You know how everyone starting an online business tries to appeal to everyone? Their about page says they help teens, parents, office workers, and retirees. Their product does five things. Their content covers whatever felt interesting that week. And I get it. Saying no to a type of customer feels like leaving money on the table. Thing is, Coca-Cola just proved the opposite. Mr. Pibb, a soda that has existed since 1972, became the fastest-growing brand of 2026. Not a new product, not a viral...

Everyone says their thing saves you time. Or saves you money. Or cuts your costs in half. And yeah, it sounds good. It feels like a responsible thing to say, especially when you’re just starting out and don’t want to come off as pushy. Thing is, “saves money” is actually one of the weakest ways to describe what you offer. And I don’t mean weak like unclear. I mean weak like it physically limits how much people are willing to pay you. Here’s why. When someone hears “this saves you money,”...

Everyone talks about how to get subscribers. How to grow the list, run the launch, get to 100 paying customers. Nobody really talks about what happens after. I saw a story from a freelance illustrator who started a subscription box of her own artwork for $19.99 a box. Good quality prints, nice packaging, real effort. She ran it for six months and then closed it. The reason wasn’t bad marketing. The product was good. People liked it. Thing is, after she added up quality prints, packaging, the...