EP 201: Turning A Side Project Into Your Main Gig With Work Brighter Founder Brittany Berger

Published: April 25, 2019, 10:10 a.m.

b'The Nitty-Gritty:\\n\\n\\n\\n* How Brittany Berger came up with the idea for the Work Brighter newsletter* How Work Brighter evolved as she continued to work her day job\\u2014and then as she struck out on her own* What her current vision for Work Brighter is and how it informs her growth strategy* Why Brittany chose to think of her company more like a software company than a content company\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\nA side business can be your main focus.\\n\\n\\n\\nMike McDerment founded Freshbooks\\u2014a company that now reportedly brings in over $50 million in revenue each year\\u2014because he saved over an invoice he was working on for his internet marketing consultancy.\\n\\n\\n\\nBut Mike didn\\u2019t quit his existing business to start a new one. He started building it on the side.\\n\\n\\n\\nAnd well before Freshbooks started making, well, really any measurable amount of money per month, he figured out a way to devote 80% of his time to making that company and his solution for small business owners like him a reality.\\n\\n\\n\\nHe made the new company his top priority, even though it wasn\\u2019t paying his bills.\\n\\n\\n\\nThis probably seems pretty counterintuitive. Don\\u2019t you want to prioritize what\\u2019s making you money?\\n\\n\\n\\nSure, prioritize what\\u2019s making you money if it\\u2019s what you want to continue doing and has the potential to grow into the kind of company you really want to run.\\n\\n\\n\\nBut that wasn\\u2019t the case for Mike. He saw the potential of Freshbooks long before anyone else did. He knew that Freshbooks wasn\\u2019t just a great idea\\u2014it had the potential to far exceed the earning and impact potential of the business he was currently running.\\n\\n\\n\\nNow, today\\u2019s show isn\\u2019t about Mike\\u2014but you can get the full scoop on what worked to get Freshbooks off the ground in the early days and what worked to reinvent it when they need to leap ahead of the market in Episode 152.\\n\\n\\n\\nBut Mike\\u2019s story is the perfect introduction to Brittany Berger\\u2018s story.\\n\\n\\n\\nYou see, Brittany is all-in on the seed she\\u2019s planted, just like Mike. And, just like Mike, it\\u2019s not her primary source of revenue yet.\\n\\n\\n\\nYet, the seed she\\u2019s watering and tending to has the potential to grow into a big venture.\\n\\n\\n\\nBrittany Berger is founder of Work Brighter, a digital media company that helps productive unicorns go beyond working smarter to a version of productivity that makes room for \\u201cunproductive\\u201d things like rest, self-care, and fun. Work Brighter currently publishes a weekly newsletter and hosts a membership community full of resources and templates.\\n\\n\\n\\nOne of the things that stood out to me most about our conversation was how clear-eyed Brittany was about her priorities for this growing company. While she\\u2019s still earning income as a content marketing consultant, Brittany knows that Work Brighter is her future. It\\u2019s her primary focus.\\n\\n\\n\\nBrittany and I talk about about how Work Brighter got started, why she treats it more like a software business than a content business, and how she creates her weekly newsletter. We also talk about her business model and why she chose to focus on building monthly recurring revenue.\\n\\n\\n\\nNow, let\\u2019s find out what works for Brittany Berger!'