The Hungry serves up practical and actionable creative business information and insights weekly specializing in strategic messaging that helps turn your audience into buyers, and buyers into loyal fans.
This past weekend, I watched my son Aidan achieve what he previously thought was impossible. He’s a competitive swimmer with a club team, and at 14 years old, he’s faster than most kids, but for the better part of the year, he had plateaued. His main stroke is freestyle, and started the year at just over 52 seconds in the 100 yard freestyle.
Aidan and his coach look on as his teammate swims.
He chipped away at his time by tenths and hundredths, finally breaking into 51 second territory this past October. He repeated that same time again in November, and we figured that is just where he is at right now. Plateaus happen.
That next week, his high school swim coach talked to him about his potential for the upcoming season, and said he wanted Aidan to be at 49 seconds to make the relay team competitive for division championships in May.
When Aidan first told me what the coach said, his eyes were wide with disbelief because he knew how long it took him to go from 52 to 51. 49 would be require a monster effort, but I knew something that Aidan had forgotten—he’s a racer and does not like to lose.
The Winter Age Group Championship is a regional event that swimmers must qualify for with their times, and this year, Aidan faced some stiff competition. He was still one of the top seeds, but there were five boys with faster entry times. Before he left my side to prepare for his first event, I reminded him that belief is a powerful tool and he could achieve greatness today by having faith in his ability to chase down his competition.
We’d seen it so many times. Aidan would be stacked against kids who were clearly faster, but he would keep pace despite the odds against him. So, when he hit the water for the prelim event, something clicked. By the second lap, I could see he was not going to let these kids beat him. Lap three and four were just as strong, but swimming is a game of hundredths, and a few boys came in a little quicker.
As he touched the wall, my eyes shot to the scoreboard: 50.29! Looking back at him, he was elated because he knew he was returning for the finals later that day. After a quick cool-down session, he walked up to my wife and I, smiling at his achievement. I gave him a hug and reiterated to him proudly that belief is a powerful tool. He nodded and smiled in agreement.
In the finals, he stood in fourth position, but just like the first race, Aidan was racing. For the entire event, it was anyone’s race as these thoroughbreds all touched in a would-be photo finish, but swimming is a game of hundredths.
Aidan Conrey - 2nd Place - 49.95!
Every year, I pick a theme for the year with a single word. In 2023, it was exploration. This past year, my theme was focus, and I did just that. I spent most of my energy on making The Hungry my priority. I honed the craft, narrowed the vision, published work that shares proven strategies, and also shares them in practice.
However, in order for The Hungry to level-up, I need to believe in the potential. Now that I know exactly which part of the market The Hungry serves, it’s time to get serious about growth, but before I can grow, I must believe that I am worthy.
My theme for 2025 is abundance
I want abundant growth, not just in the size and scope of The Hungry, but in revenue. There, I said it, and there's no take-backs.
But this isn’t just about me, because I want abundant growth for all, and if I can show that possibility of that belief, then maybe you’ll start believing in it for yourself. By opening our minds to the possibility of positive financial growth, we have the chance to manifest what we’ve always wanted for ourselves.
Ok, that’s as woo-woo as you’ll ever hear from me. It’s not my typical approach to conversations about money, but maybe that is the problem. When I chose to believe in exploration, I made that happen, and the same goes for when I picked focus for this year’s theme—all things became more clear.
Belief is a powerful tool.
My thinking around money and what I deserve from my efforts needed to change, and I’m changing it right now. I hope you’ll join me because we deserve great things. We deserve to earn from our skills and expertise, and by believe in abundance, we can achieve it.
Looking forward in reverse
In order to move ahead, I believe it’s important to look back at where we came from. 2024 was an interesting year for The Hungry. It definitely wasn’t a perfect picture of growth and success, but there were some great take aways.
I honed the subject matter, narrowing the subject matter away from general creative business to a more focused attention on communication, storytelling, and publishing independence through newsletters (because social media sucks, and you should have control over how and when to talk to your audience).
With careful attention to the data, I was able to increase my open rate to over 60% on average, with an average click rate of 5% (that one I want to work on more in 2025).
Because of the focused attention on newsletters and storytelling, I had numerous people reach out to be for expert advice, one-on-one conversations, and podcast interviews.
It wasn’t always chocolate and roses, though.
Between October and November, I felt a bit lost. I was trying different things to grow and generate revenue, but couldn’t gain traction. I wasn’t sure how all the pieces were fitting together.
On a personal level, my wife found out that her job might be in jeopardy due to layoffs and cutbacks. We won’t know what’s happening with this for a few months at least, but it is a scary proposition and if things don’t turn around here, I might have to make some difficult decisions of my own.
And all that is exactly why abundance is my word for the year. I know there is great possibility with this publication, and with a new mindset and a focus on bringing all the disparate elements together in a cohesive way, I know The Hungry will become better, more resilient, and chock full of even more great information.
Here’s a snippet of what is coming in The Hungry starting in January
More storytelling breakdowns and how to use it for your work.
Newsletter growth strategies that work and don’t require a majority of your attention
Deep dives on experts, platforms, and newsworthy topics to keep you informed and growing
Exclusive content built to help you do this work including templates, scripts, and prompts to help get the gears turning on good ideas.
There are a few other secrets I’m keeping to myself for now, but you’ll be the first to know when they happen.
The Hungry serves up practical and actionable creative business information and insights weekly specializing in strategic messaging that helps turn your audience into buyers, and buyers into loyal fans.