Rebranding The Newsletter

Howdy from Paradise Valley, Montana,

Welcome to the 1 new subscriber from last week.

Notice anything different about the newsletter?

That's right, folks. We're headed for a rebrand. Don't worry. Management has assured me you'll continue to get newsletters every Thursday morning.

Where my head is at on the rebrand.

I've been creating online for about 2.5 years now.

My online journey has taught me a few things:

1. Consistency is king. Anyone can do something once, but success comes from routinely showing up.

2. Perfectionism has the capacity to prevent you from hitting publish, a direct knock against #1.

3. The branding of people's content online is a major area where perfectionism can creep in. Folks get nervous that things don't look good enough aesthetically.

These 3 lessons roll up into 1 key takeaway - don't let aesthetics get in the way from hitting publish.

Iterative progress and feedback loops with your audience are better than never getting started.

The Build Better Newsletter name made a great deal of sense when I came up with it in the fall of 2020. I mean shoot, the name went with the "build" theme from Building Out Loud. Sure, it's a bit of a mouthful, but it rhymed and I liked it. So why the change?

The name, "The Build Better Newsletter," could potentially be misleading to potential new subscribers.

Back in May, I wrote a piece titled "Hope Amidst Heartbreak." It detailed a proposed middle ground in gun legislation following the Uvalde, Texas shooting. I shared the link to the piece on my Instagram. As folks messaged me with their thoughts, I began to realize that "build better" may not be the best URL to direct folks to when discussing political matters.

This rebrand has nothing to do with aesthetics and everything to do with messaging.

One of President Biden's top policy goals was to pass an infrastructure bill which was affectionately titled the "Build Back Better" bill. The Build Back Better bill eventually became the Inflation Reduction Act, which was passed on August 12th.

I worry that, as I continue to use this newsletter as a vehicle to venture into nuanced topics, the publication's name could be misconstrued as being affiliated with partisan politics. This is neither an endorsement nor a critique of the current administration.

I turned to Twitter for help, but the crowd was split.

Since Twitter wasn't any help, I began reaching out to folks individually. One fellow newsletter writer told me that the legislation was the first thing that came to mind when I began marketing earlier this year. That's when I knew I had to make the change.

I simply don't like the idea of someone potentially turning away from the newsletter in an instant because they've confused this for a purely political publication.

This is especially true considering that my ideal audience is those who are quick to take a side, one way or another, without thinking critically through multiple perspectives.

My goal each week is to refine my knowledge on how we can build better businesses, technologies, and ultimately a better society. My hope is that my writing will offer a perspective that contributes to the conversation on these topics.

I will occasionally wade into civic/political matters as these fall under the society category, but I want to craft these messages from a place of independent thought.

I feel like "The Build" helps me market the newsletter as a place for independent thought with more confidence.

So, nothing will change. You'll still hear from me on Thursday mornings on the same topics - business, tech, life, + occasional van content. We just chopped off a couple of words. That's all.

One of the new logos for the newsletter.

A Note on COVID

After 2.5 years of evading it, I came down with COVID over the last couple of weeks. I quarantined for 5 days in PA (current CDC guidance), then flew back to Montana fully masked up so that the van wasn't parked by itself for too long.

I am now past the 10 days of masking and am testing negative.

I've mostly just been hanging out in the van writing/designing (hence the timing of the rebrand.) I also bought season 6 of Better Call Saul and ripped through the entire thing. (Side note: the attention to detail in the writing of the Breaking Bad universe is exceptional.)

I'm documenting my COVID experience because I want to be true to what my stories from the van will be.

For every backcountry adventure, there's a mechanical breakdown. For every weekend spent dancing with friends, there's a weekend spent under the weather and cooped up in the van.

Perhaps the ratio isn't a perfect 1:1, but here's my point: the highs are high and the lows are low on the road.

This isn't a guilt trip or a pity party. It's a reality check that the true value of the van is learning how to endure difficult circumstances and create stability amidst volatility.

Case in point: I went from 4 days of COVID isolation in a Walmart parking lot to 2 awesome nights camping on a National Forest Service Road in Paradise Valley, Montana with my cousin who also converted a van. You don't get one without the other. I don't make the rules. That's just how it goes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Photos of The Week

Location this past week: Philadelphia, PA --flight--> Bozeman, MT -> Livingston, MT -> Paradise Valley, MT

Meeting up with my cousin, RJ, and his co-pilot, Ernie, in Livingston, MT. We talked regularly about converting vans since 2018, constantly sending listings and build designs to one another. Then, in 2021, we did it.

Fueling up in Paradise Valley with Emigrant Peak in the distance.

Camped out off of a National Forest Road in Tom Miner Basin.

I stopped by Mountain Sky Guest Ranch for the first time in 4 years, where I worked the summer of 2018 as a challenge course instructor. This experience fueled my love of the outdoors more than anything, and I made lifelong friends along the way.

Highway boys on the road tonight.

I'm not drinking this year, but even at 120 years young, Old Sal continues to be the finest establishment in all of Montana.

Thanks for reading

What do you think of the rebrand?

Hit the reply button and let me know!

Josh

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