After almost two decades of entrepreneurship, I’ve realized I really, really enjoy starting things. This newsletter is no exception. I’ve been thinking about it ever since I announced I was starting over almost two years ago.

This is the newsletter I’ve been dreaming about launching. It’s called Starting Things, and I’ll be writing about what’s happening in entrepreneurship, self-employment, lifestyle business, side hustles and the creator economy.

We live in an incredible time to start a business, work for yourself or just generally create your own independent sources of income and wealth. And things are accelerating. There are so many new trends and tools and opportunities springing up every week. My job is to help you keep up with what’s new, while staying grounded in the fundamentals of business that rarely change.

Why Write about Entrepreneurship?

Reading and writing have had an incredible impact on me and my career.

I gained so much knowledge and motivation in my early days as an entrepreneur from writers like Philip Greenspun, Jason Fried, Paul Graham, Chris Guillebeau, Danielle LaPorte, Brian Clark, Seth Godin and Derek Sivers. I might not be an entrepreneur if it weren't for what I learned (mostly for free!) from these generous and wise people.

The ability for any individual to write words on a screen that can be read by anyone, anywhere around the world is taken for granted today, but it is truly one of the most revolutionary developments in the history of humanity.

Writing online has been one of the smartest things I ever did. Starting a blog led to unimaginable opportunities and friendships. Writing also continues to be the best way to crystallize ideas and to force myself to really examine issues and trends.

The most important outcome of writing has been the feedback I’ve received from people who tell me my work has changed their lives. Knowing I’m making a positive impact on people is deeply encouraging and I want this newsletter to help you make important changes and decisions in your life.

As for entrepreneurship, it’s hard to express just how life-changing it has been for me and so many of my friends and people I’ve met. Entrepreneurship has become a way of life. It’s part of my identity. It has taught me more about myself and how the world works than anything else.

One of the best explanations of how deeply transformative working for yourself can be comes from Paul Graham in one of my favorite quotes:

“I was in Africa last year and saw a lot of animals in the wild that I'd only seen in zoos before. It was remarkable how different they seemed. Particularly lions. Lions in the wild seem about ten times more alive. They're like different animals. I suspect that working for oneself feels better to humans in much the same way that living in the wild must feel better to a wide-ranging predator like a lion. Life in a zoo is easier, but it isn't the life they were designed for.” – Paul Graham, You Weren’t Meant to Have a Boss

I Sold Fizzle

By the way, this newsletter isn’t really new, it’s a reboot (hence the 55k+ subscribers already here). I first started an email newsletter all the way back in 2009 (along with my first blog, called Free Pursuits) while I was road-tripping around Mexico on sabbatical. I used the newsletter and blog to figure out what I wanted to do next after I left the VC-backed startup I co-founded several years before. Since then, I’ve written sporadically as I built Think Traffic, Fizzle, Lifestyle Business Weekly and other projects.

Since starting over online in 2020 (basically I wiped my entire online presence clean, and deleted all of my social media accounts, except Twitter), a lot has happened. I knew I wanted to get back to writing, but I needed to wrap up some loose ends and make time (and headspace) to dedicate to publishing regularly.

The biggest question mark was Fizzle.

Fizzle was the community and training platform for entrepreneurs I launched with Chase Reeves and Caleb Wojick 10 years ago. This month marks the 10-year anniversary of opening our doors to the very first Fizzle members way back in September of 2012. Along the way we served over 30,000 entrepreneurs, published 389 podcasts, hundreds of blog posts, and employed dozens of amazing employees and contractors. I absolutely loved my time running Fizzle.

Last month, I sold Fizzle to a company called ZenBusiness. I sold because the opportunity was there and the price was right. I’ll write more about the how’s and why’s of the sale in an upcoming post. The important thing is, the sale cleared the way for me to finally start a new chapter, while putting some bucks in my pocket.

What to Expect as a Subscriber

I decided to call the newsletter Starting Things because entrepreneurship is all about starting new things (with no guarantee of success). I also happen to really love the early stages of a new project or business and the energy and anticipation that comes along with it.

But this won’t just be about the early stages. This newsletter will cover all stages of business, from start to sale, plus other topics that affect us as entrepreneurs.

This newsletter will also be focused on you, dear reader. In addition to sharing my perspective and ideas, I’ll be answering your questions every week (with occasional help from special guests). I’ll also be asking for your feedback on topics and for your preferences as I add community features and other resources for paid subscribers.

Speaking of paid subscribers, there are two ways you can enjoy this newsletter: free and paid. There will always be a free option, and free members will receive regular posts from me. Please don’t feel pressured to pay, I’m glad you’re here either way!

If you do become a paying member, you’ll support my work and help me turn this into the absolute best entrepreneurship-focused newsletter on the planet. You’ll also receive more of my posts, access to the full archive, and additional benefits like live Q&A sessions and an invitation to a new community I’ll be launching. Paid memberships cost $12/month or $120/year, but if you sign up for an annual plan by October 3rd (my birthday!), you’ll be locked in at $99/year for life.

You might have noticed that this newsletter is hosted on Substack. I chose Substack because I love the platform features, and because it has momentum and energy. I love that Substack feels like blogging in the old days, when things were fresh and fun. So let’s have some fun :)

I’m excited to build this, with your help. I know you have a million things competing for your attention (squirrel!) every day, and I’m acutely aware that my job is to make reading this a great use of your time. If you’ve been following me for years, thanks for coming along on this new journey. If you’re just joining us, welcome.

You know what would really make my day? How about lighting up the comments section on this post! Say hello and tell me what you’re working on these days, or what you’d love me to write about first.

–Corbett

Starting Things

Welcome to Starting Things