You're allowed to make changes when building online

Some personal tweaks I'm making

I almost hit the brakes on writing altogether. Low engagement, zero inspiration—it felt like I was creating for nothing.

But instead of quitting, I’m shifting gears. I’m building online in a way that actually feels good—creating how I want, sticking to a system that works for me, not taking it all so seriously, and launching a newsletter as a big next step.

If you’ve ever felt stuck trying to grow online, this might help.

Everyone deals with these moments differently, but I think I’ve come up with a pretty solid list of things I’ll be changing as someone building online. In sync with these changes of how I produce things, a lot of it is just being more real.

When building online—especially in the beginning—it’s easy to feel that what you’re doing is all for nothing.

So you might feel like you need to change who you genuinely are in the hopes that it will attract an audience or generate some sales.

But I think we can all agree on one thing, that sticking things out is key. Just keep building on any momentum and eventually two things will happen: 1) all of a sudden you have an awesome idea, or 2) you see results out of no where.

So I’m writing this article for people that are interested in building online. Especially beginner solopreneurs.

Anywho, these are things I’m changing as a solopreneur.

Creating content how I like creating it

This is insane that I’m writing this, but recently I haven’t been a fan of writing. I don’t know why, it’s just been a drag.

But I’m not getting down on myself about it cause I know that every writer goes through something like this at least once.

The way I’m handling this is by still writing, but putting more of an emphasis on filming for my YouTube channel where I create vlogs about lifestyle and while mixing in some entrepreneurship stuff in there, too.

I like the simplicity that comes with editing a video, even when it’s a hard video to edit.

And that’s the thing right there. Even when the skill is hard, if it still feels right to practice or improve it, then you’re doing the right thing. So I’ve taken the hint and am focusing on video more, instead of unnecessarily burning out with writing.

I think if I focus on video instead, I’d be able to get my creative juices flowing. I trust that this effect will trickle into my writing sooner than later.

The point? Do anything it takes to nourish your creativity, even if it means stepping away from the thing that originally sparked your creativity (but now isn’t so much). Remember you’re building online on your own terms, not on anyone else’s, and you aren’t necessarily getting graded for it.

Sticking to a game plan

Even though I’m focusing more on video, I still have a plan with writing. After all, writing is what I still would want to be part of what I do for whatever I build online.

So here’s the game plan to switch how I’m doing my writing.

As I film more, I’ll be soaking in the freedom I feel in showcasing my personality as much as I can. In my videos I’ll talk lifestyle and entrepreneurship. Comments that I get from others relating to entrepreneurship under my videos are what I will address in my written content. The reason I’m doing this is because I feel like I can more freely express myself in videos, usually it’s a rant but someone is always going to be down to listen, right? When I film, I find that I let loose and really pour my ideas out there, ideas that I’ll also include in my articles.

The platforms I’m doing my writing on are:

• Substack

• X

• LinkedIn

• Beehiiv (The Pitstop Newsletter)

Why each?

Substack will be where I write unfiltered, using the approach I outlined above.

X will be where I hone in on email marketing to attract personal trainers that need these services.

LinkedIn is where I plan on reinforcing my authority, hopefully stimulating some lead generation for both email marketing, and also where I talk about solopreneurship, too.

Beehiiv is what I’m using to run a newsletter, which I’m excited to start pouring more attention into. In this newsletter my aim is to blend all writing I do on those other platforms. It’s also how I will officially promote my offers (both free and paid).

Between these four things, there’s obviously going to be repurposing of my content.

Part of my game plan is to just be more intentional with what I’m writing, too.

On Substack I’ll share things like:

• Quick thoughts that I randomly get

• Personal insight or challenges I’ve had

• Lessons I’ve learned

• Behind-the-scenes things

• How it’s going with my daily workflow

• Tips for mindset shifts

• Reflections on the week and the wins or struggles I’ve had

• Casual things

On X I’ll share things like:

• Key takeaways from my Substack articles

• Threads on email marketing strategies

• Quick, actionable tips

• Mini personal stories

• Lifestyle and business insight

• Engaging questions

On LinkedIn I’ll share things like:

• Posts where I repurpose my Substack articles

• Why email marketing is important for personal trainers

• Solopreneurship or personal trainer content

• Lead generation posts

• Quick tips

• Lifestyle/business posts

In The Pitstop Newsletter I’ll:

• Include a mix of all the stuff I bulleted above

• Focus on offers

Okay, that’s the game plan. I like it because it cohesively makes sense, and I think it’s a system where each moving part contributes to another moving part (e.g., repurposing, content for one platform “fits with” the content for another platform).

The big pivot

A newsletter.

I’m excited for this. Like a lot.

It’s called The Pitstop Newsletter. The concept is similar to that of a car when it stops and gets refueled or repaired. I won’t even be talking about cars though, but I like the concept of cars ever since I was young so I thought it fit well.

I’ve always wanted to start a newsletter but held off, thinking I needed a product or service first. Now that I’m finally doing it, it feels like a complete 180—I used to believe you had to have everything figured out before starting.

But I’ve realized that’s not the case and here’s why:

• Audience first, product or service second: because who says you can’t?

• Build trust: position yourself as an authority before you even launch something is just as effective as it being the other way around (product → newsletter)

• Feedback loops: subscriber engagement (replies, clicks) gives you insight into what they want, helping you refine your offer

• Monetization without a product: you can still monetize a newsletter without a product or service (e.g., sponsorships, affiliate marketing, paid subscriptions).

Don’t let how others have done things be the reason why you overthink and not take action in a way you feel is right. Your own personal instincts matter just as much as strategies.

Subscribe to my separate newsletter, The Pitstop.

Not taking things so serious

I remember taking myself too seriously at one point, and as a result I stopped writing for all of 2022.

I think I was being too hard on myself, to the point where I was unnecessarily overwhelming myself with all of the following:

• Learning skills

• Networking

• Creating content

• Brainstorming

• Personal branding

• Executing

So when I just focused on living life and not creating for a full year, I realized that the more you take things super serious, the harder they are to experience. You set up unnecessary limits for yourself that sort of cloud your creativity.

Instead of taking yourself so seriously, focus on growing resilience.

Because taking yourself too serious means you don’t trust that you’ll pick yourself back up after a challenging time. Instead if you’re resilient, you won’t care to be too serious about things because you know you can always bounce back… from anything.

The trick is to build resilience in other areas of your life first. I’m building resilience to build online by sticking to the gym.

I think I’m just at the point in my building journey where I don’t really care about the outcomes.

I know that whatever comes out of my process of building online will be far greater than I expect. But this can only happen if I stay the course and keep building no matter what.

So I urge you to do the same. Don’t get desperate and instead stay relaxed in your unwavering belief that you will continue to show up for yourself.

Put in the work but don’t judge yourself so harshly when you’re creating.