Resources → The Newsletter • 4 min read

🫣 The most dangerous word in business

Is should.

I should be there by now. This should be working. We should have known better.

It's the word comparison uses to disguise itself as logic. But don't fall for its tactics. There is no one right answer, no sure path forward. No guarantees — only possibilities. An infinite number of upsides.

So, the next time you hear yourself complaining about what you should have done, reframe that and focus on what you could do next.

💬 In this week's issue:

Freebie. A new, easy way to boost your conversions is here.
Four-million-dollar model. Get a behind-the-scenes look at one creator's incredibly successful operation.
Holiday. How can you take a break without losing business momentum?

📈 How to use free trials to grow your revenue

A major part of growing a successful business online is having access to the right toolset. That's why it matters so much where you choose to build your brand, publish your content, and communicate with your audience.

The right tool empowers you while becoming a seemingly invisible part of the process. The wrong tool is a constant headache and will ultimately stall your progress.

Our team at Ghost takes every product release seriously because we know they're integral to moving your business forward. And the latest one is sure to do just that.

Now, publishers on Ghost can now use free trials to increase their audiences and conversions.

Free trials can be used in 3 ways, which you can read the full details about here. To summarize:

You can add a free trial to any tier for all new signups.
You can create a special offer that limits the number of free trials available to whomever you choose.
You can now set new rules around complementary plans, so they function like a free trial.

It's worth noting there is a bit of strategy involved, and you should expect to experiment to see what your audience responds to best. To help with this, check out the following resource.

🗞 Latest tips & stories

Email notifications are now available in Ghost
Substack goes back on its promises to writers
4 ways publishers can nurture their communities
Medium explains why they've struggled as a company
The lessons every creative entrepreneur must unlearn to grow

💰 The 3 parts of Ali Abdaal's $4 million business

Your business model can make or break your chance of success. But we often overcomplicate what this actually means. In reality, your business model is simply how you answer the following two questions.

🤔

What do I make? How does it make money?

If you can clearly and confidently answer those, you're already 90% ahead of most creators.

To help you with that task, Ghost user Ali Abdaal recently published a video explaining their own creatorpreneur model which has the following 3 parts.

Workflow — What do you make and how do you make it?
Cashflow — How many ways can it make money?
Outflow — Who can I hire to help with the previous two categories (e.g., reduce workload, increase revenue)?

Begin at 6:20 if you'd like to jump straight into the discussion.

Simple doesn't mean easy. But it does enable you to pour more of your energy towards a smaller bucket of tasks, and that focus will become your unfair advantage.

🏖 Can creators ever take a vacation?

There's a rhythm to the creative cycle, or at least there should be. Platforms expect a steady stream of new content, but as humans, this eventually becomes impossible to sustain.

Writers and YouTubers Colin and Samir recently encountered this challenge when they, along with everyone on their team, took a two-week break from publishing new content.

Although they saw a slight dip in viewership, they came back with renewed energy, ideas, and a strategy to make breaks a normal part of their creator schedule. Here are a few of the tips they shared.

Creativity requires new experiences. If you feel stuck, or like your content is flat, this is a sure sign to escape and explore.
Diversity of income is key. The less you rely on algorithms and follower counts to drive your business, the more freedom you'll have to create on your own schedule.
Use tools to work smarter. Strive to build a regular cadence of rest, meaning you aren't always under a deadline. Use bulk creation techniques, scheduling tools, and automation to eliminate repetitive tasks and give yourself more bandwidth.

Vacations aren't a luxury for successful creators. They're a necessity for any person who wants to perform at their best.