Girl...3 times a week is WAY too much!!!! That's a death sentence for creativity...I'm glad you learned that lesson while cutting your bangs 🤣
I feel you on the rebranding thing. The only thing keeping me from rebranding every month is that I'm busy doing it for everyone else and don't have time! Silver linings 😁
I wish you the absolute best in 2025! May you grow beyond your expectations! Oh, and try writing about getting fired from a job if you ever have been. That was by far my most popular post of this year!
Yes, it is. That must be fun, always coming up with new branding ideas for Substack. I know I do it all the time (for free). Haha. Thanks for your best wishes in 2025 — same to you! I don’t have any crazy stories about getting fired, I did have some crazy bosses though, which is one of the reasons why I left the corporate world (and fashion) for good. Now some ideas are brewing. Thanks!
Oh shucks, jetlag + back pain and the winter cold don't feel like a winning combo! Bummer! I hope you recover soon and have a good excuse to chill for a bit in the meantime. Loved your round up! Still super proud of you for your NYT submission.
I found an essay I wrote for HuffPo Personal the other day that was rejected two years ago - it was so interesting reading it back. I was thinking of sharing it here, but then I've been on a similar train of more "work" content and more personal essays and finding it hard to find my sweet spot. I always seem to get a bunch of unsubs with my personal essays so I just have to remind myself I'm not writing them for them, I'm doing it for me and for the few other lovely readers who might enjoy them/benefit from them, etc.
Anyway!
My main win was building out my mentoring business and working with some incredible people and getting to celebrate some pretty massive wins for them, so that was really exciting.
My main fail was that it took me 10 months to quit a writing job that was slowly draining my life force but replenishing my bank account (tough trade off).
My main lesson, well yikes, there have been many, but I think realising that I can't put my life on hold even while I'm on this journey with my mum has been the biggest one. I (sub)consciously was waiting to move forward in so many ways and denying myself the joy of just starting. It took a lot to make the changes and get the wheels in motion, but I'm so glad I did!
Anyway, long comment, oops! But it was a wonderful post. I love reading all your missives and definitely think you should share the more humorous ones here too! <3
Hi Cassie, thanks for sharing! Your biggest learning truly shows that your main win and fail were necessary to get you where you are today! You went for it with your mentoring biz even if you weren’t all-in right away. Seems like it all worked out great and the only way is up from here! 🥳 I say go for it and publish the personal essay that you submitted to HuffPost here! I’d love to read it. ❤️
GIRL I love that you refuse to niche your newsletter! All the power to the niche writers out there, my bouncing-off-the-wall brain can't stick to writing in the lines of one topic al the time. I love your posts, their genuine and fun to read!
It's all about trial and error. I love that you're experimenting and being open about it! I like the idea of how to girl, kinda catchy title. But keeping two Substacks sounds like hard work, so... Just do it here 😁
Thanks, Sophie! I think I will keep it all together. More than one Substack is def too much work. I can make a section called “How To Girl” — let’s see! Thanks for your feedback. Happy New Year! 🎆
I’ve been rebranding every year once, haha feels like I just need to match substack with real life once a while again when the gap as become too wide. And don’t ask me how often I rewrite the bio. Haven’t done it in a few months now because I haven’t even had time to sleep enough yet write…. But I feel the itch lol
Anyways, can’t wait to see where 2025 takes you! First of all, hope your back will be better soon.
The annual rebrand is a great ideal actually! Maybe I’ll try that instead of monthly 🤣. Excited to see what’s in store for all of us in 2025. Happy New Year! 🎆
My favorite rebrand was when you renamed this baby "gezellig" because that's how my dutch Oma describes every nice cozy thing, and I felt immediately at home :). Happy New Year!
Awww thanks, Jen! I think it’s the rebrand that’s sticking! But the colors might change every now and then to satisfy my urge. Hahahah. Where is your Oma from? Mine is from Rotterdam. Have you been to Holland before?
Both of my grandparents are from Enschede. They immigrated after they married but then their families joined them in the US soon after and none of my immediate family is there, so I’ve never visited! I’d really like to and keep thinking I should go with my Oma while she can still travel!
Alexis, I love your niche-less approach and your always cool use of language (niche as a verb! Subslacking!). I find your posts so refreshing. You're such a good writer that whatever you cover is fun to read. I aim for a similar approach and have a million ideas I'm desperate to share but also really struggle to 'sell' when my audience is so diverse and scattered.
I'm also constantly second guessing what and whether to post, to rebrand, consistency, etc.
I've said this before, but I'm all for the bangs! My lesson: don't let a 6 year old cut your hair unless you're prepared to shave it all off to salvage it. But hey, my daughter had fun and she was willing to try☺️
Thanks, Daniel! Always appreciate your comments and support. 🧡 Having so many great ideas is hard, indeed! When is Groucho Marks. making an appearance? You're a very good father. LOL
Busted! Groucho Marks has made a peripheral appearance, you must've missed that post! I know, there's so much stuff on here, hard to keep up. He'll be making his full debut mid January 😁
I also had a viral note that led to lots of new subscribers, some of whom then quickly unsubscribed! Sounds like a good year for you. I also struggle to write more than once a week though I’ll do it sometimes. It’s time consuming but a pleasure. Happy New Year! ✨
Not that I’d never want to see a Note or post go viral again, but it was the first time it ever happened to me (with anything) and I must say, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be because it fades quickly. I also question the quality of all the subscribers it brought me. I’d rather have higher engagement. I’ve decided that 1x per week is what I can commit to, but if I feel pulled to the page outside of that schedule I won’t deny it. ;) Happy New Year to you too!
I’ve wasted way too much time on branding, rebranding, rebranding, and rebranding.
LOL!!! Well, you know where I stand on all of this. 😜 Of course I am doing the same and will do one more time for 2025. All that being said ....
Keep doing what you're doing and experimenting. I enjoy your variety of writings and think it's good to just be yourself. That's what I appreciate about you. Besides being 1/2 Dutch like me. Haha.
I'll message you soon and hope you are doing awesome. Keep up the great work.
Rebranding so many times - I can actually get that since I'm never happy with a design :) But I learned people necessarily don't care :)
As for me, my biggest win this year was deciding to change my workplace and starting my Substack; my biggest fail is also not starting it sooner, and my biggest learning experience is that there can be a great platform like Substack where people still care for what they write and read.
Girl...3 times a week is WAY too much!!!! That's a death sentence for creativity...I'm glad you learned that lesson while cutting your bangs 🤣
I feel you on the rebranding thing. The only thing keeping me from rebranding every month is that I'm busy doing it for everyone else and don't have time! Silver linings 😁
I wish you the absolute best in 2025! May you grow beyond your expectations! Oh, and try writing about getting fired from a job if you ever have been. That was by far my most popular post of this year!
Yes, it is. That must be fun, always coming up with new branding ideas for Substack. I know I do it all the time (for free). Haha. Thanks for your best wishes in 2025 — same to you! I don’t have any crazy stories about getting fired, I did have some crazy bosses though, which is one of the reasons why I left the corporate world (and fashion) for good. Now some ideas are brewing. Thanks!
Haha people love learning about failures, and recovery from them I guess (hope!).
Just makes us feel less alone, eh?
Yes, we all go through similar things eventually ✨
Oh shucks, jetlag + back pain and the winter cold don't feel like a winning combo! Bummer! I hope you recover soon and have a good excuse to chill for a bit in the meantime. Loved your round up! Still super proud of you for your NYT submission.
I found an essay I wrote for HuffPo Personal the other day that was rejected two years ago - it was so interesting reading it back. I was thinking of sharing it here, but then I've been on a similar train of more "work" content and more personal essays and finding it hard to find my sweet spot. I always seem to get a bunch of unsubs with my personal essays so I just have to remind myself I'm not writing them for them, I'm doing it for me and for the few other lovely readers who might enjoy them/benefit from them, etc.
Anyway!
My main win was building out my mentoring business and working with some incredible people and getting to celebrate some pretty massive wins for them, so that was really exciting.
My main fail was that it took me 10 months to quit a writing job that was slowly draining my life force but replenishing my bank account (tough trade off).
My main lesson, well yikes, there have been many, but I think realising that I can't put my life on hold even while I'm on this journey with my mum has been the biggest one. I (sub)consciously was waiting to move forward in so many ways and denying myself the joy of just starting. It took a lot to make the changes and get the wheels in motion, but I'm so glad I did!
Anyway, long comment, oops! But it was a wonderful post. I love reading all your missives and definitely think you should share the more humorous ones here too! <3
Hi Cassie, thanks for sharing! Your biggest learning truly shows that your main win and fail were necessary to get you where you are today! You went for it with your mentoring biz even if you weren’t all-in right away. Seems like it all worked out great and the only way is up from here! 🥳 I say go for it and publish the personal essay that you submitted to HuffPost here! I’d love to read it. ❤️
GIRL I love that you refuse to niche your newsletter! All the power to the niche writers out there, my bouncing-off-the-wall brain can't stick to writing in the lines of one topic al the time. I love your posts, their genuine and fun to read!
Thanks, Kate! That’s very sweet of you. I’m glad to know you’re entertained. ☺️ Happy New Year!
It's all about trial and error. I love that you're experimenting and being open about it! I like the idea of how to girl, kinda catchy title. But keeping two Substacks sounds like hard work, so... Just do it here 😁
Thanks, Sophie! I think I will keep it all together. More than one Substack is def too much work. I can make a section called “How To Girl” — let’s see! Thanks for your feedback. Happy New Year! 🎆
I’ve been rebranding every year once, haha feels like I just need to match substack with real life once a while again when the gap as become too wide. And don’t ask me how often I rewrite the bio. Haven’t done it in a few months now because I haven’t even had time to sleep enough yet write…. But I feel the itch lol
Anyways, can’t wait to see where 2025 takes you! First of all, hope your back will be better soon.
The annual rebrand is a great ideal actually! Maybe I’ll try that instead of monthly 🤣. Excited to see what’s in store for all of us in 2025. Happy New Year! 🎆
My favorite rebrand was when you renamed this baby "gezellig" because that's how my dutch Oma describes every nice cozy thing, and I felt immediately at home :). Happy New Year!
Awww thanks, Jen! I think it’s the rebrand that’s sticking! But the colors might change every now and then to satisfy my urge. Hahahah. Where is your Oma from? Mine is from Rotterdam. Have you been to Holland before?
Both of my grandparents are from Enschede. They immigrated after they married but then their families joined them in the US soon after and none of my immediate family is there, so I’ve never visited! I’d really like to and keep thinking I should go with my Oma while she can still travel!
Definitely take a trip with your Oma! I’m sure you won’t regret it and the shared experience experience!
Alexis, I love your niche-less approach and your always cool use of language (niche as a verb! Subslacking!). I find your posts so refreshing. You're such a good writer that whatever you cover is fun to read. I aim for a similar approach and have a million ideas I'm desperate to share but also really struggle to 'sell' when my audience is so diverse and scattered.
I'm also constantly second guessing what and whether to post, to rebrand, consistency, etc.
I've said this before, but I'm all for the bangs! My lesson: don't let a 6 year old cut your hair unless you're prepared to shave it all off to salvage it. But hey, my daughter had fun and she was willing to try☺️
Keep at it, your posts are a treat 😁
Thanks, Daniel! Always appreciate your comments and support. 🧡 Having so many great ideas is hard, indeed! When is Groucho Marks. making an appearance? You're a very good father. LOL
Busted! Groucho Marks has made a peripheral appearance, you must've missed that post! I know, there's so much stuff on here, hard to keep up. He'll be making his full debut mid January 😁
👀
I read the post where you briefly mentioned it, but maybe I missed something else! 🙈
You're off the hook 😅. It was just a brief appearance. Groucho will make his full debut mid January 😁
I also had a viral note that led to lots of new subscribers, some of whom then quickly unsubscribed! Sounds like a good year for you. I also struggle to write more than once a week though I’ll do it sometimes. It’s time consuming but a pleasure. Happy New Year! ✨
Not that I’d never want to see a Note or post go viral again, but it was the first time it ever happened to me (with anything) and I must say, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be because it fades quickly. I also question the quality of all the subscribers it brought me. I’d rather have higher engagement. I’ve decided that 1x per week is what I can commit to, but if I feel pulled to the page outside of that schedule I won’t deny it. ;) Happy New Year to you too!
Im not sure all of mine were ‘serious’ subscribers and my engagement rate dropped loads too. 🤷♀️Enjoy Twixtmas x
I’ve wasted way too much time on branding, rebranding, rebranding, and rebranding.
LOL!!! Well, you know where I stand on all of this. 😜 Of course I am doing the same and will do one more time for 2025. All that being said ....
Keep doing what you're doing and experimenting. I enjoy your variety of writings and think it's good to just be yourself. That's what I appreciate about you. Besides being 1/2 Dutch like me. Haha.
I'll message you soon and hope you are doing awesome. Keep up the great work.
Rebranding so many times - I can actually get that since I'm never happy with a design :) But I learned people necessarily don't care :)
As for me, my biggest win this year was deciding to change my workplace and starting my Substack; my biggest fail is also not starting it sooner, and my biggest learning experience is that there can be a great platform like Substack where people still care for what they write and read.