TD Digest

I woke up this morning to an e-mail from Patreon - I have my first paying subscriber!! Hell yeah. [Fist pump to celebratory karate kick :D]

This is an emotionally important hurdle for me, because I have been so reluctant to accept payment for my work on this project for so long. The first TD Digest was sent in September 2017, ~2.5 years ago. I had always mentally categorized it as a personal / side project, even while (a small handful of) friends have been telling me that they would be willing to pay for it. I had simply been reluctant to let this project cross over from the personal to the professional realm. My reluctance relates to deeply-ingrained mental models around needing to be the best in the world at something before accepting payment, which I am actively working on and deconditioning (thank you consulting and investing for your pernicious habituations ><).

Last week, I finally decided to put myself out there and potentially receive payment by setting up a Patreon account. Nothing beyond the basics, not expecting anything. I think the first Patreon link that I put into my TD Digest on Saturday had 2 clicks and 0 subscribes before last night.

And then this week, I asked for feedback from a couple of friends on UX. And out of nowhere, with no mention of the Patreon page from me, one of my friends subscribed last night!! I know intellectually that N=1 provides very little signal (or revenue ;D), but emotionally this feels like a big deal, and gets me that much more excited to push forward with my vision for this project.

Anyway, sharing with you all in case you too are struggling to accept payment for your work, or are sitting and waiting for that first dollar to come in for your hard work and creative vision... Patience can be a mother!@#!%, and is sometimes the best response.

This week we hit 400 subscribers!! Holy $@!$, what a fun and exhilarating milestone.

After over two years of sharing weekly curated content, it feels like there is a critical mass of dedicated users / readers. The signal I am receiving includes regular notes of appreciation from readers, consistent open and click-through rates, and even the occasional new subscriber :D

That said, so far I have been quite selfish in writing this every week. It's very much been a "create for myself" mindset and project. And so it feels like there is still a LOT of opportunity to discover and execute on "win-neutral" UX changes, i.e., the UX for the average user is meaningfully improved, and my vision and values are not compromised.

If you have any feedback for me, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to improve the UX, update my mental maps, and resolve my ignorance!! Thank you :D