Well, this kind of sucks.
I didn’t want to do this. I resisted, I really did. But after almost a year with HustleLife and nearly three years with The Practical Nerd, they are no longer serving their intended purposes, and it’s time for a change. So, they’re getting shut down.
What happened?
A few years ago, I started The Practical Nerd with the intention of bringing a Lifehacker-type site to a less geeky audience. The idea was that I had made my life a lot better simply by applying some nerdy ideas in very practical situations, and that anybody could do it. I wanted to make nerdiness accessible to the average person.
After a year, I learned that people didn’t need another Lifehacker. Turns out Lifehacker is still doing a great job on its own. I strongly encourage everyone to follow Lifehacker all the time, because there is always at least a great tip or two every week. But that left the Nerd on its own to redefine itself. I realized that a lot of my content was being geared toward small, achievable goals. This was excellent, and one that I pursued.
But here’s the thing: in creating that type of content, I was backing myself into a corner. The Practical Nerd, as a brand, doesn’t fit with that premise. In fact, it makes little-to-no sense to the average reader. The site did not become about nerdiness at all, and that hurt my chances of succeeding while continuing the brand.
What about HustleLife?
HustleLife was a really fun idea, and it was a project that has been great fun for me over the past year. I’ve loved getting on the phone with various exciting personalities who are doing great things, and HustleLife gave me the confidence to network much more than I have before. That will carry into future projects, for sure.
But I approached HustleLife wrong in a few areas. First, I never hired a designer. That meant that I was on my own. This is fine if I am creating an ebook or some other digital product, but not for a monthly digital magazine. That just wasn’t working for me. Second, it was a separate brand, which required a whole separate effort to build. The audience for HustleLife grew very quickly, and it is on par with The Practical Nerd in terms of numbers. I’m very proud of that.
But when I got any exposure, I had to figure out ways to promote both brands, which is incredibly hard to do, especially when your first brand isn’t that strong to begin with. Add to that the increasing pressures of creating great content on each platform, and it really wore me down this past year.
That said, I have some great content that I wrote for HustleLife that will be included in my new project (see below).
So are you done blogging/writing? What now?
Not by a long shot. Actually, I’ve put together a plan to hone in the focus of these two brands and merge them into something new. It’s something completely different in terms of branding, but the core message and my goal/vision for it will remain the same. I still want to make life improvement and goal-setting achievable and reasonable for average people, and I think I’ve got a great way to do it.
I won’t link to it yet, because it’s not live. But check my Twitter page often for updates, and I’ll be sure to link to it on this site as well before it goes dark.
What if I don’t like it?
Don’t follow me anymore – easy, right? Seriously, I am insanely appreciative of the hundreds of you that have been following me the past few years. This is another step in that process as I adjust my game plan and adapt for the future. I may lose some of you along the way. That will suck, and I’m sad to see you go (if you choose to go). But I know that I can’t please everybody, and I need to make sure that this new direction will excite me, which will in turn inject some much-needed life into the online presence that I’ve created.
Stay tuned. And thanks.
Looking for more inspiration? Check out these 20 average goals accomplished by extraordinary achievers. If you want to take it to the next level, join The "I Can" Movement!
Tom is an entrepreneur and freelance writer, working out of his apartment full-time, or wherever he feels like taking his laptop. He doesn't take long European vacations or blogs on the beach. He's an Average Joe that took control of his life. He wants you to do the same.
