It's Time! Build A Soulful Substack Home Base With Justin Welsh | From $0 to $100,000 ARR

I’m jumping out of my skin excited because you’re about to hear from someone incredibly special. 🎉

For the very first time,

Justin Welsh

sat down to talk about his move to Substack.

We talked last week (and since my little ones running around in the house during our (early) summer break, it took me hours to produce and create this podcast post) and Justin shared insights every (part-time) creator, writer, solo, dreamer needs to hear right now!

So grab your favorite drink, get comfy, and enjoy this value-packed conversation!

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Two weeks ago, I spotted

Justin Welsh

in the Substack Bestseller chat.

Yes, that Justin Welsh. The LinkedIn legend. The solopreneur who built a $8 million content business with zero employees by monetizing his skills and creating in public.

The guy with 175,000 newsletter subscribers and 740,000+ followers on LinkedIn.

Naturally, I was curious—why would someone so successful in the algorithmic trenches start all over again on Substack?

So we started chatting. Then we sent some DMs. And what I found out honestly felt like a sign of the times.

Because Justin isn’t just experimenting with

Unsubscribe

.

photo credit: Justin Welsh Unsubscribe

He’s seriously considering this his next main business.

“If this goes well, this is what I would like to make my main business.”

Here’s why—and why it matters for every creator, artist, mompreneur, “part-time) writer, and solo entrepreneur right now.

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Burnout BTS

Even at the top of the game, Justin’s experience on traditional platforms was starting to feel… empty.

“X has become really driven by outrage bait, division, politics, culture wars…
(…) That’s just not personally interesting to me.”

And LinkedIn?

“Much in part thanks to me, so I can only really blame myself, it’s become a place where people are building personal brands. It used to be more about thought leadership. (…) it’s about performance and posturing.”

Can you relate? 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️

If you’ve felt the shift too—the flood of AI-generated content, the shallow interactions, the treadmill of performative posts—you’re not alone.

Justin said it out loud:

“Most of the folks who have been around creating on social media…
If you pulled them behind the scenes, they would tell you that they’re tired.”

This is the tension so many tribe members feel: the reach is still there, but the resonance is gone.

So What’s the New Game Plan?

Instead of forcing it, Justin did something radical:

He walked away from trying to win the social game and leaned into a soulful, creative one.

“It’s not what I would call a strategic business decision.

Justin wanted to write again. For the joy of it.

With barely 1,300 words across 11 Substack Notes and one short essay (creds to tribe member

Finn Tropy

for this analysis), Justin gained over 12,000 subscribers and made $100K in ARR in his first days on Substack.

The kicker? He didn’t even try to optimize the launch:

“The easiest way to lose joy around creativity is to make it all about profit, right?”

That mindset shift—joy > metrics—is the quiet revolution happening on Substack right now.

The Power of Creative Realness

What I love most about Justin’s new Substack is that it’s personal. Even the name - Unsubscribe - has a real-life backstory:

“We live in a small thing called a hamlet. It only has 552 people.
And (my wife) was talking about how expensive a salad was at a restaurant and it was like: “A $41 for a salad this is wild”. And she said: “I unsubscibe from that!”

It became our inside joke.

And then, the name of the newsletter.

He’s not just unsubscribing from overpriced lettuce. He’s opting out of the noise, the posturing, and the old way of building.

And he’s inviting others to do the same.

His posts are short, deep, and conversational.

photo credit: Justin Welsh, Unsubscribe

They don’t follow a rigid framework as on his main newsletter. They’re built to spark reflection.

“I don’t jump out of bed wanting to talk about funnels.
(…) I want to give people something impactful, short and sweet that they'll read and it will prompt them to have a conversation with their partner, talk to their kids. Think about their life in a different way. That's the goal.”

The New Soulful Substack Operating System for Creators

Based on our interview, here’s what Justin is modeling that we can all learn from:

1. Start small. But start real.
   His first days weren’t a mega prelaunch runway campaign—it was 11 Notes and one heartfelt post.

2. Create first, optimize later.
   He wrote 30 posts before launching so he wouldn’t feel pressure to write and chase metrics.

3. Build with people, not just for them.
   His “Inner Circle” membership includes live chats, intimate workshops, and eventually—real-world meetups in London and everywhere he’s traveling with his wife.

4. Don’t be afraid to reset.
   Even if you’ve built a $10,000 or $100,000 online business (or million-dollar empire), it’s okay to change direction when your heart says so. I’ll also change directions.

5. Embrace the second mountain.
   This isn’t about building bigger. It’s about building truer.

   Justin just wants to have some fun in the chat and enjoy being creative.
   And if he can meet smart people (IRL) and build a little business, that’s a bonus.

The Bigger Trend: The Great Creative Migration

What’s important.

Justin’s not the only one who recently joined Substack.

Jay Clouse. Dan Koe. Jack Butcher. Lewis Howes.
All have joined or shifted toward Substack in the past weeks.

“By the end of 2026, we’ll look back at this moment as the great creative migration.”

They’re building potential future home bases. Real communities. New ecosystems for creator-led businesses.

And Justin is doing it with heart.

🙏🏻🙏🏻Many thanks to Justin for this inspiring interview!🙏🏻🙏🏻

Want to Build Your Own Home Base on Substack Right Now?

If this resonates with you—if you're done performing on social media, being a slave of the algorithms and platform Gods, and ready to build something soulful and sustainable—I’d love to invite you to join the Online Writing Club community of 14,000 like-minded, soulful and passionate (part-time) solos, writers, artists, dreamers and creators.

It’s the space I wish I had when I started back in autumn 2022.

We’ve grown to a membership of 350+ writers and creators who meet LIVE every week for:

✅ Live sessions and masterclasses with creators (I interview for my Substack podcast and YouTube channel) who have gone before you. Yesterday we talked with

Colette Jane Fehr

who got a book deal with Penguin Random House + gave a (not so perfect but still perfect!) TEDx talk!

✅ Q&A, Chat and help setting up your list and writing habit
✅ Built-in CIRCLE community support and accountability
✅ The Substack School on-demand course for Beginners (12 hours+) for annual members

✅ HOT & NEW: Kickstart Your Email List in Just 5 Days! (On-Demand Signature Course)

To help more new-ish (part-time) writers, creators, artists and dreamers like you, starting today, you can get my signature cohort-based course, The Substack Kickstarter Bootcamp, as on-demand course!

I know many come to Substack because of a specific creator, such as Justin Welsh. But most then also see the opportutnity and want to start capitalizing on the buzzy platform since it’s a growth driver.

Still, most feel overwhelmed, have no clue where to start and what to do - although NOW is the BEST time to start your list (and you’re not too late!).

The Substack Kickstarter Bootcamp helps you to go from zero to newsletter in only 5 days.

That’s why I want to open the doors for YOU this spring!

As anonymous insider and Substack bestseller,

William A. Finnegan

, shared with me in our popular interview with 7,000 downloads (!) :

“Stack like there’s no tomorrow"!”

Real People Real Results

Here’s a screenshot of one of my paid members and Bootcamp alumnis I got just yesterday (on the Bootcamp page, you’ll see more + I’ll add new WOW-worthy examples in the next days, too):

Or this one from just a few minutes ago:

Build Your Home Now

And yes—Justin is now also part of the Online Writing Club.

In his own words:

“Start building your home base now before the rush.
Because the creative entrepreneurs who own their relationships will have an incredible advantage in the years ahead.”

The future isn’t louder. It’s deeper.
And it starts with one click.

See you inside the Club and Bootcamp,

PS Any Qs? Hit reply and leave a comment.

PPS If you loved this interview or think someone needs to read this, please share 🔁 it with your friends, colleagues and family as this means A LOT to me as a part-time mompreneur. Thanks so much! 🔁