Happy New Year! If you know me, you know I’m one of those crazy people that loves January (until the winter depression in London hits of course…). But mostly I love that it’s a natural check in point. I love getting to slow down a bit and reflect back on the year and look ahead for the new year.
I’ve always been a big goal and vision person and I feel like this time last year I was exceptionally dialed in for what I wanted to do. As I wrote back then, I wanted to focus on building my personal brand, grow this newsletter here, and work with some dream companies in the creator economy. I feel pretty proud to look back at the goals I wrote then and to see all that’s happened since.
Here are some of the highlights 💫
Posted on LinkedIn consistently every week
Pivoted to being an expert in the creator economy and working with dream brands like beehiiv, Stan, Viral Nation and more
Sent out 50 newsletter editions (articles and essays included)
Published 9 original interviews for Creator Diaries (would love love to do more this year)
Hit my highest-revenue year (albeit with massive swings month-to-month)
Held my first workshop on platform building
Built my newsletter to 2000+ readers
Raised my writing rates! On average earning $800-$1,000 for a long form article
In all of this, I’ve learned a LOT both about myself and the business I want to build.
Going from creator economy fan to expert.
This time last year, I had zero formal experience in the creator economy. However, I was fascinated by the world of newsletters and online business and decided that 2025 would be the year I went all in.
I realized the only way I could get credibility was by sharing what I know. So I treated learning about the creator economy like I was going to school and committed to sharing the lessons I learned along the way. Over time, it attracted other people writing and learning about the same thing (unexpected benefit).
These relationships ended up being the most valuable drivers of my growth - as LinkedIn connections turned into newsletter referrals and new clients and event invites and so much more.
My biggest overall lesson is to share what you know and what you’re learning. You don’t need to be the top 1% expert in whatever niche for people to pay attention to you.
At the beginning of this year, it looked like me writing a post on beehiiv’s state of newsletter report about the trends in the newsletter space I ended the year actually writing the 2026 report. That’s the power of what can happen in a year. (Will share the link here once it’s published!)
Prioritizing alignment above all else.
I’m always reminded in my journey that alignment is one of the most powerful things you can chase.
This is because you’re not looking for a certain end state or outcome but more about the feeling. This has served me well when choosing what clients to work with (and ones to avoid) - and how to think about the next steps in my career.
Looking back on 2025 I will think of it as the year I prioritized alignment in my working relationships above all else. This feels like an important milestone in a freelance journey because it meant I didn’t have to say yes to any one opportunity simply because I needed the money. It’s something we all experience while building our own things, but I wanted to get away from that feeling.
I’m proud to say I worked with aligned brands and teams I loved this past year and it all feels aligned with where I want to continue building in the creator economy.
Lessons I’m learning from
It certainly wasn’t all a highlight reel either. Here are some of the things that either didn’t happen or things I’m still learning:
I failed to branch out my revenue in a meaningful way. Still 99.99% of what I earn is tied to my client work (which I enjoy!) But I wanted to experiment with digital products, consulting and other revenue streams - and all of that still feels very much like a work in progress. I think in the new year I need to get crystal clear on one core offer and build around that as opposed to trying to throw many things at the wall and see what sticks.
I struggle so much to consistently shoot and produce video content, even though I know how important it is. I don’t have any real reasons other than excuses really, and I know I just need to do the thing. In 2025, I’ve experimented with occasionally posting on Youtube and TikTok and want to double down there plus share more original interview content.
I still have work to do to build my personal brand/platform! I think of last year as the year for experimenting and getting consistent, and now I need to get clear on my goals and add more fuel to the fire. I want to start going on more podcasts, attend more events and conferences, and attract more sponsorships opportunities with dream brands. I feel like this is within reach!
What’s next for Creator Diaries
In short: more of what I love and less of what I don’t. Or that’s the goal at least!
My first priority is to publish at least 1 creator/builder interview per month. And I’m always looking for interesting people to feature. So if that’s you, I’d love to learn more. Here’s the link to pitch me:
I’m having the most fun doing these interviews and want to continue building a content system around them.
To make all of this possible, I’d love to start partnering with brands who want to reach a creator-founder audience. Ideally would love to work with tools/products I already know and love and find educational opportunities to talk more about them. If you’d be interested in this, let’s chat more!
My favorite articles from this year
Lastly, I’ll share with you some of my favorite things I published this year if you haven’t gotten a chance to read them yet.
I’d love to hear from you! What are your goals for the new year? What would you like to see from Creator Diaries? 💌