Writing Led Me Here

Why I Joined Substack

I’ve been a writer ever since I can remember.

Not in the traditional way. As in, I didn’t study that or take any courses.

I was always a book lover, and I always had the desire to write. So I just went for it.

English is my second language and that was a barrier for some time, but I had no doubt I wanted to write in English, so I just went for it.

In 2013, I discovered blogging. Before knowing anything about it. Before having the courage to purchase a domain and get a hosted WordPress site.

It was a WordPress.com site instead. I called it FollowMe2Success.

The idea was to document my personal growth journey and hopefully inspire someone out there. To connect with like-minded people. To have a creative outlet. To have something online I can call my own, without anyone else in my life being part of it.

And it worked.

I renamed it to Let’s Reach Success once I got a self-hosted site, and 13 years later I’m still a full-time blogger.

I’ve tried many platforms, many formats (podcasting, courses, self-published books, newsletters, starting more blogs, etc.)

But at the center of it all has always been my desire to write.

I eventually started teaching blogging as a business and focusing on sponsorships in particular as that’s what worked for me and most bloggers can’t find any information out there about it. So I filled that gap.

I openly share my numbers (small, but enough to have allowed me to relocate to another country, pay my bills, travel, have a baby, take time off whenever I feel like, and work 1-3 hours a day).

But writing, well that’s my therapy.

And that’s why I’m so happy to see what’s happening here on Substack.

I always stayed true to my main platform - my blog. But I was always testing different places online in search of something.

In search of a safe place that resembles a community and a newsletter, that attracts people who care, who have something to say, who are business-minded. With different monetization paths. And with the chance to grow.

And here it is - Substack.

It’s getting crowded now, and I truly hope it keeps its charm. That the owners’ desire to grow doesn’t make them change the original idea they had for it.

Because this is not social media, and the algorithm is actually favourable.

Writers get a voice. Ideas get shared. And people turn Substacks into full-time businesses.

That’s so amazing to see!

And while I’ll keep treating my blog as my main platform and the foundation of my business, I am here now and willing to invest time weekly to grow a following.

What about you?

What are the big and deeper reasons why you’re here? And what’s your vision for your Substack?