I was inches away from quitting

2024 did not turn out as I wanted, but there's still time

Quick Note: I’ve turned on memberships for this account. This post previews what I’ll share with members. Along with the regular stories, I’ll share some raw, unadulterated takes on growing an online creative business. The goal is to bring value to these hot takes, but I’m reserving some of what I share only for those few who are eager to learn from the lessons and situations I’ve experienced.

I had big hopes for 2024, but this year didn’t work out as I anticipated. I have nobody to blame but myself because I got scared. I took a few hits on the chin this year, and if you’ve ever been punched in the face, it only takes a couple of solid whacks to make you question your loyalty to the process.

“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.” - Mike Tyson

This post is my way of holding myself accountable for what happened. Before I’m done here, I’ll explain exactly how I get off the mat, back on my feet, and ready for the next round. I’ve learned a lot about what I’m doing here and re-strategized my game plan, but the lessons came at a personal and financial cost.

Round 1

I started 2024 with ambition and focus, but I was also in transition with the scope of my content. I knew storytelling would become a significant topic pillar for The Hungry, but I couldn’t see how that would translate for my current audience.

My subscriber base was primarily artists and designers trying to turn their side hustle into their main hustle, but very few had significant success. The facts are that making a substantial living as an artist is fucking hard! When you look at the math of what it takes to become a successful artist, the numbers do not add up for most people.

On top of that, most artists and creatives do not want to make content, and here I was trying to tell these people that storytelling is the answer to gaining long-lasting trust with their audience. I still believe that, but I didn’t know how to sell the idea well enough to convince anyone.

I created a course called Choose Your Words to help people learn the process behind writing stories. I had a few people participate, but it wasn’t well received. Between my lack of understanding of how to best present the topic and an affable audience who didn’t want to write stories, my idea was doomed to fail.

Round 2

In May of this year, I came down with a severe case of the Shingles virus. For nearly three months, I was miserable and in tremendous pain. On top of that, my son had his busiest summer ever. His mornings were spent at water polo practice, afternoons doing junior lifeguard training, and evenings at swim team practice.

Between my sickness and being his full-time taxi driver, I had to put work aside for nearly six weeks. I enjoyed spending a lot of time with my kid, but my productivity was near nonexistent.

Round 3

I grew disillusioned with social media this year, all but pulling away from Instagram. Despite being one of the main ways I stay in contact with some friends, nothing else about that app gives me joy.

I craved real connection with people in a way that wasn’t possible on social media, but I didn’t know where to turn. That’s when a video about building online communities from Pat Flynn popped into my YouTube feed. I was so fascinated by the idea that I watched that hour-long video twice. I knew immediately that this was the answer I was looking for.

I had participated in online communities before with very positive results, and I thought if I could bring that same energy to my community, with the help of others, I could build a strong, supportive space for creative people to come together to help each other grow.

In October, I launched Hungry Insidr, my online community focused on communication for creatives, where we talk about storytelling, newsletters, and marketing strategies. I was excited and ready, but only a few people jumped in when I opened the doors.

That’s ok because I knew it would take time to build, so I kept promoting it each time I published, except…crickets.

The small group of current members are a fantastic bunch, and I believe they are becoming a powerful support group for each other, but the community is not anywhere close to as vibrant and active as I had hoped.

Round 4

As the weight of all the failures and missteps sat on my shoulders, I questioned why I was working so hard for so little reward. I have a significant audience, but I can’t seem to convince them to participate beyond anything other than what is free.

Either I’m a terrible salesperson, or The Hungry’s audience is uninterested in the growth I know is possible. It’s probably a mix of both, and the fault is mine because I didn’t present the information more compellingly. Also, I’ve probably spent too much time marketing to the wrong audience.

November was dark, and I was close to walking away. Also, My wife got news that there would be a long series of layoffs at her company throughout 2025, and her job was at risk. I told her I would give up on this dream and return to the workforce if it came to that.

Round 5

My son recently had a vital swim meet, a regional championship that kept me offline for three days. I had a lot of time to think and did a lot of soul-searching.

Was I cut out for this?

Was I still feeling joy about the process?

What did I like about this work, and would I be able to continue if my wife’s job situation changed?

The answer to those questions varies, but one thing rang true—I love sharing stories. I pondered how to turn The Hungry into a successful project strictly by posting regular content. Could I give up all the disparate ideas for earning money and just write for a living?

I do not know the answer to that question, but the more I thought about the concept, the more I fell in love with it. The Hungry would become a paid newsletter!

While still sharing weekly free content, I could write additional rich content that goes deeper into the subjects to help others learn, not just from me but from the success of others. Instead of trying to hit big with paid courses and expensive programs, I’ll post good content regularly for a nominal membership, not unlike what I’m doing here.

The week after the swim meet, I formulated a plan, and I’ve been working on it for the last few days.

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Final Round of 2024

Most boxing matches are longer than six rounds, but give me a little slack on the metaphor; I’m almost done here.

Over the next couple of weeks, I have a mountain of work to accomplish, and these are the priorities:

1. Hungry Friday

This will remain free, but I will not scrimp on the value I’ve put into the newsletter. The Friday edition will be just as valuable as ever because it’s essential to leading people to become paid members. I have a few things on the punch list to tackle before I move on.

• Revise the introduction automation for new subscribers

• Revise the value sequence for new subs to reflect new purpose

• Redesign the main landing page to be more reflective of my style

• Write the new vision and body copy for the landing page

2. Hungry Pro

This is the paid version, an additional weekly post, and other extras.

• Develop the best offer possible to attract new members

• Establish a strong content strategy (this transcends to all parts of this plan)

• Build the automation and introduction sequence

• Write the copy and design a landing page

• Develop an endemic promotion strategy, including supplemental email blasts to current subscribers (marketing will be only to current subscribers for the time being until I can grow the email list to a more substantial number).

3. 1-on-1 and asynchronous consultation

In 2025, I will start consulting with people on their creative communication challenges. This will be by application only, and I will be very selective on who I will help.

• Develop a consultation landing page that leads to an application

• Establish parameters between 1-on-1 and async consultation

4. Five Day News

I built Five Day News as a free email course to attract new subscribers, but as I started to hone the focus of The Hungry, I realized it wasn’t serving the audience in the best way. I worked with a coach to help develop this idea better and will be rebuilding the program for release in early January. This includes a paid, turnkey micro-product that people can purchase to help them along the journey of this mini-course.

• Revise implementation strategy

• Write/revise all emails in the sequence

• Build the micro-product

• Create a new automation that helps move people into different segments

• Create a new landing page

• Establish a marketing strategy that allows for automation (Manychat)

Although this year was bumpy, I am determined to end it on a powerful note. Being a member here means you’ll get to read about everything firsthand, and if you have any questions about the process, drop them in the comments, and I’ll do my best to answer.

Also, I’ll be posting member-only chats on Substack for this exact purpose. If you haven’t downloaded the Substack app yet, I recommend it for this feature.

I’ll see you next week with more updates.