I’m rising on Substack.
Someone from The Online Writing Club informed me about this today, and I was so excited.
Then I checked the stats in my Substack app and saw that I apparently added $3,000 to my recurring revenue in the last 30 days.
I’m now rising in my specific category on Substack’s bestseller list which is, of course, amazing.
$3,000. $3,000!
The Online Writing Club is read in 169 countries and all 50 US states by dreamers, builders, writing fans and doers - we’re the #14 International Bestseller.
Members have created a genuinely global community here,
all brought together by a love for writing, habit building, expressing yourself, finding your own voice, sharing your stories, quitting your job one day and starting your own business (part-time) and I’m totally here for that.
I share new posts each week on all things writing, (indie) book publishing, bring you inspiring voices in my Show and everything newsletter and Substack-related - basically all the ways of online writing.
Now I also have the Substack for Beginners class (value $499) with weekly lives and coaching included!
Do please come and join us!
And I know there are so many moms out there thinking,
“Oh, Kristina, I would so much love to earn my first 100 bucks on the internet.”
So this post is definitely for you.
Because I still can’t believe it. I sat there asking myself:
Okay, Kristina, what did you do differently in the last 30 days?
Usually I add $1,000, maybe $500 in a month but not $3,000.
How could I add $3,000 to my Substack income when I’m already earning about $4,000 per month in recurring income, as a mom of two, working part-time?
My kids are 2 and 6. Both under 7. Both very much in the “Mommy, watch this!” phase. And in a few seconds, I have to pick them up, too.
“Be realistic” What other moms told me for years
So many people told me I couldn’t do this. Over the years, I’ve heard it all:
“You can’t do this. Be realistic. You have a well-paid corporate job, why would you do that? And what about the baby? Is this even good for your health? Come join us for a drink…the mommy wine club! Come watch a movie with us. Hang out for three hours and do nothing while the kids run around.”
Sure, I’m doing all of this with my kids, well, not the wine and not the movie-watching. The mommy wine club was never my thing.
And here’s the funny part: the same people would say, in the same breath,
“One day... one day I’ll start my own business. Write my book. Write online. Do my own thing. One day.”
This is why you see all those ads about writing your own book — “Pay me $5,000 (or $1,000) and I’ll help you write it.”
I personally know exactly one person who actually started and kept going. She built a life coaching business. The others? Still waiting for “one day” to come.
I didn’t wait. I did it anyway, for six years now. I started writing on the internet, and you can do it too.
First: What even is Substack?
If you’re new here, let me explain, because this matters.
Substack is a free platform where you can write posts. It’s like a blog, and people subscribe to get your posts in their inbox like a newsletter. The cool part: you can turn on paid subscriptions with one click, and readers who love your work pay you monthly or yearly to support it and unlock extras.
What makes it special:
You can start for free. Go to substack.com, create an account, and you have access to everything. No paywall to get started.
You own it. You always own your intellectual property, your mailing list, and your subscriber payments. If you ever leave, your email list goes with you.
Substack only takes 10%. Some people call it the “Substack tax” in a very negative way, but it simply means: the moment you earn money, Substack takes a 10% cut (plus standard Stripe payment fees). Tell me another platform that takes just 10%.
No headaches. You don’t need to know how a website works. No WordPress, no hosting, no ads to run. You write, you publish, you grow.
“But what can a mom even blog about?”
Whatever you’re already living! Some ideas:
Motherhood itself — the honest, funny, messy version nobody posts on Instagram
Your before-kids career — teaching, nursing, marketing, finance, organizing
A hobby or obsession — meal planning, budgeting, decluttering, fitness after baby
Your journey — postpartum, homeschooling, earning money online, paying off debt, building something while raising littles
Gardening, fishing, you name it — put it out there!
You only need to be one chapter ahead of your readers.
