Your Average Jo: It Takes Two

As a woman in her thirties (OK fine, forties), celebrating birthdays can come with mixed emotions. (Happy to be alive, yes. But grey hairs, arthritis and reading glasses, no thank you very much.) But when it comes to entrepreneurial ventures, every day is cause for celebration. So two years is a milestone I’m happy to brag about.

It was just over two years ago, that I was on summer vacation with my son, and sent the very first Bullet newsletter to a group of just over 100 of my nearest and dearest (after staying up late into the night trying to get the damn formatting right, and by trying, I mean relying on our superstar developer, Cam).

And those dear friends gave me their candid feedback on what they liked and didn’t like (luckily not much) and a mere four weeks later, I started sending The Bullet five days a week. Right around that time, serendipity was on my side, and one of my Sweetspot OGs, Samantha, popped up on Facebook to ask if I needed any help with writing the newsletter. Uh, yeah!! And since then she has rocked my world, and yours, leading the editorial helm and making our content magic, which has grown to sending a newsletter not five, but seven days a week. (Does she ever sleep, you ask? Good question.)

And luckily for Sam and me, our family has grown along the way.

If not for Kat, our director of business strategy, you wouldn’t have our incredible referral program, our contests (like this chance to win a trip to Club Med), answers to any (and all) of your technical questions, and a lot more.

Jen, our creative lead, is the face and brains behind our beautiful look, our Saturday Weekend Shot and the other half of Sam’s dynamic daily writing duo.

And in addition to our stellar team of four, there’s a community of writers, designers, illustrators, and developers who have helped make The Bullet as successful, beautiful, and well written as it is.

But all of our hard work would mean nothing if there was nobody there to read it.

So it is you, our readers, who are most important to us. And my, how you’ve grown! We are now 50,000+ stronger (and smarter) and it’s not just the quantity, but the quality that makes you so special. Your engagement with us, whether via social media, or email (we love your love letters, so keep ‘em coming!) shows us that not only are you reading, but that you care, which gives us even more motivation to do what we do.

I speak for the entire team when I tell you that it’s your feedback that keeps us going. There have been many hard days in this crazy startup world, and we have literally been lifted up by your kind messages. While we consider ourselves masters of words, there are no words to express our gratitude.

Budding entrepreneurs often ask me how long they need to give their business ideas a go before they “know.” After going at this a few times, I can say from my personal experience that it’s at least two years. The first year is about figuring out who you are, your brand, your offering, who’s with you (and against you). Then year two becomes an exercise in taking all that and turning it on its head! Maybe you were right, maybe you were wrong, but you need to test your theories, listen to your stakeholders, and then go with your gut.

And speaking of your gut, you better have the stomach for a lot of ups and downs: you’ll likely watch your bank account balance dwindle, and often wonder if it’s all worth it. It’s definitely a wild ride, but in my humble opinion, it’s the best one you’ll ever take. Thank you for joining me.