetting to move a client over to an email list or neglecting to add that new referral partner. You might think “but I’m just working with a couple clients a month?” and to that I say, “are all the clients from your last 6 months on your email list yet?” **This week, we’re looking at 5 ways to automate your email list growth. Consider trying one of them out so you can lighten your marketing load!** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Adding 100 subscribers to your email list. How easy is it? 📈 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/add-your-first-100-subscribers-to-your-email-list/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:24:12.000Z *“Lex, are you proud of me? I’m promoting the email list!”* Keith shouted this from the stage at me a couple weeks ago while performing with his new Red Hot Chili Peppers cover band here in Atlanta. No joke. I *was* proud of him. He asked for those subscribes every time they went on break. A clipboard was passed around the audience. The band made it a little contest and if you gave your email, you were entered to win a ukulele. By my count, they gained around 20 subscribers in one night! The thing about having an email list…is that you have to tell people about it. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### My favorite summer visibility hack URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/network-smarter-with-a-conversation-a-day-tracker/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:24:43.000Z What does **maintenance mode marketing** look like for you? I had a call with a prospective client the other day who told me their pipeline runs hot or cold, meaning either they’re getting a flurry of leads or no leads at all. When I asked what marketing they’re doing during those hot periods? You know, to prepare for the cold ones? The answer was *well…nothing.* That’s why your faucet is running cold, babe! It’s officially summer for many of us in the Northern Hemisphere, and if you’re like me, you want to take a break and finally get into [extreme ironing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme%5Fironing?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) (or just hang out with your kids, that’s cool too). We love to take it slow over here at Low Energy Leads, BUT it’s not great to ghost everyone for months at a time. Instead of doing that this summer, how about trying this week’s visibility hack? _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Mark gets DMs from potential clients every time he does this... URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/show-your-face-more-and-get-more-calls/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:25:58.000Z I can’t take my friend Mark anywhere without him being recognized. Last week, we were at an empty pub on a weekday at 5pm. It’s just us, the waiter and someone sitting at another table. That person asks us to watch her dog for a sec and when she comes back, she says “Wait, aren’t you Mark Tioxon?” This happens *so often* that it has turned into a bit between us that Mark is secretly paying people to pretend to recognize him in public. What’s actually happening is that Mark is really good at being memorable. How does he do it?! Today, we’re getting into that as we continue our series on One Hour Visibility Hacks. **Find Mark’s visibility hack below and try it this week!** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I had no idea a name could cost me thousands of dollars URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-you-should-rename-your-offer-if-its-not-selling/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:25:30.000Z I had no idea a name could cost me thousands of dollars. I learned this the hard way when I launched my first product in 2022\. It took so much effort to sell and I couldn’t figure out what to fix. I banged my head against the wall all winter and spring until one day it dawned on me…maybe I called it the wrong thing? I opened Canva, swapped the name on the cover and uploaded it to Gumroad. All the sudden, it started selling 2x better without any new marketing. Whether you’re selling templates, toolkits or power hours, the challenge is the same: You have to *sell without talking to your buyer.* That’s why what you call something plays such a big role. I was sure I was alone in my mistake here, until I heard Chris Nguyen of [UX Playbook](https://uxplaybook.org/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) share the same insight. A product name change made him 40% more revenue!!! After hearing his story, I knew you’d want to know exactly how a seemingly small detail made Chris so much more money. **Scroll below for the breakdown on this visibility hack and try it out for yourself!** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Make your own success soundbites URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/need-a-quick-visibility-hack-try-success-soundbites/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:26:39.000Z Just because you’re active in a community doesn’t mean those people trust you enough to buy from you, refer you or collaborate with you. You’ve got to earn their trust like Abhishek Kumar does. Abhishek is a market researcher and the CEO of Deep Research where his team supports startup founders in finding their paying customers. When [I interviewed Abhishek last fall](https://www.lowenergyleads.com/figure-out-what-your-clients-will-pay-for-with-abhishek-kumar/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), MOST of his clients were coming from semi-private communities (think online forums and Slack groups). Why? Because Abhishek had a whole messaging strategy around sharing little tidbits of success. You’re going to be shocked 🤯 at how simple his strategy is AND you’ll be able to do it in less time than it takes to wash a load of laundry. **This tip is part of our new series: One Hour Visibility Hacks. Find Abhishek’s visibility hack below—and try it this week!** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I'm closing my membership next month ⛵️ URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/top-communities-for-creative-entrepreneurs/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:27:19.000Z I decided to close my marketing membership Growthtrackers. I’m going spare you the full story on that because it’s not relevant to this issue. The “too long didn’t read” is that [Growthtrackers](http://joingrowthtrackers.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) was successful for me and its over 55 members for nearly two years. It’s now time for me to take a break and pursue other ventures. So, I’ve been compiling a list of recommended alternatives and today, I’m sharing that with you. We’re looking at marketing, sales, operations and general hang out spots where entrepreneurs are gathering. As small business owners, we simply can’t hire experts to do everything for us. The next best thing is becoming part of a group moving in the same direction. When you join a program or community, you gain: ⛵️ People who know more than you about a topic ⛵️ People who can make informed recommendations on your unique situation ⛵️ People who can refer, collaborate and promote your work ⛵️ People who will cheer you on (you think you don’t need this, but trust me, you need this) I use the sailboat emoji intentionally here. We’re all just out there on our little boats. Charting our own courses and sending radio signals to each other as the conditions change. As Grandma Roman would say on our boat-centric family vacations—even on the day my uncles woke up to find one of the boats sank—*“Isn’t it nice we’re all together?!”* **Below you’ll find my top recs for places to dock your boat this summer: communities, memberships and programs you should consider joining.** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Are you their ONLY choice or one of thousands? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-raj-found-his-profitable-niche/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:27:57.000Z I never wanted to niche down until I finally tried it in March. Couple months ago, I announced on Twitter that I wanted to help journalist entrepreneurs get more paying subscribers. At the time, I had 60 followers, half of which were bots. Then, I got an inbound DM from one of the owners of a super cool publication pretty much right away. We started working together in April. Since then, I’ve booked more than 20 intro calls. When you are THE choice, your clients choose you. That’s what photographer Raj Bandyopadhyay found with [his Icon Experience](https://www.seriesaphotography.com/the-icon-experience?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I’ve been following Raj’s market positioning for 9 months and the online buzz is real—more of his current clients are talking about his work and more potential clients are coming in the door ready to buy. Read below for how Raj niched into a “must have” offer for professional speakers and why it’s making him more money. Plus, I share my favorite way to test a new market. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Play LinkedIn Levers bingo with us URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/bingo/ Last updated: 2025-04-23T23:20:22.000Z Grab your free card and play along with Low Energy Leads _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### What they don't tell you about booking clients URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/where-creative-entrepreneurs-find-clients/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:35:19.000Z The year is 2019. I’m working at an e-commerce company called The Black Tux as a growth design lead. I liked it there at first but after… 🏀 a slam dunk conversion project that boosted purchases 10+% 📖 an ask from a publisher to write a book on growth design 🎤 a fresh round of conference speaking requests …my interest in having a job was waning. As I made the windy way down to our beachside office in Santa Monica one morning, I hatched a plan to book an exit client. I scoped out a job posting for the kind of contract I wanted to do. Gusto, a growth stage tech company based in San Francisco, was hiring someone with my expertise. Through one of my kind contacts on LinkedIn, I got an intro to the hiring manager and we started talking. We flipped the full time role into a six month contract and “Lex Roman, Inc” was born. I was off to the races, but *I had no idea how much I would have to learn to keep the clients coming in.* That’s why I started [The Low Energy Leads Show](http://lowenergyleads.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I found you fun, creative types were super hand wavy about how you were getting and closing leads. Tips like *“it’s all just word of mouth”* and *“do more networking”* aren’t that helpful. I wanted to know the details so I started asking more questions. In the last year, we’ve heard from over 20 creative entrepreneurs on how they’re ACTUALLY getting leads. Today, I’m releasing this wisdom with a bow on it as [the Best of Low Energy Leads](http://lowenergyleads.com/52?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Below you’ll find the cheat sheet of what we’ve learned together from our guests. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How to get word of mouth referrals URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-get-word-of-mouth-referrals/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:36:20.000Z I interview hundreds of entrepreneurs a year about how they book clients. When I ask them what their top source of leads is, they all say the same thing: *“Word of mouth”* Now as a marketer who helps creatives find and book clients, I find this answer bothersome for two reasons: 1) It’s a flattened way to look at a very complex set of mechanics 2) It discards how much you can affect that system It’s like if I asked you what went into getting your last degree and you said *“I showed up to graduation.”* Word of mouth is a system around you, whether or not you manage it! ![Word of Mouth system](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down-format=auto-onerror=redirect-quality=80/uploads/asset/file/a198bdae-71f3-41c7-93d8-48cc739b097c/2.png) At the center of the system is YOU doing something so great people want to talk about it. This should include your paid work but it can also be a newsletter issue, a talk you gave or a checklist you created. Surrounding you, we have: _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### So you want low energy leads? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/what-exactly-is-low-energy-lead-generation/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:38:20.000Z It’s time to set the record straight about what a “low energy lead” actually is. I asked [yesterday on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lexroman%5Fwhats-a-low-energy-lead-i-want-to-hear-activity-7180927005951983616-l84K?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) what you think a “low energy lead” means. A few of you replied with a range of answers like leads coming *“when I'm on vacation”* and *“lead generation but without the massive effort and hustle.”* Close. There’s a massive space in between: 🏖️Beachside passive income fantasy land 🚀Hustle mania more is more smackdown In that vast expanse, we have Low Energy Leads. **Low Energy Leads is about you finding your *lowest effort path* to *high value leads.*** You can and should start with the minimum bar here. What’s the LEAST I can do to get qualified buyers? This question is hard to answer, so I wrote you a recipe to try out! _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Grow your email list faster with newsletter swaps URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-grow-your-email-list-with-newsletter-swaps/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:39:31.000Z Want to grow your email list? Me too! Many of us are wondering where we can find these shiny new subscribers. Surely it can’t just be social media! Newsletter growth gurus like [Matt McGarry](https://www.newsletteroperator.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) have been sharing a fairly consolidated playbook of what this growth looks like and it goes something like this: _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Which revenue stream are you REALLY GOOD at? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/which-revenue-stream-are-you-really-good-at/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:40:27.000Z I once had a coworker who believed in Bigfoot. Bigfoot photos adorned her monitor. Bigfoot figurines sat along her cubicle. Bigfoot was a frequent topic at lunch. If you’re not familiar, Bigfoot is a mythical creature who inhabits forests. Some believe they have seen him out there in the wilderness. Who am I to say? I don’t play much in the paranormal realm. But, believing in Bigfoot is starting to feel as reasonable as believing in “diversified revenue streams.” Stay with me. I’m not saying that diversifying your revenue streams is a myth. What I am saying is that it is the same wishful thinking, don’t ask too many questions, stuff of legends that powers both of these ideas. What I am finding is that even when the revenue streams are “diversified,” one is always the primary. By a long shot. And sometimes, the others are distractions. Such is the case for Head of Design turned UX Playbook founder [Chris Nguyen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/uxchrisnguyen/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I interviewed Chris last week about his revenue and what’s driving it. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### This one thing is preventing my sales: testimonials URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/where-to-put-reviews-to-sell-more/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:41:14.000Z *Hope you enjoyed your stay. Can you leave us a review?* *Thanks for buying something. Want to leave us a rating?* *You’re a valued customer. How was our service today?* Everyone and their AI robot wants you to leave a review these days. And for good reason! It’s a major deciding factor in whether people buy or not. We’re living in a time where even the British royal family are being [debunked as faking their own photos](https://apnews.com/article/princess-wales-kate-surgery-photo-manipulated-3863e9ac78aec420a91e4f315297c348?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). People need that communal trust *more than ever*. Stubborn that I am, I have dragged my heels on making reviews a big part of my sales strategy. I would much prefer to never ask and never be asked for reviews. But thanks to some feedback from buyers and non-buyers alike, I now know for a fact that my lackluster reviews have been preventing sales. (can you hear that *wah wah* sad trombone sound?) _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Is LinkedIn the secret to selling digital products? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/is-linkedin-the-secret-to-selling-digital-products/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:41:46.000Z Is LinkedIn…the sad beige lady of the internet…THE SECRET? Before we get into it, let me catch us all up on where we are on our journey of Selling Digital Products. I wanted to know “how can I get my digital product selling better?” So I loaded you all up into my tiny 10 year old sedan and we’ve been on a little road trip together through Passive Income Land these past three weeks. ![our road trip together](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down-format=auto-onerror=redirect-quality=80/uploads/asset/file/4cd67494-071b-4db1-9b32-d21c5369ea80/why_social_proof_sells_more-3.png) We’ve taken side trips to: **1)** [**Worked for me**](https://lowenergyleads.com/43?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)**:** My data, experiments and wins selling my own products **2)** [**Channel city**](https://lowenergyleads.com/44?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)**:** Places where we can promote our products **3)** [**Message mart**](https://lowenergyleads.com/45?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)**:** Finding the messages we need to motivate sales This week, we’ve added a couple tour guides to our trip and lucky for us, they’re frequent travelers through Passive Income Land. 🍀 _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How to become the *go to person* for your thing URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/selling-digital-products-messaging-naming/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:42:13.000Z What do people ask for your advice on? When you get messages from friends, peers, clients, fans…what expertise are they seeking out? Back in 2018-2019 around the time I started this business, I would have said *growth design*. I decided in 2016 I wanted to be known for growth design. I talked about it everywhere I could. Conferences, meetups, podcasts, blog posts, AMAs, networking meetings, at work, on Twitter. You name it. I made sure those two words were in the conversation. And it worked. I became the go to growth designer for tech companies. I even got approached by a publisher to write a book on it. Lenny, from the now very popular [Lenny’s newsletter](https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/this-week-10-keeping-designers-and?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com), summed it up like this: “*When I think about growth and design, I immediately think of Lex Roman. She has consistently put out some of the best content about design and growth.”* **What you talk about IS what people know you for IS what people want to buy from you.** The tighter that message, the more sales you’ll get. The looser that message, the harder game you’ve set up for yourself. Just look at this Instagram grid from Notion creator Pascio. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How big an audience do you need to sell products? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/audience-size-to-sell-digital-products/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:42:46.000Z It was 11pm at one of LA’s famous diners on Franklin Avenue. I was sitting with my friends Betsy and Josh. Betsy and I had just finished telling Josh about our new film festival. Yes, we were starting a dance film festival. Wasn’t that edgy and exciting? Josh didn’t think so. *“Dance film? Who’s going to come to that?”* As my late night bacon haze wore off, I wondered if Josh was right. Would we find an audience for this? Sorry to speed up the plot a few months but…luckily, Josh was wrong. Dance film was quite the buzzing scene and Betsy and I sold out the festival three years in a row. Hitting a sales goal is easier when you know how many seats you want filled. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 5 things I've learned about selling digital products URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/selling-a-digital-product-what-i-ve-learned-so-far/ Last updated: 2026-04-18T02:14:24.000Z It took me 9 months to get past $1000 selling a digital product. 9 months. Passive, yes. Income…no. Today, we’re embarking on a new series on Selling Digital Products. I’ll be reporting back on some real tests I’m doing here and on my podcast. Follow along and come join us for a livestream this month or next. More on that below. Travel back in time with me to October 2022. A time when sugar plum passive income dreams danced in my head. With the inflated self-confidence of NFL player Travis Kelce, I launched an audio course called “7 Steps to Getting More Leads.” From then until June 2023, it made roughly $1000. ![](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down-format=auto-onerror=redirect-quality=80/uploads/asset/file/31597bbb-2693-469c-b1bd-a46fe9a5b07c/screenshot_2024-02-14_at_12-25-42_am.png) To explain what you’re looking at above: - This is my Thrivecart dashboard for 7 Steps - Some people got this product as a free gift - Some people got discounts like during Cyber Monday - The refund was a Growthtracker who purchased it and did not need to In June 2023, I decided to take this more seriously. I used to help companies get to their Series A for God’s sake. Surely, I could sell a digital course! _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### You have 2 seconds to catch interest. Go! URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/marketing-in-the-attention-economy/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:44:28.000Z I’ve already started losing your interest. In the time it took you to open this email, you’re now wondering… …should I read something else in my inbox? …do I have new Instagram notifications? …what’s my bank account balance? …why am I still wearing these pajamas? Hooks are not just for social anymore, babes! The [attention economy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention%5Feconomy?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#:~:text=Attention%20economics%20is%20an%20approach,solve%20various%20information%20management%20problems.) is changing everything about business. It’s actually changing everything about life. When was the last time you tried to get a friend to come to a party? The bar is HIGH to get a committed yes. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Launching and growing a membership when you're bad at marketing URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/launching-and-growing-a-membership-when-you-re-bad-at-marketing/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:45:07.000Z In summer of 2022, Growthtrackers was launched with a hope and a prayer. I say that because I was wrong about SO MUCH, it’s amazing this program still exists today. Not only that, but it’s growing. [Growthtrackers](https://joingrowthtrackers.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) is my membership program. It’s a growth marketing experimentation home for creatives who are testing and optimizing what will get them leads and sales. It’s super fun to run. But it’s also been quite a learning curve. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Break me off a piece of that recurring revenue 🍫 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-they-turned-a-law-firm-into-a-subscription-business/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:45:45.000Z Recurring revenue. The new American dream. Just get that credit card on file and you’re printing money, man. (Can you tell I have been watching A LOT of scam documentaries lately???) Subscription-based businesses have had a real boom over the last eight years. And for good reason, subscription businesses [grow revenue 5-10x faster](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190321005245/en/The-Subscription-Economy-Grows-More-Than-300-In-The-Last-Seven-Years?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com#:~:text=Gartner%20predicts%20that%20%22by%202023%2C%2075%20percent%20of,or%20are%20considering%20the%20deployment%20of%20subscription%20services.) than other business models. This is due to the compounding effects of the fact that most people will not cancel their recurring subscriptions. (There is definitely an ethical conversation to be had about this. We’ll put a pin in that for now and we’ll come back to it. Right now, we’re going to talk about the business model.) Let’s back up for a moment to 2019. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Turns out I'm bad at something called "hooks" URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/turns-out-i-m-bad-at-something-called-hooks/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:46:09.000Z I downloaded TikTok again recently. I had been off both Instagram and TikTok for 6 months. I don’t miss Instagram one bit, but TikTok I kinda like. Keeps me up to date with memes. Makes me feel young and fresh. I can’t get enough of the [dogs on the bus](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8gh57rv/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). I thought I’d try posting there again just to see if I might have been wrong about how hard it is to get any result. I wasn’t wrong. It’s super hard. So I googled what’s known as “200 view jail” —a somewhat extreme descriptor for the average TikTok user (i.e. me) who can’t break through 200 views. Here’s what I found: _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Why you're not getting more clients: a checklist URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-youre-not-getting-more-clients/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:46:43.000Z I had just gotten my hazy IPA at the bar when the guy behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said: *“Hey, do you know anyone hiring political consultants?”* My first thought was that I already regretted volunteering to host an alumni mixer for my alma mater. My second thought was that I hear a version of this question every day. Finding clients is a top problem most entrepreneurs face. And often, our peers are way too vague about what’s actually working for them. Lucky for you, I interview a lot of creative business owners and I ask a lot of questions to map out the patterns. And then I share them with you! This week, I made you a checklist of those patterns for getting booked. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Marketing for Creatives: 2024 Predictions URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/marketing-for-creatives-2024-predictions/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:47:47.000Z I moved to LA three weeks after I graduated from college. If you had told me then that I would move back to Atlanta 15 years later at the *exact* *same time* my high school friend would move back from New York. Only to end up living blocks away from each other. Well. I could never have predicted that. Predictions are fun, even when we get them wrong. They come partly from experience and they come partly from our imagination. In my case, I work with a fairly high volume of clients compared to many marketers (25-30 at any given time), so while I wouldn’t go betting the house on my predictions, I am able to spot some emerging patterns across businesses. This week, I invited seasoned entrepreneur [Mark Tioxon](https://www.instagram.com/m.tioxon?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) back onto the show. We dug into what we think are your best bets for getting seen and getting sales this coming year. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 4 things you need to get more clients in 2024 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/4-things-you-need-to-get-more-clients-in-2024/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:48:34.000Z I spent new year’s eve with the Atlanta Solopreneurs Co-op saying good bye to our beloved coffee shop meeting place which is now closed forever. But the topic of conversation was mainly about our podcasts and how we make them better. More valuable. More shareable. More unique. I started Low Energy Leads in April 2023, and in these past 8 months, one episode has stood out far above the rest. [22 ways to get leads WITHOUT social media](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLVIbvXJ6Jg&ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) received over 1000 downloads and over 20 notes from y’all about how much this episode had you thinking about new places to show up. **So, I thought I’d open this year with a related breakdown: 4 things you need to get more clients in 2024.** ![the four step growth model](https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/content/images/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down-format=auto-onerror=redirect-quality=80/uploads/asset/file/c1a8f8f6-6998-49f7-89ef-3cb547033264/track_and_tune_weekly__2.png) _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Here's what to do when word of mouth isn't enough URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/here-s-what-to-do-when-word-of-mouth-isn-t-enough/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:49:29.000Z *“People just talk about me.”* This was the reply I got from an entrepreneur when I asked how she was getting her leads. Nope. That’s not it. People don’t *just talk about you*. You’ve seeded some core ingredients that make this possible. Often, it’s a lot more work than you’re even aware of. Dismissing all that work is a bit like NBA champ Steph Curry saying *“I just play basketball.”* _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### If networking isn't working, try this reframe URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/building-community-is-good-for-your-business/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:50:04.000Z No one wants to be “added to your network.” And let’s be honest. You don’t want to be added to theirs either. You want great clients and fun work. Is that so hard? It seems like you \*should be*\** networking more but your outreach falls flat or you have one conversation and then it kinda ends there. The problem with networking is that it puts the emphasis on meeting new people. You’ve got to meet a lot of strangers to find the ones you connect with or the ones who’ve been looking for you. But, what if you shift that approach and instead think about everyone you know AND everyone you meet as your community? _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How to pitch yourself and become a podcast guest URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-pitch-yourself-as-a-podcast-guest/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:50:40.000Z I remember the first time I was interviewed on a podcast like it was yesterday. A friend of a friend DMed me on Instagram to ask if I would be his first guest on a new podcast he was starting about life. *(Before you roll your eyes, this was 2013 so podcasts about “life” were still pretty novel…or at least more novel than now!)* He thought the story of how I got into my line of work would be interesting for his new listeners. I didn’t know anyone who had a podcast and I had never been on one so I thought “Sure! Sounds cool! Let’s do it!” He booked a studio near my office in San Francisco, we recorded and released the show. And then…nothing. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Building your client base as a web designer with Christy Price URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/building-a-client-base-as-a-web-designer-with-christy-price/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:51:26.000Z Finding clients for your creative business is about more than marketing. From the way you run your sales calls to the way you send off your clients into the sunset, your client experience is key to growing your business from within. It’s what ensures your clients are successful. It’s what keeps them coming back. It’s what prompts them to send others your way. This week, we’re looking inside web designer [Christy Price](https://christyprice.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com)’s business because she delivers an exceptionally dialed in client experience. Christy’s been in the web design game over 20 years, running her own practice for last decade. We talked all about where she finds clients and what she offers. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Pivoting what you're known for with Arturo Perez URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/pivoting-what-you-re-known-for-with-arturo-perez/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:51:54.000Z When creatives reach out to me for help finding their clients, I hear a common refrain: *“I need to know that this business is gonna work”* Let’s unpack that a bit. What needs to work? The exact way you’ve set up your business now or a business of *some kind*? Because there’s always a way forward with your business. But some of the ingredients may need to change. In fact, in over 10 years of working with founders and creatives, I’ve learned they pretty much all pivot from their starting place. **This is what distinguishes successful entrepreneurs from unsuccessful ones: staying in the game long enough to figure out what works.** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How to figure out what your clients will PAY for with Abhishek Kumar URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-figure-out-what-your-clients-will-pay-for/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:52:46.000Z I moved to San Francisco on a brisk day in January 2014 with only a suitcase and two potential client meetings. I figured if those didn’t work out, I could hustle something up. I was great at catching interest and closing projects but, in my early years, I dramatically underpriced my services. By a lot. I didn’t know how big that gap was until I shared my desired rate with one of the San Francisco clients. *“$50 an hour,”* I said shyly. *“We’ll pay you $75.”* They responded. It was in that moment I realized just how much I was underbidding. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Drum up some leads fast URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/drum-up-some-leads-before-the-holidays/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:53:27.000Z My first year working for myself I had a little panic in November. The holidays were fast approaching and I didn’t have many prospects for the new year. I was already starting to get out of office messages. Meetings were being pushed into January. It was not an easy time to book work. If you are already feeling that end of year crunch, here’s five test recipes you can try to drum up some leads. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### What if you could sell your service like a product? URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/productizing-your-services-with-philip-wallage/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:54:00.000Z #### **What if you could sell your service like a product?** I hear people talk a lot about the “trading time for money” problem in services. Many creatives charge hourly or at least price hourly and then scope a project around how much time it will take. The appeal of selling products remains alluring. Make it once, sell it forever. So, what if you could combine these two ideas? That’s the promise of the productized service. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Are your ideal clients going to buy? 👻 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-was-wrong-about-my-ideal-clients/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:54:41.000Z It doesn’t matter who YOUR ideal client is if they won’t BUY what you sell. This is a lesson I learned the hard way. And it’s a major pitfall I want to help you avoid. I have helped *hundreds of companies* find their audience and convert them into paying customers but when it came to my own business, I fell headfirst into a trap💥 I had sworn off Silicon Valley coming out of the pandemic and turned my attention to a new audience I was super excited about: local businesses. The only problem? They weren’t looking to *pay* for what I offered. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How to make your creative business stand out in a crowded market URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-make-your-creative-business-stand-out-in-a-crowded-market/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:55:17.000Z Is it just me or is running a business right now SUPER UNPREDICTABLE? Prospects leaving you hanging. Clients taking more time to close. Referrals not coming in like they used to. The internet is crowded. We’re all online, all day, every day. Getting our eyes bombarded by notifications, messages, calls, courses, offers, ads, posts, feeds, news….shall I go on? It kinda makes sense people are not responding. They simply can’t keep up. The good news is that, you and me, we’ve got something untouchable going for us. It’s our way of being. Here’s what I mean: _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How to do the right thing at the right time URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/productivity-habits-to-grow-your-small-business/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:56:05.000Z #### Wasted work is the enemy of all entrepreneurs. As a small business owner, you want every minute you work to pay you back in multiples. And with so much on your to do list, you really can’t afford to waste time on low impact activities. But how do you stay focused on the work that pays you back? By getting real about what you can actually achieve and how you’ll achieve it. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Marketing yourself as a coach with Kari Ginsburg URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/marketing-coach-kari-ginsburg/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:57:52.000Z How do you stand out? This is a question I’ve been mulling over for months now. As the internet gets more crowded, you’re working to balance being true to yourself with playing the games of different platforms. Bottling up everything that makes you and your business amazing into a 3 second hook is a ridiculous task. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Tips for better networking conversations (especially for introverts!) URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/networking-for-introverts-conversations/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:58:29.000Z A good conversation can really turn your day around. And a bad conversation, well…they can make you want to crawl into a dark hole. You’d think with conversations being as important as they are to our lives, we’d learn more about them in school! Luckily, this week’s edition of Low Energy Leads is the education we’ve been missing on how to connect and converse with others. This week concludes our series on [Networking for Introverts](http://lowenergyleads.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) and **today, we’re focused on how to start and end conversations.** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Best places for introverts to network URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/networking-for-introverts-places/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:59:15.000Z You’ve got limited time, money and energy. So how do you know where it’s all best spent? This week, I turned to some of the most thoughtful networkers I know for advice on WHERE to network. Introverts can feel pressured to conform to extrovert-centric spaces but turns out there’s a lot of ways around that! _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Networking for introverts: systems URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/networking-introverts-systems/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T01:59:47.000Z Networking sounds vague and time-consuming. *Who should I network with?* *How will I know if I have done enough?* *What is networking anyway?* And for introverts, the questions can get bigger. *How do I protect my energy when talking with others?* *Where will I find accessible groups and events?* *What’s the best way to grow a relationship over time?* That’s why today, we’re starting the first in a series of three on Networking for Introverts. **You asked and we answered with tactical details on the systems, places and conversations that go into your networking.** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Scaling from solo to agency with Kristina Bartold-Sorgota URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/scaling-from-solo-to-agency-with-kristina-bartold/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T02:00:43.000Z Thinking of making your first hire? Or maybe you’re wondering how to scale your amazing talents across to your current team? Either way, you’re going to want to get to know this week’s featured guest: Kristina Bartold-Sorgota of [The Social Snippet](https://thesocialsnippet.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Kristina had a rapid rise from solo coach to successful social media agency co-owner and in our interview this week, she shared how that happened and what you can take away from her strategies and mindset. When you have a team, you need more work to give them and not just that, but it’s got to be work they want to do! Or they’ll jump ship. I have been working inside and alongside agencies for most of my 16+ year career and I’ve seen many examples of how business development (marketing, lead generation, sales and client experience) can play out. But I don’t know any agency owners who talk about their client or team cultivation the way Kristina does. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How I designed a lead tracker in Airtable URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-i-designed-a-lead-tracker-in-airtable/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T02:01:16.000Z You can’t drive more leads if you don’t know where your leads are coming from. That’s why lead tracking is instrumental in helping us make marketing and sales decisions. If we gather info about where leads are coming from and how they’re moving into sales (or not), we can get better and faster at driving bookings. With lead tracking, you can quickly see: - How this lead found you - How long it takes from outreach to booked - If you’re dropping the ball on leads - Projected revenue for all the projects in your pipeline _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Growing your email list from 100 to 1000 subscribers URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/growing-your-email-list-from-100-to-1000/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T02:02:01.000Z The amount of people receiving this newsletter right now could fill a Broadway theater. We’re going to take over Carnegie Hall next! It’s been a massive learning curve bringing us all together in Low Energy Leads. I started out with a mailing list of around 50 clients and supporters. Every person who joined us after that is here because of an email list experiment. What kinds of email list experiments, Lex? I’m so glad you asked. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Networking like a pro with Eleanor Mayrhofer URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/networking-like-a-pro-with-eleanor-mayrhofer/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T02:02:49.000Z I talk to ***a lot*** of people about how they get clients. And one major play comes up every time: networking. Networking can feel nebulous. It’s kind of unclear what people mean by it. Luckily, [Eleanor Mayrhofer](https://www.eleanormayrhofer.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) lets us in on some rarely discussed secrets to networking on The Low Energy Leads Show this week. Eleanor is a web designer and digital marketer based in Munich, Germany. She’s cultivated an intentional network of expats navigating business ownership in Germany. **My ears perked up when she shared the following insights:** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How to hit your revenue goals faster with Janna Carlson URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/how-to-hit-your-revenue-goals-faster-with-janna-carlson/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T02:03:57.000Z Ever have a goal that feels hard to reach? Janna Carlson can relate. Janna and her partner Jeremy run a [web design agency](https://www.studiorocketwebdesign.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) for business owners that want easy, functional sites. And while they’ve been successful for several years designing websites for all kinds of clients, it was not predictable enough for Janna to quit teaching piano on the side. Web design businesses rely on a constant pipeline of leads and it can be a lot of work to keep filling it up. But a couple weeks ago, Janna wrote this on Instagram: _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Inside Devin Lee's moneymaking systems for leads, referrals and networking URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/inside-devin-lees-moneymaking-systems/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T02:04:42.000Z Don't you love looking under the hood of other businesses? Me too. That's why I'm excited to share with you my interview with systems strategist [Devin Lee](https://www.devinlee.com/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). Devin designs and builds custom systems for quickly growing businesses. Inside her own business, she’s created a few organizers I found fascinating and I think you will too: 📊 A lead tracker—to identify the sources of her leads and clients stage by stage 💰 A referral partner tracker—to keep up with referral partners ☎ A networking tracker—to make sure she’s having conversations every day that move her business forward _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I deleted Instagram. Here's why I think you can too. URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/i-deleted-instagram-here-s-why-i-think-you-can-too/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T02:05:34.000Z I know, I know. You’re tired of hearing people announce their departure from social media. After cousin Greg left Facebook for the 10th time, you lost interest. Here’s why I wanted to make a whole episode about it: *because I think small businesses give WAY TOO MUCH CREDIT to social media.* I’ve been on social since the Myspace/Friendster days. I was in college when Zuckerberg launched Facebook. It always felt like we were riding a mechanical bull and **yet, it’s never felt more unpredictable than it does right now.** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 5 reasons NOT to create a lead magnet URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/5-reasons-not-to-create-a-lead-magnet/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T02:06:12.000Z Do you have a lead magnet? Thinking of creating one? Lead magnets are free downloads used to entice someone to join your email list. Perhaps that’s even how you got here! I have a few floating out there. Lead magnets can be a great way to build your email list but they can also be a bit of a black hole. To be effective at attracting leads, they’ve got to be built on a really clear picture of who your buyer is, where you reach them and what they want to solve. And you have to nail all that while showing them the possibilities of a solution *without fully solving it* because that’s where your services come in! **If you’re like me, you’re going to screw them up and waste your own time.** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Why I still hate Google Analytics and what you can use instead URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-i-still-hate-google-analytics/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T02:06:40.000Z You may have noticed a lot of people talking about Google Analytics this week. Long story short, Google changed over to a new version of analytics called [Google Analytics 4](https://martech.org/marketers-roast-google-analytics-4/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com). They announced that change a few years back, but as of this week, the previous version of GA is no longer available to use. It’s a great time to check in on your website analytics, make sure it’s still tracking as you expect and consider whether it’s time to switch to an easier tool. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How Dana Publicover finds clients URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/dana-publicover-finds-clients/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T02:07:25.000Z I met [Dana Publicover](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danapublicover/?ref=revenuerulebreaker.com) a few years back when we were both running different businesses. You know you’ve really found your people when you ride through transitions together. I’ve watched Dana go from solopreneur to agency owner these last few years weathering *a lot* of uncertain times. One of the things that makes finding clients difficult is the changes outside your control. Instagram changing their algorithm. Google succumbing to the AI craze. The world shutting down because of a deadly disease. Dana has been through all of these in her 15 years of self-employment and she’s still here kicking. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Why partnerships are my favorite small business sales strategy URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/why-partnerships-are-my-favorite-small-business-sales-strategy/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T02:11:15.000Z Are you doing it ALL ALONE? One of the major strategies I overlooked when I started my business was the idea of partnering with other business owners and creators. I had been doing this informally for many years before I started my company, but I didn't realize how powerful that strategy had been in growing my career and my network. **Partnerships can help you:** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### My worst experiment ever 🤯 URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/worst-experiment-ever/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T02:09:05.000Z #### I was so sure my test would work, I told my boss *I'd jump off a cliff* if it didn't. At the time, I was working as the product growth lead at The Black Tux, an e-commerce company that sells and rents tuxedos. My task was to increase conversion to purchasing and renting. We had a lot of eyeballs coming in, but not so many opening their wallets. It was my job to figure out why and to fix it. Over the years, I have run thousands of tests with hundreds of different companies, helping them to derisk marketing, product and service decisions before going all in. If my experiences with these companies have taught me anything, it's that you're always better off making small, strategic bets than betting the whole house. **You are more likely to OVERINVEST in the wrong direction than to UNDERINVEST in the right one.** But this particular month, I was feeling lucky. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Slowest ways to get new leads URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/slowest-ways-to-get-leads/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T02:11:46.000Z Do you remember those carnival games with the race horses? To play it, you choose your horse, sit down in front of a water blaster and spray as much water as you can to get your horse to come in first place. The horses move glacially slow across their wooden lanes no matter how much you blast 'em. And eventually one wins. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### What to do when your marketing isn't working URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/marketing-isnt-working/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T02:10:14.000Z Have you ever wondered why your marketing strategy didn't go as planned? It can be hard to know what went wrong. Was it the channel? Was it the message? Was it the timing? And if you don't know what went wrong, ***it's really hard to make it better.*** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Getting rave reviews just got easier URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/need-testimonials-try/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T02:09:39.000Z Getting people to trust you isn't easy. When it comes to building trust with potential buyers, a glowing review goes a long way. But it can be hard to know when to collect client testimonials, how to collect them, and where to use them in your marketing. **What if you could solve all of that with just one tool?** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Fast vs slow ways to bring in new clients URL: https://www.revenuerulebreaker.com/fast-vs-slow-ways-to-bring-in-clients/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T02:07:59.000Z Did you know there’s fast ways and slow ways to bring in new clients? Not all lead generation strategies are created equal! Some will pay off now, some will pay off later and some may never pay off. That’s why you want to learn how to determine the speed of return when choosing your marketing and sales activities. In this week's podcast, I shared a scoring system you can use to figure out which is which. It's called The STEADY Score and it stands for: _This post is for paying subscribers only._