From One Blog to Two: My Journey of Growth and Learning
Navigating Entrepreneurship: Lessons Learned from Building Two Ventures
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Katja is a personal finance expert, who helps women to achieve financial independence through smart money management and online business growth. Find out more at Women’s Wealth Journey.
About six years after launching my first blog, I decided it was time to try something new. My first blog, a German-language personal finance platform for women, has grown into a five-figure online business. However, this time I wanted to explore a different path.
It wasn’t an overnight decision. Quite the opposite—it had been on my mind for a long time. While I can be impulsive with some decisions, important ones like this require time for reflection and evaluation.
Two months ago, I finally launched my new project: a blog and a Substack publication where I help women take control of their finances, increase their earnings, and live more freely through smart money management and online business growth. I share my experiences, knowledge, and yes, even my failures.
This time, I chose to write in English, even though it’s not my native language. Initially, it felt intimidating, but after reading other Substack creators like Andi, who also aren't native English speakers, I felt confident enough to start. And here I am.
From Simplifying to Scaling: How I Launched One and a Half Businesses
Starting a second business was a deliberate, well-thought-out decision. Why? Simply because I knew it would require more work.
At the same time, I was already contemplating a restructuring of my German business. I wanted to simplify things by focusing on my best-selling products and my weekly posts and newsletter. This led me to evaluate whether it still made sense to maintain my German Substack publication. After reviewing the effort versus the outcome, the answer was clear: it was time to stop and delete it.
Launching my new blog was much easier than my first one six years ago. I had the knowledge, and I knew what mistakes to avoid, which allowed me to move forward without getting stuck in the same patterns as before. This part of my new business start was quite straightforward.
However, starting a Substack publication was more challenging. I wasn’t sure if I should fully commit or not. To be honest, I launched it twice and ended up deleting both attempts. It wasn’t until I figured out how my Substack publication could complement my new blog that everything clicked. I didn’t want to rely solely on Substack—I also wanted to build my own self-hosted platform.
And that’s how one and a half businesses were born.
Balancing Two Ventures: Lessons Learned and Strategies for Success
When I planned to start my second business in English, I had to consider how to manage both ventures without risking burnout. As I focused on building and growing this new project, I still needed to nurture the growth of my first one. Staying with this analogy, it really feels like raising two children.
The knowledge I've gained from my first venture has been invaluable. It’s helped me avoid the same mistakes, especially those related to content creation and consistency. I’ve created a content planner and schedule that I now use for my second blog as well. I make sure to post regularly and stay at least a week ahead on content, with the goal of increasing that buffer.
Since I’m writing on similar topics, I can easily repurpose content across my blog, Substack publication, and newsletter. It’s important to remember that we already have a wealth of content at our disposal; we should never overlook old material that can be renewed and repurposed.
Another challenge was starting a second subscriber list. To avoid mixing my German readers with my English audience, I decided to open a separate ConvertKit account to build a new list from scratch. This helps me stay organized and prevents confusion regarding content and statistics. I also keep my Substack subscribers separate to ensure I can truly meet the needs of each group.
Mastering Content Creation: My Weekly Plan for Success
One of my top business tools is Google Calendar, where I plan all my tasks. Here’s what my weekly publishing plan looks like:
One blog post for each of my blogs
One newsletter via ConvertKit for each of my newsletter lists
Two posts on Substack
One newsletter for my paid community
It may seem like a lot of content to create, and yes, I sometimes wonder if I can maintain this schedule, especially with Substack. Being at the beginning of this journey, I know I can figure things out through experience. I’m the type who prefers to start and try things out; if something doesn’t work, I try another approach. While I have a clear direction for my business and a vision for the future, I remain flexible about the details of how to get there. I believe that's crucial, as there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
Two key elements in my plan are:
Consistency in my two blogs and sending out a weekly newsletter.
Commitment to my paid membership and existing products.
As for Substack, I plan to experiment and see what works, but it’s not the main platform where I want to build my business.
Embracing Mistakes: Lessons from 28 Years of Entrepreneurship
I don’t fear making mistakes—that’s a crucial lesson I’ve learned over the past 28 years as an entrepreneur alongside my husband. We’ve built our businesses by trying, failing, and learning through experience. As long as I can make quick decisions, I know I can navigate this journey.
Of course, there are times when I feel uncertain about whether I made the right choice. What I’ve learned is to avoid making decisions when I feel uncomfortable. Instead, I wait a day until I’m in a more rational mindset.
I’m prepared to fail, even though failure and mistakes can feel uncomfortable. I don’t get stuck in complaining; instead, I look for other solutions. This approach helps me manage my two "babies," even though it remains a challenge.
Thank you,
!💬 What thought nugget resonated most with you from this post? Are you also building your business across two or more platforms?