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Come work with us this week.
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If your summer brain could use some structure, we’ve got coworking sessions happening inside The Reach Club every Tuesday and Thursday from 11–1 ET.
Bring the thing you’ve been putting off. We’ll get it done together.
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“So, do you have any questions for the team?”
“Just one: how did I get here?!”
The table of Kit employees laughed at my maybe too-honest question.
Yesterday, I got to spend the morning with the Kit team, aka the email platform* I use to send you this very newsletter.
I sat in on opening remarks from CEO Nathan Barry, watched a creator panel featuring Carleigh Bodrug of PlantYou, Mallory Rowan, Stu McLaren and Jayson Gaignard, and joined a breakout session where a group of Kit employees picked my brain while I picked theirs right back.
At the end of the breakout session, I asked that question because, while I’ve been writing this newsletter for ages and have a loyal group of subscribers (like yourself!), I'm not exactly operating a six-figure email list over here.
Ultimately, the answer wasn’t all that exciting. They wanted local Kit customers across different industries and list sizes, and I checked the boxes.
But I think what matters more than how you get into certain rooms is what you do once you’re there.
And for me, that meant furiously capturing nuggets of wisdom in my Notes app and, because I girlboss but never gatekeep, sharing them with you.
Here are four ideas I’m still thinking about.
1. Know what’s actually holding you back
Nathan talked about the theory of constraints: at any given time, there’s probably one major bottleneck limiting your growth.
Which sounds obvious until you think about how often we spend time fixing things that aren’t actually the problem.
Tweaking your website when you need more traffic. Creating another offer when nobody knows about the ones you already have.
The question I wrote down for myself: What’s the actual bottleneck right now?
2. Build more than one way to make money
One thing that stood out during the panel was how diversified everyone’s businesses were.
Books. Memberships. Software. Workshops. Brand partnerships. Events. Coaching. Speaking.
Obviously, “add seven revenue streams immediately” is not the lesson here. Please do not do that to yourself.
But it was a good reminder that a business gets stronger when revenue isn’t overly dependent on one offer, one client type or one way of bringing money in.
3. Pay attention to the metrics that tell you people care
The panelists also talked about the numbers they watch, and a lot of them were looking beyond raw reach.
Comments. Saves. Shares. Retention. Email open rates. New followers generated by a specific post. Carleigh even re-edits videos when the skip rate tells her the hook isn’t working.
The question underneath all of those metrics is basically: what happens after someone sees you?
Do they engage? Stick around? Buy? Come back?
That tells you a lot more than views alone.
4. “The more high-tech we get, the more high-touch we crave.”
This was a quote from Jayson, and probably the line I’ve thought about most since.
For all the conversation happening around AI, automation and scale, some of the most successful creators on that stage kept talking about things that very much do not scale.
Mal sends personal replies and remembers details about people in her community. Stu talked about checking in with members during difficult moments. Jayson has built much of his business around bringing people together in person.
Even Kit has “default to generosity” as one of its company values.
Remembering what someone told you. Checking in. Paying attention. Creating experiences people remember.
This work isn't particularly flashy, but it builds trust. It gives people a reason to come back. And that feels like a pretty solid foundation to grow from.
’Til next time!
Big (virtual) hugs,
✨ What’s happening inside The Reach
The theme inside The Reach lately? Capacity.
We’ve been talking about what we actually have room for, what needs to come off the plate, and how to make better decisions about the work we take on.
A very timely conversation, if you ask me.
What’s one thing you’re making more room for this month?
💡What's on my radar
A few books came up during the Kit Creator Retreat that I immediately added to my reading list:
A book about creating memorable customer experiences and finding opportunities to go above and beyond.
Jesse is the founder of the Savannah Bananas, that baseball team you've definitely seen on your social feeds. The book is about creating memorable experiences that turn customers into genuine fans of your business.
Jayson’s new book about building meaningful relationships and community feels especially timely, given how much of the panel conversation came back to connection.
👩🏾💻 What’s the bottleneck in your marketing?
Maybe people are finding your website but aren’t quite getting what makes you different. Maybe you have deep expertise but struggle to turn it into clear, compelling content. Or maybe you know what you want to say, but need a smarter strategy for getting it in front of the right people.
That’s where I come in.
I help businesses turn complex ideas and expertise into clear messaging and search-savvy content that attracts the right people and moves them to action.
