5 Comments
User's avatar
Paul Arino | SEO Growth Tips's avatar

This article completely nails the reality of building a sustainable publication. What jumped out at me the most was your focus on "Business Design" right from day one - just great advice!

Thanks,

Paul Arino

Mala's avatar

Thank you for the big up!! Much appreciate it!

Loris Marcucci's avatar

Thank you for this article, it’s truly useful

Mary Monroe Toukan's avatar

Using your advice as I type this!

Mari da Newsletter Sem Rodeios's avatar

This completely shifted the way I'm thinking.

I came here expecting to learn about growing on Substack, but I left thinking about business design.

The biggest insight for me wasn't "publish more" or "find a better niche." It was realizing that content alone doesn't create demand—a well-designed business does.

I've been rethinking my own personal brand through this lens, asking different questions:

* What transformation am I actually selling?

* Is my content supporting a business, or just building an audience?

* Am I designing an ecosystem or simply creating content?

Thank you for sharing such a practical framework. It sparked much deeper reflection than I expected.