Hey, my friend!
Last year, I made a bold move and signed up for my first marathon.
The race is happening in April, but 99% of the preparation is happening right now by:
- Showing up for boring long runs.
- Following a training plan when I don't feel like it.
- Stretching and mobility exercises to prevent injuries.
- And so much more.
By the time I cross the finish line and pick up my medal, months of invisible work will be behind me.
The race is just the "visible moment."
The same is true for almost everything that looks "effortless" online.
When someone launches a book, by the time they're posting about it, 90% of the work already happened.
The drafts.
The rewrites.
The months of staring at a blank page, wondering if any of it was good enough.
When someone launches a YouTube channel and it "takes off," they usually spent months (sometimes years) learning how to light a shot, write a hook, and edit without losing their mind.
When we teach a workshop about how to grow your audience and business efficiently, it's because we've made the mistakes ourselves.
We've tested what works, supported hundreds of creators, and seen the same bottlenecks show up again and again.
The system didn't come from a template.
It came from the trenches.
I'm telling you this because I think it's easy to look at someone's finished product — the polished launch, the "overnight success," the streamlined workflow — and assume you're behind.
But you're not behind.
You're just in the part of the story nobody posts about.
The part where you're figuring it out.
Where you're experimenting.
Where things feel slower than you'd like.
That is the work.
And one day, someone will look at what you've built and wonder how you made it look so easy. 😉
Worth Your Time This Week
→ What You Need to Know Before Building Your First Online Course — Philip shares hard-won lessons from building 6-figure courses
→ Linkedin or Substack? Where Smart Creators Build in 2026
— Our latest YouTube video breaking down why LinkedIn creators tend to do so well on Substack.
→ Run Your Substack in Under 7 Hours a Week — Our deep-dive workshop on building efficient systems so Substack doesn't take over your life
→ LIVE Workshop on Tuesday — I'm revealing my audience-building KIT systems in this free live training.
Keep doing the unsexy work. It compounds. ♻️
With love,
Sinem
PS. We just opened a handful of spots for our 1-on-1 coaching programs in February.
If you're stuck in the "unsexy work" phase and want help to make sure you're focused on the right things, reply to this email and tell me where you're at right now. I'll get back to you personally.