A Quick Cuppa with Claire Venus ☕
3 questions and 3 answers from a Substack specialist
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Now it’s time to get the kettle on and chat with ! ☕
Claire, which writing-based income streams have you developed, and which is your favourite?
Interesting question.
I feel there is an element of writing in all nine of my income streams. I write copy, funding application, reports, social media posts, blogs, Substack content… Substack is my favourite (of course). I like the immediacy of publishing something that is on my heart and/ or something in service to my readers. I’ve built my writer profile to 6000 readers/ writer colleagues and I’m so grateful to be a multi-hyphen creative in this space.
There’s a massive permission slip there. I’ve always had that; ‘how do you do it (all)?’ from colleagues - honestly I think it’s both a gift of my neurodivergence and being dedicated to honing my craft.
The last payment I received was via stripe for Substack membership and the payment before that was for a crowd funded project to bring animation and worm hotels into local schools.
How would someone go about creating a leaderboard-climbing Substack publication like yours?
I wrote about this with Russell Nohelty here. You need accept it takes time, to be focussed on delivery within your publication or (truth bomb) bring an audience from another platform who want to pay you.
There are some mysteries around the explore page leaderboard but a high percentage of paying subscribers helps as does having hundreds or thousands of them pay. The daily leaderboards on Substack Notes seem to be more focussed on engagement (comments/ shares).
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Finally, what do "big dreams and quiet ambitions" look like for you?
Oh thanks for reflecting my intention back to me David. I would say from the view I have right now, I’m living the dream and flipping this statement on myself. So, I’m working on my Big Ambition and living my quiet dreams… isn’t it funny how life asks you to turn things around sometimes.
My dreams are quiet because there is a quietness to being introverted yet holding space for thousands of people online. I feel immense gratitude for the life we’ve built in Northumberland for our kids but I recognise our next level is to do our work somewhere else… To be of service in another space, to see a different view from our kitchen window. To wake up and plug into a new community.
That feels terrifying but also ambitious because we get attached don’t we…? This ambition is asking me to detach. I’m also writing my memoir – it’s a whole project on rejection and our responses to it – I’ve given myself three years to write the book proposal – I enjoy process and I’m not in a rush.
Claire Venus is an ‘slow lived’ entrepreneur. She lives on the Northumberland Coast in the UK with her family. She started writing on Substack to explore her long form voice in an uncomplicated space in 2022. She has three publications; Sparkle on Substack (her Substack education space focussed on joyful, sustainable growth), Creatively Conscious (focussed on wholehearted living and business) and Company of Two (a slow grow community for mothers).
Look out for Claire’s brand new challenge, 24 Essays Club, coming later this week. 👀
Where to connect with Claire:
Thanks Claire!
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That's an absolute comfort to read. I resonate with Claire on 'My dreams are quiet because there is a quietness to being introverted yet holding space for thousands of people online'. Well, for me a few YET :)
I loved “there is a quietness to being introverted yet holding a space for thousands of people online,” @Claire Venus.