Why did I “throw away” a website that had thousands of subscribers and averaged 40-50k visitors per month to start from scratch?
I like the idea of staying small and intimate. Something hadn’t felt right with the other site for a very long time. If you read it you could tell. I didn’t feel comfortable, so I had to shed that skin.
But the goal isn’t to inhibit growth here. I want a lot of readers just like any other writer. The goal, however, is to grow in alignment with my values. No pop-ups. No fake subscriber bonuses. No funny stuff. Just me and what I have to offer. Maybe you think that’s something worth reading. Maybe you don’t. I’m happy with both.
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Great decision! I’m in the same spot, trying to grow in alignment with my values and make a deeper connection with readers. Although, I’ve never had 50,000 people visit my site ;-)
Looking forward to your future posts. Well done :)
That’s a good place to start so when you get to 50,000 visitors you don’t delete your site and start over.
Karol,
I *love* it. Alignment. Says it all:)
Thanks Joy. It won’t be perfect, but I can do a better job of it than before.
I like the new site better anyways. It’s cleaner, more simple.
This year has been a year of change for me, mostly simplifying, unloading things, paring away. At 47 I am questioning a lot of my life, I guess it’s one of those midlife crisis things one hears so much about. I’ve been changing a lot about my life over the last year, been reading your book and Leo Babauta’s. Resonate is not the word. It is like being inside of a bell and having someone strike it. A phrase you wrote above has sunk in and I am sure will unfold like some sort of viral infection. “The goal, however, is to grow in alignment with my values. ” Wow, I am not even sure that I can articulate my genuine values. I feel as if what ever they are are so encrusted with “should” values. Keep writing. I will keep reading, and mining my own heart for the diamond within it. Thanks for being.