I’m building something.

I don’t know if it will work or how big it could be or even what it will look like. But I’m building it, and I want to bring you along with me.

Often we hear stories of startups through the beautiful fog of hindsight. I thought it would be fun (and perhaps beneficial) to share this story in its true infancy; to share it as it unfolds. I have no idea if this project will have even a glimmer of success — but we’ll find out together.

I’m going to outline the details of the product I’m building, the market I hope to address, and my strategies for growth. It’s unusual to publicly share all the details of a business before it even exists, but I’m going for it.

The benefits of bringing people along for the ride are clear and plenty. I’ll be able to hear my critics’ voices early and often. It will make my brand stronger and more authentic. It might help other folks along similar (or different) journeys. As this project grows, it will give the community a voice and an understanding of where things are going. And, it will be more fun.

Can you tell I’m not a designer?

Where I am so far

Over the past few months, I’ve created an email newsletter that features one fantastic piece of journalism each day. It’s called ReadThisThing.

(If you like great journalism, check it out)

I launched ReadThisThing seven weeks ago, and have been lucky enough to grow an engaged audience quickly. So far 3,000+ awesome people are subscribed to the newsletter and the daily emails average open rates around 50% (that’s double the industry average).

People have even said some nice things about it on the internet:

I was flattered to be compared to TheSkimm — not a competitor but definitely the hottest thing in the newsletter business right now

I created this because I wanted it. I know lots of places to find great stories, but when I wanted to sit and read something with my morning coffee or evening tea, I found myself sifting and searching, not reading. I’d be happy if every day I were just handed one interesting thing to read.

So, I started ReadThisThing as a daily newsletter that shares one interesting thing to read.

Of course, now I’m sifting and searching more than I was before, but I’m thrilled to be solving this problem for other people.

The stories I share cover a wide spectrum, intentionally. Some very long, others shorter; some investigative, others more prose-y. Topics and publications range widely as well.

The email list continues to grow at a rate of about about 30% each week.