Hey Reader, I grew up in a family with six kids where there wasn’t a lot of money. Looking back, some years we lived on $25,000. We had everything that we needed, but it wasn’t until college that I went out to eat for the first time in my life. Money was always stressful. People like to say money doesn’t buy happiness, but a lack of money sure brings a lot of frustration. I vowed at a young age to make sure money wouldn’t be my primary problem. If I’m drowning, I can’t help other people. But once I’m on a lifeboat, I can help others. Now that I’m taken care of, and my opportunities are limitless, I can help other people. That’s what I love about having an audience: Teaching what you know is a form of giving without expecting anything in return—and it’s a great way to build an audience. What’s amazing is then having that audience can put you in a position to be able to give monetarily without expecting anything in return, too. Since 2018, my wife Hilary and I have been supporting Earth Mission, an incredible medical non-profit in Burma. If you don’t know, Burma is in a 50+ year civil war that has left the ethnic minority populations in the jungle in desperate need of health care. Two years ago, we raised over $85,000 to build a new facility at one of their clinics and the impact has been remarkable. I’ve never seen an organization where such a small budget provides life-changing care for so many people. This Christmas, we’re doing a matching fund to raise $50,000 for a new inpatient building. Hilary and I will match the first $25,000 raised. If you’re in a position to give, I’ll personally match your donation. It's fully tax deductible. We're also headed to Thailand right after Christmas to meet with the Earth Mission team in person. We’d really appreciate your support: PODCASTHow to Turn Your Passion Into a Creator Business ($1Million+)This week on the podcast, I’m on stage with Tiago Forte at the Second Brain Summit to discuss building and monetizing an audience. We talk about how to get started and:
Tiago and I also take some questions from the audience, so there’s definitely something in this episode for everyone. Watch or listen to episode » KIT CASE STUDYLaunching products that sell out in minutesSelf-proclaimed marketing geek Katelyn Bourgoin runs the popular “Why We Buy” newsletter and sells digital products to help people sell more by understanding the science of why people buy. “Before, almost all of my list growth came from my personal social media. So if I didn’t tweet, the list didn’t grow.
But now, because of the Creator Network, I have amazing opportunities to get discovered.” – Katelyn Bourgoin
Learn how she made $116,000 from digital products in six minutes and how switching to Kit added 50,000 new subscribers to her list on autopilot. EVENTCreator Holiday Party @ Kit Studios 🎄If you’re in Boise this week, we’re hosting a holiday party for creators at Kit Studios.
Hang out with the Kit team and meet other local creators at a holiday party with food, drinks, and fun. Share what worked for 2024 and your plans for 2025. You’re also welcome to record content in our studios that you can use going into the new year. Open to all creators (Kit customer or not), so feel free to bring a friend! Have a great week! —Nathan |
I'm a designer who turned into a writer who turned into a startup CEO. My mission is to help creators earn a living. Subscribe for essays on building an audience and earning a living as a creator.
Hey Reader, Often the hardest thing with creating content is coming up with new topics to write about. Whether it’s a newsletter, thread, or video script, the blank page can feel overwhelming. It’s much easier to start with a topic in mind. But where do you get ideas? I want to peel back the curtain and go behind the scenes on how I create content. Most of us have a core focus we tend to stick to. We usually have 3–4 main topics we cycle through and revisit from different angles. While this...
Hey Reader, If the story of your life was a book, how would you title the chapter you’re in right now? My friend and coach Dan Putt likes to ask this question, and I find it so helpful for zooming out from my immediate problems and thinking of the overall season. When Terry Rice asked me the chapter title question on his podcast, an immediate answer popped into my head: "Dreams realized". Surprisingly, I was reviewing my 2024 annual goals, and I think I'm going to miss almost all of them....
Hey Reader, You know that if you want to build a personal brand and connect with an audience, you need to create content. But how often should you post? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? What is the right cadence? Let’s simplify this with a basic formula. The first step is to set your minimum quality threshold. This means defining the least amount of quality you’re comfortable delivering in your content. There’s not a wrong answer. It really depends on your style and the type of brand you want to...