Creators
The first hires a solo creator should make — in order
The correct first hire buys back the founder's hours at the highest revenue per hour — and the sequence that works is shorter than most creators think.
Michael Hayes · July 18, 2026
Creators
Creators covers independent operators who own their audience and their costs. Guides address sponsorship pricing, platform payout terms, membership and subscription tiers, contract clauses worth refusing, hiring a first employee, and reducing dependence on any single platform. Aimed at creators past the hobby stage who now run an actual business.
Creators covers independent operators who own their audience and their costs. Guides address sponsorship pricing, platform payout terms, membership and subscription tiers, contract clauses worth refusing, hiring a first employee, and reducing dependence on any single platform. Aimed at creators past the hobby stage who now run an actual business.
Creators
How creators should price brand deals: a working framework
Brand deals pay multiples of platform payouts, and pricing them by follower count is the industry's most expensive habit — rate cards should start from value delivered, not audience size.
Michael Hayes · June 25, 2026
Creators
beehiiv versus Substack: the platform choice, compared on published terms
One charges flat fees and ships growth tools; the other takes 10 percent and ships a network — the right choice follows your revenue model, not the discourse.
Michael Hayes · June 3, 2026
Creators
How Patreon's recurring-revenue model actually works for creators
Patreon proved that a few percent of an audience will pay monthly — its fee structure, payout mechanics and churn patterns deserve a closer look than the folklore gives them.
Colin Reyes · May 11, 2026
Creators
Podcast monetization models compared: ads, subscriptions, patronage and network deals
Four monetization models attach to a podcast, each with different break-even audience sizes — and the right one depends on episode cadence and niche value.
Michael Hayes · April 18, 2026