Dan Runcie has built something really special with Trapital. Chenell Basilio breaks down how he does it. Some notable points:

Write what you want to live: “Dan didn’t start Trapital because he was the most experienced, knowledgeable, Hip-Hop insider. He became an most experienced, knowledgeable, Hip-Hop insider because he started Trapital.” (via Jay Clouse.) I’ve written about writing the book you want to live, Dan wrote the newsletter he wanted to live. 

Make money on sponsorships, reports, and consulting. In fact, Dan actually shut down the paid version of his newsletter. If you want to write for a living, don’t get stuck on the medium. If you love books, make books—but don’t make the mistake of thinking that’s going to be the thing that makes you money. See a similar looking funnel from Chris Do.

Start soon and start with what you’ve got. “Dan started this podcast doing 42 episodes without video. He posted the audio on YouTube, but never included a video component until that 43rd episode. And he didn’t overthink it. This first video was blurry, he didn’t have a professional camera, and he even had his office door open during the conversation.”

P.S., I had the pleasure of guest posting for Trapital a couple of years back, it was super fun.

P.P.S., Chenell is up to something interesting here with the breakdowns. I did it for Slack a few years back, also fun.