#42 | Amanda Goetz | The Messiness of Finding Your Content Niche & Going Independent

Feb 29, 2024

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This week, John sits down with Amanda Goetz. Amanda is a 2x founder, 3x CMO, and now a full-time brand builder and creator on personal and professional growth inspiring 150k people each week through social and her weekly newsletter, Life’s a Game.

Amanda shares insights and experiences on:

Her experience transitioning to full-time content creation (and she’s worked through the anxiety that induces).
How/why finding validation and proof points, such as audience growth, engagement, and revenue, are important in building a successful content creation business (and how she founder hers).
How she’s balancing content creation with consulting to provide financial stability while pursuing creative endeavors.
The operational side of going independent, i.e., purchasing health insurance, setting up your LLC, etc.

Timestamps

(00:00) - Introduction
(02:11) - Leaving Corporate America
(05:06) - Dealing with Doubts and Anxiety
(06:02) - Navigating Fear and Self-Doubt
(07:00) - Identifying Inner Voices and Overcoming Anxiety
(08:00) - The Reality of Content Creation
(08:59) - Motivation and Inspiration for Starting a Newsletter
(09:56) - Passion for Writing and Personal Growth
(10:54) - Setting Goals and Writing a Book
(12:23) - Motivation and Drive as a Parent
(13:18) - The Business Side of Going Solo
(14:14) - Navigating Health Insurance and Financial Stability
(15:13) - Overcoming Challenges and Learning New Skills
(16:39) - Building in Public and Overcoming Blockers
(18:56) - Building a Side Hustle and Going Full-Time
(21:17) - Proof Points and Taking the Leap
(22:16) - Building a Newsletter and Monetizing
(24:11) - The Dangers of Comparison and Unrealistic Expectations
(26:03) - Building in Public and Sharing Vulnerability
(27:31) - The Reality of Content Creators and Financial Success
(28:30) - The Importance of Authenticity and Alignment in Sponsorships
(30:24) - Choosing the Angle of the Newsletter
(32:20) - Finding Newsletter Topics and Brainstorming
(34:40) - The Iterative Process of Writing a Book
(37:32) - The Importance of Messiness in the Creative Process
(43:13) - Betting on Yourself and Going All-In
(46:11) - The Book's Tone and Direction
(47:07) - Exploring Different Directions for the Book
(47:33) - Closing Remarks

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Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode, the promotional clips, and handling the overall production of Louder Than Words.

Riverside is offering a 15% discount to Louder Than Words listeners. Just visit riverside.fm and use the code LOUDER during checkout to lock in your discount.