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Happy Monday {{first_name | EduCreator}},

Last week I started telling the story of how my entrepreneurial journey began. It was a time filled with great blessings and simultaneously, great loss. Such is life and very typical of what is often referred to as The Hero’s Journey. Every Hollywood film and most stories follow this framework of the hero’s arc because it mirrors human life.

My first brand, Bliss House, had to be put on hold because even though I had the tools and time to continue building an online community in the midst of COVID, this was new territory for me and I needed to pay the bills while figuring out a whole new way to earn income: building and selling digital assets.

Life moved fast for me while the rest of the world was shutting down. I decided to do a little online dating and after two weeks, I was deleting the app and starting a relationship (with Romeo’s father). By the end of 2020, I found myself unexpectedly pregnant while also serving at a popular restaurant in Wynwood | Midtown Miami to make ends meet.

Me and my sister Alex | Baby Shower May 2021

The biggest loss of my life…

Unfortunately, we lost our first son during labor. After 24 hours and no progress, we were told there was no heartbeat due to a cord obstruction. Suddenly I found myself experiencing postpartum with no baby and no clue where my life was going to go.

After 3 months of grieving, I decided it was time to allow myself to be creative again. Luckily I had financial support and didn’t have to rush back to work. My heart wanted to teach again, but the idea of getting on video was more than I had capacity for.

This is when my best friend told me about Clubhouse, a live social audio platform. No video needed. Just open a room and get on the mic.

We hosted our first room together October 2021 and it lasted for 6 hours with about 10 participants. I was instantly hooked!

What I didn’t expect was healing through conversation and connection.

I also didn’t know I was building a very valuable digital asset: an online community through regular live rooms on Clubhouse.

When one of my quietest, but regular, participants came to me and asked about a premium membership, I knew I was onto something special.

By the end of October, I launched by first paid community on Mighty Networks and earned my first few thousand dollars selling done for you services along the way.

Before we go any further, let’s check out these words from today’s sponsor. Thank you so much for supporting the partners of this newsletter.

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That’s why we’re awarding $100,000 to one person who shows up as their authentic self and tells us how their dream can make a real difference in their communities.

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Build Assets, Not Content

If you are creating nonstop but your income still feels unpredictable, this is usually not a you problem.

It is an infrastructure problem.

Most people are running a content habit without an asset strategy. I was publishing posts, stories, and reels on Instagram, but it felt like I was getting nowhere.

Social platforms reward activity, not ownership. You can build reach there, but you do not control distribution, data, or long term value. Ownership is where momentum actually lives.

This year, I am simplifying everything around one clear idea.

Stop posting just to post. Stop hosting live events just to host. Start building assets.

The Difference Between Content and Assets

Content is temporary. It lives in feeds, timelines, and algorithms you do not control. It can perform well and still do nothing for your long term stability.

Assets are durable. They stack. They grow more valuable over time, even when you are not actively creating.

An asset continues to work after the day it is published.

When creators feel burned out, it is often because they are stuck on a treadmill. They are producing output without building leverage. More effort does not equal more return.

The goal is not to create less. The goal is to create with structure.

The 3 Part Flywheel That Makes Work Compound

Everything I am building right now connects to a simple flywheel. Each part supports the others.

Part 1: Newsletter

Distribution you own

Part 2: App

Leverage you can sell or use to generate leads

Part 3: Community

Retention that creates recurring revenue

On their own, each of these is useful. Together, they change how your work behaves.

Instead of relying on constant posting, you rely on a system that compounds.

Why the Newsletter Comes First

Your newsletter is not just a place to share ideas. It is your owned distribution channel.

Every subscriber is someone you can reach directly, without an algorithm deciding whether your work matters that day.

When your newsletter is strong, everything else becomes easier.

Your ideas have a home.
Your launches have a starting point.
Your offers are not dependent on trends or reach spikes.

Most importantly, your newsletter turns attention into a relationship.

This is where trust is built slowly and consistently. Over time, that trust becomes the foundation for everything else you offer.

Your newsletter stops being a weekly assignment and becomes infrastructure.

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How an App Turns Knowledge Into Leverage

Creators often treat apps as a someday project. Something they will build later, when they have time or clarity.

That delay is costly.

An app does not have to be complex. It can be simple, focused, and useful. What matters is that it turns your knowledge into something people can use.

Apps create leverage in two powerful ways.

First, they can be sold directly. This turns your expertise into a scalable product.

Second, they can generate leads. A useful tool attracts the right people and naturally feeds your newsletter.

Instead of asking people to subscribe, you give them value first. The relationship starts with usefulness, not marketing.

When your app and newsletter are connected, they reinforce each other. One grows the other.

Why Community Is the Missing Layer

Most creators think about community last, if at all. It feels vague, time consuming, or hard to manage.

In reality, community is what stabilizes everything.

Community creates retention. It turns one time readers into long term participants. It gives people a reason to stay connected beyond consuming content.

This is where recurring revenue becomes possible.

When people feel part of something, they invest emotionally and financially. They show up, give feedback, and help shape what you are building.

Community also reduces pressure on you. You stop carrying everything alone. Ideas, insights, and momentum come from the group, not just the creator.

When Everything Connects

Here is where the flywheel really starts to matter.

Your newsletter drives people to your app.
Your app brings in qualified subscribers.
Your community keeps people engaged and returning.

Each piece strengthens the others.

You stop relying on posting more.
You stop chasing new platforms.
You stop feeling like your work disappears every week.

Instead, you build once and benefit many times.

Your newsletter becomes a distribution engine.
Your app becomes leverage.
Your community becomes stability.

This is how creative work starts to feel sustainable.

A Simpler Way to Build This Year

If this feels overwhelming, that is a sign you are thinking too far ahead.

You do not need all three at once.

Start with the newsletter. Make it consistent and clear. Let it reflect what you actually help people do.

Then build a simple app that solves one problem your readers already have.

Finally, invite the most engaged people into a shared space where they can learn and grow together.

Step by step, not all at once.

This is not about building more. It is about building smarter.

Stop treating content as the goal.
Start treating it as the input.

Assets are what carry your work forward, even when you step away.

Live Spaces 🎙

Today’s Space at 2pmEST: Do you own your digital assets? join here

Tomorrow’s Space at 2pmEST: How to monetize your content join here

That’s all for now,

Christel

Want to support my work? You can buy me a flower here 🌸

Ready to start your newsletter? Click here to sign up for a free trial and reply to any of my emails to let me know so I can help you set up.

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