1. Building a Home for Creators at Substack

Substack’s value proposition is simple. They make it easy for a writer to start an email newsletter that makes money from subscriptions. But since their beginnings as a tool for paid newsletters, the Substack platform has grown to encompass much more than just paid newsletters. Today, creators use Substack for everything from serializing comics to publishing podcasts. 

In this episode, we explore how Substack has managed the push and pull between expanding their audience and achieving significant scale, while staying true to their roots, that many startups experience in the Plus 1 stage. 

Key Lessons:

• Look for adjacent audiences and understand whether your product can adjust to accommodate those new markets. 
• Communities matter: not just for growth, but also for future investment. 
• Real change will ruffle feathers. Be prepared for rough waters.