My goal at the start of 2025 was simple… Get my local newsletter from 20,000 to 40,000 subscribers by the end of the year. Today we just crossed 41,200. And somehow, along the way, this little local newsletter also passed 6 figures in revenue… all from advertising for local businesses. Wild to think this started 20 months ago with no plan other than “let’s see what happens.” Now the new goal is even bigger! 75,000 readers by the end of 2026. And over $500,000 in rev. Do you think it's possible?

Part 8 of building my local newsletter to $1M in profit. The newsletter currently makes $10–12K/month. But a lot changed this month... I talked to Alex Hormozi for 8 minutes. Lost $6,000 and decided to give away $15,000. Here's everything that happened: (And what I learned) To catch you up, we currently have: • 40,000 email subscribers • And 80,000 social followers. I decided to start a Christmas lights company on the back of that audience. The problem? I was suddenly running two completely different businesses... All just to try and make $1M a year. So after the call with Alex, the decision became clear: shut it down and go all in on the newsletter. Here’s how it went down. I bought Alex’s $6,000 package and somehow ended up on a live call with him. And if that wasn’t nerve-wracking enough, Leila joined too. Key takeaways from the call: • Don’t chase shiny objects (Christmas lights was one) • Don’t expand to other cities or niches • Focus only on growing Winnipeg Digest to 250,000+ subscribers first • Just by selling ads, and that alone can be a $1M/year business So the next day, I shut down the lights business. Gave away my clients to another local company in exchange for them doing the takedowns later this season. Lost about $6K in gear and materials. But gained clarity that’s worth way more. Now the focus is simple: Get Winnipeg Digest from 40,000 → 100,000 subscribers. How I’m doing it: • Self-liquidating offer • Sell local guides on the thank-you page and welcome sequence If it costs me $1 to get a subscriber, and I sell a $23 local guide... I just need 1 in 23 people to buy it to break even, and then I can scale infinitely. To go along with the SLO, we’re going all in on growth! We’re giving away $15,000 in prizes over 25 days... Partnering with 25 local businesses to run a new giveaway every single day this holiday season. The goal? Grow our social following fast... and use Manychat automations to convert those followers into newsletter subscribers. Overall, learned some tough lessons. But wouldn't do it any other way... Now, comment below what you think of the plan? And were the Christmas Lights a dumb idea? Tagging the boys for feedback: @WalkerDrewett @trentjhughes @CoFoundersNik @mhp_guy @MikeyPesto @AlexHormozi @businessbarista @sodacitysimpson

Christmas Lights Install Business Update: Got our first batch of: 50-yard signs + 300 Door Hangers. Ready to place and give out! I've heard these generate the highest ROI out of any form of marketing... So excited to see how much my phone rings! And yes, before you ask... I'll be answering all the phone calls myself!

This is Part 6 of building a Christmas Lights company… Using my local newsletter audience of 107,000 people. We’ve now closed over $5,000 worth of jobs... in the last week. With no paid ads. or even a website. And here's how we did it: • 3 jobs closed = $5,000 in revenue • 30% deposits upfront • All from 2 newsletter ads (after our giveaway) Our funnel now looks like this: A person sees ad in the newsletter. Books 10-min call via Calendly. We qualify them. Book in-person design consult. Then we go in person: • Build rapport • Show a mockup (before/after) • Break down the quote • Close the deal Last 7 days, here's the breakdown: • 10 consults booked • 3 canceled • 7 showed up • 3 closed • $1,666 avg job value • All before Oct 1 Christmas lights season typically runs Oct 1–Dec 10… Our goal: Extend the season, so we can get practice reps in + increase revenue. What do you think, will I hit $100,000 in my first season? And comment below any question! And thoughts you might have...

This is PART 5 of building a Christmas Lights Company... using my local newsletter of over 35,000 subscribers. UPDATES: • Aug 5: Our lights finally came in • Aug 7: We put up our first Christmas lights. (as a test, for free) And today, we ran our first newsletter ad: To start building a warm LEADS list. We positioned the ad as an EXCLUSIVE giveaway for the newsletter readers. Qualifying the leads through the following rules: Here’s who can enter: • You must own a detached home in Winnipeg • Your home must be accessible for a ladder install • You must be available for a short design consult in August • And you agree to let us take before & after photos for the Winnipeg Digest THE RESULTS? We sent out the newsletter 3 hours ago... And now have over 110 entries, with their: • Name • Number • Email • Home Address and more! What do you think, can we make this business work? Comment below any question! And your thoughts...