Five years ago, I hit publish on my very first blog post on Medium.
It was June 3, 2020.
I was 40.
The post was part mini-memoir, part declaration.
I wrote about joining the Peace Corps in Ukraine, building a hotel in Colombia, and starting over after Covid wiped out both of my businesses.
I promised to publish something every day for a year, to “find my voice” and share the journey.
It was my first real attempt at creating content.
I didn’t think of it as “list building.”
I didn’t know what “build in public” meant.
I just wanted to write.
And here’s the funny thing: what I wanted to do back then — document my progress, share what I was learning — is exactly what I’m doing now with Unscaled Solopreneur.
But I didn’t stick with it.
Where I Went Off Track
First, I stopped writing consistently after the first thirty days.
Then, when I did decide to start a list, I slid into “expert mode” far too soon.
I launched a newsletter called Client Getting…even though I was struggling to get clients for myself.
My intention was to share what I was learning about funnels and lead generation.
But it felt forced because I didn’t frame it that way.
I kept it going for about a year, then quit.
In the meantime, I’ve built lists for other people.
Have helped several grow into the thousands. One of them is up to 55,000 subscribers.
But my own list: zero.
Why That Was a Mistake
Even if I’d have kept it up on Medium, I would have been at risk.
Platforms like Medium, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube can be great for growth… but they’re not yours.
If Medium shuts down, all my posts would be gone overnight.
You can’t “port” Instagram followers to TikTok, or TikTok followers to YouTube.
And you can’t take a platform’s audience with you when you leave.
Email is different.
If you have a list, you can move it to another tool.
You can take it wherever you go.
That’s why the list is the thing.
Everything else is rented land.
What I Should Have Done
I should have started a simple newsletter in 2020.
I should have shared the same updates I was posting on Medium… but sent them to people directly.
I should have started with a weekly cadence - something not too overwhelming that I could stick with for the long haul.
I should have kept going, even when it felt small, even when it felt like no one was listening.
Because now, five years later, I’d likely have a decent-sized, loyal audience I could reach any time without worrying about algorithms or platforms disappearing.
Where I Am Now
Instead, I’m starting from nearly zero.
I began Unscaled Solopreneur less than a month ago, and don’t even have 25 subscribers yet.
My other newsletter, How I AI as been evolving over the past year, and has just over 200 subscribers.
But I can’t go back and start again.
I can only move forward from where I’m at.
I know that the life I want — the freedom I want — is on the other side of showing up consistently.
Five years from now, I don’t want to be saying, “If only I’d started in 2025.”
So I’m building now.
On my own land.
This is Letter #5 of 'Solopreneur Letters' – a series I’m writing where I share the hard-earned wisdom I wish I’d had when I started on my solopreneur journey. See the full list:
