Trends in the creator economy with Li Jin


Hey there,

Spring is here on the farm! This weekend I was repairing fence posts, turning irrigation on, and hosting our first soccer practice. This coming weekend I'm going to plant our new pasture (2.5 acres!) and about a dozen new trees.

My friend Shawn Blanc says, "if you work with your mind, you should rest with your hands."

It's been so helpful for me this last year to have our farm projects as a break from running a software company.

FROM ART OF NEWSLETTERS

Li Jin - Explode your reach and make more money

Venture capitalist Li Jin left Andreessen Horowitz to start her own firm, Atelier Ventures. She started Atelier to fund a specific vision of the world: a world in which people are able to do what they love for a living and to have a more fulfilling and purposeful life.

In addition to being an investor, Li is a prolific writer and podcaster, producing not only a newsletter but also writing articles for major publications.

Find out whether you should really be writing content every week, or whether your effort is better spent on longer-form, epic articles. Should you be publishing in your newsletter, or in publications like Harvard Business Review?

We don’t just talk about content, we also get deep into business models for your newsletter business, with Li sharing her perspective as the founder of a venture fund. Don’t miss Li’s unique combination of deep investment knowledge and artistic creativity!

Watch the episode »

WHAT I'M READING

How people get rich now - Paul Graham

This article was really interesting, as were the comments on this thread on it. The most common sources of wealth today aren't real estate or oil, like they used to be, today its 'tech'. Inheritances also play less of a role than they did 40 years ago and more people are founding successful companies and building wealth that way. Graham digs into some of the reasons behind this and the thread debates his ideas. If you're into research on wealth building, you'll enjoy this post.

WHAT I'M WATCHING

Suits

Have you watched this show already? Hilary and I are re-watching all 7 seasons. It's the perfect blend of interesting and entertaining, without being stressful or even too addicting.

Its available a few places like Apple TV or Amazon Prime

WHAT I'M READING

Twitter thread about Taylor Swift's back catalogue

If you know me at all, you know I'm a big Taylor Swift fan. Like, BIG fan. I think it's fascinating to see how she has handled not having ownership of her music. This twitter thread gives some great insight into the legal side of it and how both Swift and the label are going after it.

Here's the whole thread »

Thanks for joining me this week!

Nathan Barry

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.

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