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Quick takeaways
- Packy McCormick started with a personal brand through his newsletter 'Per My Last Email' and gradually built a small following of 956 subscribers while exploring startup ideas.
- Not Boring Club, a social club blending Soho House and college extracurriculars, was initiated by Packy but later transformed into writing essays under the Not Boring brand due to COVID-19.
- The importance of finding the right monetization strategy, delaying implementing subscriptions to focus on expansion, and the challenges that come with it were discussed.
- The complexities and trade-offs of incorporating sponsored content, like maintaining integrity and transparency, were emphasized, along with the potential benefits and challenges.
- Despite the challenges of being a one-person corporation, Not Boring has the potential for scalability and future growth, aiming to become a million-person newsletter and exploring partnerships for further expansion.
Deep dives
Starting a Personal Brand
Packy McCormick starts a personal brand by writing a newsletter called 'Per My Last Email' and builds a small following of around 956 subscribers, exploring various startup ideas.
Launching Not Boring Club
Packy decides to pivot and starts the Not Boring Club, a social club that combines elements of Soho House and college extracurriculars. He organizes small group dinners, debates, and creates a community, with around 150 early members.
Transition to Not Boring
Amid COVID-19 and the realization that the social club model might not be feasible, Packy shifts his focus to writing essays under the Not Boring brand. By leveraging his optimism, passion, and writing skills, he commits to growing the Not Boring newsletter and starts gaining traction.
The growth of the newsletter and monetization strategy
The podcast episode discusses the early stages of the newsletter and how it evolved into a full-time endeavor. The host shares insights about the subscriber growth and the decision to delay implementing subscriptions in order to focus on expansion. They also discuss the importance of finding the right monetization strategy and the challenges that come with it.
The role of sponsored content
The podcast explores the speaker's decision to incorporate sponsored content in the newsletter. They discuss the importance of maintaining integrity and transparency while working with sponsors and emphasize the need to provide valuable and well-reasoned content to the audience. The conversation highlights the complexities and trade-offs of sponsored content, as well as its potential benefits and challenges.
The journey towards a million-dollar revenue goal
The speaker reflects on their tweet about wanting to make a million dollars in revenue through the newsletter. They discuss the progress made towards that goal and the growing momentum of the business. The conversation touches on the influence of web three and crypto-related content, as well as the potential for not boring to expand further and become a thriving solo corporation.
The Challenges of Being a One-Person Corporation
The podcast episode discusses the challenges of running a one-person corporation like not boring. The speaker highlights the trade-offs, such as the need to consistently produce content and the risk of losing momentum if taking time off. Building a team and scaling the business present challenges that arise from being the sole person responsible for the operation. The speaker also mentions the limitations of the one-person model, such as the inability to focus on building other businesses or products, as it may dilute the core content and audience expectation.
The Potential for Scalability and Future Growth
Despite the challenges, the podcast episode explores the potential for scalability and future growth for not boring capital. The speaker notes the exponential growth of the audience and the possibility of becoming a million-person newsletter in the next few years. The integration of not boring capital and the podcast's content allows for scaling opportunities, especially in terms of portfolio companies and their impact on the audience. The potential for partnerships, such as the one with AngelList, unlocks new possibilities for growth and enables the leverage of specialized tools and platforms.
The Power of Not Being Greedy
In considering a potential offer to join a venture capital firm, the author reflects on the importance of not being greedy and staying true to the current trajectory of their independent platform, Not Boring. They believe that getting too greedy by joining a firm would limit their upside and options, while also sacrificing their independence and unique voice.
A Thrilling Novel with a Seattle Connection
The author recommends the book 'Rabbits' by Terry Miles, a thrilling novel that combines elements of Haruki Murakami's style with the excitement of 'Ready Player One.' Set in Seattle, the book follows a global game that holds the key to saving the world and explores the power of following seemingly coincidental events. While acknowledging that it may not be the best-written book, the author found it entertaining and difficult to put down.
22.
Sponsored Content, I'm Not a Judicial Institution That Has Integrity, but I'll Lay Art
3min
When does a creator become a company? Who says that media companies — or venture firms — have to be organizations? How high is the ceiling on one person + the internet? Acquired has the answers and they are... Not Boring. 🙂
Sponsors:
ServiceNow: https://bit.ly/acqsnaiagents
Huntress: https://bit.ly/acqhuntress
Vanta: https://bit.ly/acquiredvanta
More Acquired!:
- Get email updates with hints on next episode and follow-ups from recent episodes
- Join the Slack
- Subscribe to ACQ2
- Merch Store!
© Copyright 2015-2024 ACQ, LLC
Links:
- Not Boring: https://www.notboring.co/
- Proto-Not Boring: https://www.packym.com/blog/nyc-debate-club
- Not Boring's first sponsor deck: https://projector.com/story/2cb6296d-e229-4774-839c-efbf86d7f69f?scene=7127c7a0
- Jake Singer's Not Boring Flywheel: https://theflywheel.substack.com/p/not-boring-packy-m
- Proof Ben was famous even before Acquired: https://web.archive.org/web/20150814041757/https://www.seattletimes.com/business/high-octane-leader-drives-microsoftrsquos-innovation-garage/
Carve Outs:
- Velcro swaddles (dad life...): https://www.amazon.com/s?k=velcro+swaddle
- An Engineer's Hype-Free Observations on Web3: https://www.psl.com/feed-posts/web3-engineer-take
- Rabbits: https://www.amazon.com/Rabbits-Novel-Terry-Miles-ebook/dp/B08HY29VM2
Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.
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