Hey Reader, Running multiple businesses with different audiences is like running a marathon with ankle weights. 12 years ago, I wrote an essay about building an audience where I talked about learning this lesson the hard way. I've been thinking about that piece lately. The core idea still rings true over a decade later—maybe even more so today. Multiple audiences create invisible friction. Back then, I was running OneVoice (a product for kids with special needs, such as non-verbal autism, or...
8 days ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, I got a question from a podcast listener recently, and it's one I’ve heard a few times: "Nathan, why are you selling courses if you have a successful business? Why start and manage a personal brand? I'm always curious why massively successful business owners dive into content creation vs pour more time into their main thing… as running a brand takes multiple hours per week." It's a good question. When you're leading a company that's growing well, conventional wisdom says to double...
15 days ago • 4 min read
Hey Reader, How much ability do you have to influence the decisions of the people around you? Something I've been thinking about lately is status in organizations. If you think of your company, who are the people in it that are the most well-known? Who are the ones with the greatest influence? The people others pay attention to. Sure, those with the most seniority or tenure may immediately come to mind, but I bet you can think of others who are respected despite not being high ranking...
22 days ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, Do you ever feel pulled in multiple directions and unsure of which goals to pursue? I found myself in this exact situation recently, trying to balance expanding Kit Studios to new cities, scaling Kit's app store, designing new features, writing a book, and building my personal brand. During a session with my coach, Dan, he asked me a question that cut through all the noise: "If you knew for sure you couldn't accomplish all of your goals, which would you most regret not achieving...
29 days ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, It’s crazy to me that a college student and a billionaire own basically the same phone and laptop. For all the inequality in the world, access to technology in the developed world is a remarkably level playing field. No matter how much money you have, you can't buy a better phone than the latest iPhone. Even these insanely powerful AI tools are available at democratized prices of roughly $20/month. Think about what this means for you as a creator: The tools that were once...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, I've been thinking a lot about LinkedIn lately. A few months ago when I started exploring it more seriously, I noticed something surprising. Many of the biggest creators on the platform were people I already knew or who were already following me. Some were even Kit customers. When I'd reach out to someone new, they'd often say, "I use Kit!" or, "I've been following your work for years." That's when it hit me: my network is 10x stronger than what I actually do with it. You may not...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Hey Reader, As a former YouTube and Instagram employee, Jon Youshaei has some unique insights around growing on the platform. You may remember Jon from an episode of my podcast where he shared how to get 100,000 YouTube subscribers fast. I’ve invited Jon to take over my newsletter this week to share some frameworks you might find useful for making better videos. Hey, I’m Jon Youshaei and I spent 8 years working inside YouTube and Instagram. After interviewing MrBeast, Will Smith, Marques...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, When someone read my 2024 review, and saw the ridiculously long list of things I'd accomplished throughout the year, they commented, "When do you sleep?" The truth is, while many of those things were my ideas and I played an active role in bringing them to life, for most of them, I actually didn't do any of the work. 100% of my ability to execute on the level that I do comes down to the team that I have. Haley on my team says I have higher output than normal humans. But a big part...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Hey Reader, Does your business model match the lifestyle you want? Most creators stumble into their business model rather than deliberately choosing one. They see what others are doing and think, "I'll do that too," without understanding if that approach aligns with their values and lifestyle goals. The truth is, there isn't one perfect business model—there's only the right one for you based on what you value and the constraints you're working within. But let's explore the main categories:...
2 months ago • 4 min read