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Please pardon the dust: if you’re reading this, I’m actively working on this page to add pictures, graphics etc.
It was the summer of 2017 and “passive income” was all the rage. I was fundraising as a director at SHIFT when a friend, suggesting I also consider passive income streams, lent me a book. Skeptical, but never one to turn down a book, I read it—and with my entrepreneurial spirit as kindling, it sparked my infatuation with digital brand-building; I put the book down and created TopChristianBooks.com. Far from being my first website, it was my first attempt at building a digital community. From scratch.
My objective? Build a brand and platform that would cultivate a loyal following through genuinely helpful, meaningful, and relevant content. Figuring out how to monetize would come after. To that end, I focused my content on a trifecta of passions: a love for reading/writing, thoughtful theology, and—most critically—an empathy that translates knowledge into service.
Anytime now, you’ll refresh this page and this sentence will have metamorphosized into the beautiful butterfly of related pictures. 🦋🖼️
Thanks for your patience!
After writing dozens of articles, a friend offered to contribute, giving me an idea: why not gather a team of writers?
I pivoted, rebranded to TCB media, drafted a new logo (don’t look at it too closely) and reached out to writers to pitch my vision; I soon assembled a team of 40 volunteer TCB writers.
Now, needing a system for efficient collaboration, I set up a content guide, content calendar, and submission process that allowed my feedback for revision. By personally editing each piece, designing creatives, and optimizing distribution, I ensured a consistent brand voice.
After 1 month, we saw a 10X growth in visitors, 1K email subscribers, and more still, on social. And I’d quickly learn that my enjoyment of creative community engagement rivaled my enjoyment of writing.
But on top of my responsibilities at SHIFT, juggling TCB’s tasks on my own—writing, editing, and operations—wouldn’t be scalable. Or sustainable.
As a recovering perfectionist, entrusting creative agency to others was daunting, but I knew growth wouldn’t come by holding all the keys, but finding the best hands to put them in.
My first step: hiring a virtual assistant (VA), but not before crafting an assessment to test both a careful adherence to brand guidelines and a creative intuition in gray areas like content repurposing.
Next was the search for lead editor, to oversee the content team and calendar. Emailing our readers with a newly-drafted job description that offered a small stipend, resumes began flooding my humble Google form.
Overwhelmed by an impressive list of candidates, ranging from PhD holders to editors at magazines I read, I knew qualification would be the common denominator—but culture fit would be the variable.
Anytime now, you’ll refresh this page and this sentence will have metamorphosized into the beautiful butterfly of related pictures. 🦋🖼️
Thanks for your patience!
After finding my rockstar lead editor—who captured TCB’s tone so well I often wondered if I had written it myself, and more often thought, Why didn’t I think of that!?—I was confident to focus fully on community engagement.
My approach was simple: create conversations they enjoyed returning to; to win not only their clicks, but their attention and trust as well.
How? Equal parts competent content (enter ethos and logos) and relatable conversation (that’s pathos for ya); to speak the language of head and heart. And I believe witty humor can do both.
I took the risk of weaving wit into the fabric of current events or theological controversy—but it wasn’t seamless. I learned from mistakes: failed jokes, an unwisely placed emoji 🤡, a video with mixed reactions. But for every unsubscribe, a positive email highlighted genuine connection.
But beyond memes and jabs at their (growing) pile of books they were going “finish soon”, it was the emails—replies to knock-knock jokes that morphed into heartfelt exchanges best had with tissues at hand—that revealed the secret to growing a brand: actually care.
So, lessons learned?
Thoughtful Humor opens the door 🚪,
Helpful Content invites them in 👋,
Genuine Empathy makes them stay 🏡.
Anytime now, you’ll refresh this page and this sentence will have metamorphosized into the beautiful butterfly of related pictures. 🦋🖼️
Thanks for your patience!
We hit 5K email subscribers by February. It was thrilling. But with software expenses on the rise, we needed revenue. I was willing to experiment with different ways to generate revenue.
With one exception: No ads on the site.
I decided that early on. Why? Because everything communicates. And if TCB Media was to be a trusted resource, committed only to content that put readers first, I couldn’t risk anything that might communicate otherwise. Trading trust for revenue never lasts—just ask… well, anyone.
Instead, I sent a candid email asking, “What could we create worth paying for?” Responses poured in: a digital magazine, a book summary service, a premium newsletter, a book summary service, an app for sermons, a book summary service—they’d even prepay to help us launch!
While TCB had yet to earn any revenue, we had earned a seat at our community’s table. And our readers were loud and clear: they would feel most served by a book summary service. I took a nearby napkin and quickly scribbled some ideas.
And just like that, I set my sights on my next venture: “The Acceleration Project”.
Don’t worry, I changed the name.
Anytime now, you’ll refresh this page and this sentence will have metamorphosized into the beautiful butterfly of related pictures. 🦋🖼️
Thanks for your patience!