December 2020. First baby. Identity completely reshuffled.

I started writing on Medium because I needed something that was just mine.

Became a Top Writer. Built a following. Loved every minute of it.

But I always knew: the moment I added a link to my newsletter, my reach would drop. Medium wanted me on Medium. Not building something elsewhere.

Then I found Substack. Then Notes launched. And I was in the product lab, testing it before most writers had even heard of it.

I watched it grow from a small experiment into the most writer-friendly growth tool on the internet.

In January 2024 I turned on paid subscriptions for the first time.

I had zero paid subscribers. Zero earnings. Zero Notes following.

I also had a newborn, a toddler, a kitchen table for a desk, and about 45 minutes a day if I was lucky.

Today the Online Writing Club has 18,000 subscribers. Top 25 Education publication globally on Substack. 25% of my subscribers found me through Notes.

Built part-time. In Germany. With two kids asleep in the next room.

Notes didn't just grow my newsletter.

It made me believe my story was worth telling.

And now I can see exactly how much each Note earned me.

That notification still makes me smile every single time.