Sublime
An inspiration engine for ideas
No. 13 — Reclaiming Discovery From the Algorithms
Michelle Rose Josephmichellerosejoseph.substack.com
For example, Ben Silbermann noticed that a lot of the earliest Pinterest users were interested in design, so he went to a conference of design bloggers to recruit users, and that worked well.
Paul Graham • Do things that don't scale : YC Startup Library | Y Combinator
The same Internet that allows Netflix to help a small number of cinephiles discover an obscure documentary might also allow that filmmaker to be in touch with these same people directly, perhaps converting what Kelly termed “Lesser Fans” into “True Fans,” defined as those “who will purchase anything and everything you produce,” who “will drive 200 ... See more
Cal Newport • The Rise of the Internet’s Creative Middle Class
In 2019, Wired reported that 125,000 creators -- podcasters, YouTubers, musicians, webcomic artists, etc…-- had generated a combined 5 million monthly subscribers. At the end of that year Patreon announced that it had paid out $1 billion to its users since its inception, with $500 million amassed that year alone.
Simon Owens • Why Patreon’s business model is under threat
From the outside, Substack's strategy has seemed to be the following: 1) Create a beautiful, simple blogging platform, which Substack most certainly is. 2) Very slowly release control of who can use Substack to create cachet. 3) Pay some people to post to the site, but not most of them. (Sub-strategy: Don't disclose who's working for Substack and w... See more
Adam Keesling • Substack Rhymes With Medium
We were making about ten grand a month when I dedicated to GitHub full-time, and we probably paid ourselves three grand each. And then a third and a fourth person came on, P. J. Hyett and Scott Chacon. We were making money, and we didn’t need to think about fundraising. We liked what we were doing, and we were happy with what we had and the people
... See moreAli Tamaseb • Super Founders: What Data Reveals About Billion-Dollar Startups
Livingston: Was the growth viral? Levchin: We built the system to be viral from day one. The idea was: I can send you the money, even if you aren't a member. If I send you $10, you get an email saying, "You have $10 waiting for you. Sign up, and you can take it." That's the most powerful viral driver there is. Free money available to you.