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And I was like, "I'm gonna make six figures working for myself." You didn't know if it would make it. Sounds like you almost quit, and then you ended the year cracking six figures in revenue. What was that low point?

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It was really rough. It basically just got to the point where I was having, like, a cash flow issue. What brought you back from the brink? So what I did was I hired a salesperson.

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From, like, Q2 to Q3, she, like, tripled the revenue. The first year you go from zero to 10,000 subscribers. Today you're at 23,000. Yeah. We're at over 23,000 now.

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I've figured it out, what levers need to be pulled at what times for growth and for, like, revenue. How? What's the strategy there? Okay, yeah. So- Welcome back to the Creator Spotlight podcast.

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My name is Francis Zierer, and today we are speaking with Marissa Lavelle, founder of From Boise, a local newsletter in Boise, Idaho.

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She started it in 2021, quit her job to do it full time in 2024, and last year, 2025, for the very first time, she cracked six figures in revenue with a little over 23,000 subscribers. Think you'll like it. Enjoy.

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So in December, just about a month ago as we record- Mm-hmm... in a LinkedIn post, you wrote, "Earlier this year, I didn't know if From Boise would make it.

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I am so proud to still be in business and to have accomplished my big goal of crossing $100,000 in revenue. A lot can change in six months.

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Thrilled to be ending the year with money in the bank, ideas flowing, people I love working with, stories I'm excited to share, and a business that is fun and fulfilling." You didn't know if it would make it.

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Sounds like you almost quit, and then you ended the year cracking six figures in revenue. What was that low point? Yeah. Um, oh my gosh, there was [laughs] multiple low points. Oh. But- Spill. Um, yeah. Okay.

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So in October of 2024, I had a baby, and, um, you know, having a baby just, like, changes your whole everything. [laughs] Mm-hmm.

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Um, and at that point, I was doing, like, most of the content, most of my, like, Tuesday stories. I had somebody else writing the Thursday stories.

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I had somebody else doing social media, and I was doing all the sponsorships. So I was, like, doing a lot of writing and a lot of editor jobs and sponsorships. Hmm.

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Like, all of the sales, um, which is, has always been very hard for me to balance, um, this whole time.

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Like, almost five years, it's always just been very hard to, like, hold both of those things and do a really good job at them. I'm scrambling on one or the other.

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Um, and it basically just got to the point where I was having, like, a cash flow issue, and I did not have time, 'cause I had this baby.

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[laughs] Like, I couldn't just, like, go out there and I couldn't do it all- A pesky baby... is basically, yeah, it was just, I couldn't do it all.

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And, um, the, honestly though, the, becoming a mom has been, like, the best thing for my business. Hmm. I mean that. Like, in the past, I would have always just, I could have just gone and gotten another job, right?

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Like, I could have picked up some freelance work or worked at a coffee shop or, like, I always had these backup plans, and all of a sudden I was like, "This has to work." Hmm. "This is my option."

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Like, I don't- I need to stay h- I need to be able to work from home with my baby and I- Yeah. Or I want to. Like- This is just a must. Okay, yeah. Yeah.

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I could have gone and gotten a, I actually did apply for a couple other jobs then- Mm... and then I was like, "I don't wanna do that." [laughs] Like, "What am I... Why are you doing this to yourself?" Um, uh, but yeah.

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And so I, it, like, got to the point where I did not pay myself for multiple months. My husband and I were, like, legit scraping by, and then you have- Hmm... this baby that, like, needs diapers and stuff. Um, yeah.

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So it was really, it was really rough. Like, doing the work and not getting paid for it is not fun. Well, what brought you back from the brink? What, what was the, did you sign- Yeah...

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some big sponsorship, or you just suddenly had this month where all the sponsorships agreed and it started to roll in? What happened? Yeah.

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So what I did was I let go of pretty much the whole team and hired a salesperson instead. Hmm.

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So I took on, like, all the content, I took on the social media, and which I'm not very good at social media, so, um, [laughs] but, and hired a salesperson. Hmm.

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And she was, she was somebody that I had actually met through my newsletter. She's had just graduated from college, and she's like, she has a marketing background.

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Um, and she's, like, a creator herself, mostly on social media, but she knows, like, understands what I'm doing. Mm-hmm. Um, and she, I had just been talking to her and she's like, "I don't think I wanna do marketing.

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I think I wanna do sales." I was like, "Really?" [laughs] You don't say. [laughs] "Would you like to help?" Yeah. [laughs] Like, "I have an idea for you." Mm-hmm. Um, and she just, like, crushed it. Hmm.

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Like, I mean, the, from, like, Q2 to Q3, she, like, tripled the revenue. Wow. Um, yeah. It was, and I, I was very honest with her, like, "Things are not in a good spot right now. I have enough money to pay you.

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Like, I will promise you will be paid. Um, but I, like, it, basically, if this doesn't turn around by the end of the year, like, I gotta figure something out, you know?" And she just, I mean, she, she loves doing it.

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She's really good at it, but she has also told me that I had a really good foundation. I mean, it's not like I ha- wasn't doing sponsorships before.

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Um, so she kinda, like, took the systems that I was already working in, improved them, created, like, you know, a really beautiful media kit- Mm-hmm... um, and just got after it.

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And so yeah, we did, we landed, like, a year-long sponsorship with the Idaho Lottery- Oh, wow... which has been great. Um- They have money. And so that, yeah. [laughs] They do.

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They have, like, a lot more, like, it was actually very interesting learning about the lottery. Um- Hmm... but yeah. So, and then just a couple other just, like, bigger, you know, like, multiple month partnerships.

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Um, and she just has, like, that is what she's focused on. And now she does a couple other things in the business. Um, it's just me and her now, actually. Okay.

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So, um, but yeah, that's what happened is I hired a salesperson, and I hired the right, the right person. Hey there.

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If you're watching or listening to this episode, then it means that you may be interested in our other episodes in which we've spoken to local newsletter creators.

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We've actually spoken to eight creators that have local newsletter products, and they're all very different from each other. So I've put them all into one playlist so that they're all together and easy to find.

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It's in the description of this video, and you can find it on our YouTube channel in the playlist section.

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There's lots to learn from every single one, so I hope you find them useful.Uh, let's get back to the episode with Marisa.

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I, I took this down from your site, how you list it out is Tuesday is an original story about local people, places, history, and happenings, which you say you often work with, uh, freelance writers, sometimes it's you.

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Thursday is a huge list of things to do in the Boise area this weekend. Monthly, you send a plan-ahead guide for the- Mm-hmm...

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upcoming month, and there are exclusive subscriber-only deals that also support local businesses.

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This, this, so this sounds like a fairly typical local newsletter format compared to some of the other people we've, I've spoken with, Michael Kofman, Landon Huselig, Ryan Sneddon, Jeff Sharp, few of these people.

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Few of these guys, we'll get into that later. [laughs] Uh, and, um, yeah. This, that, that's it, right? Like, this is the description of this media product. Yeah. Is there anything I'm really missing there? Nope.

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It's, um... Yeah. It's the two twice-a-week newsletter. I don't, I'm not really interested in sending more than that. [laughs] Hmm. Um, and the plan-ahead thing is kinda new. Mm-hmm.

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And there's, like, a strategy to gr- it's pretty much a growth strategy.

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Some feedback that I've always gotten from my readers is that they wish that the Thursday newsletter came out earlier so that they could plan more ahead. Hmm. Mm-hmm.

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Um, which I understand, but I'm also like, all of this is out there. Like, you could go find it, you know? [laughs] Oh, that's what they- If you really wanted to plan ahead...

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that's, well, I guess they don't pay you for it, but that's, that's what they proverbia- that's what they pay you for with their email address and attention. Right. Right. Um, and so I don't really wanna move the days.

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Like, I guess it's just because it's, like, it's kinda like how my whole workflow is now- Hmm... is, like, Tuesday, Thursday. Um, so I didn't really wanna flip-flop those.

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Um, it probably would be fine if I did, but, like, I just don't want to. [laughs] And so, um, so the plan ahead is I basically take all the big events coming up. They actually don't even have to be big.

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Some of 'em are just, like, I don't know, quirky little things that I'm like, "This is happening, and it's cute and fun, so here's the thing." Um, and I just do an extra newsletter.

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Sometimes it will replace the Tuesday newsletter. Sometimes I send it on, like, Monday or Wednesday, but it's just a huge list of things to do, like, for the next month. In January, I did, um, for 2026. Hmm. Okay.

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And then I make a po- like, we make a very simple Reel on Instagram. I have a ManyChat automation set up. Hmm. And we, and then I boost it, and I boost it for, like, five days.

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ManyChat, for anybody listening who isn't familiar, is the app where you can...

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You know, if you see somebody say on an Instagram post, "Comment this word and I'll send you this thing," ManyChat is the automation that allows you to do that without manually doing the work. Yeah.

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And it has m- that has become, like, one of, like, a very important funnel for me for new subscribers. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Uh, really quick on the Tuesday issues, how much do you pay external writers to write those?

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I pay them $350. That's a, that's a nice price. Just, like, flat. Yeah. Hmm. And, um, I'm expecting them to, like, provide photos, either, like, source them from the person or work with somebody to, like, get the photos.

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Um, they do a lot of research, especially, like, our history stories are, like, very well-researched, so it usually involves an interview. And then I'm expecting, like, around 1,500 words. Yeah. So, okay.

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I think March 30th, 2021 is the first- Mm-hmm... issue, am I right? Mm-hmm. How different is the product today?

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Like, those first three weeks, let's say that first month, were you sending the Tuesday and Thursday, and Tuesday was a story, Thursday was events aggregation? Yep. How diff- It's... Oh, so it hasn't really changed.

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It's exactly the same. Wow. I've literally never missed a day. I just sent my 500th newsletter. Never... How have you never missed a day? [laughs] I've never, I've never missed a day.

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[laughs] I've stayed up literally all night sometimes. I've scrambled the whole day before. Literally, we were on our way to the hospital to have a baby- Oh, my...

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and I was like, "I know this sounds insane, but I need to schedule my newsletter." [laughs] It was a Sunday, and I was like, "The newsletter has to go out on Tuesday."

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And my [laughs] husband was like, "I'm pretty sure they would understand." And I was like, "No. It is ready to go. All I have to do is schedule it. Just, like, uh, just let me do it." You're insane.

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I've never missed a day. [laughs] Um, but yeah, it's exactly the same. I would say the difference is, like, I was a little bit spicier back then. [laughs] Hmm. Like, um, I don't know.

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When you have a smaller audience, like, you can just do a lot of experimenting, and I think that's, like, the best time to experiment- Hmm...

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and ask for feedback, 'cause it's, like, this very small group of people who are, like, very invested in what you're doing, right? Yeah. Like, they're, um...

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You know, and Boise also, so 2021, like, it was still pandemic-y, you know? Mm-hmm. Right? Like, there was a lot of pe- there was a lot of people that moved to Boise, the Boise area, in 2020, 2021.

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A lot of California expats, right? And, like, yes, California, also Texas. Hmm. Um, and just, like, all over. Um, but yes, there was, like, a l- I mean, in the last 25 years, the population has doubled here. Mm-hmm.

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So, like, it is just growing very, very fast. There's some cities that, like, literally in the last year, their population has grown by, like, 5, 10%. Wow. So it's just... I mean, I get it. It's a great place to be.

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[laughs] But [laughs] it, it grew really fast. So, um, there was kinda, like, the right timing of all of that too, but, um, there was all these people moving here that, like, didn't know what was going on. You know? Hmm.

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Like, they didn't, they wanted to know how to, like, live here. Um, so there was that bucket of people.

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And then we were just, like, you know, there was all these businesses that opened or closed, and it was like, you know, can you, like, go... What is open downtown anymore?

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Like, we haven't been going to restaurants or- Mm-hmm. Um, so that was my first story, was what's going on. It was called What's Going On in Boise These Days. And I, like, just kind of [laughs]

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I don't know, like, just talked about, like, here's the new restaurants that opened downtown. This new park got built. Ridge River's just put in this new trail. Mm-hmm.

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Like, this, you know, I just kind of talked about, like, stuff that had changed. So on the topic of spiciness, you said it was a little spicier earlier. Yeah. And- It was...

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we, we, we spoke a little bit about this when we first met and discussed recording this.You s- [sighs]

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you implied that there's somewhat of a tenuous relationship maybe between Marisa you, Marisa the persona, and From Boise the, the publication, the, the editorial- Mm-hmm... product.

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Tell me about this push and pull, this sort of triangle. Yeah. Um, well, at first I was, like, very... So I had been a freelance writer.

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I had worked in PR for, like, an agency and then for a music festival, and then I was doing freelance writing. So I was always, like, writing or operating under these different brand voices, right?

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Like, I would sit down to write a project and be like, "Okay, what's the voice and tone that I'm working with to write this piece?"

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And I remember sitting down and, like, getting stuff set up with From Boise and being like, "What is the voice?" Like, "What is this brand?" Mm. I don't know. Like, there isn't- Nobody gave you a brief. No.

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And there was also no other examples at the time. Like, I did not know anybody. The, it wa- the local newsletters were, like, not as hot as they are now. Yeah.

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Like, there was no- Which we'll get back into that later, but I, I've, I know- Yeah... like, uh, l- like, Landon told me him and Ryan Snedden had been starting to work together, but, like, there was no...

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The Newsletter Club, and again, [laughs] we'll get into this later- Yeah... didn't exist yet. But there was, there was a few of you starting to make these things- Mm-hmm...

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but it wasn't necessarily a network yet as it is now. No, no, no, no. And I didn't know... Like, I kind of connect, I connected with Ryan, like, later on, but, like, when I was, like, starting it, I did not have...

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People have so many examples now. Yeah. Like, I did not have that. And, um, I remember thinking, like, "I'm... I don't really have another choice but to, like, make this from me."

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Um, but I really did not want people to, like, know who I was. I just, I didn't, I didn't wanna be an influencer, and I didn't want it to, like, be about me, you know? I wanted it to- You sign it With Love- Yeah...

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Marisa, right? Yeah. Yeah. With Love, From Boise Marisa. Okay. Yeah. And so, and also, like, the newsletter comes from Marisa @fromboise. Mm. Back then, the email that it came from was just my email.

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It was marisa@fromboise.com. Now it's withlove@fromboise. There you go. Um, but I was just, like, very... That was actually one of the best decisions that I ever made, was to have it come from me because it...

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I didn't know s- I didn't plan for this, but it, like, immediately set me apart from other news organizations that were ex- that already existed and were to come. Mm-hmm. And, um, people feel [laughs] like they know me.

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[laughs] Like, very much, people feel like they know me. Um, and I have been very selective about, like, what I put out there, but this, like, having it comes from me allows me to just, like, talk.

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Like, it's, it's so much easier to write because I can just... Like, yesterday in my newsletter, um, it was about, it was one that a freelancer had written, and it was about this new, like, sewing studio.

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And so I just started the intro with, "I grew up watching my nana sew," and, like, these are the- Mm... she used to make our Halloween costumes, and people, like, that's just so much more interesting to read.

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And I got so many replies that's like, "Oh my God, I grew up watching my grandma sew, too, and she taught me how to mend my jeans." And like, you know, it's, it, like, helps you connect with people- Mm... a lot more.

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Um, and it also just, like, allowed me to talk about whatever [laughs] I want. Yeah. And like, in my own way. Um- It removes any friction of, of, of really thinking through the process when it's just natural.

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It's coming from you. It's just, "Well, what would I do? I'm just gonna do what I would do," instead of thinking- Yeah... too much about what, what would the audience want for this and that.

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Like, the audience wants you because this is what you've trained them to want. Right. Yeah. And I mean, it just has, like, built this level of trust also.

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I would say that, you know, like, your question was about the push and pull. I mean, ba- like, when I was first starting, I didn't have any sponsors. Like, I didn't have any income. Like, it was just- No stakes...

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like, yeah. It was just this, like, fun thing that I was doing. I was like, "I can say whatever I want. If you don't like it, unsubscribe," [laughs] you know? Like...

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And, um, now obviously, like, you can't just write about anything and then have, like, the City of Boise as your sponsor, right? Sponsors. Yeah. Um, I mean, I do, like, retain creative freedom.

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Like, that is very important to me, but it's... Like, my third story, okay, my birthday is 4/20. Oh. And, um- Classic... my, I, yeah, it is.

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And I think my, like, third Tuesday newsletter landed on 4/20, and I was like, "I'm totally writing about weed." [laughs] Is weed legal in Idaho? No. Oh, interesting. Very, very much not legal.

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However, if you drive an hour, which is what literally everybody does- Mm-hmm... you can l- be in Ontario, and all the dispensaries are owned by people who live in Boise.

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The whole, all the parking lots are full of Idaho plates. Like- Yeah... it's so obvious. Um, so I wrote this whole story about how, like, about that, basically. Wow. And, uh, it was great.

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[laughs] Honestly, it was such a good story. Like, I found all this data about the... It was, this is back in, yeah, 2021, so I'm sure it's even more now. Mm.

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But back then, it was like, the numbers, I can't remember the exact numbers, but it was like every single resident of Malheur County, which is where Ontario is, would have had to be spending, like, $8,000 on weed a year.

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We- Malheur County sold more weed than Multnomah County, where Portland is. Oh my God. On- Like- Ontario, is this in Oregon? Yeah, and it's- Yeah... tiny. Like- [laughs]... it's such, it's a tiny little town.

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Like, there's no way. Mm. It's so obvious. Well, did the, did the story bring you subscribers? Did it, did it catch on word-of-mouth? Oh, yeah, people loved it. Yeah. [laughs] People sent it everywhere. And I was like...

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And I actually would still write about that, but I would have to be, like, careful about- Yeah... you know, who the sponsor- This... was and... So the first year- Yeah...

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you go from 0 to 10,000 subscribers, I understand. Mm-hmm. And this was a mix of paid advertising and word-of-mouth- Mm-hmm... such as from that 4/20 story. Can you approximate the percentage of that 10,000?

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What percent were paid advertising? What percent were word-of-mouth? What percent was anything else? Yeah. Um, oh my gosh. I don't know off the top of my head, but a lot of it was paid ads. It was like- Mm...

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literally the only thing I was paying for. [laughs] Yeah. Like, I didn't spend money on anything else. Mm-hmm. Um, like, I didn't have anybody working for me. I would just, like, write everything on Google Docs.

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Like, I didn't have any software or anything like that. Um-It was just all paid ads and, and good timing. Yeah. Like targeting people that had just moved here and, um, the right...

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Just, like, figuring out the age demographic and just, like, really asking people to, to share with other people.

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And I would also, like, you know, post on Facebook, um, post in, like, different neighborhood Facebook groups, on Nextdoor. Like, I was doing a lot more of the, like, manual outreach stuff.

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Hand-to-hand combat is what Landon- As Landon says... of Wichita says. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. That's... I've heard him say that, yeah. Yeah. I would... That's what I was doing.

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I mean, I think that's, like, what you have to do in the early days. Yeah. And I also, um, you know, my background is in PR, so I have friends at, like, the news stations, and I was still...

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You know, when I was starting it, I was still in, like, working in PR. Um, so I would, you know, go, I would be pitching them for something else and talking to them on the phone.

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I'm like, "Hey, by the way, you know, I just started this newsletter, like, if you're ever looking for a cool lifestyle story." So I did go on the news a couple times. I saw these segments, yeah. Yeah.

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Um, the first time I went on I got, like, 500 subscribers that morning. Wow. So yeah, it was, it was, like, significant. The- Good boost there...

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today you're at, last, the most recent public number I could find was 23,000. Yeah, we're at over 23,000 now. I think this morning it was 23- 23,238. Mm-hmm. Nice. Yeah.

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With, in 2025, I think you slowed down paid advertising. I believe I read that on your LinkedIn. Mm-hmm. So maybe growth slowed overall, but was- Oh, yeah... so it was primarily word of mouth in 2025. Yeah.

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Yeah, for sure. And, um, like, I would do a little bit. I was doing the thing where I would, like, turn on ads and then turn off ads. Mm. But I was also having, like, a cash flow crisis. Well, as we- And-...

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started this conversation with- Yeah... you were, you were in a, you were considering stopping it all. Yeah. Like, I, I literally was just, like, what...

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I was just in survival mode in all parts of my life, to be honest with you. Mm. Like, I was just like, "What is the bare minimum that needs to get done for me to just, like, keep going?" Mm-hmm.

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And then that's what [laughs] I was doing. Um, and I feel like now our growth is in a really good...

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I feel like now, like, I've figured it out, what levers need to be pulled at what times for growth and for, like, revenue, um, to a place where I feel comfortable experimenting, doing some new things.

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Um, but for the last, like, few years it just was, like, last year I was in survival mode. The year before I was just very bogged down in, like, other work. Yeah.

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Like, I basically had three full-time jobs, and it was just- Before you quit in June 2020. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And it was just,

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I, I probably should've quit before and just gone all in on it, but, like, I liked my other job. Like, it wasn't like I di- You know, it's not like I was, like, miserable at a 9:00 to 5:00.

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Like, I had another job that was, like, very meaningful, and I liked it. And I also do think I was using that income as, like, a crutch, you know? Tell me, tell me about the quitting.

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What, did you have a certain amount of money saved up, or you hit a subscriber milestone, revenue milestone? What, what gave you the- Um... confidence, courage, ability to quit? Well, the baby.

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I was like, "I can't have all these jobs and this baby." [laughs] Mm. But I did, I had, like, 30K in the bank. Mm-hmm. Um, which was kind of enough. I don't know. I mean, depends on what you're spending it on, right? Um,

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so it was, like, enough in a way, but it still, I still, like, it ran out eventually, you know? Like, um, it still got to the point where I was like, "Oh, shit."

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[laughs] "I need to hire somebody to, like, keep this going," you know? Yeah. Um, but yeah, it was, it, it really was just, like, time for me to go all in on it, and, and I knew that.

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Um, obviously, like, I didn't wanna, I didn't wanna keep having all these jobs. Um, like, I just, just that time in my life was, it was like, like, I had been hustling for a long time, like freelancing since 2018.

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I went full-time freelancing in 2018. And you were three years into the newsletter at that point. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I mean, I was still, like, freelance writing. I was doing PR.

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I was like, it was just, it was too many things. [upbeat music] You spent three hours recording a video. Now you want it to sound better, look better, and reach more people in Spanish, French, and Japanese.

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Do you re-record everything? Juggle half a dozen tools? Blow the budget on studios and contractors? ElevenLabs is the all-in-one AI voice platform that brings content to life.

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You can generate, edit, and localize studio-quality audio and video in minutes, all from one place. Expressive character voices, multilingual dubbing, even immersive video content without a studio or a massive budget.

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It's why companies like Disney, Meta, and Duolingo use it, and why creators use it to scale their content globally without burning more time or money.

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Best part, you can see how powerful ElevenLabs platform is with 10,000 free monthly credits when you visit elevenlabs.io. That's elevenlabs.io. [upbeat music] Okay, so I, you're at a little over 23,000 right now.

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I know your stated goal for the year is three, uh, 35,000. Yep. And Boise itself, the most recent population numbers I could find is about 240,000 people. The metro area is 845,000. Mm-hmm. Clearly lots of room to grow.

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Yeah. Do you think the, the type of product you have and the type of person who's attracted to it, do you think there's a natural ceiling?

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Is there, like, a number you have in mind, or is, are you kind of, like, just like, "Let's, let's keep going up, and we'll see when we get there"? Um, I think I'm always more in the, like, let's see what happens camp.

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Um, but I, I don't know if there's, like, an actual ceiling because the population changes literally every year. Mm. Like, it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger.

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Um, so obviously that ceiling continues to rise the more people that move here. Um, but I definitely, I definitely think I can have over 100,000 subscribers.

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I know that in 2023 when you did $87,000 in revenue, the vast majority, 77,000, was sponsorships. The rest was some reader donations and a little bit of merch sales. In 2025, was it again 90-plus percent sponsorships?

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Yeah. Yeah, I did, like, 90... Here, wait. I have this written down. Mm. Let me look at it. Excellent. Yeah, it was 90-3,000 in sponsorships, and the rest was products, reader donations.

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I've now started to experiment with some, like affiliate stuff. Mm. So, um, one of them was a paddleboard company that's here. Nice. Hydros Board Tech. Use code FROMBOISE to get 10% off.

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But really they are these, like, amazing [laughs] They are these, like, amazing- A lot of lakes in Idaho, right? Um, yeah. Mm-hmm. And the most miles of white water in the lower 48. There you go.

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And, um, [laughs] they, uh- That's, that's what's loved from Boise. [laughs] Yeah. [laughs] That's right. [laughs] Um, they, they do make these, like, really amazing, um, paddleboards and surfboards- Mm...

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that you can, like, take on these white water rivers- Mm... is their kind of their, like, thing. Um, so I've, you know, started to experiment with that. And, um, yeah, then some products.

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I've experimented with some different products this year. Mm. Okay. Well, we'll get to the products too, but while we're still on sponsorships- Mm-hmm... how many different sponsors did you work with last year?

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I think we had 56 sponsors, so, like, quite a few. Mm. And that, that's, um, most of those are, like, doing a newsletter. They're doing some, like, the newsletter ad a- and other things.

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Like, we're, we are rarely just doing one newsletter ad. It's usually, like, a newsletter ad and social media post or, um, you know, like a podcast ad or having them on the podcast- Mm... or something like that.

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Um, yeah, most of them are some sort of bundle. And when you say- And it's, I- Okay... I have also, like, very exper- I have experimented a lot with, like, what those packages look like. Mm.

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Um, and I feel like what we have going on right now is working well, and now we're experimenting with what, like, annual sponsorship packages look like. Mm.

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That was my next question, is how many of these people stick with you?

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How many of these 50, you said 56, 53, uh, how many of them were some of your earliest sponsors, or is it a little bit more of a cycle, and people come in and out, and then maybe they'll come back in a year?

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I guess what I'm asking is the longevity of these relationships. Mm-hmm. Honestly, it's, like, all over the board, um, just depending on the organization, especially if they have events.

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Like, if it's an annual event, you know, we're kind of just working with them on, like, an annual basis- Yeah... leading up to that event.

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W- whereas, like, if it's an awareness campaign, that has some more, um, flexibility to be ongoing. So it just depends.

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But, like, I worked with the City of Boise, m- in multiple d- different departments, Parks and Rec, and, um, Arts and History for years. Um- Mm... and then this...

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And I would say that every year that, like, partnership grows. Um, you know, at first it was like, "Hey, can you help us promote our email, like, newsletter?" And then it was like, "Can you promote this event?"

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And then now we are doing a six-month campaign with Arts and History to, like, help them get more people into the different cultural sites. So, you know, they, those have grown over the years.

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And, um, I like to think that's, I mean, A, because we're doing good work, but it's also because, like, I like working with them, and I try to be very likable to work with also.

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[laughs] And then I have a couple different, like, wineries that- Mm... w- you know, we'll do, like, quarterly campaigns with them.

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Um, so they're not technically signed onto an annual sponsorship, but, like, every quarter we're doing, you know, sets of ads with them. Um, yeah, a lot of the people that we are...

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A lot of the things that we're advertising for are, like, events or- Mm... we are starting to do more of those awareness campaigns, but a lot of them are events.

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Yeah, very direct outcome of we're trying to get this many attendees, and I- Yeah... think that you'll be able to give us 100. Yeah. And, I mean, it really has worked really well.

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Like, we've had multiple people, you know, sell out of their events, and a couple times we've, like, actually overwhelmed people. [laughs] Oh. [laughs] With, like...

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They're like, "We sold out so fast that now we're, like, trying to add more," and people are like, "What do you mean you don't have tickets? Like, I just read this," and- Put that on the, the customer feedback- Yeah...

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uh, page. Yeah. So are you, are you pricing these typically at a flat rate? Is it more CPM by, by 1,000 opens, subscribers? Um, no. I never do CPM. I don't like that. I like doing flat rate.

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Um, we definitely will do some, like, bundles. Like, if you buy more... You know, if you sign on for a year, we'll lower the cost per newsletter ad- Mm... or, um, you know, if you do a bundle. Also, like,

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I like working with a variety of different businesses. They all have different budgets. And so if somebody's like, "Hey, I have $250, and I really need your help," I'm like, "Cool. I have a spot open." Yeah.

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"I'm happy to do that." I mean, it's just- You have a sense of responsibility to your community- Yeah... which includes these businesses. And it's just, like, more fun to be like that. Like- Mm-hmm...

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it's just more fun to be helpful and nice to people and, like, meet them where they're at. Like, that's just, it just feels better at the end of the day.

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This is something I remember Michael Kaufman saying when I spoke to him, too, about how, uh, maybe, maybe, I forget if it was when I spoke to him or reading it on his social media later, but I remember him saying that, "You know, sometimes I meet this person.

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They have this business. I like the business. I'll, I'll, I'll run an ad or a little mention on them for free, and maybe it helps them out, and then maybe they come to me, and now they wanna spend money." You know?

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Mm-hmm. And you build these relationships in a community like this. For sure. And, I mean, Boise's still, like, like I said, we're growing, but, like, it's still a very small- Yeah... tight-knit community.

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And, I mean, some of my best stories have also been things that I heard about. I'm like, "There's, they do not have money to pay for anything, but, like, that's such a good story, and people, my readers will love it.

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I wanna write about it, so, like, let's do it." And then it, yeah, like you said, it brings them business, and then they're like, "Hey, we have a marketing budget now.

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Let's do something," or, you know, wh- whatever it is. I don't normally do, like, the free stuff trade, you know, model. But also, like, I do like free stuff sometimes. [laughs] It's all normal. So, like, yeah.

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I'm like, well, yeah, I'll take dinner for free or whatever it is, you know? Mm-hmm. So I know last year you built a proper website. You used with a, a local Boise business- Mm-hmm... Ampersands Studios.

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It looks really good. Thank you. Producer Tom maybe will put it on the, the video here.

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Viewer, listener, if you're watching on YouTube or Spotify, obviously that's an investment.Did you, was this a trade with them for an advertisement, as we, I mean, you just mentioned? Mm-hmm. Or did you pay for it?

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It's, it's an investment clearly, though. Yeah. Why did you make this decision then? Yeah. Um, okay, I'm gonna answer both of those. It was a part trade, part pay thing.

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So they're, uh, you can read on the blog that they just recently launched this new offering called a re- it's, like, the Ready to Post content subscription. Mm-hmm.

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I was read- I think it's, like, 15 reels- It's really cool... a month, something like that. Yeah. Yeah. It's 15 reels a quarter, and they, like- Oh, okay. Exactly... do a shoot once a month.

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But it's, like, I mean, they're the best. Mm-hmm. And they basically just create social media content that is, like, literally ready to post. Like, everything is ready to go, and all you do is upload it.

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Um, so they were launching that, and, um, you know, she's also just my friend, so we- Yeah... we worked something out [laughs] which is great because that would've been too much of an investment.

197
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But I really wanted a new website because it just felt like where I was at... So for the last, until, that just launched in December of 2025. Up until then, I literally had a landing page. Yeah.

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That's all I've had for the last- Which is, and it was just the list of, here's every issue we've sent Yeah. Right? It was just like, this is, subscribe, this is what From Boise is.

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I think it was literally, like, one sentence. Um, and then it was just, yeah, a list of the po- the newsletters. Mm-hmm. Like, it was very... It was, uh, it got to the point where it was, like, limiting me. Um,

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so then I would use Notion, and, like, you know, on Notion you can make a page, like, live to the- Mm-hmm... web.

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Like, that's where our media kit was, and, like, our case studies, and, like, s- you know, somebody would be like, "Do you have a case study?" And I'm like, "Yep."

202
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And then I would make one on Notion really fast, and then, like, send them the link. Like, I had no... It was just a little too piecemeal. [laughs] Yeah. It was getting to that point.

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Um, and I was also, you know, working with Leslie, who's doing sales.

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Sh- I'm wanting her to go after these, like, bigger brands and bigger budgets, and I'm, like, looking at our website, like, that doesn't match, you know? Yeah. Like,

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this, we're asking for- It's not giving spend thousands of dollars Yes. Mm. Exactly. And, like, it just was, it just felt like it was starting to limit me. Um, and it just didn't feel like...

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Again, like, I, when somebody lands on, like, our social media or our website, like, I want them to, like, feel a certain way, and the landing page was not giving that. But this totally is, you know? Yeah.

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Like, the feeling that you get when you look at our website, like, that's what I want you to have. Mm-hmm. You mentioned some experiments, other products earlier.

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In, on November 20th, you launched a discount card, which I've seen- Mm-hmm... this from a couple other local newsletters.

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And my understanding is you go to eight or 10 local businesses, you say, "Hey, let's do an exclusive 10% offer. This is me promoting your business.

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Uh, you will give my subscribers this, or people who buy this, this exclusive offer." And then you sell, I think it's a punch card- Mm-hmm...

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and they can bring it to this business, and you get 10% off this and percent off of that. And you charge them for it. You wrote a LinkedIn post about this.

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You were aiming for 500 sales between November 20th and the end of the year. You sold 136. Total revenue was $2,720. These are the numbers. Mm. These, these are the details.

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Tell me a little bit more about how this went and what you think about- Yeah... the discount card play. Mm-hmm. Um, I made a critical error- Oh... in not asking my audience what me- what a meaningful discount would be.

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Mm. Because I don't think a one-time 10% discount is enough for some people, which is fine. Yeah. Like, it's not for everybody, right? If I'm going to the coffee shop and I'm getting coffee- Yeah...

215
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for me and my family, maybe that's, like, $3 off. Exactly. So, like, I think that the people who bought it are using it more as, like, a curated list of recommendations, plus you, like, get a little bit of money off.

216
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Or they just wanna support local businesses and me, which is great. Yeah. Um, to, I've s- I actually have continued to sell some.

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Um, so now I think last night when I total it up, we were at, like, $2,660 in revenue, and they cost, like, not very much [laughs] at all to make. So, like, it's definitely still a profit.

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Um, but I think it should've either been a higher one-time discount or a recurring 10% discount- Mm... like, all through the year. Mm. And I think that would've sold more.

219
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But yeah, like, I haven't even sold half of them at this point.

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Has this taught you about, oh, maybe here's another experiment I was thinking of trying that's not the discount cards, and I, I'm gonna do it in a different way, or I'm gonna do this one?

221
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What, what else is sort of cooking for you? Mm-hmm. Um, I mean, I think it, I did this with merch also. Mm. That, like, I have a, I really love, like, a physical product. Like, I like snail mail.

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I like being able to, like... You know, 'cause you, I could have made that card, like, digital and it would've been, it would've probably taken more to, like, figure it out, but it would've been cheaper.

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Cheaper to create, yeah. Right? Boring, though. Yes, exactly. And I wanted people to, like, feel it, and, like, you know, do something in real life. Like, not everything needs to be on your phone.

224
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And, um, however, then I'm, like, shipping out these cards all night. [laughs] And, like, addressing everything. And I, I, and I do like to do that. Mm. Like, I s- pre-sold 72 cards, and I, like, hand wrote a thank you.

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I, like, hand stamped the card, addressed it, you know, discovered that one of the people was, like, my neighbor, [laughs] like- [laughs]... literally around the corner.

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And, um, so, like, in a way, like, I l- I love that aspect of it, but I'm also like, dude, I have a, like, a one-year-old. Like- Yeah... I'm working at night. Like, I don't...

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Is this the mo- is this- This is not sustainable... the best use of my time? Yeah. Yeah. Um, and I did the same thing when I did merch.

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Like, then I was like, oh, my God, I'm like, I have to mail, I have to, like, package up and, like, mail all these shirts and stickers and stuff. Mm-hmm. And, like, it just is like, is this the best use of my time?

229
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And the answer to that is usually no. Um, or it has been no.I don't call them, like, I don't think they're failures, but, like, I continuously am learning that, like, that I don't really...

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That's, like, not the best use of my time- Yeah... is just really what it comes down to. And the revenue is, like, not enough for it to, for that to change. Um- Did this idea come out of the Newsletter Club?

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Yeah, I think it was, like, before I had even joined the Newsletter Club. Mm. I just wrote Michael and was like, "Can we talk on the phone? Because I really wanna hear about your discount cards." Mm-hmm.

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Um, and then, yeah, we just, like, chatted and... And then I had heard... So Landon and I have been talking for, like, several years. Mm. Um, just, like, texting.

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Like, I think we started talking on X and then we've just, like, texted each other throughout the years, like, "How's it going?" And talk on the phone and stuff. Um, and then I heard him talk about...

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I'd seen the Newsletter Club, and I'd hear- I heard him talk about it on the podcast, and I was like, "Oh my gosh, should I join that?" Because every time I look at it, the price goes up.

235
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'Cause, 'cause it's- So, like, I'm-... the greatest holiday podcast doing it. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Mm-hmm.

236
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And every time I look at the Newsletter Club, I'm like, okay, it was, like, $100, now it's, like, $200, now I'm like, now it's $500 a year. Like, I'm, like- Wow... which, good for Michael- Yeah...

237
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but also I'm like, I need to get in on this if I'm gonna, like, do it.

238
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And Landon only had good things to say about it, so then I joined that, and, um, that's actually how I found out about the newest thing I'm doing, which is these dinner clubs. Mm. Have you heard of...

239
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Have you seen people doing this? I've seen Michael posting about this on LinkedIn- Yeah... which I understand it's, maybe people pay to do them, and it's a monthly thing, but there's limited seats, and so there's- Yep...

240
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you really gotta get one. You know, tell me more. Yep. Yeah, so there's, um, my first one is on the 21st. Oh. So it's in, it's next week. And, um, so far I've sold 96 seats. I said there was 120 available. Wow. Yeah.

241
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And so it's through a company. So I mean, you have to find the people to fill the seats, right? Yeah. But, like, the company makes it very easy, as, like, they have your whole landing page kinda set up for you.

242
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They, you set your price. So mine was $16, um, as, like, a booking fee. Um, which- But you're saying the, the company. Is that the name of the thing, or is this a company?

243
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No, it's called, I can't even remember what it's called, but, like, Dinner, dnnr.io. Okay. Yeah. Is... But I think they're called something else. I wanna say, like, Rivers.

244
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It's not Riverside, 'cause that's what we're on right now. [laughs] That's what we're on. But it's something like that. I mean, River? Maybe it's, like, River something. I don't know. I don't know. Yeah.

245
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Anyways, it's dinner.io, D-N-N-R. And, um, yeah, you can set whatever price you want for your seats, but it seems like most people are doing, like, 15, $16, so that's what I went with.

246
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Um, that, you, me as the host, gets to keep 70% of that. So I've made, like, over $1,000 on this, um, dinner. And [clears throat] you have, you, they have a quiz that you have people fill out. I changed mine quite a bit,

247
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just 'cause [laughs] I can never just, like, leave something- Well, is the, is the quiz- Yeah...

248
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like, with the purpose of w- should we pick this person, or is it, like, qui- uh, is it to, the- It's to match people for dinner... where we seat them? Okay. Yeah. Yeah, it's for, like, matching people. Um,

249
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so I changed mine a little bit, you know, just to match my community better. Um, and so people fill out the quiz, and then they get matched for dinner.

250
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And, uh, you also, I think in larger cities this probably works better, where, um, Dinner will source the venues for you- Oh... and then you say, like, "Yes, no, yes, no."

251
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I had to pretty much input all of mine because it's Boise and I don't know. I don't know why I couldn't find it, but I put it all myself. And they don't lower the percentage cut for, for that extra work, do they?

252
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They don't, no. But that's okay. I, um, I put it in there. And then they'll do all the matching. The dinner happens. Um, they pretty much handle, like, all the outreach.

253
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So people will get a text the morning of saying, "This is where you're going to dinner, and these are the people that you're going with." Mm-hmm.

254
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And they actually just use, like, an emoji and, like, a little automated sentence based off of what their quiz was. Um, and then when they get there, they, like, meet the people.

255
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Um, and then during dinner everybody gets a text that says, "You're invited to this, like, after party at whatever bar," and then everyone comes together and meets up at the bar. Nice.

256
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So it's great, 'cause, like, I don't have to go... I had done meetups in the past, and, like, I felt like I had to be there. I don't...

257
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It's not that I don't wanna be with my readers, but, like, I don't wanna have, I don't want every single thing- You don't wanna host... Yeah. And I just don't want- Yeah...

258
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every single thing in my business to hinge on me, like, doing it and being there. Mm. You know? Um, just, like, it's just not sustainable for me- Yeah... to do that.

259
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260
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263
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264
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You recently started posting on LinkedIn around five months ago, as we record. I did. You hadn't posted on there for five years.

265
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[laughs] Your first post there got fi- 430 or something like that, uh, likes, and it's a photo of you with your, your baby on your chest, and it's, "This is who I am, and this is what I'm doing," and people loved it.

266
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Seems like some of your, it seems like you might have put it in the newsletter, that, 'cause it got so much more attention than some of your more recent posts.

267
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You only have, like, five, 400, less than 500 subs- or followers, connections on there, but my guess was that, it sounds like this was actually shortly before you joined the Newsletter Club, but that it was part of that culture of, like, people in that group encouraging each other to do this thing.

268
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Am I right? Yeah. I mean, honestly, part of it was-I keep, like, [sighs] I just keep seeing men talking about newsletters Mm-hmm And it makes it feel like it's a very male-dominated industry.

269
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Like, it's, it is almost giving it, like, this bro culture thing that tech, you know, industries have. Mm-hmm. Um, and I think it honestly was like that for a little while. And, um, there's...

270
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Since joining the Newsletter Club, I see so many more women starting their newsletters. Mm. I don't see them talking about it online.

271
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Um, and I just, um, I actually am, like, constantly asking myself, like, what is my intention with posting online? Mm. And I don't really know. Like, I, I know that there's, like, multiple reasons why I'm doing it.

272
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Um, but I also am like, how much is this just for, like, approval and to, like, feel better about yourself? And I also, I just don't wanna come across like I'm bragging.

273
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I wanna come across, like, just that I'm sharing, um,

274
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and being open about it, because I think it's easy for people to, like, look at where I'm at now and be like, "Well, yeah, but you're, like, you know, making six figures, and you, like, have this team."

275
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And I'm like, I mean, yeah, but I had, like, not even... I did not even make- You didn't do this for almost five years. Yeah. And, like, I pretty much work every single night still and, like, weekend.

276
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And you know, it hasn't been this, like... I mean, it has been fun, but it's also definitely not been fun sometimes. Mm-hmm. And, um,

277
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there's also just, like, a lot of things that I've just, like, had to figure out, that it would've been a lot better if somebody was like, "Hey, this is what I've done," which is what I get in the Newsletter Club, for sure.

278
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Sure. Like, a lot of people talk about stuff, but for people who are not in the Newsletter Club, um, or are maybe, like, even just wondering if they could start their own kinda style of newsletter, like,

279
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I hope to reach those people. You, so you said that it's a lot of men posting about these- [laughs]... online businesses.

280
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[laughs] And then you said, "I'm constantly trying to gauge what is my intention in doing this," and you didn't then explicitly say, "Part of my intention is to be a woman posting about doing this on the internet, and try to then be somebody for other women to look at and see, and this isn't just this, this tech bro, entrepreneur bro in the arena type of thing," right?

281
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Mm-hmm. But that's, that seems to be the underlying or a, a very important part of why you are starting to post online more and be yourself more. Yeah. I do... Yeah. I think that is true.

282
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Like, even though when I, like, think about that, I'm like, "Oh, God. Do I really wanna be that person?" But, like, somebody should. Mm-hmm. I mean, it's just... I do see more people posting about it now, but, like,

283
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you know, Ryan and I started our newsletters around the same time. Yeah. I think we both had very different intentions for why we were doing that. Um, we also just, like, had very different lives in doing that. Yeah.

284
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Like, that was what he was doing. I was... It, this was, like, my side project. Like, I had a lot of... My attention was going a lot of other places. Um,

285
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but he, like, talked about it in a way that made him, like, the newsletter guy. The local newsletter guy. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And, like, the, the... And I think that what... Like, I...

286
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Everything that he's done is great, amazing. Like, he's... I have definitely, like, looked to him for multiple things. But he, the way that he did it is just one way of doing it. Mm-hmm.

287
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Like, it is not the way, you know? It's one way of doing it. Yeah. And I'm doing it a different way. Like, I, right now, I'm not interested in starting, like, another business like he has done.

288
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Unlike Cameron Michael Kaufman. Right. Like, I'm not- Though I guess Michael's are more of still in the... Anyways. But, but, like, that is another... People talk about that a lot.

289
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Like, I'm- Michael talks about the holding company- Yes... that he has. Like, I'm- And I think Ryan talks a bit about that, too. Yeah. And Landon, Landon, not so much when I talked to him. Yeah, Landon not so much.

290
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I think that he's kind of in a similar place that I am. Like, we have young kids. Mm-hmm.

291
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Like, I'm interested in spending time with my family and, like, working when I want to work, and when it works for, like, my schedule, and, like, doing other stuff that is actually, like, the things I wanna do with my life, like traveling and backpacking and camping.

292
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Like, I wanna be able to, like, be offline for a week and it doesn't matter. Um- Mm-hmm... I'm, like, not interested at all in starting another business right now. Maybe down the road, but, like, that's just not

293
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what I'm doing. And I think that that's what's so great about a local newsletter company, is that it can be whatever you need it to be at that point in your life.

294
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Um, and I think for women, like, a lot of the women that are joining the Newsletter Club are moms. And I think this is, like, an amazing avenue for a creative mom. 'Cause, like, you can...

295
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It can be as big as you want it to be. Like, it can work with your schedule. I mean, you just schedule your newsletter. Well, this is very much a through line, too.

296
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The original creators, and the way we talk about them at least here, were, were mommy bloggers- Yeah... 20, 25 years ago, right? Yeah. Like, that's what this comes from. The, the, the gender thing is interesting, too.

297
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It made me think of the disparity in venture capital funding, and I looked up the most recent numbers. This is from Founders Forum group.

298
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This is, of the $289 billion invested globally in 2024, 2.3% went to female-only founding teams, 83.6% went to all-male founding teams, and 14.1% ma- went to mixed-gender founding teams. And I don't know, like- Wow...

299
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how many founding teams broadly are men versus women versus mixed gender, et cetera. But yeah, it's, I [sighs]... It's words like in the arena or, you know...

300
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And we love Michael, but Michael will make his post and it's, like, uh, this, like... It's, it's, it's newsletter publication day, and it's this, like, generated image of, like, a knight fighting a dragon.

301
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[laughs] And it's all very masculine. Yeah. And this, this digital entrepreneur world, there is, like, a culture around software, especially around startups. And yeah, it's... I, I, when I,

302
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I was asking Michael-Six or so months ago, I was like, "Hey, is there anybody in the Newsletter Club I should speak to? I'm, I'm looking for more local media entrepreneurs. I always love talking to y- to you people."

303
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[laughs] Uh, and I said, specifically, "Are, are there any women? I've talked to all these guys." And he said, "No, there are not many women." I think he did mention you.

304
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You'd just joined, and he said, "I don't really know her that well yet, but she just joined, and she could be a good one." So yeah,

305
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long way of saying I, I do think it's cool that you are posting more, and there should be other... There, there are more ways to create online media businesses than just being in the arena, so to speak. [laughs] Yeah.

306
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Yeah, and thank you. I... 'Cause I am constantly... Like, I just constantly have this back and forth of, like, how much am I willing to share online?

307
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Like, both in the process of, like, what does creating these things, like, mean in, in my daily life? Like, I don't really like to have my phone around my kid. Mm. But, like, if I'm, like, filming something, then, like,

308
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it's there, you know? Yeah. And, um, just, like, having to think about it. Like, it's not, it's not, like, at the forefront of my mind throughout my day. So, like, I'm, I'm not one of those people that's like, "I need...

309
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I'm gonna, like, film my whole day." Like, the one time that I made a reel like that, I was like, "Oh, God, I forgot to film this." Like, it was [laughs] just, like, a whole thing for me.

310
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[laughs] It's just, like, not my natural tendency.

311
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[laughs] But I do think it's important for other women to see that, like, this is a cool business opportunity for you and, like, career opportunity for you, and it doesn't have to be this, like... It doesn't have to be

312
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what everybody else is doing. Like, it can just be whatever you want it to be. Like, I, I know I could have a fully automated newsletter, but, like, I don't want that. That doesn't sound fun to me. Yeah.

313
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And I know I could have, like, this team of people that I'm managing, but, like, I don't wanna do that. I don't, like, really... I don't really like [laughs] managing people, honestly.

314
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[laughs] Like, that's not something that I like to do. I like to write, and I like to, like, work at coffee shops and talk to people, and so that's what my newsletter allows me to do. Oh, good.

315
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Um, and, like, go take trips and work whenever I want to and, you know, it's- Well, you're, you're talking about this very human-scale sort of online business, whereas any, any online money-making opportunity, let's put it in those terms- [laughs]...

316
00:51:34.386 --> 00:51:42.406
any pla- any way you can create this digital business, you were just saying, "I don't wanna automate my whole newsletter." People do that, and people find a way- Mm-hmm... to strip-mine these opportunities.

317
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And, and, it, with a local newsletter, you're then just strip-mining your local community, and you're just optimizing for getting the most money out of local businesses, for the most attention from local people, and there's no real sense of responsibility to what you're producing and how you're shaping and influencing that community and how you're using their money and spreading around.

318
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So I, yeah, I admire that you are not trying to strip-mine your community. And, uh, you know, the people I interview, you, Michael, Landon, Jeff Sharp, Ryan, like,

319
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some of these businesses are more optimized than others, but I have not felt that any of the people I've spoken to on this line of work are, are doing that. But then you do read about these- I... Yeah...

320
00:52:28.456 --> 00:52:34.916
fully AI-generated local newsletters. There's, there was that one story last year in particular. Yeah, I mean, and I just, like...

321
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[sighs] I don't really get on X anymore because every single time I do, I just see these posts that are like, "I'm starting a local newsletter, and I'm gonna make $100,000 in the first year, and this is what I'm gonna do."

322
00:52:44.906 --> 00:52:55.015
Yeah. And I'm just like, "No, you're not." To- That's not- Honest, I mean, look, I'm part of the problem, too, because we, uh, when we interview [laughs] these people, you, like, there might be on...

323
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This is maybe a little too breaking the fourth wall, but we haven't written the YouTube title yet.

324
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You know, with the pod- [laughs] You know, with YouTube, you always wanna write the title first, thumbnail, before you, before you make the thing.

325
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But with the podcast, you know, you always, there's only so much you can predict.

326
00:53:07.196 --> 00:53:20.816
But it, it's very likely that the title for this ends up being how this local media entrepreneur went from zero to $100,000 over five years, right? Mm-hmm. Because that's what then gets attention.

327
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And so I think whether it's, whether it's the Michaels and Ryans who have been posting so prolifically for a while now, or whether it's me interviewing them and then framing it in those terms, that's... I wish we could

328
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frame it in other terms, and sometimes we try, and then sometimes those, that gets less views, and we ha- I mean- It's really hard... I'm totally down with that because making six figures has been a goal of...

329
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Like, when I... So I was working at a PR agency. Yeah. And I left in 2018, and I was like, part, a huge part of... Well, there was two things. One, I wanted to work remote.

330
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At the time, my husband now, but he was my boyfriend, he was, uh, working on the wilderness trail crew- Mm-hmm... in the Frank Church Wilderness, one of the largest wilderness areas in the United States.

331
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And so he would go backpack out, like, 10 days at a time. And I'm in Boise, like, at my desk, and I'm like, all I'm doing is writing. Like, I could literally write this from the mountains. Yeah.

332
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And so I wanted to work remote, and they wouldn't let me work remote. [laughs] And so I was, that was part of it. But the other part of it was I was looking at it, and I was like,

333
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with the trajectory of, like, how many raises I have gotten and where this is going, like, I'm not... I know I can make more money freelancing. Mm-hmm. And I wanna make six figures. That was, like, what I said.

334
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So in 2018, I was like, "I'm gonna make six figures working for myself." And I've [laughs] literally been working on reaching that number. Like, that was...

335
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It seriously is like, I'm so proud that, that that happened this year. From 2018 to 2025. Yeah. You did it. And, like, especially...

336
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And it's just, like, such a trip that this year was so shitty in, like, a lot of ways as far as business goes. Like, it was so hard sometimes. Mm. And

337
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so then to end the year, like, reaching my goal, I was like, what a whirlwind. [laughs] Like- Uh-huh. So you, you posted- It's just- You have a New Year's post on LinkedIn.

338
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You're sayingYou, you achieved this last year, and for the new year, for 2026, I'm gonna read this in reverse- [laughs]... 'cause it gets to more of what we'll, we'll talk about here. Okay.

339
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But you say more hiking plus backpacking- Mm... way less phone time, weekly posts here, which is LinkedIn, $250,000 revenue, 35,000 subscribers. Mm-hmm. So you hit a big goal [laughs] in '25.

340
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Then I'm like, more than double it. [laughs] Yes. That's what it does. So, so how are you gonna hit this revenue and subscriber go- these revenue and subscriber goals in 2026? Yeah. How are you gonna make that happen?

341
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Yeah, so, um, I wanna do, keep doing the dinners.

342
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Like, it seems like it's going well, and if that can be, like, a thousand or $2,000 of revenue every month, like, that's awesome, um, especially 'cause I really am interested in...

343
00:55:54.808 --> 00:55:58.518
What I'm really interested in that is, like, the in-person connection. Mm-hmm.

344
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Like, we are very much missing that in our society, and I'm, like, really excited about bringing that into the world in general, but especially into my community. Um, so that would be another revenue stream.

345
00:56:11.608 --> 00:56:20.728
It'd be cool if we could even do more than one a month, but we'll see how it goes. Um- Yeah. Well, maybe raise the ticket prices too. Yeah. How much are you charging for tickets right now? 16 bucks. You gotta raise that.

346
00:56:20.738 --> 00:56:29.788
Um- It should be 30 at least. I know. I mean, we'll see. But I also- Do they getting the f- their, all the food and drinks? No, they pay for their, they pay for their dinner. Okay. That's a little different.

347
00:56:29.808 --> 00:56:40.288
So, like, yeah. Um, I did have a couple people be like, "Hey, you know, I have dietary restrictions," or, like, whatever, "but if you did not dinner, I would, that would be super cool."

348
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And so, like, that's kind of interesting too with, like, what sort of meetup things could I facilitate that don't... I mean, I like the idea of it being- Mm...

349
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over a meal 'cause it's just, like, such a natural way to share with people.

350
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Well, this, this too is bringing up a thread from the other conversations I've had with local media operator, with, with Michael Landon, Jeff, uh, Ryan, of

351
00:57:01.308 --> 00:57:17.128
playing this role of community pillar, journalist as, or, like, journalist, entrepreneur, whatever, almost as a politician, right, where you are this presence in the community, and you are a convener of community, but then that means you being at these events and you playing the host.

352
00:57:17.168 --> 00:57:27.488
Mm-hmm. And I know for, for Michael, sponsorships have come out of this and these relationships that have really helped build his business, so maybe that's part of it is you taking that mantle a little bit, right?

353
00:57:27.828 --> 00:57:36.428
Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, and, like, I mean, Michael has been talking about this in the club, like, about getting these dinners sponsored. Mm-hmm. Like, and, I mean, in a way, that's chill, you know?

354
00:57:36.528 --> 00:57:46.548
Like, this, but it's, like, an awareness thing for these companies, so, like, that's another way to do it. Yeah. Um, but I really wanna go after some, like, big annual sponsors.

355
00:57:46.608 --> 00:57:55.358
Like, I, I don't think that just because you have a local newsletter, you have to have all local sponsors. Mm. I think it should be majority local sponsors- Yeah...

356
00:57:55.368 --> 00:58:05.907
'cause, like, obviously that's what is resonating with people. But, like, somebody said to me, um, uh, Justin Moore, he's, like, a sponsorship coach. Mm. Yep. He has Creator Wizard.

357
00:58:06.568 --> 00:58:16.808
He said to me, um, 'cause I was like, "I just feel like there's a limit on," like, Boise's not that big of a city. The companies here only have so much money, right? Yeah. And, like,

358
00:58:18.448 --> 00:58:29.208
especially to spend on local marketing. Why don't you work with Merrell Shoes, right? Something like that. Yeah. It's... Yeah. Well, he was like, "So you live in Boise. Do you only use local products?"

359
00:58:29.248 --> 00:58:37.657
And I was like, "I mean, no." And he was like, "Wow. I mean, that's how everybody in Boise is." Like, there's, you could totally ha- like, what are things that people are using

360
00:58:38.648 --> 00:58:49.148
that aren't local but that want a local audience, right? Um, which I was like, duh. [laughs] But I don't know. You kinda just, like, get tunnel vision. It's one of these rules you impose on yourself. Yeah. Yeah.

361
00:58:49.328 --> 00:58:57.688
Yeah, I'm like, it has to be local. Um, so while I'm like I definitely want to keep it as local as possible, but also what else can I go after?

362
00:58:58.248 --> 00:59:06.868
Um, so I was just meeting with Leslie yesterday, and we were brainstorming what that looks like, and I really want an airline partnership. Like- That would be huge.

363
00:59:07.068 --> 00:59:16.828
I really want a airline partnership because people travel all the time. Uh, people are coming and going from Boise all the time. Mm-hmm. Our airport is expanding. Like, we're constantly getting new flights.

364
00:59:17.588 --> 00:59:27.157
Alaska Airlines sponsor from Boise, like, that's such a good partnership, or Delta. We're, we're gonna end it right there. [laughs] If you're listening, Alaska, Delta- [laughs]... if you're listening. Yeah.

365
00:59:27.188 --> 00:59:33.478
If you're listening and you're not with Alaska or Delta, let's- Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's true... let's knock on wood for Marissa here- Yep... 2026. Mm-hmm.

366
00:59:33.488 --> 00:59:42.378
So, I mean, I just feel like I definitely wanna play with some, like, uh, annual presenting sponsorships, different category sponsorships. Um,

367
00:59:43.288 --> 00:59:50.288
yeah, and just kind of, like, explore what that looks like and really focus on, like, recurring monthly revenue, 'cause that is...

368
00:59:50.548 --> 00:59:59.928
If, if I was gonna give advice to somebody starting out, like, try to lock in some sort of recurring monthly revenue ASAP. It makes your whole life so much [laughs] easier.

369
01:00:00.468 --> 01:00:07.758
Um, and obviously it has to be, like, the right fit, but yeah. So I think that's what, that's how we're gonna double it. There we go. Yeah.

370
01:00:07.788 --> 01:00:20.438
Uh, we'll end it right there, but for listeners who maybe live in Boise or the surrounding area, is it fromboise.com? Yep, fromboise.com. And then everybody should go follow you on LinkedIn and- [laughs]...

371
01:00:20.468 --> 01:00:33.558
watch as you post all year. Let's see if you hit- Yep... what you put on subscribers. I'm on, I also did do that on Instagram as well. Okay. It's marissafromboise is the, my new personal brand channels. Wow. Um- Okay.

372
01:00:33.628 --> 01:00:43.328
Yeah, so we'll see how that goes. I was like, I'm gonna post every day in January, and I think I've posted, like, three times, but- Yeah. It's relatable... I'm gonna just try to go for once a week. [laughs] You got it.

373
01:00:43.368 --> 01:00:51.788
Yeah. [laughs] Awesome. Well, thank you for coming on. Yeah. This was so fun. Thank you for having me. Yeah, of course. Listener, we'll see you next week. [outro music] Hey there.

374
01:00:51.848 --> 01:00:57.048
If you enjoyed that, then the next episode you should listen to is this episode with Michael Kaufman.

375
01:00:57.108 --> 01:01:08.147
He's the founder of the Newsletter Club, which was referenced a few times in this episode with Marissa, and of all the local newsletter episodes we've put out, it's the most popular. So that's a good place to start.

376
01:01:08.508 --> 01:01:09.428
Go watch that one next.