Hey honeys and hustlers,
Today is Please Hustle Responsibly’s second anniversary. As I did for the first anniversary, I’m writing some reflections on the past 12 months and sharing what’s to come in year 3. But before I get into the meat and potatoes of this word salad, I want to give a huge THANK YOU to everyone who reads, shares, and responds to this newsletter. I’ll keep doing my best to make this a great experience for this community, highlight the creative projects you’re working on, and respond to every email.
I started year 2 of this newsletter with 642 subscribers, and have since almost tripled that number. I attribute that mostly to posting on LinkedIn, hopping into people’s DMs on LinkedIn, building relationships with other newsletter writers, and the incredible people reading this newsletter who share articles with their friends and on social media. I’ve shared 119 articles over the past year, averaging just over 2 per week, that have garnered over 100,000 views. It’s not because I suddenly stumbled onto some magical productivity hack. And it’s definitely not because I found an extra six hours in my day (still 24 last time I looked). It’s because of one simple thing: I’ve gotten really clear on what gives me energy and what drains it. What my goals are, why I have them, and what realistic actions I can take to reach them.
We like to think productivity is all about systems, tools, or routines (and sure, that stuff can help). But the truth is, 90% of productivity comes down to managing your mood. The other 10% is creating and finding environments where you work best. You can have the best plan in the world, but if you’re running on empty, none of it’s going to matter. I am deeply inspired by Simon Alexander Ong's book Energize, which explores understanding your energy cycles and harnessing them to do your best work. I’ve found that I do my best work in the quiet of the night, that my best ideas come when I’m not looking at a screen, and that the most significant accountability doesn’t come from a Notion database but rather from the support of my friends who are also pursuing similar goals.
People think time hides close by… in little breaks, tighter schedules, or being more disciplined. But I’ve found it lives far away. In the car. On the road. In the quiet. It’s not about using every minute. It’s about using the things I have to do to help me do the things I want to do.
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My Unofficial Rules for Writing a Newsletter
After 200+ total articles written, you start to develop a rhythm that guides your pen. Everyone approaches writing from a different place, but we all stare at a blank canvas before we begin molding it in our voice through our words. I recently wrote an article exclusively about my experience writing this newsletter on beehiiv, so this will be newsletter platform-agnostic. Here are a few guiding principles I’ve refined over the last year.
Late is better than not at all. It’s also okay to skip a publish date if you’re not confident in the quality of an article. Quality > consistency > arbitrary deadline. While I know that my posting days are Monday at 7AM, Thursday at 7AM, and Saturday at 8AM, it’s unlikely that anyone reading this would instinctively know that I’ve missed a day or am running late. At least, no one has responded to an email telling me so. Haha
Guest posts are awesome. They’re a great way for me to introduce you guys to relevant topics and to support the writers on both Substack and beehiiv who recommend this newsletter. Our guest posts have gotten a great reception so far, and I’m excited to bring them back in the new year.
Consistency trumps a lot, but quality helps with growth. 1-3x per week is the ideal cadence; anything more or less impacts open rates, audience affinity, and growth according to studies from both Kit and beehiiv. Not every article I hit send on is the best article I’ve ever written, BUT every article I hit send on is one I can wholeheartedly stand by. I know that it’s on a relevant topic, even if it could use another round of editing for clarity and conciseness. You will publish writing that may not be your best or perform well. And that's necessary to become a better writer and to learn from your audience. They don't know that something didn't perform well, and they don't care. Some of my posts with the lowest open rates have gotten incredible responses, and that’s still a win to me.
I stopped negotiating with my feelings. A deadline is a deadline. I placed myself in a space of discomfort more often. I started saying no, and being okay with that as a complete sentence. I made a list of things that drain my energy and another of things that give me energy. I looked for things I could say no to. I looked for ways to enact boundaries. I looked for ways to free up time for more of what I enjoyed, writing and ideating. I scheduled time for intentional rest and breaks. I knew I wasn’t going to post every single week, and that’s okay. But I did need to create the space in my life to post as close to my intended schedule as possible.
Picking a niche has to do with topic(s), yes, but it also has to do with personality, perspective, and stance. After writing for 2 years, I’m starting to understand where my “beats” are and how to incorporate humor, personality, and lived experience into an article to make it a more enjoyable read. Regurgitating information is something anyone can do, but I’ve found that it’s helpful to strike a balance between being informative and writing as if I’m talking to a friend.
I think it’s worth it to have a dedicated domain for your newsletter. A website is your home on the internet. Your digital real estate. What started as a complement to my podcast has now grown into its own brand. I didn’t add the official website domain until I got updated website functionality from beehiiv following their acquisition of Typedream. That’s how particular I am about how things look and the experience people have. Any good newsletter has a mix of evergreen and trending posts, and you should share and backlink posts whenever they're timely and relevant. That doesn’t happen if you’re not confident about the experience someone will have when viewing the link online rather than in their inbox. The majority of your subscribers will likely see your newsletter in their inbox, but that doesn’t mean that’s the first place they’ll see an article. And their first experience with your work should leave a good impression and direct them to other articles and parts of your brand (like our Creator Database).
You don’t need a huge list to generate revenue. But you do need a huge list to make enough money to make it a full-time job and pay some bills. Just because your list grows, it doesn’t mean your time input will grow. There are also plenty of solo newsletter operators with 50K+ subscribers. This is the biggest difference between writing a newsletter and podcasting or creating videos/films. You can start small and stay small. But you also have to start intentionally and stay intentional. My biggest fear is building a huge community with tons of reach and not having a plan to monetize those eyeballs in a way that feels authentic.
Email is intimate. Your priority should always be to respect your readers' inboxes. In addition to making quality a priority, I also consider the ads and affiliates you see in my newsletters. I also will never put an ad in a guest post, as I don’t believe in monetizing someone else’s words. In short, “don’t be a grifter,” as Corey would say.
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What's Coming in Year 3
And I’m excited to learn what you’re looking forward to most, so please vote in the poll below!
Hosting more events. A virtual summit, a virtual panel, and a 3-city podcast tour are in the works. And yes, I will still be going live each week with Michelle and Corey. You can register for upcoming virtual events below.
More product drops. This digital newsletter is going print, and sooner than you think. I may also be shipping a custom physical product for creators. This will be new for me, so bear with me. (Hint: the physical product involves industrial design.)
I'm bringing back the daily podcast challenge in February. Book club style. Send me some books on creativity or entrepreneurship you think I should cover or include! Underrepresented authors get priority!
I’m bringing back Elevator Pitch on the podcast. So submit your creative or business elevator pitches. I’m introducing more co-hosts to help you level up your creative and business premises.
I’m attending some new events. Creative South and Black Writers Weekend are on my agenda for 2026. I’m not looking to travel too far or anywhere near as much as I did this year, but let me know if there are other events you think I should consider!
What are you most excited for?
👩🏾⚖️ First Order of Community
If you made it this far, consider sharing this article on social media or with someone who would enjoy it. If you’re new here and want to hang with me and other community members, check out our upcoming events:
Join Matt Gilhooly and me live on Riverside for a chat about our lived experience hosting a combined 300+ interviews on Thursday, December 18th at 6PM. You can RSVP here.
Join Michelle, Corey, and me on Riverside for our very first 2-day Virtual Summit on February 19th and 20th, 2026. Us, 5 speakers, giveaways, and tons of value to kick off the year. You can RSVP here.
